Surgical resection of liver metastasis of leiomyosarcoma

PURPOSE: Intra-abdominal leiomyosarcoma is an uncommon malignant tumor, and its standard treatment is surgical resection. However, there is no generally preferred treatment for its metastatic mass, especially in the liver.METHODS: According to the sarcoma registry, 476 patients were diagnosed as leiomyosarcoma and received treatment in Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. And from 2003 to 2015, surgical resections of liver metastases were performed in 10 patients with leiomyosarcoma. The characteristics and short-term results were documented.RESULTS: Of the 10 patients, the median age was 48 years and the median survival period was 34.2 months. The mean period from primary resection to liver metastasis was 12.9 months. Six patients had a single metastatic mass, and four had multiple nodules. One patient had an additional distant metastasis outside of the liver. Eight patients had a partial hepatectomy, and the others were treated using segmentectomy or lobectomy. Two patients (20%) died during follow-up. Four patients showed metastasis to other organs after surgical resection of the liver.CONCLUSION: Intra-abdominal leiomyosarcoma with liver metastasis is a very rare disease. Long-term survival can be achieved after surgical resection and should be considered for all patients.

Association between asthma and depression in Korean adults

PURPOSE: Asthma is one of the most common allergic diseases in which depression is an important comorbidity. However, little is known about the prevalence of depression in Korean adult asthmatics. This study was performed to evaluate the association between asthma and depression and to investigate the clinical characteristics of Korean adult asthmatics with depression. METHODS: Data were acquired from 18,066 men and women, aged older than 19 years who participated in the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, which was conducted from 2010 to 2012. The presence of asthma was based on self-reported physician diagnosis of asthma in the Health Interview Surveys. RESULTS: The prevalence of asthma was 3.2%, and that of depression was 4.2%. In univariate analysis, adults with asthma were old age, marital status, unemployment, low education, low monthly family income, low number of household members, obesity (P<0.05) were significantly associated with asthma, but sex, residence area, and smoking status were not associated with asthma. The prevalence of hypertension and depression were higher in asthmatics (P<0.05), while diabetes mellitus was not associated with asthma. After adjustment for age, marital status, number of household members, monthly family income, body mass index, hypertension, unemployment, low educated status, and depression were associated with the higher prevalence of asthma (P<0.01). Depression was associated with female sex, unemployment, while it was not associated with lung function in asthmatics. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that depression may be an important risk factor for asthma in Korean adults. Further studies are needed to explore mechanisms responsible for the association between depression and asthma.

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma in a Patient with Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma / 대한피부과학회지

Sequential lymphoma is defined as two different types of lymphoma that occur in the same patient at different anatomic sites and times. In most cases, the two distinct histologies belong to the same lineage (B- or T-cell lymphoma), though cases with both have been observed. A few cases of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphomas arising in patients with angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL) have been reported. Immune deficits inherent in AITL, combined with the immunosuppressive effects of the therapy, may have allowed unchecked EBV-induced proliferation of latently or newly EBV-infected B cells with eventual clonal selection and progression to aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Here, we report a case of AITL in which EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) arose 9 months after the initial diagnosis of AITL.

Analysis of Malnutrition in Children with Congenital Heart Disease

PURPOSE: Malnutrition and failure to thrive have long been recognized as common systemic consequences of congenital heart disease(CHD). But there is little data about the prevalence and severity of malnutrition with CHD in Korea. We designed this study to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among hospitalized children with CHD. METHODS: We reviewed 100 hospitalized children with CHD who were randomly selected from consecutive admissions at department of pediatrics and thoracic surgery of Asan Medical Center from Jul. 1998 to Jun. 1999. A cross-sectional, retrospective study was done. Acute malnutrition was determined by calculating a ratio of the children's weight to the mean weight for the children's height. Chronic malnutrition was assessed by obtaining a ratio of the children's height to the mean height for the children's age. According to these criteria, malnutrition is divided into mild, moderate, and severe categories. RESULTS: Acute and chronic malnutrition occurred in 39% and 31% of the children, respectively. Age, diagnosis, and symptoms were analysed with the presence of the malnutrition. Forty nine percent of infants diagnosed as suffering from acute malnutrition, and cyanosis appear to be the ones the most severely important factor(P<0.001). Cyanotic children with pulmonary hypertension are the ones most severely affected(P<0.001). Acute or chronic malnutrition occurred in more than 44% of children with cyanosis and/or congestive heart failure but in only 11% of children with neither(P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition in CHD is relatively high. We suggest nutritional screening and intervention for the children with CHD should be considered.