Consecutive Serious Medical Concomitants Associated With Extremely Severe Anorexia Nervosa in a Patient With Body Mass Index of 10.2 Kilograms per Square Meter: A Case Report.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is often accompanied by numerous medical complications and mental disorders. There are few specialized AN facilities in Japan, resulting in the unmet medical needs of patients with AN. A 37-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to the hospital after experiencing a disturbance of consciousness. Her body mass index was 10.2 kg/m2. She developed the following serious medical concomitants associated with extremely severe AN: hypothermia, shock liver, refractory hypoglycemia, acute gastric mucosal bleeding, gelatinous marrow transformation, catheter-related bloodstream infection and infective endocarditis due to ß-lactamase-negative Staphylococcus aureus, aspiration pneumonia, intracranial hemorrhage, candidemia, and osmotic demyelination syndrome in the pons, which led to a fatal condition that quickly worsened after we started treatment. The patient was able to overcome several serious concomitants and be discharged from the hospital after multidisciplinary treatment team care. AN is associated with increased rates of all-cause mortality. It is important to take an interdisciplinary approach with emergency physicians, intensivists, hematologists, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, a nutrition support team with a nationally registered nutritionist and hospitalists, and hospitalization as required based on appropriate medical evaluation with good patient and family rapport. Furthermore, social and educational efforts aimed at preventing the development of AN are necessary.

Fukuchi-Manabe Score for Infection Control Measures During the Very Early COVID-19 Pandemic Period When Access to Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing Was Poor in Japan: A Single-Center Observational Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, access to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing was limited. All patients with COVID-19 required hospitalization, and isolation of suspected COVID-19 patients had not yet been implemented. With the recently acquired evidence on COVID-19, it is important to develop a risk stratification system for isolation rooms in the context of limited resources for better resource management. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and validate a COVID-19 risk-scoring strategy, the Fukuchi-Manabe score, to safely stratify and manage isolation rooms, personal protective equipment (PPE), and RT-PCR testing in the context of limited RT-PCR testing and a short supply of PPE. METHODS: This single-center prospective study consecutively enrolled suspected COVID-19 adult inpatients between March 1 and August 31, 2020. The primary and secondary outcomes were a positive RT-PCR test and the occurrence of nosocomial infections during the study period, respectively. Factors related to patient history, symptoms, chest computed tomography findings, and laboratory data suggestive of COVID-19 were scored, totaled, and divided into four categories ("probable," "possible," "less likely," and "non-suspicious") based on the likelihood of COVID-19. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were evaluated for each probability category. FINDINGS: Twenty of 224 inpatients were positive on the RT-PCR test, including 18 "probable" patients (90.0%), one "possible" patient, and one "less likely" patient. The area under the curve (AUC) (95% confidence interval: 0.841-0.977), sensitivity, and specificity were 0.909, 90.0%, and 80.4%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values and accuracy for the "probable" category were 0.90, 0.80, and 0.82, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of AUCs, validated by bootstrap analysis, were 0.910±0.034. No nosocomial infections were observed. CONCLUSION: The Fukuchi-Manabe score will be helpful when other novel pathogens emerge in the future before the availability of genetic testing methods.

Seronegative HIV-1 infection in a Japanese man presenting with Pneumocystis pneumonia: Analysis of long-term antibody response and literature review.

Seronegative human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, where an HIV-specific antibody response is lacking even in chronic or late-stage HIV infections, is extremely rare. Here, we report the case of a 50-year-old Japanese man presenting with Pneumocystis pneumonia who did not produce antibodies against HIV-1 until the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Fourth-generation antigen-antibody testing temporarily reverted from weakly positive to negative soon after initiating ART, likely due to a reduction in viral load (assessed by p24 antigen levels). His HIV-1 antibody titers remained low or indeterminate even after four years of ART. A literature review suggested that the absence of HIV-1-specific antibody production may be associated with unimpeded HIV replication and rapid CD4+ T cell decline. Seronegative HIV infection can lead to deferred diagnosis and treatment, thereby increasing the risk of transmitting the virus to others or developing opportunistic illnesses. It is important to combine multiple tests for diagnosis, depending on the medical condition. Further studies are required to investigate the host factors involved in the production of HIV-1-specific antibodies.

Recurrent bicycle falls by an elderly man who developed multiple intramuscular abscesses associated with urine leakage secondary to posterior urethral injury caused by pelvic ring disruption.

Key Clinical Message: With the aging of the population, physicians need to pay more attention to assessing the presence or absence of pelvic fractures and urinary retention associated with urethral injury due to such fractures in the elderly when falling from bicycles. Abstract: Walking ability does not rule out the presence of pelvic fractures. Many geriatric patients are likely to fall off bicycles. Physicians should pay more attention when assessing complications related to urethral trauma caused by pelvic fractures in the elderly after falling from bicycles.

Extensive chronic perianal pyoderma associated with persistent inflammation caused by wearing the same unwashed underwear for more than ten years.

