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This article, published in the Qatar Medical Journal, explores the rare inherited disorder known as pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM). The article presents four cases of PAM reported in Qatar, including a 16-year-old male who presented with sudden chest pain and a 38-year-old Yemeni woman with sore throat and fever. The article describes the diagnostic process, which involves chest X-rays, CT scans, and bronchoscopy with biopsy. The authors conclude that PAM typically progresses slowly and is often diagnosed incidentally through chest X-rays. [Extracted from the article]

We describe the presentation of a 72-year-old woman with concurrent diagnoses of lung adenocarcinoma in conjunction with disseminated Actinomyces meyeri infection; a rare pathogen which can mimic lung cancer both symptomatically and radiologically. The patient was found to have a pelvic mass initially presumed to be cervical metastases—later confirmed to be of xanthogranulomatous inflammatory origin following transvaginal ultrasoundguided biopsy. The pathogenic cause, identified following pleural aspirate, being a fully sensitive A. meyeri infection; treated with prolonged course amoxicillin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes hepatic and extrahepatic organ involvement. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a prevalent non-communicable disorder, accounting for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Acute kidney injury and CKD are not uncommon sequels of acute or chronic HCV infection. The pathogenesis of HCV-associated kidney injuries is not well explored. Excess cryoglobulin production occurs in HCV infection. The cryoglobulin may initiate immune complex-mediated vasculitis, inducing vascular thrombosis and inflammation due to cryoglobulin deposits. Furthermore, direct damage to nephron parts also occurs in HCV patients. Other contributory causes such as hypertension, diabetes, and genetic polymorphism enhance the risk of kidney damage in HCV-infected individuals. Implementing CKD prevention, regular evaluation, and therapy may improve the HCV burden of kidney damage and its related outcomes. Therefore, in this review, we discuss and update the possible mechanism(s) of kidney injury pathogenesis with HCV infection. We searched for related published articles in EMBASE, Google Scholar, Google, PubMed, and Scopus. We used various texts and phrases, including hepatitis virus and kidney, HCV and CKD, kidney pathology in viral hepatitis, kidney transplantation in HCV-infected patients, kidney allograft survival in viral hepatitis patients, mechanism of kidney pathology in viral hepatitis, dialysis and viral hepatitis, HCV infection and kidney injuries, and viral hepatitis and CKD progression, etc. to identify relevant articles., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2022, Habas et al.)

The association between chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection and extrahepatic manifestations (EHMs), particularly cardiometabolic diseases, has been extensively examined. However, there has still been insufficient evaluation for these EHMs after virological cure. Several multidirectional mechanisms have been proposed explaining the ability of hepatitis C virus (HCV) developing EHMs, cardiometabolic ones, as well as the effect of antiviral therapy to resolve these EHMs. Data on these manifestations after achieving sustained virologic response (SVR) are still conflicting. However, current evidence suggests that reversal of hepatic steatosis and its coexistent hypocholesterolemia after successful viral eradication led to unfavorable lipid profile, which increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Additionally, most observations showed that metabolic alterations, such as insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus (DM), undergo some degree of reduction after viral clearance. These changes seem HCV-genotype dependent. Interferon-based antiviral therapy and direct acting antiviral drugs were shown to minimize incidence of DM. Large epidemiological studies that investigated the effect of SVR on CVD showed great discrepancies in terms of results, with predominant findings indicating that CVD events decreased in patients with SVR compared to non-responders or untreated ones. In this review, we present a summary of the current knowledge regarding extrahepatic sequelae of CHC following SVR, which may have an impact on healthcare providers' clinical practice., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: Sebastiani G has acted as speaker for Merck, Gilead, Abbvie, Novonordisk, Novartis, Pfizer, served as an advisory board member for Merck, Intercept, Novartis, Gilead, Allergan, Pfizer and has received research funding from Merck and Theratec Inc. Shengir M has received honoraria from Gilead. Elgara M has nothing to declare., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

A 38-year-old man previously healthy suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; he was resuscitated successfully and admitted to the intensive care unit. His initial ECG suggested a Brugada pattern; other laboratory tests revealed low potassium level, low Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and high FT4. He was started on carbimazole for hyperthyroidism, along with other supportive care. A comprehensive cardiac evaluation was done, including ajmaline and flecainide tests, results were inconclusive. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator device (ICD) was inserted to prevent such catastrophic events in the future. After discharge and on follow-up, our patient was doing well. His thyroid function test (TFT) was normal; moreover, a follow-up ICD interrogation did not record any arrhythmias. This case report highlighted asymptomatic hyperthyroidism as a precipitant for Brugada pattern resulting in sudden cardiac arrest., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Tuberculosis is an ancient infectious disease with global distribution and a multitude of multisystem presentations. Infection of the central nervous system (CNS) is the most serious presentation manifested as tuberculous meningitis (TBM), intracranial tuberculoma, and tuberculous arachnoiditis all associated with significant morbidity and mortality. TBM is the commonest form of CNS manifestations capable of causing secondary arteritis leading to vascular complications. We report a case of a 22-year-old Indian patient diagnosed with TBM who subsequently presented with sudden onset severe headache, which was eventually diagnosed as subarachnoid hemorrhage. Radiological assessment confirmed secondary complications with cerebral aneurysmal dilatation attributed to TBM. The patient was safely managed with combined radiological and surgical interventions with uneventful outcomes. Review of the literature revealed that such complication of TBM is rare usually with serious implications. We aim to highlight to infection specialists to be aware of such association., Competing Interests: The authors report no declarations of interest., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)