Type B Lactic Acidosis: A Very Rare but Fatal Complication of Gastrointestinal Solid Tumor.

Type B lactic acidosis, secondary to solid cancer, is very rare. It is mostly seen in patients with hematological malignancies. Although its exact pathogenesis is unknown, it is believed to be caused by overproduction and the inability of tumor cells to remove lactate. In the last 26 years, a systematic review of the literature only identified two previous reports of colorectal cancer-related type B lactic acidosis. Here, we report the third case of severe type B lactic acidosis due to stage IV colorectal with liver metastasis. Besides, this case is unique in that serum lactate levels reaching as high as 24 mmol/L were not reported in association with colorectal cancer. In most cases, the prognosis is still very poor because there are no standardized treatment recommendations. Early chemotherapy is still the only intervention that provides some survival benefits.

Herbal Supplement-Induced Liver Injury: A Case Report.

We present the case of a 45-year-old woman who arrived at the emergency department complaining of sudden epigastric pain. An inpatient evaluation revealed no evidence of viral or immunologic infection. Additionally, imaging did not elicit a clear cause for the patient's symptoms. Further examination revealed that the patient had recently begun using a herbal tea and that symptoms had completely resolved after discontinuation. Though rare, hepatotoxicity secondary to herbal supplement ingestion, or herbal supplement-induced liver injury, or HILI, should be considered in all patients presenting with abnormal liver function tests.

A Rare Presentation of Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of Duodenum: A Case Report.

Sarcomatoid tumors are very rare biphasic tumors characterized by a mixture of malignant epithelial and mesenchymal cells that have been usually identified in the lungs with other documented cases in skin, bone, thyroid gland, salivary glands, breast, and genitourinary and gastrointestinal systems. They have an incidence estimated to be 0.5 to 0.8 per 100 000 per year. Three classic features include the presence of a genuine sarcomatous component, no transitional zone between carcinomatous and sarcomatous components, and immunohistochemistry of the sarcomatous component that is positive for mesenchymal markers and negative for epithelial markers. Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract is rare but more commonly found within the stomach, gallbladder, and esophagus. Small bowel involvement is very rare.

Acute pancreatitis as a rare adverse event among cannabis users: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis use has been steadily rising in the United States and can have multiple adverse effects, including cannabis-induced acute pancreatitis. This study aims to collate and highlight the significant demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes in patients with cannabis-induced acute pancreatitis. METHOD: A systematic literature search of electronic databases for peer-reviewed articles was conducted. After an initial search, we found 792 articles through different electronic databases. After manually removing duplicates and articles that did not meet the criteria, 25 articles were included in our review. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients were studied, 35 (78%) cases were male and 10 (22%) cases were female, showing male predominance. The mean age of all participants was 29.2 ± 10.3 years. The most common presenting symptoms were abdominal pain 21 of 21 (100%), nausea 17 of 21 (81%), and vomiting 12 of 20 (60%). Ultrasound was normal in the majority of patients, with findings of mild pancreatitis. Computerized tomography scans revealed pancreatic edema and inflammation in 7 of 20 (35%) patients, and findings of necrotizing pancreatitis and complex fluid collection were visualized in 3 of 20 (15%) patients. Dilatation of intrahepatic or extrahepatic biliary ducts was not seen in any patients. The overall prognosis was good, with reported full recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis should be included in the differential diagnosis for the etiology of acute pancreatitis, which would help in early intervention and treatment for the mitigation of the rapidly progressive disease.

Transformation of acute cholecystitis to acute choledocholithiasis in COVID-19 patient.

The global pandemic of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) or SARS-CoV-2 has numerous manifestations in different organ systems. It is known that SARS-CoV-2 infects the hepatobiliary system leading to presentations such as acute cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis and hepatitis. Although the exact mechanism of the underlying pathology is unknown, it is likely attributed by the tropism of the virus to the ACE2 receptors in the hepatocytes and bile duct cells resulting in a cytokine storm that precipitates as systemic symptoms from acute COVID-19 infection. In this case report we present a case of a 47-year-old male who presented with signs consistent with acute cholecystitis. It was confirmed on ultrasound and he was incidentally found to be positive for COVID-19 on routine surveillance testing. He was asymptomatic and was being prepped for cholecystectomy, but developed an acute elevation of liver enzymes suggesting choledocholithiasis. After endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and cholecystectomy the patient experienced a rapid normalization of liver enzymes and improvement of his abdominal symptoms.

