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Pruritus can be associated with chronic liver disease, particularly cholestatic liver disease. Although the pathophysiology is uncertain, there are a few proposed mechanisms and much is still being discovered. Workup involves an assessment to rule out a dermatologic, neurologic, psychogenic, or other underlying systemic disorder. First-line therapy is cholestyramine, which is generally well tolerated and effective. In those who fail cholestyramine, alternative drugs including rifampicin and μ-opioid receptor antagonists can be considered. If medical therapy is ineffective and pruritus is significant, alternative experimental therapies such as albumin dialysis, photopheresis, plasmapheresis, and biliary diversion can be considered.

Circulating polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and lipid mediators were extracted from human red blood cells and quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method encompassed 13 different PUFAs and lipid mediators, however, due to instrument capability only five were confidently quantified (EPA, ALA, AA, DHA, and LA). The extraction focused on free polyunsaturated fatty acids since they have a strong correlation with health in humans. The study design was a secondary analysis of the OPPERA-2 study of chronic overlapping pain conditions in adults. The data included are: a) raw LC-MS/MS data (.raw); b) processed data (.xlsx) including chromatographic peak area for each compound and a concentration (ng/mL) based on external calibration with internal standardization using pure analytical grade standards and heavy-isotope labeled internal standards; c) study participant demographics and phenotypes (.xlsx). This dataset consisting of circulating PUFA quantities measured in 605 humans has been made publicly available for analysis and interpretation.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) following spine surgery was first documented in 2011. Reports have been rare, and sufficient consensus has not been established for clinical application. We presented a case of PRES following spine surgery. The patient was a 35-year-old woman with a history of hypertension who successfully received microendoscopic L5-S1 lumbar discectomy for lumbar disc herniation at L5-S1 under general anesthesia. Six hours after surgery, she suffered from headache, nausea, visual disturbance, and seizures. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed vasogenic edema in the occipital lobe, and she was diagnosed with PRES. Prompt symptomatic treatment resulted in a full recovery at 3 days after surgery. Subsequently, we reviewed the literature pertaining to PRES following spine surgery. The review of the relevant literature on PRES following spine surgery identified 12 cases (male, n = 2; female, n = 10; average age, 59.5 years). Approximately 92% patients received multi-level decompressive laminectomy and/or fusion. This case and the review of the relevant literature suggest that even minimally invasive spine surgery in a young woman with specific characteristics (eg, hypertension) can cause PRES.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare inflammatory condition of the breast. IGM is a benign condition, and is more typical in women of child-bearing age, with a recent history of pregnancy and breast feeding. Its clinical presentation can mimic inflammatory breast cancer or breast abscess. The etiology of IGM is not well defined, but proposed to be a localized immune reaction to the breast tissue without the presence of an underlying infectious condition. Here we report a case of a healthy 35-year-old female, with no story of pregnancy and lactation, who presented with sudden left breast lump, swelling and pain. She underwent first diagnostic ultrasound of the affected breast, then breast MR imaging was performed. A biopsy of the lesion was obtained, which revealed chronic granulomatous inflammation, confirming the diagnosis of GM. Furthermore, the patient was found to have had hyperprolactinemia secondary to a prolactinoma of the pituitary gland (PitNET) many years before, during her 20s, for which she had been treated with surgery.

We describe a unique case of 43-year-old male who presented with a persistent lateral knee pain caused by impingement between a femoral surgical screw and the iliotibial band, which was treated with surgical resection of the screw debris. The patient had reincidence of the symptoms and a magnetic resonance showed a wide and unrepairable tear of the iliotibial band, which was treated with interposition of a folded fasciae latae allograf. After the procedure, the patient had excellent clinical results and imaging evaluation showed progressive allograft integration. This case highlights the imaging findings and surgical aspects of an iliotibial band reconstruction, a novel surgical procedure that could be considered in patients with an unrepairable iliotibial band injury.

