Enabling motor control by epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is a promising therapeutic technique for the recovery of motor function after a spinal cord injury (SCI). Although epidural electrical stimulation has resulted in improvement in hindlimb motor function, it is unknown whether it has any therapeutic benefit for improving forelimb fine motor function after a cervical SCI. We tested whether trains of pulses delivered at spinal cord segments C6 and C8 would facilitate the recovery of forelimb fine motor control after a cervical SCI in rats. Rats were trained to reach and grasp sugar pellets. Immediately after a dorsal funiculus crush at C4, the rats showed significant deficits in forelimb fine motor control. The rats were tested to reach and grasp with and without cervical epidural stimulation for 10 weeks post-injury. To determine the best stimulation parameters to activate the cervical spinal networks involved in forelimb motor function, monopolar and bipolar currents were delivered at varying frequencies (20, 40, and 60 Hz) concomitant with the reaching and grasping task. We found that cervical epidural stimulation increased reaching and grasping success rates compared to the no stimulation condition. Bipolar stimulation (C6− C8+ and C6+ C8−) produced the largest spinal motor-evoked potentials (sMEPs) and resulted in higher reaching and grasping success rates compared with monopolar stimulation (C6− Ref+ and C8− Ref+). Forelimb performance was similar when tested at stimulation frequencies of 20, 40, and 60 Hz. We also found that the EMG activity in most forelimb muscles as well as the co-activation between flexor and extensor muscles increased post-injury. With epidural stimulation, however, this trend was reversed indicating that cervical epidural spinal cord stimulation has therapeutic potential for rehabilitation after a cervical SCI.

Leclercia adecarboxylata is a gram-negative bacillus of the Enterobacteriaceae family. It is a rare human pathogen that is often acquired via wound and/or contact with aquatic environment. Although multiple cases of L. adecarboxylata infections are described in the adult population, few have been documented in pediatrics. We will present two cases of L. adecarboxylata infections in the pediatric population. The first is a case of cellulitis in an 11-year-old male patient after a penetrating wound. The second is a first-documented urinary tract infection in a 16-year-old male patient with chronic kidney disease. Both patients were successfully treated with antibiotics and surgical intervention, if necessary. These cases highlight the growing emergence of this bacterium in the pediatric population and the need to become more aware of its threat even in patients who are immunocompetent.

Malignant hidradenocarcinoma is a very rare and highly aggressive primary skin neoplasm that arises in the eccrine sweat glands. Diagnosis is typically made with histopathological evaluation after excisional biopsy. Reports of this tumor are scarce in the literature, thus making its characterization and management particularly challenging. A 71-year-old male presented in the clinic with swelling of the left lateral axilla on routine dermatological examination. Clinically, the lesion was suspected to be a capillary hemangioma. Upon surgical excision, the specimen was diagnosed as malignant hidradenocarcinoma based on histological characterization with immunohistochemical staining. Subsequent wide excision with sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed, which came back negative for residual tumor and metastasis. Due to the low incidence of this cancer and the markedly poor prognosis, accurate diagnosis of these tumors is highly important. Wide excisional biopsy and sentinel lymph node biopsy appear to be the most common initial treatment plans based on the available literature. With high rates of recurrence and metastasis, there remains the need to characterize effective adjuvant therapy for the post-operative management of hidradenocarcinoma.

Orlando has the second highest HIV incidence in the USA. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine is approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to minimize HIV transmission. Our study describes the PrEP care continuum and factors impacting PrEP persistence during the first year of PrEP care at a sexual health clinic in Orlando. Patients initiating PrEP between 2014 and 2017 with at least 1 year of follow-up were eligible for inclusion. Demographic and clinical factors were extracted from medical records. At the end of the first year of PrEP care, patients seen within the last 6 months were defined as ‘persistent’ whereas patients lost to follow-up for ≥6 months were defined as ‘not persistent’. We evaluated factors associated with PrEP persistence with Firth’s multivariable logistic regression. Of 300 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 96% were male, 59% were ≥30 years old, 59% identified as men who have sex with men and 57% endorsed recent condomless anal intercourse. Of PrEP initiators, 133 (44.3%) were persistent in the first year, whereas 167 (55.7%) were not persistent. PrEP persistence was positively associated with age ≥30 years (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.08) and negatively associated with non-white race (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.83). There were no HIV seroconversions among persistent patients. In our study, younger and minority patients were less likely to persist in PrEP care and persistence was poor despite many being insured and ‘high-risk’. Further research is needed to identify and address barriers that hinder PrEP persistence, specifically among younger, minority patients.