Changes in macrophage infiltration and podocyte injury in lupus nephritis patients with repeated renal biopsy: Report of three cases

BACKGROUND In this study,we retrospectively analysed macrophage infiltration and podocyte injury in three patients with diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis(LN)who un-derwent repeated renal biopsy.CASE SUMMARY Clinical data of three diffuse proliferative LN patients with different pathological characteristics(case 1 was LN IV-G(A),case 2 was LN IV-G(A)+V,and case 3 was LN IV-G(A)+thrombotic microangiopathy)were reviewed.All patients underwent repeated renal biopsies 6 mo later,and renal biopsy specimens were studied.Macrophage infiltration was assessed by CD68 expression detected by immunohistochemical staining,and an immunofluorescence assay was used to detect podocin expression to assess podocyte damage.After treatment,Case 1 changed to LN III-(A),Case 2 remained as type V LN lesions,and Case 3,which changed to LN IV-S(A),had the worst prognosis.We observed reduced macro-phage infiltration after therapy.However,two of the patients with active lesions after treatment still showed macrophage infiltration in the renal interstitium.Before treatment,the three patients showed discontinuous expression of podocin.Notably,the integrity of podocin was restored after treatment in Case 1.CONCLUSION It may be possible to reverse podocyte damage and decrease the infiltrating ma-crophages in LN patients through effective treatment.

Successful management of severe hypoglycemia induced by total parenteral nutrition in patients with hepatocellular injury: Three cases reports

BACKGROUND Glucose imbalance is common in total parenteral nutrition(TPN).Hypoglycemia seems to be less frequent than hyperglycemia,but it influences the clinical outcome to a greater extent.Therefore,it should be effectively prevented and treated.However,there is no relevant report on how to treat hypoglycemia caused by TPN in patients with liver cell injury.CASE SUMMARY We present three patients with liver cell injury who developed severe hypo-glycemia during or after TPN infusion.The causes of severe hypoglycemia and glucose-raising strategies were discussed.According to the physiological charac-teristics of the hepatocellular injury,the ratio of nutrition components prescribed in TPN was appropriately adjusted for the three cases.We simultaneously reduced the dose of insulin and fat emulsion,and increased the dose of glucose in TPN.The blood glucose level was restored to normal range and clinical symptoms were eliminated.CONCLUSION When hypoglycemia occurs during or after TPN in patients with hepatocellular injury,physicians need to simultaneously reduce insulin and fat emulsion,and increase glucose,and correct severe hypoglycemia in time to reduce its adverse consequences.

Gestational diabetes mellitus combined with fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus, four cases of double diabetes: A case report

BACKGROUND Fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus(FT1DM)that occurs during pregnancy or the perinatal period is known as pregnancy-related FT1DM(PF),always without history of abnormal glucose metabolism.Here,we present four patients who developed FT1DM during treatment but were first diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM).CASE SUMMARY The clinical data of four patients with GDM combined with FT1DM admitted to our hospital between July 2018 and April 2021 were collected,and the patients and their infants were followed up.All patients were diagnosed with GDM during the second trimester and were treated.The blood glucose level elevated suddenly during the third trimester and then were diagnosed with FT1DM.Two patients had an insulin allergy,and two had symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection before onset.One patient developed ketoacidosis,and three developed ketosis.Two patients had cesarean section deliveries,and two had vaginal deliveries.The growth and development of the infants were normal.C-peptide levels were lower than those at onset,suggesting progressive impairment of islet function.The frequencies of the DRB109:01,DQB103:03,DQA103:02,DPA101:03,DPA102:02,DPB105:01,DRB401:03,G 01:01,and G 01:04 human leukocyte antigen(HLA)-G alleles were high in the present study.CONCLUSION In comparison with pregnancy-associated FT1DM(PF),patients with GDM combined with FT1DM had an older age of onset,higher body mass index,slower onset,fewer prodromal symptoms,and less acidosis.The pathogenesis may be due to various factors affecting the already fragileβ-cells of GDM patients with genetically susceptible class II HLA genotypes.We speculate that GDM combined with FT1DM during pregnancy,referred to as“double diabetes,”is a subtype of PF with its own unique characteristics that should be investigated further.