Key Clinical Message: Poor personal hygiene wearing the same unwashed briefs, and prolonged sitting have led to the development of chronic perianal pyoderma. This can be confused with hidradenitis suppurativa and must be differentiated as their treatments are different. Abstract: There are potential risks of persistent inflammation resulting from poor personal hygiene. This comprises wearing the same unwashed briefs and prolonged sitting posture that led to developing chronic perianal pyoderma (CPP) in a smoking man. CPP can be confused with hidradenitis suppurativa, requiring differentiation as their treatment strategies distinctly differ.

Correlation between the 72-hour fatality ratios and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest ratios in patients with extremely high outlier values of 57 laboratory test items: A single-center retrospective inception cohort study.

The association between extremely high outlier values (EHOV) of laboratory test items (LTIs) and short-term prognosis or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains unclear. This retrospective study investigated the correlation between 72-hour fatality ratios and OHCA ratios in patients with the top 100 EHOV of 57 LTIs without focusing on the disease group and which test items were predictors of 72-hour fatality. This single-center retrospective inception cohort study enrolled patients aged ≥ 18 years who underwent any combination of laboratory tests at the Saitama Medical Center, Japan between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2013. The primary outcome was the correlation between the 72-hour fatality ratios and OHCA ratios in patients with the top 100 EHOV for 57 LTIs without focusing on the disease group. The LTIs included hematology, blood chemistry, erythrocyte sedimentation, blood coagulation, and arterial blood gas test results. The secondary outcome was which of the 57 LTIs with the top 100 EHOV were more likely to associate with the 72-hour fatality. We evaluated the correlation between the 72-hour fatality ratios and the OHCA ratios for each laboratory test item using the Passing-Bablok regression method. The 72-hour fatality ratios for the top 100 EHOV of 57 LTIs were significantly positively correlated with the OHCA ratios. The regression coefficient of the regression line was 0.394, and the correlation coefficient (95% confidence interval) was 0.644 (0.458-0.775, P < .001). These 72-hour fatality ratios tended to be lower than the OHCA ratios. The top 100 EHOV of 13 LTIs including total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, C-reactive protein, base excess, bicarbonate ion, creatine kinase, uric acid, partial pressure of oxygen, sodium, chloride, blood urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase had 72-hour fatality ratios that were above the upper limit of the linear confidence region of the regression line, with higher 72-hour fatality ratios than the OHCA ratios. The 72-hour fatality ratios for the top 100 EHOV of 57 LTIs tended to be lower than the OHCA ratios. The top 100 EHOV of these 13 LTIs were found to be more likely to associate with 72-hour fatality than OHCA.

Gastric Extramural Tumor Caused by Mycobacteria Infection With Immunoreconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome.

Immunoreconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) was reported to occur in 7-13% of AIDS patients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART). IRIS due to Mycobacterium infection is one of the most difficult IRIS types to manage. A male patient in his early 70s was diagnosed with AIDS and treated with an ART. One year after starting ART, abdominal ultrasound was performed for screening and a 4 cm hypoechoic mass was found from the outside of the stomach to the surface of the hepatic lateral segment. Based on various imaging tests, including contrast CT, a malignant tumor, such as malignant lymphoma, was suspected. Then, a percutaneous tumor biopsy was performed. Pathologically, the tumor was recognized as mycobacterial granulomas. Disseminated mycobacterium avium complex can produce granulomas anywhere in the body. The patient was diagnosed with a mycobacterial infection associated with IRIS. When an intra-abdominal mass is found in a patient with HIV, both malignancy and mass formation due to opportunistic infections should be considered differential diseases.

Subcutaneous Chest Abscess Caused by Candida albicans Infection Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in an Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report.

Cases of subcutaneous abscess due to Candida albicans (C. albicans) infection are rare, even among immunocompromised patients. To our knowledge, there have only been eleven reports of such cases in adults, all of which presented with comorbidities of immunodeficiency, prior antibiotic administration, or skin breakdown following traumatic episodes or iatrogenic procedures. We report a rare case of a 42-year-old Japanese woman with a subcutaneous abscess due to C. albicans infection. The patient was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of gradually worsening lower left-sided chest pain. Nine months before admission, she underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (Lap-C) for acute cholecystitis at another hospital. She developed fever and was treated with cefotiam for three days followed by cefoperazone/sulbactam for four days. One week after Lap-C, she began to feel pain in the lower left side of her chest. The chest pain worsened gradually and the fever persisted until two months before admission. On admission, enhanced chest computed tomography revealed a left chest subcutaneous abscess located between the seventh and ninth rib. She underwent surgical percutaneous drainage, and the abscess cavity was cleaned. The pus culture revealed C. albicans, but the blood cultures were negative. We administered intravenous micafungin (150 mg daily) for 10 days, followed by oral fluconazole (600 mg daily). She experienced telogen effluvium during the period of fluconazole treatment but recovered after the cessation of fluconazole. We also present a short review of the literature relating to subcutaneous candidal abscesses in patients over 15 years old.

