COVID-19 pandemic has led to a catastrophic shortage of ICU beds. This has resulted in the need to identify patients that can be discharged early before full clinical recovery. We designed this study to determine if in changes routine tests like CBCD and CRP can be a useful complement to clinical status when deciding to discharge patients from ICU. This retrospective study was conducted in Rafic Hariri University Hospital. Levels of biomarkers measured at admission (T1) and within 3 days of outcome (T2) were collected and ratios (T2/T1) were calculated. The Odds Ratios of association between the changes in these biomarkers and outcome were estimated. Multivariate analysis and AUC for the performance of these biomarkers were also conducted. We found on multivariate analysis that reduction in counts of lymphocyte and platelets and elevation in counts of neutrophils and level of CRP (T2/T1 ratio > 1) are strongly associated with mortality with respective ORs estimated at 6.74, 3.26, 5.65 and 4.34 [p-values < 0.001]. AUCs were found to lie in a range of 0.68 to 0.81 indicating fair to good performance. Other factors found to impact survival were AKI, AF and ACS [p-values < 0.01]. In contrast to other studies, risk factors didn’t show an association with survival when adjusted for effects of complications and changes in biomarker levels. Our results confirm that inexpensive tests like lymphocyte count and CRP can be reliably used to follow COVID-19 patients in ICU and to support the decision to discharge patients.

BACKGROUND The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis. It helps regulate body temperature, protects against physical and chemical environmental insults, and serves as a barrier to microbial invasion by acting as a vital interface between the internal body and the external environment. Skin neoplasms encompass a wide variety of tumors. Because they are heterogeneous in their cell of origin, biological behavior, treatment, and prognosis, their classification is often complex and can sometimes mislead clinicians in distinguishing clearly between malignant and benign entities. CASE REPORT In this article, we report the case of a previously healthy man who presented with a solitary subcutaneous left leg skin nodule. After appropriate clinical examination, surgical excision, radiological tests, and pathological analysis, it was ultimately diagnosed as cribriform tumor (previously known as primary cutaneous cribriform carcinoma), an exceedingly rare adnexal skin neoplasm, which has been reported approximately only 50 times in the scientific literature. We describe its clinical features and biological characteristics, and describe the diagnostic procedure and available treatment. Because of the rarity of this tumor and consequently the limited research and available data, diagnosis and treatment can be particularly challenging for histopathologists and clinicians. CONCLUSIONS This article provides additional insights and description of this extremely rare entity, cribriform tumor, contributing to the growing body of evidence and aiding clinicians in avoiding potential misdiagnosis with other malignant or benign skin neoplasms.

Introduction: Duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma (DGP) is a benign tumor that only warrants a surgical resection in the majority of cases. Case Report: We are reporting a case of 42-year-old man who consulted for significant weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and an on–off obstructive jaundice. Imageries showed a 5 cm peri-ampullary duodenal mass. We couldn’t have a diagnosis by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), so we did a laparoscopic transduodenal tumorectomy and removed the entire mass, which came back as gangliocytic paraganglioma on pathology and immunohistochemistry. Gangliocytic paraganglioma is a benign tumor that most commonly occurs in men and is localized in duodenum. Neuroendocrine tumor, ganglioneuroma, paraganglioma, and schwannoma are the differential diagnoses. Histologic diagnosis is difficult to make. Immunohistochemistry is indispensable for the diagnosis. Often than not, we cannot make diagnosis by a simple biopsy, because the tumor has a submucosal location and three types of cells need to be present for diagnosis: spindle cells, ganglion cells, and epithelial cells. That’s why en-bloc resection of the tumor is frequently needed for accurate diagnosis. Endoscopic resection or laparoscopy is used depending on the characteristics of the tumor. In our case, the 5 cm peri-ampullary tumor warranted a laparoscopic resection. Generally, there is no role for adjuvant therapy in duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma (DGP). But sometimes, radiotherapy, surgery, somatostatin analog are used for treatment depending on the features of DGP. There is no consensus on follow-up management, but experts agree on the necessity of frequent follow-ups. Conclusion: We believe it is important to include gangliocytic paraganglioma (GP) as a differential diagnosis in patients who present with duodenal masses, weight loss, and general state alteration.

Background/Objectives: In Lebanon, the economic crisis since 2019 has severely strained healthcare infrastructure, yet its impact on cancer treatment adherence remains incompletely characterized. This study assessed factors associated with treatment delay and regimen modification to identify barriers to optimal cancer care among Lebanese patients. Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in five tertiary hospitals in Beirut, Lebanon, between 13 June 2024, and 27 June 2025. Demographic, clinical and treatment data were collected via a structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of treatment delay (>2 weeks) and incomplete treatment regimens. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported. Results: A total of 244 patients were enrolled in the study. The study population was predominantly female (59.0%) and aged ≥60 years (60.2%). Advanced disease was common, with 50.4% of patients presenting with stage IV disease. Financial vulnerability was widespread: 72.6% reported monthly household incomes below USD 1000, 88.1% reported a decline in income due to the economic crisis, and 39.3% relied on unstable income sources. Overall, 52.5% of patients experienced treatment initiation delays, and 9.0% received incomplete or dose-reduced regimens. On multivariable analysis, reliance on unfixed income independently predicted treatment delay (aOR 2.55, 95% CI 1.42–4.59; p = 0.002), lack of health insurance (aOR 1.91, 95% CI 1.08–3.39; p = 0.026) and pre-treatment surgical costs also increased the odds of delay (aOR 9.03, 95% CI 2.57–31.7; p = 0.001). For incomplete treatment, unfixed income remained an independent predictor (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.16–5.79; p = 0.015). A lack of insurance (aOR 5.62, 95% CI 1.22–25.9; p = 0.027) and high laboratory costs (>USD 150 per session) were also associated with incomplete regimens (aOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.02–2.57; p = 0.041). Conclusions: In Lebanon’s crisis context, financial instability was a key factor associated with deviations in cancer treatment. These findings highlight the need for strengthened insurance coverage and subsidization of diagnostic and treatment-related costs to ensure timely and continuous oncologic care.