China
Africa
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Peyronie's Disease
Published in Charles Theisler, Adjuvant Medical Care, 2023
This is a disorder in which the development of flat fibrous scar tissue, or plaque, inside the penis causes curved, painful erections. Peyronie's disease begins with inflammation, or swelling, which later becomes a hard scar. Specifically, scar tissue forms in the tunica albuginea, the thick sheath of tissue surrounding the corpora cavernosa, causing pain, abnormal curvature, erectile dysfunction, indentation, loss of girth, and shortening. Peyronie's disease is benign and not contagious or caused by any known transmittable disease. In approximately 10% of cases, there can be spontaneous remission.1 The goal of treatment is to reduce pain and to restore and maintain the ability to have intercourse.
Antibody-Based Therapies
Published in David E. Thurston, Ilona Pysz, Chemistry and Pharmacology of Anticancer Drugs, 2021
It has long been known, but is now increasingly appreciated, that tumor cells can be recognized by the immune system. However, most current cancer therapies do not utilize the body’s innate immunological defense mechanisms. Early in their development, some tumors show evidence of spontaneous regression suggesting that the immune system may be capable of recognizing and eliminating early-stage tumor cells. Observation of this phenomenon led to the foundation of the area of immuno-oncology (IO). It is now known that, in some cases, the immune system is capable of completely eliminating a tumor. For example, spontaneous remissions have been observed in advanced melanoma, adenocarcinoma of the kidney, and urothelial carcinomas. A spontaneous remission is a reduction in severity of, or disappearance of, the signs and symptoms of a disease, without any apparent cause and in the absence of treatment. This spontaneous healing process has been observed in most forms of cancer but most frequently in embryonal and breast cancer, renal adenocarcinoma, neuroblastoma, melanoma, and sarcoma or carcinoma of the bladder. Spontaneous remissions are most often noted in patients who have recently had acute infections, especially when this results in fever which appears to stimulate the immune system.
Endocrinology and gonads
Published in Jagdish M. Gupta, John Beveridge, MCQs in Paediatrics, 2020
Jagdish M. Gupta, John Beveridge
11.6. A 14-year-old girl has a smooth, non-tender goitre without any other symptoms. Investigations show T4 87ng/l (normal 85-160), TSH llng/1 (normal 2-3.5) and antimicrosomal antibody titre 1/12 500 (normal less than 1/100). Which of the following statements is/are correct?She has compensated hypothyroidism.This presentation of thyroid disease is rare in teenage children.Spontaneous remission of this condition has been observed.Other endocrine abnormalities may also be found.The most likely diagnosis is Graves' disease.
Delayed therapy initiation for a case with congenital leukemia with transient spontaneous regression
Published in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, 2022
Kosuke Tamefusa, Satoshi Sunada, Yusei Nakata, Hirokazu Agawa, Ritsuo Nishiuchi
Congenital leukemia is an extremely rare disorder that is diagnosed within the first 28 days of birth.1 Common clinical features of congenital leukemia include prominent hepatosplenomegaly and a high incidence of skin involvement. A distinctive feature of this condition is occurrence of spontaneous remission (SR) in some cases. Congenital leukemia is more commonly of myeloid than lymphoid origin and the optimal treatment strategy remains unclear. Significant chemotherapy-related toxicity has been observed in congenital leukemia.2 We report a case of congenital acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with t(9;11)(p12.3;q23.3);KMT2A-MLLT3. Transient spontaneous regression was observed for 5 weeks and an increased size of residual skin lesions was observed. We administered chemotherapy and induced complete remission without any severe adverse effects. We monitored disease activity so that we could initiate chemotherapy when the tumor burden was maximally debulked and aimed to reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy by delaying the induction of chemotherapy.
Advances in predicting patient survival in pulmonary sarcoidosis
Published in Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs, 2021
Gamze Kirkil, Elyse Lower, Robert Baughman
Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease with a highly variable natural history. Spontaneous remission is frequent and may occur in up to half of patients, while the remaining cases have chronic, progressive disease, with some patients presenting with life-threatening involvement [1,2]. The outcome largely depends on whether the granulomatous inflammation resolves, either spontaneously or with treatment, or progresses to fibrosis [3]. Approximately 10% of the patients will develop advanced pulmonary sarcoidosis (APS) which is also referred to as ‘high-risk’, ‘treatment-resistant’, or ‘end-stage’ pulmonary sarcoidosis [4]. Some risk factors for the development of APS include ancestry, dyspnea on presentation, need for corticosteroid usage within the first six months after diagnosis, lung infiltration, and the absence of lymphadenopathy on chest imaging [5,6]. Cardiac disease can also lead to death in sarcoidosis [7,8]. However, studies from both the United States and Europe have found that the risk of dying from cardiac sarcoidosis is lower than previously reported, mostly due to the aggressive use of implantable cardiac devices [9,10]. For this review, we will focus only on identifying features predictive of death from pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Association of SNPs in PLA2R1 with idiopathic and secondary membranous nephropathy in two Chinese cohorts
Published in British Journal of Biomedical Science, 2020
Membranous nephropathy (MN), the main cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults, is characterized by deposition of subepithelial immune complexes and thickening of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). MN is classified as idiopathic (IMN) or secondary (SMN) depending on its aetiology [1–3]. About 70% of MN patients have IMN, one the most common pathologic types of primary glomerulonephritis. Numerous autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections, and malignancies, are major causes of SMN [4]. The clinical consequences of IMN are varied. About one-third of patients with mild symptoms experience spontaneous remission [5]. Nearly 30 to 40% develop thrombotic or thromboembolic events, urinary tract infection, or cardiovascular disease [6]. Progressive decline of renal function occurs in other patients, who have refractory MN; about 35% of these refractory MN patients develop end-stage renal disease within 10 years [7].