Transudative chylothorax in a liver cirrhosis patient: A case report.

Chylothorax defines chyle in the pleural space, usually from defects in thoracic duct. Chylothoraces are usually exudative, as defined by light's criteria but in rare instances, chylothoraces can be transudative. The leading cause of non-traumatic chylothorax is malignancy, but a non-traumatic chylothorax can be a rare manifestation of liver cirrhosis. In this case report, we present a case of an 82-year-old male with a history of non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis requiring multiple paracenteses for chylous ascites in the past, who was found to have a transudative non-traumatic chylothorax. His chylothorax existed despite his ascites being resolved for over a year. We will describe this case of a transudative chylothorax associated with liver cirrhosis and discuss the common findings associated with chylothoraces.

A case of Cryptococcus gattii infection in South Carolina: A possible challenge to known endemicity.

In the United States, C. gattii is considered to be endemic to the Pacific Northwest and although uncommon, additional cases have been documented in other regions including the Southeastern United States. While it has been hypothesized in the past that C. gattii may be endemic to the Southeastern United States, there remains a paucity of evidence. Here, we present a patient with no history of HIV/AIDS and no organ transplant and document the course of his disease and presentation. There were no adverse long-term neurological outcomes in this patient and the combination of steroid use, antifungal agents, and cerebrospinal fluid drainage resulted in his discharge from the hospital after 12 days. This patient's subacute presentation with vague neurological symptoms highlights the importance of understanding the treatment of rare causes of meningitis.

An Abrasion, a Prosthetic Shoulder, and a Cat with a Licking Tendency: Case Report and Literature Review of P. multocida Joint Seeding.

Pasteurella multocida is a pathogen well known for its zoonotic transmission, most commonly by cats and dogs. When bacteremia ensures from an infection, patients with foreign objects present in their bodies, including prosthetic joints and mesh implants, become vulnerable to seeding. There have been multiple documented cases in which P. multocida bacteremia has resulted in infection of both native and prosthetic joints. Furthermore, cases have been documented in which patients with P. multocida bacteremia have developed meningitis and neurological complications. Here, we present a patient with multiple comorbidities including multifactorial immunocompromise, advanced age, and multiple prosthetic joints who developed prosthetic joint infection and spinal osteomyelitis after the development of Pasteurella bacteremia. Aggressive treatment was undertaken given her risk factors, and a combination of antibiotics and surgery was utilized, with the patient making a full recovery.

Regionalization of Isolated Pediatric Femur Fracture Treatment: Recent Trends Observed Using the Kids' Inpatient Database.

BACKGROUND: Isolated pediatric femur fractures have historically been treated at local hospitals. Pediatric referral patterns have changed in recent years, diverting patients to high volume centers. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the treatment location of isolated pediatric femur fractures and concomitant trends in length of stay and cost of treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of surgical admissions for femoral shaft fracture was performed using the 2000 to 2012 Kids' Inpatient Database. The primary outcome was hospital location and teaching status. Secondary outcomes included the length of stay and mean hospital charges. Polytrauma patients were excluded. Data were weighted within each study year to produce national estimates. RESULTS: A total of 35,205 pediatric femoral fracture cases met the inclusion criteria. There was a significant shift in the treatment location over time. In 2000, 60.1% of fractures were treated at urban, teaching hospitals increasing to 81.8% in 2012 (P<0.001). Mean length of stay for all hospitals decreased from 2.59 to 1.91 days (P<0.001). Inflation-adjusted total charges increased during the study from $9499 in 2000 to $25,499 in 2012 per episode of treatment (P<0.001). Total charges per hospitalization were ∼$8000 greater at urban, teaching hospitals in 2012. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of isolated pediatric femoral fractures is regionalizing to urban, teaching hospitals. Length of stay has decreased across all institutions. However, the cost of treatment is significantly greater at urban institutions relative to rural hospitals. This trend does not consider patient outcomes but the observed pattern appears to have financial implications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III-case series, database study.

Hypertension secondary to renal hypoplasia presenting as acute heart failure in a newborn.

INTRODUCTION: Neonatal hypertension is defined as persistent systolic and/or diastolic blood pressures above the 95th percentile compared to other infants of similar gestational age and size. Neonatal hypertension is a rare condition, occurring in only 0.2-3.0% of neonates. The most common etiology of neonatal hypertension is renal vascular or parenchymal disease, and it is usually detected on routine examination in an asymptomatic child. However, it may present in a variety of manners, including acute heart failure, renal dysfunction, feeding difficulties, failure to thrive, tachypnea, apnea, lethargy, irritability, or seizures. CASE PRESENTATION: A term female was born via repeat caesarean section with vacuum extraction. On day of life (DOL) 3, the baby presented to the emergency department with poor feeding and lethargy. Initial laboratory tests indicated severe metabolic acidosis and the patient was transferred to our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During the hospital stay, the patient had intermittently high blood pressures. An echocardiogram was ordered, which demonstrated a severely decreased ejection fraction of 33%, but no signs of coarctation of the aorta. The low ejection fraction and constellation of symptoms were consistent with the diagnosis of acute heart failure, so treatment with milrinone was initiated. Further labs demonstrated elevated renin and aldosterone, and a computed tomography scan showed right kidney hypoplasia with reduced perfusion. This suggested a renovascular etiology of hypertension causing the initial presentation of acute heart failure. The patient was started on enalapril and clonidine for blood pressure control and was discharged with a home blood pressure monitoring system. At 5 months of life, this patient was still on enalapril and amlodipine as well as home blood pressure monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Acute heart failure is a rare presentation of neonatal hypertension, and prompt recognition and treatment for the underlying systemic hypertension is necessary to provide the best possible outcomes for patients. Due to the lack of sufficient evidence, treatment of hypertension in newborns is often anecdotal in nature. Further awareness of neonatal hypertension and research determining ideal methods of diagnosis and treatment would benefit physicians and their affected patients.

