PURPOSE: To report a case of isolated cilioretinal artery occlusion associated with pseudoexfoliation syndrome. METHODS: A 66-year-old female presented with acute vision loss of the right eye. Three months prior, she had been diagnosed as having pseudoexfoliation glaucoma of both eyes, and the intraocular pressure of both eyes had been well-controlled with topical medication. RESULTS: The presenting visual acuity in her right eye was 20/100. Fundus examinations showed sectoral retinal whitening on superior macula. Fluorescein angiography revealed delayed filling of the cilioretinal artery, consistent with cilioretinal artery occlusion. No significant findings were identified by carotid doppler examination or echocardiography. After 8 weeks, retinal changes were completely resolved with improvement of her right vision to 20/25. CONCLUSIONS: Isolated cilioretinal artery occlusion may develop as an intraocular manifestation of pseudoexfoliation syndrome.
Aged ; Arteries* ; Echocardiography ; Exfoliation Syndrome* ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Ischemia ; Retinaldehyde ; Visual Acuity

Thrombosis at the left ventricular outflow tract occurs without any detectable heart disease or predisposing factors only extremely rarely. A 48-year-old male visited Konkuk University Medical Center with loss of consciousness one month prior to presentation. Before he visited our hospital, he had been diagnosed with a cardiac tumor, which was located between the left atrium and posterior aortic root, and which was adjacent to both the aortic and mitral valves. Cardiac transplantation was recommended at the other hospital because of the high risk of cardiac dysfunction induced by both aortic and mitral valvular dysfunction after surgical resection. Based on preoperative transthoracic echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and intra-operative transesophageal echocardiography, we considered it to be a benign tumor. Complete resection was achieved and the pathology confirmed organizing thrombus. We report a case of organizing thrombus mimicking a cardiac tumor, which was located at the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa of the left ventricular outflow tract without any heart disease.
Academic Medical Centers ; Aneurysm, False ; Causality ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Heart Atria ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Neoplasms* ; Heart Transplantation ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mitral Valve ; Pathology ; Thrombosis* ; Unconsciousness

PURPOSE: There has been various reports on the inverse association between coffee consumption and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) activity in the general population of Western countries. However, this association is uncertain in the communities in which coffee consumption is less popular. So we tried to identify this association in men of rural area in Korea. METHODS: We examined the association between coffee consumption and serum GGT activity in cross-sectional study involving 379 male population health examinees aged 40 years and older from rural areas in Kyungnam prefecture in Korea. Those who perceived their health status as poor were excluded. Possible confounding effects of age, body mass index, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were controlled by multiple regression analysis and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: In multiple regression analysis, serum GGT activity was positively associated with alcohol intake, body mass index(P<0.001) and was negatively associated with coffee consumption(P=0.022), whereas no significant association was observed in cigarette smoking(P=0.094). Adjusted serum GGT activity level at the coffee consumption level of 0, one and two or more cups a day was 37.6 U/l, 35.9 U/l and 26.8 U/l respectively(Ptrend=0.008). CONCLUSION: Decreased serum GGT activity appears to be associated with coffee consumption in men of rural area, and further studies on the interrelationships among coffee consumption, alcohol intake and obesity will be necessary.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Coffee* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Obesity ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare depression and quality of life (QOL) according to nutritional status of elderly cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: A sample of 144 elderly cancer patients receiving chemotherapy was recruited for the cross-sectional survey design. The instruments were the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form-Korea (GDSSF-K), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 and QLQ ELD14. Data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN program. RESULTS: Nutrition had mean of 10.17 points out of 14 and depression had mean of 6.72 points (out of 15). In quality of life, global health status/QoL was 50.06 points, 66.68 for the functional scale, and 29.77 for the symptom scale based on 100 points. The quality of life of elderly cancer patients was 36.52~70.14. There was a significant difference between the well-nourished and malnourished group in depression and QoL. There were significant correlations among the variables, nutritional status, depression and quality of life. CONCLUSION: We found that patients with cancer of the elderly receiving chemotherapy had poor nutritional status, depression, and poor QoL. It is necessary to evaluate the nutritional status of elderly cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and to develop interventions.
Aged* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy* ; Global Health ; Humans ; Nutritional Status* ; Quality of Life*

A 44-year-old woman underwent surgery for an asymptomatic primary tumor of the heart located in the right atrium. The tumor was detected incidentally during follow-up computed tomography for a resected breast cancer. The mass, lying along the lower portion of the right atrial septum, was homogenous and cystic in nature, as detected by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. Complete resection was performed via a median sternotomy under cardiopulmonary bypass. The postoperative course was uneventful. However, the histological result was surprising: the mass was a cardiac lymphangioma.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms/complications/pathology ; Cysts/etiology/pathology ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Heart Atria ; Heart Neoplasms/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Humans ; Lymphangioma/complications/*diagnosis/surgery ; Myocardium/*pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Oxidized LDL (OxLDL), a causal factor in atherosclerosis, induces the expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp) in a variety of cells. In this study, we investigated the role of CD36, an OxLDL receptor, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) in OxLDL-induced Hsp70 expression. Overexpression of dominant-negative forms of CD36 or knockdown of CD36 by siRNA transfection increased OxLDL-induced Hsp70 protein expression in human monocytic U937 cells, suggesting that CD36 signaling inhibits Hsp70 expression. Similar results were obtained by the inhibition of PPAR gamma activity or knockdown of PPAR gamma expression. In contrast, overexpression of CD36, which is induced by treatment of MCF-7 cells with troglitazone, decreased Hsp70 protein expression induced by OxLDL. Interestingly, activation of PPAR gamma through a synthetic ligand, ciglitazone or troglitazone, decreased the expression levels of Hsp70 protein in OxLDL-treated U937 cells. However, major changes in Hsp70 mRNA levels were not observed. Cycloheximide studies demonstrate that troglitazone attenuates Hsp70 translation but not Hsp70 protein stability. PPAR gamma siRNA transfection reversed the inhibitory effects of troglitazone on Hsp70 translation. These results suggest that CD36 signaling may inhibit stress- induced gene expression by suppressing translation via activation of PPAR gamma in monocytes. These findings reveal a new molecular basis for the anti-inflammatory effects of PPAR gamma.
Antigens, CD36/*physiology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Chromans/pharmacology ; Cycloheximide/pharmacology ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/*biosynthesis ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, LDL/pharmacology/*physiology ; Monocytes/drug effects/metabolism ; PPAR gamma/agonists/antagonists & inhibitors/*physiology ; Protein Synthesis Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; Thiazolidinediones/pharmacology