BACKGROUND: Combined spinal epidural anesthesia (CSE) often produces a more extensive spinal block than expected. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of CSE on subarachnoid block in patients undergoing lower extremity surgery. METHODS: Thirty-three patients who undergone lower extremity surgeries were randomly allocated to three groups of 11 patients each. Using needle through needle technique, all patients received a subarachnoid injection of hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine 1.6~2.0 ml through a 25G Whitacre spinal needle. Group 1 received no extradural injection for 25min, but group 2 and 3 received extradural saline 10 ml and bupivacaine 10 ml 5min after the subarachnoid injection, respectively. Levels of sensory and motor block were assessed at 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, and 25 min after subarachnoid injection. RESULTS: The median values of maximum sensory block level were T7 in all groups. Levels of sensory blockade and the time to onset of maximum sensory blockade were similar among the three groups. There was no significant difference in the degree of motor block among three groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that extradural saline 10 ml or 0.5% bupivacaine 10 ml which injected 5min after subarachnoid injection does not significantly influence the level of subarachnoid block in lower extremity surgical patients. However, further study is required to declare the safety or optimal dose of extradural injection during CSE.
Anesthesia, Epidural* ; Bupivacaine ; Humans ; Injections, Epidural ; Lower Extremity* ; Needles

Adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic autoinflammatory disorder that presents with recurrent fever, extreme fatigue, and joint pain. Pulmonary involvement is not uncommon and, although rare, severe pneumonitis can progress to respiratory failure. Still's disease-associated pneumonitis is generally treated with immunosuppressive agents, but improvement in our understanding of systemic inflammatory processes led us to explore alternative agents. Anakinra is an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist used to treat autoinflammatory disorders resistant to immunosuppressive therapy. Several case reports have demonstrated efficacy of anakinra in treating AOSD, but its relevance in cases complicated with severe pneumonitis has not been examined. Our patient's disease activity was not controlled with systemic steroids and cyclophosphamide. Treatment with anakinra led to a dramatic clinical response. This is the first reported case of AOSD with severe pneumonitis refractory to conventional therapy successfully treated with anakinra.
Arthralgia ; Cyclophosphamide ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein* ; Interleukin-1 ; Pneumonia* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Steroids ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset*

No abstract available.
Lymphoma*

Anemia ; Bone Marrow ; Dentists ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Early Diagnosis ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leukemia ; Molar ; Mouth ; Pediatrics ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Tooth

BACKGROUND: The urine dipstick is widely used as an initial screening tool for the evaluation of proteinuria; however, its diagnostic accuracy has not yet been sufficiently evaluated. Therefore, we evaluated its diagnostic accuracy using spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) and total protein/creatinine ratio (PCR) in proteinuria. METHODS: Using PCR > or = 0.2g/g or > or = 0.5g/g and ACR > or = 300mg/g or > or = 30mg/g as the reference standard, we calculated the diagnostic accuracy profile: sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: PCR and ACR were available for 10,348 and 3,873 instances of dipstick testing. The proportions with PCR > or = 0.2g/g, > or = 0.5g/g and ACR > or = 300mg/g, > or = 30mg/g were 38.2%, 24.6% and 8.9%, 31.7%, respectively. The AUCs for PCR > or = 0.2g/g, > or = 0.5g/g, and ACR > or = 300mg/g were 0.935 (trace: closest to ideal point), 0.968 (1+), and 0.983 (1+), respectively. Both sensitivity and specificity were > 80% except for PCR > or = 0.5g/g with trace cutoff. For the reference standard of ACR > or = 30mg/g, the AUC was 0.797 (trace) and the sensitivity was 63.5%. CONCLUSION: Urine dipstick test can be used for screening in older outpatients with ACR > or = 300mg/g or PCR as the reference standard for proteinuria. However, we cannot recommend the test as a screening tool with ACR > or = 30mg/g as the reference owing to its low sensitivity.
Albuminuria ; Area Under Curve ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Outpatients* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proteinuria* ; Reagent Strips ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between cigarette smoking and total mortality, cancer mortality and other disease mortalities in Korean adults. METHODS: A total of 14 161 subjects of the Korean Multi-center Cancer Cohort who were over 40 years of age and who were cancer-free at baseline enrollment reported their lifestyle factors, including the smoking status. The median follow-up time was 6.6 years. During the follow-up period from 1993 to 2005, we identified 1159 cases of mortality, including 260 cancer mortality cases with a total of 91 987 person-years, by the national death certificate. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of cigarette smoking for total mortality, cancer mortality and disease-specific mortality, as adjusted for age, gender, the geographic area and year of enrollment, the alcohol consumption status, the education level and the body mass index (BMI). RESULTS: Cigarette smoking was significantly associated with an increased risk of total mortality, all-cancer mortality and lung cancer mortality (p-trend, <0.01, <0.01, <0.01, respectively). Compared to non-smoking, current smokers were at a higher risk for mortality [HR (95% CI)=1.3 (1.1-1.5) for total mortality; HR (95% CI)=1.6 (1.1-2.2) for all-cancer mortality; HR (95% CI)=3.9 (1.9-7.7) for lung cancer mortality]. CONCLUSIONS: This study's results suggest that cigarette smoking might be associated with total mortality, all-cancer mortality and especially lung cancer mortality among Korean adults.
Aged ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Life Style ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/mortality ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Smoking/*mortality

