PURPOSE: Angiosarcoma is a tumor of mesenchymal origin with an extremely high rate of metastasis and invasiveness. This tumor is notorious for its very poor prognosis, although surgical excision followed by radiation therapy is considered to be effective by many. The authors experienced three angiosarcoma patients with their tumors removed and wounds covered with split-thickness skin grafts and/or latissimus dorsi free flaps. METHODS: Three patients were admitted to our hospital showed plaques of different morphology. Based on their medical records, these patients were classified by sex, age, type of reconstruction, recurrence, and further treatment after surgical removal. RESULTS: All patients were male, with a mean age of 72 years (range, 66 to 77 years). Split-thickness skin grafts with latissimus dorsi free flaps were performed on two cases, and of these two cases, cervical lymph node biopsy was done in one case, and radical neck dissection was done in the other. In all cases, radiation therapy was done within two weeks of tumor removal. Distant metastasis occurred without local recurrence in two of the cases. Lung was the first organ affected by metastasis. In the remaining case, the tumor recurred locally 6 times, and additional excision was necessary. All patients died due to local recurrence and lung metastasis. CONCLUSION: Irregular margins and high recurrence and metastasis rates cause a poor prognosis in large angiosarcoma of the scalp. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy should be strongly considered in large angiosarcomas.
Biopsy ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Hemangiosarcoma ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Medical Records ; Neck Dissection ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Scalp ; Skin ; Transplants

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of type D personality on cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation rates and the effect of a short-term CR program. METHODS: Study participants included patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients completed the Type D personality Scale (DS-14) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at program entry. Subjects were recommended participation in 6 weeks of CR exercise training. Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) was conducted before and after completion of the training. CR participation refers to completion of the 6-week CR exercise program and performance of the secondary CPET. Drop-out refers to the subjects who were unable to participate in the 6-week CR exercise program or to perform the secondary CPET. RESULTS: At baseline, type D personality was evident in 21 of 63 patients (33.3%). Type D patients were more often depressed (57.1%) and anxious (38.1%) than non-type D patients (31.0% and 9.5%, respectively). At baseline, participants with type D personality showed a decreased body mass index (24.6 vs. 26.1 kg/m², p=0.025). The type D group displayed a lower CR participation rate (5/21, 23.8%) compared with the non-type D group of (22/42, 52.4%). Logistic regression analysis revealed the association of type D personality with CR drop-out rate (odds ratio=3.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–12.5; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Type D personality was independently associated with drop-out from CR program and with significantly higher levels of anxiety and depressive mood.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Anxiety ; Body Mass Index ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Depression ; Exercise Test ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Rehabilitation* ; Type D Personality*

Mycobacterium fortuitum usually causes colonization or transient infection in patients with underlying lung disease, such as prior tuberculosis or bronchiectasis. The majority of these patients may not need to receive antibiotic therapy for M. fortuitum isolates. We report here on a patient with M. fortuitum lung disease and who was successfully treated with combination oral antibiotic therapy. A 53-year-old woman was referred to our institution because of purulent sputum and dyspnea. A chest radiograph and computed tomography scan revealed cavitary consolidation in the left upper lobe and multiple small cavities in the left lower lobe. Numerous acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were seen in multiple sputum specimens and M. fortuitum was identified by culture from the sputum specimens. The patient received antibiotic treatment including clarithromycin, ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole, because her symptoms were worsening despite conservative treatment. Sputum conversion was achieved after one month of antibiotic therapy. Both the patient's symptoms and radiographic findings improved after 10 months of antibiotic therapy.
Bronchiectasis ; Ciprofloxacin ; Clarithromycin ; Colon ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium ; Mycobacterium fortuitum ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ; Sputum ; Sulfamethoxazole ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: The melanoma antigen-encoding (MAGE) genes are known to be expressed in various cancer cells, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and are silent in all normal tissues except for the testis. In patients with peripheral NSCLC, bronchial washing fluid can be used to detect the MAGE genes, suggesting a diagnosis of lung cancer. In order to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the MAGE test in patients with peripheral NSCLC, bronchial washing fluid was investigated in patients with peripheral pulmonary nodules, which were invisible as detected by bronchoscopy. METHODS: Bronchial washing fluid from 37 patients was used for cytological examinations and MAGE gene detection, using RT-nested-PCR of common A1-A6 mRNA. Results were compared to a final diagnosis of patients as confirmed by pathology. RESULTS: Among the 37 subjects, NSCLC was diagnosed in 21 patients, and benign pulmonary diseases were diagnosed in 16 patients. MAGE mRNA was detected in 10 of 21 (47.6%) NSCLC patients, while conventional cytology examinations were positive for MAGE expression in 2 of 21 (9.5%) cases. MAGE expression was observed in 4 of 16 (25%) benign pulmonary disease patients. CONCLUSION: The MAGE test of bronchial washing fluid can be used as a sensitive predictor of peripheral NSCLC patients.
Bronchoscopy ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Neoplasms ; Melanoma ; RNA, Messenger ; Testis

Mycobacterium abscessus is the second most common etiology of pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria in Korea. Although antimicrobial susceptibility tests are important for appropriate patient management in M. abscessus lung disease, the tests have never been investigated in Korea. Seventy-four isolates of M. abscessus recovered from patient respiratory samples were tested against eight antimicrobial agents following the guidelines set forth by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. Of the parenteral antibiotics, amikacin (99%, 73/74) and cefoxitin (99%, 73/74) were active against most isolates. Imipenem (55%, 36/66) and tobramycin (36%, 27/74) had activity against moderate number of isolates. Of the oral antibiotics, clarithromycin (91%, 67/74) was active against the majority of isolates. Moxifloxacin (73%, 54/74) and ciprofloxacin (57%, 42/74) had activity against a moderate number of isolates. Doxycycline was the least active, inhibiting only 7% (5/74) of isolates. In conclusion, the variations in susceptibility within M. abscessus isolates to currently available antimicrobials suggest that the antimicrobial susceptibilities of any clinically significant M. abscessus isolate be needed individually.
Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Humans ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of hemato-oncology (HMO) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) is poor and predicting the mortality is important for decision making at the time of ICU admission and for administering aggressive treatment. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 309 patients who were admitted to the medical ICU (MICU) at Samsung Medical Center from July in 2005 to June in 2006. We calculated their Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score at the time of ICU admission and we investigated the relationship between the two scoring systems and the hospital mortality. RESULTS: Among the 309 patients, the hospital mortality was 41.2%, and the mean SAPS II/SOFA score at ICU admission was 45.4 +/- 19.5/8.1 +/- 4.6. Seventy-nine (25.6%) patients had hemato-oncological diseases. Their hospital mortality was 65.8%, and the mean SAPS II/SOFA score at the time of ICU admission was 53.9 +/- 18.6/9.7 +/- 4.4, which was higher than that of the non-HMO patients (p = 0.00). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the SAPS II/SOFA score for predicting the mortality was 0.794 +/- 0.05/0.785 +/- 0.051 (p = 0.00/p = 0.00) for the HMO patients. There was no significant difference in discrimination ability between the two scoring systems (p > 0.05). None of the HMO patients with a SAPS II/SOFA score of 70/14 or higher survived. CONCLUSIONS: Both the SAPS II and SOFA scores at the time of ICU admission were similarly effective for predicting the hospital mortality. The two scoring systems could be useful tools for decision making at the time of ICU admission and for administering aggressive treatment.
Decision Making ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Health Maintenance Organizations ; Hematology ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve