Medicine
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Immunotherapy is a new treatment option for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, no study has investigated the efficacy and safety of sintilimab combined with nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (Nab-PTX) and platinum as first-line treatment for metastatic ESCC. In this retrospective study, eligible patients with metastatic ESCC were administered sintilimab plus Nab-PTX, cisplatin, or nedaplatin for up to 4 to 6 cycles. ⋯ No treatment-related deaths occurred in this study. The results of this study suggested that sintilimab combined with Nab-PTX and platinum in patients with metastatic ESCC had a significantly high ORR and encouraging mPFS and mOS. LDH was a potential marker for OS, and the safety profile was manageable.
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Fibrothecomas are benign ovarians tumors. These are solid sex-cord-stromal tumors, accounting for 1% to 4.7% of all ovarian neoplasms. Their recurrence rate is known to be only 2% following ovarian sparing local mass excision. We report an uncommon case of 2 pelviscopic resections of fibrothecomas originating from the left ovary with recurrence after 10 years in a 34-year-old woman. ⋯ Repetitive local mass excision appears to be an effective surgical option in women of reproductive age. Although there is a sufficient possibility of recurrence several years to decades after only mass excision, mass excision is more appropriate than total oophorectomy in women of childbearing age. Pelviscopic surgery is recommended.
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Thickened ligamentum flavum has been considered as a major cause of central lumbar spinal canal stenosis (CLSCS). Previous studies have demonstrated that ligamentum flavum thickness (LFT) is correlated with aging, degenerative spinal stenosis, and disc degeneration. Thus, hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum is a major cause of CLSCS, and measurement of LFT has been considered a morphologic parameter in the diagnosis of CLSCS. ⋯ Regarding the validity of both CLFT and LLFT as predictors of CLSCS, a receiver operating characteristic estimation revealed that the most suitable cutoff value for CLFT was 3.10 mm, with sensitivity of 95.0%, specificity of 94.2%, and an area under the curve of 0.97. The best cut-off value of LLFT was 2.92 mm, with sensitivity of 78.2%, specificity of 77.7%, and area under the curve of 0.87. We have 4 important new findings: The mean CLFT is significantly lower than that of the mean LLFT in the normal control group; CLFT and LLFT are both significantly associated with CLSCS; Increase rate of CLFT is faster than that of LLFT in the CLSCS group; and CLFT is a more sensitive measurement parameter to predict CLSCS than LLFT.
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Point-of-care tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antigen detection have been widely used for rapid diagnosis in various settings. However, research on the diagnostic performance of the COVID-19 antigen test performed by non-laboratory personnel is limited. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the diagnostic performance of GenBody COVID-19 rapid antigen between laboratory professionals and non-laboratory staff. ⋯ The diagnostic performance of GenBody COVID-19 rapid antigen performed by non-laboratory staff was comparable to that of laboratory professionals. However, it should be noted that the sensitivity of the antigen tests decreased when the PCR Ct value exceeded 25. Overall, the GenBody COVID-19 antigen test is a viable option for non-laboratory staff during an epidemic.
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Hip fracture in the elderly patient population, particularly the Korean patient cohort, is one of the most serious complications of osteoporosis and currently increasing alongside age. In this study, we attempted to identify various factors that could either indicate the risk for an intertrochanteric or femoral neck fracture in an osteoporotic Korean hip fracture patient cohort ≥ 65 years old. A retrospective analysis of 168 patients was performed for those who underwent surgical treatment for either an intertrochanteric or femoral neck fracture at Daegu Catholic University Medical Center from January 2013 to December 2015. ⋯ Additionally, Z-scores for the intertrochanteric fracture group were lower in the trochanter (P = .030), intertrochanteric (P = .029), and Ward's triangle (P = .029) regions. Regarding the intertrochanteric fracture group, the A3 subgroup showed lower T-scores of the trochanteric region than the A1 fracture subgroup (P = .010). In an elderly Korean hip patient cohort, lower body weight, BMI, and BMD Z-scores are correlated with a higher incidence of intertrochanteric fractures when compared to femoral neck hip fractures.