Background: Medical marijuana is a new concept in using legalized cannabis for the management of medical disorders. At present, this new concept is used in many countries. Medical marijuana might be useful for the management of many disorders including tuberculosis. Here, the authors study on immune response alteration resulted from marijuana use for tuberculosis management. Methods: The standard bioinformatics clinical pathway analysis is performed to access the interrelationship between pharmacotoxicological process of active ingredients of marijuana and pathophysiological process of tuberculosis with T-helper (Th) 1/Th7 response as a linkage node. Results: From the interrelationship study, there is a coacting phenomenon that can promote infection. Conclusions: Marijuana can impair Th1/Th7 response. Marijuana is not benefit for tuberculosis management.

Background: The dimension of maxillary sinus is dynamic and might complicate the dental practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze maxillary sinus dimension with respect to different ages, genders, tooth sites, and relationships between root of posterior maxillary teeth (RPMT) and adjacent maxillary sinus floor, using cross-sectional images from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods: The 320 qualified cross-sectional posterior maxillary images of CBCT from 50 patients retrieved from the database were used to analyze the maxillary sinus area. Five types of relationship between RPMT and adjacent maxillary sinus floor were classified accordingly. The associated factors, such as age, genders, and tooth sites, were also examined. The one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post hoc test was performed to compare the maxillary sinus cross-sectional area in different classifications of RPMT relative to adjacent maxillary sinus floor. Results: There were significant differences of mean maxillary sinus area between different genders (P < 0.001) and age groups (P = 0.01). The mean sinus area measured from cross-sectional images was greater in Type 3 classification of RPMT relative to maxillary sinus, compared to Type 2, Type 1, and Type 0 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The RPMT relative to adjacent sinus floor may be associated with area of maxillary sinus. The maxillary sinus with greater area in cross-sectional images of CBCT would be closer to the RPMT and might complicate the dental practice.

Aim: Treatment of lymphoma differs from head and neck carcinomas. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive of review lymphomas arising in head and neck region. Methods: Patients between 2003 and 2015 with lymphomas in head and neck region were retrospectively reviewed with pathology subtype, age, gender, location, and diagnostic procedure. Results: One hundred and fifty-one lymphoma patients were enrolled. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma accounted for 56.3% of all patients, followed by follicular lymphoma (6.0%) and NK/T-cell lymphoma (6.0%). Nearly 38.4% of patients manifested as enlarged cervical node while another 61.6% presented as extranodal lymphoma with tonsils (21.8%) the most commonly affected site, followed by parotid gland and tongue base. Open surgery or excisional biopsy had the highest sensitivity of 95.8% for a confirmed diagnosis, followed by punch biopsy (74.7%), core biopsy (51.0%), and fine-needle aspiration (2.2%). Conclusions: Lymphoma is frequently encountered in head and neck region. Early diagnosis was made possible by detailed examinations and adequate diagnostic procedure with consideration of both procedure sensitivity and risks.

Background: Smoking and abdominal obesity are independent risk factors contributing to the global burden of diseases, which are major causes of morbidity and mortality. To date, it is unclear about the combined effects of obesity and smoking on respiratory muscle strength and lung function. The aim of this study was to examine the combined effects of abdominal obesity and smoking on respiratory muscle strength and lung function. Methods: Seventy-two men aged 20–40 years were classified into four groups: control, obesity, smoking, and obesity plus smoking groups. Respiratory muscle strength and lung function were assessed and compared between groups. Results: Obesity plus smoking group evidenced the lowest levels of both respiratory muscle strength and lung function, followed by the smoking group and obesity group, relative to the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, obesity status was significantly negatively correlated with lung function (r = −0.584, P = 0.001 for obesity group and r = −0.631, P = 0.001 for obesity plus smoking group). Smoking status showed a negative correlation with lung function (r = −0.397, P = 0.037 for smoking group and r = −0.706, P < 0.001 for obesity plus smoking group). Conclusions: The combination of obesity and smoking showed greater deterioration in respiratory muscle strength and lung function relative to obesity or smoking alone, and this is, therefore, likely to increase the risk of respiratory-related chronic diseases. Thus, close monitoring of respiratory symptoms, primary prevention, and early management in individuals who are obese and smoking should be given priority concern.

Secondary aortoenteric fistula is a rare yet fatal condition that may occur as a complication after abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Here, we report a case of a 66-year-old male with abdominal discomfort and intermittent fever at 5 years after endovascular aortic repair of an infected abdominal mycotic aneurysm. Surgical treatment with extra-anatomic bypass for lower body revascularization, followed by exploratory laparotomy with explantation of the infected graft and aortic tissue and repair of the duodenum were performed. The patient was rescued from the septic condition and discharged uneventfully 2 months postoperatively.

Neurolymphomatosis (NL) is an uncommon condition involving lymphomatous invasion of the cranial or spinal nerve roots. Sciatic nerve neuropathy and dysfunction represent a common cause of lower extremity symptoms in clinical practice. However, cases of recurrent lymphoma infiltrating a single peripheral nerve, such as the sciatic nerve, are rare. To date, only one case has been reported in the literature. Isolated lymphomatosis may occur sporadically in patients with lymphoma relapse. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms underlying such cases remain unclear. The present report describes a patient with recurrent lymphoma who presented with drop foot due to sciatic nerve involvement. In this report, we highlight the importance of ultrasound for diagnosing peripheral neuropathy based on the characteristic nerve enlargement and loss of echogenicity. Our findings, together with existing evidence from the literature, support that ultrasonography, which is relatively rapid, easy, and low risk, can aid in the differential diagnosis of NL.

Herein, we illustrated a rare patient with artery of Percheron (AOP) infarction who presented as reversible coma. Through the presentation of this case and literature review, we point out the diagnostic challenges in this entity. Second, we discuss the possible mechanisms of recovery of consciousness in this stroke subtype and remark the need for future reports using advanced functional neuroimaging techniques to clarify the unknown mechanisms underlying the evolution of the clinic in AOP infarction. We believe that the results of these studies may also give crucial insights regarding the processing of some critical functions such as sleep, arousal, and consciousness as well as our understanding of various consciousness disorders.