Curēus
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A 77-year-old man presented to the hospital for non-ambulation of 48 hours prior to admission. He was found to have a metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC), a PSA exceeding 27,000, and biopsy-confirmed prostate cancer. After palliative radiation (RT) to the spine and medical treatment, the patient recovered his functions fully and survived for more than 7.5 years, far beyond what would be expected based on current published literature. A systematic review of the literature of MSCC in patients with prostate cancer was carried out. ⋯ Positive predictive factors of local control included single level of metastasis, time of development of motor deficits of more than 14 days, no prior androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), age under 65, and longer course of RT (10 fractions of 2 Gy). Absence of prior ADT, pre-treatment ambulation, a single site of metastasis, and haemoglobin of less than 12g/L were positive predictors for survival.
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Review
Multimodality Neuromonitoring in Pediatric Neurocritical Care: Review of the Current Resources.
Brain insults in children represent a daily challenge in neurocritical care. Having a constant grasp on various parameters in the pediatric injured brain may affect the patient's outcome. Currently, new advances provide clinicians with the ability to utilize several modalities to monitor brain function. This multi-modal approach allows real-time information, leading to faster responses in management and furthermore avoiding secondary insults in the injured brain.
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The abscopal effect is a phenomenon observed in the treatment of metastatic cancer where localized irradiation of a particular tumor site causes a response in a site distant to the irradiated volume. The mechanisms of the abscopal effect are speculated to be of several origins, including distant effects on p53, elaboration of inflammatory agents including cytokines, and, most recently, secondary to immune mechanisms. In this case report, we present a rare report of a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma with lung metastases who, after receiving radiation treatment to the liver, had a treatment response in the liver and a complete response in the lung. Recent advances in the understanding of the primary role of immune-modulated cytotoxicity, especially with the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors, have the potential to turn the abscopal effect from a rare phenomenon into a tool to guide antineoplastic therapy and provide a new line of research.
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In a trauma situation, it is essential that emergency room physicians are able to think clearly, make decisions quickly and manage patients in a way consistent with their injuries. In order for emergency medicine residents to adequately develop the skills to deal with trauma situations, it is imperative that they have the opportunity to experience such scenarios in a controlled environment with aptly timed feedback. ⋯ The following describes a simulation session in which trainees were tasked with managing an infantile patient who had experienced a major trauma as a result of a single vehicle accident. The described simulation session utilized human patient simulators and was tailored to junior (year 1 and 2) emergency medicine residents.
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Technology-enhanced simulation is well-established in healthcare teaching curricula, including those regarding wilderness medicine. Compellingly, the evidence base for the value of this educational modality to improve learner competencies and patient outcomes are increasing. ⋯ The results confirm that the current provision of wilderness medicine utilizing technology-enhanced simulation is aligned with instructional design characteristics that have been used to achieve effective learning. Future research should aim to demonstrate the translation of learning into the clinical field to produce improved learner outcomes and create improved patient outcomes.