Table of Contents
From the Editor
- Hiding in clear sight: Complications of immunosuppressive therapies
Immunosuppressive drugs can mask the signs of deep infection and thus delay its diagnosis.
The Clinical Picture
- Phlegmasia cerulea dolens from radiation-induced venous stenosis
The patient had received pelvic radiation 10 years earlier for prostate cancer.
- Abdominal pain under immunosuppressive conditions
A cancer patient receiving corticosteroids for a brain metastasis developed emphysematous cystitis and psoas muscle abscess.
- Minocycline-induced hyperpigmentation
The patient presented with extensive bluish skin discoloration that had started 1 year earlier as a small area and then spread.
Smart Testing
- What stool testing is appropriate when diarrhea develops in a hospitalized patient?
Most cases are not due to infection, but Clostridium difficile is the most common infectious cause.
1-Minute Consult
- When should an indwelling pleural catheter be considered for malignant pleural effusion?
Consider catheter placement if symptoms and effusions recur or if pleurodesis fails.
Review
- Taurine, energy drinks, and neuroendocrine effects
Taurine is a major ingredient in popular energy drinks, but little is known about its neuroendocrine effects.
- Women’s health 2016: An update for internists
Important studies of urinary tract infections, bisphosphonates, ovarian cancer screening, and contraception.
- Radiation-induced heart disease: A practical guide to diagnosis and management
Unfortunately, radiotherapy for breast cancer or lymphoma can damage the heart.
Do patients with submassive pulmonary embolism benefit from thrombolytic therapy?The risk of hemorrhage is signifi cant, and the benefi t is unclear. A one-treatment-for-all approach cannot be applied.
Editorial
- Thrombolysis in submassive pulmonary embolism: Finding the balance
In massive pulmonary embolism, thrombolytic therapy is usually indicated; in submassive cases the decision is not so clear.
