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Frontiers in Immunology 2023Disseminated tuberculosis is an uncommon but devastating form of tuberculosis, possibly developing with the immune response of patients. COVID-19 infection may produce... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Disseminated tuberculosis is an uncommon but devastating form of tuberculosis, possibly developing with the immune response of patients. COVID-19 infection may produce an immunosuppressive effect with possible implications for tuberculosis dissemination.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 17-year-old female patient with a history of tuberculous pleurisy presented to the hospital with a high fever and life-threatening dyspnea after contracting a COVID-19 infection. Her condition deteriorated rapidly with grand mal epilepsy and acute gastrointestinal bleeding with a grossly depressed CD4 T-cell count, which was indicative of her profoundly immunosuppressed state. After identifying in her cerebrospinal fluid and a subcutaneous abscess in her left lower back, she was diagnosed with disseminated tuberculosis involving both lungs, the central nervous system, the terminal ileum, the liver, bilateral adnexal tissue, and subcutaneous soft tissue in accordance with the chest and abdominal CT. Empirical treatment was initiated with dexamethasone (5 mg/day) and an anti-tuberculosis regimen of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, amikacin, and meropenem, which was replaced with faropenem after she left the hospital. The therapeutic effect was considered satisfied in the second month of follow-up.
CONCLUSION
To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case report of disseminated tuberculosis after COVID-19 infection. Tuberculosis may disseminate and progress during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring more significant studies to provide better diagnosis and treatment options for the co-infection.
Topics: Humans; Child; Female; Adolescent; COVID-19; Pandemics; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Isoniazid; Tuberculosis, Pleural
PubMed: 37781385
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1249878 -
Cureus Oct 2022Blastomycosis is caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, which is endemic in certain areas in North America. It usually causes lung infection, and it can disseminate to...
Blastomycosis is caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, which is endemic in certain areas in North America. It usually causes lung infection, and it can disseminate to other organs in immunocompromised individuals. Common sites for dissemination include skin, central nervous system (CNS), and bone. Dermatological spread is the commonest site for extrapulmonary spread. The diagnosis can be easily missed due to nonspecific presentation and variable dermatological presentations. Treatment is necessary even if the patient has improvement in symptoms without previous treatment. We present a case of disseminated blastomycosis in a 40-year-old male without known risk factors that went undiagnosed for over a year.
PubMed: 36407244
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.30391 -
Journal of Evidence-based Medicine Dec 2017Systematic reviews aid the analysis and dissemination of evidence, using rigorous and transparent methods to generate empirically attained answers to focused research...
Systematic reviews aid the analysis and dissemination of evidence, using rigorous and transparent methods to generate empirically attained answers to focused research questions. Identifying all evidence relevant to the research questions is an essential component, and challenge, of systematic reviews. Grey literature, or evidence not published in commercial publications, can make important contributions to a systematic review. Grey literature can include academic papers, including theses and dissertations, research and committee reports, government reports, conference papers, and ongoing research, among others. It may provide data not found within commercially published literature, providing an important forum for disseminating studies with null or negative results that might not otherwise be disseminated. Grey literature may thusly reduce publication bias, increase reviews' comprehensiveness and timeliness and foster a balanced picture of available evidence. Grey literature's diverse formats and audiences can present a significant challenge in a systematic search for evidence. However, the benefits of including grey literature may far outweigh the cost in time and resource needed to search for it, and it is important for it to be included in a systematic review or review of evidence. A carefully thought out grey literature search strategy may be an invaluable component of a systematic review. This narrative review provides guidance about the benefits of including grey literature in a systematic review, and sources for searching through grey literature. An illustrative example of a search for evidence within grey literature sources is presented to highlight the potential contributions of such a search to a systematic review. Benefits and challenges of grey literature search methods are discussed, and recommendations made.
PubMed: 29266844
DOI: 10.1111/jebm.12265 -
Journal of Investigative Medicine High... 2022Coccidioidomycosis is a disease found in the southwestern United States and caused by inhalation of arthroconidia of and . Although the disease is most commonly...
Coccidioidomycosis is a disease found in the southwestern United States and caused by inhalation of arthroconidia of and . Although the disease is most commonly asymptomatic or respiratory, it has a propensity to disseminate to any tissue in the body with the most common being skin, bone, joints, and central nervous system. This case demonstrates the dissemination of coccidioidomycosis to several foci along with a rare form of parenchymal dissemination with an unusual neuroradiological finding.
