Westermannhumphrey4618
Introduction The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of CyberKnife® (Accuray, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) hypofractionated radiosurgery (HfRS) in the treatment of chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Methods A total of 24 patients retrospectively identified with chordomas (19 patients) or chondrosarcomas (five patients) were treated between 2012 and 2019 with HfRS as monotherapy or an adjuvant, rescue, or combination therapy. Tumors were located in the skull base (75%) and vertebral spine (25%). Of these, 19 patients underwent previous partial resection and four patients received previous conventional external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) (60-74 Gy). Exclusive or rescue HfRS (20 patients) was administered in five fractions with a median dose of 37.5 Gy (30-40 Gy). Combined tomotherapy-EBRT treatment (median dose 54 Gy) and HfRS (16.5-30 Gy in 3-12 fractions) were performed in four patients with bulky chordomas. Results The median follow-up from HfRS was 28 months. During clinical follow-up, no deaths were registered with overall survival (OS) of 100% and the actuarial local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) was 93% at one year, 85% at three years, and 68% at five years. Acute toxicity related to HfRS was present in a single patient. Conclusions It is seen that HfRS is effective and safe for chordomas and chondrosarcomas, with rates of LRFS comparable to other radiation modalities.The objective of this report is to present a rare case of a recurrence after 20 years of retroperitoneal dedifferentiated liposarcoma after surgical resection and to discuss the lessons learned from this rare phenomenon for patients management and understanding the behavior of these aggressive tumors. A 75-year-old woman presented with recurrent retroperitoneal dedifferentiated liposarcoma who had undergone a surgical resection 20 years earlier and had no evidence of disease on frequent follow-ups during that period. The histopathologic examination revealed different morphologic characteristics between the initial and recurrent presentations. The fluorescence in situ hybridization showed amplification of the mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2), a regulator of p53 gene on chromosome 12q15, and positive cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) immunostain. Liposarcoma long-term recurrence is a challenging surgical disease to provide the best survival outcome. Incomplete resection could explain the recurrence in anatomic locations where the lesions are intermixed with the neighboring adipose tissue. However, dedifferentiated liposarcoma can rarely recur after 20 years. The molecular transformation and the survival analysis of these tumors predict certain behaviors. The refraction for radiation therapy in our case and the mixed morphology provide some insight into the biology and the clinical management for these aggressive tumors.Accurate medical triage is essential for improving patient outcomes and efficient healthcare delivery. Patients increasingly rely on artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications to access healthcare information, including medical triage advice. We assessed the accuracy of triage decisions provided by an AI-based application. We presented 50 clinical vignettes to the AI-based application, seven emergency medicine providers, and five internal medicine physicians. We compared the triage decisions of the AI-based application to those of the individual providers as well as their consensus decisions. When compared to the human clinicians' consensus triage decisions, the AI-based application performed equal or better than individual human clinicians.Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as the "Silent Epidemic," is a growing devastating global health problem estimated to affect millions of individuals yearly worldwide with little public recognition, leading to many individuals living with a TBI-related disability. TBI has been associated with up to five times increase in the risk of dementia among multiple neurologic complications compared with the general population. Several therapies, including statins, have been tried and showed promising benefits for TBI patients. In this systematic review, we evaluated the recent literature that tested the role of statins on neurological and cognitive outcomes such as Alzheimer's Disease and non-Alzheimer's dementia in survivors of TBI with various severities. We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. MeSH terms and keywords were used to search for full-text randomized clinical trials (RCTs), cross-sectional, case-control, cohort studies, systematic reviews, and animementia, were improved. However, the optimal therapeutic protocol is still unknown. Thus, statins are candidates for more advanced studies to test their efficacy in preventing cognitive decline in patients with TBI.Neurosyphilis (NS) remains a public health problem. Several recent reports suggest a worldwide increase in the incidence of this condition. Various syndromes can occur in NS, such as syphilitic meningitis, meningovascular syphilis, parenchymatous and gummatous neurosyphilis. Syphilis meningovascular will be the focus of this study. We report 14 new observations of meningovascular syphilis. A review of demographic and clinical features, neuroimaging findings, cerebrospinal fluid changes, treatment and outcome, pathophysiology mechanism of meningovascular syphilis are presented.In this technical report, we describe how to use TeleSimBox to run a remotely facilitated simulation to connect the facilitator with learners at a distant site. This method was developed to comply with safety measures imposed during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic to reduce the risk of viral exposure and transmission. Here, we present one example where a telesimulation naïve facilitator was trained as an in-person facilitator to enable the in-situ medical student and resident learners to participate in a pediatric emergency simulation exercise remotely guided by an off-site content expert. The case of neonatal shock was run five times during a half-day emergency department (ED) educational program with one to four participants per session. 