Cushing's syndrome is characterized by excessive cortisol and immuno-suppression.We experienced a case of Cushing's syndrome caused by adrenocortical carcinoma that was complicated by multiple opportunistic infections. A 37-year-old woman with adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) presented with decreased mental ability and high fever one week after undergoing chemotherapy. Her initial blood culture revealed methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia accompanied by septic pneumonia. We admitted her to the intensive care unit and treated her for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP), candidemia, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia pneumonia with broad-spectrum antibiotics and antifungal agents. Nevertheless, her clinical course worsened and she died. Herein, we report a case of Cushing's syndrome associated with cortisol-secreting ACC that presented with multiple opportunistic infections, including MRSA bacteremia, septic pneumonia, candidemia, PJP, and IPA, illuminating a relationship between hypercortisolemia and opportunistic infections.

Midazolam, a benzodiazepine derivatives, is widely used in intensive care unit for sedation of patients who require mechanical ventilation. Although midazolam has a short acting time, it might cause a prolonged sedation, especially in patients with renal failure. We report the case of a 76-year-old man who received peritoneal dialysis and showed prolonged sedation after stopping continuous infusion of midazolam. The patient who has received maintenance hemodialysis for five months admitted in intensive care unit to manage pneumonia and severe congestive heart failure. In ICU, hemodialysis was transferred to peritoneal dialysis due to severe cardiac dysfunction. He was treated with mechanical ventilation under sedation with midazolam. However, even though stopping midazolam, deep sedation by midazolam was not restored. The patient completely recovered from sedation after 280 hours.
Aged ; Benzodiazepines ; Deep Sedation ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Midazolam ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Pneumonia ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiration, Artificial

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) is a serious condition requiring prompt intervention due to a sudden decrease in limb perfusion threatening limb viability. Treatment of ALI depends on the clinical status of the affected limb and patient comorbidities. Surgical therapy has been the historical standard of care for restoring limb perfusion; however, percutaneous endovascular intervention has been shown to be a promising treatment option in selected patients of ALI at high surgical risk. We report on a case of a 75-year-old man with ALI caused by thrombotic occlusion of the suprainguinal artery, successfully treated with endovascular therapy including stent insertion and thrombus aspiration and catheter-directed urokinase infusion in view of the clinical findings and imaging studies.
Aged ; Arteries* ; Comorbidity ; Endovascular Procedures ; Extremities* ; Humans ; Ischemia* ; Lower Extremity ; Perfusion ; Standard of Care ; Stents ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Thrombosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND: A decrease in the number of tissue eosinophils is known to reflect the malignancy potential of neoplastic lesions and even prognosis. Increased levels of the chemokines CCL11 and CCL24 in serum and tissue are also known to have diagnostic value as serum tumor markers or prognostic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the degree of tissue eosinophilia and the expression of these chemokines in the glandular and stromal cells of colorectal neoplastic lesions ranging from benign to malignant tumors. METHODS: We counted the number of infiltrating eosinophils in neoplastic lesion tissue and we evaluated the expression of CCL11 and CCL24 in glandular cells and stromal cells by immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: The results showed that the number of eosinophils decreased significantly and the expression of CCL11 and CCL24 in glandular cells decreased with tumor progression, whereas the stromal expression of CCL11 and CCL24 appeared to increase. CONCLUSIONS: The discrepancy in CCL11 and CCL24 expression between glandular cells and stromal cells might shed light on how colorectal cancer evades the immune system, which would enable further development of immunotherapies that target these chemokines. Further research on eosinophil biology and the expression pattern of chemokines in tumor cells is needed.
Biology ; Chemokines ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils* ; Immune System ; Immunotherapy ; Prognosis ; Stromal Cells ; Biomarkers, Tumor

When neurological symptoms occur during the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the differential diagnosis includes a leukemic infiltration of the nervous system, drug toxicity, infection, and other neurological disorders. We describe a 16-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia that appeared to be complicated by vincristine-induced peripheral and cranial polyneuropathy after induction chemotherapy. She presented with right ptosis six weeks after the first dose of vincristine, and her neurological symptoms progressed to peripheral polyneuropathy. She recovered from these neurological symptoms over the next three months. Leukemic involvement of the nervous system and other neurological disorders could be excluded as potential causes of the neurological symptoms. This report shows that vincristine-induced neurotoxicity should be considered as a cause of cranial neuropathy that develops during the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Adolescent ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Toxicity ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Leukemia ; Leukemic Infiltration ; Nervous System ; Nervous System Diseases ; Polyneuropathies ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Vincristine

Yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is a rare disorder of unknown cause associated with yellow nails, lymphedema and respiratory manifestations. It was first described by Samman and White in 1964, and to date, approximately 150 cases have been reported. The diagnosis of YNS is essentially a clinical one and based on the presence of characteristic findings. We report a case of YNS of a 62-year-old female who presented with a 4-month history of dyspnea and recurrent pleural effusion. The patient had a 5-year history of leg swelling and dyspnea. She had been managed with medications for congestive heart failure (CHF) for two years and she was referred to our hospital for further evaluation and management.
Diagnostic Errors ; Dyspnea ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Leg ; Lymphedema ; Middle Aged ; Nails ; Pleural Effusion ; Yellow Nail Syndrome

Background: While polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) are emerging as potentially significant health threats, linked to cancer and reproductive dysfunction, their precise effects on human health remain largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms promoting microplastic-induced damage in the reproductive system. Methods: Thirty C57BL/6 male mice were randomly allocated into six equal-sized groups.Mice were exposed to fluorescent PS-MPs (5 µm, < 18%, green) at a dose of 1 and 3 mg/dL via oral gavage for 28 and 56 days, respectively (control, 0 mg/dL). The presence of antibodies and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were evaluated using western blotting. Sperm analysis was also performed. Mouse testis Sertoli TM4 cells were divided into two groups:control (medium only) and PS-MPs (medium containing, 1,000 μg/mL) groups and cultured in vitro for 1, 24, 48, or 72 hours. The cells were cultured in a Ham’s F12: Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium medium with 0.25% fetal bovine serum at 37°C with humidified atmosphere of 5% carbon dioxide in the air. Protein analyses for interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, NADPH-oxidase (NOX)-2, NOX-4, hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF)-2α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β were performed using western blotting. Results: The testes were evaluated after 28 and 56 days of exposure. Varying sizes of PS-MPs were detected in the testes (ranging from 5.870 to 7.768 µm). Significant differences in sperm concentration, motility, and the proportion of normal sperm were observed between the two groups. An increase in TGF-β, HIF-2α, and NOX-4 levels was observed using western blot analysis. However, no dose-dependent correlations were observed between the two groups.In vitro evaluation of the PS-MPs group displayed PS-MP penetration of the lumen of Sertoli cells after 1 hour. Further PS-MP aggregation within Sertoli cells was observed at 24, 48, and 72 hours. A significant increase in inflammatory protein expressions (IL-10, TGF-β, MCP-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and HIF-2α) was observed through western blotting, although oxidative agents did not show a significant increase. Conclusion PS-MPs induced reproductive dysfunction in male mice provide new insights into PS-MPs-associated toxicity in mammals.

PURPOSE: Functional imaging of dopamine transporter (DAT) defines integrity of the dopaminergic system, and DAT is the target site of drugs of abuse such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Functional imaging the DAT may be a sensitive and selective indicator of neurotoxic change by the drug. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical implications of qualitative/quantitative analyses of dopamine transporter imaging in methamphetamine abusers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six detoxified methamphetamine abusers (abuser group) and 4 volunteers (control group) were enrolled in this study. Brain MRI was performed in all of abuser group. Abuser group underwent psychiatric and depression assessment using brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD), respectively. All of the subjects underwent I-123 IPT SPECT (IPT SPECT). IPT SPECT image was analysed with visual qualitative method and quantitative method using basal ganglia dopamine transporter (DAT) specific/non-specific binding ratio (SBR). Comparison of DAT SBR between abuser and control groups was performed. We also performed correlation tests between psychiatric and depression assessment results and DAT SBR in abuser group. RESULTS: All of abuser group showed normal MRI finding, but had residual psychiatric and depressive symptoms, and psychiatric and depressive symptom scores were exactly correlated (r=1.0, p=0.005) each other. Five of them showed abnormal finding on qualitative visual I-123 IPT SPECT. Abuser group had lower basal ganglia DAT SBR than that of control (2.38+/-0.20 vs 3.04+/-0.27, p=0.000). Psychiatric and depressive symptoms were negatively well correlated with basal ganglia DAT SBR (r=-0.908, p=0.012, r=-0.924, p=0.009). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that dopamine transporter imaging using I-123 IPT SPECT may be used to evaluate dopaminergic system of the basal ganglia and the clinical status in methamphetamine abusers.
Basal Ganglia* ; Brain ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Cocaine ; Depression ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methamphetamine* ; Street Drugs ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

BACKGROUND: There is a close connection between type 2 diabetes mellitus and the risk of cancers and related mortality. The principal objective of the present study was to explore the association between type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively compared 1111 subjects (age > or = 30 years) who were subjected to colonoscopies between June 2006 and June 2009. We evaluated the anthropometric data, presenting symptoms and signs, history of diabetes, laboratory data, colonoscopy findings and biopsy results. We analyzed the correlation between colorectal cancer and influencing factors, and compared the incidence rates of colorectal cancer in the type 2 diabetes and control groups. RESULTS: Four hundreds and seven of the subjects had diabetes mellitus. The incidence of colorectal cancer was increased significantly in type 2 diabetes relative to the control group (7.4% vs. 3.4%, P < 0.05). Colorectal cancer was correlated significantly with age, type 2 diabetes, constipation, anemia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Following logistic regression analysis, age and constipation were associated significantly with colorectal cancer. In the age below 65 years subgroup, the incidence of colorectal cancer was increased significantly in the type 2 diabetes group relative to the control group. CONCLUSION: Type 2 diabetes was associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. This association was more definite in the subjects younger than 65 years.
Anemia ; Biopsy ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Constipation ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Retrospective Studies