Hepatopulmonary syndrome is related to the development of acute-on-chronic liver failure and poor prognosis in cirrhotic patients.

Background And Aims: Long-term prospective data on hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) from a large number of patients, especially in Asian patients, are lacking. We evaluated the long-term prognosis of HPS and the development of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and related factors.

Methods: A total of 142 patients with cirrhosis who underwent saline-agitated contrast echocardiography for the diagnosis of HPS were enrolled and observed prospectively from 2014 to 2019.

Parathyroid hormone is associated with prostate cancer.

Background: The present study investigated the association of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D, and calcium levels with prostate cancer (CaP).

Methods: The study population consisted of an experimental group [459 patients including 216 patients with CaP and 243 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH)] and a prostatectomy group (47 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy). Patients with serum creatinine levels >1.

Effect of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract on hard exudates in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) in patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Methods: In this randomized (1:2:2), multicentre, double-blind trial, patients (n = 124; age: 40-78 years) were administered placebo, calcium dobesilate (CD; 750 mg/d), or GSPE (150 mg/d) orally for up to 12 months. All patients had retinal thickening with hard exudates (HEs) that met predefined criteria; the median best-corrected visual acuity was 0.

Extra-Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Presenting as an Anterior Chest Wall Mass.

A 71-year-old man was referred for an anterior chest wall mass. Chest computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography-CT suggested a malignant tumor. Surgical biopsy through a vertical subxiphoid incision revealed an extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumor (EGIST).

Extravascular Migration of a Fractured Inferior Vena Cava Filter Strut.

A 20-year-old man presented with a femur fracture and epidural hemorrhage (EDH) following a fall. One month after fracture surgery, swelling developed in both legs, and he was diagnosed as having a deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. A retrievable inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) was inserted, because EDH is a contraindication to anticoagulants.

Delayed Repair of Ventricular Septal Rupture Following Preoperative Awake Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support.

Outcomes of ventricular septal rupture (VSR) as a complication of acute myocardial infarction are extremely poor, with an in-hospital mortality rate of 45% in surgically treated patients and 90% in patients managed with medication. Delaying surgery for VSR is a strategy for reducing mortality. However, hemodynamic instability is the main problem with this strategy.