Internal medicine
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Objective The prognosis of the patients who relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is poor, and therapeutic options are limited. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy and factors associated with the survival in patients with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who relapsed following allo-HSCT and were treated with donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) in real-world practice. Patients Twenty-nine patients with acute myeloid leukemia21, acute lymphoid leukemia4 or MDS4 were enrolled. ⋯ The overall survival rates at 1, 2 and 3 years after DLI were 41.4%, 37.9% and 30.3%, respectively. Molecular/cytogenetic relapse, a longer interval from HSCT to relapse, and concomitant chemotherapy with 5-azacytidine (Aza) were significantly associated with a relatively long survival following DLI. Conclusion These results indicated that DLI was beneficial for patients with acute leukemia or MDS who relapsed after allo-HSCT and suggested that DLI in combination with Aza for molecular or cytogenetic relapse might result in favorable outcomes.
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A 56-year-old man presented with a history of hypertension; clinically, the patient had primary aldosteronism (PA) and a 4-cm left adrenal tumor. The left adrenal glands, resected by adrenalectomy, also contained ectopic thyroid tissue (ETT). ⋯ This is the first case of adrenal ETT coexisting with APA, confirmed by steroid-converting enzyme expression. Further analyses using cumulative case data are required to clarify the correlation between adrenal ETT and APA.
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Review Case Reports
Hidden Bow Hunter's Syndrome Diagnosed Using Dynamic Cerebral Angiography and Successfully Treated with Spinal Surgery: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Hidden bow hunter's syndrome (HBHS) is a rare disease in which the vertebral artery (VA) occludes in a neutral position but recanalizes in a particular neck position. We herein report an HBHS case and assess its characteristics through a literature review. A 69-year-old man had repeated posterior-circulation infarcts with right VA occlusion. ⋯ Decompression of the VA successfully prevented stroke recurrence. HBHS should be considered in patients with posterior circulation infarction with an occluded VA at its lower vertebral level. Diagnosing this syndrome correctly is important for preventing stroke recurrence.
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A 77-year-old Japanese woman with mediastinal lymphadenopathy and uveitis was diagnosed with sarcoidosis. The bacterial flora in biopsied samples from mediastinal lymph nodes was analyzed using a clone library method with Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, and Streptococcus gordonii (52 of 71 clones) and Cutibacterium acnes (19 of 71 clones) were detected. No previous study has conducted a bacterial floral analysis using the Sanger method for the mediastinal lymph node in sarcoidosis, making this case report the first to document the presence of S. gordonii and C. acnes in the mediastinal lymph node of a patient with sarcoidosis.
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Objective The etiologies of diagnostic errors among internal medicine physicians are unclear. To understand the causes and characteristics of diagnostic errors through reflection by those involved in them. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using a web-based questionnaire in Japan in January 2019. ⋯ Conclusion Internists reported situational factors as a significant cause of diagnostic errors. Other factors, such as cognitive biases, were also evident, although the difference in clinical settings may have influenced the proportions of the etiologies of the errors that were observed. Furthermore, wrong, delayed, and missed diagnoses may have distinctive associated cognitive biases.