Curing the incurable: A case of refractory vasospastic angina.

Vasospastic angina (VSA) is the spasm of coronary arteries causing transient myocardial ischemia. VSA is commonly managed with antispasmodic medications including calcium-channel blockers (CCB) and nitrates. When vasospasm is refractory to conventional medications, unconventional treatment modalities may be used for symptomatic relief (Tandon et al., 2019 Feb) [1]. There are several mediators of vasospasm, with serotonin playing a major role. Serotonin is a product of platelet aggregation and has multiple effects on the endothelium, which forms the basis of an unconventional treatment modality that may be used for symptomatic relief of VSA. In this case, a 44 year old female with a history of coronary artery disease (CAD) status post coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) with recent drug-eluting stent (DES) placement was admitted for shortness of breath and chest pain, found to have a positive stress echocardiogram (Echo), and had unremarkable coronary angiography. Given persistent symptoms while on optimal medical therapy and with negative coronary angiography, the diagnosis of refractory VSA was made. Patient was started on a serotonin receptor blocker with improvement of her symptoms.

Extended spectrum beta lactamase producing Escherichia coli eustachian valve infective endocarditis.

Endocarditis is an infection of the endocardium caused by a multitude of bacteria, including S. aureus, viridans streptococci, S. bovis, or S. epidermidis, among others. It can cause a variety of physical findings, including new onset murmur, Osler nodes, and Janeway lesions. Endocarditis is diagnosed with multiple positive blood cultures with transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) showing valvular vegetations. In this article, we present a 47 year old female with a history of ESRD on dialysis who presented with a bleeding fistula found to be in septic shock. Diagnosis of eustachian valve endocarditis with E. Coli ESBL was made through positive blood cultures as well as using TEE. She was started on IV meropenem for seven days, to which the patient completed and eventually was discharged home with resolution of symptoms.

Diagnosis and management of unilateral subclavian steal syndrome with bilateral carotid artery stenosis.

Subclavian steal syndrome is a rare phenomenon occurring from retrograde blood flow in the vertebral artery due to proximal stenosis in the subclavian artery. As a result, the arm gets blood supply from the vertebral artery at the expense of the vertebrobasilar system. The patient remains largely asymptomatic until there is an increase demand for blood supply to the arm, resulting in a constellation of symptoms including dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision, diplopia, headache, syncope, postural hypotension, neurologic deficits, and rarely, memory problems. The management approach depends on the severity of clinical symptoms but includes medical treatment, endovascular therapy and lifestyle modifications.

Chilaiditi syndrome: A structural displacement in a heart failure patient.

BACKGROUND: Chilaiditi's sign is often found incidentally on chest or abdominal radiograph and can be accompanied by clinical symptoms such as abdominal pain, gastrointestinal complications, and less commonly associated with dyspnea. CASE PRESENTATION: In this interesting case, we discover lingering dyspnea in our 79 year old male with a past medical history of asthma and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction admitted for acute heart failure exacerbation with reduced ejection fraction along with a new incidental finding of Chilaiditi's sign on chest radiograph. Patient received optimal diuretics and guideline-directed medical treatment for heart failure exacerbation, but mild dyspnea with pleuritic chest pain persisted. Dyspnea with pleurisy was likely attributed to a structural anatomical defect (Chilaiditi's sign) that can be picked up on imaging. CONCLUSION: Chilaiditi syndrome can be an incidental cause of ongoing persistent dyspnea, and if symptoms are severe, intervention can be warranted for symptomatic resolution. LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Chilaiditi syndrome should be considered as a possible diagnosis among patients with a history of heart failure and incidental Chilaiditi's sign on chest radiographic imaging who suffer from persistent dyspnea and pleurisy despite optimal diuretics and guideline-directed medical treatment.