Using clinical cases to guide healthcare

Evidence-based practice(EBP)has been the gold standard in healthcare for nearly three centuries and aims to assist physicians in providing the safest and most effective healthcare for their patients.The well-established hierarchy of evidence lists systematic reviews and meta-analyses at the top however these methodologies are not always appropriate or possible and in these instances case-control studies,case series and case reports are utilised to support EBP.Case-control studies allow simultaneous study of multiple risk factors and can be performed rapidly and relatively cheaply.A recent example was during the Coronavirus pandemic where case-control studies were used to assess the efficacy of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.Case series and case reports also play a role in EBP and are particularly useful to study rare diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease in transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.They are also vital in generating and disseminating early signals and encouraging further research.Whilst these methodologies have weaknesses,particularly with regards to bias and loss of patient confidentiality for rare pathologies,they have an important part to play in EBP and when appropriately utilised can significantly impact upon clinical practice.

Epidemiological Analysis on Reported Hepatitis C Cases in China from 2012 to 2016

Viral hepatitis is an important challenge to public health worldwide.As hepatitis B is well controlled due to vaccination,the disease burden caused by the spread of hepatitis C has become increasingly prominent.Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that is mainly blood-borne.The rate of chronicity ranges from 55% to 85% after people are infected with the hepatitis C virus （HCV）.

Hyperthyroidism and severe bradycardia:Report of three cases and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Hyperthyroidism often leads to tachycardia,but there are also sporadic reports of hyperthyroidism with severe bradycardia,such as sick sinus syndrome(SSS)and atrioventricular block.These disorders are a challenge for clinicians.CASE SUMMARY We describe three cases of hyperthyroidism with SSS and found 31 similar cases in a PubMed literature search.Through the analysis of these 34 cases,we found 21 cases of atrioventricular block and 13 cases of SSS,with 67.6%of the patients experiencing bradycardia symptoms.After drug treatment,temporary pacemaker implantation,or anti-hyperthyroidism treatment,the bradycardia of 27 patients(79.4%)was relieved,and the median recovery time was 5.5(2-8)d.Only 7 cases(20.6%)needed permanent pacemaker implantation.CONCLUSION Patients with hyperthyroidism should be aware of the risk of severe bradycardia.In most cases,drug treatment or temporary pacemaker placement is recommended for initial treatment.If the bradycardia does not improve after 1 wk,a permanent pacemaker should be implanted.

Discrepancy among microsatellite instability detection methodologies in non-colorectal cancer:Report of 3 cases

BACKGROUND Microsatellite instability(MSI)is a predictive biomarker for cancer immunotherapy.The tumor-agnostic nature of MSI makes it a denominator for immunotherapy in several solid tumors.It can be assessed using next-generation sequencing(NGS),fluorescent multiplex PCR,and immunohistochemistry(IHC).CASE SUMMARY Here,we report 3 cases with discordant MSI results detected using different methods.A cholangiocellular carcinoma case revealed proficient mismatch repair(MMR)by IHC but high MSI(MSI-H)by liquid NGS.A cervical cancer case revealed deficient MMR by IHC,microsatellite stable by PCR,and MSI-H by NGS.Lastly,an endometrial cancer case revealed proficient MMR by IHC but MSI-H by NGS.CONCLUSION IHC for MMR status is the first choice due to several advantages.However,in cases of indeterminate IHC results,molecular testing by MSI-PCR is preferred.Recently,NGS-based MSI assays are being widely used to detect MSI-H tumors.All three methods have high accuracy;however,the inconsistencies between them may lead to misdiagnosis.

