Prurigo pigmentosa, also referred to as Nagashima's disease, is a rare inflammatory skin condition of unknown etiology. It typically presents as pruritic erythematous papules, papulovesicles, and vesicles appearing in a reticular pattern on the back, chest, or neck. The histological features of prurigo pigmentosa vary according to the stage of the disease. Early-stage disease is characterized by a superficial perivascular infiltrate of neutrophils; spongiosis and necrotic keratinocytes commonly appear in later stages. The etiology of prurigo pigmentosa has yet to be determined. Oral minocycline is usually the first-line therapy for prurigo pigmentosa. However, doxycycline, macrolide antibiotics, and/or dapsone (diaminodiphenyl sulfone) may be indicated for some patients. We describe the key features of prurigo pigmentosa, including the epidemiology, clinical and histologic presentation, differential diagnosis, postulated pathogenesis, and treatment options for this condition.
Background: Current evidence suggests an important role of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) pathway in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-related cytokine release storm in severely ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Inhibition of the IL-6 pathway with tocilizumab has been employed successfully in some of these patients but the data is mostly consistent of case reports and series. Methods: We performed a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Medline from 22nd April 2020 and again on 27th April 2020 using the following search terms alone or in combination: "COVID-19," "coronavirus," "SARS-CoV-2," "COVID," "antiinterleukin-6 receptor antibodies," "anti-IL-6," "tocilizumab," "sarilumab," "siltuximab." We included studies that reported individual patient data. We extracted and analyzed individual level data on baseline characteristics, laboratory findings, and clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Secondary endpoints included in-hospital complications, recovery rates, effect of patient characteristics on the primary outcome and changes in levels of inflammatory markers. Results: Three hundred fifty-two records were identified through a systematic search, of which 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. A single study currently under review was also added. Eleven observational studies encompassing 29 patients were included in the present review. There were more males (24 [82.8%]), and hypertension was the most common comorbidity (16 [48.3%]). Over an average of 5.4 hospital days, the primary endpoint occurred in 6 (20.7%) patients. Among surviving patients, about 10% had worsened disease and 17% recovered. The most common complication was acute respiratory distress syndrome (8 [27.6%]). The IL-6 level was significantly higher after the initiation of tocilizumab with median (interquartile range) of 376.6 (148-900.6) pg/mL compared to the baseline of 71.1 (31.9-122.8) pg/ mL (P = .002). Mean (standard deviation) levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly decreased following treatment 24.6 (26.9) mg/L compared to baseline 140.4 (77) mg/L (P < .0001). Baseline demographics were not significantly different among survivors and nonsurvivors by Fisher's exact test. Conclusion: In COVID-19 patients treated with tocilizumab, IL-6 levels are significantly elevated, which are supportive of cytokine storm. Following initiation of tocilizumab, there is elevation in the IL-6 levels and CRP levels dramatically
Background. Several prognostic factors have been used to guide therapy for colon cancer (CC). However, the relationship between CC laterality (sidedness) and prognosis remains under investigation. Objectives. To assess the effect of laterality on CC presentation and survival, using a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) population-based cohort. Methods. A retrospective cohort study using data from the SEER program (2007-2015). Results. Of the 163,980 patients with CC, 85,779 (52.3%) presented with right-sided CC (RCC) and 78,201 (47.7%) with left-sided CC (LCC). Stage distributions were as follows: stage I, 24.1%; stage II, 27.3%; stage III, 28.2%; and stage IV, 20.4%. In an adjusted modified Poisson regression approach for risk ratio (RR), patients with LCCs were more likely to be male (RR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.12-1.15, p<0.001). As compared to stage I, stage II cancers (RR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.87-0.90, p<0.001) were less likely to be LCC. Stage IV CC was slightly less likely to be left-sided (RR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.98, 0.96-1.00, p = 0.028). The median overall survival (OS) for RCC was 87 months. The median OS for LCC was not established, as more than half of the patients diagnosed with LCC were still living at the time of the analysis. In adjusted Cox proportional Hazard model, individuals with stage I, III, and IV LCCs had superior OS as compared to those with matched-stage RCC (adjusted HR = 0.87; 95% CI 0.85-0.88, p<0.001). However, OS was worse among those with stage II disease who presented with LCC (adjusted Hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.06; 95% CI 1.02-1.11, p = 0.004). CC-specific survival (CSS) was superior for LCC versus RCC for stages III and IV but worse for II. Conclusions. In this population-cohort study, LCC is associated with superior OS and CSS survival. The overall survival advantage was attributed to stage I, III, and IV disease. Individuals presenting with stage II disease exhibit superior survival if the CC is right-sided.
Background: Cardiovasculareventshavebeenreportedinthesettingofcoronavirus disease-19(COVID-19).Ithasbeenhypothesizedthatsystemicinflammationmayaggravate arrhythmias or trigger new-onset conduction abnormalities. However, the specifictypeanddistributionofelectrocardiographicdisturbancesinCOVID-19as wellastheirinfluenceonmortalityremaintobefullycharacterized. Methods: Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were obtained from 186 COVID-19-positive patientsatalargetertiarycarehospitalinNorthernNevada.Thefollowingarrhythmiaswereidentifiedbycardiologists:sinusbradycardia,sinustachycardia,atrialfibrillation (A-Fib), atrial flutter, multifocal atrial tachycardia (MAT), premature atrial contraction (PAC), premature ventricular contraction (PVC), atrioventricular block (AVB),andrightbundlebranchblock(RBBB).ThemeanPRinterval,QRSduration, andcorrectedQTintervalweredocumented.Fisher'sexacttestwasusedtocompare the ECG features of patients who died during the hospitalization with those who survived.TheinfluenceofECGfeaturesonmortalitywasassessedwithmultivariable logistic regression analysis.Results: A-Fib,atrialflutter,andST-segmentdepressionwerepredictiveofmortality.In addition,themeanventricularratewashigheramongpatientswhodiedascompared to those who survived. The use of therapeutic anticoagulation was associated with reducedoddsofdeath;however,thisassociationdidnotreachstatisticalsignificance. Conclusion:The underlying pathogenesis of COVID-19-associated arrhythmias remains to be established, but we postulate that systemic inflammation and/or hypoxiamayinducepotentiallylethalconductionabnormalitiesinaffectedindividuals.ThisisanopenaccessarticleunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivsLicense,whichpermitsuseanddistributionin anymedium,providedtheoriginalworkisproperlycited,theuseisnon-commercialandnomodificationsoradaptationsaremade. ©2021TheAuthors.Annals of Noninvasive ElectrocardiologypublishedbyWileyPeriodicalsLLC.
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