Four synchronous primary tumors in a male patient.

Multiple primary malignancies are defined as two or more primary malignant tumors diagnosed in one individual; they are further classified to synchronous or metachronous based on the period between each cancer diagnosis and the other. The diagnosis of four synchronous cancers is exceedingly rare. We report a case of a 72-year-old man, diagnosed with synchronous quadruple cancers, Hurthle cell carcinoma and papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, as well as squamous cell carcinoma and carcinoid tumor of the lung.

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with CPAP improves chronic inflammation measured by neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with chronic inflammation likely triggered by nocturnal, intermittent hypoxemia and increased adrenergic tone. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was recently described as a measure of subclinical systemic inflammation. Studies on the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in OSA on subclinical inflammation measured by NLR are lacking. We hypothesize that NLR levels would improve as chronic inflammation diminishes in patients with OSA treated with CPAP. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients in whom OSA was diagnosed and who were treated with CPAP therapy. Complete blood count (CBC) were obtained pretreatment and posttreatment for calculation of NLR, which was calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by the number of lymphocytes. Patients with conditions known to affect NLR such as chronic infections, inflammatory diseases, active cardiovascular disease, and malignancies were excluded from the study. CPAP adherence downloads were obtained for all patients. RESULTS: Out of 184 patients in whom OSA was diagnosed and who were treated with CPAP, 109 met our study criteria, including baseline polysomnogram, baseline and posttreatment CBC, and available adherence download. We compared the NLR before and after treatment with CPAP. There was a significant difference in NLR before and after treatment with CPAP (P < .0001). There was also a significant difference in apnea-hypopnea index before and after treatment (P < .0001). We also assessed the relationship between CPAP adherence (percentage of days used for > 4 hours) and the change in NLR. NLR decreased significantly in both the adherent (CPAP use ≥ 70% of days; P = .014) and nonadherent groups (CPAP use < 70% of days; P = .0003). Finally, we noticed a significant direct correlation between CPAP adherence beyond 70% and the change in NLR (ΔNLR) (P = .046) in patients who had ≥ 70% adherence with CPAP, which was not observed in patients with < 70% adherence. CONCLUSIONS: The NLR may be a useful marker for monitoring improvement, as CPAP had a desirable effect on the chronic inflammation induced by OSA when measured by NLR in this study. Our results specifically suggest that the NLR values decrease significantly in patients using CPAP regardless of adherence, but with a more direct relationship in those who use it beyond 70% of days, at least 4 hours a day.

Effect of the duration of protease inhibitor therapy in HIV-infected individuals on the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

BACKGROUND: Protease inhibitors (PIs) are a vital part of the antiretroviral therapy. Long-term use of PIs may cause lipodystrophy, a clinical syndrome characterized by peripheral lipoatrophy and central fat accumulation, which may increase the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in HIV-infected patients. We hypothesize that a longer duration of PIs' use might be associated with increasing severity of OSA in HIV-infected patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of HIV-infected patients who were treated with PIs, who presented with symptoms suggestive of OSA, and underwent nocturnal polysomnography. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the association between the duration of PIs' use and the severity of OSA. The duration of PIs' use measured in months was recorded for each patient. The primary outcome of interest was the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) obtained at the time of the sleep study. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate linear regression between AHIs with PIs' use as well as other predictors. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients diagnosed with HIV and OSA were included in the study cohort for the analysis. Sleep study body mass index (BMI; P = 0.042) and change in BMI (ΔBMI; P = 0.027) were the only statistically significant independent predictors of AHI. The association between AHI and PIs' use duration was found to be nonlinear and nonsignificant. Gender differences evaluation suggested possible duration-related effect relationship between PIs and OSA severity among HIV-infected men exposed to PIs within a 66-month duration. CONCLUSION: We did not observe a significant association between PIs' use duration and the severity of OSA.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Positive Airway Pressure Adherence Criteria May Limit Treatment to Many Medicare Beneficiaries.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement for positive airway pressure (PAP) devices for obstructive sleep apnea treatment is dependent on patients meeting adherence expectations within the first 3 months on therapy. Adherence is defined as usage of the device for at least 4 hours per night on 70% of nights during a consecutive 30-day period. We hypothesize that the adherence pattern may be established beyond this initial period, which may limit the opportunity to treat many patients. METHODS: Treatment and adherence data from PAP devices were monitored via wireless modems for 42 consecutive PAP-naïve military veterans who completed 1 year of nightly monitoring. Their baseline characteristics were as follows: age (mean ± standard deviation) 58.5 ± 12.5 years; body mass index 33.7 ± 5.7 kg/m2; diagnostic apnea-hypopnea index (pretreatment) 28.1 ± 18.5 events/h; apnea-hypopnea index on PAP: 4.3 ± 3.3 events/h. We examined daily, monthly, quarterly, semiannual, and annual reports, and the best 30-day adherence report for each quarter. RESULTS: In the first 3 months, 19 of 42 participants were adherent by CMS criteria, and 23 of 42 participants were not. Of the 19 adherent participants, 13 remained adherent and 6 became nonadherent or stopped PAP treatment for the remainder of the year. In the 23 initially nonadherent participants, 16 stopped PAP treatment, and 7 participants (30.4%) became adherent (using CMS criteria) during the rest of the year. Thus, PAP adherence during the first 3 months was predictive for the rest of the year in only 68.4%. PAP nonadherence during the first 3 months was predictive for further nonadherence in only 69.6% of the cases. Overall, this led to a 65% sensitivity and 72% specificity of using adherence at 3 months in predicting adherence at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: CMS adherence criteria affecting PAP coverage are restrictive and can result in the withholding of therapy in many patients who otherwise might become adherent. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov, Title: Remote Monitoring in Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Identifier: NCT01678560, URL: https:// clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01678560.

Spontaneous pneumothorax as a complication of chronic Jet propulsion fuel-8 exposure.

Jet Propulsion Fuel 8 (JP-8) is a kerosene based fuel commonly used in aviation. Occupational exposure to JP-8 may lead to negative health outcomes, which were described in a small number of studies. We report a case of 33-year-old Caucasian male veteran with a history of JP-8 exposure who presented with chronic dyspnea and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax. To our knowledge, this is the first case of chronic inhalation injury from JP-8 exposure complicated with recurrent secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio decreases in obstructive sleep apnea treated with mandibular advancement devices.

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea has been associated with chronic inflammation triggered by nocturnal hypoxemia. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a measure of subclinical systemic inflammation. We hypothesize that NLR levels would improve as chronic inflammation diminishes in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients treated with mandibular advancement devices (MADs). METHODS: We studied patients with OSA who were treated with MAD as a first-line treatment or because they could not tolerate CPAP. We obtained pre-treatment and post-treatment complete blood counts. NLR was calculated by dividing the number of neutrophils by the number of lymphocytes obtained from the CBCs. Patients with other conditions known to affect NLR were excluded from the study. RESULTS: We compared the values of NLR and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) before and after treatment with MAD in 22 patients who met inclusion criteria and completed the study protocol. There was a significant difference in NLR before and after treatment (p = 0.01). There was also a significant difference in the 3% ODI and 4% ODI before and after treatment with MAD (p = 0.014, 0.007), respectively. A subgroup analysis compared NLR in two groups of patients, the optimally treated and suboptimally treated. There was a significant decrease in the NLR in the optimally treated group (n = 10) (p < 0.01), whereas it did not change in the suboptimally treated group (n = 12) (p = 0.349). CONCLUSION: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be useful in documenting improvement in inflammation for OSA patients treated with mandibular advancement devices. Our results specifically suggest that the NLR values are associated with the decrease in the ODI.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome associated with left horizontal gaze palsy.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterized by rapid onset of symptoms including headache, seizures, altered consciousness, and visual disturbance, as well as radiologic findings of focal reversible vasogenic edema. Multiple visual disturbances have been described in PRES, such as hemianopia, visual neglect, auras, visual hallucinations, and cortical blindness. However, horizontal gaze palsy has not been previously reported. We report a 72-year-old female who presented with blurred vision, severe headache, lethargy, and later developed seizures. She was found to have left horizontal gaze palsy with intact vestibulo-ocular reflex. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed severe edema throughout the subcortical white matter, and signal in the posterior parietal and occipital lobes. She was diagnosed with PRES associated with supranuclear gaze palsy.

Oral Appliances in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Oral appliance therapy (OAT) has become an increasingly popular nonsurgical option for the treatment of obstructive sleep disorders. Recent research supports its efficacy and high levels of compliance for patients with obstructive sleep disorders. Common side effects of OAT include temporomandibular joint-related symptoms, bite changes, and tooth movement. These side effects can be minimized by the use of exercises. The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have released joint clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring with OAT.

Cutaneous Metastasis as a First Presentation for Lung Adenocarcinoma.

CONTEXT: According to the recent World Health Organization reports, lung cancer has become the most common type of malignancy and the leading cause of death from cancer. Lung cancer frequently metastasizes to hilar lymphnodes, brain, adrenal glands, bone, but rarely to skin. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a 72-year-old male with a past medical history of pulmonary fibrosis and no prior history of smoking who presented to the emergency room for progressive dyspnea over three weeks. The patient reported having a rapidly growing scalp lesion as well. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest showed diffuse fibrotic changes and multiple densities of different diameters; a CT guided biopsy of lung revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Excision of right scalp lesion was performed, and pathology revealed poorly differentiated malignant neoplasm favoring adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION: We are presenting a rare case of lung adenocarcinoma presenting with skin metastasis, which was simultaneously diagnosed during the same hospitalization. Although cutaneous metastasis from the lung is rare, it must be ruled out in patients with suspicious skin lesions, smoking history, or lung cancer.

Continuous intravenous flumazenil infusion in a patient with chlordiazepoxide toxicity and hepatic encephalopathy.

Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, is the drug of choice for the diagnosis and treatment of benzodiazepine overdose. We are presenting a patient with chronic alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease, who came with alcohol withdrawal symptoms and treated chlordiazepoxide. Subsequently he developed a prolonged change in mental status that required treatment for benzodiazepine overdose and hepatic encephalopathy with flumazenil infusion for 28 days.

Losartan-induced Ischemic Hepatocellular Hepatotoxicity: A Case Report and Literature Review.

With the increasing use of various medications and supplements nowadays, the incidence of abnormal liver function tests and frank hepatic injury is has been increasing. Medications are now considered one of the most common causes of acute hepatic failure in the United States. Losartan was the first angiotensin 1 (AT1) receptor blocker approved by FDA for the treatment of arterial hypertension. It is a well-tolerated medication with few significant adverse effects. However, losartan-related hepatotoxicity has been reported rarely. We report a case of acute hepatic injury in an adult patient treated with losartan as a monotherapy for arterial hypertension.

Ogilvie's Syndrome following Cardioversion for Atrial Fibrillation.

Acute colonic pseudoobstruction, also known as Ogilvie's syndrome, is characterized by distension of the colon in the absence of a mechanical obstruction as evident by abdominal radiography. This syndrome is usually treated conservatively; however, medical or surgical therapies can be employed in refractory cases. Ogilvie's syndrome has been reported following cardiac events, such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, and cardiac bypass surgeries. We report the first case of Ogilvie's syndrome following synchronized electric cardioversion for atrial fibrillation.