Clinical heterogeneity and distinct outcomes in hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is an infrequent mesenchymal tumor of unknown etiology and variable clinical symptoms. It usually affects black, middle-aged women. The most frequent symptoms are right hypochondrium pain, abdominal discomfort and constitutional syndrome with progressive liver damage. Diagnosis is difficult and detailed pathological analysis is required. Controlled clinical studies are lacking and there are no factors that predict the clinical course or serve as a guide to the most effective treatment. We report 3 cases with distinct clinical course ranging from clinical stability to dissemination and death. Treatment differed in the three patients.     

The long-term outcomes of patients with compensated hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis and history of parenteral exposure in the United States

It is well known that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may progress to cirrhosis and is linked to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previous studies have shown that compensated HCV-cirrhosis is related to a certain morbidity and mortality in European patients, but little is known in regard to the clinical outcomes of a similar group of patients in the United States. This study investigated this category of patients in terms of the incidence of decompensation, development of HCC, mortality, and the predictive risk factors for morbidity and mortality. The potential effects of interferon (IFN) therapy on outcomes of the disease also were assessed. A total of 112 patients with compensated HCV-cirrhosis and a documented history of either intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) or transfusion were consecutively enrolled. The mean follow-up interval was 4.5 (2-7.7) years. The cumulative probabilities for decompensation and development of HCC were 22.2% and 10.1% in 5 years, with an estimated yearly incidence of 4.4% and 2.0%, respectively. The cumulative survival probability was 82.8% from entry and 51.1% from decompensation in 5 years, with estimated yearly events of mortality and liver transplantation of 3.4% and 9. 8%, respectively. It was found that age at entry and initial exposure, initial levels of albumin, platelet count, and prothrombin time (PT) were predictive risk factors for developing decompensation, whereas age at entry and initial exposure, history of transfusion, lower initial levels of albumin, platelet count, and viral load were predictive risk factors for events of mortality and liver transplantation. The incidence of decompensation was significantly lower in patients treated with IFN, but age may have played a contributory role. In contrast, neither HCC development nor mortality was significantly altered by IFN therapy. In conclusion, our study indicated that patients with compensated HCV-cirrhosis in the United States progressed slowly and experienced eventual morbidity and mortality. Once decompensation develops, the disease will be more progressive and result in even higher mortality. Further studies will be required to determine the efficacy of IFN on clinical outcomes in this group of patients.     

Treatment and outcomes of treating of hepatocellular carcinoma among Medicare recipients in the United States: a population-based study

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There are several treatment alternatives available for patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Yet, neither the extent to which potentially curative or palliative therapy is used to treat HCC, nor the determinants of using such therapies are known. Further, it is unclear how effective different modalities are for treating HCC. METHODS: We used the linked SEER-Medicare dataset to identify patients diagnosed with HCC between 1992 and 1999.We identified 2963 patients with continuous Medicare enrollment who were not enrolled in a Medicare-HMO. HCC treatments were categorized as potentially curative therapy (resection, transplant, local ablation), or palliative (trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE), chemotherapy), and no therapy. Demographic (age, sex, race, geographic region), clinical (comorbidity, risk factors and severity of liver disease) and tumor factors (tumor size, extent of disease) were examined as potential determinants of therapy, as well as survival in univariate and multivariable analyses. Survival curves were also generated and compared among the different treatment modalities. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 74 years (range: 32-105), and most patients (91%) were older than 65 years. Approximately 68% were White, 10% Black, 4% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 9% were of other race. Thirteen percent of the patients received potentially curative therapy (transplant 0.9%, resection 8.2%, local ablation 4.1%), 4% received TACE, 57% received other palliative therapy, and 26% received no specific therapy. Only 34% of 513 patients with single lesions, and 34% of 143 patients with lesions <3.0 cm received potentially curative therapy. However, 19.2% of patients with unfavorable tumor features (lesion >10.0 cm) received such therapy. Among patients who received potentially curative therapy (n=392), resection was the most common procedure (n=243, 62%) followed by local ablation (n=122, 31%) and finally transplantation (n=27, 7%). In regression analyses, geographic variations in the extent and type of curative therapy persisted after adjusting for demographic, clinical, and tumor features. Median overall survival was 104 days following HCC diagnosis with the longest survival in the transplant group (852 days) and the shortest survival in the group with no treatment (58 days). In the survival analysis, transplantation led to the longest survival, followed by resection. Neither ablation nor TACE yielded prolonged survival (3 year survival was less than 10%). CONCLUSIONS: In this predominantly 65 years and older Medicare population, there are marked geographic variations in the management of HCC that seem to be at least as important as clinical and tumor-related features in determining the extent and type of HCC therapy. There is underutilization of potentially curative therapy, even among those with favorable tumor features.     

