Ectopic cervical thymic squamous cell carcinoma misdiagnosed as thyroid cancer: a case report

Ectopic thymic neoplasm, particularly ectopic thymic carcinoma, is a rare disease that presents as a neck mass. Here, we present a case of ectopic thymic squamous carcinoma in a 65-year-old man who presented with persistent hoarseness. After fine needle aspiration cytology, the patient underwent total thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection. The final histopathological examination revealed the ectopic thymic squamous carcinoma. The patient was discharged without any postoperative complications. The patient received adjuvant radiation therapy and did not progress during the 1-year follow-up period.

Response to positive patients with COVID-19 self-test visiting the emergency department

The real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) assay is currently used as a confirmatory test for the detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) since the disease is in community transmission stage in South Korea. However, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety recently conditionally approved the COVID-19 self-test kit (which is a rapid severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] antigen detection assay), as an additional testing method. The rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test is difficult to use as a diagnostic tool or screening assay because of the high probability of false-negative results, as it has a lower sensitivity than the RT-PCR assay. However, it can be used as an adjunctive method because of high specificity and faster results. Considering the high specificity of the self-test kit, it is necessary to assume and treat COVID-19 self-test kit positive patients as confirmed COVID-19 patients. Therefore, emergency departments, pre-hospital caregivers and 119 rescuers should prepare a protocol with quarantined spaces and protective equipment for treating COVID-19 self-test kit positive patients, to prevent the spread of infection.

Treatment outcomes of imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria with intravenous artesunate

Objective@#There has been a consistent import of Plasmodium falciparum malaria into South Korea. As artesunate has been shown to reduce malaria related mortality in other countries, we sought to evaluate the treatment outcomes of P. falciparum malaria with artesunate. @*Methods@#We retrospectively reviewed demographic (age, sex, travel history, and year of admission) and clinical data (sign and symptoms, laboratory findings, complications, treatment outcome) of patients with imported P. falciparum malaria diagnosed between 2014 and 2019. @*Results@#A total of 55 patients with P. falciparum malaria were included, of which 36.4% had severe P. falciparum malaria. Their mean (±standard deviation) age was 42.6 (±12.8) years. Overall, the median length of hospital stay was 6 days (interquartile range, 4-9; range, 3-36) and 21.8% of the patients needed intensive care unit (ICU) care. The overall mortality rate was 3.6%. In patients with severe P. falciparum malaria, half of the patients (50.0%) needed ICU care and the mortality rate was 10.0%. @*Conclusion@#This is the first study to report the outcomes of imported P. falciparum malaria treated with artesunate. The mortality rate for severe P. falciparum malaria in this study was higher than that in other non-endemic countries. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of treatment of P. falciparum malaria with artesunate.

Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak in The Emergency Department Designed for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Korea / 감염과화학요법

Background@#According to the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic experience, many emergency departments experience difficulties in responding to emerging infectious diseases and this has led to a public health crisis. Our emergency department (ED) is designed to respond to mass outbreaks of infection. Three major preparations were taken to respond to infectious disease; first, to improve the emergency department facilities;second, to created programs to respond to each phase of an epidemic of COVID-19; lastly, to implemented education and training to promote the safety of medical staff. We would like to share the actual responses and statistics of patients visiting emergency department during COVID-19 periods of pandemic. @*Materials and Methods@#This research was conducted through a retrospective chart analysis provided by a public medical center with 502 beds since the first report of a COVID-19 confirmed case on January 19, 2020 to June 15, 2020 in Seoul, the capital of Korea. Our emergency department was designed based on Korean Regional Emergency Center Facility Standards, and modified throughout each phases of COVID-19 outbreak. Patients suspected to be infectious are screened in the triage, separating them from general patients, and then receive isolation treatment in isolated wards. @*Results@#A total of 4,352 patients visited the ED. 3,202 screenings were conducted with 5 confirmed cases. Another 1,150 patients were treated with general emergent symptoms.There were no problems such as closure of the emergency department or isolation of medical staff while managing COVID-19 confirmed patients. @*Conclusion@#Improving emergency department facilities, create an operational program to respond to each phase of COVID-19 outbreak and implement educational programs enabled large number of screening tests and hospitalization for COVID-19 suspected patients while maintaining general medical services. Research in emergency department designs and operational programs should increase to combine research data with better ideas to respond not only during regular periods but also during periods of pandemic.

Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak in The Emergency Department Designed for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Korea / 감염과화학요법

Background@#According to the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic experience, many emergency departments experience difficulties in responding to emerging infectious diseases and this has led to a public health crisis. Our emergency department (ED) is designed to respond to mass outbreaks of infection. Three major preparations were taken to respond to infectious disease; first, to improve the emergency department facilities;second, to created programs to respond to each phase of an epidemic of COVID-19; lastly, to implemented education and training to promote the safety of medical staff. We would like to share the actual responses and statistics of patients visiting emergency department during COVID-19 periods of pandemic. @*Materials and Methods@#This research was conducted through a retrospective chart analysis provided by a public medical center with 502 beds since the first report of a COVID-19 confirmed case on January 19, 2020 to June 15, 2020 in Seoul, the capital of Korea. Our emergency department was designed based on Korean Regional Emergency Center Facility Standards, and modified throughout each phases of COVID-19 outbreak. Patients suspected to be infectious are screened in the triage, separating them from general patients, and then receive isolation treatment in isolated wards. @*Results@#A total of 4,352 patients visited the ED. 3,202 screenings were conducted with 5 confirmed cases. Another 1,150 patients were treated with general emergent symptoms.There were no problems such as closure of the emergency department or isolation of medical staff while managing COVID-19 confirmed patients. @*Conclusion@#Improving emergency department facilities, create an operational program to respond to each phase of COVID-19 outbreak and implement educational programs enabled large number of screening tests and hospitalization for COVID-19 suspected patients while maintaining general medical services. Research in emergency department designs and operational programs should increase to combine research data with better ideas to respond not only during regular periods but also during periods of pandemic.

Spatio-temporal trend of patients with syncope visiting the emergency department: a single-center, retrospective observational study

Objective@#This study examined the frequency of emergency department visits for syncope according to the day, week, and month. The frequency of syncope associated with holidays and the locations was also investigated. @*Methods@#A retrospective study was performed on the frequency of patients discharged from the emergency department with a diagnosis of syncope from July 2016 to June 2017. Each 24-hour period was analyzed in four-hour intervals, and the frequency of occurrence was calculated for weekly and monthly time frames. In addition, the frequency of syncope associated with holidays and the locations where syncope occurred were analyzed for any possible trends. @*Results@#For the 259 patients in this study, the frequency of the reflex syncope was significantly higher between 6 and 10 am (P=0.011), and showed a decreasing trend since that period (P=0.006). The number of reflex syncope visits on Mondays was significantly higher than on the other days (P<0.001) and a decreasing trend after Monday toward the weekend (P=0.023). A significant difference in the frequency of syncope associated with holidays was observed: 0.48 on weekdays, excluding the day after a holiday; 0.37 on a holiday; and 0.92 on the day after a holiday (P<0.001). Almost half of the reflex syncope events (44.3%) occurred in the subway. @*Conclusion@#The frequency of syncope was highest in the morning. In addition, reflex syncope showed a higher frequency on the day after a holiday, and the incidence was higher in the subway.

Chronic Gastric Volvulus as a Late Complication of Hepatectomy for Hepatoblastoma in a Child: A Case Report / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Gastric volvulus (GV) is an uncommon pathology, with 10-20% of cases occurring in children, typically before one year of age. It often occurs in people with congenital diaphragmatic hernias, intestinal malrotation, eventration of the diaphragm, paraesophageal hernias, wandering spleens, asplenism, or intra-abdominal adhesions. We report a rare case of chronic GV after left hemihepatectomy for hepatoblastoma in a child. The patient was a 9-year-old boy who complained of upper abdominal pain and postprandial upper abdominal distension for one year. At the age of 4 months, he was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma and had undergone left hemihepatectomy. The upper gastrointestinal contrast study revealed chronic organoaxial gastric volvulus. After a surgical procedure involving adhesiolysis and an anterior wall gastropexy, the patient improved and the symptoms resolved. Although GV is a rare disease, it should be suspected in a patient with a previous abdominal surgical history who is complaining of abdominal distension and pain.

Cervical collar makes difficult airway: a simulation study using the LEMON criteria

OBJECTIVE: Endotracheal intubation is extremely difficult to perform in patients wearing a cervical collar for a head and neck injury. Therefore, we analyzed actual measurements using the look externally, evaluate 3-3-2, Mallampati score, obstruction, and neck mobility (LEMON) criteria before and after cervical collar application to investigate the causes of a difficult airway. METHODS: This simulation study was performed in 76 healthy volunteers. We measured the mouth opening, modified Mallampati classification, and neck extension before and after cervical collar application. RESULTS: The mean inter-incisor distance significantly decreased from 4.3 to 2.6 cm (P < 0.001). Fifty-seven participants classified as I and II were newly classified as III and IV according to the modified Mallampati classification after cervical collar application (16% to 91%). The angles of neck extension significantly decreased from 44° to 22° after cervical collar application (P < 0.001). Before cervical collar application, our simulations predicted that 14 of 76 participants (18%) would have a difficult airway, whereas after cervical collar application, 76 of 76 (100%) were predicted to have a difficult airway. CONCLUSION: All values for the LEMON criteria (mouth opening, modified Mallampati classification, and neck extension) worsened significantly after cervical collar application. Additionally, a difficult airway was predicted in all participants after cervical collar application.

