Medicine international最新文献

Gout is a chronic disease frequently associated with lifestyle; its prevalence is increasing in Western societies, as well as in the Middle East. Apart from its partial genetic features, diet accounts for 12% of the causality of the disease, while purine-rich foods contribute decisively to its development and evaluation. The influential Persian physician of the medieval ages, Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi (or by his Latin name Rhazes; 860-925 AD), wrote a short book (20 chapters) entitled 'Treatise on gout'. Rhazes adopted the Hippocratic humoralism, and suggested that the disease results from metabolic excess in the peripheral blood, presenting sex dimorphism and age-dependence. His therapeutic guidelines include a diet prescribed by a physician, the use of laxatives and emetics, counter-balancing excess or deficiency of bile or phlegm and analgesics, bloodletting, foot and steam baths, as well as salves and poultices as preventive measures. He appends differential dietary restrictions/suggestions for phlegmatic or choleric patients: Small rations and intake of good quality foods low in purine by 20% for phlegmatic and 28% for choleric patients, as well as the restriction of foods high in purine by 27% for phlegmatic and 22% for the choleric patients. Finally, the acidic to alkaloid food intake ratio suggested is 2/5 for choleric and 3/7 for phlegmatic patients. His suggested foods and drugs are vitamin C and B-rich complexes, thereby inhibiting the accumulation of tophi.

Tracheal stenosis is a narrowing of the windpipe that can lead to shortness of breath, stridor and even suffocation. The present study reports the clinical course of a patient with this condition in an aim to help clinicians obtain more information about this rare condition and identify potential treatment options. A 2-year-old female child presented with progressive shortness of breath and stridor. She was initially managed with tracheostomy; however, this was unsuccessful in relieving the stenosis. Subsequent interventions, including rigid bronchoscopy and dilatation were successful in relieving the condition. A benign hypertrophy of the bronchial wall was identified through biopsy. The patient was treated with steroids and antibiotics, and she experienced a marked improvement in symptoms and remained asymptomatic after a 1-year follow-up. Tracheal stenosis is a rare, yet serious condition that may be life-threatening. Thus, the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition are essential in order to improve outcomes.

In the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), laboratory medicine has played a crucial role in both diagnosis and severity assessment. Although the importance of baseline laboratory findings has been extensively reported, data regarding their evolution over the clinical course are limited. The aim of the present narrative review was to provide the dynamic changes of the routine laboratory variables reported in patients with severe COVID-19 over the course of their critical illness. A search was made of the literature for articles providing data on the time-course of routine laboratory tests in patients with severe COVID-19 during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). White blood cell, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, platelet counts, as well as D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase and serum albumin levels were selected as disease characteristics and routine laboratory parameters. A total of 25 research articles reporting dynamic trends in the aforementioned laboratory parameters over the clinical course of severe COVID-19 were identified. During the follow-up period provided by each study, the majority of the laboratory values remained persistently abnormal in both survivors and non-survivors. Furthermore, in the majority of studies, the temporal trends of laboratory values distinctly differentiated patients between survivors and non-survivors. In conclusion, there are distinct temporal trends in selected routine laboratory parameters between survivors and non-survivors with severe COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, indicating their importance in the prognosis of clinical outcome.

Spermatocytic tumors are a rare type of testicular cancer, comprising <1% of all testicular malignancies. This type of cancer typically affects males in their 60s and 70s and rarely metastasizes; however, it poses a threat to the health of affected individuals if left untreated. The present study describes the case of a 68-year-old male patient with this type of tumor, including a presentation of his initial symptoms, treatment and subsequent monitoring. A male patient, aged 68 years, visited the authors' clinic with an asymptomatic mass in the right testicle. The mass had been progressively increasing in size for a duration of 5 years following a history of blunt injury. During the examination, a noticeable, painless enlargement was detected in the right testis, whereas the left testis appeared to be in a normal state. Tumor markers were within normal limits. Imaging revealed a complex mass (11x8x7 cm) almost replacing the right testis, with no detectable lymph nodes. A right radical orchidectomy was performed under spinal anesthesia. A histopathological examination revealed a spermatocytic tumor. The post-operative period was uneventful, with no metastasis detected in the CT scans. The patient was discharged with instructions for regular follow-up appointments. The case presented herein highlights a rare spermatocytic tumor in a 68-year-old male. The early detection and treatment of testicular tumors, regardless of age, are crucial for a good prognosis.

The present study describes a case of cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis. The clinical and radiological findings of the patient were consistent with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis. Cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis is a rare subtype of mastitis with a distinct histological pattern that is associated with the Corynebacterium species. The diagnosis and treatment of cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis remains a significant challenge due to the scarcity of available data. The present study describes a classic case of cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis that includes clinical, radiological and histopathological findings. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case documenting radiological findings before and after treatment. This report encourages the consideration of this entity in the differential diagnoses of mastitis.

Post-caesarean section bladder flap haematoma is a rare postpartum complication. There are currently no specific treatment protocols, at least to the best of our knowledge. In general, the failure of conservative treatment with antibiotics requires the re-operation and surgical drainage of the haematoma. The present study describes the case of a primiparous pregnant woman who, at 40 weeks of pregnancy, delivered by caesarean section. On the 3rd post-operative day, the puerperant, haemodynamically stable, developed febrile infection. During the evaluation, the presence of bladder flap haematoma associated with moderate right hydroureteronephrosis was found. The failure of conservative management led to the decision to perform a re-laparotomy 1 week later. During the surgery, a large bladder flap haematoma was found with a retroperitoneal extension into the right parametrium. The surgical drainage of the haematoma and thorough haemostasis in the area of the vesicouterine pouch was performed. The patient was discharged from the clinic on the 5th post-operative day following the re-operation. After 2 weeks, an ultrasound revealed the complete repair of the lesions in the vesicouterine pouch and the right kidney. In the present study, a brief review of literature is also provided regarding the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with post-caesarean section bladder flap hematoma.

