Chest
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We present the case of a 71-year-old woman with a long-standing history of refractory pulmonary sarcoidosis, who, upon commencement of treatment with lenalidomide for her newly diagnosed 5q-myelodysplastic syndrome, showed a remarkable, immediate, unexpected response and recovery of her sarcoidosis-related symptoms, improvement of her vital capacity, and complete clearance of her bibasal alveolor infiltrates. To our knowledge, this is the first case to report on the significant and immediate efficacy of lenalidomide in the management of pulmonary sarcoidosis. It provides a potential role for the use of lenalidomide as a novel therapeutic agent in patients with refractory pulmonary sarcoidosis.
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An 18-year-old woman with a history of refractory complex partial epilepsy presented for evaluation of snoring and episodes of gasping for air during sleep. She had uncontrolled epilepsy since the age of 8 years despite trial of multiple antiepileptic medications. She eventually underwent an implantation of a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) device (model 103; Cyberonics Inc) with gradual adjustment of the VNS settings for better seizure control.
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The determination of competency of trainees in programs performing bronchoscopy is quite variable. Some programs provide didactic lectures with hands-on supervision, other programs incorporate advanced simulation centers, whereas others have a checklist approach. Although no single method has been proven best, the variability alone suggests that outcomes are variable. Program directors and certifying bodies need guidance to create standards for training programs. Little well-developed literature on the topic exists. ⋯ The current methods used for bronchoscopy competency in training programs are variable. We suggest that professional societies and certifying agencies move from a volume- based certification system to a standardized skill acquisition and knowledge-based competency assessment for pulmonary and thoracic surgery trainees.
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Active smoking is associated with elevated thrombotic risk. Smoking status has recently been incorporated into the SAMe-TT2R2 (sex female, age < 60 years, medical history [more than two comorbidities], treatment [interacting drugs, eg, amiodarone for rhythm control], tobacco use [doubled], race [doubled]) score that can help predict poor international normalized ratio control in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). The clinical benefit of antiplatelet therapy (APT) has been seen primarily in smokers. We hypothesized that active smoking may differently influence the risks of stroke and bleeding in patients with AF treated with VKAs or with APT. ⋯ In AF, there was a higher risk of severe bleeding in smokers, mainly in those treated with VKAs.
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A 72-year-old female nonsmoker was admitted to our Thoracic Surgery Unit in 2013 because of a lesion detected on chest CT scan during oncologic follow-up. Her medical history was significant for the development of a single pulmonary metastasis discovered 1 year after sigmoidectomy for colic adenocarcinoma. ⋯ Histologic examination demonstrated a pulmonary metastasis of colic adenocarcinoma with diffuse necrotic areas. The patient underwent subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine and was followed annually with biohumoral oncologic screening (carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9), chest-abdomen CT scan, and colonoscopy.