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between alcohol consumption habit, types of beverages, alcohol consumption quantity, and overall and cancer-specific mortality among Korean adults. METHODS: The alcohol consumption information of a total of 16 320 participants who were 20 years or older from the Korean Multi-center Cancer Cohort were analyzed to examine the association between alcohol consumption habit and mortality (median follow-up of 9.3 years). The Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of alcohol consumption to mortality adjusting for age, sex, geographic areas, education, smoking status, and body mass index. RESULTS: Alcohol drinkers showed an increased risk for total mortality compared with never drinkers (HR, 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38 to 2.14 for past drinkers; HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.39 for current drinkers), while past drinkers only were associated with higher risk for cancer deaths (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.34 to 2.53). The quantity of alcohol consumed per week showed a J-shaped association with risk of mortality. Relative to light drinkers (0.01 to 90 g/wk), never drinkers and heavy drinkers (>504 g/wk) had an increased risk for all-cause and cancer deaths: (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.45) and (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.83) for all-cause mortality; and (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.15 to 2.11) and (HR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.39 to 3.09) for all cancer mortality, respectively. Heavy drinkers (>504 g/wk) showed an elevated risk for death from stomach and liver cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The present study supports the existence of a J-shaped association between alcohol consumption quantity and the risk of all-cause and cancer deaths. Heavy drinkers had an increased risk of death from cancer overall and liver and stomach cancer.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking/adverse effects/*mortality ; Analysis of Variance ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/etiology/*mortality ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The predictive role of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) before performing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has not been determined. We assessed the possible predictive factors of CEUS for the response to TACE. METHODS: Seventeen patients with 18 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) underwent TACE. All of the tumors were studied with CEUS before TACE using a second-generation ultrasound contrast agent (SonoVue(R), Bracco, Milan, Italy). The tumor response to TACE was classified with a score between 1 and 4 according to the remaining enhancing-tumor percentage based on modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST): 1, enhancing tumor <25%; 2, 25%< or =enhancing tumor<50%; 3, 50%< or =enhancing tumor<75%; and 4, enhancing tumor> or =75%). A score of 1 was defined as a "good response" to TACE. The predictive factors for the response to TACE were evaluated during CEUS based on the maximum tumor diameter, initial arterial enhancing time, arterial enhancing duration, intensity of arterial enhancement, presence of a hypoenhanced pattern, and the feeding artery to the tumor. RESULTS: The median tumor size was 3.1 cm. The distribution of tumor response scores after TACE in all tumors was as follows: 1, n=11; 2, n=4; 3, n=2; and 4, n=1. Fifteen tumors showed feeding arteries. The presence of a feeding artery and the tumor size (< or =5 cm) were the predictive factors for a good response (P=0.043 and P=0.047, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a feeding artery and a tumor size of less than 5 cm were the predictive factors for a good response of HCC to TACE on CEUS.