Shou-Wu Lee

Clinicopathological characteristics in the differential diagnosis of hepatoid adenocarcinoma: a literature review.

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is a rare but important special type of extrahepatic adenocarcinoma with clinicopathological presentation mimicking hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and prompt and correct diagnosis can be a challenge, especially in endemic areas with a high incidence of HCC. To date, HAC has only been reported in case series or single case reports, so we aimed to review the clinicopathological characteristics of HAC to obtain a more complete picture of this rare form of extrahepatic adenocarcinoma. All the articles about HAC published from 2001 to 2011 were reviewed, and clinicopathological findings were extracted for analysis. A late middle-aged male with high serum α-fetoprotein and atypical image finding of HCC should raise the suspicion of HAC, and characteristic pathological immunohistochemical stains can help with the differential diagnosis. Novel immunohistochemical markers may be useful to clearly differentiate HAC from HCC. Once metastatic HAC is diagnosed, the primary tumor origin should be identified for adequate treatment. The majority of HAC originates from the stomach, so panendoscopy should be arranged first.

Impact of the Tokyo guidelines on the management of patients with acute calculous cholecystitis.

Background and Aim:  Prompt treatments for acute calculous cholecystitis can reduce both mortality and morbidity. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of the Tokyo guidelines on management of patients with acute cholecystitis.

Cytotoxicity of chlorhexidine on human osteoblastic cells is related to intracellular glutathione levels

AIM To evaluate the mechanisms of cytotoxicity of chlorhexidine (CHX) in human osteoblastic cells in vitro. METHODOLOGY Cytotoxicity, cell proliferation and collagen synthesis assays were performed to elucidate the toxic effects of CHX on the human osteoblastic cell line U2OS. To determine whether glutathione (GSH) levels were important in the cytotoxicity of CHX, cells were pre-treated with 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (OTZ) to boost GSH levels or buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) to deplete GSH. RESULTS CHX demonstrated a cytotoxic effect to U2OS cells in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). The 50% inhibition concentration of CHX was approximately 0.005%. CHX also inhibited cell proliferation and collagen synthesis (P < 0.05). The addition of OTZ acted as a protective effect on the CHX-induced cytotoxicity (P < 0.05). In contrast, the addition of BSO enhanced the CHX-induced cytotoxicity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The levels of CHX tested inhibited cell growth, proliferation and collagen synthesis on U2OS cells. CHX has significant potential for periapical toxicity. GSH depletion might be one of the mechanisms underlying CHX cytotoxicity.

Impact of body mass index and gender on quality of life in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease

AIM To investigate the symptom presentation and quality of life in obese Chinese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS Data from patients diagnosed with GERD according to the Montreal definition, were collected between January 2009 to March 2010. The enrolled patients were assigned to the normal [body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m(2)], overweight (25-30 kg/m(2)), and obese (BMI > 30 kg/m(2)) groups. General demographic data, endoscopic findings, and quality of life of the three groups of patients were analyzed and compared. RESULTS Among the 173 enrolled patients, 102, 56 and 15 patients were classified in the normal, overweight, and obese, respectively. There was significantly more erosive esophagitis (73.3% vs 64.3% vs 39.2%, P = 0.002), hiatal hernia (60% vs 33.9% vs 16.7%, P = 0.001), and males (73.3% vs 73.2% vs 32.4%, P = 0.001) in the obese cases. The severity and frequency of heartburn, not acid regurgitation, was positively correlated with BMI, with a significant association in men, but not in women. Obese patients were prone to have low quality of life scores, with obese women having the lowest scores for mental health. CONCLUSION In patients with GERD, obese men had the most severe endoscopic and clinical presentation. Obese women had the poorest mental health.

