We report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma presented with severe hypoglycemia. Computerized tomography and ultrasonography revealed a massive bilateral tumor with portal vein thrombosis. The levels of IGF-I (113 ng/mL) and IGFBP- (815 ng/mL) measured in the plasma, were lower than normal range. There was strong immunoreactivity of IGF- and IGF-I in immunohistochemical stain of tumor cells.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Carrier Proteins* ; Fibrinogen* ; Hypoglycemia* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Plasma ; Reference Values ; Ultrasonography ; Venous Thrombosis

Gastric tuberculosis is a rare disease and is usually secondary to pulmonary or intestinal tuberculosis. Only a few cases of gastric tuberculosis have been reported in the literature. In most cases, gastric tuberculosis exists as an ulcerating lesion, whereby the clinical symptom is non-specific and similar to that of a peptic ulcer. The diagnosis af gastric tuberculosis is based on either positive histological or bacteriological study. Submucasal tumors resembling gastric tuberculosis has been reported extremely rare in incidence. In this study we report a case of a young woman admitted with intermittent abdominal pain due to gastric tuberculosis presenting as submucosal tumor in the greater curvature of the lower body. After gastric resection, a histological examination revealed chronic granulomatous inflammation with caseation necrosis which is consistent with tuberculosis. There was no evidence of the tuberculous lesion anywhere else. The patient was put on antituberculosis medications. The patient's follow-up observation in the clinic was uneventful.
Abdominal Pain ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Necrosis ; Peptic Ulcer ; Rare Diseases ; Tuberculosis* ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: Granisetron, a new 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, was reported as a highly effective antiemetics, especially in combination with dexamethasone, in the prevention of acute emesis induced by cisplatin. But there is lack of data about effectiveness in the prevention of delayed emesis. In this study, the efficacy of granisetron plus dexamethasone in the prevention of delayed emesis induced by cisplatin was evaluated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients who were to receive high-dose cisplatin containing chemotherapy regimen were enrolled in this study. They were received 20 mg of dexamethasone and 3 mg of granisetron at 30 min and 10 minutes prior to cisplatin infusion, respectively. They were monitored for 5 days, first 24 hours for acute nausea/ vomiting and the subsequent 4 days for delayed nausea/vomiting. Antiemetic effect of granisetron was evaluated according to the criteria of Italian Group of Antiemetic Research. RESULTS: Control of delayed nausea and vomiting was achieved in 58% and 84%, respectively. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was a statistically significant prognostic factor for control of acute vomiting and delayed nausea/vomiting. There were no stastically significant differences between control of delayed nausea/ vomiting and other prognostic factors, including sex, age, and prior history of cisplatin therapy. The antiemetic effect was greater in the patients who had controled acute nausea/ vomiting than those who had not. CONCLUSION: Granisetron plus dexamethasone is an excellent regimen in the control of not only acute emesis but also delayed emesis induced by high-dose cisplatin chemotherapy.
Antiemetics ; Cisplatin ; Dexamethasone* ; Drug Therapy ; Granisetron* ; Humans ; Nausea* ; Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3 ; Serotonin ; Vomiting*

Background/Aims: The gut microbiota regulates intestinal immune homeostasis through host-microbiota interactions. Multiple factors affect the gut microbiota, including age, sex, diet, and use of drugs. In addition, information on gut microbiota differs depending on the samples.The aim of this study is to investigate whether changes in cecal microbiota depend on aging. Methods: Gut microbiota in cecal contents of 6-, 31-, and 74-week-old and 2-year-old male Fischer-344 rats (corresponding to 5-, 30-, 60-, and 80-year-old humans in terms of age) were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA metagenome sequencing and phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes orthology.Moreover, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) level in cecum and inflammation related factors were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Alpha and beta diversity did not change significantly with age. At the family level, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, which produce SCFAs, showed significant change in 31-week-old rats: Lachnospiraceae significantly increased at 31 weeks of age, compared to other age groups, while Ruminococcaceae decreased. Butyrate levels in cecum were significantly increased in 31-week-old rats, and the expression of inflammation related genes was increased followed aging. Especially, EU622775_s and EU622773_s, which were highly abundance species in 31-week-old rats, showed significant relationship with butyrate concentration. Enzymes required for producing butyrate—acetyl-CoA transferase, butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase, and butyrate kinase—were not predicted by PICRUSt. Conclusions Major bacterial taxa in the cecal lumen, such as Lachnospiraceae, well-known SCFAs-producing family, changed in 31-week-old rats.Moreover, unknown species EU622775_s and EU622773_s showed strong association with cecal butyrate level at 31 weeks of age.

BACKGROUND: Because conventional echocardiographic parameters have several limitations, strain echocardiography has often been introduced in clinical practice. However, there are also obstacles in using it in clinical practice. Therefore, we wanted to find the current status of awareness on using strain echocardiography in Korea. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide survey to evaluate current use and awareness of strain echocardiography from the members of the Korean Society of Echocardiography. RESULTS: We gathered total 321 questionnaires from 25 cardiology centers in Korea. All participants were able to perform or interpret echocardiographic examinations. All participating institutions performed strain echocardiography. Most of our study participants (97%) were aware of speckle tracking echocardiography and 185 (58%) performed it for clinical and research purposes. Two-dimensional strain echocardiography was the most commonly used modality and left ventricle (LV) was the most commonly used cardiac chamber (99%) for clinical purposes. Most of the participants (89%) did not think LV strain can replace LV ejection fraction (LVEF) in their clinical practice. The common reasons for not performing routine use of strain echocardiography was diversity of strain measurements and lack of normal reference value. Many participants had a favorable view of the future of strain echocardiography. CONCLUSION: Most of our study participants were aware of strain echocardiography, and all institutions performed strain echocardiography for clinical and research purposes. However, they did not think the LV strain values could replace LVEF. The diversity of strain measurements and lack of normal reference values were common reasons for not using strain echocardiography in clinical practice.
Cardiology ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Ventricles ; Korea* ; Reference Values