Angiomyolipoma is considered by many authors to be a hamartoma, occurring in a sporadic form or in association with tuberous sclerosis. This lesion consists of thick walled blood vessels, smooth muscle, and mature adipose tissue in varying amounts. We have experienced a case of the angiomyolipoma composed of monotypic epithelioid cells. The patient was a 69-year-old female. Clinically, there was no evidence of tuberous sclerosis. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of polygonal cells with abundant eosinophilic granular or clear cytoplasm, pleomorphic nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and multinucleated giant cells. The tumor cells showed positive reaction for HMB45, CD68, smooth muscle actin, and S-100, and negative reaction for epithelial membrane antigen, cytokeratin, vimentin, desmin, CD34, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor. Ultrastructual analysis showed the presence of glycogen, mitochondria, and other microorganelles in neoplastic cells. Melanosome or premelanosome was not identified.
Actins ; Adipose Tissue ; Aged ; Angiomyolipoma* ; Blood Vessels ; Cytoplasm ; Desmin ; Eosinophils ; Epithelioid Cells ; Estrogens ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Glycogen ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Keratins ; Kidney* ; Melanosomes ; Mitochondria ; Mucin-1 ; Muscle, Smooth ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Tuberous Sclerosis ; Vimentin

No abstract available.
Hernia* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Mothers*

No abstract available.
Lichen Planus ; Lichens

No abstract available.
Shoes*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is one of the typical characteristics of asthma. However, its natural course is unknown. The presence of AHR is often not assessed in asthmatics undergoing medical treatment. We investigated the changes of AHR as compared with clinical parameters in patients with mild asthma. METHODS: We enrolled patients who were diagnosed with asthma, but were asymptomatic for > 3 months while undergoing medical treatment. AHR was measured using a methacholine bronchial provocation test after a 2-week washout period. AHR-negativity was defined as a PC20 > 25 mg/mL. Clinical parameters were retrospectively compared between the AHR-negative and -positive patients. RESULTS: Among 54 patients, 22 (40.7%) were AHR negative. Factors associated with the maintenance of AHR were male sex, presence of dyspnea, and high-dose inhaled corticosteroid plus long-acting beta agonists at initial presentation (respectively, p < 0.05). Age, symptoms other than dyspnea, blood tests, results of spirometry, diagnostic methods at presentation, and time from diagnosis to follow-up testing were not significantly different between AHR-negative and AHR-positive patients. Multivariate analyses failed to show a significant difference between the two groups, except for male sex (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 40% of patients with mild asthma show no AHR or clinical remission of the disease. Male sex may be a predictive factor for persistent AHR. However, altered AHR status is not predictable in patients with mild asthma undergoing medical treatment. Therefore, the cessation of regular controller might be advocated, and reassessment of AHR should be mandatory.
Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Dyspnea ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Male ; Methacholine Chloride ; Multivariate Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Spirometry

BACKGROUND/AIMS: As a tumor marker, alpha-etoprotein is widely used. Diagnositic cut-ff value is known as 400 ng/mL in sera. This study is aimed to determine the clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with reference to serum AFP levels in Korean patients. METHODS: From May 1990 to March 1998, 367 patients diagnosed as HCC, hospitalized and followed-p at Hanyang University Hospital, have been retrospectively analyzed with special reference on serum AFP level at time of diagnosis. The differences in clinical, hematological, and radiological features of HCC, as well as the survival rate in the two groups have been compared. Group 1 (N=182) was defined as an AFP level lower than 400 ng/mL, group 2 (N=185) was defined as an AFP level greater than 400 ng/mL. Comparisons were made by student's t test or chi-quare test. Survival rate was calculated from the time of diagnosis by Kaplan-eier method. Survival curves were also compared using log-ank test. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The patients with serum AFP levels above 400 ng/mL showed (1) a lower mean age; (2) a higher level of AST; (3) a higher level of AST/ALT ratio; (4) a high incidence of liver cirrhosis; (5) a high incidence of portal vein thrombosis; (6) a high incidence of positive HBsAg; (7) a low incidence of anti-CV; (8) a low incidence of small HCC but high incidence of large HCC; (9) a high incidence of more advanced TNM stage; (10) a low incidence of single nodular type and high incidence of diffuse type. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the value of AFP, HCC has some clinical features. In hepatocellular carcinoma, high levels of AFP represent young age, HBV infection more than HCV infection and advanced disease state.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Diagnosis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Venous Thrombosis

“Poland’s syndrome” is a rare congenital disease whereby defects can accompany the chest, nipple, chest wall, and extremities on one side of the body. We diagnosed a 19-year-old male patient who presented to another hospital for a routine physical exam before enlisting in the military and was suspected of having a left brachial plexus injury. His chief complaint was the flatness of the left anterior chest wall without any significant functional inconvenience. Aplasia of the pectoralis minor and costosternal portion of the pectoralis major was observed through physical examination and computed tomography (CT). The patient was diagnosed with left-sided Poland’s syndrome without any limb abnormalities. Poland Syndrome should be highly considered in patients presenting with bilateral chest wall imbalance in the absence of with a recent traumatic history.

Adding either macrolide or fluoroquinolone (FQ) to β-lactam has been recommended for patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). However, due to the limited evidence available, there is a question as to the superiority of the two combination therapies. The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched for systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of eight trials were analyzed. The total number of patients in the β-lactam plus macrolide (BL-M) and β-lactam plus fluoroquinolone (BL-F) groups was 2,273 and 1,600, respectively. Overall mortality of the BL-M group was lower than that of the BL-F group (19.4% vs. 26.8%), which showed statistical significance (odds ratio [OR], 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 0.94; P = 0.02). Length of hospital stay was reduced in the BL-M group compared to the BL-F group (mean difference, −3.05 days; 95% CI, −6.01 to −0.09; P = 0.04). However, there was no significant difference in length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay between the two groups. Among patients with severe CAP, BL-M therapy may better reduce overall mortality and length of hospital stay than BL-F therapy. However, we could not elicit strong conclusions from the available trials due to high risk of bias and methodological limitations.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Macrolides ; Mortality ; Pneumonia*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nursing home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) is included under healthcare-associated pneumonia. However, the optimal treatment strategy for NHAP has been controversial in several studies. We evaluated the clinical features of NHAP compared to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in elderly patients admitted with pneumonia. METHODS: This was a retrospective study in elderly patients aged > or = 65 years with NHAP or CAP who were hospitalized at Jeju National University Hospital between January 2012 and April 2013. RESULTS: A total of 209 patients were enrolled, and 58 (27.7%) had NHAP. The patients with NHAP were older, had more frequent central nervous system disorders, and showed worse clinical parameters. Potential drug-resistant pathogens were more frequently detected in the NHAP group (22.4% vs. 9.9%, p = 0.018), and the incidences of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were 8.6% and 10.3%, respectively. In-hospital mortality occurred in 13 patients (22.4%) with NHAP and 17 patients (11.2%) with CAP (p = 0.039). In multivariate analyses, only higher pneumonia severity index (PSI) score was associated with increased mortality (p < 0.001), and the PSI score was higher in the NHAP group than that in the CAP group. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients admitted with NHAP showed more severe pneumonia at onset, higher rates of potentially drug-resistant pathogens, and worse clinical outcomes than those with CAP. However, higher in-hospital mortality in those with NHAP seemed to be related to the PSI score reflecting host factors and severity of pneumonia rather than the type of pneumonia or the presence of drug-resistant pathogens.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Community-Acquired Infections/diagnosis/microbiology/mortality/*therapy ; Cross Infection/diagnosis/microbiology/mortality/*therapy ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Female ; *Homes for the Aged ; Hospital Mortality ; *Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Multivariate Analysis ; *Nursing Homes ; Odds Ratio ; *Patient Admission ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis/microbiology/mortality/*therapy ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Pneumothorax is an extremely rare complication of non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection. A 52-year-old man presenting with difficulty breathing and chest pain was admitted to our hospital. A right-sided pneumothorax was observed on chest radiography and chest computed tomography showed multiple cavitating and non-cavitating nodules with consolidation in the upper to middle lung zones bilaterally. Serial sputum cultures were positive for Mycobacterium kansasii, and he was diagnosed with pulmonary M. kansasii disease complicated by tension pneumothorax. After initiation of treatment including decortications and pleurodesis, the patient made a full recovery. We herein describe this patient's course in detail and review the current relevant literature.
Chest Pain ; Humans ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium kansasii* ; Mycobacterium* ; Pleurodesis ; Pneumothorax* ; Radiography ; Respiration ; Sputum ; Thorax