Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 24. Epub 2018 Dec 24.

Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address:

Francisco Goya produced over 1,800 works during his long career, which earned him a reputation as one of the greatest artists of modern times. When he was 47, he developed a mysterious illness that destroyed his hearing, and for the next 35 years left him "deaf as a stump." Of the diagnoses proposed to date, Susac syndrome is the one most consistent with what little we do know of the character of that illness. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Orthopedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. Electronic address:

In this review, we discuss the pathologic mechanism of the angiogenesis process in osteosarcoma (OS) and the therapeutic use of angiogenesis inhibitors in OS treatment. The activation of endothelial cells by angiogenic factors leads to the production of proteolytic enzymes, which degrade the extracellular matrix. The degradation of the underlying basement membrane enables endothelial cells to proliferate and migrate to the surrounding tissue to form new vessels. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 11. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 18. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 22;357(2):93-102. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas.

Sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of uncertain etiology characterized by the formation of noncaseating granulomas. The thorax is involved in 95% of cases, but any organ can be involved. Sinonasal or laryngeal involvement is uncommon and can be difficult to diagnose. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb;357(2):176

Emeritus Professor of Medicine University Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, Tennessee.

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 24;357(2):151-159. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address:

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a major pathophysiologic substrate of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Vasopressin is an important therapeutic target in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction since it can modulate fluid balance, and based on a few studies, myocardial matrix deposition. Hence we examined the role of vasopressin antagonism in modulating myocardial matrix metabolism in vivo and in vitro. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 29;357(2):143-150. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Division of Cardiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. Electronic address:

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) monitor for and terminate malignant arrhythmias. Given their potential as a life-saving therapy, an increasing number of people receive an ICD every year, and a growing number are currently living with ICDs. However, cardiopulmonary arrest serves as the final common pathway of natural death, and the appropriate management of an ICD near the end-of-life is crucial to ensure that a patient's death is not marked by further suffering due to ICD shocks. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 22;357(2):134-142. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of TCM, Zhejiang International Exchange Center of Clinical TCM, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address:

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of intestinal mucosa long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) expression with disease risk, activity and inflammatory cytokines levels of Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: Forty-two patients with active CD (A-CD), 59 patients with CD in remission (R-CD) and 67 controls were consecutively recruited. Intestinal mucosa samples were collected from all participants at baseline and from A-CD patients at 3-months after infliximab treatment. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 22;357(2):124-133. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Aging and Health Research Center, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Geriatric Medicine, National Yang Ming University, School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Sarcopenia is a well-recognized geriatric syndrome. We sought to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia and factors associated with it among community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 22;357(2):116-123. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Cardiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address:

Background: Body adiposity index (BAI) and body roundness index (BRI), initially developed to assess obesity, were evaluated here to detect insulin resistance in comparison with traditional anthropometric indices of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), weight-to-height ratio (WHtR), visceral adiposity index (VAI) and abdominal volume index (AVI).

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 570 Chinese individuals without diabetes were evaluated.

Results: The Spearman rank test showed that insulin resistance correlated most strongly with WC and AVI in men and BMI in women, and most weakly with BAI in men and VAI in women. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 20;357(2):111-115. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Hematology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1-associated death domain protein (TRADD) mediates programmed cell death signaling as well as the Fas-induced cell death pathway. The downregulation of TRADD is found to be associated with the occurrence of many cancers. The present study was designed to investigate the association between TRADD and clinicopathologic features as well as its clinical significance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 22;357(2):103-110. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, New York.

Background: To examine the clinical and economic burdens associated with delayed receipt of appropriate therapy among patients with Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) infections, stratified by antibiotic resistance status.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective analysis using the Premier Hospital Database. Adult admissions (July 2011-September 2014) with evidence of complicated urinary tract infection, complicated intra-abdominal infection, hospital-associated pneumonia, or bloodstream infection, length of stay (LOS) ≥1 days and a positive GNB culture from a site consistent with infection type (culture draw date = index date) were identified and stratified by antibiotic susceptibility to index pathogens. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Medicine, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

We present the first reported case showing metastatic giant bone cell tumor being treated successfully with pembrolizumab after failing prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Of note, the patient developed multiple systemic effects associated with checkpoint inhibitor use. One year after starting the checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), the patient also developed hepatitis that was confirmed by liver biopsy and pathology to be, in part, due to drug-mediated toxicity similar to prior ICI toxicity cases that have been reported. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Geroscience and Chronic Disease Department, The 8th Municipal People's Hospital, Chengdu, China. Electronic address:

The mortality rate of cupric sulfate is relatively high in contrast to that of other heavy metals. Cases of orally ingested cupric sulfate poisoning are very rare, with a reported half lethal dose of 10 g. Cupric sulfate poisoning leads to gastrointestinal corrosion, intravascular hemolysis, hemolytic anemia, methemoglobinemia and acute renal and hepatic impairment. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 7. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Department of Cardiology and; Department of Cardiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Key Laboratory For Organ Failure Research, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Electronic address:

Background: Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) plays key roles in controlling cardiac metabolism and function. Myocardial energy expenditure (MEE) can reflect myocardial energy metabolism and cardiac function. Whether the variation of PGC-1α can influence MEE levels in chronic heart failure (CHF) is unclear. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.

Background: Severe pneumonia is responsible for great mortality and morbidity worldwide, and early-applied effective anti-infective therapy can improve the prognosis of patients. However, identification of infectious agents in severe pneumonia remains a major challenge so far. In this study, the potential utility of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in detecting nonbacterial pathogens in patients with severe pneumonia was retrospectively evaluated. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Critical Care Medicine, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York.

Allopurinol is a first line agent in treating gout, but it also carries the risk of severe side effects. Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is one of the life threatening severe cutaneous adverse reactions caused by allopurinol. The severity of the severe cutaneous adverse reactions can be categorized based upon the area of skin involvement: (1) erythema multiforme major limited to 1-2 % of the body surface area (BSA); (2) SJS involving <10% of the BSA, (3) SJS and toxic epidermal necrolysis overlap involving 10-30% of the BSA and (4) toxic epidermal necrolysis syndrome involving >30% of the BSA. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Gastroenterology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang Liaoning Province, China. Electronic address:

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between intestinal mucosal healing and tight junction (TJ) protein expression in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Materials And Methods: A total of 40 patients with UC were included as an experimental group and UC disease activity was evaluated using the Mayo clinic score (MCS) and 8 patients with normal distal colon served as the control group. The expression of TJ proteins including occludin, ZO-1 and claudin-2 were determined by immunohistochemistry and their correlation with clinical characteristics were also analyzed. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 10. Epub 2018 Nov 10.

Division of Medical Oncology, Markey Cancer Center, Lexington, Kentucky.

We present a rare high-grade, functional, neuroendocrine carcinoma of the pancreas secreting vasoactive intestinal peptide. This case is unique, given the tumor's aggressive features and high Ki-67 index while also secreting functional hormones, which is unusual in high-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Our patient initially presented with diarrhea and was found to have a 4. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 13;357(1):e1. Epub 2018 Sep 13.

General Surgery Department, Habib Bourguiba Hospital, Sfax, Tunisia.

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 2;357(1):49-56. Epub 2018 Nov 2.

Department of Infection Prevention and Control, No.958 Hospital of PLA, Chongqing, China.

Background: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are special types of stem cells and are a potential novel therapeutic approach in acute lung injury (ALI). Transplantation of EPCs can ameliorate the inflammatory state by reducing adhesion and exudation of inflammatory cells. However, the mechanism underlying the effect of EPCs on inflammatory response modulation remains unclear. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 25;357(1):43-48. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

University of Louisville, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology/Hematology, Louisville, Kentucky; James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Louisville, Kentucky. Electronic address:

Background: In the precheckpoint inhibitor era, high-dose interferon was the only approved adjuvant therapy for high-risk melanoma. In this manuscript, we analyze the recurrence-free survival, overall survival and toxicity profile of adjuvant treatment with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and 5-(3,3-dimethyle-1-triazeno) imidazole-4-carboxamide (DTIC) for resected high-risk melanoma patients.

