No abstract available.
Meningitis*

No abstract available.
Holoprosencephaly*

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is a rare, life-endangering suppurative infection of the renal parenchyma and perirenal tissues. The disease is encountered mainly in the diabetic patient with or without ureteral obstruction and is characterized by the production of intrarenal and occasionally, perirenal gas. We report a case of emphysematous pyelonephritis, treated by left nephrectomy, in 55-year-old diabetic woman.
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Pyelonephritis* ; Ureteral Obstruction

No abstract available.
Cardiac Catheterization* ; Cardiac Catheters* ; Child* ; Cineangiography* ; Heart Diseases* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Statistics as Topic*

No abstract available.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum*

No abstract available.
Lymphadenitis*

BACKGROUND: We observed airway remodeling, which is the thickness of the susepithelial layer, in asthmatic patients and inhealthy subjects in order to determine its relationship with severity of disease, such as symptom, bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and degree of acute exacerbation. Moreover, for evaluation of factors contributing to airway remodeling, we analyzed the age, sex, presence of atopy, length of asthmatic history and degree of airway inflammation. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with asthma and ten healthy controls were recruited for the study. The degree of asthma symptom severity was assessed using NIH criteria. Bronchial responsiveness to methacholine was expressed as provocative concentration of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1. The degree of acute exacerbation was assessed by PaCO2 during acute exacerbation. Bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL), and bronchial biopsy were performed for all subjects; the total cell counts, differential cell counts and levels of ECP were measured in BAL fluid, and the basement membrane thickness and degree of epithelial shedding were measured in biopsy samples under light microscopy. RESULTS: The mean values of basement membrane thickness were 7.8+/-0.6 micrometer in asthmatics, and 4.1+/-0.5 micrometer in healthy subjects (p<0.05). Basement membrane thickness in patients with severe persistent asthma differed significantly from that of patients with mild intermittent asthma (11.8+/-1.0 micrometer vs 6.5+/-0.7 micrometer p<0.05). A lower level of PC20 for methacholine was observed in asthma with thick basement membrane(> or =7.5 micrometer) compared to those with base- ment membrane less than 7.5micrometer (0.26+/-0.13 mg/ml vs. 0.74+/-0.16 mg/ml, p<0.05). No difference was found between the degree of thickening in patients with different degree of acute exacerbation with age, sex, atopy and lengths of asthmatic history. The degree of thickening was positively correlated to degree of epithelial shedding (r=0.393, p<0.05), but not to the degree of total cell counts, differential cell percentage nor ECP in BAL fluid. CONCLUSION: We confirmed that thickening of the basement membrane is a characteristic finding of asthma. We also demonstrated that it affects symptom severity and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, and is related to degree of epithelial damage rather than duration of asthma history.
Airway Remodeling* ; Asthma* ; Basement Membrane ; Biopsy ; Bronchoscopy ; Cell Count ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Membranes ; Methacholine Chloride ; Microscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To determine the incidence and clinical characteristics of tuberculosis (TB) medication-associated Clostridium difficile infection. METHODS: This multicenter study included patients from eight tertiary hospitals enrolled from 2008 to 2013. A retrospective analysis was conducted to identify the clinical features of C. difficile infection in patients who received TB medication. RESULTS: C. difficile infection developed in 54 of the 19,080 patients prescribed TB medication, representing a total incidence of infection of 2.83 cases per 1,000 adults. Fifty-one of the 54 patients (94.4%) were treated with rifampin. The patients were usually treated with oral metronidazole, which produced improvement in 47 of the 54 patients (87%). Twenty-three patients clinically improved with continuous rifampin therapy for C. difficile infection. There were no significant differences in improvement between patients treated continuously (n=21) and patients in whom treatment was discontinued (n=26). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of C. difficile infection after TB medication was not low considering the relatively low TB medication dosage compared to other antibiotics. It may not be always necessary to discontinue TB medication. Instead, decisions concerning discontinuation of TB medication should be based on TB status.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Infective Agents/therapeutic use ; Antibiotics, Antitubercular/*adverse effects ; *Clostridium difficile ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous/chemically induced/drug therapy/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Metronidazole/therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Rifampin/*adverse effects ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis/*drug therapy

Malignant neuroendocrine tumors have the histological features of malignant tumors, and localized invasion and distant metastasis can occur. After clinical presentation, patients with neuroendocrine tumors usually show rapid deterioration. The first case involved a patient who underwent treatment for poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung. A percutaneous liver biopsy was performed to look for diffuse infiltration of the tumor in the liver. As a result, the patient was diagnosed with large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung with diffuse liver metastasis. The other two patients presented with liver masses. Liver biopsies revealed metastatic neuroendocrine tumors of the liver. In patients presenting with diffuse hepatic infiltration of a tumor, a neuroendocrine tumor should be considered in the diagnosis, and immunohistochemical staining and further studies should be performed to locate the origin of the tumor. We report three cases of neuroendocrine tumors with diffuse liver metastasis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors

PURPOSE: Heptaplatin (SKI-2053 R) is a new platinum analogue, with a better toxicity profile than cisplatin, and has antitumor activity even in cisplatin resistant cell lines. 5-fluoruracil (5-FU) has shown synergy with platinum compounds. This phase II trial was designed to determine the efficacy and toxicities of heptaplatin/ 5-FU (5-fluorouracil) for treating stomach cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with advanced, measurable gastric adenocarcinomas were enrolled in this trial. The treatment consisted of heptaplatin, 400 mg/m2/day (1 hour IV infusion), on day 1 and 5-FU, 800 mg/m2/day (12 hours IV infusion), on days 1 to 5. The cycles were repeated every 3 weeks. RESULTS: Of the 26 evaluable patients, 9 had partial responses and 1a complete response (overall response rate, 38%; 95% confidence interval, 19~57%). The median response duration was 23 weeks (range: 4~60 weeks). The median time to progression was 26 weeks (range: 3~68 weeks). The grades III-IV toxicities were mostly hematological toxicities: leucopenia was observed in 11 patients (35%) and thrombocytopenia 4 (13%). No definite neuropathy was observed. Grade I-II nephropathy was also noted: grade I high BUN/creatinine levels occurred in 5 patients (16%), grade II proteinuria 2 (6%), grade I proteinuria 5 (16%). Neutropenic fever developed in 5 patients (16%) and 1 died of pneumonia in a neutropenic state. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the regimen of Heptaplatin/5-FU should be effective and have a favorable toxicity profile for the patients suffering with advanced stomach cancer.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Fever ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Leucovorin* ; Platinum ; Platinum Compounds ; Pneumonia ; Proteinuria ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach* ; Thrombocytopenia