Treatment modalities of diabetes mellitus and outcomes of acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: Oral treatments for diabetes mellitus (DM) may have a deleterious effect on acute coronary syndromes (ACS) outcomes. AIM: We aimed to examine in-hospital mortality among patients with ACS and DM and the impact of anti-DM treatment modalities. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Euro Heart Survey ACS prospectively enrolled 10484 patients across Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Of the 10214 patients with recorded DM status, 2352 (23.0%) had DM, of whom 562 were on diet alone, 1112 received oral hypoglycaemics, 561 received insulin, and 117 received both. The in-hospital mortality for ST-elevation-ACS was 9.8 and 5.7% for patients with and without DM, respectively, with an adjusted risk (95% confidence interval) of in-hospital mortality of 1.6 (1.2, 2.1). The in-hospital mortality for non-ST-elevation-ACS was 2.8 and 2.0%, accordingly, with an adjusted risk (95% confidence interval) of in-hospital mortality of 1.2 (0.8, 1.9). The in-hospital mortality for undetermined-electrocardiographic-pattern-ACS was 11.5 and 10.9%, accordingly, with an adjusted risk of in-hospital mortality of 1.1 (0.6, 2.0). Among DM patients with ST-elevation-ACS, the adjusted risks of in-hospital mortality were 1.0 for diet therapy, 0.8 (0.4, 1.5) for oral hypoglycaemics, and 1.9 (1.0, 3.8) for insulin; for DM patients and non-ST-elevation-ACS, 1.0 for diet therapy, 2.2 (0.6, 7.8) for oral hypoglycaemics, and 3.5 (1.0, 12.5) for insulin; for DM patients and undetermined-electrocardiographic-pattern-ACS, the adjusted risks of in-hospital mortality were 1.0 for diet therapy, 0.9 (0.2, 4.6) for oral hypoglycaemics, and 2.1 (0.5, 9.5) for insulin. CONCLUSIONS: Acute coronary syndrome patients with DM, especially those with ST-elevation, had increased in-hospital mortality. Among ACS patients with DM, those receiving insulin had worse outcomes. Outcomes were similar for those on hypoglycaemics or on diet alone.     

Early outcomes among those initiating chronic dialysis in the United States

Summary

Background and objectives

Approximately one million Americans initiated chronic dialysis over the past decade; the first-year mortality rate reported by the U.S. Renal Data System was 19.6% in 2007. This estimate has historically excluded the first 90 days of chronic dialysis.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

To characterize the mortality and hospitalization risks for patients starting chronic renal replacement therapy, we followed all patients initiating dialysis in 1733 facilities throughout the United States (n = 303,289). Mortality and hospitalizations within the first 90 days were compared with outcomes after this period, and the results were analyzed. Standard time-series analyses were used to depict the weekly risk estimates for each outcome.

Results

Between 1997 and 2009, >300,000 patients initiated chronic dialysis and were followed for >35 million dialysis treatments; the highest risk for morbidity and mortality occurred in the first 2 weeks of treatment. The initial 2-week risk of death for a typical dialysis patient was 2.72-fold higher, and the risk of hospitalization was 1.95-fold higher when compared to a patient who survived the first year of chronic dialysis (week 53 after initiation). Similarly, over the first 90 days, the risk of mortality and hospitalization remained elevated. Thereafter, between days 91 and 365, these risks decreased considerably by more than half. Surviving these first weeks of dialysis was most associated with the type of vascular access. Initiating dialysis with a fistula was associated with a decreased early death risk by 61%, whereas peritoneal dialysis decreased the risk by 87%.

Conclusions

The first 2 weeks of chronic dialysis are associated with heightened mortality and hospitalization risks, which remain elevated over the ensuing 90 days.     

肝上皮样血管内皮细胞瘤1例报告

<正>1病例资料患者女性,50岁,因间断上腹部不适8年,加重伴肝区疼痛1周于2013年12月24日入本院。患者8年前无明显诱因出现上腹部不适,于本院二部行胃镜检查,诊断为浅表性胃炎,间断口服多种中药治疗,上述症状有所好转,但病情间断反复,1周前患者上腹部不适症状加重,并伴肝区疼痛,且近期体质量明显下降,就诊于本院二部,肝脏彩超及CT三期增强均提示肝内多发占位性病变,为求进一步明确诊断入本科。既往史:     

