23 research outputs found
Candidemia Following Ureteric Stent Placement in a Patient With Type 2 Diabetes Treated With Canagliflozin
No full textA 38-year-old female patient with well-controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with canagliflozin underwent ureteral stent placement for obstructive renal calculi. Ten days following ureteroscopy and ureteral stenting, she developed fevers and blood cultures grew Candida glabrata (C. glabrata). The patient was successfully treated with an extended course of broad-spectrum antibiotics and antifungal agents. The clinical presentation of candidemia is indistinguishable from bacteremia resulting in delay in diagnosis and treatment. Candiduria is commonly seen in patients with type 2 diabetes, however it rarely leads to candidemia in an otherwise healthy person following a relatively simple urologic procedure. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors act by its glycosuric effect and further increases the risk of genitourinary candida infection. Urologic procedures may lead to bloodstream entry of the genitourinary fungal organisms and result in life-threatening fungemia. Our case emphasizes the importance of awareness of the increased risk of potentially life threatening fungemia in patients using SGLT-2 inhibitors to avoid delay in diagnosis and treatment
Systemic Amyloidosis and Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy Associated with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia
No full textA 73-year-old male with long-standing Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia complicated with systemic amyloidosis presented with a witnessed syncopal episode. He had complaints of orthostatic dizziness and palpitations for few months. Orthostatic hypotension and peripheral neuropathy were demonstrated on physical examination. EKG, 24-hour Holter monitoring, and 2D echocardiogram were unremarkable. MRI of the brain ruled out stroke. Patients with amyloidosis can develop cardiovascular disease through amyloid cardiomyopathy, small vessel disease, conduction defects, pericardial effusion, or autonomic denervation. After ruling out other life-threatening causes, Ewing’s battery of tests was done to rule out cardiac autonomic neuropathy. Two heart rate tests and one blood pressure test were abnormal which indicated severe cardiac autonomic neuropathy. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy can mask symptoms of acute coronary syndrome and hence early diagnosis using the simple bedside maneuver is beneficial. The test is also important for prognostication. Absence of augmentation of cardiac output from inadequate autonomic stimulation will lead to postural hypotension, exercise intolerance, and tachycardia. There may be no change in heart rate with Valsalva or deep breathing both of which increase parasympathetic tone. As the condition progresses, it may result in cardiac denervation which can result in silent myocardial infarction, syncope, and sudden death
The Impact of General Strike on Government Healthcare Delivery in Kerala State in India
No full textGeneral strike (also known as hartal) is used as a mode of protest by organizations and political parties in India. It is generally thought that hartals negatively impact the healthcare delivery in a society. We used the Right to Information Act to obtain data from government health centers in Kerala state in India for four hartal days (H-day) and two control days (A-day and B-day) for each H-day, from sixteen health centers including 6 Community Health Center (CHC), 6 Secondary Health Center (SHC), and 4 Tertiary Health Center (THC). Data on emergency room visits was available for six HCs. 15 HCs had a statistically significant decrease in the number of outpatient visits on H-day. There was no difference in the number of outpatient visits between the two control days (A and B) in 15 HCs, suggesting the lack of a posthartal surge in visits. Median decrease in outpatient visits in CHCs, SHCs, and THCs was 50.4%, 59.5%, and 47.4%, respectively. Hartal did not impact the number of emergency room visits in 6 out of 7 health centers assessed. Our study identified a significant harmful impact on government healthcare delivery due to hartals in Kerala. These findings have major public health implications
Androgen Receptor Signaling in Prostate Cancer and Therapeutic Strategies
No full textUnderstanding of the molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer has led to development of therapeutic strategies targeting androgen receptor (AR). These androgen-receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSI) include androgen synthesis inhibitor-abiraterone and androgen receptor antagonists-enzalutamide, apalutamide, and darolutamide. Although these medications provide significant improvement in survival among men with prostate cancer, drug resistance develops in nearly all patients with time. This could be through androgen-dependent or androgen-independent mechanisms. Even weaker signals and non-canonical steroid ligands can activate AR in the presence of truncated AR-splice variants, AR overexpression, or activating mutations in AR. AR splice variant, AR-V7 is the most studied among these and is not targeted by available ARSIs. Non-androgen receptor dependent resistance mechanisms are mediated by activation of an alternative signaling pathway when AR is inhibited. DNA repair pathway, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, BRAF-MAPK and Wnt signaling pathway and activation by glucocorticoid receptors can restore downstream signaling in prostate cancer by alternative proteins. Multiple clinical trials are underway exploring therapeutic strategies to overcome these resistance mechanisms