Clinical analysis of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis for animal bite in emergency department

OBJECTIVE: This study examined patients who visited the emergency department of a national medical center equipped with rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin to confirm whether the treatment for rabies vaccination was appropriate in the emergency department. METHODS: This was a retrospective study that included 397 patients from January 1, 2014, to October 31, 2017. The patients finally diagnosed with animal bites according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision code, at emergency department were collected. RESULTS: Most of the patients were 20–30 years old. Most of them were bitten by a dog, especially in the upper limb. Only 84% of patients who met the domestic rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) criteria were vaccinated. Patients who did not meet the criteria, approximately 22.3%, were also vaccinated. Complications after vaccination included clinical symptoms, such as headache, numbness, mild itching, and heating sensation. CONCLUSION: Rabies is a disease that can be prevented through PEP. Rabies PEP is relatively expensive and difficult to vaccinate easily, so it is desirable to subdivide the existing domestic rabies PEP guidelines into reality. Emergency physicians should know the proper rabies vaccination criteria and vaccinate patients only if necessary. This will help reduce medical resources and the complications of rabies vaccinations.

Comparison of long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy and open gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE: We investigated the long-term oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) and open gastrectomy (OG) for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) with a 5-year follow-up period.METHODS: Clinical data of 180 patients (109 LG and 71 OG) who underwent radical D2 gastrectomy for AGC at Gyeongsang National University Hospital between 2007 and 2009 were included. Survivals and predictors of these outcomes were analyzed.RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 54.3 months. Recurrence was observed in 68 patients (37.8%). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate was 52.2% for all patients, 39.4% in the OG group, and 60.6% in the LG group. The 5-year DFS rates for OG and LG with respect to pathological stage were stage I, 87.5% and 84.2%, respectively (P=0.684); stage II, 55.0% and 77.3%, respectively (P=0.032); and stage III, 23.3% and 34.8%, respectively (P=0.265). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 52.8% for all patients, 40.8% in the OG group, and 60.6% in the LG group. The 5-year OS rates for OG and LG with respect to pathological stage were stage I, 87.5% and 84.2%, respectively (P=0.753); stage II, 55.0% and 77.3%, respectively (P=0.034); and stage III, 25.6% and 34.8%, respectively (P=0.302). For survival, TMN cancer stage was statistically independent prognostic factors.CONCLUSION: Our analysis revealed that LG for AGC had acceptable long-term oncologic outcomes comparable to the outcomes of conventional OG. Cancer stage was independent risk factors associated with survival.

The prognosis factors among breast cancer patients with extensive axillary lymph node metastasis

PURPOSE: This study was designed to retrospectively identify prognostic factors of survival among breast cancer patients with 10 or more metastatic lymph nodes (LNs).METHODS: The study included 58 patients with 10 or more metastatic LNs who received standard treatment from January 2005 to December 2015. To identify the prognostic factors, we analyzed the difference of disease-free survival (DFS) according to clinicopathologic factors.RESULTS: The 5-year DFS and overall survival rates in all patients were 55% and 69%, respectively. Tumor size, number of metastatic LNs and ratio of metastatic to total LNs were associated with poorer prognosis. DFS was significantly poorer in patients with >15 than ≤15 metastatic LNs (hazard ratio [HR], 4.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38–15.32) and with LN ratio >0.64 than ≤0.64 (HR, 26.13; 95% CI, 3.16–215.80) A scoring system based on these factors was significantly prognostic of survival outcomes.CONCLUSION: This study identified factors of survival in breast cancer patients with extensive LN metastasis. Patients with unfavorable factors may require modified management to improve their clinical outcomes.