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology/therapy/*ultrasonography ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Contrast Media/*chemistry ; Doxorubicin/administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology/therapy/*ultrasonography ; Male ; Microspheres ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated the effects of sorafenib monotherapy on advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) in a clinical setting. METHODS: In total, 143 consecutive patients with unresectable HCC were treated with sorafenib. Among these patients, 30 patients with advanced HCC and PVTT (Vp3 or 4) were treated with sorafenib monotherapy. RESULTS: All patients had a performance status of 1 to 2 (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 1/2, 20/10) and Child-Pugh class A or B (A/B, 17/13). Eleven patients had modified Union for International Cancer Control stage IVA tumors, whereas 19 had stage IVB tumors. All patients had PVTT (Vp3, 6; Vp4, 24). Following sorafenib monotherapy, three patients (10.0%) had a partial response with PVTT revascularization, and nine (30.0%) had stable disease, with a disease control rate of 33.3%. The median overall survival was 3.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.70 to 3.50), and the median progression-free survival was 2.0 months (95% CI, 1.96 to 2.05). Fatigue and hand-foot skin reactions were the most troublesome side effects. CONCLUSIONS: A limited proportion of patients with advanced HCC and PVTT exhibited a remarkable outcome after sorafenib monotherapy, although the treatment results in this type of patient is extremely poor. Further studies to predict good responders to personalized therapy are warranted.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anorexia/chemically induced ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*drug therapy/pathology ; Diarrhea/chemically induced ; Disease-Free Survival ; Fatigue/chemically induced ; Female ; Hand-Foot Syndrome/etiology ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Neoplasms/*drug therapy/pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nausea/chemically induced ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Niacinamide/adverse effects/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Phenylurea Compounds/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Portal Vein/*pathology ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Venous Thrombosis/*drug therapy/pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To investigate the levels of COX-2 and VEGF expression in chronic hepatitis (CH), cirrhosis, and HCC. METHODS: The immunohistochemical expressions of COX-2 and VEGF were evaluated in tissues from patients with CH (n=95), cirrhosis (n=38), low-grade HCC (LG-HCC; n=6), and high-grade HCC (HG-HCC; n=29). RESULTS: The COX-2 expression scores in CH, cirrhosis, LG-HCC, and HG-HCC were 3.3+/-1.9 (mean+/-SD), 4.2+/-1.7, 5.5+/-1.0, and 3.4+/-2.4, respectively (CH vs. cirrhosis, P=0.016; CH vs. LG-HCC, P=0.008; LG-HCC vs. HG-HCC, P=0.004), and the corresponding VEGF expression scores were 0.9+/-0.8, 1.5+/-0.7, 1.8+/-0.9, and 1.6+/-1.1 (CH vs. cirrhosis, P<0.001; CH vs. LG-HCC, P=0.011; LG-HCC vs. HG-HCC, P=0.075). Both factors were correlated with the fibrosis stage in CH and cirrhosis (COX-2: r=0.427, P<0.001; VEGF: r=0.491, P<0.001). There was a significant correlation between COX-2 and VEGF in all of the tissue samples (r=0.648, P<0.001), and between high COX-2 and VEGF expression scores and survival (COX-2: P=0.001; VEGF: P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The expressions of both COX-2 and VEGF are significantly higher in cirrhosis and LG-HCC than in CH. High COX-2 and high VEGF expressions are associated with a high survival rate.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*metabolism/mortality/pathology ; Cyclooxygenase 2/*metabolism ; Female ; Hepatitis, Chronic/*metabolism/mortality/pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Cirrhosis/*metabolism/mortality/pathology ; Liver Neoplasms/*metabolism/mortality/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/*metabolism