A Right Atrial Mass with Fever and Cutaneous Nodules

Primary cardiac tumors, although exceedingly rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis during workup of any cardiac mass. Extranodal cardiac lymphomas have a natural aggressive course due to delayed diagnosis. We present a 71-year-old male with a dual-chamber pacemaker who presented with fevers and new cutaneous nodules. He was found to have a right atrial primary anaplastic large-cell lymphoma and had a complete metabolic response after chemotherapy. Our case highlights the importance of a multimodality approach in the diagnosis of cardiac tumors and during follow-up after treatment

Prognostic value of echocardiographic parameters in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Prognostication of mortality and decision to offer extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) can inform clinical management. OBJECTIVE: To summarise the prognostic value of echocardiography in infants with CDH. METHODS: Electronic databases Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library and conference proceedings up to July 2022 were searched. Studies evaluating the prognostic performance of echocardiographic parameters in newborn infants were included. Risk of bias and applicability were assessed using the Quality Assessment of Prognostic Studies tool. We used a random-effect model for meta-analysis to compute mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes and relative risk (RR) for binary outcomes with 95% CIs. Our primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes were need for ECMO, duration of ventilation, length of stay, and need for oxygen and/or inhaled nitric oxide. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies were included that were of acceptable methodological quality. Increased diameters of the right and left pulmonary arteries at birth (mm), MD 0.95 (95% CI 0.45 and 1.46) and MD 0.79 (95% CI 0.58 to 0.99), respectively) were associated with survival. Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, RR 2.40, (95% CI 1.98 to 2.91), right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, RR 1.83 (95% CI 1.29 to 2.60) and severe pulmonary hypertension (PH), RR 1.69, (95% CI 1.53 to 1.86) were associated with mortality. Left and RV dysfunctions, RR 3.30 (95% CI 2.19 to 4.98) and RR 2.16 (95% CI 1.85 to 2.52), respectively, significantly predicted decision to offer ECMO treatment. Limitations are lack of consensus on what parameter is optimal and standardisation of echo assessments. CONCLUSIONS: LV and RV dysfunctions, PH and pulmonary artery diameter are useful prognostic factors among patients with CDH

Domestic and International College Students: Health Insurance Information Seeking and Use

This article explores perceived barriers to using health insurance and identifies discriminant factors between health insurance information seekers and non-seekers

Nivolumab in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Safety Profile and Select Treatment-Related Adverse Events From the CheckMate 040 Study.

BACKGROUND: CheckMate 040 assessed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Understanding the safety profile of nivolumab is needed to support the management of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). This analysis assessed the safety of nivolumab monotherapy in the phase I/II, open-label CheckMate 040 study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Select TRAEs (sTRAEs; TRAEs with potential immunologic etiology requiring more frequent monitoring) occurring between first dose and 30 days after last dose were analyzed in patients in the dose-escalation and -expansion phases. Time to onset (TTO), time to resolution (TTR), and recurrence of sTRAEs were assessed, and the outcome of treatment with immune-modulating medication (IMM) was evaluated. RESULTS: The analysis included 262 patients. The most common sTRAE was skin (35.5%), followed by gastrointestinal (14.5%) and hepatic (14.1%) events; the majority were grade 1/2, with 10.7% of patients experiencing grade 3/4 events. One patient had grade 5 pneumonitis. Median (range) TTO ranged from 3.6 (0.1-59.9) weeks for skin sTRAEs to 47.6 (47.1-48.0) weeks for renal sTRAEs. Overall, 68% of sTRAEs resolved, with median (range) TTR ranging from 3.7 (0.1-123.3+) weeks for gastrointestinal sTRAEs to 28.4 (0.1-79.1) weeks for endocrine sTRAEs. Most gastrointestinal and all hepatic events resolved with treatment in accordance with established toxicity management algorithms. In 57 patients (40%), sTRAEs were managed with IMM. Reoccurrence of sTRAEs was uncommon following rechallenge with nivolumab. CONCLUSION: Nivolumab demonstrated a manageable safety profile in this analysis of patients with advanced HCC. A majority of sTRAEs resolved with treatment. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nivolumab is a viable treatment option for patients with previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma as it has demonstrated durable tumor responses and promising survival. Nivolumab has a manageable safety profile. The most common select treatment-related adverse events (sTRAEs) in this analysis were skin related (35%). Gastrointestinal and hepatic sTRAEs were observed in approximately 14% of patients. The majority of sTRAEs resolved (68%). Safety events are easier to manage if addressed early. Patient education on signs and symptoms to watch out for and the importance of early reporting and consultation should be emphasized

Clinical Relevance of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria, Oman

Little is known about the clinical relevance of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in the Arabian Peninsula. We assessed the prevalence and studied a random sample of isolates at a reference laboratory in Muscat, Oman. NTM cause disease in this region, and their prevalence has increased

Nivolumab in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Safety Profile and Select Treatment-Related Adverse Events From the CheckMate 040 Study

Background. CheckMate 040 assessed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Understanding the safety profile of nivolumab is needed to support the management of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). This analysis assessed the safety of nivolumab monotherapy in the phase I/II, open-label CheckMate 040 study. Materials and Methods. Select TRAEs (sTRAEs; TRAEs with potential immunologic etiology requiring more frequent monitoring) occurring between first dose and 30 days after last dose were analyzed in patients in the dose-escalation and -expansion phases. Time to onset (TTO), time to resolution (TTR), and recurrence of sTRAEs were assessed, and the outcome of treatment with immune-modulating medication (IMM) was evaluated. Results. The analysis included 262 patients. The most common sTRAE was skin (35.5%), followed by gastrointestinal (14.5%) and hepatic (14.1%) events; the majority were grade 1/2, with 10.7% of patients experiencing grade 3/4 events. One patient had grade 5 pneumonitis. Median (range) TTO ranged from 3.6 (0.1–59.9) weeks for skin sTRAEs to 47.6 (47.1–48.0) weeks for renal sTRAEs. Overall, 68% of sTRAEs resolved, with median (range) TTR ranging from 3.7 (0.1–123.3+) weeks for gastrointestinal sTRAEs to 28.4 (0.1–79.1) weeks for endocrine sTRAEs. Most gastrointestinal and all hepatic events resolved with treatment in accordance with established toxicity management algorithms. In 57 patients (40%), sTRAEs were managed with IMM. Reoccurrence of sTRAEs was uncommon following rechallenge with nivolumab. Conclusion. Nivolumab demonstrated a manageable safety profile in this analysis of patients with advanced HCC. A majority of sTRAEs resolved with treatment