Melioidosis is a frequently fatal infection caused by the Gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei endemic to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It is a rare imported pathogen in the United States and is a potential bioterror agent. We report the case of an 82-year-old previously healthy man who presented with 2 weeks of fever and epigastric pain after he returned from the Philippines. A diagnosis of nondissecting mycotic aneurysm in the descending thoracic aorta was made with the help of CT angiogram and positive blood cultures. The patient completely recovered with a 6-month antibiotic therapy followed by surgical repair of the aneurysm. Given the slight increase in the number of melioidosis cases reported by CDC since 2008, melioidosis might be considered an emerging infectious disease in the United States. The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of the disease among clinicians as well as travelers.

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Background: Cancer in infants younger than one year of age represents a unique problem with distinct epidemiological, clinical and genetic characteristics compared with older age groups. No report is yet available from Iran regarding epidemiological and survival rate of cancers diagnosed in this age group. Materials and Methods: The population under study comprised of patients which were diagnosed and admitted to Ali-Asghar hospital between years 1996-2005. In total, 287 infants were included in the retrospective descriptive survey. Patient files were evaluated for age of patient at the time of diagnosis, sex, geographical residence, consanguinity of parents, histological diagnosis, site of cancer involvement, type of therapy, date of last follow-up and cause of death (if applicable). Results: The average age at the time of diagnosis was 7.2 months old. The most frequent malignancy was retinoblastoma (44%), followed by leukemia (19%) and neuroblastoma (10%), with five-year overall survival rates of 77.7%, 41% and 90%, respectively Parents of 40 infants (13.9%) had consanguinity relationships. Conclusions: Although we cannot make any conclusions regarding the incidence of infant cancer subtypes based on this study, survival rates for major types were similar to the developed countries, which signifies strict adherence to standards of care in Ali-Asghar hospital, the main infant cancer care centre in Iran. A Childhood Cancer Registry with high-resolution data collection and also advanced genetic testing is advocated for in-depth analysis of variation in incidence and survival.

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Purpose To determine the experiences, information, support needs and quality of life of women in the UK living with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) to provide content for educational materials. Methods An online survey, hosted for 3 months on a UK MBC charity website, comprised sections covering issues such as communication about MBC treatment and management, helpful and less helpful things that healthcare professionals, family and friends did or said and completion of the Patient Roles and Responsibilities Scale (PRRS). Results A total of 143 patients participated; 48/143(33%) presented de novo; 54/143(38%) had been living with MBC > 2 years. PRRS analysis revealed that MBC imposed a serious impact upon most respondents’ own caring abilities and social lives. A majority 98/139 (71%) wished they had known more about MBC before their diagnosis; 63/134(47%) indicated that they still did not fully understand their illness; merely 78/139(56%) had access to a specialist nurse and only 69/135(51%) had been offered any additional support. Respondents reported little consideration given to their lifestyle/culture during consultations and inconsistent information, support services, continuity of care or access to clinical trials. They commented upon things health care professionals/friends and family did or said that were useful and cited other behaviours that were especially unhelpful. Conclusions MBC exerted a deleterious impact upon patients’ activities of daily living which were exacerbated in part by significant gaps in support, communication and information. Implications for cancer survivors LIMBER results are informing the content of educational materials currently being developed for patients’ formal and informal carers.

Tumor-like formation of thrombus in the right atrial cavity is rare. It may be mistaken for a myxoma. The exact pathophysiology of an isolated thrombus in the heart is still unclear. Management to prevent complications such as pulmonary thromboembolism depends on the clinical judgment of a cardiologist. This report describes a 76-year-old woman with right atrial thrombus causing subsequent pulmonary thromboembolism in right lung. She initially presented to us with pulmonary embolism, and later, an incidental finding of a mass in her right atrium revealed an association of thrombus in heart with thrombus in lung. The challenging management was to resect this thrombus which was fixed to atrial septum, and a trial of anticoagulation did not resolve it. Exact management of such incidental findings in right heart cavities is not well established. Some cases may benefit from resection of such formed fixed thrombus.

Thyroid hormones play an important role in regulating different metabolism functions and multiple organs' performance. Changes in the thyroid hormone axis can lead to profound effects on the stability of vital organs and systems, especially the cardiovascular system. Hypothyroidism is classified according to the clinical presentation as overt and subclinical. There is some evidence supporting the benefits of thyroxine hormone replacement for subclinical hypothyroidism on cardiovascular mortality outcomes. However, the clinical relevance of measuring and treating high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in newly diagnosed heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction requires further study. In this report, we review the current evidence regarding the prognostic significance of subclinical hypothyroidism in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction.

Primary malignancies of the heart are so rare that most of the available data come from case reports or large single-center-based studies, with the overall incidence of 0.02% in the United States. Diagnosis in case of an isolated pericardial effusion as presentation is challenging, and determining that an angiosarcoma is even more challenging. Here, we presented a rare case of pericardial angiosarcoma which presented to us with tamponade. The patient eventually was diagnosed through pericardiectomy. A multimodality approach was attempted to treat the cancer. The clinical details of such a unique disease entity inspired us to present it as a case report.