Keloid is a skin disease characterized by exaggerated scar formation, excessive fibroblast proliferation, and excessive collagen deposition. Cancers commonly arise from a fibrotic microenvironment; e.g., hepatoma arises from liver cirrhosis, and oral cancers arise from submucosal fibrosis. As keloids are a prototypic fibroproliferative disease, this study investigated whether patients with keloids have an increased cancer risk. In a matched, population-based study, first 17,401 patients treated for keloids during 1998–2010 with 69,604 controls without keloids at a ratio of 1:4 were evaluated. The association between keloids and risk of cancer was estimated by logistic regression or Cox proportional hazard regression models after adjustment of covariates. In total, 893 first-time cases of cancer were identified in the 17,401 patients with keloids. The overall cancer risk was 1.49-fold higher in the keloids group compared to controls. Regarding specific cancers, the keloids group, had a significantly higher risk of skin cancer compared to controls (Relative risk = 1.73). The relative risk for skin cancer was even higher for males with keloids (Relative risk = 2.16). Further stratified analyses also revealed a significantly higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer in female patients with keloids compared to controls (Relative risk = 2.19) after adjustment for known pancreatic cancer risk factors. This study indicates that patients with keloids have a higher than normal risk for several cancer types, especially skin cancers (both genders) and pancreatic cancer (females). Therefore, patients with keloids should undergo regular skin examinations, and females with keloids should regularly undergo abdominal ultrasonography.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a critical illness that may result in patient mortality or morbidity. In this study, we investigated the outcomes of patients treated in medical center and nonmedical center hospitals and the relationship between such outcomes and hospital and surgeon volume. Patient data were abstracted from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000, which contains all claims data of 1 million beneficiaries randomly selected in 2000. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, subarachnoid hemorrhage (430) was used for the inclusion criteria. We identified 355 patients between 11 and 87 years of age who had subarachnoid hemorrhage. Among them, 32.4% (115/355) were men. The median Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score was 1.3 (SD ± 0.6). Unadjusted logistic regression analysis demonstrated that low mortality was associated with high hospital volume (OR = 3.21; 95% CI: 1.18–8.77). In this study, we found no statistical significances of mortality, LOS, and total charges between medical centers and nonmedical center hospitals. Patient mortality was associated with hospital volume. Nonmedical center hospitals could achieve resource use and outcomes similar to those of medical centers with sufficient volume.

Hyperpigmented mycosis fungoides is an extremely rare subtype of mycosis fungoides. It presents as multiple pigmented macules and patches without poikilodermatous changes and characterized by a CD8+ phenotype on immunohistochemistry. This report describes a typical case of hyperpigmented mycosis fungoides in a 62-year-old woman, who presented with a 7-year history of multiple hyperpigmented macules and patches on the trunk and right leg with progression over this half a year. Histology and immunohistochemical staining of skin samples confirmed the diagnosis of mycosis fungoides. She received psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy. After an 8-week treatment, the erythematous changes cleared without recurrence during a 6-month follow-up period. An intractable hyperpigmented patch should raise the clinical suspicion of mycosis fungoides with sequential skin biopsy.

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Whether traumatic brain injury (TBI) is causally related to substance related disorder (SRD) is still debatable, especially in persons with no history of mental disorders at the time of injury. This study analyzed data in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for 19,109 patients aged ≥18 years who had been diagnosed with TBI during 2000–2010. An additional 19,109 randomly selected age and gender matched patients without TBI (1 : 1 ratio) were enrolled in the control group. The relationship between TBI and SRD was estimated with Cox proportional hazard regression models. During the follow-up period, SRD developed in 340 patients in the TBI group and in 118 patients in the control group. After controlling for covariates, the overall incidence of SRD was 3.62-fold higher in the TBI group compared to the control group. Additionally, patients in the severe TBI subgroup were 9.01 times more likely to have SRD compared to controls. Notably, patients in the TBI group were prone to alcohol related disorders. The data in this study indicate that TBI is significantly associated with the subsequent risk of SRD. Physicians treating patients with TBI should be alert to this association to prevent the occurrence of adverse events.

BackgroundBilateral and isolated abducens nerve palsy is a rare initial presentation after aneurysms rupture. Several possible mechanisms including intracranial hypertension have been purposed. To date, there have been no reports with objective measurements to demonstrate the relationship between intracranial pressure and isolated abducens palsy in the setting of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage due to aneurysm rupture.FindingsA 50 year-old female presented with severe headache and bilaterally isolated abducens nerve palsy. A series of image studies showed a ruptured aneurysm over right internal carotid artery and posterior communicating artery bifurcation with minimal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Surgery of aneurysm clipping was performed and intracranial pressure monitoring was applied. Postoperatively no new neurological deficit developed but persistent headache and increased intracranial pressure measured by a fiber-optic device had been observed. The intracranial hypertension then decreased gradually with rapid recovery from the bilateral abducens palsy 7 days after the surgery. The relationship between postoperative intracranial pressure, subarachnoid hematoma and isolated abducens palsy are illustrated.ConclusionsThe report demonstrated the clinical presentation of bilaterally isolated abducens palsy after an intracranial aneurysm rupture is related with the increased intracranial pressure level, rather than the hematoma compression to the nerve or vasospasm of pontine branches of basilar artery.

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