Development of a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Protocol to Evaluate Hand Pain in Systemic Sclerosis Patients.

Hand impairment is a frequently reported complaint in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and a leading cause of disability and diminished quality of life. Managing hand pain can be particularly challenging due to the coexistence of non-inflammatory arthralgias, inflammatory arthritis, acro-osteolysis, tenosynovitis, joint contractures, tendon friction rubs, nerve entrapment, Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), digital ulcers (DU), sclerodactyly, calcinosis, and chronic pain. While physical examination and radiographs are the first line methods for evaluating hand pain, they are limited in scope and miss many underlying etiologies of hand impairment. We propose a joint ultrasound (US) hand protocol to differentiate between various articular, periarticular, ischemic, skin, and nerve pathologies and to assist in targeted treatment strategies.

Giant cell arteritis associated with intravenous zoledronic acid administration.

Bisphosphonates frequently provoke a cytokine-driven acute clinical response (ACR) characterized by fever, chills, arthralgias, and myalgias. More rarely, an association between aminobisphosphonates, such as alendronate and zoledronic acid, and rheumatologic and/or immune-mediated syndromes (RIMS) has been described. Herein we report 2 patients, one with a prior history of rheumatic disease and one without, who developed giant cell arteritis meeting the American College of Rheumatology 2022 criteria following zoledronic acid infusion. We subsequently review existing mechanistic and clinical literature supporting this link. The duration of symptoms and elevation of inflammatory markers may serve as indicators for differentiating between the more common ACR and less frequent but potentially morbid RIMS. Although the benefit of bisphosphonates will outweigh the risk of RIMS for most patients with high fracture risk, clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon to assist earlier diagnosis and treatment in affected individuals.

Evaluating the Revised American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Guidelines for Common Bile Duct Stone Diagnosis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) revised its guidelines for risk stratification of patients with suspected choledocholithiasis. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance of the revision and to compare it to the previous guidelines. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 267 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis. We identified high-risk patients according to the original and revised guidelines and examined the diagnostic accuracy of both guidelines. We measured the association between individual criteria and choledocholithiasis. RESULTS: Under the original guidelines, 165 (62%) patients met the criteria for high risk, of whom 79% had confirmed choledocholithiasis. The categorization had a sensitivity and specificity of 68% and 55%, respectively, for the detection of choledocholithiasis. Under the revised guidelines, 86 (32%) patients met the criteria for high risk, of whom 83% had choledocholithiasis. The revised categorization had a lower sensitivity and higher specificity of 37% and 80%, respectively. The positive predictive value of the high-risk categorization increased with the revision, reflecting a potential decrease in diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograpies (ERCPs). Stone visualized on imaging had the greatest specificity for choledocholithiasis. Gallstone pancreatitis was not associated with the risk for choledocholithiasis. CONCLUSION: The 2019 revision of the ASGE guidelines decreases the utilization of ERCP as a diagnostic modality and offers an improved risk stratification tool.

Risk factors for oropharynx cancer in a cohort of HIV-infected veterans.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate HIV-related and other clinical risk factors associated with oropharynx cancer (OPSCC) in HIV-infected U.S. Veterans. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study utilizing Veterans Affairs HIV Clinical Case Registry (CCR) data from 1985 to 2010. Outcome was incident OPSCC as indicated by 1 inpatient or 2 outpatient ICD-9 codes. Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each risk factor on the time to OPSCC diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 40,996 HIV-infected male veterans were included in the cohort with 97 cases of OPSCC. The age adjusted incidence rate was 23.2/100,000 [95% CI 17.8-29.2]. Age>50 (aHR=3.8, 95% CI 1.9-7.8), recent CD4<200 (aHR=3.8, 95% CI 2.0-7.3), and undetectable HIV viral loads 40-79% of the time (aHR=1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.0) were associated with an increased risk of OPSCC. Era of HIV diagnosis, utilization of cART, nadir CD4 count, race, smoking history, and previous risk of HPV disease, including condyloma or invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) were not associated with increased risk of OPSCC. CONCLUSION: Patients who were older at beginning of follow up, had lower CD4 counts around the time of OPSCC diagnosis, and moderate HIV viral control during follow-up had an increased risk of OPSCC. Other HPV-related diseases such as SCCA and condyloma did not increase the risk for OPSCC.

Diagnostic Criteria for Detection of Vestibular Schwannomas in the VA Population.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of vestibular schwannoma (VS) and asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss in the Veterans Administration hospital population and analyze a more efficient method of diagnosing VS in a population with significant noise exposure. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of South Central (VISN 16) Veterans Administration hospitals. METHODS: Record query for ICD-9 codes for asymmetric sensorineural hearing loss or VS between 1999 and 2012. Patient demographics, signs and symptoms at presentation, audiogram and imaging data, and management data were collected and analyzed. Audiograms from tumor patients were compared with controls matched for age, sex, combat experience, and medical comorbidity (2:1 control to case ratio). RESULTS: The prevalence of VS was 1 per 1,145 patients in this population, with average age at diagnosis of 62. Patients with VS presented more commonly with unilateral tinnitus, rollover, and absent acoustic reflexes when compared with matched controls, but positive predictive value was low. Published criteria for defining hearing asymmetry showed variable sensitivity (51-89%) and low specificity (0-42%) for the detection of VS in this population. Criteria meeting the definitions of significant asymmetry with specificity for VS of 80% or greater were as follows: >15 dB threshold difference at 3 kHz and unilateral tinnitus, ≥45 dB threshold difference at 3 kHz regardless of tinnitus, or when the word recognition score difference was ≥80%. With serial audiograms 2.5 years apart or greater, a ≥10 dB threshold increase at any frequency between 0.5 and 4 kHz had a 100% sensitivity for tumor and a ≥10 dB increase at 3 kHz had a specificity of 84%. The majority of patients were observed, whereas only 30% had surgery. Patients who were observed were older than those treated with surgery or radiation (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: Typical audiometric screening criteria should be modified in the veteran population to improve cost efficiency of diagnosis. Observation is the primary management strategy in the veteran population because of age.

Differential effects of cholinergic and noradrenergic neuromodulation on spontaneous cortical network dynamics.

Cholinergic and noradrenergic neuromodulation play a key role in determining overall behavioral state by shaping the underlying cortical network dynamics. The effects of these systems on synaptic and intrinsic cellular targets are quite diverse and a comprehensive understanding of how these neuromodulators regulate (spontaneous) cortical network activity has remained elusive. Here, we used multielectrode electrophysiology in vitro to investigate the effect of these neuromodulators on spontaneous network dynamics in acute slices of mouse visual cortex. We found that application of Carbachol (CCh) and Norepinephrine (NE) both enhanced the spontaneous network dynamics by increasing (1) the activity levels, (2) the temporal complexity of the network activity, and (3) the spatial complexity by decorrelating the network activity over a wide range of neuromodulator concentrations (1 µM, 10 µM, 50 µM, and 100 µM). Interestingly, we found that cholinergic neuromodulation was limited to the presence of CCh in the bath whereas the effects of NE, in particular for higher concentrations, induced plasticity that caused outlasting effects most prominently in the deep cortical layers. Together, these results provide a comprehensive network-level understanding of the similarities and differences of cholinergic and noradrenergic modulation of spontaneous network dynamics.