Cases Blog
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Posted by Elizabeth.Slade at 16:42 Comments (0)
Barriers to publishing: a blog post from Richard Smith
Richard Smith, Cases Journal's Editor-in-Chief, writes an interesting post on the BMJ blog this week about the barriers to publication to authors from a low-income country, following a course he ran on 'getting published' for researchers at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh.
Posted by Elizabeth.Slade at 10:38 Comments (0)
A bezoar is a collection of swallowed foreign materials that collect in the stomach and are unable to pass through the intestines. Take a look at some case reports with amazing images that we have published in Journal of Medical Case Reports and Cases Journal over the past year on this unusual phenomena. If you have a question or comment for the authors, then please post a comment!
Relapsing massive metal bezoar: a case report
Manuel Rodrigo
Prieto-Aldape, Francisco Issac Almaguer-Garcia, Sandra Edith
Figueroa-Jimenez, Oscar Fernandez-Diaz, Jose Antonio Mora-Huerta,
Alejandro Gonzalez-Ojeda
Large bowel obstruction due to sesame seed bezoar: a case report
Shaw AG, Peacock O, Lund JN, Tierney GM, Larvin M, Speake W
Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 11:29 Comments (0)
Two new case reports focus on adverse events linked to swallowing chicken bones.
"Perforation of Meckel's diverticulum caused by a chicken bone: a case report" published in JMCR this week reports a 17-year-old man presenting with lower abdominal pain two weeks after an episode of rectal bleeding. Appendicitis was suspected. A diagnostic laparoscopy identified a normal appendix but an inflammatory mass that was diagnosed as a perforated Meckel's diverticulum.
"Acute abdoment caused by ingested chicken wishbone: a case report" published in Cases Journal reports the case of a 50-year-old man presenting with abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. A mechanical obstruction was identified by radiography and ultrasound of the abdomen. Laparotomy revealed a sharp piece of chicken bone perforating the ileum. The patient later admitted that four days earlier he had rapidly eaten several mouthfuls of chicken meat without chewing, and ingested a chicken bone.
The authors sum up "Overeating, rapid eating, or a voracious appetite may be contributing factors for ingesting chicken bones" - readers beware!
Posted by Elizabeth.Slade at 10:33 Comments (0)
Top 10 January case reports in Cases Journal
January is set to be one of our busiest months for publishing case reports at Cases Journal. Take a look at our Top 10 cases in January so far:
| 1. Accesses 414 |
Case Report
 Body aches, tender bones and rapid loss of weight: a case report Vijay Hadda, Naval Kishore Vikram, Vaibhav Jain, Anita Chopra, Ashish Goel, Rita Sood Cases Journal 2009, 2:37 (10 January 2009) |
| 2. Accesses 409 |
Case Report
Atypical onset of diabetes in a teenage girl: a case report Cristina Maria Mihai, Doina Catrinoiu, Ramona Mihaela Stoicescu Cases Journal 2008, 1:425 (30 December 2008) |
| 3. Accesses 380 |
Case Report
Mistletoe treatment in cancer-related fatigue: a case report Kathrin Wode, Thomas Schneider, Ingrid Lundberg, Gunver S Kienle Cases Journal 2009, 2:77 (22 January 2009) |
| 4. Accesses 376 |
Case Report
Carcinosarcoma of the breast: two case reports and review of the literature Kristi M Esses, Ramona M Hagmaier, Susan A Blanchard, John J Lazarchick, Adam I Riker Cases Journal 2009, 2:15 (6 January 2009) |
| 5. Accesses 352 |
Case Report
 Giant tonsillolith causing odynophagia in a child: a rare case report Jagdeep S Thakur, Ravinder S Minhas, Anamika Thakur, Dev R Sharma, Narinder K Mohindroo Cases Journal 2008, 1:50 (18 July 2008) |
| 6. Accesses 347 |
Case Report
Sickle cell trait and priapism: a case report and review of the literature Brian F Birnbaum, Joseph J Pinzone Cases Journal 2008, 1:429 (30 December 2008) |
| 7. Accesses 339 |
Case Report
Low-intensity body building exercise induced rhabdomyolysis: a case report Massimiliano Gagliano, Daniela Corona, Giuseppe Giuffrida, Alessia Giaquinta, Tiziano Tallarita, Domenico Zerbo, Massimiliano Sorbello, Annalaura Paratore, Carla Virgilio, Alessandro Cappellani, Pierfrancesco Veroux, Massimiliano Veroux Cases Journal 2009, 2:7 (5 January 2009) |
| 8. Accesses 336 |
Case Report
Dynamic splinting for knee flexion contracture following total knee arthroplasty: a case report Eric Finger, F Buck Willis Cases Journal 2008, 1:421 (29 December 2008) |
| 9. Accesses 315 |
Case Report
How 40 kilograms of fluid retention can be overlooked: two case reports Hon Shing Ong, Candy Wing-Chiu Sze, Tat Woon Koh, Simon Ward Coppack Cases Journal 2009, 2:33 (8 January 2009) |
| 10. Accesses 313 |
Case Report
Male infertility related to an aberrant karyotype, 47,XYY: four case reports Faeza El-Dahtory, Hany M Elsheikha Cases Journal 2009, 2:28 (8 January 2009) |
Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 16:14 Comments (0)
Yesterday was World Leprosy Day, an event to raise awareness of this age-old disease, particularly to spread understanding that leprosy is cureable and manageable.
