A twenty four-year-old female patient had suffered progressive dyspnea for 6 years until death. She denied any symptoms suggestive of connective tissue disease, or deep vein thrombosis. She suffered an episode of pontine infarct in 1995. Four years after diagnosis of primary pulmonary hypertension, she died of sudden death during hospitalization. Gross features of pulmonary arteries at autopsy were as follows: left main pulmonary artery showed dilation of the lumen and thickening of the wall, and right main pulmonary artery was markedly dilated and contained fresh thrombus. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of lung tissue showed plexiform lesions of pulmonary arteries, complete luminal obliteration of pulmonary arterioles and dilated lesion of pulmonary arterioles, and capillaries. This patient represents a typical case with a primary pulmonary arteriopathy with plexiform lesions with thrombotic lesion, demonstrating the importance of thrombosis in situ in the pathogenesis of primary pulmonary hypertension. To our knowledge, this is the first autopsy report on the primary pulmonary hypertension in Korea.
Arterioles ; Autopsy ; Capillaries ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Death, Sudden ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Hematoxylin ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Korea ; Lung ; Phenobarbital ; Pulmonary Artery ; Thrombosis ; Venous Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Chylothorax*

Chronic fatigue of the respiratory muscles has contributed to the decreased ventilatory capacity and reduced excercise tolerance of individuals with COPD, especially in kyphoscoliosis. Nasal mask BiPAP has been shown to be useful for the patient with nocturnal muscle fatigue and COPD. A 35-year-old man with severe kyphoscoliosis was admitted to ICU due to acute respiratory failure. He had been diagnosed of COPD and had been intubated with mechanical ventilatory support for 7 times. This time he was intubated with ventilatory support, too, in ICU and readmitted to the ICU for severe hypoxemia and hypercarbia from general ward. Thereafter he refused the intubation. Nasal mask BiPAP ventilatory support system was applied and IPAP, EPAP level being adjusted to the 12, 4 cmH2O under monitoring vital signs and arterial blood gas analysis. His condition was improved and discharged home with support of nasal mask BiPAP system after 33 day-stay in the ICU.
Adult ; Anoxia ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Intubation ; Masks* ; Muscle Fatigue ; Patients' Rooms ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Respiratory Muscles ; Vital Signs

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cadmium Poisoning* ; Cadmium* ; Olfactory Bulb* ; Rats*

PURPOSE: Depression is common in patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance hemodialysis, though success rate of treatment is low. This study aimed to investigate the features and severity of the depressive symptoms and nutritional indices, and significant changes after antidepressant treatment. METHODS: The authors assessed 45 patients. Diagnosis of depression was made using DSM-IV-TR and the depressive symptoms were evaluated using Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression via semi- structured interview. Subjective global assessment, anthropometric measurements and nutritional indices such as Kt/V, nPCR were examined. Depressive patients were treated for 8 weeks with SSRI (citalopram), and all the variables were examined again after the treatment. RESULTS: 19 (42.2%) patients were diagnosed as depression. Nutritional status was not different between patients with depression and those without depression. Compared to non-depressed patients, depressed patients showed significantly higher depressed mood, guilty feeling, suicide idea, psychic and somatic anxiety, lower work and activities, psychomotor retardation, sleep disturbances, general somatic symptoms and hypochondriasis. After antidepressant treatment, depressed mood, guilty feeling, suicide idea, psychic anxiety, initial insomnia, middle insomnia, early awakening, work and activities and general somatic symptoms were improved significantly. TSF (p<0.05), handgrip strength (p<0.01) and hematocrit (p<0.05) were significantly increased. CONCLUSION: Antidepressant treatment is helpful not only for the improvement of depressive symptoms such as sleep and somatic symptoms but for the improvement of quality of life. Proper treatment should be more actively attempted for the hemodialytic patients with depression.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Quality of Life ; Renal Dialysis ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Suicide ; Tosyl Compounds

No abstract available.
Carcinosarcoma* ; Lung*

Background: Thyroid nodule is a common disease of thymid gland. The incidence of malignant nodule is about 3%, so most of thyroid nodules are benign. Because most thyroid nodule morbidity is related to cancerous lesions, early detection of malignant nodule is important. However, some of these nodules are srnall sized or deep seated which were not detected by physieal exarnination but by ultrasonography incidentally. In these cases the diagnostic approach is difficult with conventional methods but it is easy with ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA). However, the role of ultrasound-guided FNA on the thyroid nodules has been poorly evaluated, so we tried to assess the diagnostic value of high resolution ultrasound-guided FNA in the thyroid nodules. Methods: We examined the medical records retrospectively of all patients who were engaged in high resolution ultrasonography(ATL Ultramark-9, 10 MHz linear transducer) due to thyroid nodules and/or other thyroid abnormalities from September, 1995 to March, 1996. Ultrasound- guided FNA was performed in 137 patients with palpable or nonpalpable(small sized or deep seated) nodules which were detected by high resolution ultrasonography. Results: The mean age of the patients was 45 and most of them were middle aged. Male to female ratio was 1:8.1. Malignant nodules were frequent in patients over 30 yus of age. Of 137 patients 43 were involutional change, 45 hyperplasia, 12 Hashimotos thyroiditis, 12 follicular neoplasm, ll papillary carcinoma, 1 Hurthle cell tumor, 1 medullary carcinoma, and 12 inadequate specimen. In 22 cases thyroid nodules were not detected by physical examinatian but by ultrasonography and in 31 cases additional thyroid nodules were detected by ultrasonography. In the nature of thyroid nodules, 99 cases were solid, 16 cystic, 22 mixed. Malignant nodule were more frequent in the solid nodule, but thete was no significant difference between each group. The size of masses was categorized into four groups. Thirty-one cases measured less than 1cm, 63 between 1cm and 1.9cm, 29 between 2cm to 2.9cm, and 14 over 3cm. The malignant nodule was not palpable in 3 cases and the smallest was 0.7cm in diameter. Most of malignant lesions were between 1cm and 2.9cm, but the difference of incidence rate of rnalignant nodules between each group was not significant. The incidence rate of malignancy was 8.8% in solitary nodule and 8.7% in multiple nodules. Twenty-three cases including 12 malignancies diagnosed by FNA underwent operation. Of those 13 were papillary earcinoma, 1 follicular carcinoma, 1 medullary carcinoma. Upon the correlation of ultrasound-guided FNA cytology with pathologic diagnosis, the sensitivity of ultrasound-guided FNA cytology in differentiating benign and malignant nodule was 80.0%, the specificity 100% and overall diagnostic accuracy was 86.1%. The obtainability of adequate cytologic specimen by ultrasound-guided FNA was 91%. No complication except pain was noted during this study. Conclusion: High resolution ultrasound-guided FNA cytology in the thyroid nodules may be useful in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer especially in the nodules which were small sized or deep seated and also useful in early detection of recurrence of thyroid cancer.
Adenoma, Oxyphilic ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Male ; Medical Records ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule ; Thyroiditis ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the features and severity of depressive symptoms in peritoneal dialysis patients, and the relationship of depressive symptoms with levels of inflammation and oxidative stress (OS). METHODS: The diagnosis of depression was made using DSM-IV-TR and the depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) via a semi-structured interview. Levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) were determined as markers of lipid peroxidation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities were measured as antioxidants. RESULTS: 19 (28.8%) patients were diagnosed with depression (Major Depressive Disorder was 18.2%, Dysthymic disorder was 10.6%). OS markers were not different between patients with and without depression. Compared to non-depressed patients, depressed patients showed significantly higher depressed mood, feelings of guilt, suicidal ideation, sleep disturbances, psychomotor retardation, agitation, psychic and somatic anxiety, lower levels of work and activities, gastrointestinal and general somatic symptoms, and hypochondriasis. There was a significant positive correlation between HRSD scores and peritonitis (gamma=0.297, p=0.016), levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) (gamma=0.406, p=0.001) and ferritin (gamma=0.276, p=0.025), while there was a significant negative correlation between scores of HRSD and levels of albumin (gamma=-0.313, p=0.010). CONCLUSION: Major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder were not related to inflammation and oxidative stress in peritoneal dialysis patients; however, depressive symptom severity was correlated with markers of inflammation and malnutrition. These results suggest that inflammation could have influence on depressive symptoms in peritoneal dialysis patients.
Anxiety ; C-Reactive Protein ; Catalase ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Dihydroergotamine ; Dysthymic Disorder ; Ferritins ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Guilt ; Humans ; Hypochondriasis ; Inflammation ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Malnutrition ; Oxidative Stress ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Peritonitis ; Suicidal Ideation ; Superoxide Dismutase

BACKGROUND: It has been known that pulsatile flow is physiologic and more favorable to tissue perfusion than nonpulsatile flow. The purpose of this study is to directly compare the effect of pulsatile versus nonpulsatile blood flow to renal tissue perfusion in extracorporeal circulation by using a tissue perfusion measurement system. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Total cardiopulmonary bypass circuit was constructed to twelve Yorkshire swines, weighing 20~30 kg. Animals were randomly assigned to group 1 (n=6, nonpulsatile centrifugal pump) or group 2 (n=6, pulsatile T-PLS pump). A probe of the tissue perfusion measurement system (QFlow(TM)-500) was inserted into the renal parenchymal tissue. Extracorporeal circulation was maintained for an hour at a pump flow of 2 L/min after aortic cross-clamping. Tissue perfusion flow of the kidney was measured at baseline (before bypass) and every 10 minutes after bypass. Serologic parameters were collected at baseline and 60 minutes after bypass. RESULT: Baseline parameters were not different between the groups. Renal tissue perfusion flow was substantially higher in the pulsatile group throughout the bypass (ranged 48.5~4 in group 1 vs. 65.8~8.3 mL/min/100 g in group 2, p=0.026~0.45). The difference was significant at 30 minutes bypass (47.5+/-18.3 in group 1 vs. 83.4+/-28.5 mL/min/100 g in group 2, p=0.026). Serologic parameters including plasma free hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine showed no differences between the groups at 60 minutes after bypass (p=NS). CONCLUSION: Pulsatile flow is more beneficial to tissue perfusion of the kidney in short-term extracorporeal circulation. Further study is suggested to observe the effects to other vital organs or long-term significance.
Animals ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Creatinine ; Extracorporeal Circulation* ; Kidney ; Perfusion* ; Plasma ; Pulsatile Flow ; Swine

Acute thrombosis of the renal transplant artery is a well-known vascular complication of renal allograft that usually occurs within the first month post-transplant and often leads graft loss. The incidence of this complication varies between 0.8 and 3.5%. Beyond this period of time, this complication is distinctly uncommon except in rejected kidneys or in a kidney with high grade arterial stenosis. Here we are reporting a case of late renal transplant segmental infarction in 55 years old male patient who presented with sudden allograft pain, fever, and graft dysfunction 15 months after renal transplantation. Graft function improved slightly and became stable with the anticoagulation therapy.
Allografts ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Fever ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infarction* ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thrombosis ; Transplants