Methods: All patients with stage IIB, IIC or stage III melanoma who were treated with DTIC/IL-2 combination therapy at a single institution from 2000 to 2010 were identified from the University of Louisville Hospital medical record. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 30;357(1):37-42. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address:

Background: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a very common postoperative complication occurring mainly after high-risk surgery, especially in the elderly individuals. This study aimed to investigate potential risk factors for POCD in elderly patients after total joint arthroplasty (TJA).

Materials And Methods: A total of 257 eligible elderly patients (≥65 years) who were scheduled for elective TJA for osteoarthritis with general anesthesia were enrolled. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 23;357(1):29-36. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Xiangyang, Hubei, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Background: Mutations in the EGFR gene are known to affect treatment efficacy. Comparison of urinary and plasma cell-free DNA allows possible noninvasive probing of disease mutations.

Materials And Methods: A total of 130 patients with known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations derived from tissue biopsies were enrolled. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 13;357(1):23-28. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Family Practice and Community Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background: Fecal calprotectin, an indicator of colonic inflammation, is associated with nonconstipated irritable bowel syndrome. Rifaximin is an antibiotic used to treat nonconstipated irritable bowel syndrome. We performed a retrospective review of patient charts to investigate the changes in fecal calprotectin levels and intestinal symptoms following treatment with rifaximin in patients with nonconstipated irritable bowel syndrome with elevated fecal calprotectin. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 10. Epub 2018 Nov 10.

Department of Internal Medicine and; Center for Neurogastroenterology and GI Motility, Texas Tech University Health Science Center - Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas. Electronic address:

Pseudocholinesterase deficiency is a rare genetic as well as an acquired disorder that affects the body's ability to metabolize choline esters such as succinylcholine and mivacurium. It can be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, occurring in approximately 1 in 3,200 to 1 in 5,000 people. In most cases of pseudocholinesterase deficiency, no signs or symptoms of the condition exist. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 14;357(2):e7. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2018 Nov 10. Epub 2018 Nov 10.

Department of Internal Medicine, Ascension Health, Saint John Hospital and Medical Center, Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan.

Coronary embolism (CE) is an uncommon and unique cause of acute myocardial infarction. In this report, we review 216 cases of CE including 2 new cases from our institution. The mean patient age was 52. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 19;357(1):3-4. Epub 2018 Sep 19.

Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland.

Am J Med Sci 2018 Sep 20. Epub 2018 Sep 20.

Manchester Medical Society, Manchester, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 1;357(2):160-163. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Department of Medicine, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina. Electronic address:

Iron deficiency anemia is often listed among potential adverse effects of gastric acid-suppressive medications, given that gastric acidity promotes intestinal absorption of nonheme iron. Additionally, the antacid calcium carbonate can inhibit iron absorption. However, there is little direct clinical evidence that proton-pump inhibitors, histamine-2 receptor antagonists, or calcium carbonate cause iron deficiency anemia. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Oct 30. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Department of Electrophysiology, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, Albany, Georgia.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the world. Over the last decade, the potency of marijuana has increased tremendously. Its use is associated with harmful health consequences including adverse cardiovascular effects, such as arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy and stroke. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 23;357(2):168-173. Epub 2018 Oct 23.

Department of Family Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. Electronic address:

Slipping rib syndrome is an often unrecognized and underdiagnosed condition caused by the increased mobility of the anterior ends of the costal cartilages of the false ribs. Patients usually present with severe intermittent abdominal pain that is exacerbated by various physical movements. Diagnosis of slipping rib syndrome is mainly clinical and can be confirmed by a physical examination technique termed the "Hooking Maneuver. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 16;357(1):5-6. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, The University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 16;357(1):e3. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Armed Forces General Hospital, No.2, Zhongzheng 1st Road, Lingya District, Kaohsiung city 80284, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 24;357(1):57-66. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Department of Physiology and Hypertension and Renal Center of Excellence, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana. Electronic address:

Background: Elevated advanced glycation end products (AGE) in diabetes mellitus (DM) are implicated in the progression of DM-associated tissue injury, including diabetic nephropathy. The intrarenal renin-angiotensin system, in particular augmentation of angiotensinogen (AGT) in proximal tubular cells (PTC), plays a crucial role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. This study investigated hypothesis that AGE stimulates AGT production in PTC. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 9;357(1):16-22. Epub 2018 Oct 9.

