Ischemic colitis complicated by Clostridioides difficile infection treated with fecal microbiota transplantation.

Ischemic colitis is an inflammatory condition of the colon that results from insufficient blood supply commonly caused by enterocolitis, vessel occlusion, or shock. In contrast, pseudomembranous colitis is a clinical manifestation of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Ischemic colitis caused by CDI has rarely been reported.

Asymptomatic Splenic Cysts in an Immunocompromised Patient: Should They Be Investigated.

Splenic abscess is a rare disease that generally occurs in immunocompromised patients. It is difficult to distinguish between splenic abscesses and cysts using imaging studies, especially if they are asymptomatic. A 50-year-old asymptomatic man who had received steroid therapy for underlying rheumatoid arthritis was referred to a university hospital due to presence of several splenic cysts, with the largest being 3.

Control Variable Implants Improve Interpretation of Surface Modification and Implant Design Effects on Early Bone Responses: An In Vivo Study.

Purpose: This in vivo study used control variable implants to compare early bone responses in fluoride-modified (F-mod) and hydrophilic, sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (modSLA) surface implants that differed in implant design.

Materials And Methods: Four different types of implants (n = 24) were prepared: F-mod surface with Astra Tech implant design; modSLA surface with Straumann implant design; sandblasted, large-grit, acid-etched (SLA) surface with Astra Tech design; and SLA surface with Straumann implant design. Scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were performed to assess implant surface characteristics.

A case of staphylococcal tricuspid valve endocarditis with para-aortic abscess in a patient with bicuspid aortic valve.

Paravalvular abscess is a serious complication of infective endocarditis. The aortic valve and its adjacent ring are more susceptible to abscess formation and paravalvular extension than the mitral valve. A 15-years old patient with bicuspid aortic valve presented with staphylococcal tricuspid valve endocarditis complicated by para-aortic abscess that ruptured into the aortic sinus.

Sentinel node identification rate, but not accuracy, is significantly decreased after pre-operative chemotherapy in axillary node-positive breast cancer patients.

Background: The aim was to prove the low identification rate of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SNB) and to determine the feasibility of replacing axillary lymph node dissection (AND) in axillary lymph node positive patients after chemotherapy.

Methods: From October 2001 to July 2005, 875 consecutive patients with primary operable breast cancer underwent SNB and AND. Among them, 238 received pre-operative chemotherapy.

The melanoma antigen gene as a surveillance marker for the detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with breast carcinoma.

Background: Circulating occult tumors cells could be used for the surveillance of metastases after primary breast carcinoma therapy, but their detection is limited by the lack of specific molecular markers. Melanoma antigen genes (MAGEs), which are expressed in malignant tissues but not in normal tissues (except for placenta and testis), might provide such a marker. To date, however, the use of MAGEs in the detection of occult tumor cells using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been limited because of the heterogeneity and low expression of individual MAGEs in tumor tissues.

Decreased identification rate of sentinel lymph node after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

We prospectively studied the feasibility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy by comparing the identification rate and the false-negative rate (FNR) with the results obtained from the patients without chemotherapy. From October 2001 to March 2003, a total of 284 consecutive patients who underwent SLNB and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) at the Center for Breast Cancer, National Cancer Center were enrolled. Of the 284 patients, 54 underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to operation.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Background: We surveyed single-center and multi-center studies pertaining to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to compare the results with those of our current study to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of SLNB after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods: From October 2001 to July 2003, 80 patients who had neoadjuvant chemotherapy underwent curative surgery and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) after SLNB at the Center for Breast Cancer, National Cancer Center. A MEDLINE search was performed using the keywords breast cancer, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy.