No abstract available.
Abdominal Cavity* ; Catheters* ; Diaphragm*

No abstract available.
Head* ; Neck* ; Plasmacytoma*

Although eosinophils may rise to 5-25% of the cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid in a variety of conditions, more than 25% eosinophils in BAL fluid strongly suggest one of the eosinophilic pneumonias. Acute eosinophilc pneumonia (AEP) is a sudden and febrile illness that can results in life-threatening respiratory failure, frequently misdiagnosed as severe community-acquired pneumonia. Most patients respond rapidly and completely to glucocorticoids, generally without relapse. Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is a protracted disease of usually more than a month before presentation, with mild to moderate hypoxemia. The disorder is highly responsive to glucocorticoid therapy, but recurs frequent when tapering or after stopping glucocorticoid therapy. Some patients have a history of asthma at diagnosis or develop severe asthma at some time in the follow-up. There are significant relationships between asthma and chronic eosinophilc pneumonia.
Anoxia ; Asthma ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Eosinophils ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia ; Recurrence ; Respiratory Insufficiency

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

no abstract available.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of Gastro-esophageal reflux(GER) in patients with asthma is estimated to be 50~60% and treatment of GER has been shown to improve asthma symptoms in Western. But GER has been known to be less common in Eastern and GER prevalence rates in asthmatics are not available in Korea. METHOD: We compared the prevalence rate of GER in 42 patients with asthma to that in 20 healthy normal controls and examed the efficacy of new prokinetic drug, cisapride(40mg/day, 8weeks) in patients with GER and asthma. For acid GER to be considered pathological, 24 hour esophageal pH monitoring should reveal values exceeding upper limit of 95 percentile for at least one of 6 parameter of DeMesseter's table. RESULT: The results showed GER was more common in patients with asthma(11/42, 26.2%) than normal controls(3/20, 15%) and asthmatics group showed a significant longer supine time pH<4(%) and total time pH<4(%), and more reflux episodes as compared with normal control group. After 4 asthmatics with GER were treated with cisapride, their asthma symtom scores, FEV1 and composite scores of pH monitoring were improved. CONCLUSION: GER is more common in asthmatics than in normal controls in Korea and prepulsid reduces asthma symptoms in patients with GER and asthma.
Asthma ; Cisapride ; Esophageal pH Monitoring ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea ; Prevalence

Although pulmonary artery aneurysms are a rare vascular anomaly, they are seen in a wide variety of conditions, such as congenital heart disease, infection, trauma, pulmonary hypertension, cystic medial necrosis and generalized vasculitis. To our knowledge, mycotic aneurysms caused by pulmonary actinomycosis have not been reported in the radiologic literature. Herein, a case of pulmonary actinomycosis complicated by mycotic aneurysm is presented. On CT scans, this case showed focal aneurysmal dilatation of a peripheral pulmonary artery within necrotizing pneumonia of the right lower lobe, which was successfully treated with transcatheter embolization using wire coils.
Actinomycosis/*complications ; Aged ; Aneurysm, Infected/*etiology/*radiography/therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Human ; Male ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/*complications ; *Pulmonary Artery ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Graft vs Host Disease* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells* ; Lung

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of malaria is increasing in recent years and also multidrug resistant malaria is increasing around the world and there is an increasing concern about imported malaria in nonendemic areas. Now many drugs are tried to find out effect on multidrug resistant malaria. We performed this study to investigate the thrapeutic effect of halofantrine in the treatment of chloroquine resistant imported malaria. METHODS: From Feb. 1992 to May 1995, we experienced 35 patients infected with malaria and treated 14 patients among 35 patients with halofantrine. RESULTS: 1) All 14 patients were sailor with a mean age of 39.4 years and infected with malaria. 2) The majority of patients were infected with malaria at Africa. 3) 10 patients were infected with Plasmodium falciparum and the remainder were undetermined. 4) In the 11 cases of chloroquine resistant malaria treated with quinine plus tetracycline combination therapy or Fansidar, 4 cases could not be tolerable due to side effects and resistance to the therapy, we substituted halofantrine for above regimens. 5) In the 10 cases, treated after May 1994, halofantrine was the first choice of treatment because they were the cases of malaria infected in the mid-Africa where the prevalence of chloroquine resistant malaria is high. 6) With halofantrine, all 14 cases were treated with minimal side effects suc4 as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, abdominal pain and fatigue. CONCLUSION: We think halofantrine is a simple and effective regimen against chloroquine resistant malaria and consider this agent as an alternative therapeutic regimen on chloroquine resistant malaria.
Abdominal Pain ; Africa ; Anorexia ; Chloroquine* ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Malaria* ; Military Personnel ; Nausea ; Plasmodium falciparum ; Prevalence ; Quinine ; Tetracycline ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: Aspirin/NSAIDs can release cysteinyl-leukotriene (cys-LTs) into airways and precipitate asthmatic symptoms in aspirin - induced asthma(AIA). It has been reported that there is profound overexpression of LTC4 synthase in their bronchial mucosa, compared to aspirin-tolerant asthma. Objective : We observed whether genetic polymorphism of LTC4 synthase may be predisposed to LTC4 synthase overexpression in AIA. Subject and METHOD: Forty - four AIA patients having positive responses on lysin aspirin bron choprovocation tests and 47 non - aspirin induced asthma ( non - AIA ) patients having negative challenges and 32 healthy controls were enrolled. The genotypes of the promoter LTC4 synthase gene ( A,C transversion ) were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism ( RFLP ) method. RESULTS: LTC4 synthase promoter polymorphism ( A444C btransversion) was not significantly different between non - AIA and AIA patients (p>0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest that genetic polymorphism of LTC4 synthase promoter may not be predisposed to LTC, synthase overexpression in AIA.
Aspirin* ; Asthma* ; Asthma, Aspirin-Induced ; Genotype ; Humans ; Leukotriene C4* ; Mucous Membrane ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length