Intestinal malrotation in children is a rare aberration, due to a halt in the rotation and attachment of the primitive gut, it can be asymptomatic if the rotation terminates at 90 degrees, which manifests itself in unusual forms of appendicitis as in our observation, or dangerous in cases of inadequate common mesentery and worsened by small intestine volvulus. This 12-year-old boy experienced abdominal discomfort in the hypogastrium and left iliac fossa 4 days before admission. The pain had been developing in a feverish setting, and the clinical examination had revealed abdominal sensitivity. A biological inflammatory syndrome was detected throughout the biological workup, the CT scan allowed the diagnosis of acute appendicitis on a complete common mesentery, and the patient underwent a laparotomy appendectomy. Even though children frequently experience acute appendicitis in its conventional form, it is nevertheless highly challenging to identify in its atypical forms when intestinal malrotation is involved. An abdominopelvic CT scan is used to make the diagnosis, and appendectomy, preferably with laparoscopy, is the recommended course of action.

A 31-year-old woman presented with a headache and nausea. At presentation, her blood pressure was 114/71 mm Hg with left hemiparesis. Computed tomography revealed a large hyperdense mass in the right temporal lobe accompanied by intralesional calcifications and ventricular perforation. Spot signs were not identified, and cerebral angiography did not reveal any abnormal vasculature. The patient underwent emergency craniotomy assuming an intracerebral hemorrhage. Intraoperatively, grayish tumor tissue was found to intermingle with the clots. Microscopic findings of the tumor revealed neoplastic cells possessing perinuclear halo and cell atypia, and diffusely stained with glial fibrillary acidic protein, which were consistent with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas. However, genomic analyses of the tumor showed non-mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and telomerase reverse transcriptase, in addition to wild-type O6-methylguanine DNA-methyltransferase. These are equivalent to glioblastoma multiforme. Based on the results, we assumed that anaplastic oligodendrogliomas may develop apoplectic intratumoral hemorrhages that mimic intracerebral hemorrhage. Genomic exploration is recommended for such tumors, coupled with careful follow-up, owing to its potentially aggressive nature.

Polytrauma patients often require medications to treat pain, treat agitation, and facilitate painful procedures. Though analgesia will be deferred in obtunded patients in profound shock, reduced-dose opioids or ketamine should be administered to unstable patients with severe pain with good mental status. Agitation commonly complicates polytrauma presentations, and is treated according to the danger it presents to patient and staff. Severe agitation can be effectively managed with dissociative-dose ketamine, which facilitates ongoing resuscitation, including CT. Severely painful procedures can be effectively facilitated by propofol or dissociative-dose ketamine, with continuous attention to ventilation and application of a step-by-step response to hypoventilation.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a cardiovascular event whose risk is increased in most inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs). Mechanisms that increase VTE risk include antiphospholipid antibodies (APLs), particularly anticardiolipin antibodies, anti-beta2glycoprotein I antibodies and lupus anticoagulant present together, and inflammation-mediated endothelial injury. Patients with IRDs should receive long-term anticoagulation drugs when the risk of VTE recurrence is high. In the light of recent warnings from regulatory agencies regarding heightened VTE risk with Janus kinase inhibitors, these drugs should be initiated only after a careful assessment of VTE risk in those with IRDs.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most prescribed pharmacologic therapies worldwide due to their therapeutic analgesic efficacy and relative tolerability. In the past several decades, various cardiovascular (CV) adverse events have emerged regarding both traditional NSAIDs (tNSAIDs) and cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) selective (coxibs). This review will provide an updated report on the CV risk profile of NSAIDs, focusing on several of the larger clinical trials, meta-analyses, and registry studies. We aim to provide rheumatologists with a framework for NSAID use in the context of rheumatologic chronic pain management. Recent findings: In patients with and without CV diseases, the use of NSAIDs, both tNSAIDs and coxibs, is associated with an increased risk of adverse CV events, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and cerebrovascular events. These CV risks have increased within weeks of coxib use and higher doses of tNSAIDs. The risk of adverse CV events is heterogenous across NSAIDs; naproxen and low-dose ibuprofen appear to have lower increased CV risk among NSAIDs. A variation in CV risk is associated with multiple factors, including NSAID class, COX-2 selectivity, treatment dose and duration, and baseline patient risk. Summary: Many important questions remain regarding the safety of NSAIDs and whether the culmination of research performed could inform us whether specific patient subtypes or NSAID class may have a more favorable profile. tNSAIDs such as naproxen and low-dose ibuprofen may have a lower CV risk profile, while coxibs have a more favorable GI risk profile. In general, any NSAID can be optimized if used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time, especially among individuals with increased CV risk.