No abstract available.
Cachexia* ; Sepsis*

External compression of the right ventricle (RV) due to a depressed sternum in patients with pectus excavatum is uncommon. Moreover, mid-RV obstruction-induced cachexia rarely occurs in patients with pectus excavatum. We report a case of cardiac cachexia caused by significant RV compression in a patient with pectus excavatum.
Cachexia ; Funnel Chest ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Sternum ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Right

No abstract available.
Cachexia* ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Heart Failure* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Infant*

We report here on an unusual case of a 73-year-old Korean female with sarcomatoid carcinoma. This tumor was composed of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and a malignant fibrous histiocytoma-like stroma. The CT imaging revealed a multiseptated heterogenous hypodense mass that was 15 cm in size. The mass was located in the body and tail of the pancreas, spleen and gastrosplenic area. The pathologic examination showed that the carcinomatous component was negative for vimentin, and the sarcomatous component was positive for vimentin and CD 68. The ultrastructural examination showed that both the carcinomatous and sarcomatous components had desmosomes at the cell-cell contact sites. The patient refused postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and she died of cachexia with generalized tumor extension about 3 months later. This report presents special data that can clarify the clinicopathological features and pathogenesis of this rare neoplasm.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Cachexia ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Desmosomes ; Female ; Humans ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Spleen ; Vimentin

We intended to describe a case of chaunocephalosis and morphological characteristics of its causative agent, Chaunocephalus ferox, recovered from an oriental white stork, Ciconia boyciana, in the Republic of Korea. An oriental white stork was referred to the Wildlife Center of Chungbuk in Korea in February 2014 for severe depression with cachexia and it died the next day. At necropsy, the stomach was severely expanded and 7 thick-walled nodules were observed in the upper part of the intestine. Although the stomach was filled with full of foreign materials, the intestine was almost empty. The nodules were globular and total 9 flukes were recovered. They were 8,030–8,091 μm in length and 3,318–3,333 μm in maximum width. Because the flukes had bulbous forebody with short narrow subcylindrical hindbody, 27 collar spines, and vitelline follicles not reaching to the posterior end, the specimens were identified as being C. ferox. The cyst formation induced thickening of the intestinal wall with narrowing of the lumen that could have contributed to the gastric impaction to the death of the host. This is the first described case of chaunocephalosis and its causative agent C. ferox found from an oriental white stork in Korea.
Cachexia ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Depression ; Intestines ; Korea* ; Republic of Korea ; Spine ; Stomach ; Trematoda ; Vitellins

OBJECTIVETo investigate cachexia in hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer and evaluate its impact on clinical outcomes.

METHODSBy analyzing the clinical data of 5118 hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer in Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University from January 2012 to December 2013, cachexia was investigated and clinical outcomes between cachexia patients and non-cachexia patients was compared.

RESULTSThe total cachexia rate of hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer was 15.7%(803/5118). The highest rate of cachexia was 34.0%(89/262) in patients with pancreatic cancer followed by gastric cancer 22.4%(261/1164), colon cancer 21.7%(146/672), and rectal cancer 20.1%(117/581). In cachexia group and non-cachexia group, the overall completion rate of radical resection was 67.1%(539/803) and 74.5%(3214/4315) respectively(P<0.05). Compared to the non-cachexia group, the cachexia group was associated with longer postoperative hospital stay [(11.5±6.2) d vs. (9.4±4.9) d, P<0.05], slower postoperative recovery of bowel function [(3.4±0.9) d vs. (3.2±0.8) d, P<0.05], longer postoperative time to intake of semifluid [(4.4±1.5) d vs. (3.9±1.1) d, P<0.05], and more postoperative complications within 28 days after radical surgery [8.9%(48/539) vs. 5.8%(186/3214), P<0.05]. After radical surgery, the ICU admission rate of the cachexia group [24.3%(131/539)] was higher than that of the non-cachexia group [20.1%(646/3214)] with significant difference(P<0.05). Compared to non-cachexia group, the reoperation rate [3.2%(17/539) vs. 1.5%(48/3214), P<0.05], ventilator support rate [8.0%(43/539)vs. 5.7%(184/3214), P<0.05] and mortality [2.4%(13/539) vs. 1.1%(35/3214), P<0.05] in the cachexia group were all significantly higher(all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCachexia is commen in patients with digestive system cancer. Cachexia has significant adverse effects on clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with digestive system cancer.