Topics: Brain Diseases; Coccidioides; Coccidioidomycosis; Humans; Skin; Spores, Fungal
PubMed: 35199591
DOI: 10.1177/23247096221075906 -
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Nov 2022Infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global health concern. Occasionally, gonococcal infections may disseminate and cause clinical syndromes, such as...
Infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is a global health concern. Occasionally, gonococcal infections may disseminate and cause clinical syndromes, such as arthritis, tenosynovitis, and skin lesions. Here, we report a very rare presentation of a liver abscess due to N. gonorrhoeae in a 29-year-old woman with sickle cell disease without prior genitourinary complaints. The patient was successfully treated using drainage and antimicrobial therapy. Evaluation did not reveal any inherited defects in complement deficiency. It is possible that the underlying immune defects from sickle cell disease and unknown bacterial virulence factors could have contributed to this dissemination. Further research is needed to understand the immunopathogenesis of disseminated gonococcal infections, and efforts to screen and prevent primary infections are ongoing.
Topics: Adult; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Female; Gonorrhea; Humans; Liver Abscess; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 35312651
DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001624 -
The Journal of Infection Feb 2007We describe a 53-year-old man without discernable immunocompromise who presented with cerebral and cutaneous dissemination of primary pulmonary Nocardia paucivorans... (Review)
Review
We describe a 53-year-old man without discernable immunocompromise who presented with cerebral and cutaneous dissemination of primary pulmonary Nocardia paucivorans infection. This report also identifies 32 other patients in our health area with clinical isolates of N. paucivorans over the last 20 years, extending the reported spectrum of disease caused by this organism. At least 30% (10/33) of these patients had disseminated disease indicating a propensity of this species to disseminate.
Topics: Brain Diseases; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nocardia; Nocardia Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Skin Diseases, Bacterial
PubMed: 16808975
DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2006.05.005 -
JPMA. the Journal of the Pakistan... May 2019Strongyloidiasis is a human parasitic disease caused by infection of Strongyloidesstercoralis. It can manifest from asymptomatic eosinophilia in an immunocompetent host...
Strongyloidiasis is a human parasitic disease caused by infection of Strongyloidesstercoralis. It can manifest from asymptomatic eosinophilia in an immunocompetent host and disseminate the disease in the immunocompromised ones. The inconsistency of eosinophilia and low sensitivity of a standard microscopic stool examination makes it difficult to diagnose the disease. We report a case of chronic strongyloidiasis who, despite being immunocompetent, developed dissemination. The patient was a 30-years-old male who presented with diarrhoea, vomiting, high-grade fever and dyspnoea. On examination, he was pale, oedematous and had ascites with systolic murmurs in tricuspid area. After a fullworkup for differentials, biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of strongyloidiasis. Echocardiogram revealed vegetations on mitral and tricuspid valves and regurgitation through the valves, which confirmed dissemination to endocardium. A course of Ivermectin 9 mg daily for two weeks eradicated the infection in time. In conclusion, awareness for physicians and the use of various diagnostic methods like serology, endoscopy and biopsy should be considered for high risk patients.
Topics: Adult; Anemia; Antiparasitic Agents; Ascites; Blood Transfusion; Diet, High-Protein; Duodenum; Endocarditis; Fluid Therapy; Hematinics; Humans; Hypoalbuminemia; Immunocompetence; Immunoglobulin E; Ivermectin; Male; Mitral Valve Insufficiency; Pleural Effusion; Strongyloidiasis; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency; Ultrasonography
PubMed: 31105313
DOI: No ID Found -
Pediatric Neurology Nov 2018Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, while chemotherapy and radiation therapy are typically used in patients with anaplasia,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma, while chemotherapy and radiation therapy are typically used in patients with anaplasia, metastasis, or sometimes in subtotally resected cases, especially upon recurrence. Extracranial dissemination has been only rarely reported. We describe a five year old boy with the rare occurrence multiply recurrent and extracranially disseminated anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma. A complete resolution of his tumor was achieved for greater than two years thus far after administering everolimus.
METHODS
We performed a comprehensive literature review of all pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma cases; 359 cases were described, and 132 of these individuals were less than 18 years of age.
