Medicine
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Review Case Reports
A rare case of Merkel cell carcinoma presenting as a giant intra-thoracic mass: A case report and review of the literature.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine-derived cutaneous cancer. Ectopic or single metastatic MCC located in thorax is extremely rare; meanwhile, its definite management has not been elucidated yet. ⋯ Ectopic or single metastatic MCC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intrathoracic tumors, especially in patients with a history of MCC. Besides, a timely surgery combined with chemotherapy is effective for this disease.
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Review Case Reports
Iodine-125 seed implantation for synchronous pancreatic metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma: A case report and literature review.
The image-guided iodine-125 seed implantation has been widely used for a variety of tumors, including prostatic cancer, pulmonary cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and pancreatic cancer. However, the clinical value of iodine-125 seed implantation for the treatment of pancreatic metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma has not been reported. We presented the first case with ultrasound-guided iodine-125 seed implantation for this disease. ⋯ The image-guided iodine-125 seeds implantation was an important therapeutic approache to unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with pancreatic metastasis. However, more related cases should be reported for further evaluating the value of the way.
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To evaluate the clinical efficacy of prophylactic temporary balloon occlusion of the abdominal aorta in patients with placenta previa accretism during cesarean section. ⋯ Prophylactic abdominal aorta balloon occlusion (ABO) was relatively safe in the treatment of patients with placenta previa accretism. This approach could represent a key aspect in a multidisciplinary algorithm in reducing hemorrhage in abnormal placentation.
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Primary leiomyosarcoma (LMS) of the vein is a rare tumor that arises from the smooth muscle cells of the vessel wall and has an extremely poor prognosis. This tumor can occur in vessels such as the inferior vena cava, great saphenous vein, femoral vein, iliac vein, popliteal vein, and renal vein; the inferior vena cava is the most common site. LMS of the femoral vein can result in edema and pain in the lower extremity; therefore, it is not easy to be differentiated from deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Moreover, virtually no studies have described the ultrasonographic features of LMS of the vein in detail. ⋯ The pitfall of misdiagnosing this tumor as DVT is a useful reminder.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution (TCMC) theory states that individuals with a biased TCMC are more likely to suffer from specific diseases. However, little is known regarding the influence of TCMC on susceptibility to hypertension. The aim of this study is to examine the possible relationship between TCMC and hypertension. ⋯ Analysis of the clinical characteristics related to TCMC indicated that different TCMCs corresponded to different hypertension classifications using Western medicine criteria; for example, phlegm wetness with hypertension was similar to obesity-related hypertension. Our results suggest that phlegm wetness, yin deficiency, blood stasis, and qi deficiency have different effects on the prevalence of hypertension. More attention should be paid to TCMCs associated with susceptibility to hypertension, and corresponding preventive and therapeutic treatments should be developed according to different TCMCs.