Pressure Ulcer Associated with Testicular Prosthesis as a Rare Cause of Spinal Epidural Abscess
No full textSpinal epidural abscess is a neurologic emergency with a potential complication to the spinal cord such as paralysis. Frequently, it has a nonspecific initial presentation such as neck or back pain, and hence there is a delay in diagnosis. We present the case of a 60-year-old Caucasian male who presented to emergency room with one week of numbness and weakness of all four extremities. Neurological examination showed variable quadriparesis. Urgent MRI of spine with contrast revealed epidural abscess in the cervical region C4–C6 with resultant cord compression, the underlying etiology for hematogenous spread of infection being pressure ulcer associated with testicular prosthesis. Urgent neurosurgical intervention was done to achieve spinal cord decompression. Both blood and pus cultures were positive for Streptococcus intermedius, requiring prolonged administration of intravenous antibiotics. Clinical outcome was encouraging with progressive gain in motor and sensory function. Spinal epidural abscess is a rare diagnosis; hence, clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for timely diagnosis
STEMI in a Young Male after Use of Synephrine-Containing Dietary Supplement
No full textA twenty-two-year-old male with no significant past medical history who presented with chest pain was found to have ST-segment elevation in leads II, III, aVF, and V4–V6. On subsequent EKGs, patient had new ST-segment elevations in anterolateral leads with dynamic changes. Cardiac catheterization showed acute dissection with thrombosis of the distal left main coronary artery leading into the ostial left anterior descending artery. The patient had no cardiac risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, or family history of early cardiac disease. On further inquiry, the patient was found to be on two separate performance-enhancing supplements which contained synephrine, a sympathomimetic chemical which was later attributed as the cause of his acute coronary syndrome. Synephrine acts on alpha-1 adrenergic receptors causing peripheral and coronary vasoconstriction, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. Increased hemodynamic stress on the coronary arteries can lead to fatal dissections. Ours is an atypical case of synephrine-induced nonatherosclerotic spontaneous coronary artery dissection which helps caution the physicians about the importance of dietary supplement use in the history and possible side effects of such performance-enhancing additives
Fever of Unknown Origin as a Sole Presentation of Subacute Thyroiditis in an Elderly Patient: A Case Report with Literature Review
No full textAn 80-year-old Caucasian male presented with fever of 3-week duration. Outpatient workup for infectious etiologies was negative and due to persistent fever, he was hospitalized for further evaluation of fever of unknown origin (FUO). Physical examination and laboratory studies remained unremarkable; however a follow-up CT scan of chest, abdomen, and pelvis with contrast done to rule out malignancy as an underlying cause of FUO revealed heterogeneous thyroid gland with surrounding hazy changes suggestive of thyroiditis. Thyroid function tests confirmed the diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis. The patient was started on prednisone with good response in his symptoms and was eventually discharged to home. The importance of our case lies in the fact that diagnosing subacute thyroiditis in the absence of classical symptoms of neck pain can be challenging and a physician should have a very high index of suspicion especially in an elderly patient where FUO can be the sole presentation
Severe Symptomatic Hyponatremia Secondary to Escitalopram-Induced SIADH: A Case Report with Literature Review
No full textHyponatremia is a well-known medication related side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; despite its association with escitalopram, the newest SSRI is very rare. We did a review of literature and came across only 14 reported case of this rare association of SIADH with escitalopram. We hereby report a case of a 93-year-old female who presented with generalized tonic-clonic seizure and was diagnosed with severe hyponatremia due to escitalopram-induced syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). With this article, we want to emphasize clinicians about this rare side effect of escitalopram use and look for the risk factors leading to SIADH
