Rejected

ObjectiveTo identify baseline factors associated with outcomes from an inpatient multidisciplinary pain management program (PMP) located in a bicultural area of Aotearoa New Zealand.MethodsA prospective cohort study was undertaken involving 164 people with chronic pain who attended the PMP. Demographic, clinical, and psychosocial measures were obtained at baseline, whereas clinical and psychosocial outcome measures were also obtained at program discharge and 3-month follow up (N = 100). Multivariate analyses were used to determine baseline demographic variables that were associated with outcomes at discharge and follow up.ResultsBeing male and working full-time were associated with poorer outcomes in select measures at discharge. At the 3-month follow up, Māori ethnicity, working full-time, being retired or unemployed, or having chronic widespread pain were associated with poorer outcomes for some measures, whereas those with rheumatoid arthritis had greater self-efficacy.ConclusionsSex, ethnicity, employment status, and patient condition impact clinical outcomes from the program and in the time from discharge to follow up. Program content and/or delivery should be altered to promote more equitable outcomes for all patients in the long term.

Development of safe and effective vaccine options is crucial to the success of fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, we report interim safety and immunogenicity findings of the phase 1&2 trials of ERUCoV-VAC, an inactivated whole virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

To elucidate the safety and efficacy of one-stage total spondylectomy and circumferential reconstruction through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach for axial tumors. A total of 20 patients with axial tumor who received total spondylectomy through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach in Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from February 2006 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Anterior reconstruction was performed with a special-shaped titanium mesh or three-dimensional printed (3DP) implants. The degree of local pain and neurological function was assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Frankel classification systems, respectively. Status of internal fixation and local recurrence was analyzed by radiological examination during follow-up. Among the 20 patients, 12 were male and 8 were female with a mean age of (59.1±11.0) years (31 to 72 years). The mean operation time was (605.0±60.1) minutes (430 to 700 minutes) with a mean intraoperative blood loss of (1 250±347) ml (800 to 2 400 ml). The mean postoperative hospital stay was (13.2±2.8) days (8 to 20 days), and mean follow-up duration was (37.2±14.2) months(14 to 66 months). Anterior reconstructions were performed with a special-shaped titanium mesh in 14 patients and with 3DP implants in another 6 patients. Posterior occipital-cervical fixation was performed in 5 patients, while cervical fixation only in another 15 patients. The mean VAS score of pain at the last follow-up decreased significantly when compared with that before operation (1.6±0.6 vs 7.1±1.1, <0.001). Nine patients with neurological deficits indicated significant improvement by at least 1 level at the last follow-up; among them, 2 cases of Frankel B improved to Frankel C and D, respectively; 3 cases of Frankel C all improved to Frankel D, and 4 cases of Frankel D improved to Frankel E. The perioperative complications included: 2 cases of vertebral artery injury, 2 cases of dysphagia, 3 cases of hoarseness and cough, 2 cases of cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and 1 case of greater occipital neuralgia. At the last follow-up, 5 patients died and 3 patients relapsed. Only 1 case suffered fixation failure due to local recurrence at the last follow up. One-stage total spondylectomy and circumferential reconstruction through a combined anterior retropharyngeal-posterior approach is safe and effective for axial tumors with favorable clinical outcomes and minor complications. Circumferential reconstruction with special-shaped titanium mesh or 3DP implant and posterior fixation can effectively reconstruct mechanical stability.

At the beginning of the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) was thought to cause mainly respiratory symptoms, largely sparing the brain and the rest of the nervous system. However, as the knowledge about COVID-19 infection progresses and the number of COVID19-related neurological manifestations reports increases, neurotropism and neuroinvasion were finally recognized as major features of the SARS-CoV-2. Neurological manifestations involving the central nervous system are sparse, ranging from headaches, drowsiness, and neurovascular attacks to seizures and encephalitis [1]. Thus far, several cases of non-epileptic myoclonus were reported in critical patients [2,3]. Here, we report the first case of myoclonus status as the inaugural and sole symptom of COVID-19 in a conscious patient.

