Internal medicine
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A 74-year-old man with a history of transfusion at 35 years old in Egypt was referred to our hospital. He was infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 (GT4), which is a rare HCV GT in Japan, and was also diagnosed with hepatic compensated cirrhosis. We safely treated the patient for 12 weeks with the combination of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir, and a sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved. This is the first report of HCV GT4 infection in a treatment-naïve Japanese patient with cirrhosis in whom SVR was achieved with the combination treatment of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir.
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A 28-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for liver dysfunction and neck pain. Blood tests revealed elevated liver enzymes and eosinophilia. Ultrasonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass lesion near the hepatic hilus. ⋯ A liver-mass biopsy was performed and led to a diagnosis of inflammatory pseudo-tumor. In the present case, a markedly elevated eosinophil count was a characteristic clinical feature, and the patient underwent steroid therapy. Treatment resulted in a reduced eosinophil count, improved neck symptoms, and disappearance of the inflammatory pseudo-tumor.
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A 71-year-old man underwent surgery for a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Follow-up imaging showed swelling of the remnant pancreas, and he was histologically diagnosed with autoimmune pancreatitis based on endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration specimens. ⋯ Partial resection of the diaphragm was performed, and the final diagnosis was an immunoglobulin G4-related inflammatory pseudotumor in the diaphragm. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an immunoglobulin G4-related diaphragmatic inflammatory pseudotumor.
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Observational Study
Multidisciplinary Team Care Delays the Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Diabetes: A Five-year Prospective, Single-center Study.
Objective Although recent reports have highlighted the benefits of multidisciplinary team care (MTC) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in slowing the progress of renal insufficiency, its long-term effects have not been evaluated for patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). We compared the renal survival rate between MTC and conservative care (CC). Methods In this five-year, single-center, prospective, observational study, we examined 24 patients (mean age 65.5±12.1 years old, men/women 18/6) with DM-induced CKD stage ≥3 in an MTC clinic. ⋯ On a multivariate analysis, MTC (hazard ratio [HR], 0.434, 95% CI 0.200-0.939) and the slope of the estimated glomerular filtration rate during the first year (HR, 0.429 per 1 mL/min/m2/year, 95% CI 0.279-0.661) were negatively associated with renal events. Conclusion MTC for DM-induced CKD is an effective strategy for delaying RRT. Long-term MTC can demonstrate reno-protective effects.
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Case Reports
Symptomatic Long QT syndrome Coexisting with Asymptomatic Acetylcholine-induced Vasospasm.
We herein report a rare case of long QT syndrome (LQTS) coexisting with acetylcholine (Ach)-induced vasospasm. A 31-year-old woman experienced cardiopulmonary arrest during running. LQTS was diagnosed by an electrocardiogram, and the coexistence of Ach-induced vasospam was determined by an Ach provocation test on coronary angiography. Although an implantable cardioverter defibrillator was placed, a beta-blocker was not prescribed for two reasons: first, the patient showed Ach-induced vasospasm alone with no symptoms and no ST change by Ach injection, and second, the use of beta-blockers alone in such patients carries a risk of vasospasm-induced ventricular fibrillation.