BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is little clinical data on the results of using Sirolimus-Eluting Stent (SES) for treating In-Stent Restenosis (ISR). We performed this study to evaluate the clinical outcomes for implanting SES for treating ISR in a real world hospital environment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 30 patients with 32 ISRs (males: 73.3%, mean age: 60.2) (focal lesions: 21.9%, diffuse intra-stent lesions: 34.4%, proliferative lesions: 21.9%, total occlusions: 21.9%) were treated with SES after balloon predilation was performed. We evaluated the clinical results and the performed coronary angiography after 6 months. RESULTS: All the procedures were successful. The mean SES diameter and length were 3.0+/-0.3 mm and 27.1+/-5.5 mm, respectively, and the mean acute gain was 2.42+/-0.38 mm. No in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were observed. Twenty five patients with 27 lesions (84.4%) underwent coronary angiography at their 6 month follow-up. The late loss and loss index were 0.41+/-0.56 mm and 0.18+/-0.22, respectively. The binary restenosis rate was 7.4% (2/27 lesions). The rate of target lesion revascularization was 3.7% (1/27 lesion). The incidence of MACE at 6 months was 3.3% (1/30 patient). CONCLUSION: Treating ISR with SES is a safe and effective procedure for reducing ISR without the occurrence of acute or sub-acute thrombosis.
Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Restenosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Stents* ; Thrombosis

The administration of local anesthetics or steroids via the lumbar approach to the epidural space is one of the most common procedures performed in contemporary pain management by the pain specialist. This technique is useful in a variety of chronic benign pain syndromes, including lumbar radiculopathy, low back syndrome, spinal stenosis, and vertebral compression fractures. Given the increased number of epidural nerve blocks being performed, some have reported unexpected complications of a transient or permanent nature and of varying degrees of severity. However, no case report has been issued that includes objective magnetic resonance imaging data showing a transient asymptomatic intraspinal cyst-like lesion after epidural nerve block. We experienced a case of a transient asymptomatic intraspinal cyst-like lesion after administering an epidural steroid and local anesthetic injection to a 59 year old female patient suffering from a back pain with multiple old vertebral compression fractures and herniated intervertebral discs. The intraspinal cyst-like lesion was found incidentally by magnetic resonance imaging after an epidural nerve block. We report upon this case and provide subjective data.
Anesthetics, Local ; Back Pain ; Epidural Space ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Block* ; Pain Management ; Radiculopathy ; Specialization ; Spinal Stenosis ; Steroids

Cryosupernatant which is the residual plasma fraction after removing cryoprecipitate has been used for plasma exchange in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndrome replacing the fresh frozen plasma. Recently, the unusually large yon Willebrand factor multireefs (ULvWFM) has been observed in patients with refractory or chronic relapsing hemolytic uremic syndrome as well as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura which disappeared by infusion or plasma exchange with cryosupernatant, and infusion of fresh frozen plasma, the largest multimers of yon Willebrand factor were replenished that it might be a cause of refractoriness. This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of home-made cryosupernatant from thawed fresh frozen plasma and its thehrapeutic effect in a hemolytic uremic syndrome patient. The level of fibrinogen, coagulation factor VIII, vWF antigen, and ristocetin cofactor activity was decreased and yon Willebrand factor multimers were barely seen in cryosupernatant than those of in fresh frozen plasma. A hemolytic uremic syndrome patient tried with exchange and infusion of cryosupernatant showed excellent recovery. It is concluded that home-made cryosupernatant shares many of the features of fresh frozen plasma except factor VIII, especially von Willebrand factor multimers, and thus it could be a useful alternative to fresh frozen plasma in case of refractory hemolytic uremic synydrome.
Factor VIII ; Fibrinogen ; Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome ; Humans ; Plasma Exchange* ; Plasma* ; Purpura, Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic ; von Willebrand Factor

