Eosinophilic lung diseases are heterogenous disorder which are characterized by the presence of pulmonary symptoms or an abnormal chest radiograph accompanied by inflammatory cellular infiltrates in the airways and lung parenchyma which contain large numbers of eosinophils. The incidence of drug-induced pulmonary disorder is increasing, with at least 40 drug entities having been reported to cause this pulmonary disease. However, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are rarely mentioned in the lists of drugs in published articles describing drug induced eosinophilic pneumonia. The following is a case of eosinophilic pneumonia that we believe was related to ibuprofen therapy.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Eosinophils* ; Ibuprofen* ; Incidence ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia* ; Radiography, Thoracic

Hemochromatosis is a disorder caused by excessive iron deposition in parenchymal cells that leads to cellular damage and organ dysfunction. The excessive iron overload of secondary hemochromatosis is associated with chronic disorders of erythropoiesis that are treated with prolonged repeated blood transfusions. We experienced two cases of transfusional hemochromatosis involving the pituitary gland, and we report the findings of the MR imaging.
Blood Transfusion ; Erythropoiesis ; Hemochromatosis* ; Humans ; Iron ; Iron Overload ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pituitary Gland*

Objective: A prospective, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted in patients with chronic low back pain to evaluate the efficacy of portable low power laser therapy (LPLT) and the effect when combined with exercise therapy on pain and functions. Method: 60 patients were recruited and 56 patients, excluding 4 dropouts, were randomly allocated to the LPLT group (Group 1: 19 patients), placebo laser therapy with exercise group (Group 2: 18 patients), and LPLT with exercise group (Group 3: 19 patients). Laser therapy and exercise was performed five times a week for 4 weeks. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Schober test, lumbar range of motion (ROM) measures (flexion, extension and lateral flexion), Oswestry Disability index (ODI) were measured at baseline, at 4 weeks after intervention, and at 6 weeks after 2 weeks of no intervention. Results: Statistically significant improvements were noted in all group by time interaction with respect to all outcome parameters (p＜0.05). All parameters in each group improved not only in the period of treatment (4 weeks), but also in the final evaluation (6 weeks) 2 weeks after the end of treatment. Post-hoc analysis showed statistically significant difference between the LPLT with exercise group and the other groups in all outcome parameters except for the ODI at 4 weeks and at 6 weeks. Conclusion Portable LPLT is effective treatment in reducing pain and improving lumbar ROM and with exercise is more effective than laser or exercise monotherapy for the chronic low back pain patients.

Objective: A prospective, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted in patients with chronic low back pain to evaluate the efficacy of portable low power laser therapy (LPLT) and the effect when combined with exercise therapy on pain and functions. Method: 60 patients were recruited and 56 patients, excluding 4 dropouts, were randomly allocated to the LPLT group (Group 1: 19 patients), placebo laser therapy with exercise group (Group 2: 18 patients), and LPLT with exercise group (Group 3: 19 patients). Laser therapy and exercise was performed five times a week for 4 weeks. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Schober test, lumbar range of motion (ROM) measures (flexion, extension and lateral flexion), Oswestry Disability index (ODI) were measured at baseline, at 4 weeks after intervention, and at 6 weeks after 2 weeks of no intervention. Results: Statistically significant improvements were noted in all group by time interaction with respect to all outcome parameters (p＜0.05). All parameters in each group improved not only in the period of treatment (4 weeks), but also in the final evaluation (6 weeks) 2 weeks after the end of treatment. Post-hoc analysis showed statistically significant difference between the LPLT with exercise group and the other groups in all outcome parameters except for the ODI at 4 weeks and at 6 weeks. Conclusion Portable LPLT is effective treatment in reducing pain and improving lumbar ROM and with exercise is more effective than laser or exercise monotherapy for the chronic low back pain patients.

Purpose: Aster tataricus (AT) is one of the Asteraceae perennial herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. The herb contains various bioactive substances, such as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic compounds in the roots, and exhibits a range of effects including anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. This study compared the immunomodulatory effects of ethanol and water extracts of whole AT, except the roots, and analyzed the molecular mechanisms for the regulatory effects on cytokine secretion from THP-1 cells. Methods: The effects of AT extract on the cell viability and proliferation of THP-1 cells were analyzed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. The concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the cell culture supernatant of the AT-treated THP-1 cells were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The protein levels of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa B (IκBα), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation in the cell lysates were determined by western blotting. Results: The water extract and the ethanol extract of AT did not affect the cell viability, and increased the proliferation of THP-1 cells significantly compared to the vehicle. The water extract increased the secretion of IL-1β from THP-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner, but the ethanol extract had no effect. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS protein and the phosphorylation of MAPK and Akt were induced in AT-treated cells. In addition, IκBα was degraded by AT in a concentration-dependent manner. IL-1β secretion by AT was reduced by extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitors, while TNF-α secretion was decreased by inhibitors of ERK, p38 MAPK, and JNK.Interestingly, the p38 MAPK inhibitor increased the production of IL-1β by AT further. Conclusion The water extract of the above-ground parts of AT contains immunomodulatory bioactive substances that stimulate immune cells through the MAPK signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a disease that is developed within several hours to several days, but its etiology is not verified yet. Therefore, no specific regimen is available for the treatment of this disease. The purpose of this study is to seek the therapeutic effect of the corticosteroid on the sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients through many variables known as prognostic factors. The author also tried to find a relationship between the hearing recovery patterns and the prognostic factors that were not established yet. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Clinical analysis was performed in 173 patients with sudden hearing loss admitted in Chonnam National University Hospital from January 1996 to July 2001. RESULTS: Recovery was seen in 104 cases out of 173 cases, with the total recovery rate of 60.1%. Patients who had been treated within a week after the symptoms had a better recovery rate than those treated after a week (p< OR =0.05). The recovery rate was better for the moderate-severe, and severe hearing loss (p< OR =0.05). Patients of all audiograms except the profound one had a better recovery rate (p< OR =0.05). Among the patients who had been treated within a week, the dizzy patients had the lower recovery rate than the non-dizzy patients (p< OR =0.05). Other factors such as age and sex, tinnitus and ear fullness as accompanying symptoms, the site of disease, and the presence of underlying disease were not related with prognosis. CONCLUSION: The recovery rate was better in patients who had been treated within a week, and for those whose hearing was moderate-severe and severe, and their audiogram upsloping, V-shape, flat, and downsloping, and who were not dizzy.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Ear ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Prognosis ; Tinnitus

