Objective: To determine the efficacy of a three-month resistance training programme on the mobility, muscle strength and lean body mass of patients with pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Elsahel Teaching Hospital, outpatient clinic of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo, Egypt. Participants: Patients with pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia. Interventions: Participants were randomized to the resistance training group ( n = 20) and control group ( n = 20). Main measures: Outcomes including mobility, muscle strength and lean body mass were measured at baseline, three months after surgical resection and 12 weeks after intervention. Results: The mean (SD) age was 51.9 (5.03) years and body mass index was 21.1 (1.13) kg/m²; 65% of patients were male. Compared to the control group, the resistance training group showed significant improvement in mobility: 400-m walk performance (270.3–256.9 seconds vs 266.4–264.2 seconds, respectively) and chair rise (13.82–12.53 seconds vs 13.77–13.46 seconds, respectively). Similarly, muscle strength was also significantly improved in the resistance training group than in the control group; we observed increase in peak torque of knee extensors ( P = 0.004), elbow flexors ( P = 0.001) and elbow extensors, improvement in lean mass of the upper limb (6.28–6.46 kg vs 6.31–6.23 kg, respectively) and lower limb (16.31–16.58 kg vs 16.4–16.31 kg, respectively). Conclusion: A three-month resistance training improved the mobility of patients with pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia. Muscle strength and lean body mass also improved.

Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a bleeding disorder characterized by isolated thrombocytopenia (platelet count <150,000 u/L), which is not associated with a systemic illness. ITP is reported in approximately 2 per 100,000 adults. The mean age of diagnosis is 50 years. ITP is more common in females of childbearing age and in pregnancy. In adults, the course is more chronic although spontaneous remission can also occur within months of initial diagnosis. A thorough and timely workup of thrombocytopenia is imperative to rule out other differentials of ITP as it is considered a diagnosis of exclusion. Primary care physicians encounter patients who exhibit signs of thrombocytopenia such as petechiae or purpura on a regular basis. A high index of clinical suspicion is required to accurately diagnose ITP and commence the appropriate treatment including glucocorticoids to increase the chances of a favorable prognosis as described by the authors.

In individuals with MI, delirium was associated with increased inpatient mortality.