In our preliminary study to find antiviral or antitumor agents from Korean natural products, we found that the Shope fibroma virus (SFV) induced fibromas reaching maximum size at 5~6 days with spontaneous disappearance at 15~20 days after SFV intracutaneous inoculation into Korean domestic rabbits. However, the sizes of fibromas of rabbits at day 5 after virus inoculation were significantly different individually. Assuming that the variation of tumor size was due to either susceptibility or the preexisting antibodies against SFV in the Korean domestic rabbits, the rabbits were checked for the antibodies against SFV by IFAT using SFV infected RKl3 cells. The antibody positive rate of normal Korean domestic rabbits was 32.8% and the sizes of the fibromas of the positive rabbits were significantly smaller than those of negative rabbits (p<0.0001). The fibroma sizes were dependent on the antibody titers of rabbits to SFV. The sizes of fibromas after inoculation of SFV into immunized rabbits were about one tenth of those by the first inoculation into normal rabbits. This is the first report on the antibody prevalence against SFV among normal Korean domestic rabbits and it suggest the existence of a wild fibroma virus or related virus in Korea.
Antibodies* ; Antineoplastic Agents ; Biological Products ; Fibroma Virus, Rabbit* ; Fibroma* ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Rabbits* ; Tumor Virus Infections*

Treatment of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been controversial. Although there have been several anecdotal reports on the efficacies of corticosteroids or cytotoxic agents such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and D-penicillamine for the treatment of ILD associated with RA, no controlled studies have been performed. To date, corticosteroids have been a central agent for the treatment of this disease, but their effects are partial and temporary in most cases. In addition, the adverse effects of these agents are considerable. On the other hand, limited information is available on the cyclosporine use in ILD associated with RA. We describe a 49-yr old female patient with RA and ILD that had initially responded to high dose prednisolone and cyclophosphamide intravenous pulse therapy, and the lung disease was aggravated with the tapering of prednisolone. After 10 months of follow-up loss, the patient was successfully treated with low dose cyclosporine without high dose corticosteroids.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/therapeutic use ; Antirheumatic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/complications/*drug therapy/radiography ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use ; Cyclosporine/*therapeutic use ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial/complications/*drug therapy/radiography ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

A 42 year-old male with a history of multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis suddenly developed massive hemoptysis. Embolization of a bronchial artery branch and the collateral systemic arteries did not resolve the recurrent bleeding. Spiral computerized tomography(spiral CT) of the chest showed contrast enhanced nodules within a large cavity at the left lower lobe in the arterial phase suggesting a Rasmussen aneurysm. A pulmonary angiogram showed abnormal vascular nodules at that site. Coils were deployed at both the proximal and distal vessels of this aneurysmal sac for embolization. Transcatheter arterial embolization is a safe and effective means of controlling bleeding from this pulmonary arterial pseudoaneurysm. Here we report a case of a Rasmussen aneurysm diagnosed by spiral CT, which was successfully treated by pulmonary arterial embolization with a coil.
Aneurysm* ; Aneurysm, False ; Arteries ; Bronchial Arteries ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Hemoptysis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Thorax ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Behcet's disease is a nonspecific vasculitis characterized by exacerbations and remissions of unpredictictable duration. The commom clinical features in most patients are orogenital ulcers, uveitis and skin lesions-especially erythema nodosum-like lesions or positive pathergy test. Among the systemic manifestations of Behcet's disease, pulmonary involvement is very rare and only a few cases have been documented. The main event of pulmonary involvement is vasculitis forming multilocular aneurysms and thrombosis of the pulmonary artery. The commom pulmonary manifestations are hemoptysis, dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, cough and fever. The prognosis of pulmonary vasculitis is very poor. A 30-year-old male patient with Behcet's disease presented with fever and dyspnea for 10 days. In the past years, his vision of the left eye was lost due to chorioretinitis. He took right hemicolectomy because of the perforation of colonic ulcer. Also he has been suffered from left hemiparesis due to multiple cerebral infarction. We describe a case with Behcet's disease with pulmonary infarction improved with prednisolone and cyclosporine.
Adult ; Aneurysm ; Cerebral Infarction ; Chest Pain ; Chorioretinitis ; Colon ; Cough ; Cyclosporine ; Dyspnea ; Erythema ; Fever ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Paresis ; Prednisolone ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Pulmonary Infarction* ; Skin ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer ; Uveitis ; Vasculitis

