Pancreatic Pseudocysts as a Late Manifestation of COVID-19.

The novel coronavirus disease has caused an ongoing pandemic since the end of 2019. It is a transmissible infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The highly infectious nature of this illness is based mostly throughout the respiratory tract. However, this virus can affect all systems of the human body, such as the gastrointestinal tract. We report a case of pancreatic pseudocysts as a late manifestation of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Coexisting With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: A Case Report.

The newly discovered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has impacted the world dramatically, forcing the medical community to quickly and effectively find ways to manage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The COVID-19 pandemic has shown many similarities to the human immunodeficiency virus pandemic in 1981, from the fear of treating patients for a virus we have little knowledge of, to analyzing how the levels of CD4+ are affected in both diseases. Declining numbers of CD4+ levels are classically seen with HIV patients, however, given the immune response of our bodies, these levels have also been seen to decrease during an active COVID-19 infection. Besides, there is speculation that people living with HIV are at a higher risk for mortality if infected with SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the interaction of these two viruses can create a syndemic culture, and thus, the need to monitor and treat patients with human immunodeficiency virus and COVID-19 cautiously.

Caracterización de pacientes con necesidad de apoyo ventilatorio. UTIP. 2019 / Characterization of patients in need of ventilatory support. UTIP. 2019

La ventilación mecánica es un recurso terapéutico de soporte vital que ha contribuido decisivamente en mejorar la sobrevida de los pacientes en estado crítico. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo transversal en la UCIP Bayamo, de los pacientes ventilados en el año 2019 con el objetivo de estudiar el comportamiento de estos a través de las variables sociodemográficas edad y sexo, área de salud, servicio de procedencia, diagnóstico al ingreso y tiempo de ventilación mecánica. El universo estuvo constituido por 960 pacientes y la muestra por 108 niños que estuvieron ventilados. Para realizar la caracterización de la muestra estudiada se utilizaron estadígrafos descriptivos (frecuencias absolutas y relativas), los datos se procesaron a través del programa profesional estadístico SPSS 22.0 para Windows. En los resultados obtuvimos que el 49 por ciento fueron menores de 1 año, el 44,1 por ciento del sexo masculino, el 48,3 por ciento procedente del cuerpo de guardia, el 44,4 por ciento fueron normopeso, el 15,7 por ciento con diagnóstico de bronquiolitis grave, y el 57,4 por ciento estuvieron más de 5 días ventilados. El inicio temprano de la ventilación y la corta duración de la misma, son los pilares fundamentales que inciden en la calidad de vida y el pronóstico a corto y largo plazo de estos pacientes(AU)

Mechanical ventilation is a life support therapeutic resource that has made a decisive contribution to improving survival in critically ill patients. A descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out in the Bayamo PICU of patients ventilated in 2019 with the aim of studying their behavior through the sociodemographic variables age and sex, health area, service of origin, diagnosis on admission and mechanical ventilation time. The universe consisted of 960 patients and the sample of 108 children who were ventilated. Descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequencies) were used to characterize the studied sample, the data were processed through the professional statistical program SPSS 22.0 for Windows. In the results, we obtained that 49 percent were under 1 year of age, 44.1 percent were male, 48.3 percent from the guardhouse, 44.4 percent were normal weight, 15.7 percent with a diagnosis of severe bronchiolitis, and 57.4 percent were ventilated for more than 5 days. The early start of ventilation and its short duration are the fundamental pillars that affect the quality of life and the short-and long-term prognosis of these patients(EU)

Caracterización de pacientes con necesidad de apoyo ventilatorio. UTIP. 2019 / Characterization of patients in need of ventilatory support. UTIP. 2019 / Caracterização dos pacientes com necessidade de suporte ventilatório. UTIP. 2019

RESUMEN La ventilación mecánica es un recurso terapéutico de soporte vital que ha contribuido decisivamente en mejorar la sobrevida de los pacientes en estado crítico. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo transversal en la UCIP Bayamo, de los pacientes ventilados en el año 2019 con el objetivo de estudiar el comportamiento de estos a través de las variables sociodemográficas edad y sexo, área de salud, servicio de procedencia, diagnóstico al ingreso y tiempo de ventilación mecánica. El universo estuvo constituido por 960 pacientes y la muestra por 108 niños que estuvieron ventilados. Para realizar la caracterización de la muestra estudiada se utilizaron estadígrafos descriptivos (frecuencias absolutas y relativas), los datos se procesaron a través del programa profesional estadístico SPSS 22.0 para Windows. En los resultados obtuvimos que el 49% fueron menores de 1 año, el 44,1% del sexo masculino, el 48,3% procedente del cuerpo de guardia, el 44,4 % fueron normopeso, el 15,7% con diagnóstico de bronquiolitis grave, y el 57, 4 % estuvieron más de 5 días ventilados. El inicio temprano de la ventilación y la corta duración de la misma, son los pilares fundamentales que inciden en la calidad de vida y el pronóstico a corto y largo plazo de estos pacientes.