Adenosine deaminase activity in tuberculous peritonitis among patients with underlying liver cirrhosis

AIM To investigate the value of adenosine deaminase (ADA) for early detection of tuberculous peritonitis (TBP) among cirrhotic patients. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 22 patients with TBP from July 1990 to June 2010. Twenty-five cirrhotic patients with uninfected ascites were prospectively enrolled as the cirrhosis control group from July 2010 to June 2011. An additional group of 217 patients whose ascites ADA levels were checked in various clinical conditions were reviewed from July 2008 to June 2010 as the validation group. RESULTS The mean ascites ADA value of cirrhotic patients with TBP (cirrhotic TBP group, n = 8) was not significantly different from that of non-cirrhotic patients (non-cirrhotic TBP group, n = 14; 58.1 ± 18.8 U/L vs. 70.6 ± 29.8 U/L, P = 0.29), but the mean ascites ADA value of the cirrhotic TBP group was significantly higher than that of the cirrhosis control group (58.1 ± 18.8 U/L vs. 7.0 ± 3.7 U/L, P < 0.001). ADA values were correlated with total protein values (r = 0.909, P < 0.001). Using 27 U/L as the cut-off value of ADA, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 93.3%, respectively, for detecting TBP in the validation group. CONCLUSION Even with lower ADA activity in ascites among cirrhotic patients, ADA values were significantly elevated during TBP, indicating that ADA can still be a valuable diagnostic tool.

Heartburn and regurgitation have different impacts on life quality of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

AIM To investigate the impact of heartburn and regurgitation on the quality of life among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS Data from patients with GERD, who were diagnosed according to the Montreal definition, were collected between January 2009 and July 2010. The enrolled patients were assigned to a heartburn or a regurgitation group, and further assigned to an erosive esophagitis (EE) or a non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) subgroup, depending on the predominant symptoms and endoscopic findings, respectively. The general demographic data, the scores of the modified Chinese version of the GERDQ and the Short-form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire scores of these groups of patients were compared. RESULTS About 108 patients were classified in the heartburn group and 124 in the regurgitation group. The basic characteristics of the two groups were similar, except for male predominance in the regurgitation group. Patients in the heartburn group had more sleep interruptions (22.3% daily vs 4.8% daily, P = 0.021), more eating or drinking problems (27.8% daily vs 9.7% daily, P = 0.008), more work interferences (11.2% daily vs none, P = 0.011), and lower SF-36 scores (57.68 vs 64.69, P = 0.042), than patients in the regurgitation group did. Individuals with NERD in the regurgitation group had more impaired daily activities than those with EE did. CONCLUSION GERD patients with heartburn or regurgitation predominant had similar demographics, but those with heartburn predominant had more severely impaired daily activities and lower general health scores. The NERD cases had more severely impaired daily activity and lower scores than the EE ones did.

Independent factors associated with early outcome in Chinese cirrhotic patients after cessation of initial esophageal variceal hemorrhage.

Background, Purpose, and Method Cirrhotic patients with acute esophageal variceal (EV) hemorrhage are characterized by high mortality. This study was conducted to investigate the independent indicators of mortality in Chinese cirrhotic patients within 6 weeks after cessation of initial EV bleeding. Ninety-seven consecutive cirrhotic patients with EV bleeding but without evidence of infection who were admitted to our hospital between December 2006 and February 2009 were retrospectively analyzed. Ten patients who died and 87 patients who survived were enrolled in the mortality and survival groups, respectively. The characteristics and laboratory data at admission of patients in the 2 groups were compared. Time of death in the mortality group, rebleeding and infection in both the mortality and survival groups were also evaluated. Results The incidence of mortality after cessation of initial EV bleeding was 10.3% (10/97). Incidences of infection and rebleeding were significantly higher in the mortality group than in the survival group (60% vs. 21%, 70% vs. 8%). Other parameters such as age, sex, etiology of liver cirrhosis, severity of liver disease (ascites, spleen diameter, platelet count, hepatocellular carcinoma, portal vein thrombosis), severity of EV bleeding (hemoglobin, blood pressure, requirements of blood transfusion), and differential vasoactive medications had no significant influence on incidence of mortality. All deaths were caused by rebleeding or sepsis, and all rebleeding occurred before infection. Most (67%) patients with rebleeding had postbanding ulcer bleeding. Generally, mortality, rebleeding, and infection occurred within 2 weeks after cessation of initial EV bleeding. Conclusions This study provides evidence that the incidence of early mortality after cessation of initial EV bleeding is significantly associated with bacterial infection and rebleeding. Rebleeding can increase the possibility of infection. Therefore, prevention of infection and rebleeding plays a major role in improving the early outcome in Chinese cirrhotic patients with EV bleeding.

