No abstract available.
Blood Donors* ; Humans ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

No abstract available.
Blood Donors* ; Humans ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

Cerebellar astrocytomas have some characteristics such as benign histologic features, frequent cyst formation, tumors of early life and good postoperative prognosis. Cerebellar astrocytomas may arise from any part of cerebellum and tumors originated from vermis usually grew symmetrically in the vermis or invade the hemisphere. We recently experienced a case of cerebellar astrocytoma which entirely filled the 4th ventricle without evidence of tumor growth in the vermis or hemisphere. We report this case with its autopsy findings.
Astrocytoma* ; Autopsy ; Cerebellum ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Residual pleural thickening(RPT) develops in about 50% of tuberculous pleurisy(PLTB). Some reports have suggested that elevated TNF-α and impaired fibrinolysis could be the cause of RPT, but until now, the mechanism and predictors of RPT have not been well known. TGF-β has been known to promote fibrogenesis and is increased in tuberculous pleural fluid(PF). PLTB and malignant pleurisy(PLMAL) manifest lymphocyte-dominant exudative pleural effusion, and it has clinical implications in the differentiation of the two diseases, based on the findings of pleural effusion. We performed this study to compare pleural fluid TNF-α, TGF-β, and fibrinolytic parameters between PLTB and PLMAL, and to find the predictors of RPT in PLTB. METHODS: Thirty-five PLTB and 14 PLMAL patients who were admitted to the Asan Medical Center from February 1997 to August 1999 were enrolled. All PLTB patients were prescribed a primary, short-course, anti-tuberculosis regimen. TNF-α, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1), plasminogen, α2-antiplasmin, and D-dimer were measured in both PF and PB, TGF-β was measured only in PF. Clinical characteristics, TNF-α, TGF-β, and fibrinolytic parameters were compared between patients with RPT less than 2 mm and patients with more than 2 mm of the thirty patients who completed the anti-tuberculosis treatment. RESULTS: The levels of TNF-α, tPA, PAI-1, plasminogen, α2-antiplasmin, and D-dimer in PF were higher than those in peripheral blood (PB) in PLTB, whereas only plasminogen, α2-antiplasmin, and D-dimer were higher in PF than in PB in PLMAL. Pleural fluid TNF-α, TGF-β, PAI-1, plasminogen, α2-antiplasmin were increased in PLTB compared with PLMAL, but these factors did not show any further advantages over ADA in differentiation between PLTB and PLMAL. TNF-α, TGF-β, and fibrinolytic parameters did not show any differences between patients with RPT less than 2 mm and patients with RPT more than 2 mm. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that TNF-α, TGF-β, and fibrinolytic parameters may play some role for the development of RPT in PLTB, but they failed to predict the occurrence of RPT in PLTB. Also these parameters did not seem to have any advantages over ADA in differentiating between two diseases.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Fibrinolysis ; Humans ; Plasminogen ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant* ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Tuberculosis, Pleural ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Malaria is one of the most common infectious diseases in the world. Plasmodium falciparum accounting for nearly all malaria mortality, kills an estimated 1 to 2 million persons yearly and has several features thai make it deadlist of malarias. While cerebral malaria is the most common presentation of severe disease, acute lung injury associated with malaria is uncommon but serious and fatal complication. We report two cases of severe malaria with ARDS and multi-organ failure. All two patients traveled to foreign countries, Kenya, Papua New Guinea where choroquine-resistant malaria is distributed. The first case, which developed cerebral malaria hypoglycemia, multi-organ failure, and ARDS, treated with quinine and mechanical ventilator, but expired due to oxygenation failure. Autopsy showed acute necrotizing infiltration, diffuse eosinophilic fibrinoid deposits along the alveolar space, and alveolar macrophage with malaria pigment The second case also developed multi-organ failure, followed by ARDS, and was treated with quinine, exchange transfusion, plasmapheresis, and mechanical ventilator. He recovered with residual restrictive lung change after treatment.
Acute Disease ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Autopsy ; Communicable Diseases ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Kenya ; Lung ; Lung Injury ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Malaria* ; Malaria, Cerebral ; Mortality ; Oxygen ; Papua New Guinea ; Plasmapheresis ; Plasmodium falciparum ; Quinine ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Ventilators, Mechanical

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65 are widely used tools for the prediction of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study was conducted to evaluate validation of severity scoring system including the PSI and CURB-65 scores of Korean CAP patients. In the prospective CAP cohort (participated in by 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2009 to September 2011), 883 patients aged over 18 yr were studied. The 30-day mortalities of all patients were calculated with their PSI index classes and CURB scores. The overall mortality rate was 4.5% (40/883). The mortality rates per CURB-65 score were as follows: score 0, 2.3% (6/260); score 1, 4.0% (12/300); score 2, 6.0% (13/216); score 3, 5.7% (5/88); score 4, 23.5% (4/17); and score 5, 0% (0/2). Mortality rate with PSI risk class were as follows: I, 2.3% (4/174); II, 2.7% (5/182); III, 2.3% (5/213); IV, 4.5% (11/245); and V, 21.7% (15/69). The subgroup mortality rate of Korean CAP patients varies based on the severity scores and CURB-65 is more valid for the lower scores, and PSI, for the higher scores. Thus, these variations must be considered when using PSI and CURB-65 for CAP in Korean patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Community-Acquired Infections/*mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia/*mortality ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult