A 62-Year-Old Woman With Nodules, Cysts, and Activated Bone Marrow.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old woman with a long-term smoking history was evaluated at our lung cancer clinic for a new 2.5-cm lung nodule. She had a history of well-controlled COPD and hypertension. She was in overall good health until 3 weeks before her evaluation in an ED for new-onset exertional dyspnea. Her physical examination was unremarkable, except for diffuse hyperpigmented scaly scalp lesions that coalesced into plaques. Her subjective symptoms were nonproductive cough, exertional dyspnea, unintentional weight loss of 10 lb, and fatigue that had started 2 months earlier. She did not have fever or night sweats.

The differential impact of respiratory event scoring criteria on CPAP eligibility in women and men.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea is more prevalent and severe in men than women. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine offers 2 definitions for scoring hypopneas: "acceptable" = associated with a ≥ 4% oxygen desaturation, adopted by Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and "recommended" = associated with a ≥ 3% oxygen desaturation and/or an arousal. We hypothesized that CMS vs American Academy of Sleep Medicine scoring criteria would differentially impact continuous positive airway pressure eligibility in women and men. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of adult diagnostic in-lab polysomnography at an urban academic institution. All polysomnographies were scored by both CMS and American Academy of Sleep Medicine scoring criteria, and an analysis by sex was performed that considered demographics and other polysomnography variables. RESULTS: Of 969 polysomnographies reviewed, 674 (69.6%) were in women. Women were younger (51.5 vs 53.3 years old) and had a higher body mass index (38.6 kg/m2 vs 33.8 kg/m2) but had similar Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores compared to men. The odds of an American Academy of Sleep Medicine apnea-hypopnea index > 5 events/h being missed by CMS scoring in women was 1.89 (95% confidence interval: 1.40-2.53; P < .001) compared to men and increased to 6.87 among women 40-60 years of age with a body mass index ≥ 40 kg/m2. After controlling for age, body mass index, % rapid eye movement sleep, and mean oxygen saturation, the sex effect remained significant (odds ratio 1.87; 95% confidence interval: 1.36-2.58; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: CMS scoring criteria imparts a sex bias toward women, potentially resulting in denial of therapy to symptomatic women with obstructive sleep apnea. Larger, prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings. CITATION: Khalid F, Ayache M, Auckley D. The differential impact of respiratory event scoring criteria on CPAP eligibility in women and men. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(12):2409-2414.

Glutathione ethyl ester reverses the deleterious effects of fentanyl on ventilation and arterial blood-gas chemistry while prolonging fentanyl-induced analgesia.

There is an urgent need to develop novel compounds that prevent the deleterious effects of opioids such as fentanyl on minute ventilation while, if possible, preserving the analgesic actions of the opioids. We report that L-glutathione ethyl ester (GSHee) may be such a novel compound. In this study, we measured tail flick latency (TFL), arterial blood gas (ABG) chemistry, Alveolar-arterial gradient, and ventilatory parameters by whole body plethysmography to determine the responses elicited by bolus injections of fentanyl (75 µg/kg, IV) in male adult Sprague-Dawley rats that had received a bolus injection of GSHee (100 µmol/kg, IV) 15 min previously. GSHee given alone had minimal effects on TFL, ABG chemistry and A-a gradient whereas it elicited changes in some ventilatory parameters such as an increase in breathing frequency. In vehicle-treated rats, fentanyl elicited (1) an increase in TFL, (2) decreases in pH, pO2 and sO2 and increases in pCO2 (all indicative of ventilatory depression), (3) an increase in Alveolar-arterial gradient (indicative of a mismatch in ventilation-perfusion in the lungs), and (4) changes in ventilatory parameters such as a reduction in tidal volume, that were indicative of pronounced ventilatory depression. In GSHee-pretreated rats, fentanyl elicited a more prolonged analgesia, relatively minor changes in ABG chemistry and Alveolar-arterial gradient, and a substantially milder depression of ventilation. GSHee may represent an effective member of a novel class of thiolester drugs that are able to prevent the ventilatory depressant effects elicited by powerful opioids such as fentanyl and their deleterious effects on gas-exchange in the lungs without compromising opioid analgesia.

Idiopathic Hypereosinophilic Syndrome in an Elderly Female: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is defined as hypereosinophilia with eosinophil mediated organ damage or dysfunction, provided that other causes of organ damage have been excluded. CASE REPORT An 83-year-old female presented with worsening dyspnea for 3 weeks. She was initially diagnosed with bronchitis and prescribed oral antibiotics along with prednisone taper. However, her dyspnea continued to worsen requiring hospitalization. Physical examination was significant for signs of volume overload. Laboratory investigations were notable for leukocytosis with eosinophilia, elevated BNP (brain natriuretic peptide) and troponin. Electrocardiogram (ECG) showed normal sinus rhythm with non-specific ST-T wave changes. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest showed pulmonary edema, bilateral peripheral ground glass opacities, and pleural effusions. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed an ejection fraction (EF) of 45%. She was diagnosed with NSTEMI (non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction) with new onset heart failure; appropriate management was initiated. Left heart catheterization did not show any significant obstructive lesions. Presence of peripheral ground glass opacities on the CT chest scan and eosinophilia raised suspicion for HES. Thorough HES workup was done, all tests came back negative except for elevated serum IgE level. Cardiac biopsy returned positive for eosinophilic myocarditis. Bone marrow biopsy showed 20% eosinophils. Positron emission tomography (PET) scan did not show any hypermetabolic lesions to suggest malignancy. The patient was managed for idiopathic HES with high dose steroids resulting in significant clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS About 40% of patient with HES manifest cardiac involvement, and one quarter of patients with HES have pulmonary involvement with variable radiologic findings. Steroids remain the mainstay treatment for idiopathic HES.