Solitary acral persistent papular mucinosis nodule:A case report and summary of eight Korean cases

BACKGROUND Acral persistent papular mucinosis(APPM)is a rare idiopathic subtype of localized lichen myxedematosus.To date,there have been 40 APPM cases reported worldwide;however,only 7 cases have been reported in the Korean literature.CASE SUMMARY A 70-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a solitary pinkish nodule on the dorsum of his right hand.Despite the absence of symptoms,the patient wanted to know the exact diagnosis;thus,a biopsy was performed.Histopathological examination of a biopsy specimen obtained from the nodule on the dorsum of his hand revealed orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis with patchy parakeratosis,prominent hypergranulosis,and diffuse dissecting mucinous deposition between collagen bundles,along with some bland-looking spindle cells throughout the dermis.The nodule was histologically diagnosed as an APPM,and an intralesional triamcinolone injection(2.5 mg/mL)was started every 2 wk.After three sessions of treatment,the patient showed marked improvements.CONCLUSION To the best of our knowledge,this is the first case of a Korean APPM presenting as a solitary nodule that showed a marked response to triamcinolone intralesional injection.Since it is a rare disease,we report this case to contribute to future research on the pathogenesis and treatment of APPM.

Motor cortex transcranial magnetic stimulation to reduce intractable postherpetic neuralgia with poor response to other threapies:Report of two cases

BACKGROUND Postherpetic neuralgia(PHN)is a typical neuropathic pain condition that appears in the lesioned skin regions following the healing of shingles.The pain condition tends to persist,which is often accompanied by negative emotions(e.g.,anxiety and depression)and substantially reduces the quality of life.In addition to analgesia(e.g.,pregabalin and gabapentin),nerve radiofrequency technology is an effective treatment for intractable PHN.However,there is still a significant portion of patients who do not benefit from this treatment.As a non-invasive form of brain stimulation,repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)targeting the motor cortex is able to reduce neuropathic pain with grade A evidence.CASE SUMMARY Here we report two cases in which motor cortex rTMS was used to treat intractable PHN that did not respond to initial drug and radiofrequency therapies.Moreover,we specifically investigated rTMS efficacy at 3 mo following treatment.CONCLUSION Motor cortex rTMS can treat intractable PHN that did not respond to initial drug and radiofrequency therapies.

Elastic fiber degradation in the development of pediatric granuloma annulare:Report of 39 cases

BACKGROUND Granuloma annulare(GA)has diverse clinical manifestations,multiple subtypes,and unknown etiology and pathogenesis.Existing studies regarding GA in children are scarce.AIM To examine the correlation between clinical manifestation and histopathology of pediatric GA.METHODS A total of 39 patients under 18 years of age with both a clinical and pathological diagnosis of GA at Kunming Children's Hospital from 2017 to 2022 were retrieved.Their medical records were consulted,and clinical data of the children were recorded and summarized,including gender,age,disease site,etc.Existing wax blocks of skin lesion specimens of children and pathological films were retrieved for further study and relevant histology,including hematoxylin-eosin,Alcian blue,elastic fiber(Victoria blue-Lichon red method),and antacid staining.Finally,the children’s clinical manifestations,histopathological results,and special staining characteristics were analyzed.RESULTS The clinical manifestations of granuloma annulare in children were diverse:11 cases presented with a single lesion,25 with multiple lesions,and 3 with generalized lesions.The pathological typing comprised histiocytic infiltration,palisading granuloma,epithelioid nodular,and mixed types in 4,11,9,and 15 cases,respectively.Thirty-nine cases were negative for antacid staining.The positive rate of Alcian blue staining was 92.3%,and that of elastic fiber staining was 100%.The degree of elastic fiber dissolution and granuloma annulare histopathological typing were positively correlated(r=0.432,P<0.05).No correlation was found between clinical presentation and histopathological typing of the granuloma annulare in children.In the pathological diagnosis of granuloma annulare,the positive elastic fiber staining rate was higher than that of Alcian blue staining.A correlation was found between elastic fiber dissolution degree and histopathological staging.However,the differences in pathological staging may have been related to the pathological manifestation of granuloma annulare at different periods.CONCLUSION Elastic fiber degradation may be a critical step in the pathogenesis of pediatric granuloma annulare.This is also one of the first studies focused on granuloma annulare in children.