Shortness of breath is a distressing symptom that occurs in 10% to 70% of oncology patients. Despite this broad range in its occurrence, little is known about inter-individual variability in shortness of breath and associated risk factors among patients receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare condition caused by a neoplastic proliferation of myeloid cells. It can present as a single-system or multi-system disorder. Worse prognosis is associated with the hematopoietic system (spleen, liver, bone marrow), which is routinely observed in multi-system disease. Because of the varied presentation of this disorder, diagnosis can be difficult, and therefore suitable treatment can be delayed. CASE REPORT We report a case of hepatic LCH in a 51-year-old man who presented with epigastric abdominal pain, with imaging demonstrating a hepatic nodule. A low ejection fraction on hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan suggested chronic cholecystitis. Therefore, the patient underwent a cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia, in which liver nodules were noted, and biopsies were taken. The biopsies demonstrated characteristic findings of LCH along with positive immunohistochemical markers and negative BRAF V600E mutation. Radiologic and pathologic findings were consistent with LCH within the liver, associated with bile duct injury and mild biliary obstruction. The patient was placed on a cladribine regimen. His abdominal pain improved. CONCLUSIONS LCH limited to the liver is uncommon and can appear as chronic biliary disease, as was suspected in this case. Despite the poor prognosis of hematopoietic LCH, early recognition can lead to better outcome and chemotherapy susceptibility. This patient was most likely in the first stage of liver LCH, given his presentation, which could have aided his response to chemotherapy. The lack of BRAF V600E mutation could have contributed to a positive prognosis and more possibilities for treatment.

Providing palliative care to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a priority. Spirometry demonstrating airflow limitation is a diagnostic test for COPD and a common inclusion criterion for palliative care research. However, there are barriers to spirometry, and requiring spirometry with airflow limitation may exclude appropriate patients unable to complete spirometry, or patients with preserved-ratio impaired spirometry and symptoms or imaging consistent with COPD.

Recent neuroimaging studies have demonstrated pathological mechanisms related to cerebral neuroplasticity in chronic low back pain (CLBP). Few studies have compared cerebral changes between patients with and without pain in the absence of an experimentally induced stimulus. We investigated the neurobiological substrates associated with chronic low back pain using [Tc]Tc-ECD brain SPECT and correlated rCBF findings with the numeric rating scale (NRS) of pain and douleur neuropathique en 4 questions (DN4). Ten healthy control volunteers and fourteen patients with neuropathic CLBP due to lumbar disc herniation underwent cerebral SPECT scans. A quantitative comparison of rCBF findings between patients and controls was made using the Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM), revealing clusters of voxels with a significant increase or decrease in rCBF. The intensity of CLBP was assessed by NRS and by DN4.

Morphine prescribed for analgesia has caused drug-related deaths at an estimated incidence of 0.3% to 4%. Morphine has pharmacological properties that make it particularly difficult to assess the causality of morphine administration with a patient's death, such as its slow transfer between plasma and central nervous sites of action and the existence of the active metabolite morphine-6-glucuronide with opioid agonistic effects, Furthermore, there is no well-defined toxic dose or plasma/blood concentration for morphine. Dosing is often adjusted for adequate pain relief. Here, we summarize reported deaths associated with morphine therapy, including associated morphine exposure and modulating patient factors such as pharmacogenetics, concomitant medications, or comorbidities. In addition, we systematically analyzed published numerical information on the stability of concentrations of morphine and its relevant metabolites in biological samples collected postmortem. A medicolegal case is presented in which the causality of morphine administration with death was in dispute and pharmacokinetic modeling was applied to infer the administered dose. The results of this analytical review suggest that (i) inference from postmortem blood concentrations to the morphine dose administered has low validity and (ii) causality between a patient's death and the morphine dose administered remains a highly context-dependent and collaborative assessment among experts from different medical specialties.

To estimate the prevalence of children and adolescents reporting persistent symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection.