OBJECTIVE: The link among carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), vascular elastic property and the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not well defined. We investigated the association between carotid atherosclerosis, elastic properties of the carotid arterial wall and clinical parameters of SLE. METHODS: Fifty-one SLE patients and fifty healthy controls were included. Peak systolic global circumferential and posterior radial strains of carotid artery were measured to assess the elastic properties. Beta stiffness index was used as conventional method for the distensibility of the carotid artery. Information concerning SLE duration, cumulative dose of steroids and/or immunosuppressive drug intake was recorded, and SLE activity was assessed by SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) score. RESULTS: Carotid plaques were more common in SLE patients. SLE patients with plaques were older and showed the increased mean IMT, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP), IgG anti-cardiolipin antibody (aCL), and longer disease duration compared with those without plaques. Peak systolic global circumferential and posterior radial strain as well beta stiffness index were significantly lower in SLE group. Age, disease duration, hsCRP, IgG aCL showed significant correlations with mean IMT and parameters of carotid elastic property (all P's<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Carotid atherosclerosis was more common in SLE patients, and carotid arterial stiffness had significant correlation with disease duration, hsCRP and IgG aCL level. Speckle tracking strain imaging is a comparative method for the assessment of elastic properties of carotid artery of SLE patients.
C-Reactive Protein ; Carotid Arteries* ; Carotid Artery Diseases* ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Steroids ; Ultrasonography ; Vascular Stiffness

Leiomyosarcomas make up approximately 1 to 3% of all gastric neoplasms. The most prevalent age group was 6th and 7th decades. The main symptoms and signs were abdominal pain and bleeding. They most frequently involve gastric body and often ulcerate and bleed. Diagnosis can be established only by exploratory operation and histologic examination. Leiomyosarcomas rarely invade adjacent viscera and characteristically do not metastasize to lymph nodes, but they may spread to the liver and lungs. The treatment of choice is surgical resection. We report two cases of gastric leiomyosarcoma which was successfully treated surgically.
Abdominal Pain ; Diagnosis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Stomach* ; Ulcer ; Viscera

Cavernous hemangiomas are unusual tumors with a propensity for skin and liver involvement and rarely involving adrenal gland.Adrenal hemangiomas are nonfunctioning tumors, usually discovered at autopsy. In 1955, Johnson and Jeppensen reported the first adrenal hemangioma to be removed surgically.One case of emangioma of the adrenal gland was reported in Korea. We report a case of a cavernous hemangioma of the adrenal gland which was successfully treated surgically.In addition, we review the clinical, radiographic, and pathologic features of this disease. With the advance of diagnostic thchniques in arterography, ultrasound, and computerized tomography, preoperative recognition and diagnosis should be simplified and surgical removal carried out to rule out possible malignancy, preclude traumatic rupture, or relieve symptoms of the mass.
Adrenal Glands* ; Autopsy ; Diagnosis ; Hemangioma ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Korea ; Liver ; Rupture ; Skin ; Ultrasonography