Medicine
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Meningoencephalomyelitis and visceral dissemination infection are rare but life-threatening complications of either the primary infection or reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in immunocompromised patients. To date, few studies have reported the co-existence of VZV meningoencephalomyelitis and the visceral dissemination of VZV infection. ⋯ Patients with autoimmune diseases receiving immunosuppressive therapy should be warned about the possibility of developing serious neurological infections and visceral disseminated VZV infections as side effects. Early diagnosis and the early initiation of intravenous acyclovir therapy are important for such cases.
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Case Reports
Esophageal achalasia, diagnosed through the repeated manometry, alleviated using benzodiazepine: A case report.
Idiopathic achalasia is an esophageal peristaltic dysfunction of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The initial symptom is progressive dysphagia. However, due to its rarity, it is often misdiagnosed as an esophageal disorder. High LES pressure on esophageal manometry is an essential finding for the diagnosis. ⋯ When patients still suffer from these symptoms, there is a need to reconsider achalasia, even if it is initially excluded from the differential diagnosis. Medication is not a radical treatment; however, it sometimes ameliorates symptoms. Moreover, the psychosomatic approach can be useful in such cases.
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Recent studies have identified a novel programmed cell death based on copper, named cuproptosis. However, as an anti-cuproptosis gene, the functional roles, definite mechanisms and prognostic value of CDKN2A in pan-cancer are largely unclear. The GEPIA2, cancer genome atlas (TCGA), the tumor immune estimation resource 2.0 and CPTAC databases were performed to validate the differential expression of CDKN2A in 33 tumors. ⋯ In addition, aberrant CDKN2A expression was closely correlated to immune infiltration and the levels of immune-regulatory genes. The study deeply defined the concrete roles of cuproptosis-related gene CDKN2A in tumorigenesis. The results provided new insights and pieces of evidence for treatment.
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Case Reports
Intranodal implantation of benign thyroid tissue as a late complication of ethanol ablation: A case report.
Ethanol ablation (EA) is recommended as the primary treatment for benign thyroid cysts and its use is increasing. Although complications, such as pain, hoarseness, and hematoma, have been reported after EA, implantation of benign thyroid tissue has not been previously reported. Here, we present a case of intranodal implantation of benign thyroid tissue as a late complication of EA. ⋯ Complicated EA may be associated with the dissemination of benign thyroid tissue into lymph nodes, with a confusing clinical presentation mimicking metastatic PTC. Radiologists and thyroid surgeons should consider the risk of intranodal implantation of benign thyroid tissue as a late complication of EA.
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The main histopathological types of anal fistula cancers are mucinous adenocarcinoma and tubular adenocarcinoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the histopathological type of an anal fistula cancer, and to investigate the relationship between ADC values and histopathological type (mucinous type or tubular carcinoma), clinical information, and surgical findings. We retrospectively identified 69 patients diagnosed with anal fistula cancer at our hospital from January 2013 to December 2021. ⋯ Furthermore, the median ADC was 1.62 × 10-3 mm2/s for tumors in Tis-T1-T2 stages and 2.01 × 10-3 mm2/s for T3-T4 tumors (P = .02). The ADC value in MR images may predict the histopathological type and depth of anal fistula cancers. Also, the different ADC values between Tis-T1-T2 and T3-T4 tumors could help predict the classification of progression.