The effect of glenohumeral plane of elevation on supraspinatus subacromial proximity.

Shoulder pain is a common clinical problem affecting most individuals in their lifetime. Despite the high prevalence of rotator cuff pathology in these individuals, the pathogenesis of rotator cuff disease remains unclear. Position and motion related mechanisms of rotator cuff disease are often proposed, but poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of systematically altering glenohumeral plane on subacromial proximities across arm elevation as measures of tendon compression risk. Three-dimensional models of the humerus, scapula, coracoacromial ligament, and supraspinatus were reconstructed from MRIs in 20 subjects. Glenohumeral elevation was imposed on the humeral and supraspinatus tendon models for three glenohumeral planes, which were chosen to represent flexion, scapular plane abduction, and abduction based on average values from a previous study of asymptomatic individuals. Subacromial proximity was quantified as the minimum distance between the supraspinatus tendon and coracoacromial arch (acromion and coracoacromial ligament), the surface area of the supraspinatus tendon within 2 mm proximity to the coracoacromial arch, and the volume of intersection between the supraspinatus tendon and coracoacromial arch. The lowest modeled subacromial supraspinatus compression measures occurred during flexion at lower angles of elevation. This finding was consistent across all three measures of subacromial proximity. Knowledge of this range of reduced risk may be useful to inform future studies related to patient education and ergonomic design to prevent the development of shoulder pain and dysfunction.

Extensor Mechanism Injury in the Pediatric Population-A Clinical Review.

The extensor mechanism of the knee-consisting of the four muscles of the quadriceps, the quadriceps tendon, the patella, and the patellar ligament-is essential for lower extremity function during both standing and ambulation. The presence of articular cartilage and growing physes in the pediatric knee, coupled with the generation of significant tensile force, creates an opportunity for pathology unique to the pediatric population.Tibial tubercle fractures and patella injuries are quite rare, and even pediatric-trained orthopaedic surgeons may not be exposed to these injuries on a regular basis. It is the intent of this article to discuss the current literature regarding the mechanism of injury, diagnostic workup, classification, indications for surgical versus non-surgical management, and techniques for operative management for both tibial tubercle and patella (transverse and sleeve) fractures.

Impact of culinary medicine elective on medical students' culinary knowledge and skills.

Diet has an important role in the treatment and prevention of chronic illnesses. Physicians are regarded as having proficient knowledge about nutrition, but most believe that they lack an understanding of clinical nutrition. In fall 2016, a group of medical students developed a culinary medicine elective for 20 students at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in Lubbock that included four didactic sessions and four interactive cooking labs that culminated in a final contest. The elective was meant to educate medical students about nutrition and dietary habits for their own benefit and that of their future patients. Surveys were administered to participants before and after the elective. Results showed a significant increase in confidence in overall culinary skill level, knowledge of ingredients, knowledge of cooking techniques, and ability to use kitchen supplies (P = 0.002, 0.002, 0.0004, and 0.003, respectively). The culinary medicine elective appears to be a valuable addition to the medical school curriculum.

Thickness of the Rotator Cuff Tendons at the Articular Margin: An Anatomic Cadaveric Study.

BACKGROUND: With a substantial portion of the population experiencing rotator cuff pathology, the importance of understanding mechanisms of rotator cuff disease remains critical. Current research aimed at understanding relationships between shoulder movement and cuff injuries has been hindered by our limited knowledge of the thickness of soft tissue structures within the shoulder. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to measure the thicknesses of all four rotator cuff tendons at the articular margin. METHODS: An anatomic study of 21 cadaveric shoulders was conducted. The thicknesses of the four rotator cuff tendon insertions were measured by caliper at the articular margin. RESULTS: The mean thickness of the supraspinatus at the articular margin was 4.9 mm ± 2.1 (median: 4.2 mm, range: 2.9-12.7 mm). The mean thickness of the infraspinatus tendon was 4.9 mm ± 1.3 (median: 4.8 mm, range: 3.0-7.2 mm). The mean thickness of the teres minor tendon was 3.20 mm ± 1.14 (median: 2.9 mm, range: 1.7-5.7 mm). Finally, the mean thickness of the subscapularis tendon at the articular margin was 5.5 mm ± 1.3 (median: 5.5 mm, range: 3.5-9.3 mm). CONCLUSIONS: This current study provides needed objective data about the thickness of the rotator cuff tendons at the articular margin. Data regarding the infraspinatus, teres minor and teres major, which have been largely understudied, are particularly important. In addition, the current study demonstrates that rotator cuff thicknesses can vary substantially between individuals. There are likely natural age related changes as well as changes from etiologies that are not yet elucidated. Clinical Relevance: Data from this study will allow for improved modelling accuracy of soft tissue structures specific to the shoulder. Eventually knowledge gained through study of shoulder mechanics can be used to pursue prevention of rotator cuff tears and improve targeted treatment planning.