Volume 9, Issue 5

Statins might cause and/or aggravate the immune-mediated myositis in patients on long-term, stable treatment. We provide a case of polymyositis with an immunological background and gastrointestinal and urinary manifestations in patient on long-term, stable atorvastatin treatment for the past six years. The diagnose of polymyositis was established based on clinical symptoms and signs, electromyography and laboratory test results (elevated aspartate aminotransferase 279 U/L, reference range 0–40 U/L; alanine aminotransferase 198 U/L, 0–33 U/L; lactate dehydrogenase 2200 U/L, 103-227 U/L; creatine kinase 7820 U/L, 15–84 U/L; and positive antinuclear antibodies test, titer of 1:160, with suspect antisynthetase antibodies). Polymyositis was probably related to atorvastatin treatment (Naranjo score, 5). Other probable causes of the myositis were rejected. Coricosteroid therapy, methotrexate and supplementation with vitamin D did not improve the condition. The patient remained bedridden and died two months after the hospital discharge due to the acute myocardial infarction.

Lung cancer is rated with the highest incidence and mortality every year compared with other forms of cancer, therefore early detection and diagnosis is essential. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are “artificial intelligence” software which have been used to assess a few prognostic situations. In this study, a database containing 193 patients from Diagnostic and Monitoring of Tuberculosis and Illness of Lungs Ward in Kuyavia and Pomerania Centre of the Pulmonology (Bydgoszcz, Poland) was analysed using ANNs. Each patient was described using 48 factors (i.e. age, sex, data of patient history, results from medical examinations etc.) and, as an output value, the expected presence of lung cancer was established. All 48 features were retrospectively collected and the database was divided into a training set (n=97), testing set (n=48) and a validating set (n=48). The best prediction score of the ANN model (MLP 48-9-2) was above 0.99 of the area under a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve. The ANNs were able to correctly classify 47 out of 48 test cases. These data suggest that Artificial Neural Networks can be used in prognosis of lung cancer and could help the physician in diagnosis of patients with the suspicion of lung cancer.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM) is a rare clinical condition that may be mild but also dramatic with sudden onset of chest pain and dyspnea accompanied by swelling and subcutaneous crepitations. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical presentation and outcome of SPM in a specialized pulmonary tertiary care centre over a 10 years year period. In subsequent followup, we received information related to recurrence episodes of SPM by patients or their GPs physicians. Eighteen patients, 15 (83%) men, mean age 24 years (SD ±7.86) were diagnosed with SPM. Predominant symptoms were chest pain and cough (n=11) then dyspnea (n=9). Asthma was the most common predisposing condition (n=12). Pneumomediastinum was present on chest radiograph in 17 cases (94%), and in one case it was detected only by computed tomography. The mean length of hospital stay was 7 days (SD ±4.4 days). All our patients recovered and there were no complications. Recurrent event occurred in one asthma patient, 2 years after the first episode. Although, SPM is usually a self-limiting and benign condition, close monitoring is necessary. Recurrence is rare, but possible, with no evidence that routine monitoring of those patients is needed.

Foreign-body aspiration in children results in diagnostic problems, mainly because of nonspecific signs. Therefore, in this study, we placed particular stress on false-positive and -negative predictors. Charts of 139 consecutive paediatric patients aged 6.0 months to 15.5 years who underwent bronchoscopy for a suspected foreign body aspiration were analysed retrospectively. A foreign body was found in 95 cases (68%). The anamnesis was positive in 91%. Cough was the most common clinical symptom (91%) with a sensitivity and specificity of 94% and 23%, respectively. There were no significant correlations between clinical symptoms and the locations of foreign bodies. The majority of focal hyperinflation (24%) and atelectasis (15%) were seen in chest radiographs, with a sensitivity and specificity of 33% and 89% (hyperinflation) and 15% and 82% (atelectasis), respectively. Chest X-rays were normal in 46 cases; however, an object was removed in 25. Persistent infiltrates were present in 14 X-rays, and a foreign body was extracted during bronchoscopy in 4. A highly significant correlation between the type of foreign body and radiological signs was noted (p = 0.00001). Anamnesis, clinical symptoms, and radiological findings are helpful in confirming aspiration, but can be misleading. Chronic or recurrent pneumonia should prompt further bronchoscopic diagnosis.

The diagnosis of inguinal hernia is usually clinical and it is performed with high sensitivity and specificity. Very occasionally, it may be confused with other diseases (lymphadenopathy, testicular pathology,etc). We report a rare case of a 80-year-old woman with a clinical diagnosis of hernia, which was underwent surgery and a tumor from the hernia orifice was found. After histological analysis we discovered that the misdiagnosed hernia was actually a tumor on a rudimentary testis. After radiological, gynecological and cytogenetic assessment we obtained an unexpected diagnosis: Male psheudohermaphroditism and Sertoli-Leydigtumor (SLCT) development on the testis. Diagnostic guidance for disorders of sexual development is based almost entirely on pediatric experience and very few guidelines are available for adults. Male pseudohermaphroditism is an intersex condition in which the carriers show a phenotype that includes external female genitalia, but a male genetic and gonadal sex. SLCT are sex-cord stromal tumors which develop in ovary and very rarely in the testis, representing 0.1–0.5% of ovarian tumors and less than 0.2% of testicular tumors. Thus far 24 case have been reported in the literature in which SLCT tumor has developed on testis.

