Follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma with B-type Raf(V600E) showing higher frequency of suspicious sonographic features and multifocality.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between B-type Raf (BRAF) kinase mutation and clinicopathological features of follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). METHODS: Eighty-four patients with pathologically confirmed follicular variant of PTC, who underwent a preoperative BRAF(V600E) study, were analyzed. Clinicopathological parameters and ultrasonographic features were compared between the BRAF(V600E) -positive and negative groups. RESULTS: A total of 41.7% of the patients showed BRAF(V600E) . The BRAF(V600E) -positive group showed the smaller tumor size (7.3 ± 3.6 mm vs 10.7 ± 8.9 mm; p = .018) and the more frequent multifocality (25.7% vs 8.2%; p = .028). Follicular variant of PTC with BRAF(V600E) showed suspicious ultrasonographic features (88.6% vs 57.1%; p = .002) more frequently. BRAF(V600E) positivity is associated with multifocality after adjusting for age, sex, the presence of suspicious ultrasonographic features, pathological tumor size, and thyrotropin level. CONCLUSION: BRAF(V600E) was correlated with smaller tumor size and suspicious ultrasonographic features in follicular variant of PTC. BRAF(V600E) was a significant parameter for predicting multifocality of follicular variant of PTC.

Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris is rare, and when present, the most common presenting symptoms reported in the medical literature are odynophagia and dysphagia. Here, we present two cases of pemphigus vulgaris presenting with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage because of esophageal involvement of the disease. In case 1, a 41-year-old female patient with a prior diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris presented with hematemesis. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed diffuse mucosal exfoliation and oozing bleeding of the oropharynx and esophagus. The patient recovered after the administration of high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. In case 2, a 30-year-old female patient with known pemphigus vulgaris also presented with hematemesis, showing similar endoscopic findings to the first case. She also responded to the same treatment. Esophageal involvement of pemphigus vulgaris responds to high-dose corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Thus, in patients with pemphigus vulgaris with signs or symptoms of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, an early endoscopy for the evaluation of esophageal involvement is beneficial.

Use of the delta neutrophil index as a prognostic factor of mortality in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis: implications of a simple and useful marker.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a common and life-threatening infection in patients with advanced cirrhosis. The prognostic value of a novel marker, the delta neutrophil index (DNI), was investigated relative to mortality in patients with SBP. MATERIALS & METHODS: Seventy-five patients with SBP were studied from April 2010 to May 2012. DNI at initial diagnosis of SBP was determined and compared with 30-day mortality rates. RESULTS: Of the patients, 87.7% were men, and the median age of all patients was 59.0 yrs. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve of DNI for 30-day mortality was 0.701 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.553-0.849; p = 0.009), which was higher than that of C-reactive protein (0.640, 95% CI, 0.494-0.786; p = 0.076) or the model for end-stage liver disease score (0.592, 95% CI, 0.436-0.748; p = 0.235). From the ROC curve, with the sum of sensitivity and specificity, the cutoff value of DNI was determined to be 5.7%. In the high-DNI group (DNI ≥5.7%), septic shock and 30-day mortality were more prevalent compared with the low-DNI group (84.2% vs. 48.2%, p = 0.007; 57.9% vs. 14.3%, p<0.001, respectively). Patients with an elevated DNI had a higher risk of 30-day mortality compared with those with a low DNI (4.225, 95% CI, 1.631-10.949; p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: A higher DNI at the time of SBP diagnosis is an independent predictor of 30-day mortality in patients with SBP.

Efficacy of sorafenib monotherapy versus sorafenib-based loco-regional treatments in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Although sorafenib is accepted as the standard of care in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its therapeutic benefit is marginal. Here, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of sorafenib monotherapy (S-M) and sorafenib-based loco-regional treatments (S-LRTs) in advanced HCC. METHODS: From 2007 to 2012, 290 patients with advanced HCC (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage C) with S-M (n = 226) or S-LRTs (n = 64) were reviewed retrospectively. Survival outcomes and treatment-related toxicities between two groups were analyzed. RESULTS: Variables related to tumor burden and liver function were similar between the groups (all P > 0.05). Within the entire population, the S-LRTs group had both longer median overall survival (OS) (8.5 vs 5.5 months, P = 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS) (5.3 vs 3.0 months, P = 0.002) than the S-M group. Furthermore, the S-LRTs group had longer Os than the S-M group in a subgroup with neither extrahepatic spread (EHS) nor regional nodal involvement (RNI) (18.0 vs 7.8 months, P = 0.019) and in a subgroup with EHS and/or RNI (8.3 vs 4.8 months, P = 0.028). In addition, the S-LRTs group had longer PFS than the S-M group in the subgroup with neither EHS nor RNI (9.6 vs 3.2 months, P = 0.027). TREATMENT: Related toxicity was similar between two groups. CONCLUSION: Combined use of sorafenib and LRTs may provide better treatment outcomes without significantly increasing treatment-related toxicities, even in patients with EHS and/or RNI. Therefore, addition of active LRTs might be considered, if feasible.