Department of Oncological Surgery, Tianjin Hospital of ITCWM Nankai Hospital, Tianjin, China. Electronic address:

Background: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between pancreatic stellate cell activation, matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2) expression and lymph node metastasis in pancreatic carcinoma.

Methods: Alpha-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2), Desmin (DES) and MMP2 were detected in 40 pancreatic carcinoma patients and 10 cases of normal pancreas tissues using immunohistochemistry. Then MMP2 and ACTA2 expression profiles in pancreatic cancer were obtained from UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) and SurvExpress. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 4;357(2):164-167. Epub 2018 Oct 4.

Department of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The presenting symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) include abdominal pain, polyuria and nausea. Diabetes has well known chronic ocular complications like glaucoma, cataracts and retinopathy. We report a case of reversible blindness as a presenting manifestation of DKA that has been reported in literature only 3 times previously. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 27;357(2):174-175. Epub 2018 Aug 27.

Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Electronic address:

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 18;357(2):e5-e6. Epub 2018 Oct 18.

Department of Medicine, Dammam Medical Complex, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 2;356(6):561-566. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Hematology and Oncology.

Primary bone marrow diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (BM-DLBCL) is uncommon, with prior reports largely limited to small case series. Here we report the case of a patient who presented with neurologic deficits consistent with acute transverse myelitis and was found to have DLBCL isolated to the bone marrow. We follow this case with a review of the literature summarizing 107 reported cases of BM-DLBCL. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 5;356(6):552-560. Epub 2018 Sep 5.

Department of Endocrinology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China. Electronic address:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system and is characterized by demyelination, axonal loss, gliosis and inflammation. The last plays a major role in the onset and propagation of the disease. MS presents with heterogeneous lesions containing a broad range of cells and soluble mediators of the immune system such as T cells, B cells, macrophages, microglia, cytokines, chemokines, antibodies, complement and other toxic substances. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 29;356(6):544-551. Epub 2018 Aug 29.

Department of Gynecologic Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, China. Electronic address:

Background: We investigated correlations of miR-21 gene polymorphisms including rs1292037 (A > G) and rs13137 (A > T) with the chemosensitivity to cisplatin plus paclitaxel, and prognosis before cervical cancer (CC) surgery, which may provide a novel target for prevention and treatment of CC.

Materials And Methods: A total of 165 patients with CC were divided into 2 groups, a sensitive group and resistance group. Gene polymorphisms of rs1292037 (A > G) and rs13137 (A > T) were detected respectively. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 2;356(6):518-527. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Center for Diabetes Technology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, Virginia. Electronic address:

Glycated hemoglobin A (A1C) levels have traditionally been the gold standard for assessing glycemic control and treatment efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes. However, A1C does not take into account fluctuations in blood glucose levels known as glycemic variability (GV). In recent years, GV has become increasingly clinically relevant, because of a better understanding of the need to reach target A1C while avoiding hypoglycemia. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Dec 2;356(6):503-504. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana.

Am J Med Sci 2019 Jan 11;357(1):1-2. Epub 2018 Oct 11.

Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.

Am J Med Sci 2019 Feb 27;357(2):87-92. Epub 2018 Sep 27.

Sidney Kimmel Medical College.

Medicine is facing an identity crisis, one that might find resolution by revisiting a past rich in multifaceted individuals who transcended the strict definition of 'doctor', excelled in other fields of human endeavor, and showed us different ways of being physicians. This paper reviews 12 archetypes that have been part of the profession since its inception, but that, as of late, might have been forgotten. Our goal is to elicit discussion and introspection, with the premise that being a physician ought to be something larger than being a mere technician. Read More

Am J Med Sci 2018 Oct 3. Epub 2018 Oct 3.

Infectious Disease Division, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.