Fatal air embolism following local anaesthetisation: does needle size matter?

A 76--year--old male cigarette smoker presented with a 2-week history of cough and haemoptysis. Chest CT on admission revealed multiple new lung nodules concerning for malignancy. CT--guided biopsy of the nodule in left lower lobe was attempted in prone oblique position for tissue diagnosis. Local anaesthetic (lidocaine) was administered using a 25--gauge (1.5-inch) needle to anaesthetise the skin and subcutaneous tissue. This was followed by insertion of a 25-gauge (3.5-inch) Whitacre needle to anaesthetise deeper tissues and parietal pleura. Due to patient's coughing and proximity of the nodule to the diaphragm, the circumstances were judged to be too risky for a needle biopsy. Therefore, it was decided to biopsy another nodule in the left lung that was visible on the same CT section. During this portion of the procedure, the patient became hypoxic and developed pulseless electrical activity arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful and the efforts ceased after 45 min. Subsequent review of CT scan revealed air in the left ventricle.

A review of obesity and asthma across the life span.

OBJECTIVE: This literature review aims to compare obese-asthmatic adults and children, and to characterize differences and similarities between the two subgroups from epidemiological, demographical, phenotypical, and physiological perspectives. METHODS: Literature search was conducted using Pubmed database with "obesity," "asthma," "epidemiology," "cluster analysis," "demography," "mechanics," and ''FeNO'' as search terms. METHODS: Articles investigating epidemiological, demographic, phenotypical variation, and mechanical aspects of breathing specifically in obese asthmatics were identified. The studies were then divided according to age: children (<18 years of age) and adults (>18 years of age). RESULTS: Increase in asthma incidence and prevalence is observed in both obese-asthmatic children and adults. Asthma prevalence is greater in adult females regardless of ethnic background, and in men of African American and Hispanic ethnicities. Degree of weight gain and early onset of menarche appears to directly affect asthma severity in adolescent girls and females. Airway hyperresponsiveness and fractional exhaled nitric oxide do not have any positive correlation with high BMI in obese-asthmatic children and adults. Obesity also alters lung mechanics in asthmatics, but the impact is different for children and adults likely due to differential effect of obesity on central and peripheral airway. CONCLUSION: Existing literature suggests both similarities and differences in obese-asthmatic children and adults. The most pertinent differences are related to gender, ethnicity, and lung functions.

The Association Between Leukotriene-Modifying Agents and Suicidality: A Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND: In 2008 Food and Drug Administration issued a warning regarding a possible association between leukotriene-modifying agents and suicidality. OBJECTIVE: The warning remains controversial and this review of literature is an attempt to examine the evidence on the matter. METHODS: Literature search on PubMed. RESULTS: The data supporting a relationship between leukotriene-modifying agents and suicidality comes primarily from reviews of individual safety reports in adverse event databases; it is subject to considerable reporting bias and does not control for confounding factors. Case-control and cohort studies as well as data from clinical trials do not support an association between leukotriene-modifying agents and suicidality. The data from ecological studies offers strong evidence of a lack of positive association between leukotriene-modifying agents and suicide outcomes (attempts and deaths) at the population level. Furthermore, there is no pharmacological mechanism that would explain an association between the two. CONCLUSION: Overall, the weight of higher quality evidence casts doubt on the association (especially at population level), but is not enough to conclusively disprove the association at an individual level.

Student's perceptions of educational environment across multiple undergraduate medical institutions in Pakistan using DREEM inventory.

OBJECTIVE: To objectively assess whether the medical education environment across Pakistan was at an acceptable standard and to determine factors influencing its perception. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from August to November 2012 at six undergraduate medical institutions across Pakistan. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) inventory having five subscales of perceptions of learning, teachers, atmosphere, academic self-perceptions and social self-perceptions was administered anonymously to all the consenting medical students. Data was analysed using SPSS 17. RESULT: Of the 3045 questionnaires distributed, 2084(68.4%) were returned duly filled. Of all the respondents, 1311(63%) were females. Overall mean score found positive was 105.0±25.8 (Max: 200). Corresponding scores in the subscales were: student's perception of learning 25.1±7.2 (Max: 48); social self-perception 15.4±3.9 (Max: 28); academic self-perception l7.2±6.5 (Max: 32); perception of teachers being in need of some re-training 22.5±7.1 (Max: 44); and perception of atmosphere as having many issues needing a change 24.8±7.0 (Max: 48). Female students and pre-clinical year students perceived environment as more positive than male students (108.6±23.0 vs. 98.8±28.9 [p<0.001]) and students belonging to clinical years (108.0±24.0 vs. 03.3±26.5 [p<0.001]). CONCLUSION: Highest score was found in the domain of student's social self-perceptions and lowest in the domain of student's perception of teachers. Results can be used as a basis for planning and executing remedial measures needed to improve undergraduate medical education environment in Pakistan.