A 47-year-old female was admitted for an evaluation of a left mediastinal mass. The chest X-ray performed 16 months ago was normal, but the chest X-ray upon admission showed a large mass adjacent to the anterior aspect of the left hemidiaphragm. The CT scan demonstrated a large mass with a fat density in the left lower hemithorax. A focal diaphragmatic defect behind the xiphoid process was suspected. A thoracoscopic examination revealed omental herniation through the diaphragmatic defect. Therefore, a left thoracotomy was performed and the defect was repaired. We believe that a differential diagnosis should be needed to include a diaphragmatic omental hernia when a fat density mass is observed in the mediastinum.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Hernia ; Humans ; Mediastinum* ; Middle Aged ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The Mixed germ cell tumors of the mediastinum are very quite rare. The Prognosis is generally dominated by the most aggressive component, which is represented by a choriocarcinoma, an endodermal sinus tumor, an embryonal carcinoma, and a seminoma, in descending order of in the degree of malignancy. We experienced one a case of a mixed germ cell tumor at the anterior mediastinum. The patient was 27-year-old male, who complained of hemoptysis and cough. The Chest X-ray showed a well-defined lobulated mediastinal mass in the left upper lung field. The operation was done and The mass was excised surgically. A Biopsy showed elements of mature tissues, immature neuronal components, and seminoma components.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Embryonal ; Choriocarcinoma ; Cough ; Endodermal Sinus Tumor ; Female ; Germ Cells* ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Mediastinum* ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal* ; Neurons ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Seminoma ; Thorax

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EH) is a rare borderline malignant tumor which originating from vascular endothelial cells and occurs in many organs such as soft tissues, lung, liver and bone. But, pulmonary EH which simultaneously involves pleura and liver is very rare. In the present report, we describe an uncommon case of EH involving the lung, pleura and liver in a 26-year-old woman. Chest CT showed single nodule in right upper lobe with large amount of pleural effusion at ipsilateral side and abdominal CT multiple round low densities in liver. The EH was confirmed by microscopic analysis and immunohistochemical staining of CD34+ from open lung biopsy specimen.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid* ; Humans ; Liver* ; Lung* ; Pleura* ; Pleural Effusion ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The bronchial varices in mitral stenosis are uncommon and incidentally discovered during bronchoscopy. Although bronchial varices are primarily associated with bronchial or pulmonary disease, the bronchial vein can be dilated with increased pulmonary venous pressure secondary to mitral stenosis. The bronchial varices may present massive hemoptysis. The hemoptysis can be controlled by mitral commissurotomy or mitral valve replacement in case of mitral stenosis. We report a case of bronchial varies in a patient with severe mitral stenosis. The bronchial varices were found incidentally during bronchoscopy and they were nearly disappeared by mitral valve replacement.
Bronchoscopy ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis* ; Varicose Veins* ; Veins ; Venous Pressure

BACKGROUND: Airborne particles during Yellow Sand phenomena are known to be associated with the respiratory disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration and metal component properties of Yellow Sand particles and compare with airborne microbial concentration and species in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. METHODS: Samplings were carried out in 2002 in Seosan, during non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. Samples were taken using the 8-stage Cascade impactor and metallic elements were analyzed by XRF. Those were culture on the media for bacterial and fungal culture and celline for virus. RESULTS: The concentration of total suspended particulate matter were respectively 80.2microgram/m3, 40.3microgram/m3 in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena. The concentration of metallic elements such as Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn in Yellow Sand phenomena were higher than its in non Yellow Sand. Two bacteria, Bacillus species and Staphylococcus were grown in two periods. In both periods, several fungal spores(Mucor species, Cladosporum, Alternaria, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Alternaria species) were identified. The differences of bacteria and fungus species not observed in Yellow Sand and non Yellow Sand. Any viruses were not isolated in between both periods. CONCLUSIONS: The concentration of total suspended particulate matter and some metallic elements in Yellow Sand phenomena were higher than its in non Yellow Sand. The difference of bacteria and fungus species was not observed in non Yellow Sand and Yellow Sand phenomena.
Alternaria ; Aspergillus ; Bacillus ; Bacteria ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Fungi ; Particulate Matter* ; Penicillium ; Silicon Dioxide* ; Staphylococcus

