Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive and potentially useful way to remove gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) arising outside of the gastrointestinal tract, according to a case study published in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. “Ruptured extragastrointestinal stromal [tumors] (EGIST) are rare; therefore, there are no standard guidelines for its treatment. Herein, we report…
Elevated levels of enzymes related to glucose uptake and cytoplasmic glucose metabolism were observed in Pompe disease patient biopsies and in a mouse model of the disease, according to a study published in the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease. In the study, levels of glycogenin (GYG1), glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4), glycogen-branching enzyme (GBE1), and UDP-glucose…
A new observational study aims to assess the feasibility of using F-18 labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen (18F-PSMA) as a tracer for positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) imaging for the staging of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The study will also compare 18F-PSMA to the most commonly used tracer in clinical practice, F-18 labeled fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), to…
The use of a single low-dose rituximab infusion may help improve symptoms in patients with refractory myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a study published in the Journal of Neurological Sciences. In the small study cohort, 13 out of the 17 patients responded to the rituximab treatment, with 6 even achieving asymptomatic status. The patients who…
Treatment with tacrolimus improves clinical symptoms and modulates plasma levels of soluble costimulatory molecules and their ligands in patients with refractory myasthenia gravis (MG), a recent study suggests. Significant reductions in clinical scores, including the Quantitative MG score (QMG), the MG-specific manual muscle test (MMT), the MG-related activities of the daily living score (MG-ADL), and…
Cervical lymph node metastases from medullary thyroid cancer (LNM-MTC) seemed to have sonographic features of fewer calcifications, lack of hilum, and larger size in comparison to the lymph node metastases from papillary thyroid cancer (LNM-PTC), a study suggests. The results showed similarities in long-axis diameter, short-axis diameters, gender, shape, cystic change, echogenicity, border, vascularity, and…
A number of serum biomarkers were investigated for their ability to predict liver stiffness in pediatric cholestatic liver diseases including alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), Alagille syndrome (ALGS), and biliary atresia (BA). According to a study published in Hepatology, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was negatively correlated with liver stiffness measurements (R =-.38; P =.01) in…
The motor and functional scales most commonly used to assess adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have both strengths and limitations when evaluating these patients. When comparing motor functional scales, including the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE) and the Revised Upper Limb Module (RULM), with bedside functional scales, including Egen Klassification (EK2) and…
The presence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before the age of 14 years in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is associated with a faster rate of cardiac decline, according to a study published in Pediatric Cardiology. Patients with an earlier onset of LGE had a more rapid reduction…
An infusion of 100 mg of rituximab per week for 3 weeks is optimal for treating neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. According to the article, a regimen of 100 mg per week for 3 weeks was found to be the best…
