Papulopustular rash following Moderna COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) vaccine: A case report

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has affected countries around the world. The introduction of COVID-19 vaccines has proved the most effective arsenal in the fight against the disease. However, with the vaccination of billions of people, data on vaccine-induced adverse reactions are also emerging. We report a 32-year-old woman who manifested papulopustular rash 7 days after receiving Moderna COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) vaccine. The patient responded to a short course of systemic steroids and antihistamines. Awareness regarding the possible adverse events that can be anticipated after the COVID-19 vaccination may help the healthcare professionals to offer prompt and effective care to the affected.

Sirolimus plus prednisolone vs sirolimus monotherapy for kaposiform hemangioendothelioma: a randomized clinical trial

The Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP) in kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is characterized by life-threatening thrombocytopenia and consumptive coagulopathy. This study compared the efficacy and safety of sirolimus plus prednisolone versus sirolimus monotherapy as treatment strategies for KHE with KMP in the largest cohort to date. Participants were randomized to receive either sirolimus in combination with a short course of prednisolone or sirolimus monotherapy for at least 12 months. The primary outcome was defined as achievement of a durable platelet response (platelet count >100×109/L) at week 4. Participants completed efficacy assessments 2 years after the initial treatment. At week 4, a durable platelet response was achieved by 35 of 37 patients given sirolimus and prednisolone compared with 24 of 36 patients given sirolimus monotherapy (difference 27.9%; 95% CI, 10.0% to 44.7%). Compared with the sirolimus monotherapy group, the combination treatment group showed improvements in terms of measures of durable platelet responses at all points during the initial 3-week treatment period, median platelet counts during weeks 1 to 4, increased numbers of patients achieving fibrinogen stabilization at week 4, and objective lesion responses at month 12. Patients receiving combination therapy had fewer blood transfusions and a lower total incidence of disease sequelae than patients receiving sirolimus alone. The frequencies of total adverse events and grade 3-4 adverse events during treatment were similar in both groups. The responses seen in patients with KHE with KMP were profound and encouraging, suggesting that sirolimus plus prednisolone should be considered a valid treatment for KHE with KMP. ClinicalTrial.gov, number NCT03188068

Implementation of Management of Pulmonary Tuberculosis with the Directly Observed Treatment Short course Strategy

The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation of pulmonary TB disease management with the DOTS strategy at the Jagong Health Center, Central Aceh Regency.The implementation of Pulmonary TB Management with the DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse) strategy in the working area of the Jagong Health Center, Central Aceh Regency has been maximized. by facilitating and providing motivation so that patients want treatment in a complete and integrated manner, case detection can be carried out by health workers or cadres who have been given training to recognize the symptoms of pulmonary TB. The distribution of drugs is distributed to each puskesmas in Central Aceh Regency, from the Puskesmas the drugs are arranged directly by P2TB officers then given directly to the PMO or the patient himself. PMO performance has never been given special training about treatment, PMO only received direction from P2TB Pulmonary officers. Recording and reporting carried out at the Jagong Health Center includes case finding, treatment, and recovery. Suspected pulmonary TB will be recorded and then monitored until the results of the examination have been obtained. Recording and reporting will be reported every month in a meeting at the Central Aceh District Health Office. For the Central Aceh Regency government to further enhance the development and improvement of infrastructure in the health sector so that health services are more easily accessible to people in remote areas.

Three Perspectives: The Approach of Neoadjuvant Treatment of Rectum Cancer According to Medical Oncologists, Radiation Oncologists, and Surgeons

Purpose Two treatment modalities are considerable for radiation therapy: short-course radiotherapy and immediate surgery or chemoradiation with 5-Fluorouracil based chemotherapy with delayed surgery. In this study, we try to evaluate the real-life treatment approaches of medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists for neoadjuvant treatment of rectal cancers. Method The online survey form was established via Google Forms. The survey was taken voluntarily by medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, and general surgeons. Results One hundred eighty-three of the participants were medical oncologists while 36 were radiotherapists and 36 were surgeons. Most of the study population preferred long-course radiation therapy and chemotherapy which was consisting eighty-five percent. Two-thirds of the participants apply chemotherapies before operation. The most frequent chemotherapy cycles for the pre-operative setting were ‘three’ or ‘four-or-more’ with the percent of 27,8 and 25,1 respectively. Medical oncologists had a significantly higher tendency of offering chemotherapy between radiation therapy and surgery compared with the other groups. The optimal time of surgery was different between groups. There was no difference among groups between surgery and the ‘watch & wait’ strategy. A significant difference was observed between groups in offered neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens. Conclusion In our study, we found the new pre-operative chemotherapy regimen with short-course radiotherapy was slowly adopted in current practice. Also, medical oncologists tend pre-operative chemotherapy compared with other groups. The optimal surgery time for patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment is still controversial.

Effects of Neoadjuvant Radiotherapy on Postoperative Complications in Rectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Objective. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy (nRT) is an important treatment approach for rectal cancer. The relationship, however, between nRT and postoperative complications is still controversial. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate such concerns. Methods. The electronic literature from 1983 to 2021 was searched in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Postoperative complications after nRT were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated by the random-effects model. Statistical analysis was conducted by Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 14. Results. A total of 23,723 patients from 49 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that nRT increased the risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) compared to upfront surgery (OR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.07–1.41; p = 0.004 ). Subgroup analysis suggested that both long-course (OR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.40; p = 0.02 ) and short-course radiotherapy (OR = 1.25, 95% CI, 1.02–1.53; p = 0.04 ) increased the incidence of AL. In addition, nRT was the main risk factor for wound infection and pelvic abscess. The pooled data in randomized controlled trials, however, indicated that nRT was not associated with AL (OR = 1.01; 95% CI 0.82–1.26; p = 0.91 ). Conclusions. nRT may increase the risk of AL, wound infection, and pelvic abscess compared to upfront surgery among patients with rectal cancer.

Autosomal Recessive Autism: Cure of the Major Autistic Features

Background: We have previously reported our extensive experiences with autism disorders and their treatments, and we showed the possibility of curing the major autistic features with a new therapeutic approach which included individualized courses of intramuscular cerebrolysin as the main therapy for the main autistic features. Our previously published experiences included observing the occurrence of atypical autism associated with evidence of mental retardation in four brothers from outside Baghdad, each two of them from two unrelated families. The four patients were treated based on our extensive published experiences with the pharmacological treatments of autism disorders; however, the follow-up and the outcome of treatments of these four children were not described in the previous publications. The aim of this paper is to report the cure of the major autistic features in 2 brothers with autosomal recessive autism. Patients and methods: It was possible to follow the first two brothers for only few weeks and to see them after the first course of treatment, however, the second brothers were followed for more than one year, and it was possible to achieve cure of the main autistic features. Results: After one short course, the first two brothers showed slight but noticeable improvement. The younger brother showed some reduction in autistic features as he developed rather an acceptable eye contact. However, the two brothers were still not responding to name and didn’t say any word. After, treatment, the second two brothers showed no autistic features, and experienced significant improvements in speech and cognitive functions. The older brother was not having autistic features after eighth months, and was obeying commands, but was still saying only few words. The younger brother joined primary school and was doing well apart from some behavioral problems especially running away from school and sometimes breaks things. Conclusion: In this paper, cure of autism has been achieved in two boys with autosomal recessive disorder. However, cure of autism in older children has never been expected to totally normalizes them, as the patients have already lost several years of learning, social adaptation, and maturation of personality and behavior.