The omega-3 PUFAs were readily incorporated into the cell membrane within 3 days of infusion with the fat emulsion. The EPA:AA ratio in membranous phospholipid in PMNs was positively correlated with the LTB(5):LTB(4) production ratio and was a good indicator of anti-inflammatory effects.

Background/Aim: Little evidence is currently available on significant determinants of post-recurrence survival for patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), HER2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate factors influencing post-recurrence survival in HR+/HER2-breast cancer. Patients and Methods: A cohort of 236 patients with recurrent HR+/HER2-breast cancer was retrospectively analyzed to identify significant factors correlating with prognosis after recurrence. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed independent prognostic factors of poor survival as follows: short intervals between recurrence and the end of adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET; p=0.046); short disease-free intervals (p=0.019); liver metastasis (p=0.007) or multiple metastases (p<0.001) at recurrence; and a poor response to first-line treatment (p<0.001). A poor first-line treatment response was significantly associated with a shorter response to a subsequent treatment line (p=0.007). Logistic regression analysis indicated that liver metastasis significantly increased the risk of a poor first-line-ET response (p=0.009). Conclusion: The first-line treatment response was the key to post-recurrence survival in patients with HR+/HER2-breast cancer. Particularly poor responses led to subsequent unfavorable prognostic outcomes.

Breast carcinosarcoma is an extremely rare, clinically aggressive tumor, and no standard treatment has been established. We report about a 34-year-old woman presenting with a 2.5-cm-sized carcinosarcoma in her right breast. She presented to our hospital for examination of this mass. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic mass with partially irregular margins. Fine-needle aspiration cytology indicated malignancy. No enlarged lymph nodes or distant metastases were detected. We diagnosed right breast cancer and performed partial mastectomy, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and latissimus dorsi muscle flap transfer. Histological findings revealed that the tumor consisted of a mixture of an epithelial component and a mesenchymal component. The final diagnosis was carcinosarcoma. After undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the patient has had no recurrence, and her cosmesis is maintained. Clinical data of carcinosarcoma are insufficient. Breast conservation and reconstruction for carcinosarcoma may be suitable as local treatments; however, the most appropriate treatment method has not been established.

Plasma TFPI levels were significantly increased in patients with AP, and the elevation was markedly related to the severity, pancreatic necrosis and organ dysfunctions. The imbalance of TF and TFPI may influence the disease state and thereby the prognosis in AP.

A 46-year-old woman was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in 2004. Increased coarse calcification was found by mammography for the last 3 years, and she was referred to our hospital. Physical examination revealed diffuse firmness in the right breast and crusting of skin at the 3 o'clock position (Figure 1). The left breast and bilateral axillary lymph nodes were normal. Mammography showed branch-like coarse calcifications in the right middle-inner breast (Figure 2). Breast ultrasonography revealed skin thickening and a diffuse hypoechoic area with calcifications in the right breast. Contrast-enhanced breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed skin thickening, atrophy, and diffuse enhancement effects of the right mammary gland without a mass. The findings were assessed as fibrous scarring and edema (Figure 3). Pathologic examination revealed a fibrous area and infiltration of inflammatory cells, mainly lymphocytes. There were no malignant findings (Figure 4). The lesion was diagnosed as lupus mastitis. Because the patient's SLE was stable, she underwent follow-up observation. Lupus panniculitis, first reported by Kaposi in 1883, is chronic subcutaneous fat inflammation caused by an autoimmunity reaction associated with SLE. It can occur in approximately 2% of patients with SLE. Lupus panniculitis most frequently affects the arms, buttocks, face, and thighs. This condition rarely occurs in the breast; this condition is called lupus mastitis, which refers to subcutaneous fat inflammation of the breast. Symptoms include breast swelling, palpation of a mass and induration, and skin abnormalities such as erythema, hyperkeratosis, and ulceration. Mammography shows coarse calcification and increased breast density. Breast ultrasonography reveals an ill-defined mass with varying echogenicity and coarse or F I G U R E 1 Physical examination revealed diffuse firmness in the right breast and skin crusting at the 3 o'clock position F I G U R E 2 Mammography showed branch-like coarse calcifications in the right middle-inner breast. A, Mediolateral oblique. B, Craniocaudal