Benign Metastatic Leiomyoma Presenting as a Hemothorax

Uterine leiomyomas have been reported to metastasize to various organs including the lungs, skeletal muscles, bone marrow, peritoneum, and heart. They may present with symptoms related to the metastases several years after hysterectomy. These tumors regress after menopause, and it is rare to detect active tumors in postmenopausal women. Despite their ability to metastasize, they are considered to be benign due to the lack of anaplasia. Pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma is usually detected in the form of pulmonary nodules incidentally on imaging. Tissue biopsy of these nodules is required to identify them as benign metastasizing leiomyomas. Immunohistochemical analysis and molecular profiling may further help detect any malignant transformation in it. Untreated pulmonary benign metastasizing leiomyoma may result in the formation of cystic structures, destruction of lung parenchyma, and hemothorax and may cause respiratory failure. Surgical resection and hormonal therapy help prevent progression of this disease and provide an avenue for a cure

Unregulated Sale of Nimesulide in India

IntroductionNimesulide has been withdrawn from a number of countries. However it continues to be available over the counter in India.MethodsA survey of 1460 drug stores and 1531 families in India on their perceptions of the potential side effects of Nimesulide.Results A high proportion (78.96%) of the drug stores sold the drug without prescription from a licensed physician. More than one in four families (26.95%) preferred Nimesulide to other drugs. A relatively small proportion drug store owners and families (12.14% and 9.6% respectively) were aware of the potential adverse effects of this drug. DiscussionThere is an urgent need to tighten regulation of dangerous drugs freely available to Indian consumers. Further research to increase public awareness about drug side effects is required in order to reduce the potential for harm from under regulation

A Systematic Review of Reported Cases of Immune Thrombocytopenia after COVID-19 Vaccination

With the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency use authorization of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, reports of post-vaccine immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) have gained attention. With this systematic review, we aim to analyze the clinical characteristics, therapeutic strategies, and outcomes of patients presenting with ITP after receiving COVID-19 vaccination. Medline, Embase, and Ebsco databases were systematically explored from inception until 1 June 2022. Case reports and case series investigating the association between the anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and ITP were included. We found a total of 66 patients. The mean age of presentation was 63 years with a female preponderance (60.6%). Sixteen patients had pre-existing ITP. The mean time from vaccine administration to symptom onset was 8.4 days. More ITP events were triggered by mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 (n = 29) > mRNA-1273 (n = 13)) than with adenoviral vaccines (ChAdOx1-S AstraZeneca (n = 15) > Ad26.COV2-S (n = 9)). Most of the patients were treated with steroids or IVIG, or both. The overall outcome was promising, with no reported deaths. Our review attempts to increase awareness among physicians while evaluating patients presenting with thrombocytopenia after receiving the vaccine. In our solicited opinion, the rarity of these events and excellent outcomes for patients should not change views regarding the benefits provided by immunization

A vicious cycle of acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy and circulatory collapse secondary to pheochromocytoma

Acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy is an uncommon, life-threatening manifestation of pheochromocytoma. The massive release of catecholamines from the adrenal medulla and their toxic effects on the coronary vessels and the cardiac myocytes play a significant role in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy in patients with pheochromocytoma. Severe manifestations, such as acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy, may be the initial presentation, especially in unsuspected and untreated pheochromocytoma cases. The clinical course of catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy is unpredictable as patients may rapidly deteriorate into circulatory collapse and multisystem crisis. We report a case of a 25-year-old man who presented with catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy