Infective endocarditis by Hemophilus species is very rare:there are only 22 reported-cases of Hemophilus paraphrophilus endocarditis. We report a case of Hemophilus paraphrophilus endocarditis in a middle-aged woman with cerebral embolism and hemorrhage.
Endocarditis* ; Female ; Haemophilus ; Haemophilus paraphrophilus* ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Intracranial Embolism*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The root of Vitis amurensis Ruprecht, a sort of wild-growing grape, has been used in oriental medicine for treatment of skin ailments; however, its dermatological activity is not sufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to investigate tyrosinase inhibitory and anti-melanogenic activities of V. amurensis Ruprecht root methanol extract (VARM) in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells and to attempt to isolate and identify the active compound issued from VARM. MATERIALS/METHODS: Anti-melanogenic activity of VARM was analyzed in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH)-stimulated B16F10 cells through evaluation of antioxidative activity as well as inhibited tyrosinase activity and melanin contents compared with those of kojic acid and arbutin. After anti-melanogenic analysis of VARM, serial fractionation, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and thin layer chromatorgraphy (TLC) were applied for identification of active compounds contained in VARM. RESULTS: VARM significantly inhibited oxidative stress and tyrosinase activity and attenuated alpha-MSH-induced melanin production in B16F10 cells. For isolation of active compounds, VARM was fractionated using a series of organic solvents, including dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and n-butanol (n-BuOH). Among fractions showing anti-melanogenic activity, the CH2Cl2 fraction induced the most potent attenuation of melanogenesis without cytotoxicity and the major compound in the CH2Cl2 fraction was identified as betulinic acid. Betulinic acid isolated from the CH2Cl2 fraction of VARM significantly attenuated alpha-MSH-induced melanogenesis in a dose dependent manner, which was stronger than that of arbutin used as a positive control. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that VARM inhibits oxidative stress, tyrosinase activity, and alpha-MSH-induced melanogenesis in B16F10 cells, due primarily to the active compound, betulinic acid, in the CH2Cl2 fraction.
1-Butanol ; Animals ; Arbutin ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Melanins ; Melanoma ; Methanol ; Methylene Chloride ; Mice ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Oxidative Stress ; Skin ; Solvents ; Vitis*

PURPOSE: To describe the changes in diagnostic methods and reassess the role of core biopsy compared with needle localization biopsy (NLB) in the evaluation of non-palpable breast lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 930 non-palpable breast lesions which underwent either core biopsy or NLB between January 1996 and December 2000. NLB involved 511 lesions in 482 patients, and core biopsy, 419 lesions in 365 patients. For a given lesion, NLB was guided by either mammography (n=213) or ultrasonography (US) (n=298), but only US was used to guide a core biopsy. Over the five-year period, we calculated the total number of biopsies per year relating to non-palpable breast lesions, also determining the mammographic findings in cases involving NLB and the percentage of malignancies seen at histopathology. RESULTS: The total number of biopsies increased with time: 1996: n=91, 1997: n=118, 1998: n=144, 1999: n=245, 2000: n=332. The implementation of core biopsy, however, led to a decrease in the proportion of NLB (1996: 97.8%, 1997: 84.7%, 1998: 75.7%, 1999: 47.8%, 2000: 28.9%). Among nonpalpable lesions which underwent mammography-guided NLB, 46.5% (20/43) were a mass or density in 1996, while in 2000 the proportion was 5.7% (2/35). During this period, however, the finding of calcification without a mass increased from 48.8% in 1996 to 94.3% in 2000. The proportion of cases in which NLB demonstrated malignancy increased from 13.5% in 1996 to 49% in 2000; where US-guided NLB was used, the increase was remarkable: from 15.2% in 1996 to 65.6% in 2000. CONCLUSION: In the evaluation of non-palpable breast lesions, the appropriate use of core biopsy can decrease the need for a more invasive method such as NLB. Furthermore, because most benign lesions diagnosed by core biopsy do not also undergo NLB, the use of the latter increases the yield of malignancies.
