Comamonas spp. are uncommon isolates in microbiology laboratories and have been rarely observed as an infectious agent in clinical practice. They have widespread environmental distribution and have been isolated from water, soil, and plants as well as from some hospital devices such as intravenous catheters and water contained in humidifier reservoirs used in respiratory treatment. The genus Comamonas originally contained the following species: acidovorans, testosteroni, kerstersii, terrigena, denitrificans, and nitrativorans. It now contains 17 species, while acidovorans spp. have been reclassified as Delftia acidovorans. In spite of its uncommon human pathogenesis, there are few reports on the aggressive manner of it as an opportunistic pathogen, mostly related to testosteroni spp. We present a case of polymicrobial bacteremia involving Comamonas testosteroni. The aim of this case report is to alert clinicians to the potential diagnosis of bloodstream infections caused by uncommon pathogens.

The emergence of immunotherapy has provided significant clinical improvements in the treatment of metastatic solid tumors. Recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has dismal prognosis with median survival ranging between 6and12 months. Our aim is to review the current knowledge on the role of the immune system and immune checkpoint inhibitors in HNSCC. We will focus on the landmark trials that led to the regulatory approvals of pembrolizumab and nivolumab, and discuss a few promising contenders in clinical development and highlight the need to identify better biomarkers other than programmed death-ligand 1 to improve patient selection and help predict response.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell disorder characterized by abnormal proliferation of plasma cells resulting in overproduction of paraprotein. Proteasome inhibitors (PI) have been a corner stone for the treatment of MM. Thrombotic Microangiopathy (TMA) is a recent hematological adverse event that has newly been recognized in multiple PI. TMA leads to end-organ damage and infarction by microthromobi. TMA pathophysiology is not well understood and has multiple etiologies. We present a case of PI-induced TMA, along with literature review of cases diagnosed from 2008–2018. Unique to our case is the onset of presentation, more than 24 months after initiating carfilzomib. Our case highlights the need for vigilant monitoring and the importance of clinical suspicion in patients at risk for TMA.

Drug use and abuse continue to be a large public health concern worldwide. Over the past decade, novel or atypical drugs have emerged and become increasingly popular. In the recent past, compounds similar to tetrahydrocannabinoid (THC), the active ingredient of marijuana, have been synthetically produced and offered commercially as legal substances. Since the initial communications of their abuse in 2008, few case reports have been published illustrating the misuse of these substances with signs and symptoms of intoxication. Even though synthetic cannabinoids have been restricted, they are still readily available across USA and their use has been dramatically increasing, with a concomitant increment in reports to poison control centers and emergency department (ED) visits. We describe a case of acute hypoxemic/hypercapnic respiratory failure as a consequence of acute congestive heart failure (CHF) developed from myocardial stunning resulting from a non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI) following the consumption of synthetic cannabinoids.