Prevalence estimates have been based on several case definitions of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The purpose of this work is to provide a rigorous overview of their application in prevalence research. A systematic review of primary studies reporting the prevalence of CFS since 1990 was conducted. Studies were summarized according ...

PURPOSE: Unilateral uterine adnexa absence with a normal uterus is extremely rare but meaningful in clinical. To date, this rare malformation is still not well understood. Here, we present a new case and systematically summarize 38 historical cases to make this rare anomaly be understood better by clinicians. METHOD: The ...

Key components of healthcare interventions include 'active ingredients' (intervention components that can be specifically linked to effects on outcomes such that, were they omitted, the intervention would be ineffective). These should be reported in titles and abstracts of published reports of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, reporting of non-pharmacologic interventions ...

Absent sella turcica is an extremely rare and dramatic radiographic finding. It may be isolated or occur in the presence of other anomalies, often involving the adenohypophysis. Our evaluation of a female infant with multiple anomalies including absence of the sella turcica, a normal pituitary in the craniopharyngeal canal, normal ...

Uni- or bilateral radial nerve palsy in newborn is a rare symptom. We report about a case of unusual bilateral radial nerve palsy in a term-born girl who recovered completely after 10 months and review the English-speaking literature about this condition. Review of the literature shows less than 60 reported cases ...

Cranial sutures give a wide estimate of age and asymmetric closure of sutures is likely to further complicate the process of age estimation from the closure of cranial sutures. Literature on the estimation of age from squamous suture is limited. A rare case of asymmetric closure of squamous suture is ...

Anaplastic ganglioglioma (AGG) is a rare tumor. A PubMed database search yielded only a few case reports and fewer case series. An even rarer entity is AGG arising in the spinal cord. We present a case of a pediatric patient with a pathological diagnosis of spinal AGG.

BACKGROUND: Patients with isolated mucosal cysts of the maxillary sinus (MMC) often undergo surgical treatment despite the absence of relevant symptoms. Some physicians believe that MMC might increase in size and cause complications in the future. The anticipated value of this study is to consolidate and improve the understanding of ...

Background Corpectomy is a frequently performed procedure for pathologies of the anterior spine including neoplasms, fractures, deformities, and osteomyelitis. Traditional approaches to the anterior thoracic spine and thoracolumbar junction are associated with significant perioperative pulmonary complications and morbidity. Posterior and posterolateral approaches minimize some of these complications but are somewhat ...

Objectives To present a rare case of unilateral vocal cord paralysis (VCP) secondary to spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection and to perform a literature review. Case report A 35-year-old male presented to the emergency department with acute onset hoarseness and dysphagia. History, physical exam and laryngoscopy revealed left sided VCP ...

The recent outbreak of hantavirus in Yosemite National Park has attracted national attention, with 10 confirmed cases of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome and thousands of more people exposed. This article will review the epidemiology, presentation, workup, and treatment for this rare but potentially lethal illness. The possibility of infection with hantavirus ...

Intrauterine ovarian torsion is a rare event, but it is a possible cause for unilateral ovarian aplasia. Most commonly the ovary undergoes autolysis after torsion so that no tissue or remnants can be discovered on the involved side. We report a rare case of unilateral intrauterine torsion followed by autoamputation ...

Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica is a rare skeletal developmental disorder representing an osteocartilaginous tumor arising from 1 or more epiphyses during childhood. We report a case of a young male who presented with complaints of pain and swelling in the posteromedial aspect of the left ankle with the clinical diagnosis of ...

BACKGROUND: /st>Concerns exist regarding the safe use of propofol by Emergency Physicians for procedural sedation. The World SIVA International Sedation Task Force has recently created an adverse event tool, in an effort to standardize reporting. We present a safety analysis of our use of propofol using this tool.MethodPropofol was given ...

Lipoblastomas are rare benign mesenchymal tumors of fetal white fat tissue appearing most commonly in children under 3 years of age, and usually affecting the extremities. Only nine cases of intrascrotal lipoblastoma have been reported to our knowledge, and although they are benign, in one case an orchidectomy was performed. ...

Use of physical restraints remains a highly controversial topic. Even with proven efficacy in restraint usage across multiple settings, for years, investigators have debated whether or not the risks outweigh the benefits. There is a growing concern regarding restraints-related negative consequences. Although over the past two decades, with new regulations, ...

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is an uncommon clinical variant of lichen planopilaris (LPP), presenting with a band-like scarring alopecia(SA) involving the hairline, first described by Kossard in 1994(1) . Lately, familial cases of FFA have been reported in both Caucasian and black patients(2,3) , suggesting amongst other factors, the possibility ...