Our journals have published several case reports of patients with leprosy, and of course we welcome more to help share knowledge and experience of this disease.
Single lesion multibacillary leprosy, a treatment enigma: a case report Sapkota BR, Neupane KD, Maharjan RK
Intraneural injection of corticosteroids to treat nerve damage in leprosy: a case report and review of literature Nashed SG, Rageh TA, Attallah-Wasif ES, Abd-Elsayed AA
Concomitant age old infections of mankind – tuberculosis and leprosy: a case report Sreeramareddy CT, Menezes RG, Kishore PV
Posted by Elizabeth.Slade at 16:33 Comments (0)
Medical news, blogs & case reports round-up
Sleep well to fight colds: Science confirms what our grandma's have been telling us for years! A team from Carnegie Mellon University found that sleep deprivation can treble your risk of catching a cold. Does mouthwash cause cancer? The latest cancer scare story to hit the papers suggests that using mouthwash can lead to oral cancer. Cancer Research UK analyse the paper that sparked the press headlines and compare mouthwash use to other risk factors.
Oestrogen causes DNA mutations – is this how it fuels cancer? Although there is sufficient evidence to suggest that oestrogen is involved in cancer, there are few ideas as to how the hormone causes cells to replicate and proliferate. Could the answer lie with this theory, proposed by Cancer Research UK scientists?
[Case Report]: Baby girl born to 'dead' mother: Two days after an ice skating star died of a brain hemorrhage doctors managed to successfully deliver her 25 week premature baby by cesarean section.
Antipsychotics raise death risk for Alzheimer’s patients: Published in Lancet Neurology, this study suggests long-term treatment with antipsychotics nearly doubled patients’ risk of death.
Telling lies to your doctor, and how it can kill you: 13% of us ‘bend the truth’ when quizzed by our doctor. This article explores how those little white lies can have rather substantial consequences.
[Case Report]: Vicks VapoRub may harm infants: Published in Chest, an 18-month-old girl with a common upper respiratory infection suddenly developed severe breathing problems after the application of Vicks VapoRub to her nose.
The English surgeon: Here is the trailer for a film about London based neurosurgeon Dr Henry Marsh and his Ukrainian colleague Igor Kurilets. The film documents Dr Marsh’s visits to Kiev and his attempts to improve upon the ‘medieval brain surgery’ he witnessed there on his first visit.
and if a docu-film on surgery isn’t cultured enough for you....
Skin Deep: taking opera to the cutting edge: ‘Skin Deep’, an adventurous opera that addresses the subject of plastic surgery opens its curtains to the UK this week. In this article, the Telegraph talks to both creators about the collision of opera and operating table.
Posted by Richard Sear at 16:49 Comments (0)
Levofloxacin side-effect results in death
Gottschalk et al. from the Mayo Clinic's Department of Family Medicine have published a case report on the unfortunate death of an elderly patient as a result of side-effects of a fluoroquinolone.
A 91-year-old Caucasian male farmer presented complained to his physicians, “My feet aren’t working.” Specifically, he reported difficulty with balance leading to inability to walk, and extensive, painful bilateral ecchymoses of his heels. He was commenced on fluoroquinolone (levofloxacin) therapy, however this proved to be fatal.
The authors say: "Fluoroquinolones are a powerful and potent tool in the fight against bacterial infection. As a class, they are employed by primary care physicians as well as by subspecialty physicians in all areas of medical practice. However, as this case illustrates, the use of these drugs is not without risk. Attention must be paid to potential side-effects when prescribing any medication, and close follow-up with patients is a medical necessity to evaluate for these adverse reactions, especially with fluoroquinolones."