Stressors of Korean Disaster Relief Team Members during the Nepal Earthquake Dispatch: a Consensual Qualitative Research Analysis

We conducted in-depth interviews with 11 Korean Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) members about stress related to disaster relief work and analyzed the interview data using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method in order to evaluate difficulties in disaster relief work and to develop solutions to these problems in cooperation with related organizations. Results showed that members typically experienced stress related to untrained team members, ineffective cooperation, and the shock and aftermath of aftershock experiences. Stress tended to stem from several factors: difficulties related to cooperation with new team members, the frightening disaster experience, and the aftermath of the disaster. Other stressors included conflict with the control tower, diverse problems at the disaster relief work site, and environmental factors. The most common reason that members participated in KDRT work despite all the stressors and difficulties was pride about the kind of work it involved. Many subjects in this study suffered from various stresses after the relief work, but they had no other choice than to attempt to forget about their experiences over time. It is recommended that the mental health of disaster relief workers will improve through the further development of effective treatment and surveillance programs in the future.

Unsuspected Duplicated Gallbladder in a Patient Presenting with Acute Cholecystitis

Duplicated gallbladder (GB) is a rare congenital disease. Surgical management of a duplicated GB needs special care because of concurrent bile duct anomalies and the risk of injuring adjacent arteries during surgery. An 80-year-old man visited an emergency room with right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) revealed cholecystitis with a 2-bodied GB. Because of this unusual finding, magnetic resonance choledochopancreatography was performed to detect possible biliary anomalies. The 2 GB bodies were unified at the neck with a common cystic duct, a so-called V-shaped duplicated GB. The patient's right posterior hepatic duct joined the common bile duct (CBD) near the cystic duct. The patient underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy without adjacent organ injury, and was discharged uneventfully. Surgeons should carefully evaluate the patient preoperatively and select adequate surgical procedures in patients with suspected duplicated GB because of the risk of concurrent biliary anomalies.

Overexpression of Neuron-Specific Enolase as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: Enolase is a cytoplasmic enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate in the glycolytic pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the overexpression of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) can serve as a prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer (GC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To assess its prognostic value in GC, NSE expression was measured by immunohistochemistry in a clinically annotated tissue microarray comprising of 327 human GC specimens. Cytoplasmic NSE expression was scored from 0 to 4, reflecting the percentage of NSE-positive cells. RESULTS: In terms of histology as per the World Health Organization criteria (P=0.340), there were no differences between the NSE overexpression (NSE-OE) and NSE underexpression (NSE-UE) groups. The NSE-OE group showed a significantly lower rate of advanced GC (P<0.010), lymph node metastasis (P=0.010), advanced stage group (P<0.010), cancer-related death (P<0.010), and cancer recurrence (P<0.010). Additionally, a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the NSE-OE group had longer cumulative survival times than the NSE-UE group (log-rank test, P<0.010). However, there were no significant differences in the serum levels of NSE expression in patients with GC and healthy volunteers (P=0.280). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NSE overexpressing GC tissues showed better prognostic results, implying that NSE could be a candidate biomarker of GC.

RNA-Seq for Gene Expression Profiling of Human Necrotizing Enterocolitis: a Pilot Study

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) characterized by inflammatory intestinal necrosis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in newborns. Deep RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) has recently emerged as a powerful technology enabling better quantification of gene expression than microarrays with a lower background signal. A total of 10 transcriptomes from 5 pairs of NEC lesions and adjacent normal tissues obtained from preterm infants with NEC were analyzed. As a result, a total of 65 genes (57 down-regulated and 8 up-regulated) revealed significantly different expression levels in the NEC lesion compared to the adjacent normal region, based on a significance at fold change ≥ 1.5 and P ≤ 0.05. The most significant gene, DPF3 (P < 0.001), has recently been reported to have differential expressions in colon segments. Our gene ontology analysis between NEC lesion and adjacent normal tissues showed that down-regulated genes were included in nervous system development with the most significance (P = 9.3 × 10⁻⁷; P(corr) = 0.0003). In further pathway analysis using Pathway Express based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, genes involved in thyroid cancer and axon guidance were predicted to be associated with different expression (P(corr) = 0.008 and 0.020, respectively). Although further replications using a larger sample size and functional evaluations are needed, our results suggest that altered gene expression and the genes' involved functional pathways and categories may provide insight into NEC development and aid in future research.

