Primary Evan Syndrome With Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Suggests Progressive Immune Dysregulation and Early Immunosuppressive Intervention is Key to Improving Outcomes.

Evan syndrome (ES) is a rare hematological disorder that involves 2 or more immune cytopenias. It usually includes autoimmune hemolytic anemia and autoimmune thrombocytopenia. Although occasionally associated with immune neutropenia, its association with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is rare. And, early diagnosis with appropriate intervention is important because mortality from ES is known to be greater than that of isolated immune hemolytic anemia and probably worse in the presence of DIC. Considering that the presence of DIC can make the diagnosis of ES challenging, a strong clinical suspicion is important as early initiation of therapy is critical to reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with this syndrome. We report a case of ES complicated by DIC.

Ipilimumab-Induced Granulomatous Disease Occurring Simultaneously With Disease Progression in a Patient With Metastatic Melanoma.

Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive cutaneous malignancy with dismal prognosis in the advanced setting. The food and drug administration approval of ipilimumab, the monoclonal antibody against cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4, has significantly changed treatment strategies for this disease. However, the spectrum of immune-related adverse events secondary to ipilimumab therapy is a growing area of research, and clinical observations of rare immune events as a result of such therapies continue to be reported since the approval. The co-occurrence of disease progression along with an immune-related adverse event is extremely rare. We here present the first case, to our knowledge, of diffuse nonnecrotizing granulomatous lymphadenopathy occurring simultaneously with disease progression in a patient with metastatic melanoma after receiving the second dose of ipilimumab.

A review of obesity, insulin resistance, and the role of exercise in breast cancer patients.

Breast cancer, the most common female malignancy in the world, has a strong association with obesity and insulin resistance. The importance of these risk factors goes up significantly in patients already affected by this cancer as they negatively affect the prognosis, recurrence rate, and survival by various mechanisms. The literature on the role of physical activity and aerobic exercise on modifying the above risks is debatable with data both for and against it. In this article, we have reviewed the risks of obesity and insulin resistance in breast cancer patients and the controversy associated with the impact of exercise. Ultimately, we have concluded that a randomized control trial is necessary with an individualized aerobic exercise program for a minimum duration of 20 wk on breast cancer patients, who are undergoing or recently completed chemotherapy, to study its effects on insulin resistance, weight, and clinical outcome.

Refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura associated with primary Sjogren syndrome treated with rituximab: a case report.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is an uncommon, serious disease that involves multiple organs and is rapidly fatal if left untreated. TTP is associated with multisystem symptoms, such as thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, renal impairment, central nervous system involvement, and fever. TTP is idiopathic in about 37% of the cases and can be associated with autoimmune diseases in 13% of the cases. Autoimmune disease-associated TTP can be refractory to plasma exchange and requires immunosuppressive therapy. We report a case of a previously healthy 55-year-old African American female who presented with shortness of breath, hemolytic anemia, renal impairment, and thrombocytopenia. The diagnosis of TTP was made, and plasmapheresis was initiated. However, recurrence happened 48 hours after plasmapheresis was stopped. Autoimmune workup for refractory TTP revealed positive antinuclear antibodies, Anti-SSA, and Anti-SSB. Lip biopsy revealed findings consistent with Sjogren syndrome. Treatment with Rituximab was started, and significant clinical and laboratory response was achieved. The patient remained asymptomatic thereafter. A high clinical suspicion of autoimmune diseases is important as TTP tends to be refractory to plasma exchange in these cases, and immunosuppressive therapy is a key.

Management of familial hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis during pregnancy with therapeutic plasma exchange: a case report and review of literature.

Familial severe hypertriglyceridemia (levels greater than 1000 mg/dL) is a known cause of acute pancreatitis. Pregnancy can dysregulate controlled lipid levels in women with familial hypertriglyceridemia and lead to acute pancreatitis and significant morbidity in both mother and fetus. We report a case of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis during pregnancy that was successfully treated using therapeutic plasma exchange, resulting in delivery of a healthy preterm infant. Therapeutic plasma exchange is an effective approach to treat gestational hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis. Other treatment options include combined heparin and insulin infusion. Moreover, particular caution should be applied when interpreting the results of prothrombin time in the setting of severe hypertriglyceridemia as false elevation with testing methods could happen.

Giant Inflammatory Fibroid Polyp of the Descending Colon Treated with Endoscopic Resection.

Inflammatory fibroid polyps (IFPs) of the colon are very rare, reactive, non-neoplastic polyps that may grow to large sizes but do not carry any risk of malignancy. Because of their size, IFPs are usually treated with surgery; however, size alone should not be an indication for surgery. Depending on the location and morphology of the polyp, endoscopic resection should be considered. We here describe a case of a giant IFP that was successfully removed with endoscopy without complication or recurrence.

Tibial osteomyelitis caused by Gordonia bronchialis in an immunocompetent patient.

Gordonia species are aerobic Gram-positive bacilli that rarely cause human infections, often in the setting of indwelling intravascular catheters. We report the first case of osteomyelitis caused by Gordonia bronchialis in a healthy immunocompetent host in the absence of an intravascular catheter.