ABSTRACT Mechanical ventilation is a life support therapeutic resource that has made a decisive contribution to improving survival in critically ill patients. A descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out in the Bayamo PICU of patients ventilated in 2019 with the aim of studying their behavior through the sociodemographic variables age and sex, health area, service of origin, diagnosis on admission and mechanical ventilation time. The universe consisted of 960 patients and the sample of 108 children who were ventilated. Descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequencies) were used to characterize the studied sample, the data were processed through the professional statistical program SPSS 22.0 for Windows. In the results, we obtained that 49% were under 1 year of age, 44.1% were male, 48.3% from the guardhouse, 44.4% were normal weight, 15.7% with a diagnosis of severe bronchiolitis, and 57.4% were ventilated for more than 5 days. The early start of ventilation and its short duration are the fundamental pillars that affect the quality of life and the short- and long-term prognosis of these patients.

RESUMO A ventilação mecânica é um recurso terapêutico de suporte vital que tem contribuído de forma decisiva para a melhora da sobrevida de pacientes críticos. Estudo descritivo, retrospectivo, transversal, realizado na UTIP Bayamo de pacientes ventilados em 2019 com o objetivo de estudar seu comportamento por meio das variáveis ​​sociodemográficas idade e sexo, área de saúde, serviço de origem, diagnóstico na admissão e tempo de ventilação mecânica. O universo foi composto por 960 pacientes e a amostra de 108 crianças que foram ventiladas. A estatística descritiva (frequências absolutas e relativas) foi utilizada para caracterizar a amostra estudada, os dados foram processados ​​por meio do programa estatístico profissional SPSS 22.0 for Windows. Nos resultados, obtivemos que 49% tinham menos de 1 ano de idade, 44,1% eram do sexo masculino, 48,3% da guarda, 44,4% com peso normal, 15,7% com diagnóstico de bronquiolite grave e 57,4% foram ventilados por mais de 5 dias. O início precoce da ventilação e sua curta duração são os pilares fundamentais que afetam a qualidade de vida e o prognóstico a curto e longo prazo desses pacientes.

Chronic Abdominal Pain: A Case of Giant Fecalith in the Distal Jejunum.

A fecalith is a mass of an accumulation of hardened fecal matter that is seen in patients with Chagas disease, Hirschsprung's disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. In this article, we report a case of a 53-year-old female with chronic abdominal pain who was admitted with progressive weight loss, near syncope episode, and serum potassium of 2.6 mg/dL. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a left lower quadrant complex mass measuring 10.3 cm, with asymmetrical wall thickening and inflammatory stranding, non-discarding the compromise of the small bowel and consequent mild small bowel distention. A fecalith of 10.3 x 10.9 x 8.7 cm was found during an exploratory laparotomy in the small intestine. We report this rare case of distal jejunum fecalith accompanied by chronic pain.

Diagnosis of occult melanoma using transient receptor potential melastatin 1 (TRPM1) autoantibody testing: a novel approach.

PURPOSE: To report the first case of melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) and underlying occult melanoma diagnosed based on the presence of serum transient receptor potential melastatin 1 (TRPM1) autoantibodies. DESIGN: Interventional case report with basic science correlation. PARTICIPANTS: One patient with MAR. INTERVENTION: Testing for the presence of serum TRPM1 autoantibodies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnosis of an occult melanoma involving the axillary lymph nodes (unknown primary site) and MAR based on the presence of TRPM1 autoantibodies in the patient's serum. RESULTS: The patient's clinical exam was remarkable for mild intraocular inflammation in both eyes and retinal hemorrhages with an apparent choroidal neovascularization in the left eye, which was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography testing. Humphrey visual field 30-2 SITA-fast (Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, CA) demonstrated diffuse depression in both eyes out of proportion to the clinical exams, prompting electroretinography testing that revealed an electronegative response. Dark-adapted thresholds were markedly elevated and mediated by cones. Due to concern for MAR, a systemic work-up for melanoma was performed by the primary care physician that was unrevealing. Given our continued clinical suspicion for MAR, the patient's serum was sent for evaluation for TRPM1 autoantibodies. The patient's serum applied to normal human retina exhibited positivity in the inner nuclear layer. Application of the patient's serum to wild-type and TRPM1 knockout mouse retina revealed strongly labeled bipolar cells in the wild-type retina, but not in the TRPM1 knockout retina, indicating TRPM1-dependent immunoreactivity. The antigen was confirmed as TRPM1 by labeling of TRPM1-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells. Additional systemic work-up prompted by this finding resulted in identification of an occult metastatic melanoma involving the axillary lymph nodes with an unknown primary site. The patient underwent surgical excision of the occult melanoma without evidence of other sites of metastases. He also received intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and his vision has stabilized. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first reported case of a melanoma-associated retinopathy diagnosed utilizing the innovative approach of testing for serum TRPM1 autoantibodies.