RESULTS
Gross total resection was achieved in only 132 (36.7%) cases, while additional therapy was administered in 186 patients. Only four patients in additon to our own have been documented with extracranial dissemination (four of five in the pediatric population); two patients who succumbed to their disease underwent subtotal resection of the primary tumor.
CONCLUSIONS
We report the first patient with extracranially disseminated anaplastic pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma to be successfully maintained on everolimus as a single oral chemotherapy agent with complete resolution of the tumor. Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma can rarely disseminate extracranially in the pediatric population, hence pathologists and neuro-oncologists should be aware of this possibility.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Astrocytoma; Brain Neoplasms; Child, Preschool; Everolimus; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Positron-Emission Tomography; Tomography
PubMed: 30322731
DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2018.09.004 -
Journal of Evidence-based Medicine Aug 2017Systematic reviews aide the analysis and dissemination of evidence, using rigorous and transparent methods to generate empirically attained answers to focused research...
Systematic reviews aide the analysis and dissemination of evidence, using rigorous and transparent methods to generate empirically attained answers to focused research questions. Identifying all evidence relevant to the research questions is an essential component, and challenge, of systematic reviews. Gray literature, or evidence not published in commercial publications, can make important contributions to a systematic review. Gray literature can include academic papers, including theses and dissertations, research and committee reports, government reports, conference papers, and ongoing research, among others. It may provide data not found within commercially published literature, providing an important forum for disseminating studies with null or negative results that might not otherwise be disseminated. Gray literature may thusly reduce publication bias, increase reviews' comprehensiveness and timeliness, and foster a balanced picture of available evidence. Gray literature's diverse formats and audiences can present a significant challenge in a systematic search for evidence. However, the benefits of including gray literature may far outweigh the cost in time and resource needed to search for it, and it is important for it to be included in a systematic review or review of evidence. A carefully thought out gray literature search strategy may be an invaluable component of a systematic review. This narrative review provides guidance about the benefits of including gray literature in a systematic review, and sources for searching through gray literature. An illustrative example of a search for evidence within gray literature sources is presented to highlight the potential contributions of such a search to a systematic review. Benefits and challenges of gray literature search methods are discussed, and recommendations made.
Topics: Humans; Publication Bias; Publishing; Research Report; Review Literature as Topic
PubMed: 28857505
DOI: 10.1111/jebm.12266 -
Birth Defects Research. Part A,... Nov 2011Well-executed knowledge transfer and translation (KT) has become a vital part of effective health management. Following the thalidomide disaster, women and their health... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Well-executed knowledge transfer and translation (KT) has become a vital part of effective health management. Following the thalidomide disaster, women and their health care providers became fearful of medications and environmental exposures that could affect the health of the unborn child. Therefore, it is important to disseminate evidenced-based information to pregnant women and their health care providers, enabling them to make empowered decisions regarding exposures during pregnancy.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives were twofold: (1) to explore the knowledge transfer process of teratology information from the research community to health care providers, pregnant women, and the general public; and (2) to examine how this impacts pregnant women and their health care providers who require this information.
METHODS
We searched the peer reviewed literature (PUBMED, MEDLINE, and EMBASE), retrieved and examined original studies and review articles, and identified relevant data to evaluate how KT is conducted in this field.
RESULTS
We found that KT and teratology information is very complex, with confusing information, over-estimated fears of teratogenicity, as well as unhelpful, often negatively biased information from the media. Of all the methods we identified, Teratogen Information Services (TIS) appears to conduct the most effective KT approaches in this field.
CONCLUSION
It is evident that KT in this area needs improvement. Women and their health care providers are highly impacted by the type of teratology information they receive, affecting for example, deciding to terminate a wanted pregnancy or discontinue a needed pharmacotherapy. When disseminating information in this very sensitive and complex field, it is imperative that good KT strategies are used, encompassing the availability and appropriate interpretation of information. It is most important that an evidence-based decision is made to ensure the optimal outcome for both the mother and her unborn child.
Topics: Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; Databases, Factual; Drug Information Services; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel; Humans; Infant; Information Dissemination; Internet; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Risk Factors; Teratogens; Teratology; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration
PubMed: 21948595
DOI: 10.1002/bdra.22851