Typhlitis: A Rare Appendicitis Mimic in a Young Healthy Female.

Typhlitis, also known as neutropenic enterocolitis, is a rare but serious condition characterized by inflammation of the cecum causing right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain and fever. It typically affects immunocompromised patients with neutropenia, hematologic malignancies, AIDS, or those on immunosuppressive therapy. This is an entity that should be considered in any differential for a patient with febrile RLQ pain, not just those with obvious immunosuppression.

Clinical indicators for progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis to cirrhosis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a disease spectrum characterized by fat accumulation in hepatocytes presenting as hepatic steatosis to advance disease with active hepatic inflammation, known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Chronic steatohepatitis will lead to progressive hepatic fibrosis causing cirrhosis and increased risk for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fatty liver disease prevalence has increased at alarming rates alongside obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome to become the second most common cause of cirrhosis after alcohol related liver disease worldwide. Given this rise in prevalence, it is becoming increasingly more important to find non-invasive methods to diagnose disease early and stage hepatic fibrosis. Providing clinicians with the tools to diagnose and treat the full spectrum of NAFLD will help prevent known complications such as cirrhosis and HCC and improve quality of life for the patients suffering from this disease. This article discusses the utility of current non-invasive liver function testing in the clinical progression of fatty liver disease along with the imaging modalities that are available. Additionally, we summarize available treatment options including targeted medical therapy through four different pathways, surgical or endoscopic intervention.

Aggressive primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) masquerading as hepatocellular cancer (HCC) in alcoholic cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: The gastrointestinal tract is sa well-known site for extranodal Non-Hodgkin lymphomas, with the stomach is known to be the most common site on lymphoma, primary gastric lymphoma (PGL). The lymphoproliferative disorder rarely occurs in patients with cirrhosis. We report a unique case of metastatic PGL in a patient with cirrhosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A middle-aged male with decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis presented with two weeks of epigastric abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and jaundice. Abdominal triple-phase CT scan was consistent with cirrhosis, ascites, and multiple new hypodense liver lesions classified as an intermediate probability for HCC based on the LI-RADS classification system (LI RADS 3). Due to the CT findings in the setting of cirrhosis, a provisional diagnosis of HCC was made. Upper endoscopy revealed new multiple umbilicated submucosal nodules in the gastric body. Biopsy and immunostaining consistent with high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Targeted liver biopsy with similar morphology and immunostaining profile consistent with metastatic primary gastric DLBCL. CONCLUSIONS: The case highlights the importance of recognizing metastatic PGL in patients with underlying cirrhosis to differentiate lymphoma from hepatocellular cancer. Targeted liver biopsies with lymphoma immunostaining are required to make a diagnosis.

A Case of Gastric Emphysema: Incidental Findings or Serious Illness.

Gastric emphysema (GE) or gastric pneumatosis is a rare entity defined as air within the gastric wall. Etiologies include pneumothorax, instrumentation, infection, gastric wall ischemia, and mechanical injury. Several theories exist as to how the air disrupts the integrity of the gastric wall. These include a bacterial infection with Clostridium species and other gas-forming aerobic colonic bacilli, instrumentation with direct submucosal gastric wall injury, mechanical injury following increased intra-abdominal pressure, penetrating air through the mediastinum from increased intrapulmonary pressure or, gastric wall ischemia, which may be secondary to an underlying process. The diagnostic test of choice is CT of the abdomen. A hypodense linear fringe on the gastric wall is seen in GE, associated with gastric distention without thickening. In emphysematous gastritis, there is gastric wall thickening. There are no standardized guidelines for GE, but most cases have a good prognosis with a spontaneous resolution with conservation treatment. However, emphysematous gastritis management requires aggressive treatment due to the mortality rate of emphysematous gastritis approaching 60%. Patients are often considered for surgical intervention with total gastrectomy, given that active infection could delay or prevent healing. It is imperative to differentiate GE and emphysematous gastritis and understand the underlying pathogenesis as clinical outcomes are vastly different.