肝脏上皮样血管内皮瘤1例报告

1病例资料患者女性,35岁,因＂间断性右上腹部隐痛1个月,检查发现肝脏占位性病变14天＂入院。既往：检查发现乙型肝炎病原学阳性30余年,未行抗病毒治疗。7年前因急性阑尾炎行阑尾切除术。否认其他病史。查体：皮肤巩膜无黄染,无肝掌,蜘蛛痣,腹部平坦,未见腹壁静脉曲张,右下腹可见一长约8cm陈旧性斜行手术瘢痕,愈合良好,未见胃肠型及蠕动波。腹部未触及明显包块,无压痛、反跳痛、肌紧张,肝脾肋下未触及,     

肝上皮样血管内皮瘤1例报告

<正>肝上皮样血管内皮瘤(eplthelioid hemangioendothelioma,EHE)是一种低度恶性源于血管的少见肿瘤。Weiss等[1]于1982年报道了41例发生于软组织的类似肿瘤,并命名为EHE。lshak等[2]于1984年报道过肝原发性EHE,临床症状和实验室检查无特异性,最终诊断需要结合病理检查。1病例资料患者男性,59岁,因"发现肝占位半个月"于2014年1月     

CT and MRI diagnosis of hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

BACKGROUND:Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE)is a rare,low-grade malignant vascular tumor.Although its unusual imaging and pathologic findings are being recognized with increasing frequency,diagnosis is still difficult.This study aimed to analyze the CT and MRI features of hepatic EHE with a pathological study in order to improve the diagnostic accuracy and knowledge of this disease in daily practice. METHODS:Nine patients with hepatic EHE confirmed pathologi- cally underwent plain and dynamic c...     

The relationship between asthma,asthma control and economic outcomes in the United States

Objective: Asthma, a serious chronic lung disease affecting approximately 26 million Americans, remains clinical and economic burdens on the healthcare system. Although associations between uncontrolled asthma and poor health outcomes is known, the extent of this impact of uncontrolled asthma on economic outcomes in the United States (US) is unknown. We sought to determine the relationship between asthma, asthma control and economic outcomes in the US. Methods: The 2008–2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys were used to estimate the impact of uncontrolled asthma (asthma-related emergency department [ED] visit, use of >3 canisters of quick-relief inhaler in past 3 months or asthma attack in past 12 months) on medical expenditures, utilization and productivity. Estimates were generated using multivariate regression controlling for sociodemographics and comorbidity. Results: Medical expenditures attributable to asthma were up to $4423 greater for those with markers of uncontrolled asthma compared with those who did not have asthma. Frequency of hospital discharges were up to 4.6-fold greater for those with uncontrolled asthma than those without asthma (p?<?0.01), while all others with asthma did not have significantly more discharges. ED visits were up to 1.8-fold greater for those with uncontrolled asthma compared with those without asthma (p?<?0.01). Productivity was significantly (p?<?0.01) decreased (more likely to be unemployed, more days absent from work and more activity limitations) for those with uncontrolled asthma. Conclusions: In recent national data, individuals with asthma and markers of uncontrolled asthma had higher medical expenditures, greater utilization and decreased productivity.     

Population-level differences in revascularization treatment and outcomes among various United States subpopulations

Despite recent general improvements in health care, significant disparities persist in the cardiovascular care of women and racial/ethnic minorities. This is true even when income, education level, and site of care are taken into consideration. Possible explanations for these disparities include socioeconomic considerations, elements of discrimination and racism that affect socioeconomic status, and access to adequate medical care. Coronary revascularization has become the accepted and recommended treatment for myocardial infarction(MI) today and is one of the most common major medical interventions in the United States, with more than 1 million procedures each year. This review discusses recent data on disparities in co-morbidities and presentation symptoms, care and access to medical resources, and outcomes in revascularization as treatment for acute coronary syndrome, looking especially at women and minority populations in the United States. The data show that revascularization is used less in both female and minority patients. We summarize recent data on disparities in co-morbidities and presentation symptoms related to MI; access to care, medical resources, and treatments; and outcomes in women, blacks, and Hispanics. The picture is complicated among the last group by the many Hispanic/Latino subgroups in the United States. Some differences in outcomes are partially explained by presentation symptoms and co-morbidities and external conditions such as local hospital capacity. Of particular note is the striking differential in both presentation co-morbidities and mortality rates seen in women, compared to men, especially in women ≤ 55 years of age. Surveillance data on other groups in the United States such as American Indians/Alaska Natives and the many Asian subpopulations show disparities in risk factors and co-morbidities, but revascularization as treatment for MI in these populations has not been adequately studied. Significant research is required to understand the extent of disparities in treatment in these subpopulations.