Over-expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (Nox) isoform enzymes was recently reported in various cancers including Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL). However, the functions of Nox isoform enzymes in BL remain poorly understood. In this study, Nox isoform expression and the effects of a Nox-specific inhibitor were evaluated in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive Raji BL cells in comparison with EBV-negative Ramos BL cells. To evaluate Nox enzyme expression in Raji and Ramos BL cells, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analysis were performed. To verify the intracellular signaling mechanism of the Nox inhibitor-induced apoptosis of Raji cells, WST-1 assay, trypan blue exclusion method, flow cytometry, PCR, western blotting, and bromodeoxyuridine staining were conducted. Experiments using the pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD, reactive oxygen species scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and Bim inhibitor 1 were performed. PCR and western blot results showed that Nox isoform enzymes were highly expressed in EBV-positive BL Raji cells compared with EBV-negative BL Ramos cells. The Nox2 inhibitor induced apoptosis of Raji cells in time- and dosedependent manners. The Nox2 inhibitor also caused up-regulation of Bim and Noxa, down-regulation of Mcl-1, translocation of Bax, release of cytochrome c, and caspase cascade activation, resulting in apoptosis. Furthermore, z-VAD, NAC, and BI-1 effectively blocked the Nox2 inhibitor-induced apoptosis of Raji cells. Taken together, these results provide a novel insight into the mechanism of Nox inhibitor-induced apoptosis and evidence for Nox as a therapeutic target to treat EBV-positive malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Isoagglutinin titers may be useful markers in the assessment of ABO-incompatible transfusion, bone marrow transplantation, and solid organ transplantation as well as determination of ABO subtypes, and screening of B cell defect. ABO isoagglutinin titers can be differed according to age, gender, race, and environmental factors. We determined isoagglutinin titers of IgM anti-A, anti-B in Korean healthy adults. METHODS: Sera from 215 adults of blood group A, B, and O were tested. IgM isoagglutinin titers were determined by mixing the two fold serum dilutions from 1:2 to 1:512 with pooled 3% red blood cells. Tests were read after spinnig the tubes at 3400 rpm for 15 seconds. RESULTS: The results were analyzed according to the ABO types, ages, and sex. From 77 sera from group A (44 male, 33 female), the geometric mean of IgM anti-B titers in group A was 73.5 (male 84.4, female 61.4), and the median was 64 (male 64, female 64). From 68 sera from group B (36 male, 32 female), the geometric mean of IgM anti-A titers in group B was 64.0 (male 64.0, female 65.3), and the median was 64 (male 64, female 64). From 70 sera from group O (64 male, 28 female), the geometric means of IgM anti-B and anti-A titers in group O were 52.3 (male 42.2, female 72.5) and 64.4 (male 63.1, female 70.5), respectively. And the median were 64 (male 32, female 64) and 64 (male 64, female 64), respectively. There were no linearity of isoagglutinin titers with the increase of age in Korean adults from 20 to 69 years old. CONCLUSION: The titers of IgM anti-B and anti-A isoagglutinin in Korean adults were estimated to be equally 1:64. No decrease of ABO isoagglutinin titers were observed with the increase of age from 20 to 69 years old.
Adult* ; Aged ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Continental Population Groups ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Organ Transplantation ; Transplants

The authors report a case of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) induced manic episode in an elderly female without any previous psychiatric history. The patient presented manic symptoms after 4th cycle of 5-FU chemotherapy after surgery of rectal cancer. After cessation of chemotherapy and administration of olanzapine and divalproex sodium, symptoms were subsided within 10 days.
Aged ; Benzodiazepines ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Valproic Acid