BACKGROUND: Although home oxygen therapy in hypoxemic patients with chronic lung disease has been increasing over the decade in Korea, the present state has not been known well. This study was done to know the situation of home oxygen therapy in a Korean university hospital. METHODS: Between January 1, 2000 and August 31, 2003, 86 patients prescribed home oxygen therapy by the pulmonary physicians of Asan Medical Center were investigated using their medical record and questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients (52 men, mean age of 61 years) with home oxygen therapy were increasing by every year. Underlying diseases were COPD (n=29), tuberculous destroyed lung (n=18), bronchiectasis (n=15), ILD (n=12), and others. Baseline FEV1/FVC, FVC, and FEV1 of patients were 58.4+/-25.2%, 54.5+/-17.1% of predicted, and 41.7+/-20.6% of pred. Mean oxygen flow was 1.5 L/min and mean duration per day was 14.5 hours. During therapy, mean PaO2 values have increased from 51.2 to 77.7 mm Hg and PaCO2 values have increased from 47.5 to 49.6 mm Hg. Only 16.5% of the subjects were monitored by visiting nurses or pulse oximeter. Three year survival rate was 56.6% and hypercapnic patients showed better prognosis. CONCLUSION: The patients with home oxygen therapy were increasing yearly and a part of them were monitored. The hypercapnea respiratory failure patients would have better prognosis.
Bronchiectasis ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Medical Records ; Nurses, Community Health ; Oxygen* ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Insufficiency* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are thought to be associated with increased airway inflammation, and the NF-kappa B is known to be an indicator of cellular activation and of inflammatory mediator production. This study was undertaken to investigate the change of cytokine characteristics and NF-kappa B activity in induced sputum of COPD patients during exacerbation and recovery of the disease. METHODS: Sputum induction was performed in 37 patients with COPD during exacerbation and during recovery and in 15 healthy subjects. Cell counts, levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha in induced sputum and NF-kappa B activity in macrophage of induced sputum were measured. RESULTS: Patients with COPD showed significantly increased levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha(p<0.01) and increased NF-kappa B activity in induced sputum(p<0.05) as compared with control subjects. Level of IL-8 during exacerbation of COPD decreased significantly during recovery(p<0.05). NF-kappa B activity and levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha tended to be decreased during recovery, but not siginificantly. CONCLUSION: Activation of NF-kappa B and increased levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha were thought to be associated with pathogenesis and exacerbations of COPD.
Cell Count ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6* ; Interleukin-8* ; Macrophages ; NF-kappa B ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Sputum* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

BACKGROUND: Priming and boosting vaccination strategy has been widely explored for new vaccine development against tuberculosis. As an effort to identify other vaccine candidates, this study was initiated to evaluate protective efficacy of adenylate kinase (AK), nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NdK), and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHOD: M. tuberculosis genes encoding AK, NdK, and Hsp70 proteins were amplified by PCR and cloned into E. coli expression vector, pQE30. Recombinant AK, NdK, and Hsp70 was purified through Ni-NTA resin. To evaluate immune responses, we performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG isotype and IFN-gamma after mice were immunized subcutaneously with recombinant proteins delivered in dimethyl dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDA). Immunized- and control groups were challenged by aerosol with M. tuberculosis. The spleens and lungs of mice were removed aseptically and cultured for CFU of M. tuberculosis. RESULT: Vaccination with recombinant proteins AK, NdK, and Hsp70 delivered in DDA elicited significant level of antibody and IFN-gamma responses to corresponding antigens but no protective immunity comparable to that achieved with Mycobacterium bovis BCG. CONCLUSION: Recombinant proteins AK, NdK, and Hsp70 do not effectively control growth of M. tuberculosis in mice when immunized with DDA as an adjuvant.
Adenylate Kinase* ; Animals ; Clone Cells ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Heat-Shock Proteins* ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Lung ; Mice* ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recombinant Proteins* ; Spleen ; Tuberculosis ; Vaccination

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma*

BACKGROUND: Ethambutol (EMB) is one of important first-line drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. Molecular techniques to detect embB gene mutations have been considered as an method to define the EMB resistance. We investigated the mutation rate within embB gene among EMB resistant strains using reverse hybridization techniques. METHODS: We made 11 probes that had wild or mutated sequences containing codons 306, 406, or 497 within embB gene respectively. These probes were reverse-hybridized with PCR products amplified from embB gene which were isolated from 149 ethambutol resistant strains and 50 pan-susceptible strains. RESULTS: Out of 149 ethambutol resistant strains, one hundred (67.1%) had mutation at least one base at codon 306, 406, or 497 in embB gene. Mutation at codon 306, 406, 497 were demonstrated in 75 (50.3%), 16 (10.7%), and 13 strains (8.7%) respectively. There were four strains that showed multi-mutation at codon 306 and codon 406 simultaneously. A high proportion (8.1%) had single mutation at codon 406. There was no mutation observed in embB gene among 50 pan-susceptible strains. CONCLUSION: Reverse hybridization will be useful technique for detection of gene mutation correlated to ethambutol resistance.
Codon ; Ethambutol ; Genotype ; Mutation Rate ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tuberculosis