OBJECTIVES. To audit the use of intrauterine balloon tamponade for the management of massive postpartum haemorrhage and compare outcomes with those documented in the literature. DESIGN. Retrospective case series. SETTING. Obstetric Unit of a regional hospital in Hong Kong. PATIENTS. All cases with severe postpartum haemorrhage from January 2011 to ...

BACKGROUND: Underreporting is the major limitation of a voluntary adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting system. Many studies have assessed the effectiveness of different interventions designed to reduce underreporting. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to conduct a critical review of papers that assessed the effectiveness of different strategies to increase ADR reporting, regardless ...

To perform a systematic critical appraisal of the methodological quality of systematic reviews on the effect of a history of periodontitis on dental implant loss. PubMed, the Cochrane database for systematic reviews, the DARE, Biosis Preview, CINAHL, Web of Science, and LILACS electronic databases were searched on 16(th) June 2012, ...

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to assess compliance among academic neuroradiologists in reporting institutionally derived critical findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We analyzed 3054 neuroradiology CT and MRI reports generated in 1 month. Reports were categorized by whether or not they contained a critical finding based on a previously ...

This article reviews recent reports of outcomes of flexor tendon repair and discusses the problems associated with such surgeries. Reports of no repair rupture in individual case series have emerged recently. Their results move toward the clinical goal of primary repair without repair rupture. The Strickland method remains the most ...

OBJECTIVE: The study compares the clinical features of patients with congenital cholesteatoma seen in our institution over the most recent 10 years versus those seen in the previous decade. Furthermore, this study includes a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating whether differences in site predilection of congenital cholesteatoma exist between patients ...

Tricuspid atresia and aortopulmonary window are rare congenital cardiac anomalies. The occurrence of both these anomalies in the same patient is extremely rare, with only 1 case reported in the literature. We report the surgical management of one such patient and discuss the management issues with respect to Stage 1 ...

Acute arteritis of the aorta and the main pulmonary arteries is unusual in a newborn. This type of vasculitis should be described as a separate entity. There are many differences between this entity and polyarteritis nodosa or Takayasu disease. Moreover, neither Takayasu disease nor polyarteritis nodosa and other forms of ...

The incidence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HLTV-1)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is not well defined in the literature. Several studies have reported different incidence rates, and recent publications suggest a higher incidence and prevalence of HAM/TSP. The interdisciplinary HTLV Research Group (GIPH) is a prospective open cohort ...

INTRODUCTION: Streptococcus pneumoniae is an uncommon etiologic agent in soft-tissue infections. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 35-year-old Caucasian woman who presented to our facility with puerperal pneumococcal mastitis, and review the only other three cases of pneumococcal mastitis described in the medical literature. CONCLUSIONS: The roles of ...

BACKGROUND: Amusia, a music-specific agnosia, is a disorder of pitch interval analysis and pitch direction change recognition which results in a deficit in musical ability. The full range of aetiological factors which cause this condition is unknown, as is each cause's frequency. The objective of this study was to identify ...

In 1983, Fitzsimmons et al. reported four brothers with an unrecognized disorder characterized by intellectual disability, spastic paraplegia, and palmo-plantar hyperkeratosis (OMIM 309500). In this report, we describe a family in which two males, maternal half-brothers, had learning disabilities. Both patients also showed spasticity in the lower limbs and palmo-plantar ...

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: There have been many reports outlining differing methods for managing a broken S1 screw. To the authors' best knowledge, the technique used in the present study has not been described previously. It involves insertion of a second pedicle screw without removing the broken screw shaft. STUDY DESIGN: Radiological ...

Composite pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma is a rare tumor with elements of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma and neurogenic tumor. Most were located in the adrenal glands, and extra-adrenal composite pheochromocytoma is extremely rare. Only 4 cases in the retroperitoneum have been described in the online database PUBMED. Here, we report a case of retroperitoneal extra-adrenal composite ...

INTRODUCTION: Cavernous hemangiomas of the skull are very infrequent lesions. They arise from intrinsic vasculature of skull bones and manifest at the fourth to fifth decades of life. Calvarial cavernomas are very rare among lesions of the skull. These lesions are usually focal and confined to one calvarial bone. DISCUSSION: ...

BACKGROUND: Hypothenar hammer syndrome is a rare vascular overuse syndrome characterized by post-traumatic vascular insufficiency of the hand from repetitive compression over the hypothenar eminence. Patients with occupations predisposing to repetitive use of the hypothenar eminence as a tool are at high risk. Repetitive trauma compresses a superficial segment of ...