No abstract available.
Bendamustine Hydrochloride* ; Cytarabine* ; Drug Therapy* ; Lymphoma*

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening, systemic reaction manifested by urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm, syncope and hypotension, which occurs after the exposure to specific antigen such as antibiotics, aspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, foods, bee sting, or exercise. A 33-year-old woman suffering from anaphylactoid attack after intramuscular administration of ribostamycin at private clinic, was visited to our emergency room and admitted. She had allergic rhinitis and her 8-year-old daughter had atopic dermatitis. She had three previous intramuscular administrations of ribostamycin at every three weeks due to recurrent pelvic inflammatory disease. At third time of ribostamycin administration, she had experienced generalized pruritus, flushing and shortness of breath but these symptoms were resolved spontaneously without medication. Therefore, she didn't notice to attending physician. During the fourth administration of ribostamycin, she developed generalized urticaria and angioedema with dyspnea, dizziness, and severe hypotension. We experienced a case of ribostamycin-induced anaphylaxis, which is rarely mentioned in published articles. We performed a skin prick test and an intradermal test to ribostamycin, which were positive, and report a case of ribostamycin-induced anaphyalxis.
Adult ; Anaphylaxis* ; Angioedema ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aspirin ; Bees ; Bites and Stings ; Bronchial Spasm ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Flushing ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Intradermal Tests ; Nuclear Family ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Pruritus ; Rhinitis ; Ribostamycin ; Skin ; Syncope ; Urticaria

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cervical lymph node metastasis is the most important prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Further, it is important to predict extracapsular spread (ECS) before treatment, because ECS makes prognosis worse. It has been well established that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression correlates with cervical lymph node metastasis, but studies on its involvement in extracapsular spread are not enough. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlationship between extracapsular spread of cervical lymph node metastasis and expression of matrix metalloproteinases in the primary sites of head and neck cancer and metastatic cervical lymph nodes. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: An immunohistochemical study was carried out using monoclonal antibodies to MMP-2, MMP-9 on tissue obtained from 46 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent a surgery of primary tumor removal and neck dissection. We evaluated correlations between the expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9 in the primary tumor and ECS of metastatic lymph nodes, and that between expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9 in the metastatic lymph nodes and ECS. RESULTS: The result showed that while there is no significant correlation between expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9 in primary tumor and ECS of cervical lymph nodes, expressions of the MMPs in the positive lymph nodes and ECS of the lymph nodes have significant relationships. CONCLUSION: Expression of MMP-2,-9 may play a pivotal role in extracapsular spread beyond lymphatic metastasis and in the progression of HNSCC.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Head* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Neck Dissection ; Neck* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: T he diagnosis of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma is frequently made at an advanced stage. The anatomic complexicity of the nasopharynx makes a surgical approach difficult, so the radiation therapy is traditionally used as a primary option. Because of the high incidence of a locoregional failure following the radiotherapy and the distant metastasis, the combined treatment modality with the chemotherapy has been applied. The author attempted to investigate the clinical characteristics and the treatment outcomes of nasopharyngeal cancer patients treated with the combination of the radiotherapy and the chemotherapy. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed 82 patients who were diagnosed with the nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chonnam National University Hospital. RESULTS: The cumulative survival rates for a 5-year period were 42%. The pathologic type, the clinical stage, the cranial nerve invasion, and the response to the radiotherapy were related to the survival rate of the Kaplan-Meier test (p<0.05). In the Cox proportional hazard model, only the response to radiotherapy was related to the survival rate (p=0.05), as the clinical stage wasn't (p=.06). In the multivariate analysis between the responses to radiation and the clinical factor, the histological type (p=0.018) and the response to the chemotherapy (p=0.021) was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The response to radiation is the most important in the patient's survival. The clinical stage is a probable prognostic factor. Factors affecting the response to radiation are the histological type and the response to chemotherapy.
Cranial Nerves ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Nasopharynx ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome