Medicine
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Case Reports
Acute necrotizing retinal vasculitis as onset of systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody production, complement activation, and deposition of immune complexes in tissues and organs. SLE can involve any region of the visual system. Although ocular manifestations are not part of the classification criteria for SLE, they can be observed in up to one-third of the patients with SLE. They are rarely reported at the time of disease onset. Retinal vasculitis is usually associated with active generalized disease. Due to its low frequency, we report a case of acute necrotizing retinal vasculitis as onset of SLE. ⋯ Inclusion of ocular manifestations among the classification criteria for SLE would enable earlier establishment of the diagnosis and therapeutic interventions in some instances of SLE.
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Case Reports
Aquaporin-4 positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders secondary to thrombopenic purpura: A case report.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is considered as an immune-mediated disorder in the central nervous system (CNS). Numerous autoimmune diseases are frequently complicated with NMOSD and distinct clinical characteristics are noted in NMOSD patients with other autoimmune diseases. However, to our best knowledge, co-occurrence of NMOSD and thrombopenic purpura is rarely identified. ⋯ The case indicates that NMOSD could co-occur with thrombopenic purpura. The disturbance of immune system balance may explain this overlap. Further studies are warranted to reveal the mechanism and to explore whether patients with NMOSD with and without thrombopenic purpura have distinct clinical feature, drug responsiveness or prognosis.
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The physiological changes associated with pregnancy may predispose pregnant women to pulmonary edema. Other known causes of pulmonary edema during pregnancy include tocolytic drugs, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. ⋯ With early detection and appropriate management, the patient was stabilized in a relatively short period of time. Based on her clinical signs and symptoms, we suspect that the pulmonary edema was caused by takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
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Observational Study
Routine application of lung ultrasonography in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The aim of this study was to study the features of lung ultrasonography (LUS) in lung disease and to evaluate the usefulness of LUS in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). All of 3405 neonates included in this study underwent an LUS examination. Diagnoses were based on medical history, clinical manifestation, laboratory examination, and signs on chest radiography (CR) and/or computed tomography (CT). ⋯ LUS has clinical value for the diagnosis of lung disease and the discrimination of causes of LTOP in premature infants, particularly for the diagnosis and identification of RDS and TTN. Moreover, LUS has additional advantages, including its lack of radiation exposure and its ability to noninvasively monitor treatment progress. Therefore, LUS should be routinely used in the NICU.
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Ecthyma gangrenosum (Eg) is a necrotic lesion that is mostly seen in immunocompromised patients. It reflects a severe sepsis, possibly caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). ⋯ Eg should be recognized rapidly so that the appropriate treatment can be prescribed as quickly as possible.