The article focuses on the eruption of palmoplantar pustular psoriasis, which was documented in a 53-year-old man diagnosed with prostate cancer with bone metastases. This clinical finding was made during routine hormone therapy and palliative radiotherapy. The local improvement in skin lesions was achieved following administration of topical ointments and the use of UVA 311 nm radiation therapy. The management of prostate cancer in this subject resulted in malaise, onset of diabetes mellitus and increased concentration of serum lipids. Interestingly, a few days after the statin treatment was initiated, the intensive pustule eruption was observed as well as severe pain and burning sensation in the palms and soles. The dermatological treatment led to significant improvement. The patient is still receiving oncological therapy and is monitored by dermatologists on a regular basis.

A case of renal arteriovenous fistula between the main renal artery and interlobar vein diagnosed 25 years after percutaneous renal biopsy was presented. A 62-year-old female was referred to a urologist with dilatation of the left renal pyelocalyceal system diagnosed after abdominal ultrasonography, while intravenous urography did not confirm that finding. Historically, she underwent renal biopsy 25 years ago without any complication. Her hypertension was well controlled during the last 10 years, although three antihypertensive drugs with occasional additional diuretics were necessary during the last 6 months. Color Duplex Ultrasonography, arteriography and Multi-Slice Computed Tomography revealed the presence of renal arteriovenous fistula between the main renal artery and interlobar vein, as well as severe dilatation of all interlobar veins, renal, ovarian and adrenal vein on the left side. Urological and vascular surgeons operated to ligate the fistula and preserve the kidney. However, it was not possible to reach the fistula inside the kidney and nephrectomy was performed.

Turner syndrome is among the most common chromosomal aberrations. It is caused by a missing or anomaly of one X chromosome, alternatively a chromosomal mosaicism. It is often connected with a more frequent occurrence of some ocular diseases. In our study 81 girls and women with Turner syndrome from the age of 5 to 23 years old were examined. The occurrence of ocular diseases and their possible connection with karyotype was the main focus of our attention. Myopia had the highest incidence in these girls, further there were hyperopia, epicanthus, colour vision deficiency, amblyopia, strabismus and ptosis. The occurrence of colour vision deficiency was higher than in the general population where it differs in sexes. The occurrence of strabismus and ptosis was higher than in the general population. The total range of refractive errors was slightly higher than in the general population, with a different distribution according to karyotype. Hyperopia was recorded more often at the 45,X karyotype, namely 28 %, while for chromosomal mosaicism it was only in 18%. For myopia the ratio was reversed — chromosomal mosaicism in 31% and in 45,X karyotype in 26 %.In total, while comparing individual eye defects incidence in 45,X karyotype and chromosomal mosaicism, similar findings were recorded. These results were also assessed with the help of statistics.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is a rare histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis that affects typically young women causing fever and painful laterocervical lymphadenopathy. The etiology is unknown, but several viral infections and autoimmune diseases have been related with the disease. Bacterial infections are less frequent. Diagnosis needs for excisional lymph node biopsy that shows paracortical areas of coagulative necrosis with abundant debris, distortion of the nodal architecture, and a large amount of histiocytes at the margins of the necrotic areas. There is no specific treatment for the disease. We present the case of a young woman with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease associated with lower respiratory tract infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae and review the literature.

Although it is accepted that an important correlation exists between the physical exercise and the oxidative stress status, the data regarding the levels of the main oxidative stress markers after physical training have been difficult to interpret and a subject of many controversies. There are also very few studies regarding the effects of short-time exercise on the oxidative stress status modifications. Thus, in the present report we were interested in studying the modifications of some oxidative stress markers (two antioxidant enzymes-superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, a lipid peroxidation parameter — malondyaldehide, the total antioxidant status and protein carbonyl levels), from the serum of rats that were subject to one bout of five minutes exercise on a treadmill, when compared to a control sedentary group. In this way, we observed a decrease of superoxide dismutase specific activity in the rats which performed the exercises. Still, no modifications of glutathione peroxidase specific activity were found between groups. In addition, increased levels of malondyaldehide and protein carbonyls were observed in the rats subjected to exercises. In conclusion, our data provides new evidence regarding the increase of the oxidative stress status, as a result of a 5-minutes bout of treadmill exercising in rats, expressed through a decrease in the SOD specific activity and the total antioxidant status and also an increase of the lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation processes.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) causes considerable morbidity and mortality. About half of all VTE cases in adults are related to recent hospitalization, in spite of the clinical guidelines regarding prophylaxis. We aimed to assess the frequency and the independent risk factors in VTE in hospitalized patients, and to compare the risk factors in medical versus surgical cases. A case-control study consisting of 732 patients (382 with VTE and 350 controls) was designed. At least one risk factor was found in 90.31% of VTE cases; more than half of the patients presented multiple risk factors, associated with a double risk comparatively to the intervention of only one factor. A similar distribution of the risk factors was found in both medical and surgical patients, except for congestive cardiac failure (predominant in medical cases) and respectively, varicose veins, previous episode of VTE and cancer (predominant in surgical VTE patients). The independent risk factors in VTE were the following: previous episode of VTE, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive cardiac failure, varicose veins and cancer. The study shows the importance of the risk factors in VTE and the need to detect hospitalized patients at risk in both medical and surgical cases.