Abdominal Muscle Fasciculations and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Diagnosis in a Patient Unable to Perform Sit-Ups.

While performing sit-ups, a 70-year-old man was unable to lift his upper body. The abdominal skin reflex was absent, and abdominal ultrasonography showed intermittent, irregular, and localized muscle twitches of the abdominal muscles. Further, electromyography (EMG) detected widespread fasciculations. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was diagnosed. Muscle ultrasonography (MU) is useful in detecting fasciculations. This technique allows for repeated non-invasive imaging and the assessment of an expansive range of muscles in real-time. It also detects deep abdominal muscles, which are difficult to assess using EMG. MU is particularly beneficial to patients with atypical ALS who experience truncal muscle weakness.

Trajectory of SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG levels following transfusion and a third dose of BNT162b2 vaccine in a patient with massive postoperative bleeding: A case report.

OBJECTIVE: Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to be effective in preventing infection and severe disease. Massive bleeding and transfusion after vaccination can lead to a decrease in the antibody level. The effect of an additional dose of vaccine after blood transfusion has not been described previously. In this case report, we report the SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG trajectory in a male patient who received a third dose of vaccine after a massive postoperative bleed and blood and plasma transfusion. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old male physician had a SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG level of 44 AU/mL, measured using the Lumipulse Presto chemiluminescence assay 3 months after receiving 2 doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine. The patient underwent a hemicolectomy for colon cancer, experienced massive postoperative bleeding, and required a transfusion. The patient's SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG level dropped to 9.2 AU/mL. A third dose of BNT162b2 vaccination was administered to reduce the risk of breakthrough infection. Fifteen days after receiving the third vaccine dose, the patient's SARS-CoV-2 anti-S IgG level increased to 421 AU/mL, likely to reflect protection. CONCLUSION: This report suggests that administering an extra dose of vaccine is useful for restoring protective antibody levels in vaccinated patients who experience massive postoperative bleeding.

Egg-shaped aortic thrombi associated with COVID-19.

We experienced a case with multiple arterial and venous thromboses associated with COVID-19. During this pandemic, physicians should consider COVID-19 in patients with unexplained thrombosis.

Appearance of a sore throat caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

A 37year old Japanese man experienced severe sore throat. He was infected by the Omicron variant of SARSCoV2. The posterior pharyngeal wall in the left showed closely aggregated multiple milletsized white spots with surrounding redness.

Multidrug Antibiotic Therapy for a Non-Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patient With Clarithromycin-Resistant Disseminated Mycobacterium avium Complex Disease.

The management of macrolide-resistant Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) disease is challenging. It is extremely rare for non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients to develop disseminated MAC disease. A 73-year-old non-HIV-infected woman was diagnosed with MAC lung disease (MAC-LD) for 20 years and subsequently chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis for three years. To avoid drug interaction between rifampicin and voriconazole, MAC-LD was treated with clarithromycin (CLR) alone. The results of the bone biopsy and bone marrow culture conducted for back pain were compatible with CLR-resistant MAC vertebral osteomyelitis. The clinical management of CLR-resistant disseminated MAC disease consisting of lung and spinal lesions with no established treatment and a poor prognosis is challenging. In this case, the patient was treated with multidrug antibiotic therapy, including CLR, ethambutol, rifampicin, amikacin, and moxifloxacin. The results show the effectiveness of multidrug antibiotic therapy in treating CLR-resistant disseminated MAC disease.

Comprehensive infection control measures prevent hospital-acquired severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: A single-center prospective cohort study and seroprevalence survey.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is associated with a high mortality rate in older adults; therefore, it is important for medical institutions to take measures to prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. This study aimed to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) and the effectiveness of infection control measures. METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional component and a prospective cohort component. The cross-sectional component comprised an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody survey among HCWs at a medical center in Saitama City, Japan. In the prospective cohort component, HCWs at the same medical center were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies monthly over a 3-month period (May to July 2020) to assess the effectiveness of infection prevention measures, including personal protective equipment use. All participants in the cohort study also participated in the antibody survey. The primary outcome was anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody (measured using Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2) positivity based on whether participants were engaged in COVID-19-related medical care. Other risk factors considered included occupational category, age, and sex. RESULTS: In total, 607 HCWs participated in the antibody survey and 116 doctors and nurses participated in the cohort study. Only one of the 607 participants in the survey tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. All participants in the cohort study were anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody negative at baseline and remained antibody negative. Engaging in the care of COVID-19 patients did not increase the risk of antibody positivity. During the study period, a total of 30 COVID-19 in-patients were treated in the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: The infection control measures in the hospital protected HCWs from nosocomially acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection; thus, HCWs should engage in COVID-19-related medical care with confidence provided that they adhere to infectious disease precautions.

Native mitral valve infective endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus warneri: A case-based review.

In the era of a severely aging population, physicians should pay attention to look for both infective endocarditis and disseminated lesions when blood cultures reveal Staphylococcus warneri, especially in elderly people with valvular heart disease.