Lateral Lymph Node Metastasis Prediction in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Patients with Suspicious Preoperative Imaging Findings / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: Lateral lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is indicative of tumor aggressiveness and can determine treatment strategies. However, the role of prophylactic lateral lymph node dissection in the management of PTC is unclear. This study evaluated factors predictive of lateral lymph node metastasis in patients with suspicious lymph node enlargement in preoperative imaging. METHODS: This retrospective study included 728 patients with newly diagnosed PTC who underwent therapeutic surgery. Clinicopathologic results were reviewed, and factors predictive of lateral lymph node metastasis were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 242 patients with lymph node metastasis, 50 had lateral lymph node metastasis. Lateral lymph node metastasis was associated with sex, tumor size, preoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration and presence of central lymph node metastasis. Among patients with suspicious lateral lymph node metastasis by ultrasonography, high TSH level (odds ratio 3.833, P=0.031) and number of metastatic central lymph nodes (odds ratio 3.68, P=0.025) were significantly predictive of lateral lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: High serum TSH level and central lymph node metastasis were predictive of lateral lymph node metastasis in PTC patients with suspicious preoperative imaging findings. These predictive factors might help reduce unnecessary therapeutic lateral lymph node dissection.

A case of gallbladder cancer combined with ectopic individual opening of pancreatic and bile ducts to the duodenal bulb

Ectopic opening of the pancreatic and bile ducts (EOPBD) into the duodenal bulb is an extremely rare congenital anomaly with unknown clinical implications. We presented a case of gallbladder cancer with EOPBD into the duodenal bulb. A 57-year-old male was referred to our hospital with intermittent right upper abdominal pain. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed individual EOPBD into the duodenal bulb with no papillary structure, and a focal nodular lesion in the gallbladder. A follow-up abdominal computed tomography scan 9 months later revealed a slight increase in the size of the fundal nodule, which was suspected as gallbladder cancer. An intraoperative frozen biopsy identified the nodular lesion as adenocarcinoma involving the cystic duct, and the patient underwent radical cholecystectomy including bile duct resection with hepaticojejunostomy. EOPBD is an extremely rare condition that can be associated with gallbladder malignancy as well as benign disease. Clinicians should follow up carefully and consider surgical treatment for suspected malignant lesions.

A Natural Course of an Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis without Adequate Surgical Procedure / 소아외과

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS) is one of the common surgical abdomen in infancy, characterized by progressive non-bilious vomiting. The etiology is unknown, but it likely develops after birth. The pylorus of the stomach becomes thick and triggers progressive vomiting. Abdominal ultrasonography (US) is widely used as a diagnostic tool. Currently, there is a rare IHPS patient with severe metabolic derangement because of general use of abdominal US and its accuracy. We experienced a natural course of a 62- day-old male infant with IHPS who was suffering from intermittent vomiting, loss of weight but had not been properly treated for 1 month. It is needed to make an effort to diagnose differentially in recurrent vomiting infant and check-up regularly, and also educate parents properly.

Suppurative Meckel Diiverticulum in a 3-Year-Old Girl Presenting with Periumbilical Cellulitis / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

Meckel diverticulum (MD) is one of the most common congenital gastrointestinal anomalies and occurs in 1.2-2% of the general population. MD usually presents with massive painless rectal bleeding, intestinal obstruction or inflammation in children and adults. Suppurative Meckel diverticulitis is uncommon in children. An experience is described of a 3-year-old girl with suppurative inflammation in a tip of MD. She complained of acute colicky abdominal pain, vomiting and periumbilical erythema. Laparoscopic surgery found a relatively long MD with necrotic and fluid-filled cystic end, which was attatched to abdominal wall caused by inflammation. Herein, we report an interesting and unusual case of a suppurative Meckel diverticulitis presenting as periumbilical cellulitis in a child. Because of its varied presentations, MD might always be considered as one of the differential diagonosis.

Totally Laparoscopic Distal Gastrectomy after Learning Curve Completion: Comparison with Laparoscopy-Assisted Distal Gastrectomy

PURPOSE: The aims are to: (i) display the multidimensional learning curve of totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy, and (ii) verify the feasibility of totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy after learning curve completion by comparing it with laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2005 to June 2012, 247 patients who underwent laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (n=136) and totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (n=111) for early gastric cancer were enrolled. Their clinicopathological characteristics and early surgical outcomes were analyzed. Analysis of the totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy learning curve was conducted using the moving average method and the cumulative sum method on 180 patients who underwent totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. RESULTS: Our study indicated that experience with 40 and 20 totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy cases, is required in order to achieve optimum proficiency by two surgeons. There were no remarkable differences in the clinicopathological characteristics between laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy and totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy groups. The two groups were comparable in terms of open conversion, combined resection, morbidities, reoperation rate, hospital stay and time to first flatus (P>0.05). However, totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy had a significantly shorter mean operation time than laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (P<0.01). We also found that intra-abdominal abscess and overall complication rates were significantly higher before the learning curve than after the learning curve (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Experience with 20~40 cases of totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy is required to complete the learning curve. The use of totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy after learning curve completion is a feasible and timesaving method compared to laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy.