Duration of antimicrobial therapy after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for thoracic empyema and complicated parapneumonic effusion: A single-center study.

Background: There are no evidence-based reports on the proper duration of antimicrobial therapy following video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery debridement (VATS-D) in thoracic empyema (TE) or complicated parapneumonic effusion (PPE). This study aimed to investigate the optimal duration of antimicrobial therapy after VATS-D.

Methods: Between January 2011 and December 2019, 33 patients corresponding to American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) category 3 or 4 undergoing VATS-D were included.

Appropriate Antibiotic Selection during the in-hospital Waiting Period for Surgery for Appendicitis.

Objectives: Acute appendicitis is a common disease that often requires emergency surgery. However, recently, not all cases are treated as an urgent operation, but surgery may be delayed to when medical resources are abundant to perform the operation safely. In such cases, preoperative antibiotics are administered during the waiting period.

Tumor Screening, Incidence, and Treatment for Patients with Severe Motor and Intellectual Disabilities.

Background: The increasing age of patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (SMID) has become a serious concern. Few studies have investigated tumor treatment in this population.

Methods: Tumor treatments for 12 SMID patients were examined.

A case of thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax in a menopausal woman.

Thoracic endometriosis-related pneumothorax (TERP) or thoracic endometriosis syndrome (TES) usually occurs in women of childbearing age and affects the right thorax. Menopausal and left-sided cases are rare. A case of left-sided TERP in a postmenopausal woman after adjuvant endocrine therapy for breast cancer is reported.

Phase II study of S-1 on alternate days plus bevacizumab in patients aged ≥ 75 years with metastatic colorectal cancer (J-SAVER).

Background: Alternate-day administration of S-1 is thought to reduce toxicities. This phase II study evaluated S-1 on alternate days combined with bevacizumab as first-line treatment for elderly patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients had histologically proven colorectal adenocarcinoma, measurable metastatic lesions, age ≥ 75 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 1, no previous chemotherapy, and refused oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-containing regimens.

Two Young Women with Left-sided Pneumothorax Due to Thoracic Endometriosis.

Pneumothorax associated with thoracic endometriosis (TE) generally occurs in women around 30 years old and it usually affects the right pleural cavity. We herein report two cases of TE associated with left-sided pneumothorax in young women. The prevalence of TE in younger patients may be underestimated if these cases are treated as spontaneous pneumothorax.

Thoracic Empyema Caused by Percutaneous Transhepatic Gallbladder Drainage.

Percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) is an alternative to emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy in high-risk patients with acute cholecystitis. Severe complications of this procedure are rare, except for drainage tube-related complications. A case of thoracic empyema, which is a rare complication of PTGBD, is reported; penetration of the pleural cavity seemed to be the cause of the thoracic empyema.

Postcardiac injury syndrome following vascular interventional radiofrequency ablation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Postcardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) occurs following a pericardial or myocardial injury. On the other hand, PCIS following cardiac catheter intervention is rare and can be difficult to diagnose because of its delayed onset. A 24-year-old man underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and suffered from general fatigue and left-sided pleural effusion three months after the procedure.

Feasibility of tailored, selective and effective anticancer chemotherapy by direct injection of docetaxel-loaded immunoliposomes into Her2/neu positive gastric tumor xenografts.

We assessed the effects of direct injection of docetaxel-loaded immuno-(trastuzumab)-liposomes (IDL) on a xenograft mouse tumor model to determine potential clinical applications of intratumoral tailored chemotherapy against Her2/neu-overexpressing gastric cancer. The NCI-N87 Her2/neu overexpressing gastric cancer cell line xenograft mouse model was treated with IDL or docetaxel-loaded liposomes (DL). The ratio of the tumor volume of the treatment:control was determined.