ABSTRACT
Sarcomatoid carcinoma is rarely diagnosed as gallbladder cancer. Its aggressive nature, due to the characteristics of both sarcoma and carcinoma, results in a poor prognosis. We report a case of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma in an 82-year-old male who was referred to our hospital for evaluation of gallbladder cancer observed on abdominopelvic computed tomography. The characteristics of the cancer were not confirmed after several imaging modalities. The surgically resected tumor was positive for both cytokeratin and vimentin as revealed via immunohistochemical staining, and a sarcomatoid carcinoma was finally diagnosed. The role of chemotherapy has not yet been identified. Therefore, radiation therapy is planned to reduce the risk of recurrence.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The type of payment is one of the important factors that has an effect on the health of employees, as a basic working condition. In the conventional research field of occupational safety and health, only the physical, chemical, biological, and ergonomic factors are treated as the main hazardous factors. Managerial factors and basic working conditions such as working hours and the type of payment are neglected. This paper aimed to investigate the association of the type of payment and the exposure to the various hazardous factors as an heuristic study. METHODS: The third Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute in 2011 was used for this study. Among the total sample of 50,032 economically active persons, 34,788 employees were considered for analysis. This study examined the relation between the three types of payment such as basic fixed salary and wage, piece rate, and extra payment for bad and dangerous working conditions and exposure to hazardous factors like vibration, noise, temperature, chemical contact, and working at very high speeds. Multivariate regression analysis was used to measure the effect of the type of payment on working hours exposed to hazards. RESULTS: The result showed that the proportion of employees with a basic fixed salary was 94.5%, the proportion with piece rates was 38.6%, and the proportion who received extra payment for hazardous working conditions was 11.7%. CONCLUSION: The piece rate was associated with exposure to working with tight deadlines and stressful jobs. This study had some limitations because KWCS was a cross-sectional survey.
Subject(s)
Humans , Academies and Institutes , Cross-Sectional Studies , Noise , Occupational Health , Salaries and Fringe Benefits , VibrationABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We retrospectively investigated the diagnostic performance of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/CT for cancer detection in asymptomatic health-check examinees. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study consisted of 5091 PET or PET/CT conducted as part of annual health examination at one hospital from March 1998 to February 2008. To find the incidence of cancers, medical records of the subjects were thoroughly reviewed for a follow-up period of one year. The patterns of formal readings of PET and PET/CT were analyzed to assess the sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection. The histopathology and stage of the cancers were evaluated in relation to the results of PET. RESULTS: Eighty-six cancers (1.7%) were diagnosed within one year after PET or PET/CT. When PET and PET/CT results were combined, the sensitivity was 48.8% and specificity was 81.1% for cancer detection. PET only had a sensitivity of 46.2% and a specificity of 81.4%, and PET/CT only had a sensitivity of 75.0% and a specificity of 78.5% respectively. There were no significant differences in cancer site, stage and histopathology between PET positive and PET negative cancers. In 19.3% of formal readings of PET and PET/CT, further evaluation to exclude malignancy or significant disease was recommended. Head and neck area and upper gastrointestinal tract were commonly recommended sites for further evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: PET and PET/CT showed moderate performance for detecting cancers in asymptomatic adults in this study. More experience and further investigation are needed to overcome limitations of PET and PET/CT for cancer screening.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Early Detection of Cancer , Follow-Up Studies , Head , Incidence , Medical Records , Neck , Positron-Emission Tomography , Reading , Retrospective Studies , Sensitivity and Specificity , Upper Gastrointestinal TractABSTRACT
Animal study was performed to determine the changes in rat lung permeability in hyperoxic condition. 3 groups of rats (n=8 each) were exposed to 100% oxygen for 24 hr(group 2), 48 hr(group 3) and 72 hr(group 4), respectively, and compared with control (group 1 at room air, n=8). The time course of development of solute flux was evaluated by the clearance of 99mTc-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetate ( 99mTc-DTPA) from the lung, Afterwards, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed to measure the concentration of albumin and determine the evidence of cell injury and inflammation in lung. BAL fluids were analyzed to determine several markers of cell injury and inflammation including total and differential cell counts, lactate dehydrogenase (LD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), extracellular potassium (K+) and globulin (total protein minus albumin). 99mTc-DTPA clearance was significantly increased by exposure for 48 hours of hyperoxia. Albumin concentration ratio (BAL albumin concentration divided by serum albumin concentration) was increased sharply after 48 hr. Significant changes in WBC counts and differential counts were not found until 48 hr of hyperoxia. Elevated LD concentration was observed at 48 hr and thereafter, and ALP, K+, and globulin concentration ratio (BAL globulin /serum globulin) was significantly high only in group 4. Mortality was not observed until 72 hr when 3 of 8 rats were dead. It is concluded that significant 99mTc-DTPA clearance, and cellular and biochemical findings of BAL could not be observed until 48 hr in rats exposed to 100 % oxygen.