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.