Myocarditis and brain abscess caused by disseminated Scedosporium boydii infection.

Scedosporium spp. is a fungal species documented as the cause of infections involving the lungs, brain, and other organ systems in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Many cases of this type of fungal infection occurring in immunocompetent patients are subsequent to traumatic injury or drowning events in or near waters containing the fungi. Infection commonly involves the lungs. Rarely, it has been shown to cause disease in the endocardium, but there is even less documentation of the fungi invading the myocardium and causing myocarditis. In this report, we present a case of disseminated Scedosporium boydii infection in a 52-year-old male patient without any known risk factors. He presented with acute onset chest pain and dyspnea accompanied by bilateral lower extremity edema. He was found to have new onset heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and his hospital course was complicated by pneumonia, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and brain abscess formation. Multiple blood cultures failed to reveal the source of the infection. At autopsy, septated branching hyphae were identified invading both the myocardium and the cortical brain tissue. DNA sequencing revealed the fungal organisms to be Scedosporium boydii. This case reinforces the importance of autopsies in the clinical setting. It not only established the definitive diagnosis of an unexpected fungal infection, but it also helped to recognize new clinical and pathologic features of this particular fungal organism.

Undiagnosed Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Presenting as Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

Cancer-associated thrombotic microangiopathy has a documented relationship with metastatic disease. Other examples of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) include thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). All these conditions can present with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia as well as thrombocytopenia. However, when these findings occur in association with cancer, they often carry a poor prognosis. Though associated with metastasis, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia have rarely been seen as the presenting signs of malignancy. We present the case of a 66-year-old female with no known history of cancer who exhibited an intriguing clinical presentation, including progressive dyspnea worsening with exertion, diarrhea, and dizziness. Laboratory investigations revealed Coombs-negative hemolytic anemia with schistocytes on blood smears and thrombocytopenia. The patient's condition raised concerns for TTP, prompting the initiation of plasmapheresis. However, despite treatment, the anemia and thrombocytopenia showed no improvement, leading to further investigations. Ultimately, a bone marrow biopsy revealed tumor cells arranged in nests and single files, leading to a diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma, consistent with breast primary. This was the patient's first known sign of breast cancer. This case emphasizes the significance of considering metastatic cancer as a potential differential diagnosis in patients presenting with similar signs and symptoms.

Invasive Candida pneumonia, in association with Candida esophagitis and gastritis, in a presumably immunocompetent patient.

Candida pneumonia remains a difficult diagnosis and is most common in immunocompromised individuals. It has been rarely reported in immunocompetent individuals. We present a case of unsuspected Candida pneumonia associated with Candida esophagitis and gastritis discovered on postmortem examination in a presumably immunocompetent patient. The patient was a 71-year-old male who presented with chest pain and was subsequently found to have a myocardial infarction treated with angioplasty and drug-eluting stent placement. The patient's recovery was complicated by pneumonia refractory to antibiotics, and he went on to experience acute hypoxic respiratory failure, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and ultimately expired. Autopsy revealed evidence of myocardial infarction as well as unsuspected Candida albicans pneumonia, esophagitis, and gastritis. Our case highlights how a presumably immunocompetent individual can develop this infection and how Candida esophagitis and Candida gastritis can be seen in association with Candida pneumonia. Due to the difficulty in diagnosing Candida pneumonia antemortem, autopsies provide a key opportunity to better understand these cases and the factors that may contribute to their development.

Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer With Discordant Receptor Status: Treating One Patient but Two Diseases.

The expression of hormone receptors (estrogen and progesterone) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) has been used for both therapeutic and prognostic purposes in the management of breast cancer. The presence of a discordant receptor status complicates the approach to treatment in patients with synchronous bilateral breast cancer. We describe the case of a 45-year-old female with synchronous bilateral breast cancer with a triple-negative tumor and a contralateral HER2-positive tumor and discussed the impact of this on the approach to therapeutic management.

Bing Neel Syndrome: A Rare Contributing Factor of Psychosis and Suicidality.

