A 44-year-old male was followed-up with esophagogastroduodenoscopy due to an esophageal submucosal tumor. On the lesser curvature of the gastric low body, a 0.5 cm sized round elevated lesion with hyperemia was noticed. Two pieces of biopsy were taken from this lesion for histopathologic examination. Histology showed Langerhans cell infiltration. Immunohistochemical staining was positive for CD1a antigen, which confirmed the diagnosis of Langerhans cell histiocytosis. There was no evidence of other organ involvement. The lesions spontaneously disappeared 4 months later without any treatment. We report a very rare case of gastric Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell* ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Male ; Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous ; Stomach

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature for application of intranasal sodium citrate in the patients with olfactory dysfunction to help determine the sodium citrate treatments for this condition. Two authors independently searched the data base (Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane database) for relevant studies from inception to January 2018. Included studies were randomized controlled studies published in English comparing topical sodium citrate application (treatment group) with saline (control group) in patients who had olfactory dysfunction. Outcomes of interest included the change of olfactory identification and threshold during 2 hours post-treatment. Three studies were enrolled in the meta-analysis. Compared with control group, treatment group did not increase posttreatment score of olfactory identification [standardized mean difference (SMD)=-0.03; 95% confidence interval (CI)=-0.29-0.24; I²=0%] and olfactory threshold (SMD=0.18; 95% CI=-0.09-0.45; I²=0%) significantly. In the degree of pre-post improvement of two outcomes, although treatment group statistically showed the significant improvement in olfactory threshold (SMD=0.30; 95% CI=0.05-0.55; I²=17%), the clinical significance of this outcome was meaningless. Similarly, there was no significant difference in olfactory identification between two groups (SMD=0.17; 95% CI=-0.11-0.45; I²=22%). Unlike the recent favorable results, our summated results presented the uselessness for the local application of sodium citrate in improving patient's olfactory function. However, we also had some limitation such as small sample size and inconsistent application methods. Therefore, larger trials and standardized methodology are needed to reach more stronger and exact results.
Citric Acid ; Humans ; Sample Size ; Sodium

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature for application of intranasal sodium citrate in the patients with olfactory dysfunction to help determine the sodium citrate treatments for this condition. Two authors independently searched the data base (Medline, Scopus, and the Cochrane database) for relevant studies from inception to January 2018. Included studies were randomized controlled studies published in English comparing topical sodium citrate application (treatment group) with saline (control group) in patients who had olfactory dysfunction. Outcomes of interest included the change of olfactory identification and threshold during 2 hours post-treatment. Three studies were enrolled in the meta-analysis. Compared with control group, treatment group did not increase posttreatment score of olfactory identification [standardized mean difference (SMD)=-0.03; 95% confidence interval (CI)=-0.29-0.24; I²=0%] and olfactory threshold (SMD=0.18; 95% CI=-0.09-0.45; I²=0%) significantly. In the degree of pre-post improvement of two outcomes, although treatment group statistically showed the significant improvement in olfactory threshold (SMD=0.30; 95% CI=0.05-0.55; I²=17%), the clinical significance of this outcome was meaningless. Similarly, there was no significant difference in olfactory identification between two groups (SMD=0.17; 95% CI=-0.11-0.45; I²=22%). Unlike the recent favorable results, our summated results presented the uselessness for the local application of sodium citrate in improving patient's olfactory function. However, we also had some limitation such as small sample size and inconsistent application methods. Therefore, larger trials and standardized methodology are needed to reach more stronger and exact results.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on suicide attempts and suicide deaths in South Korea, focusing on age and sex differences. Methods: We analyzed the monthly number of suicide attempts and suicide deaths during pre-pandemic (January 2016–February 2020) and pandemic (March–December 2020) periods using nationally representative databases. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis and calculated the relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI), categorizing subjects into adolescents (<18), young adults (18–29), middle-aged (30–59), and older adults (≥60). Results: During the pandemic, the number of suicide attempts abruptly declined in adolescents (RR [95% CI] level change: 0.58 [0.45–0.75]) and older adults (RR [95% CI] level change: 0.74 [0.66–0.84]). In older males, there was a significant rebound in the suicide attempt trend (RR [95% CI] slope change: 1.03 [1.01–1.05]). The number of suicide deaths did not change among age/sex strata significantly except for older males. There was a brief decline in suicide deaths in older males, while the trend showed a following increase with marginal significance (RR [95% CI] level change: 0.76 [0.66–0.88], slope change: 1.02 [1.00–1.04]). Conclusion This study suggests the heterogeneous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide attempts and suicide deaths across age and sex strata in South Korea. These findings highlight the need for more targeted mental health interventions, given the observed trends in suicide attempts and suicide deaths during the pandemic.

Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is commonly presented with hypertension and chronic kidney disease. We report a rare case of RAS occurring in a 78-year-old man who presented with nephrotic-range proteinuria. Renal biopsy on the left side was performed, and results showed mesangiopathic glomerulonephritis, which was not compatible with the cause of nephrotic-range proteinuria. Proteinuria was decreased by angiotensin receptor blocker, but azotemia was aggravated. Therefore, angiotensin receptor blocker was discontinued inevitably and thorough evaluation for the possibility of RAS was performed. Computed tomography angiography revealed significant RAS on the left side and a renal artery stent was inserted. After stenting, aortic dissection developed and progressed despite tight control of blood pressure. After inserting another stent graft through the true lumen of the left renal artery, the patient's renal function and proteinuria improved markedly.
Aged ; Angiography ; Angioplasty ; Angiotensins ; Azotemia ; Biopsy ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Proteinuria* ; Renal Artery Obstruction* ; Renal Artery* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Stents

Metastases to skeletal muscle and paraneoplastic syndromes involving beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) production are an extremely rare manifestation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We report a patient with a beta-HCG-secreting squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with diffuse metastases involving skeletal muscle. A 47 year old female, who was being treated heavily with palliative chemotherapy for metastatic tongue cancer, was admitted with a palpable thigh mass and pain. A magnetic resonance image showed an intramuscular metastasis in the thigh. Ultrasound-guided biopsy of the thigh mass confirmed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. She was scheduled for enrollment into a clinical trial; however, a positive serum beta-HCG test was noticed. There was no evidence of pregnancy or a trophoblastic or non-trophoblastic tumor secreting beta-HCG. Finally, she was revealed to have a paraneoplastic syndrome with diffuse metastases and was ultimately referred for palliative care. We review the literature of previously reported cases of an increase of beta-HCG in patients with head and neck cancer.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Head ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Palliative Care ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes ; Pregnancy ; Thigh ; Tongue Neoplasms* ; Tongue* ; Trophoblasts

We evaluated the effect of silicone stent use during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy on postoperative morbidities in comparison with versus without a silicone stent. Two authors independently searched six databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, the Web of Science, the Cochrane library, and Google Scholar) from inception of article collection to July 2017. The analysis included prospective randomized studies that compared intraoperative silicone stent insertion (silicone group) with no application of a silicone stent (control group), in which the outcomes of interest were success rate (lacrimal passage patent check with syringing, symptom relief, or endoscopic confirmation of fluorescein dye from the opening of Hasner's valve) and morbidities (e.g., postoperative bleeding, rhinostomy closure, granulation tissue, synechia, and eyelid problems) after certain follow-up periods (over 10 weeks). Nine studies involving a total of 587 participants were included. Functional success rates tended to be higher in the silicone group than in the control, but there was no statistically significant difference in success rates (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.77 to 2.73). According to the surgical type such as mucosal removal and mucosal flap surgery, the results from types didn't demonstrate any significant effect, but the mucosal flap technique seemed to be more beneficial. Regarding postoperative morbidities, although the outcomes of the groups did not present any statistically significant difference, eyelid problems and postoperative bleeding tended to occur more frequently in the silicone group, but rhinostomy closure tended to occur more frequently in the control group. Success and morbidity rates showed no difference between the silicone stent group and control group in the meta-analysis. However, additional analyses revealed that the success rate of endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy using silicone intubation with mucosal flap has shown an improving trend, and morbidities such as granulation and synechia showed decreasing trends compared with the group without silicone intubation.
Dacryocystorhinostomy* ; Eyelids ; Fluorescein ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granulation Tissue ; Hemorrhage ; Intubation ; Prospective Studies ; Silicon* ; Silicones* ; Stents* ; Treatment Outcome*

