We report a case of acute intermittent porphyria presenting with variable symptoms and signs such as hypertension, polyneuropathy, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone and cerebral infarction. A 47 year-old female patient entered hospital with abdominal pain followed by generalized seizure. She was diagnosed to have acute intermittent porphyria in consequence of Watson-Schwartz test and δ-ALA in 24 hours urine. She was managed with conservative treatment but died of respiratory failure.
Abdominal Pain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Polyneuropathies ; Porphyria, Acute Intermittent* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Seizures

A case of multiple myeloma combined with stomach cancer and related literatures were reviewed. A 67 year-old male patient entered the hospital with dysphagia and weight loss for 3 months. Peripheral blood examination revealed anemia with rouleaux formation. Total protein of the serum was 9.9 g/dl with hyperglobulinemia (albumin 2.7 g/dl, globulin 7.2 g/dl, A/G ratio 0.375). On the electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis of the serum, the abnormal protein with the pattern of monoclonal gammopathy (IgG-K type) was shown. There were multiple variable sized osteolytic lesions on skull X-ray and abnormal hot uptakes of rips on bone scan and result of rib biopsy was plasmacytoma. Gastrofiberscopy was performed to search for the cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, revealed stomach cancer, and the result of the gastric mucosal biopsy proved to be well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Anemia ; Biopsy ; Deglutition Disorders ; Electrophoresis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunoelectrophoresis ; Male ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Paraproteinemias ; Plasmacytoma ; Ribs ; Skull ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach* ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Depression* ; Humans ; Inpatients*

No abstract available.
Depression* ; Humans ; Inpatients*

A 40-year-old woman had a pruritic, vesiculobullous eruption of her face for 6 weeks with no evidence of systemic disease. A biopsy showed subepidermal blisters and dermal infiltrates of neutrophilic inflammatory cells. Direct immunofluorescence demonstrated thick linear deposits of IgG and C3 along the basement membrane zone. The cleavage plane was identified to be just beneath the lamina densa. Using Western immunoblots, the patient's IgG autoantibodies were found to recognize type VII proeollagen. Moderate starting doses of systemic prednisolone gave a good response for this patient with an early inflammatory form of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita.
Adult ; Autoantibodies ; Basement Membrane ; Biopsy ; Blister ; Blotting, Western ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Neutrophils ; Prednisolone

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

No abstract available.
Genes, myc* ; Neuroblastoma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

No abstract available.
Eosinophils* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Skin*

24-hour ambulatory ECG monitoring has been examined for the evaluation of heart rate and longest pause in 34 patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (20 patients treated with digoxin and 14 patients without treatment). Following results were obtained: 1. In 34 patients, the mean of average heart rates was 75.7±13.8/minute, fastest heart rates 148.0±32.4/minute, slowest heart rates 48.1±8.4/minute, difference between fastest and slowest heart rates in individual patients 99.9±29.0/minute and longest pauses 2.95±1.06seconds. The longest pauses of more than 4.0 seconds occurred in 4 of the 34 patients and made an exception of comparison groups. 2. In 27 of the 34 patients, ventricular premature contractures were developed and in 11 of 27, mainly occurred less than 100/24 hours and aberrant conduction occurred in all patients. 3. In 20 patients treated with digoxin (0.25 mg/day), the mean of average heart rates was 78.4±13.7/minute, fastest heart rates 152.5±33.1/minute, slowest heart rates 48.9±8.5/minute, difference between fastest and slowest heart rates in individual patients 103.6±31.7/minute and longest pauses 2.55±0.50 seconds. 4. In 10 patients without treatment, the mean of average heart rates was 78.0±10.7/minute, fastest heart rates 154.5±26.8/minute, slowest heart rates 50.6±7.1/minute, difference between fastest and slowest heart rates in individual patients 103.9±22.2/minute and longest pauses 2.66±0.39 seconds. 5. The difference of heart rates and longest pauses between patients with treatment and without treatment were statistically not significant (P>0.05). In summary, authors seemed to consider that 24-hour ambulatory ECG was useful and safe method for clinical evaluation of patients with chronic atrial fibrillation.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Contracture ; Digoxin ; Electrocardiography* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Methods

Most insects including the honeybee cause erythema and edema at the site of a sting in non-allergic individuals. This reaction usually resolves within a few days. However, in certain cases, the persistence of inciting materials in the cutaneous tissue may promote a local inflammatory foreign body reaction. Localized nodular lesions were seen in our two patients and erythemstous patches were present in one patient due to rarely encountered complications induced by retained sting materials. In these cases histopathology showed multiple foci of foreign body granuloma containing yellow refraetile material in the center surrounded by histiocytes and foreign body giant cells. The granulomatous skin lesions in these patients were treated with intralesional injections of triamcinolone acetonide and partial excisions of the nodular masses were performed.
Bites and Stings ; Edema ; Erythema ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Giant Cells, Foreign-Body ; Granuloma* ; Granuloma, Foreign-Body ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Insects ; Skin ; Triamcinolone Acetonide