Read the case report in full and share your opinion, or ask the authors a question by posting a comment online.Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 14:20 Comments (0)
Medical news, blogs & case reports round-up
Oral immunotherapy with drinking milk may help milk allergy: A team of researchers from Johns Hopkins Children's Centre and Duke University found that giving milk-allergic children milk in increasingly higher doses over time eased their allergic reactions to milk and even helped some of the children completely overcome their milk allergy.
Increase in NHS patient error deaths:
Data collected by the National Patient Safety Agency shows that more
than 3,000 patients have died in the UK over the past year due to
errors by NHS staff. Our journals welcome submission of case reports describing medical errors, so that others can learn from mistakes.
The LOX enzyme – a target to stop cancer spread: Halting metastasis is probably the major challenge facing cancer researchers today. This blog post from Cancer Research UK highlights a promising line of research based on the LOX enzyme's possible involvement.
FDA approve test for donated blood: This week the FDA have approved a new nucleic acid test to screen donated blood for HIV (RNA), hepatitis C (RNA) and hepatitis B (DNA), all in a single, automated assay.
Super bacteria gives potential to stop dengue fever spread: In a study published in Science this week, a group of Australian researchers found that the lifespan of dengue carrying mosquitoes can be significantly shortened when infected with wolbachia, a specific type of bacterium that acts to genetically modify its host.
More Americans getting multiple chronic illnesses: More Americans are being diagnosed with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure, often having more than three at a time, fueling a big rise in out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Can poetry define health? Dr Richard Smith, Editor-in-Chief of Cases Journal, has a go at defining health, using poetry.
Top ten health technology hazards: 10 key medical device risks, and how to steer clear of them.
Posted by Richard Sear at 13:55 Comments (0)
Outside of Cases: News, blogs & case reports round-up
Sleep gives brain disease warning: Canadian researchers warn that Physically "acting out" dreams when asleep could be an early warning sign of dementia or Parkinson's disease.
Thiamine 'reverses kidney damage': A team from Warwick University have shown that doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse early kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes.
Elderly at risk from drug interactions: A study published in JAMA has found that more than two million Americans between the ages of 57 and 85 are at risk of “major drug-drug interactions.”
20% 'have blood pressure gene': Research suggests that one in five white people carry a gene fault that could raise their risk of high blood pressure.
Vietnam pushes back against AIDS epidemic: In the past decade, the number of people living with HIV in Vietnam has tripled. Wall Street Journal reporter Lam Thuy Vo describes the steps that the Vietnamese government is now taking to curb the spread of this virus.
Festive medical myths: A number of common medical or health beliefs related to the holidays and winter season are investigated for their scientific validity.
Brown “totally against” changing laws on euthanasia: Prime-minister Gordon Brown gives his opinion on Euthanasia in an interview with head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
Smiles and scowls 'in our genes': A team of US researchers that compared the facial expressions of normal sighted and blind athletes have provided strong evidence that the facial expressions we make to show or hide emotions are as a result of our genetic makeup and are not learned during life (picture left showing blind athlete after losing match).
Sickle cell trait and priapism: Case report of a 32-year-old African-American man presenting with priapism who was later diagnosed with sickle-cell anaemia. A literature review investigates a possible link between these two conditions.
Seven unsolved medical mysteries: This list published on the New Scientist website describes seven ailments that have perplexed the medical profession.
Chocolate, wine and tea improve brain performance: As
if by Christmas miracle, a group of Oxford researchers working with
colleagues in Norway, publish a study to suggest that chocolate, wine
and tea enhance cognitive performance. However, it should also be noted
to those overdoing it at Christmas that while moderate alcohol
consumption is associated with better cognitive function and reduced
risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, heavy alcohol intake could be
one of many causes of dementia – as well as a host of other health
problems.
Healthy New Years resolutions: A few familiar New Years resolutions suggested by Cancer Research UK that could help to dramatically cut your risk of cancer.
Posted by Richard Sear at 17:45 Comments (0)
Thank you to our reviewers in 2008
We would like to thank everybody who has reviewed for Journal of Medical Case Reports and Cases Journal this year. We are very grateful for our reviewers' help in ensuring authors receive prompt, thorough and constructive feedback on their work.
It has been fantastic to work with all of our reviewers, editors and authors - as you can see from the hundreds of names below, we have had phenomenal support from the medical community, and we are extremely grateful for the help and enthusiasm we've received.
If you would like to volunteer as a reviewer for the journal, please contact us with details of which topic areas you would be happy to review in.
Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 15:18 Comments (0)
Outside of Cases: News, blogs & case reports round-up
Peanut allergy lessened with early consumption: An interesting study comparing the diets of Israeli and British infants suggests that the consumption of peanuts early in life may be linked to a decreased risk of peanut allergy.