Cachexia ; etiology ; Colonic Neoplasms ; complications ; Defecation ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectal Neoplasms ; complications ; Reoperation ; Stomach Neoplasms ; complications

A case of total aganglionic intestine in a new born infant is presented with a review of literature. Persistent vomiting, abdominal distension, failure to pass meconeum since brith were manifested. All X-rays showed multiple fluid level suggesting intestinal obstruction. In spite of colostomy with meticulous medical care, the patient expired due to cachexia. Postmortem autopsy findings were complete abscence of Auerbach's plexuses in entire intestine including esophagus, stomach, small intestine and colon.
Autopsy ; Cachexia ; Colon ; Colostomy ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Infant ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intestine, Small ; Intestines* ; Myenteric Plexus ; Stomach ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: The study was aimed to review and understand the meaning of cancer cachexia. METHODS: Using the keywords "cachexia" and "cancer cachexia" 30 oncology research published from 1974 to 2009 were selected for the review. RESULTS: The mechanism of cancer cachexia has not been fully understood, but various pathogenesis appears to be involved in the development cachexia including altered metabolism of carbohydrate, lipid, and protein associated with cytokines and hormone. As a result, muscle strength, food intake and resting energy expenditure (REE) are reduced. Most medications for the treatment of cachexia show debating results except some drugs such as megace. Supportive care including nutritional education, nursing care, and social support are found another effective treatment options. CONCLUSION: The results of this study would help oncology nurses to understand the mechanism of cancer cachexia and its management.
Cachexia ; Cytokines ; Eating ; Education, Nursing ; Energy Metabolism ; Megestrol Acetate ; Muscle Strength

Sarcopenia, which is defined as a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and strength with aging, is an important risk factor in clinical medicine that is associated with mortality, and poor surgical and nonsurgical outcomes. Sarcopenia is now recognized as a multifactorial geriatric syndrome. Cachexia is defined as a metabolic syndrome with inflammation as the key feature, so cachexia can be an underlying condition of sarcopenia. Recently, cachexia has been defined as a complex metabolic syndrome associated with an underlying illness and characterized by the loss of muscle mass with or without a loss of fat mass. These two conditions overlap but are not the same. In clinical practice, many factors related to sarcopenia (decreased food intake, inactivity, and decreased hormones) are reported frequently in patients with cachexia. On the contrary, systemic inflammation, the core feature of cachexia, can also be present in apparently healthy older sarcopenic patients. This suggests that new therapeutic approaches, alone or in combination, may be appropriate in both conditions.
Aging ; Cachexia* ; Clinical Medicine ; Eating ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Mortality ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nutrition Therapy ; Risk Factors ; Sarcopenia*

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas is a rare tumor but demonstrated an aggressive biologic behavior. A 60-year- old man with huge cystic mass in epigastrium was admitted complaining of abdominal discomfort. Initially the cystic mass was diagnosed to pancreatic pseudocyst. An abdominal computed tomography on 1 month later demonstrated a more enlarged mass in the body of the pancreas with central necrosis, which was infiltrating posterior wall of the stomach. Near total pancreatectomy, splenectomy and total gastrectomy were done. The resection specimen composed of squamous cell carcinoma components with a small area of adenocarcinoma. The patient died of cachexia 4 months after the operation. We reported an unusual case of adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas which was a giant cystic mass with central degeneration and gastric infiltration.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cachexia ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; Splenectomy ; Stomach