Comparable Outcomes of Ultrasound versus Computed Tomography in the Guidance of Radiofrequency Ablation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objectives To compare the efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) in the guidance of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed consecutive treatment-naïve patients who received curative RFA for HCC from January 2008 to July 2013. Patients were divided into the US group or the CT group according to their RFA guidance instruments. Patients who were only suitable for US- or CT-guided RFA were excluded. Cumulative incidences of and hazard ratios for HCC recurrence were analyzed after adjusting for competing mortality risk. Results We recruited a total of 101 patients in the US group and 51 patients in the CT group. The baseline demographic characteristics were not significantly different in both groups. Initial response rates were similar between the two groups (US vs. CT: 89.1% vs. 92.2%, p = 0.54), and complete tumor ablation was finally achieved for all patients. However, more ablations per session were performed in US group (median 2.0 [1.0–3.0] vs. 1.0 [1.0–2.0]; p<0.01). The 1-, 2- and 3-year local tumor recurrence rates (US vs. CT: 13.0%, 20.9%, and 29.2% vs. 11.2%, 29.8% and 29.8%, respectively) and overall mortality rates (US vs. CT: 5.2%, 9.6% and 16.5% vs. 0%, 3.1% and 23.8%, respectively) were not significantly different. In multivariate analysis, tumor characteristics and underlying liver function, but not US or CT guidance, were independent prognostic factors. The complication rates were similar between the two groups (US vs. CT: 10.9% vs. 9.8%; p = 0.71), and there was no procedure-related mortality. Conclusions With comparable major outcomes, either US or CT can be used in the guidance of RFA in experience hands.

Responder Definition of a Patient-Reported Outcome Instrument for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Based on the US FDA Guidance.

BACKGROUND Different end-point measures may contribute to inconsistent therapeutic responses in relief of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms. OBJECTIVES We aimed to determine an a priori responder definition for a patient-reported outcome instrument, the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), using an anchor-based method, to interpret individual treatment benefit in patients with LPR, on the basis of the US Food and Drug Administration guidance. METHODS Patients with chronic laryngeal symptoms suggestive of LPR underwent twice-daily 40 mg esomeprazole treatment for 12 weeks. We used a 50% or more reduction in the primary laryngeal symptom at week 12, an empirical criterion, as an anchor to dichotomize the participants into two groups, and to establish a responder definition of the RSI score change. The optimal cutoff point of the RSI score change was determined on the basis of the maximal Youden index of the receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS The mean reduction in the RSI score was significantly greater in subjects with a 50% or more reduction in the primary laryngeal symptom than in those without (-11.0 ± 7.8 vs. -3.1 ± 8.3, P < 0.0001). A reduction of six points or more in the RSI score at week 12 was considered to be the responder definition with a sensitivity of 0.79 and a specificity of 0.70. CONCLUSIONS We propose an a priori responder definition derived from an empirical criterion according to the Food and Drug Administration guidance: a reduction of six points or more in the RSI score at week 12. This preliminary estimate provides a clinically meaningful change at an individual level, although additional studies and validations across various languages are required.

TUBERCULOUS LIVER ABSCESS IN A CASE WITHOUT LUNG INVOLVEMENT

Hepatic tuberculosis is an uncommon form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, particularly when it presents in the form of liver abscess. Here, we report a 64‐year‐old man who was admitted to our hospital having experienced intermittent chills for 3 months. Aspiration of the liver abscess revealed neither bacteria nor acid‐fast bacilli, but pus and granulation tissue were found. Antituberculous therapy was started empirically and cultures of the abscess confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis 3 weeks later. We suggest that tuberculous liver abscess should be considered in patients not showing typical features or who fail to respond to antibiotics.