Candidiasis of the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare condition and like other opportunistic fungal infections, most commonly occurs in immune-compromised patients. Because of the increasing use of antibiotics and the improving survival rate of premature infants requiring intensive care, the incidence of fungal infections in the brain has increased. We report the findings of ultrasonography and MR imaging in two cases of candidiasis of the CNS in premature infants.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain ; Candidiasis* ; Central Nervous System ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Critical Care ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Nervous System* ; Survival Rate ; Ultrasonography

The present study was done to determine the efficacy and safety of varicose vein removal using a minimally invasive, powered vein-extracting device with cutaneous transillumination and tumescent anesthesia techniques and then compared this to a retrospective group of conventional phlebectomy operations. There were 133 limbs in 104 patients(72 women, 32 men) treated with the use of the vein extractor aided by transcutaneous illumination. The hydrodissection was performed with TrivexTM Irrigated Illuminator(Smith and Nephew ) system using normal saline after the 2~3mm sized skin incision. Varicose clusters were extracted by the use of TrivexTM Resector(Smith and Nephew ) system under transillumination. After the varisoce vein extraction, the operation area was compressed with surgical pad for bleeding control. The complication rate was 3.84%. The mean number of incisions was 3.24 and mean operative time per limb was 65.9 minutes. The mean hospitalization was 1.86 days. The varicose vein extraction using transilluminated powered phlebectomy(TIPP) is a safe, efficacious and cosmetically satisfactory method. The procedure decreases the operating time and the number of incisions repuired to remove varicose clusters. Further evaluation and long term follow up will be necessary to determine the recurrence rate and long term complications.
Anesthesia ; Extremities ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Lighting ; Operative Time ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Transillumination ; Varicose Veins* ; Veins

Background/Aims: Sequential monotherapy is recommended for anthracycline-and taxane-resistant metastatic breast cancer (MBC), but combination chemotherapy is considered in patients with visceral crisis. Cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy is a combination regimen for MBC, but prolonged treatment is challenging because of toxicity. We analyzed the role of single-agent maintenance chemotherapy after cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy for MBC. Methods: From January 2011 to December 2017, 96 anthracycline- and taxane-resistant MBC patients were retrospectively reviewed, and 49 patients with a sustained clinical benefit during the initial 6 cycles of cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy were enrolled for study. Patients were treated with gemcitabine-cisplatin (gemcitabine, 1,250 mg/m2, intravenously [IV], days 1 to 8; cisplatin 60 mg/m2, IV, day 1) or capecitabine-cisplatin (capecitabine 2,500 mg/m2, orally, days 1 to 14; cisplatin 60 mg/m2, IV, day 1) during the induction period. After 6 cycles, 16 patients were switched to single-maintenance treatment (gemcitabine or capecitabine) and the doublet regimen was continued in 24 patients. Survival outcomes (progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]) were analyzed. Results: Among the 49 patients who showed a clinical benefit during cisplatin-doublet therapy, 24 were maintained on the doublet regimen, 16 were switched to single-maintenance treatment, and chemotherapy was suspended until disease progression in nine patients. The single-maintenance chemotherapy group showed superior survival than the chemotherapy holiday and doublet regimen groups (median PFS 15.43 months vs. 8.37 and 10.67 months, respectively, p = 0.008; median OS 43.67 months vs. 22.17 and 22.33 months, respectively, p = 0.014). Conclusions Patients showing a clinical benefit during 6 cisplatin-doublet chemotherapy cycles may have a sustained survival benefit from single-maintenance chemotherapy.

The vasodilatory shock after cardiopulmonary bypass is defined as the condition involving severe and persistent form of hypotension, tachycardia, normal or increased cardiac output and decreased systemic vascular resistance. Because of the unsuccessful response to infusion of fluids or catecholamine vasopressors, a sustained systemic shock state occurs and results in a high morbidity and mortality. We successfully treated this syndrome of 3 patients after open heart surgery with low dose of arginine vasopressin(AVP). Therefore,we report these cases with a review of related articles.
Arginine Vasopressin* ; Arginine* ; Cardiac Output ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Mortality ; Shock* ; Tachycardia ; Thoracic Surgery ; Vascular Resistance ; Vasodilation ; Vasopressins

Eisenmenger's syndrome is the disease of right to left shunt developing from the increased pulmonary vascular resistance caused by excessive pulmonary blood flow in patients with abnormal connections of systemic to pulmonary blood passage. The heart-lung transplantation was the only curative method in early transplantation period, but good results after bilateral lung transplantation have been reported as the fact that right heart function improved by only lung transplantation. We successfully carried out bilateral sequential single lung transplantation in a 34-year-old female patient with Eisenmenger's syndrome with large PDA. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Adult ; Eisenmenger Complex* ; Female ; Heart ; Heart-Lung Transplantation ; Humans ; Lung Transplantation* ; Lung* ; Vascular Resistance

Eisenmenger's syndrome is the disease of right to left shunt developing from the increased pulmonary vascular resistance caused by excessive pulmonary blood flow in patients with abnormal connections of systemic to pulmonary blood passage. The heart-lung transplantation was the only curative method in early transplantation period, but good results after bilateral lung transplantation have been reported as the fact that right heart function improved by only lung transplantation. We successfully carried out bilateral sequential single lung transplantation in a 34-year-old female patient with Eisenmenger's syndrome with large PDA. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Adult ; Eisenmenger Complex* ; Female ; Heart ; Heart-Lung Transplantation ; Humans ; Lung Transplantation* ; Lung* ; Vascular Resistance

BACKGROUND: Simian virus 40 (SV40), a polyomavirus, was discovered as a contaminant of a human polio vaccine in the 1960s. It is known that malignant mesothelioma (MM) is associated with SV40, and that the virus works as a cofactor to the carcinogenetic effects of asbestos. However, the reports about the correlation between SV40 and MM have not been consistent. The purpose of this study is to identify SV40 in MM tissue in Korea through detection of SV40 protein and DNA. METHODS: We analyzed 62 cases of available paraffin-blocks enrolled through the Korean Malignant Mesothelioma Surveillance System and performed immunohistochemistry for SV40 protein and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for SV40 DNA. RESULTS: Of 62 total cases, 40 had disease involving the pleura (64.5%), and 29 (46.8%) were found to be of the epithelioid subtype. Immunostaining demonstrated that all examined tissues were negative for SV40 protein. Sufficient DNA was extracted for real-time PCR analysis from 36 cases. Quantitative PCR of these samples showed no increase in SV40 transcript compared to the negative controls. CONCLUSIONS: SV40 is not associated with the development of MM in Korea.
Asbestos ; DNA ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Korea ; Mesothelioma ; Pleura ; Poliomyelitis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polyomavirus ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Simian virus 40 ; Viruses