Three cases of jejunal tumors detected by standard upper gastrointestinal endoscopy:A case series

BACKGROUND In patients with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding,re-examination with standard upper endoscopes by experienced physicians will identify culprit lesions in a substantial proportion of patients.A common practice is to insert an adult-sized forward-viewing endoscope into the second part of the duodenum.When the endoscope tip enters after the papilla,which is a marker for the descending part of the duodenum,it is difficult to endoscopically judge how far the duodenum has been traversed beyond the second part.CASE SUMMARY We experienced three cases of proximal jejunal masses that were diagnosed by standard upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and confirmed with surgery.The patients visited the hospital with a history of melena;during the initial upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy,the bleeding site was not confirmed.Upper gastrointestinal bleeding was suspected;thus,according to guidelines,upper endoscopy was performed again.A hemorrhagic mass was discovered in the small intestine.The lesion of the first patient was thought to be located in the duodenum when considering the general insertion depth of a typical upper gastrointestinal endoscope;however,during surgery,it was confirmed that it was in the jejunum.After the first case,lesions in the second and third patients were detected at the jejunum by inserting the standard upper endoscope as deep as possible.CONCLUSION The deep insertion of standard endoscopes is useful for the diagnosis of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding.

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy:Report of two cases

BACKGROUND Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy is a rare autoimmune myopathy characterized by muscle weakness and elevated serum creatine kinase,with unique skeletal muscle pathology and magnetic resonance imaging features.CASE SUMMARY In this paper,two patients are reported:One was positive for anti-signal recognition particle antibody,and the other was positive for anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase antibody.CONCLUSION The clinical characteristics and treatment of the two patients were analysed,and the literature was reviewed to improve the recognition,diagnosis,and treatment of this disease.

Metastatic clear cell sarcoma of the pancreas:A rare case report

BACKGROUND Clear cell sarcoma(CCS)is a rare soft-tissue sarcoma.The most common metastatic sites for CCS are the lungs,bones and brain.CCS is highly invasive and mainly metastasizes to the lung,followed by the bone and brain;however,pancreatic metastasis is relatively rare.CASE SUMMARY We report on a rare case of CCS with pancreatic metastasis in a 47-year-old man.The patient had a relevant medical history 3 years ago,with abdominal pain as the main clinical manifestation.No abnormalities were observed on physical examination and the tumor was found on abdominal computed tomography.Based on the medical history and postoperative pathology,the patient was diagnosed with CCS with pancreatic metastasis.The patient was successfully treated with surgical interventions,including distal pancreatectomy and sple-nectomy.CONCLUSION This report summarizes the available treatment modalities for CCS and the importance of regular postoperative follow-up for patients with CCS.

High-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia diagnosed based on changes in magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography findings:A case report

BACKGROUND High-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia(PanIN)exhibits no mass and is not detected by any examination modalities.However,it can be diagnosed by pancreatic juice cytology from indirect findings.Most previous cases were diagnosed based on findings of a focal stricture of the main pancreatic duct(MPD)and caudal MPD dilatation and subsequent pancreatic juice cytology using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP).We experienced a case of high-grade PanIN with an unclear MPD over a 20-mm range,but without caudal MPD dilatation on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography(MRCP).CASE SUMMARY A 60-year-old female patient underwent computed tomography for a follow-up of uterine cancer post-excision,which revealed pancreatic cysts.MRCP revealed an unclear MPD of the pancreatic body at a 20-mm length without caudal MPD dilatation.Thus,course observation was performed.After 24 mo,MRCP revealed an increased caudal MPD caliber and a larger pancreatic cyst.We performed ERCP and detected atypical cells suspected of adenocarcinoma by serial pancreatic juice aspiration cytology examination.We performed a distal pancreatectomy and obtained a histopathological diagnosis of high-grade PanIN.Pancreatic parenchyma invasion was not observed,and curative resection was achieved.CONCLUSION High-grade Pan-IN may cause MPD narrowing in a long range without caudal MPD dilatation.