Purpose: To determine seasonal variations in serum potassium levels among hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: This was a multicenter cohort study of patients whounderwent hemodialysis and were registered in DialysisNet at our four associated general hospitals between January and December 2016. Month-to-month potassium variability was quantified as SD/√{n/(n-1)}, and a non-hierarchical method was used to cluster groups according to potassium trajectories. Seasonal variations in potassium levels were analyzed using a cosinor analysis. Results: The analysis was performed on 279 patients with a mean potassium level of 5.08±0.58 mmol/L. After clustering, 52.3% (n=146) of patients were included in the moderate group (K+ , 4.6±0.4 mmol/L) and 47.7% (n=133) in the high group (K+ , 5.6±0.4 mmol/L). The mean potassium level peaked in January in the moderate group (4.83±0.74 mmol/L) and in August in the high group (5.51±0.70 mmol/L). In the high potassium group, potassium levels were significantly higher in summer than in autumn (p<0.001) and spring (p=0.007). Month-to-month potassium variability was greater in the high group than in the moderate group (0.59±0.19 mmol/L vs. 0.52±0.21 mmol/L, respectively, p=0.012). Compared to patients in the first quartile of potassium variability (≤0.395 mmol/L), those with higher variability (2nd–4th quartiles) were 2.8–4.2 fold more likely to be in the high potassium group. Conclusion Different seasonal patterns of serum potassium were identified in the moderate and high potassium groups, with potassium levels being significantly higher in the summer season in the high potassium group and in winter for the moderate potassium group.

Objective: Although nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the first-line treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), their effect on kidney function remains unclear. This longitudinal study investigated the correlation between long-term NSAID use and kidney function in patients with AS using electronic medical records. Methods: The electronic medical records of 1,280 patients with AS collected from a single center between January 2001 and December 2018 were reviewed. The Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) NSAID Intake Score was used to determine the cumulative dose of all NSAIDs prescribed for a different time intervals. Each ASAS NSAID Intake Score was obtained for intervals of 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years, and 10 years. The correlation between the ASAS NSAID Intake Score and final estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for each interval was investigated. Results: The mean ASAS Intake Scores for 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year intervals were 55.30, 49.28, 44.84, 44.14, 44.61, and 41.17, respectively. At each interval, the pearson correlation coefficients were −0.018 (95% CI: −0.031 to −0.006, p=0.004), −0.021 (95% CI: −0.039 to −0.004, p=0.018), −0.045 (95% CI: −0.071 to −0.019, p=0.001), −0.069 (95% CI: −0.102 to −0.037, p<0.001), −0.070 (95% CI: −0.114 to −0.026, p=0.002), −0.019 (95% CI: −0.099 to 0.062, p=0.645), respectively. There was a very weak negative relationship between ASAS Intake Score and eGFR at each interval. Conclusion Long-term NSAID use did not correlate with kidney function based on real-world data in patients with AS.

Background: The associations between thyroid cancer and skeletal outcomes have not been thoroughly investigated. We aimed to investigate the risk of osteoporotic fractures in patients with thyroid cancer compared to that in a matched control group. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 2,514 patients with thyroid cancer and 75,420 matched controls from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC, 2006–2019). The rates of osteoporotic fractures were analyzed, and associations with the levothyroxine dose were evaluated. Results: Patients with thyroid cancer had a significantly lower risk of fracture than did the control group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69 to 0.94; P=0.006). Patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer after the age of 50 years (older cancer group) had a significantly lower risk of fracture than did those in the control group (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.6 to 0.85; P<0.001), especially those diagnosed with spinal fractures (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.85; P=0.001). Patients in the older cancer group started osteoporosis treatment earlier than did those in the control group (65.5±7.5 years vs. 67.3±7.6 years, P<0.001). Additionally, a lower dose of levothyroxine was associated with a reduced risk of fractures. Conclusion In the clinical setting, the risk of fracture in women diagnosed with thyroid cancer after the age of 50 years was lower than that in the control group, which was caused by more proactive osteoporosis treatment in postmenopausal women with thyroid cancer.