Multimodality treatment and long-term follow-up of the primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma.

Introduction: Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) is a very rare subtype of non-small-cell lung cancer. Most cases are reported in Southeast Asia and are associated with Epstein-Barr virus infections. Because of its rare incidence, the optimal treatment and the results of long-term follow-up are not well understood.

Characteristics of integrated 18F-FDG PET/CT in Pulmonary Cryptococcosis.

Background: Pulmonary cryptococcosis is an uncommon cause of pulmonary nodules found by (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG PET/CT) scans. It is rarely reported but may mislead interpretation.

Purpose: To describe the (18)F-FDG PET/CT findings of pulmonary cryptococcosis.

Thoracic chordoma: an unusual presentation of the spinal tumor.

Chordoma is an uncommon malignant bone tumor that originates from the remnants of the embryonic notochord. In most of the reported cases, chordomas occur at the skull base or in the sacrococcygeal spine but rarely in the thoracic spine. In this report, we describe a case of a large thoracic chordoma with posterior mediastinal extension in a 25-year-old woman who presented with left-hand anhydrosis.

Computed tomography characteristics of primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma.

Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma is a very rare subtype of lung cancer. This report documents the CT features of 16 Chinese patients diagnosed with primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma from January 1999 to December 2005. A pre-treatment CT was used to assess the tumour site, size, borders, pleural and vascular involvement, and the presence of lymph node involvement.

Massive subcutaneous emphysema following bronchoscopy-guided percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy.

Although percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) has become a safe procedure for airway management in critically ill patients, this operation can be associated with serious life-threatening complications. Massive subcutaneous emphysema is an unusual and sometimes lethal complication which may extend the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). We report 2 cases, including 1 fatality, of massive subcutaneous emphysema without tracheal wall laceration that occurred in the ICU after elective bronchoscopy-guided Ciaglia Blue Rhino (Cook Critical Care, Bloomington, IL, USA) PDT.

Subacute pulmonary manifestation in a survivor of severe paraquat intoxication.

Paraquat has been widely used as a nonselective contact herbicide since 1962. It is highly toxic for humans, and many cases of acute poisoning, especially intentional self-poisoning, have been reported over the past few decades in developing countries. Ingestion of a threshold volume results in multiple organ failure and death after a longer period of time, but aggressive clinical studies are rarely done when the diagnosis is clear.

Association between adrenal insufficiency and ventilator weaning.

Rationale: Adrenal insufficiency is a common disorder in critically ill patients with mechanical ventilation and is usually associated with higher mortality and poor clinical outcome.

Objectives: To determine whether stress dose corticosteroid supplementation can improve ventilator weaning and clinical outcome in patients with adrenal insufficiency.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, double-blinded study was conducted in the intensive care unit of a tertiary teaching hospital.

Stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor-1{alpha} by prostacyclin under prolonged hypoxia via reducing reactive oxygen species level in endothelial cells.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) takes part in the transcriptional activation of hypoxia-responsive genes. HIF-1alpha, a subunit of HIF-1, is rapidly degraded under normoxic conditions by the ubiquitin-proteosome system. Hypoxia up-regulates HIF-1alpha by inhibiting its degradation, thereby allowing it to accumulate to high levels with 3-6 h of hypoxia treatment and decreasing thereafter.

Large cryptococcoma mimicking lung cancer in an HIV-negative, type 2 diabetic patient.

Pulmonary cryptococcoma is an unusual disease in immunocompetent patients. The typical radiologic findings are single or multiple small nodules. We describe a case of a large pulmonary cryptococcoma in a 69-year-old patient, who presented with generalized weakness and poor appetite.

Zafirlukast improves pulmonary function in patients with moderate persistent asthma receiving regular inhaled steroids: a prospective randomized control study.

Background: Zafirlukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist that was invented to treat patients with chronic asthma.

Methods: To evaluate whether the zafirlukast improved the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and clinical symptoms, 31 asthmatic patients with moderate persistent asthma who received regular inhaled corticosteroid were randomly divided into the study group (N = 17). They received the zafirlukast 20 mg bid for 4 weeks, and the control group (N = 14) received a placebo.