Denosumab is Effective for Controlling Serum Calcium Levels in Patients with Humoral Hypercalcemia of Malignancy Syndrome: A Case Report on Parathyroid Hormone-related Protein-producing Cholangiocarcinoma.

Hypercalcemia resulting in the elevation of serum parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and suppression of serum PTH was observed in a patient with advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) and multiple lymph node metastases. We confirmed humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy based on PTHrP-producing CCC. Chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin could not control the patient's serum PTHrP levels and the patient was affected with bisphosphonate-refractory hypercalcemia. We administered a single dose of denosumab, an anti-receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand monoclonal antibody, and the patient's serum calcium levels remained close to the normal range for approximately 3 weeks without additional treatment.

Adult-onset Still's disease with disseminated intravascular coagulation and hemophagocytic syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Adult-onset Still's disease is a rare inflammatory condition of unknown origin characterized by high spiking fever, arthralgia, arthritis, myalgia, salmon-colored evanescent rash, and hepatosplenomegaly. The diagnosis of adult-onset Still's disease requires the exclusion of other possible disorders because it lacks specific clinical and histopathological findings. Adult-onset Still's disease rarely become fatal due to visceral involvements such as disseminated intravascular coagulation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 22-year-old Chinese female presented to our medical center with high spiking fever for one week, myalgia for two weeks, and arthralgia and pink maculopapular rash for four weeks. She developed disseminated intravascular coagulation on the fourth day after admission. There was no other explanation for the fever and rash, including infection, malignancy, and collagenosis. Together, the high spiking fever, salmon-colored rash, splenomegaly, and excess hepatic enzyme, indicated adult-onset Still's disease based on the Yamaguchi criteria. Therefore, prednisolone therapy was initiated. The combination of nafamostat mesilate and prednisolone therapies caused a rapid reduction in the fever and rash. The inflammatory markers decreased immediately, and disseminated intravascular coagulation improved. Her symptoms resolved with low-dose prednisolone treatment, and she was monitored thereafter at our outpatient clinic. CONCLUSION: The previous use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could have caused disseminated intravascular coagulation in this patient with adult-onset Still's disease. We propose that physicians should consider the possibility of disseminated intravascular coagulation as a complication during the course of adult-onset Still's disease and suggest that prednisolone therapy should be initiated in the early stages of adult-onset Still's disease.

Cutaneous sarcoidosis in a chronic hepatitis C patient receiving pegylated interferon and ribavirin therapy.

A 61-year-old Japanese woman suffered from a small, painful, subcutaneous nodule on the sole of her foot that was 10 mm across in diameter during pegylated interferon (PEG IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C. Skin biopsy revealed multiple non-caseating granulomas composed of epithelioid histiocytes with multinucleate giant cells, which was consistent with sarcoidosis. Ophthalmologic examination revealed uveitis. Thoracic computed tomography (CT) showed multiple bilateral hilar lymphadenopathies and a diffuse micronodular interstitial pattern of the lungs. Genetic analysis indicated a probable homozygous haplotype of A*02:01-C*15:02-B*51:01-DRB1*16:02-DQB1*05:02 in human leukocyte antigen regions. The patient was observed carefully without any additional medication because no significant systemic symptoms were noted. Combination therapy was continued for 2 months afterwards. She was asymptomatic for over 3 years of follow up, and repeated hematological and biological investigations and chest CT showed improvement. In conclusion, clinicians should bear sarcoidosis in mind as a complication during PEG IFN and RBV combination therapy. They should also be aware of the usually good prognosis of PEG IFN-induced cutaneous sarcoidosis in order not to prematurely discontinue a treatment necessary for liver disease; maintenance of PEG IFN treatment may be advised with careful follow up.

An oblique muscle hematoma as a rare cause of severe abdominal pain: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal wall hematomas are an uncommon cause of acute abdominal pain and are often misdiagnosed. They are more common in elderly individuals, particularly in those under anticoagulant therapy. Most abdominal wall hematomas occur in the rectus sheath, and hematomas within the oblique muscle are very rare and are poorly described in the literature. Here we report the case of an oblique muscle hematoma in a middle-aged patient who was not under anticoagulant therapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 42-year-old Japanese man presented with a painful, enlarging, lateral abdominal wall mass, which appeared after playing baseball. Abdominal computed tomography and ultrasonography showed a large soft tissue mass located in the patient's left internal oblique muscle. A diagnosis of a lateral oblique muscle hematoma was made and the patient was treated conservatively. CONCLUSION: Physicians should consider an oblique muscle hematoma during the initial differential diagnosis of pain in the lateral abdominal wall even in the absence of anticoagulant therapy or trauma.

Risk factors for hospital-acquired bacteremia.

OBJECTIVE: Bacteremia is one of the most serious health problems associated with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for bacteremia in daily medical care to facilitate rapid and accurate clinical decisions about treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 306 inpatients retrospectively. Age, peripheral neutrophil count, C-reactive protein (CRP), platelets, serum total cholesterol, total protein, albumin and cholinesterase were compared in patients with positive- and negative-blood cultures. The associations between blood culture positivity and glucose tolerance, bedridden state, presence of a central venous catheter (CVC) or urinary catheter were examined. On October 14, 2002, strategies for prevention of catheter-related infection were altered in our hospital. We studied the impact of these changes on the risk of bacteremia. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients had positive and 239 had negative blood cultures. Age, neutrophil, platelets, total protein, albumin, and cholinesterase were significantly different between the culture-positive patients and the culture-negative patients. Multivariate analysis showed albumin and platelets as independent predictors. The bedridden state and catheter-inserted states (central venous or urinary) conferred significantly higher positive blood culture rates. Multivariate analysis showed using urinary catheters and indwelling femoral CVCs as independent risk factors. There was no significant difference in the blood culture-positive rate before and after the change in prevention strategies; before the change, 6 of 9 catheter-inserted blood culture-positive cases yielded MRSA, while 4 of 12 cultures yielded Staphylococcus epidermidis after the change. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the risk factors of bacteremia in vulnerable patients.

Prevalence and clinical features of cough variant asthma in a general internal medicine outpatient clinic in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of the present study were to examine the prevalence and clinical features of cough variant asthma (CVA) among patients with chronic and persistent cough at an outpatient clinic in Japan, and the efficacy of treatment with an inhaled corticosteroid. METHODOLOGY: This prospective study was conducted at a general internal medicine outpatient clinic in Japan over a 12-month period. CVA was diagnosed as chronic cough without wheezing or any apparent cause, that had persisted for more than 8 weeks, with a normal CXR and spirometry but with bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, and relief of cough after bronchodilator treatment. We also examined the effects of inhaled beclomethasone propionate on symptoms and differences in PEF between early morning and evening. RESULTS: Of 55 patients suffering from chronic cough, 23 satisfied the criteria for CVA. Their cough occurred more frequently at night and early in the morning. Early morning PEF was significantly lower than evening PEF with a mean variability of 11.5 +/- 4.1%. Treatment with beclomethasone propionate improved coughing and significantly increased early morning PEF, reducing variability to less than 10%. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CVA is most common among patients with chronic cough not due to any apparent cause. The efficacy of inhaled corticosteroid suggests that early intervention is effective in the treatment of CVA.