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Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (CJD) can also be diagnosed in a resource‐limited setting through good clinical analysis. The diagnosis of CJD should be considered in patients with rapidly evolving neurological signs associated with cognitive disturbances even in countries with limited available sophisticated tools and where CJD was never reported before.

Automated hematology analyzer uses the Coulter principle leading to different cell types based on their size. Despite being rapid and convenient, it can result in spurious outcomes like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-induced pseudothrombocytopenia. EDTA-induced pseudothrombocytopenia is an immunologically mediated phenomenon resulting from a change in the configuration of glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa by EDTA. The consequence is an exposure of hidden epitope that reacts with certain autoantibodies resulting in spuriously low platelet counts when the blood samples are evaluated by automated blood analyzers. Although it is a rare cause of thrombocytopenia, if not recognized, it can result in unnecessary investigations and treatments. In this case, EDTA-induced psuedothrombocytopenia delayed laparoscopic cholecystectomy planned for symptomatic cholelithiasis in a 58-year-old male. The presence of large platelet clumps on peripheral smear and normal manual platelet counts confirmed the diagnosis. Pseudothrombocytopenia should be suspected when there is no correlation between clinical and laboratory findings in a patient with a low platelet count. Reperforming counts with other anticoagulants and if necessary, manual count in the peripheral blood smear is suggested.

The incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is rising globally. Electrocardiography is still one of the best diagnostic modalities for it. Although some of the ECG changes of ACS are well known among medical practitioners, there are a handful of ECG changes that do not get the recognition they deserve. Among these are localized ST-segment depressions in a vascular territory and altered precordial T-wave balance. The urgency of management varies among the various subtypes of ACS, especially in low resource settings. ST-segment depression localized to a vascular territory is a sign of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) in the reciprocal lead which may not always be evident and hence, requires emergent reperfusion therapy. On the other hand, altered precordial T-wave balance (T1 > T6, T-wave in V1 > 1.5 mm and upright T-wave in V1) may be predictive of significant coronary artery disease (CAD).

Introduction The benefits of atropine in the treatment of acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning has been well established, while that of oximes is still uncertain. Pralidoxime is the most often used oxime worldwide. In vitro experiments have consistently shown that oximes are effective reactivators of human acetylcholinesterase enzyme, inhibited by OP compounds. However, the clinical benefit of pralidoxime is still unclear. A recent meta-analysis has found that pralidoxime provides no significant improvement in outcome and rather may cause harm while increasing the economic burden in low-income communities where its use is the most prevalent. Objectives This study aimed to provide an updated evaluation of the efficacy of pralidoxime in addition to atropine alone in the treatment of patients with acute OP poisoning in terms of mortality, need for ventilator support, and the incidence of intermediate syndrome. The intermediate syndrome is a clinical syndrome that occurs 24 to 96 hours after the ingestion of an OP compound and is characterized by prominent weakness of neck flexors, muscles of respiration, and proximal limb muscles. Materials and methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases until January 2019 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the English language that evaluated the use of pralidoxime in individuals of any age, gender or nationality presenting with an alleged history of OP intake. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were the need for ventilator support and the incidence of intermediate syndrome. The risk of bias in included studies was assessed using the tool recommended by the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Review of Interventions. Treatment/control differences in these outcomes across included studies were combined using risk ratios (RR). Results Six randomized controlled trials (n = 646) fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including one further trial missed from the most recent systematic review. The risk of bias varied across studies, with Eddleston 2009 being of the lowest risk and Cherian 2005 being of high risk. The risk of mortality (RR = 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97 to 2.41, P = 0.07) and the need for ventilator support (RR = 1.29, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.71, P = 0.08) were not significantly different between the pralidoxime and the control group. There was a significant increase in the incidence of intermediate syndrome in the pralidoxime group (RR = 1.63; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.62, P = 0.04). Conclusions Based on our meta-analysis of the available RCTs, pralidoxime was not shown to be beneficial in patients with acute OP poisoning. Our findings are consistent with the other literature.

Melioidosis, also called Whitmore's disease, is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is predominantly a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Due to a wide range of signs and symptoms that can be mistaken for other diseases such as tuberculosis or common forms of pneumonia, patients can be frequently misdiagnosed, which can have adverse consequences and can make management more complicated. This case report elaborates on the clinical course of a middle-aged nondiabetic male patient who presented to our hospital with fever for two months and painful swelling of the right proximal leg for 10 days, following a previous diagnosis of disseminated abdominal tuberculosis made at a different healthcare center. Preliminary investigations confirmed multiple diagnoses of acute osteomyelitis and septic arthritis complicated by multiple hepatic and splenic abscesses. Given the patient was in a state of septic shock at the time of presentation, he was managed as an emergency case and an arthrotomy of the knee joint was performed followed by decompression and drainage of the right proximal tibia. As per standard hospital protocol, the pus and synovial fluid were sent for microbial culture and sensitivity, at which point B. pseudomallei was isolated and the diagnosis was confirmed. Diagnosis of melioidosis requires a high degree of suspicion among clinicians and microbiologists, especially in individuals that have frequent exposure to contaminated soil and water and have a travel history to endemic countries.

Acute appendicitis is a mimicker of a wide range of gastrointestinal and genitourinary pathologies. The diagnosis becomes more challenging when it is associated with intestinal malrotation. A rare case of left-sided acute appendicitis with asymptomatic undiagnosed intestinal malrotation is reported. A 32-year-old male without known comorbidities presented with left-sided abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasonography and computerized tomography scans showed intestinal malrotation with acute appendicitis. Exploratory laparotomy and appendectomy with Ladd’s band release via midline incision were performed, and the patient had no issues on follow-up. Given the rarity of acute appendicitis associated with intestinal malrotation, an increase in awareness of this anatomical variant is essential among emergency physicians, radiologists, and surgeons for prompt diagnosis and timely intervention.