Medicine
-
There is currently no clinical standard for induction therapy in the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph ALL). Chemotherapy in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) recognized as the first line of therapy to induce remission in Ph ALL patients; however, both the infectious and non-infectious toxicities remain high and lead to early excessive treatment-related mortality (TRM). Single-agent TKI "monotherapy" may reduce toxicity and TRM; however, TKI induction monotherapy and its effectiveness in the induction of remission in newly diagnosed Ph ALL has yet to be investigated. ⋯ This is the first report on the use of dasatinib monotherapy in the absence of other drugs, such as steroids, for induction therapy in a newly diagnosed Ph ALL patient with pulmonary infection.
-
Case Reports
Repeated cardiac arrest caused by an air embolism during hepatic resection: A case report.
Although venous air embolism (VAE) during liver operation has been reported occasionally, fatal VAE in hepatic resection is uncommon. Prompt detection of VAE by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is crucial for effective therapy. We describe a case of fatal VAE that caused repeated cardiac arrest during hepatic resection and was confirmed by TEE. ⋯ Fatal air embolism may happen during hepatic resection. Prompt detection of VAE by TEE is crucial for effective therapy and should always be available during hepatic resection.
-
Symptomatic cervical perineural cysts are extremely rare, and they cause radicular pain by compressing the cervical nerve root. Several methods have been applied to manage the radicular pain induced by cervical perineural cysts, including medication, percutaneous procedures, and surgery. However, these methods are associated with various outcomes and complications. The percutaneous procedure is simple and easy to perform, but if the perineural cyst wall is punctured, it can lead to secondary complications, which include aseptic meningitis and intracranial hypotension. ⋯ In this case, perineural cyst-induced radicular pain, which was resistant to medication, was treated using ultrasound guided cervical selective nerve root block with local anesthetics and steroids. Ultrasound guidance can enable successful cervical selective nerve root block without perineural cystic wall puncture. Therefore, ultrasound-guided cervical nerve root block is an effective treatment option for radicular pain caused by a symptomatic perineural cyst.
-
Observational Study
Apelin: A novel prognostic predictor for atrial fibrillation recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation.
Apelin, the ligand for the APJ receptor, is involved in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, whether serum apelin can predict the recurrence of AF after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) has not been determined. A prospective cohort study was performed in patients with AF (but without structural heart disease) who were undergoing first-time PVI. ⋯ Results of Cox stepwise multivariate analysis demonstrated that lower baseline apelin-12 (<2265 ng/L) was independently associated with increased AF recurrence within 6 months after PVI (P < .05). The specificity and positive predictive value of apelin-12 for AF recurrence were significantly higher than those of baseline N-terminal brain proBNP (60.4% vs 28.6%, P < .001; 58.8% vs 34.4%, P = .01), although the sensitivity and negative predictive value were similar. Reduced baseline serum apelin-12 may be an independent risk factor for the recurrence of AF after PVI in patients without structural heart disease.
-
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Appropriate histopathological diagnosis and subtyping form the basis and are critical for clinical therapies. ⋯ Preserved alveolar cells with different architectures may be observed in various lung cancer tissues and may be mistaken as adenocarcinoma or carcinoma with glandular differentiation. Distinct morphological and immunohistochemical features may help distinguish preserved alveolar cells from tumor components.