Mechanical upper bowel obstruction caused by a large trichobezoar in a young woman: A very unusual case report

BACKGROUND Bezoars usually compile human fibers and debris.A special form of bezoar in case of psychologically altered individuals is the trichobezoar.It consists of voluntarily swallowed hair bulks and is normally removed via gastroscopy.Trichobezoars leading to ileus have rarely been reported.CASE SUMMARY A 24-year-old female patient presented to the emergency room with abdominal pain,nausea,and vomiting for 3 d.Her previous medical and psychiatric history was unremarkable.Laboratory analysis showed iron deficiency anemia,leukocytosis,and elevated liver enzymes.An abdominal CT scan revealed a dense structure in the patients’stomach which turned out to be a huge trichobezoar completely obstructing the pylorus.The trichobezoar had to be removed surgi-cally.During her postoperative course,a subcutaneous seroma formed.After a single puncture,the rest of the recovery process was unremarkable,and the patient recovered fully.CONCLUSION A mechanical bowel obstruction is a potentially life-threatening event for every patient.In our case a young female was suffering from severe symptoms of an obstruction which might have resulted in serious harm without successful surgical management.

Abnormal uterine bleeding successfully treated via ultrasoundguided microwave ablation of uterine myoma lesions: Three case reports

BACKGROUND Microwave endometrial ablation(MEA)is a minimally invasive treatment method for heavy menstrual bleeding.However,additional treatment is often required after recurrence of uterine myomas treated with MEA.Additionally,because this treatment ablates the endometrium,it is not indicated for patients planning to become pregnant.To overcome these issues,we devised a method for ultrasound-guided microwave ablation of uterine myoma feeder vessels.We report three patients successfully treated for heavy menstrual bleeding,secondary to uterine myoma,using our novel method.CASE SUMMARY All patients had a favorable postoperative course,were discharged within 4 h,and experienced no complications.Further,no postoperative recurrence of heavy menstrual bleeding was noted.Our method also reduced the myoma’s maximum diameter.CONCLUSION This method does not ablate the endometrium,suggesting its potential appli-cation in patients planning to become pregnant.

Perforated gastric ulcer causing mediastinal emphysema: A case report

BACKGROUND Mediastinal emphysema is a condition in which air enters the mediastinum between the connective tissue spaces within the pleura for a variety of reasons.It can be spontaneous or secondary to chest trauma,esophageal perforation,medi-cally induced factors,etc.Its common symptoms are chest pain,tightness in the chest,and respiratory distress.Most mediastinal emphysema patients have mild symptoms,but severe mediastinal emphysema can cause respiratory and circulatory failure,resulting in serious consequences.CASE SUMMARY A 75-year-old man,living alone,presented with sudden onset of severe epigastric pain with chest tightness after drinking alcohol.Due to the remoteness of his residence and lack of neighbors,the patient was found by his nephew and brought to the hospital the next morning after the disease onset.Computed tomography(CT)showed free gas in the abdominal cavity,mediastinal emph-ysema,and subcutaneous pneumothorax.Upper gastrointestinal angiography showed that the esophageal mucosa was intact and the gastric antrum was perforated.Therefore,we chose to perform open gastric perforation repair on the patient under thoracic epidural anesthesia combined with intravenous anesthesia.An operative incision of the muscle layer of the patient's abdominal wall was made,and a large amount of subperitoneal gas was revealed.And a continued incision of the peritoneum revealed the presence of a perforation of approx-imately 0.5 cm in the gastric antrum,which we repaired after pathological examination.Postoperatively,the patient received high-flow oxygen and cough exercises.Chest CT was performed on the first and sixth postoperative days,and the mediastinal and subcutaneous gas was gradually reduced.CONCLUSION After gastric perforation,a large amount of free gas in the abdominal cavity can reach the mediastinum through the loose connective tissue at the esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm,and upper gastrointestinal angiography can clarify the site of perforation.In patients with mediastinal emphysema,open surgery avoids the elevation of the diaphragm caused by pneumoperitoneum compared to laparoscopic surgery and avoids increasing the mediastinal pressure.In addition,thoracic epidural anesthesia combined with intravenous anesthesia also avoids pressure on the mediastinum from mechanical ventilation.

