Background: Hepcidin-25 is a liver-derived peptide hormone that regulates iron homeostasis in humans. Recent studies have suggested that it also plays a key role in host-pathogen interface. Iron is essential for the survival and growth of bacteria. When the bacteria infect macrophages, macrophages release a number of cytokines, including interleukin-6, which induce hepatic production of [...]

Background: Using evidence-based clinical pathways has been shown to improve mortality in patients with staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. However, little is known if these pathways can decrease antibiotic use as a means of antibiotic stewardship in patients with suspected contaminated blood cultures. Purpose: We aim to decrease antibiotic use in clinically stable patients with likely gram-positive [...]

Case Presentation: A 37 year-old man with a history of alcohol abuse presented to the emergency department with a chief complaint of abdominal pain and jaundice. The patient stated that 3 days prior to presentation, he awoke with severe intermittent right upper quadrant abdominal pain associated with a yellow discoloration of his skin and sclera. [...]

Case Presentation: A 21-year-old female with a history of Type 1 Diabetes presented with a one day history of lower abdominal pain. The pain was most pronounced in bilateral lower quadrants and suprapubic regions. She had a Kyleena® intrauterine device (IUD) placed for dysmenorrhea, five months prior to presentation. She denied any sexual activity following [...]

Case Presentation: A 71-year-old male with a PMH of HTN, HLD, tongue cancer, GERD, CAD, and BPH presented to the hospital with a chief complaint of right-side shoulder pain, erythema, and warmth that started two days prior. Two days before noticing these symptoms, he had undergone an EGD without complications where he had a peripheral [...]

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old male with gastric carcinoma and no prior cardiac history presented to the emergency room with altered mental status. On arrival, the patient was tachypneic, hypoxic, hypothermic, tachycardic and hypotensive. Initial investigations showed the patient had a leukocytosis with a left shift. Blood cultures taken upon arrival eventually grew E. Coli, thought [...]

Case Presentation: A 69-year-old man with a past medical history of symptomatic sick sinus syndrome with a permanent pacemaker (PPM), as well as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), initially presented to the hospital with substernal chest pain after lifting boxes. A complete cardiac evaluation, including ischemic work-up and transthoracic echocardiography, was conducted without evidence of active [...]