14/15 (93%) participants completed evaluations and felt that the simulation met the case learning objectives and that connecting with the remote facilitator was useful for their learning. Feedback from the one newly trained in-person facilitator was that the tool was easy to learn how to use quickly, and the process of connecting with a remote expert was worthwhile for learners. To grab this web-based toolkit off the proverbial shelf and successfully run a telesimulation session from start to finish took approximately one hour; 20 minutes were spent in preparation the day prior and 40 minutes to set up and run the simulations the day of. We believe that this is a low-cost, efficient, and perceived to be an effective method to connect remotely located content experts and learners to engage in a simulation-based education activity when access to in-person resources and personnel is limited.Airway topicalization is frequently utilized by anesthesiologists to facilitate open airway procedures, aid intubation for a difficult airway, and prevent adverse respiratory events. This review article summarizes the techniques available for airway topicalization for a patient who is deemed to be difficult to intubate. We focus on the indications for use, local anesthetic maximum dosages and safety profiles, sedation techniques, and trials and pitfalls during airway topicalization for difficult intubation.Stroke is among the leading causes of death in the United States, and with our aging population, it will remain a pertinent obstacle in the acute setting. While the field of neuroradiology has advanced tremendously over the years, particularly in improving what we can visualize and quantify, the phrase "time is brain" yet dominates acute stroke management. Optimizing diagnostic protocols for suspected stroke requires a careful balance of data acquisition and speed, as well as taking into account available resources. We present a case of a middle-aged patient with notable risk factors for stroke presenting to the emergency department with altered mental status and suspected stroke. Radiography revealed a large subacute subdural hematoma (SDH) with a mild mass effect on the surface of the brain. The evaluation was supplemented by a computed tomography (CT) and perfusion cerebral blood flow (CBF) study indicating cortical ischemia with penumbra from the SDH compression. SDH evacuation was successfully performed, and patient recovery was achieved within the intensive care unit (ICU). Rapid data acquisition via CBF with CT imaging is crucial for guiding treatment decisions for SDHs. While protocols for ischemic stroke are well-established, SDH protocols are not studied. Thus, we discuss the value of a multimodal CT imaging approach, including CBF studies, in SDH evaluation.Adrenal crisis (AC) is a rare but known life-threatening condition in patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI). We report the case of a 21-year-old without known AI who developed AC after routine vaccinations. Workup revealed that the patient had underlying, undiagnosed autoimmune adrenalitis. selleck This is the first report of AC induced by influenza and diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccinations in a patient without known AI.Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP) is a challenging thrombotic diathesis which requires prompt diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in order to avoid life-threatening consequences. There are two forms of TTP, congenital and acquired, with the acquired form constituting about 90% of cases. Both forms are associated with a deficiency of ADAMTS-13, a metalloproteinase enzyme responsible for cleaving ultra-large von Willebrand factor (uLvWF), preventing its pathologic accumulation. Within the last year, many of the diverse and serious effects of the COVID-19 virus have come to recognition, with some of the most dire consequences involving devastating vascular and hematologic complications. As with many viruses, it seems that the endothelium and the vasculature are often prime targets. Here, we report a case of a 30 year old male who was diagnosed with TTP approximately one week after a positive COVID-19 test result. He responded appropriately to plasma exchange (PLEX), caplacizumab, and steroids. We believe it is important to investigate a potential link between these two conditions, as TTP has significant morbidity and mortality risk if left unattended. We hope that our report will contribute to a better understanding of this potential link.Objectives Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) has been established as a standard treatment for locally advanced hypopharynx/larynx squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) but the role of induction chemotherapy (IC) remains unclear. The primary outcome of this study is to determine whether functional larynx-preservation survival (FLPS) is improved with the addition of IC in these patients. Secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and laryngectomy rates. Methods Records for patients with AJCC 8th edition clinical stage III-IVB laryngeal and hypopharyngeal SCC treated with CRT +/- IC from 2005-2019 were reviewed. FLPS was defined as time until death, progression, laryngectomy, or non-functional larynx. Kaplan-Meier curves were generated for FLPS, OS, PFS, and DMFS. Outcomes were compared using the stratified log-rank test. Laryngectomy rates were compared using Fisher's exact test. Results We included 52 patients with laryngeal and 38 with hypopharyngeal SCC (n=90); 19 patients with laryngeal SCC and 19 with hypopharyngeal SCC received IC (median three cycles).