Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) is very rare and its cause is unclear. Raised intracranial pressure in the absence of an intracranial mass or hydrocephalus (BIH or pseudotumor cerebri) has been described in association with many conditions including SLE. Several pathogenic pathways tie BIH with SLE as thrombotic obliteration of cerebral arteriolar and venous systems and immune complex deposition within the arachnoid villi that are responsible for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) absorption. The diagnosis of BIH was confirmed by increased intracranial pressure in the absence of any abnormal radiological findings of the brain. We report a young woman with SLE and autoimmune thrombocytopenia complicated by BIH which resolved with corticosteroid therapy and osmotic diuretics.
Absorption ; Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Arachnoid ; Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Diagnosis ; Diuretics, Osmotic ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Intracranial Pressure ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Pseudotumor Cerebri* ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic

Previously, we reported that besides retinal ganglion cell (RGC) spike, there is ~ 10 Hz oscillatory rhythmic activity in local field potential (LFP) in retinal degeneration model, rd1 mice. The more recently identified rd10 mice have a later onset and slower rate of photoreceptor degeneration than the rd1 mice, providing more therapeutic potential. In this study, before adapting rd10 mice as a new animal model for our electrical stimulation study, we investigated electrical characteristics of rd10 mice. From the raw waveform of recording using 8x8 microelectrode array (MEA) from in vitro-whole mount retina, RGC spikes and LFP were isolated by using different filter setting. Fourier transform was performed for detection of frequency of bursting RGC spikes and oscillatory field potential (OFP). In rd1 mice, ~10 Hz rhythmic burst of spontaneous RGC spikes is always phase-locked with the OFP and this phase-locking property is preserved regardless of postnatal ages. However, in rd10 mice, there is a strong phase-locking tendency between the spectral peak of bursting RGC spikes (~5 Hz) and the first peak of OFP (~5 Hz) across different age groups. But this phase-locking property is not robust as in rd1 retina, but maintains for a few seconds. Since rd1 and rd10 retina show phase-locking property at different frequency (~10 Hz vs. ~5 Hz), we expect different response patterns to electrical stimulus between rd1 and rd10 retina. Therefore, to extract optimal stimulation parameters in rd10 retina, first we might define selection criteria for responding rd10 ganglion cells to electrical stimulus.
Animals ; Electric Stimulation ; Fourier Analysis ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Mice ; Microelectrodes ; Models, Animal ; Patient Selection ; Retina ; Retinal Degeneration ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; Retinaldehyde

Since Virchow first introduced the term myxoma to describe a tumor that recapitulates the structure of the umbilical cord, it has been increasingly recognized that many diverse neoplasms may acquire a similar myxoid appearance. Myxoma have evolved within the pathology literature from tumors often described in practically all sites to the currently recognized subtypes restricted to the heart, skin, soft tissue, and bone. Pulmonary myxoma is extraordinary rare. We experienced pulmonary myxoma in a 63 year old man. The pulmonary radiology showed mass in right upper lung field, and percutaneous transthoracic needle lung biopsy was performed to confirm the myxoma.
Biopsy ; Heart ; Humans ; Lung* ; Middle Aged ; Myxoma* ; Needles ; Pathology ; Skin ; Umbilical Cord

Tracheal bronchus is an aberrant bronchus that arises most often from the right tracheal bronchial wall above the carina and is the result of an additional tracheal outgrowth early in embryonic life. Its incidence ranges from 0.1 to 5%. This anomaly is usually diagnosed incidentally during bronchoscopy or bronchography in patients with various respiratory problems. Tracheal bronchus may be associated with other bronchopulmonary anomalies such as tracheal stenosis, pulmonary agenesis, pulmonary sequestration, abnormal lobulation, and Down's syndrome. In patients without specific clinical symptoms, a incidentally diagnosed tracheal bronchus does not require any treatment. We report a case of 59-year-old man incidentally detected accessory tracheal bronchus associated with bronchial asthma with review of literatures.
Asthma* ; Bronchi* ; Bronchography ; Bronchopulmonary Sequestration ; Bronchoscopy ; Down Syndrome ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Tracheal Stenosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Drug-eluting stents (DES) are superior to bare metal stents (BMS) in reducing restenosis rates across a wide range of patients and lesion subsets.This study compared the clinical outcomes of DES versus BMS in patients with large coronary arteries (> or = 3.5 mm). METHODS: The study compared 134 patients (59.9 +/- 10.6 years, 90 men, 44 women) who underwent single vessel angioplasty with DESimplantation in large vessels with 115 patients (60.3 +/- 8.9 years, 82 men, 33 women) who received BMS. The clinical outcomes at 12 months were compared between groups. The study end points were major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and the need for target vessel and target lesion revascularization. RESULTS: The baseline clinical coronary angiography and procedural characteristics were similar in both groups. The duration of dual antiplatelet therapy was longer in the DES group than in the BMS group (240 +/- 2.7 vs. 348 +/- 1.7 days, p = 0.042). During the 12-month clinical follow-up, MACE were observed in 13 patients (11.3%) with BMS and 12 patients (9.0%) with DES (p = 0.486). CONCLUSIONS: For coronary stents implanted in large coronary arteries, DES seems to be more favorable, although no significant differences were observed in the clinical outcomes between DES and BMS during a 1-year clinical follow-up.
Angioplasty ; Arteries ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Death ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prognosis ; Stents