Tuberculosis of the thyroid gland is rare, and tuberculous granulomatous inflammation of the parathyroid glands is even rarer. The present study reports a rare case of primary hyperparathyroidism caused by tuberculous granulomatous inflammation. A 58-year-old female patient presented with generalized body pain persisting for 1 year. She had a history of recurrent renal stones (>20 times) and an incidental finding of multinodular goiter involving the parathyroid on neck ultrasound. A blood analysis revealed elevated levels of serum calcium (11.26 mg/dl) and parathyroid hormone (154.7 pg/ml). The patient underwent the resection of the affected left thyroid lobe under general anesthesia. A histopathological examination revealed parathyroid adenoma with caseating granulomatous inflammation involving the adenoma with focal lymphocytic thyroiditis of the left thyroid gland. Although granulomatous parathyroid disease with parathyroid adenoma causing hypercalcemia is an extremely rare event, it can occur. The treatment of choice is surgical resection.

Sarcoid-like granulomatous inflammation (SLGI) is defined as the development of non-necrotizing epithelioid granulomas in patients who do not meet the criteria for systemic sarcoidosis. Its occurrence is known to be linked to diverse conditions, including malignancies, infections, the use of certain drugs and inorganic substances. To the best of our knowledge, the available literature to date lacks any description regarding SLGI in a paraganglioma. The present study describes the first case of SLGI in a carotid body paraganglioma (CBP). A 54-year-old female patient presented with anterior neck swelling for 27 years without any other symptoms. An ultrasonography revealed a multinodular goiter with retrosternal extension and a solid lesion on the right side of the neck measuring 40x30x22 mm, which was suggestive of a CBP. The patient underwent a total thyroidectomy, and the right-side cervical mass was resected via another longitudinal incision. A histopathological examination of the thyroid specimen revealed findings of a multinodular goiter. Sections from the right-side cervical mass confirmed the diagnosis of CBP accompanied by multiple, well-formed, small-medium sized, non-necrotizing epithelioid granulomas associated with multinucleated giant cells, indicative of SLGI. Non-necrotizing epithelioid cell granulomas (as with SLGIs), identical to those observed in sarcoidosis, may rarely be observed in patients who do not meet the criteria of systemic sarcoidosis; however, they have been observed in association with various neoplasms. It is thus crucial to distinguish them from actual sarcoidosis, as misdiagnoses may lead to severe consequences. The presence of SLGIs accompanying a paraganglioma is an extremely rare phenomenon. Due to this, it is difficult to conclude if it confers a better prognosis or not.

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of hypertonic dextrose prolotherapy (HDP) with conventional physiotherapy (CPT) in improving symptoms in females with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The present study included 60 patients with a diagnosis of knee OA. The patients were randomly assigned to the HDP (n=30) and CPT (n=30) groups. The patients in the HDP group were treated with a dextrose injection into the knee joint (25% dextrose) and around the knee (15% dextrose) in two sessions for 1 month, while those in the CPT group received a hot pack, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and therapeutic ultrasound in five sessions a week for 4 weeks. Prior to commencing the treatment, and at 1 and 3 months post-treatment, all the patients were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the goniometric measurement of active knee range of motion (ROM), a 50-m walking test and isokinetic knee muscle strength measurements. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups as regards the demographic characteristics at pre-treatment (P>0.05). However, at 1 and 3 months post-treatment, the scores of all the outcome parameters were significantly improved in the HDP group compared with the CPT group (P<0.05 for all). In both groups, a significant improvement was observed in the VAS scores, WOMAC total values and ROM following the treatments, with the greatest improvement observed in the HDP group (P<0.001). The isokinetic quadriceps peak torque measurements were increased in both groups following treatment. All the scores exhibited a statistically significant improvement in the HDP group at both 1 and 3 months post-treatment. On the whole, the results of the present study demonstrate that both HDP and CPT are effective treatment modalities to relieve pain, and increase functionality and strength in patients with knee OA. However, greater improvements in pain and functionality can be achieved with prolotherapy.

Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is an autosomal dominant disorder primarily characterized by myotonia. The present study describes the case of a 42-year-old woman who was transferred to the authors' department with acute abdomen and restrictive respiratory failure. Computed tomography revealed a 15-cm right ovarian tumor and atelectasis. An abdominal right salpingo-oophorectomy was performed under general anesthesia. She was then extubated after surgery; however, shortly thereafter she was re-incubated due to poor oxygenation and was then moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) for a further analysis of weaning failure. During her stay in the ICU, weaning was attempted twice, but failed both times. The patient underwent a tracheotomy 7 days after surgery. Consultation with a neurologist suggested possible MD. Following genetic testing, type I MD with ~700-1,100 cytosine-thymine-guanine repeats in the dystrophia myotonia protein kinase gene was confirmed. The patient was then transferred to a specialty hospital at 2 months after surgery. On the whole, the case described herein suggests that clinicians need to become familiar with this disease as a differential diagnosis for post-operative weaning failure.