ABSTRACT: Suicide rapidly increased in the United States by 30% from 2000 to 2020, accounting for more than 800,000 deaths ( Neurosci Res Program Bull . 1972; 10: 384-8). Studies have shown that there are a multitude of underlying issues, including mental illness, that elevate an individual's risk of dying by suicide ( CDC WONDER: Underlying cause of death, 1999-2019 . Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2020). Presented here is a case of Bing Neel syndrome (BNS) found in a 69-year-old man who died by suicide by jumping off a 135' bridge. His medical history was significant for traumatic brain injury, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), major depressive disorder, suicidal ideation, and anxiety. Bing Neel syndrome is a rare central nervous system complication of WM. His wife reported an abrupt mental deterioration starting 5 years before his death, characterized by paranoia, depression, and insomnia. He had been a high-functioning university professor. His decline culminated with the loss of independence in his activities of daily living. At autopsy, it was found that he experienced blunt force injuries related to the fall, causing his death. A neuropathologic examination revealed a brisk and fulminant clonal CD20 + /immunoglobulin M+ lymphocytic infiltrate, involving all sampled regions of his brain, consistent with WM. This workup was critical to obtaining an accurate pathologic diagnosis of BNS and understanding his full clinical status before death. Although BNS was not the proximate cause of death, this diagnosis aided the death investigation as a causal factor in his suicidality and was vital to providing his family closure.

Invasive Candida pneumonia, in association with Candida esophagitis and gastritis, in a presumably immunocompetent patient

ABSTRACT Candida pneumonia remains a difficult diagnosis and is most common in immunocompromised individuals. It has been rarely reported in immunocompetent individuals. We present a case of unsuspected Candida pneumonia associated with Candida esophagitis and gastritis discovered on postmortem examination in a presumably immunocompetent patient. The patient was a 71-year-old male who presented with chest pain and was subsequently found to have a myocardial infarction treated with angioplasty and drug-eluting stent placement. The patient's recovery was complicated by pneumonia refractory to antibiotics, and he went on to experience acute hypoxic respiratory failure, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and ultimately expired. Autopsy revealed evidence of myocardial infarction as well as unsuspected Candida albicans pneumonia, esophagitis, and gastritis. Our case highlights how a presumably immunocompetent individual can develop this infection and how Candida esophagitis and Candida gastritis can be seen in association with Candida pneumonia. Due to the difficulty in diagnosing Candida pneumonia antemortem, autopsies provide a key opportunity to better understand these cases and the factors that may contribute to their development.

Multiple Primary Malignant Neoplasms in African Americans: A Case Series and Literature Review.

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMNs) or multiple primary malignancies are defined as two or more histologically distinct malignancies present in the same individual. While second or higher-order malignancies account for approximately 18% of all cancers in the United States, it is reasonable to presume that MPMNs are now occurring more frequently than previously reported. Underserved groups such as blacks and Hispanics may represent a high proportion of these underreported cases due to well-established health disparities. Although the role of health disparities has been well established in single primary malignancies, less is known on racial differences in patients with multiple primaries. In comparing MPMNs by race, blacks have lower survival rates compared to white patients. Moreover, despite the lower overall incidence of MPMNs in blacks compared to white patients, when broken down by the specific types of cancers and gender, there are significant racial disparities in the incidence of prostate cancer and possibly other cancers. Further research and case reports are required to explore the risk factors of developing MPMNs in these groups. Our case series explores three African American patients with MPMNs that are rarely described in the literature and outlines the management challenges of treating multiple malignancies.

Rapid pituitary apoplexy regression: what is the time course of clot resolution?

A 29-year-old male patient with a functioning pituitary macroadenoma is discussed. The pituitary mass was detected by MRI after the patient presented with sudden onset of headache, suggestive of an apoplectic event. The headache resolved with analgesic medications. Within a follow-up period of one week, the pituitary mass had spontaneously regressed to nearly half its original size without any therapy. The patient never reported any visual complaints and displayed no signs of hypopituitarism. Elevated prolactin levels were present. Seven weeks after the initial event, the pituitary mass showed continued regression on MRI. Prolactin levels remained elevated. This case provides a unique look at the rapid spontaneous regression of mass effect that may occur following apoplexy of a pituitary adenoma.