Lenvatinib-induced multiorgan adverse events in Hurthle cell thyroid cancer: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The management of metastatic progressive radioiodine-resistant differentiated thyroid cancer remains challenging for clinicians. The availability of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), sorafenib and lenvatinib, within the last decade has expanded treatment options; however, these lead to significant adverse effects, which may curtail their use. CASE SUMMARY: We report the case of a 47-year-old female with Hurthle cell thyroid cancer who underwent total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine ablation. During follow-up, she developed noniodine-avid renal and pulmonary metastases. With respect to her pre-existing diabetes, hypertension, and polycystic kidney disease, the tumor board decided against performing renal metastasectomy because of the risk of future renal decline requiring dialysis. Metastases were treated using sorafenib, which provided stability followed by progression within a year. We switched to lenvatinib, which led to disease regression. However, the patient experienced severe adverse effects, including cardiomyopathy, bicytopenia, renal impairment, and the rarely reported nephrotic syndrome. Renal metastasis is a rare manifes-tation of Hurthle cell thyroid cancer with only two reported cases in literature. We report the experience of our first case of renal metastasis and its treatment with TKIs. This case serves as a reminder of the adverse drug reactions associated with TKI use. CONCLUSION: We advocate close monitoring of patients' hematological and renal profiles as well as their cardiac status using an echocardiogram.

Guillian-Barre syndrome as the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus--case report and review of literature.

A number of neurological entities have been associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Gullian-Barre syndrome (GBS) as a presenting feature of SLE remains uncommon with just 9 cases reported in the last half-century with the first case reported in 19641-9 (Table 1). We report a young female presenting with GBS in whom SLE and WHO class V lupus nephritis (LN) was subsequently diagnosed. The neurological symptoms partially responded to pulse methylprednisone, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasmapheresis.

Granulomatous tubulointerstitial nephritis secondary to omeprazole.

Drug-induced interstitial nephritis is a common cause of acute kidney injury indicated by elevated serum creatinine. We report a case of omeprazole-induced acute granulomatous interstitial nephritis (GIN). Our patient developed acute GIN secondary to omeprazole ingestion requiring haemodialysis. Treatment with steroids and withdrawal of omperazole was successful allowing the patient to discontinue haemodialysis in 3 months. She remains dialysis free with chronic kidney disease stage IV, reflected by a serum creatine of 191 µmol/L and estimated glomerular filtration rate of 23 mL/min/1.73 m(2) at 5 years on follow-up.

Acute hepatitis C infection in a renal transplant recipient: primacy of the liver or kidney?

We present a case where a renal transplant recipient contracted chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection post-transplantation. The disease progressed and deteriorated leading to fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis that mandated treatment. Treatment with pegylated interferon α-2a and ribavirin was successful in salvaging the liver and eradicating the virus but as a consequence lead to treatment-resistant acute rejection and loss of the renal allograft.

Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS CoV): case reports from a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome caused by novel coronavirus (MERS CoV) has been a major public health challenge since it was first described in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. So far, there is no effective treatment for this serious illness, which features a high mortality rate. We report an initial experience of the use of ribavirin and interferon (IFN)-a2b in the management of MERS CoV at a tertiary care hospital. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A case series of 6 patients admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of MERS CoV were treated with ribavirin and IFN-a2b in addition to supportive management. The patients' demographics, clinical parameters, and outcomes were recorded. Fifty-four close contacts of these patients were screened for MERS CoV. METHODS: Six patients with MERS CoV infection were included in this study. Four cases featured symptomatic disease, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, while 2 were asymptomatic close contacts of the MERS CoV patients. The MERS CoV infection was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction detection of the consensus viral RNA targets upstream of the E gene (UPE) and open reading frame (ORF1b) on a sputum sample. The patients' demographics, comorbid conditions, time to diagnosis and initiation of treatment, and clinical outcomes were recorded. RESULTS: Three out of 6 patients who had comorbid conditions died during the study period, while 3 had suc.cessful outcomes. The diagnosis and treatment was delayed by an average of 15 days in those patients who died. Only 2 close contacts out of the 54 screened (3.7%) were positive for MERS CoV. CONCLUSION: Treatment with ribavirin and IFN-a2b may be effective in patients infected with MERS CoV. There appears to be a low infectivity rate among close contacts of MERS CoV patients.

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome in a patient of FSGS with heavy proteinuria.

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is a neurological syndrome characterized by headache, seizures, and visual loss, often associated with an abrupt increase in blood pressure. It was first described by Hinchey and colleagues in 1996 when they described a case series. RPLS has been described in number of medical conditions, renal dysfunction being one of them. Prompt diagnosis and therapy with antihypertensives, anticonvulsants, removal of any offending medication, and treatment of associated disorder are essential because early treatment might prevent progression to irreversible brain damage. Here, we report a case of young man with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and heavy proteinuria, who developed classical, clinical, and neurological features of RPLS with complete recovery.

Spontaneous rupture of the spleen: a rare complication in a patient with lupus nephritis on hemodialysis.

Rupture of the spleen is a life threatening condition. We report a 40-year-old fe-male patient, a known case of lupus nephritis receiving hemodialysis, who developed spontaneous rupture of the spleen during the course of her illness. The patient was managed conservatively with gradual regression of hematoma without further complications.