Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread to more than 70 countries around the world since its discovery in 2019. More than 2.5 million cases and more than 130,000 deaths have been reported in the United States alone. The common radiological presentation in this disease is noted to be the presence of ground glass opacities and/or consolidations. We report a case of 40-year-old male admitted for COVID-19 and rapidly deteriorated into severe acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation with no prior history of smoking or lung disease. The patient had normal imaging 3 days prior to admission to the hospital and rapidly developed a large pneumatocele with pneumothorax requiring chest tube placement that later on resolved. This is a unique radiologic finding in COVID-19 and likely related to severe inflammation secondary to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Background and Aim Steroids have long been used in inducing remission of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Chronic use, defined as therapy greater than 3 months, has been implicated in complications including increased hospital length of stay (LOS), infections, and even death. In our retrospective study, we aim to identify the complications of chronic steroid use in patients with IBD. Methods The fourth quarter of 2015–2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used in this study. International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐10) codes were used to identify patients with a diagnosis of IBD and chronic steroid use. Adverse outcomes of chronic steroid use in IBD patients were analyzed, such as osteoporosis, opportunistic infections, mortality rate, and LOS. Cohorts were weighted using an algorithm provided by the NIS allowing for accurate national estimates. Results A total of 283 970 patients had a diagnosis of IBD. Of those, 18 030 patients had concurrent chronic steroid use. Racial disparities existed, with 77.4% White, 12.7% Black, and 6.0% Hispanic. Patients with a history of IBD and chronic steroid use were found to have higher odds of developing osteoporosis, opportunistic infections, and acute thromboembolic events but did not have higher odds of mortality. Conclusion There is much controversy about whether IBD patients should be on chronic steroids for maintenance therapy and this study highlights the importance of this decision as patients on chronic steroid use had higher odds of developing adverse effects. These results stress the importance of monitoring patients on steroids and avoiding chronic use.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), which are a rare type of tumor, are defined as epithelial cells with predominantly neuroendocrine differentiation and consist of a spectrum of tumors emerging from stem cells throughout the body and can occur anywhere in the body. While they are rare, the incidence over the past few decades has increased. Here we present a case of a 64-year-old female who was incidentally found to have a duodenal neuroendocrine tumor. The patient initially presented to the emergency department secondary to syncope and collapse. During her trauma evaluation, an incidental lobulated soft tissue mass inferior to the distal stomach was seen on complete computed tomography (CT) scans. The surgery team was consulted for resection of the mass and an octreotide scan was performed prior to resection to further evaluate the mass and to check for any signs of metastatic disease. The octreotide scan demonstrated intense radiotracer accumulation within the duodenal mass consistent with a neuroendocrine tumor and no areas of abnormal radiotracer accumulation suspicious for metastatic disease. Pathology of the resected mass was positive for a well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor with an organoid pattern and homogenous oval-round neoplastic cells with a salt-pepper nuclear and pseudo glandular arrangement that was wellcircumscribed and partially encapsulated with negative margins. Immunohistochemistry was positive for AE ⅓, CD56, Synaptophysin, and chromogranin and negative for CD117, DOG-1, CD34, and CD45. The prevalence of NETs has increased over the years due to the improvement in diagnostic tools, such as upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. In addition to the fact that the duodenum is a rare location for such tumors, neuroendocrine tumors are also typically found in those under 50 years old. However, our patient was found to have both a duodenal mass and was over the age of 50 at the time of presentation and diagnosis. To date, a consensus on a conclusive treatment of duodenal NETs (D-NETs) has not been reached. This case brings to light the importance of further research in diagnosing and treating neuroendocrine tumors and also raises awareness for clinicians to have this in their differential.

The United States has become the new epicenter for COVID-19 infection. The role of obesity in COVID-19 infection and ARDS is unclear. Previous studies indicate obese hospitalized patients may have better outcomes including mortality, a phenomenon referred to as "obesity paradox." This study aims to evaluate the effect of obesity on patients admitted with COVID-19 infection in a suburban safety-net hospital in New York.