Clinical medicine (London, England)
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The development of safe and effective vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was a major turning point in the fight against the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, pharmacovigilance has revealed a small but significant incidence of cardiac inflammation manifesting clinically as myocarditis or pericarditis, particularly in younger vaccine recipients. The incidence is the highest among men under age 40 within a week of receiving the second dose of the mRNA vaccine. In this review, we summarise the evidence for, and guidelines in relation to, SARS-CoV2 vaccine-related myocarditis.
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Refractory hypoglycaemia in a patient with a solitary fibrous tumour (SFT) is very rare and was first reported in 1930 independently by Doege and Potter, leading to it being named 'Doege-Potter syndrome'. Here, we report the unusual case of a 77-year-old woman with a giant solitary fibrous pleural tumour who presented with complicating pulmonary hypertension and associated heart failure with hypoglycaemia, and subsequently underwent curative resection of the pleural mass with clinical improvement.
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Nicotine containing vapes (e-cigarettes) are an effective tool to support people who smoke to quit tobacco. Despite this clinicians are wary of promoting vaping to their patients due to concerns that there may not be 'enough' evidence and about youth uptake of vaping. In this opinion article we discuss clinicians' views of vaping and consider the implications that harm misperceptions may have for public health.
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Hypercalcaemia of malignancy (HCM) is a common metabolic complication of advanced malignancies with a prevalence varying from 2-30%, depending on cancer type and disease stage. HCM is associated with impaired quality of life, increased risk of hospitalisation and limited survival. Evidence-based guidelines for management of HCM have been lacking to date, despite its prevalence and detrimental impact. ⋯ A systematic review and meta-analysis was commissioned to support the guideline development process. Key suggestions include the use of denosumab in preference to intravenous bisphosphonates as first-line treatment for HCM and the use of denosumab in cases of recurrent or refractory HCM in patients previously treated with intravenous bisphosphonates. The guideline also identifies priority areas for future research.