43-year-old female with history of continued cigarette smoking and complaints of palpitations. A sinus tachycardia of 160 is documented with little physical activity. Pulmonary function studies revealed obstructive ventilatory defects, consistent with the smoking or beta blockers. She has been documented to have moderate mitral regurgitation, consistent with prior rheumatic disease. At the present time, she is on Inderal.
40 years old patient with clinical history that is consistent with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. After an attempt to replace thyroid function with thyroid hormone in pills (Eutirox), the patient had reported multiple symptoms which might be suggestive for adverse side effects of Eutirox (double vision, tachycardia, disturbance of sleep, outbursts of anger). The patient consulted her family doctor and decided to reduce the dose of Eutirox.
7-year-old boy with prodrome of right-sided and right face weakness, gait ataxia, and intermittent headaches. Head computed tomography demonstrated a tumor at the brainstem/posterior fossa, and then MRI confirmed a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (a typical brainstem glioma). Following initiation of dexamethasone (Decadron, steroid for vasogenic edema), the child has started experimental treatment with the medicine nimotuzumab to be followed with conventional radiotherapy.
7-year-old boy presented with general asthenia, hand tremors, anxiety and episodes of diffuse headache. Exam noted facial asymmetry and symptoms progressed to vomiting. The patient had ataxia, dyarthria and facial weakness. CT and MRI revealed a expansile lesion of the brainstem and signs of obstructive hydrocephalus and possible leptomeningeal dissemination. Steriods improved clinical symptoms. The patient started an experimental treatment with Nimotuzumab, and Radiation therapy is planned to continue with Nimotuzumab.
15 years old patient presented with clinical syndrome of fever, fatigue, and diarrhea. Laboratory findings showed severe anemia with findings of microangiopathic hemolysis (schistocytes, hyperbilirubinemia, elevated LDH) and severe thrombocytopenia. He was later documented to have fluctuating ADAMTS13 activity that appeared to correlate with the hematologic abnormalities. He also had urinary findings of hematuria, moderate proteinuria, and creatinine as high as 1.4 mg/dL.
48-year-old male underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis. During post-surgery he developed intense abdominal colics and a situation of hepatitis, probably from medicines as the tests carried out. Performed tests revealed changes of haematic values related to the hepato-renal function. MR-cholangiography showed cystic formation in the right lobe of the liver, and tumor markers that gave evidence of an increase of alpha-fetoprotein which should be monitored.
66-year-old female underwent a left suboccipital craniotomy for resection of a tentorial meningioma. The postoperative course has been difficult, marked by deterioration associated with posterior temporal and cerebellar edema and hemorrhage. First she seems to be in good general conditions showing only a slight strength deficiency in the left upper limb, but about a month after the surgery she started showing asthenia and melena, and esophageal gastroduodenoscopy revealed a sclerosis of active arterial bleeding from duodenal ulcer.
27-year-old female with a diagnosis of suspected fibromyalgia. Her history includes long standing widespread musculo – skeletal pain connected to a feeling of general slight illness, as well as a series of accompanying symptoms: frequent migraines, cervicalgia, stomach disorders, chest pain and tachycardia . Therefore, she has carried out various follow-ups that each time detected a different problem for which the relevant therapy was set out.
45-year-old male who presented with acute onset of flaccid paraparesis more pronounced on the left, sensation of current shocks in both legs and sensory level from the umbilicus downwards. The symptoms have reached their pick within less than a day. On examination the left lower limb was plegic and the right lower limb was partially weak. EMG was interpreted as demyelinating sensorimotor neuropathy. MRI showed hyperintense signals at the dorsal terminal segment of the marrow consistent with myelitis.