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to systematically review studies on autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) for osteochondral lesions (OCLs) of the talus and descriptively analyze the outcome data reported to determine whether it is consistent from one study to another and able to be pooled for systematic review. Methods. ...

BACKGROUND: Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors are immunosuppressants, approved for the treatment and maintenance of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Immunosuppression has been shown to induce ischaemic colitis (IC) in an animal model; however, a relationship between TNF inhibitors and IC has rarely been reported in the published literature. OBJECTIVE: The aim ...

We report here the unique case of 60-year-old man with severe ulnar nerve palsy caused by synovial chondromatosis arising from the pisotriquetral joint. At operation, the tumor entrapped the ulnar nerve proximal to the Guyon canal so that it was severely paralyzed. The ulnar neurovascular bundle could be separated safely ...

BACKGROUND: Bevacizumab is widely used and may cause life-threatening bleeding. We attempted to identify clinical characteristics associated with central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage in a broad population. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the FDA MedWatch database of adverse events reported with bevacizumab from 11/1997 to 5/2009. Our search ...

We report on six cases of Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) meningitis occurring between 2001 and 2011 by a French nationwide active surveillance network of paediatric bacterial meningitis (ACTIV/GPIP). The cases accounted for 0.15 % of the paediatric meningitis cases reported between 2001 and 2011 in France, all in infants <4 months old. ...

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has developed a set of templates for structured reporting of radiology results. To measure how much of the content of conventional narrative ("free-text") reports is covered by the concepts included in the RSNA reporting templates, we selected five reporting templates that represented a ...

Uterus-like mass is an extremely rare choristoma of müllerian origin arising in association with neural tube defects. In this article, we describe the case of a 9-year-old girl with spina bifida, a mass lesion within the conus, and a subcutaneous lipoma in the lumbosacral region. Histopathological examination of the conus ...

Extensor indicis (EI) transfer is the commonest tendon transfer to restore thumb extension after loss of extensor pollicis longus (EPL) function. Rarely are there clinical situations when EI is not available as a donor motor and alternative techniques have to be employed. I report a successful reconstruction of thumb extension ...

Objective: To report an unusual case of a primary mastoid cyst (congenital or developmental) in a patient without otological symptoms. Method: Case report and review of the English language literature. Results: Primary mastoid cyst is a newly reported and very rare pathological entity. Mastoid cysts usually occur secondary to chronic ...

Spontaneous ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is an extremely rare condition that occurs in the absence of ovarian hyperstimulation treatment. It can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, and therefore early diagnosis and supportive treatment are essential. We report an affected mother and her daughter with a previously reported heterozygous activating mutation ...

Orbital cavitary rhabdomyosarcoma has been previously reported in 2 cases. The case presented here was a 15-year-old boy who had proptosis, pain, periorbital hyperemia, and visual loss in his OD, which progressed in 6 weeks. Radiologic studies demonstrated a well-demarcated, multilobulated, large mass with cavities, extending from the anterior orbit ...

We present the only reported case of an immunocompetent pediatric patient in the literature to have fulminate gas gangrene of the lower extremity and concomitant gastrointestinal tract infection due to Clostridium septicum coinfected with Clostridium difficile colitis respectively. The patient survived with aggressive medical and surgical treatment.

Objective: The purpose of this case report and literature review was to summarize the current knowledge surrounding this rare cutaneous tumor and promote awareness of the success of Mohs micrographic surgery as a definitive therapeutic modality in a case of squamoid eccrine ductal carcinoma. Design: Case report and literature review. ...

Gallbladder adenomyomatosis (GBA) is a hyperplastic disease affecting the wall of the gallbladder, with some typical features. It has historically been considered a benign condition, nevertheless recent reports highlighted a potential role of GBA in predisposing to malignancies of the gallbladder. We reviewed the literature concerning GBA from its identification ...

Elaine Beller and colleagues from the PRISMA for Abstracts group provide a reporting guidelines for reporting abstracts of systematic reviews in journals and at conferences.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop Natural Language Processing (NLP) approaches to supplement manual outcome validation, specifically to validate pneumonia cases from chest radiograph reports. METHODS: We trained one NLP system, ONYX, using radiograph reports from children and adults that were previously manually reviewed. We then assessed its validity on ...

Diffuse cavernous hemangioma of the rectum (DCHR) is a rare benign tumor of vascular origin. Approximately 200 such cases have been reported in the literature. Here we present a case of a 49-year old female patient who underwent a surgical procedure due to a mass of the rectum with a ...