Hormone-replacement therapy linked to breast cancer risk? Data presented at a recent cancer conference in San Antonio, USA, suggests that women who have been taking the hormone replacement drug ‘Wyeth’s Prempro’ for a long period of time could have a doubled risk of breast cancer.
Amputation by text message: An incredible story of how a surgeon carried out an emergency limb amputation on a 16-year old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, using instructions sent via text message from a London surgeon.
Women 'may face greater HIV risk': Research from Northwestern University in Chicago has shown that the HIV virus can breach even healthy vaginal tissue. It was previously thought that only damaged skin inside the vagina could provide a route for infection.
Full face transplant complete: The first almost full-face transplant to be carried out in America is now complete. 80% of the female patients face was replaced with that of a deceased donor.
The right to health: Cases Journal editor-in-chief Dr Richard Smith writes a fascinating blog for BMJ on the ‘right’ to health.
New online test for depression: Researchers at UCL (University College of London) have developed a new universal online test for predicting the risks of someone succumbing to depression.
Frost bite autoamputation of toes: case report: Cases Journal reports the unusual case of a 15 year old girl who suffered autoamputation of left mid foot and four digits of the right foot following repeated application of snow to relieve the pain in her frost bitten feet.
Man roused from coma with magnetic field: case report: New Scientist recently published the case of a 26 year old male who was roused from a coma following a series of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) sessions.
Posted by Richard Sear at 17:37 Comments (0)
A snapping hip, or coxa saltans, is characterized by a usually painful snapping phenomenon during hip flexion and extension, as described in "Snapping hip caused by a venous hemangioma of the gluteus maximus muscle: a case report", Lin et al. The causes of 
snapping hip can be grouped into external, internal or intra-articular origin. Since each cause represents a distinct pathogenesis and may consequently require different surgical interventions, accurate diagnosis is a prerequisite to successful treatment.
A team of doctors from the National Cheng Kung University Medical College and Hospital, Taiwan have published a case in Journal of Medical Case Reports of an intramuscular tumor located close to the gluteus maximus insertion around the greater trochanter, masquerading as a snapping hip.
Read the case report in full to discover how they successfully stopped the curious phenomenom occurring in their 23-year-old patient.
Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 14:56 Comments (0)
Coca-Cola to melt a bezoar, impacted canines, an injury involving a door handle and the first report of two colistin-resistant pathogens! These are just some of the case reports we have published in the past few days in Journal of Medical Case Reports and Cases Journal.
Stay up-to-date with new case reports that you may otherwise have missed by registering with us for free article alerts direct to your email inbox.
Posted by Miriam Kingsley at 12:38 Comments (0)
Outside of Cases: News, blogs & case reports round-up
Vitamins do not cut cancer risk: Two longitudinal studies published in JAMA have found that neither vitamin E nor C supplementation reduced the risk of prostate or total cancer in men.
Lower rejection rate in patients receiving two organs in single transplant: A new study involving more than a million transplant recipients has found that rejection rates are lower in patients who receive two organs at once than in those who receive a single organ.
Cold sores link to Alzheimer's: Research from a University of Manchester team has suggested that the herpes virus behind cold sores (pictured right) is a major cause of the protein plaques that accumulate in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.
Top 10 medical innovations for 2009: Following the 6th Annual Medical Innovation Summit a list was compiled of the top 10 medical innovations for 2009, see them here.
Google trends: Alternative medicine and dieting trends: An interesting blog following on from the recent features on the google flu trend, this article shows the trends for searches on various types of complimentary medicine and also some rather amusing, if not predictable, trends in searches for ‘diet’.
Timing baby’s arrival to lower asthma risk: The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reports that children born in autumn have a 30 percent higher risk for asthma than those born in other seasons. The finding is based on a review of birth and medical records of more than 95,000 children in Tennessee.
Gene expression can predict the survival of lymphoma patients: A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine identified sets of genes in large B-cell lymphoma patients that influence the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Case report: Leprosy patient cured of ‘right claw hand’ following series of injections: JMCR reports the first case of successful nerve regeneration in neglected neuropathy secondary to leprosy after local injection of corticosteroids
Video: Treatment of club foot in Africa: While working in the orthopaedic department at Ngwelezana, South Africa, Dr Andrew Hogg put together this video and blog to inform patients and their families of the treatment procedure for club foot.
Complex medical tests made from standard paper and tape: At the cost of 3 cents, a group of Harvard chemists have shown it is possible to make sophisticated medical tests from no more than paper and double sided tape. The tests can be used to check for dozens of diseases, such as HIV, dengue fever or hepatitis.
Posted by Richard Sear at 16:28 Comments (0)