Medicine
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Pulmonary artery dissection (PAD) is a rare condition with high mortality and has not been reported in patient with infective endocarditis (IE). Here, we report the first case of such patient who experienced PDA and survived after surgical intervention. A 10-year-old female child was diagnosed as IE with a patent ductus arteriosis (PDA) and a vegetation on the left side of pulmonary artery trunk (10 × 5 mm). ⋯ The patient recovered uneventfully. From this case, we learned that the surgical intervention should be considered at an early time for IE patients who have a vegetation in pulmonary artery and PDA. After the infection is under control, the earlier surgery may prevent severe complications.
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The aim of this study was to determine whether inflammation is related to cancer development, and whether the incidence of cancer is increased and occurs in a site-specific manner in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs). This study included a nationwide dynamic cohort of patients with various newly diagnosed SARDs from 1997 to 2010 with follow-up until 2012. This study included 75,123 patients with SARDs. ⋯ Overall, patients with most SARDs had a significantly higher risk of inflammation-associated site-specific cancers and hematologic malignancies. This study confirms that autoimmunity is associated with site-specific and hematological malignancies and provides clinical evidence of an association between inflammation and subsequent site-specific cancer development. These findings support the importance of inflammation in site-specific organ system carcinogenesis.
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Case Reports
Case Report of Low Virulence Francisella tularensis Presented as Severe Bacteremic Pneumonia.
Tularemia is a zoonotic infection seen primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. It is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis. Although the ulceroglandular form of the disease is the more common manifestation of infection, F tularensis is known to cause pneumonia. ⋯ The patient's fever, pneumonia, and pleural effusion were resolved with appropriate antibiotics for tularemia. This case involving severe bacteremic pneumonia in an immune-compromised patient is rare. This case suggests that low virulence F tularensis should be included in the differential diagnoses of bacteremic pneumonia for endemic tularemia.
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Observational Study
Relationship Between Beta Cell Dysfunction and Severity of Disease Among Critically Ill Children: A STROBE-Compliant Prospective Observational Study.
Although beta cell dysfunction has been proved to predict prognosis among humans and animals, its prediction on severity of disease remains unclear among children. The present study was aimed to examine the relationship between beta cell dysfunction and severity of disease among critically ill children. This prospective study included 1146 critically ill children, who were admitted to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Hunan Children's Hospital from November 2011 to August 2013. ⋯ For instance, compared with group I, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for developing septic shock was 2.17 (0.59, 8.02), 2.94 (2.18, 6.46), and 2.76 (1.18, 6.46) among patients in group II, III, and IV, respectively. Beta cell dysfunction reflected the severity of disease among critically ill children. Therefore, assessment of beta cell function is critically important to reduce incidence of adverse events in PICU.
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Obesity is a disorder with increasing frequency in children and adolescents, directly linked with various diseases. Variants in the FTO (fat mass and obesity-related) gene have been associated with body mass index and waist and hip circumferences in widespread populations. The aim of this case-control study was to assess if there is any association between FTO gene variants rs9939609, respectively, rs17817449 with anthropometric and metabolic biomarkers (fasting glucose, TC, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides) and adipokines (adiponectin and leptin), in Romanian obese children. ⋯ Risk allele carriers of rs17817449 SNP had somewhat higher values of weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, total cholesterol, triglycerides, adiponectin, and fasting glucose. This study revealed the genetic association between rs9939609 SNP of FTO and obesity in a Romanian population, and to the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this association in a Romanian population. This study also established that combined variant genotypes (AA/GG) of FTO rs9939609 /rs17817449 are strongly associated with several measures of adiposity (weight, BMI-SD, mid-upper arm circumference, tricipital skinfold thicknesses) and are also associated with total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-cholesterol levels.