Novel approach of ultrasound-guided lateral recess block for a patient with lateral recess stenosis: A case report

BACKGROUND Ultrasound guide technology,which can provide real-time visualization of the needle tip and tissues and avoid many adverse events,is widely used in mini-mally invasive therapy.However,the studies on ultrasound-guided Lateral recess block(LRB)are limited,this is probably because there is no recognized standard method for ultrasound scanning.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ultrasound-guided LRB in patients with lateral recess stenosis(LRS).CASE SUMMARY A 65-year-old patient complained of low back pain accompanied occasionally by pain and numbness in the left lower limb.Physical examination showed ten-derness on the spinous process and paraspinal muscles from L1 to S1,extensor hallucis longus and tibialis anterior weakness(muscle strength:4-),and a positive straight leg raising test in the left lower limb(60°).Magnetic resonance imaging showed L4–L5 disc degeneration with left LRS and nerve root entrapment.Subsequently,the patient was diagnosed with LRS.This patient was treated with a novel ultrasound-guided LRB approach.The patient’s symptoms significantly improved without any complications at 1 wk postoperatively and at the 3-month follow-up.CONCLUSION This is the first report on the LRS treatment with ultrasound-guided LRB from the contralateral spinous process along the inner side of the articular process by out-plane technique.Further studies are expected to investigate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided LRB for patients with LRS.

Early adenocarcinoma mixed with a neuroendocrine carcinoma component arising in the gastroesophageal junction: A case report

BACKGROUND Early adenocarcinoma mixed with a neuroendocrine carcinoma(NEC)component arising in the gastroesophageal junctional(GEJ)region is rare and even rarer in young patients.Here,we report such a case in a 29-year-old Chinese man.CASE SUMMARY This patient presented to our hospital with a 3-mo history of dysphagia and regurgitation.Upper endoscopy revealed an elevated nodule in the distal esophagus 1.6 cm above the GEJ line,without Barrett’s esophagus or involvement of the gastric cardia.The nodule was completely resected by endoscopic submu-cosal dissection(ESD).Pathological examination confirmed diagnosis of intra-mucosal adenocarcinoma mixed with an NEC component,measuring 1.5 cm.Immunohistochemically,both adenocarcinoma and NEC components were positive for P53 with a Ki67 index of 90%;NEC was positive for synaptophysin and chromogranin.Next-generation sequencing of 196 genes demonstrated a novel germline mutation of the ERCC3 gene in the DNA repair pathway and a germline mutation of the RNF43 gene,a common gastric cancer driver gene,in addition to pathogenic somatic mutations in P53 and CHEK2 genes.The patient was alive without evidence of the disease 36 mo after ESD.CONCLUSION Early adenocarcinoma with an NEC component arising in the distal esophageal side of the GEJ region showed evidence of gastric origin.

Autoimmune hepatitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis after direct-acting antiviral treatment for hepatitis C virus:A case report

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection is a major global health concern that leads to liver fibrosis,cirrhosis,and cancer.Regimens containing direct-acting antivirals(DAAs)have become the mainstay of HCV treatment,achieving a high sustained virological response(SVR)with minimal adverse events.CASE SUMMARY A 74-year-old woman with chronic HCV infection was treated with the DAAs ledipasvir,and sofosbuvir for 12 wk and achieved SVR.Twenty-four weeks after treatment completion,the liver enzyme and serum IgG levels increased,and antinuclear antibody became positive without HCV viremia,suggesting the development of autoimmune hepatitis(AIH).After liver biopsy indicated AIH,a definite AIH diagnosis was made and prednisolone was initiated.The treatment was effective,and the liver enzyme and serum IgG levels normalized.However,multiple strictures of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts with dilatation of the peripheral bile ducts appeared on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography after 3 years of achieving SVR,which were consistent with primary sclerosing cholangitis.CONCLUSION The potential risk of developing autoimmune liver diseases after DAA treatment should be considered.