Internal medicine
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Bronchoscopy using radial-endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) and virtual bronchoscopic navigation (VBN) is a promising method for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions. We previously performed a randomized comparative trial (RCT) (i.e., VBN combined with EBUS RCT) involving patients with 30-mm or smaller peripheral pulmonary lesions and found that the addition of VBN to R-EBUS improved the diagnostic yield. In the present study, we performed a retrospective subanalysis in order to identify patients for whom VBN is useful. ⋯ VBN improves the diagnostic yield when combined with R-EBUS to assess lesions exhibiting involved bronchi on CT images.
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Deciduoid mesothelioma is a rare variant of epithelioid mesothelioma. We experienced the case of a 73-year-old man with asbestos exposure who was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma with deciduoid features. ⋯ Cells with deciduoid features had mostly disappeared, and spindle cells markedly proliferated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first autopsy case of malignant pleural mesothelioma with deciduoid features that exhibited a response to chemotherapy.
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Case Reports
A Rare Case of Variant Hemoglobin (Hb Yahata) Suspected Based on Inconsistent Plasma Glucose and HbA1c Levels.
A 52-year-old man presented for an evaluation of worsening glycemic control secondary to glucocorticoid administration. The glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level was 8%, and oral glucose tolerance testing revealed impaired tolerance, whereas the plasma glucose and glycoalbumin levels were normal. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for HbA1c, isoelectrofocusing of the hemolysate and precise HPLC measurements of the HbA1c level supported the presence of an Hb variant, and DNA sequencing of the β-globin gene revealed Hb Yahata [β112 TGT (Cys)→TAT (Tyr)] (heterozygote). In this case, the discrepancy between the plasma glucose and HbA1c levels raised suspicion of this rare Hb variant.
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This study was conducted to determine whether a policy of not attempting to resuscitate patients who are 80 years of age and older with cardiopulmonary arrest on arrival is justifiable. ⋯ Even patients 80 years of age and older can be resuscitated to spontaneous circulation. We do not endorse a policy that recommends not performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation based solely on the age of the patient.
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It is well known that people with Down's syndrome (DS) frequently complicate with congenital heart diseases (CHDs). Patients with heart diseases often have sleep-disordered breathing as a co-morbidity (SDB) which worsens the heart diseases. However, the relationship between SDB and CHDs in DS people has not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to establish the association between SDB and CHDs in DS people using data from a large nationwide questionnaire survey in Japan. ⋯ SDB prevailed among DS people with severe CHDs, such as tetralogy of Fallot. Careful attention to the signs of SDB in such patients may lead to earlier clinical intervention removing the vicious cycle between SDB and CHDs.