Biopsy ; Breast* ; Humans ; Mammography ; Needles ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the clinical characteristics and the serial changes of high resolution CT (HRCT) findings and to correlate those with the results of clinical parameters in biopsy proven nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) with connective tissue diseases (CTD). METHODS: Retrospective analysis was made of forty patients with CTD diagnosed of NSIP and UIP from a single tertiary hospital between January 1996 and February 2006. RESULTS: UIP was common in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis and Sjogren's syndrome, while NSIP was frequent in polymyositis/dermatomyositis. No significant difference was found in the clinical characteristics of patients with NSIP and UIP. In initial HRCT findings, extents of honeycombing and reticulation pattern were significantly more in UIP-CTD than in NSIP-CTD. In bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) results, proportion of alveolar macrophages was significantly higher in NSIP-CTD than in UIP-CTD. In NSIP-CTD, significant increment in the extent of reticulation and honeycombing was noted in the serial HRCT findings despite the aggressive treatment. Significant correlation was found between leukocytosis and honeycombing change in NSIP-CTD. Despite no significant difference of survival between two groups, patients with UIP-CTD seem to have a higher mortality than those with NSIP-CTD. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that chest HRCT and BAL fluid analysis may be helpful in the differential diagnosis of NSIP- and UIP-CTD and leukocytosis in initial blood test might be predictive of honeycombing progression in NSIP-CTD. Further study will be required to compare with the prognosis of NSIP- and UIP-CTD.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biopsy ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Connective Tissue Diseases* ; Connective Tissue* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis* ; Leukocytosis ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Scleroderma, Systemic ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder with variable clinical features. The interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist anakinra has been proposed as an alternative effective treatment in refractory AOSD. We report, for the first time in Korea, two cases of refractory AOSD in which anakinra treatment produced a clinical response. The first patient had frequent clinical flare-ups with fever, sore throat, myalgia, and pleuritic chest pain despite treatment with methotrexate and etanercept. In the second patient, treatments with various immunosuppressive agents failed to control the disease activity. Treatment with anakinra 100 mg/day was initiated in both cases. A complete clinical remission and improvement in the laboratory parameters were observed. The steroid dose was tapered without further clinical flare-ups. Anakinra appears to be an effective alternative treatment modality in patients with AOSD refractory to conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and corticosteroid therapy.
Antirheumatic Agents ; Chest Pain ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein ; Interleukins ; Korea ; Methotrexate ; Pharyngitis ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset ; Etanercept

PURPOSE: Recently the incidence of severe hyponatremia is increasing in old patients but there is no report about clinical findings of old patients with hyponatremia. We evaluated the cause and clinical manifestations of severe hyponatremia in old patients who had been admitted via emergency room. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical records of the hyponatremic patients who had been admitted from 2000 to 2007. We enrolled 53 patients (Age >60 years, Na <125 mEq/L) without severe liver cirrhosis, heart failure or chronic kidney disease. We analyzed data to evaluate the differences of clinical manifestations according to the presence of symptoms, taking diuretics, urine sodium concentrations and the degree of hyponatremia. RESULTS: Mean serum sodium concentration was 111.4+/-6.9 mEq/L and urine sodium concentration was 68.7+/-43.8 mEq/L. There was no difference in serum sodium concentration according to age. Twenty-nine (54.7%) patients had nausea and vomiting and 19 patients (35.8%) had neurologic symptoms. Patients with neurologic symptoms showed lower serum and urine sodium concentration than patients without neurologic symptoms. The main causes of severe hyponatremia were poor oral intake (79.2%), diuretics use (37.7%) and recent operation (15.1%). The mean sodium concentration of the fluid administered to achieve 125 mEq/L of serum sodium level was 336.5+/-160.6 mEq/L. CONCLUSION: The urinary sodium loss, e.g., diuretics abuse, may be the main cause of severe hyponatremia in elderly patients over 60 years. In elderly patients, diuretics should be carefully administered with frequent electrolyte monitoring.
Aged ; Diuretics ; Emergencies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Incidence ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Nausea ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Retrospective Studies ; Sodium ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVES: Paraoxonase is a high density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated enzyme, which has been implicated in preventing low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) from oxidation. The human paraoxonase gene is codominantly expressed as allele A and B. The A allele codes for glutamine (A subtype) and the B allele for arginine (B subtype) at codon 192 of the paraoxonase enzyme. This genetic polymorphism divides the enzyme into high and low activity form. It has been believed that this difference of specific activity might change the metabolism of cholesterol and the prevalence of coronary artery disease. The present study investigated the association among the paraoxonase gene polymorphism and the level of plasma lipoprotein and coronary artery disease. METHODS: The 416 subjects who have undergone coronary angiography in SNUH were recruited. The patients (n=251) had >50% stenosis of at least one of the major coronary arteries. To identify the genotype of paraoxonase, we amplified the target region in the paraoxonase gene by PCR ( polymerase chain reaction) and electrophoresed the products. RESULTS: There was no difference between the two groups in the allele frequency (A : B = 0.41 : 0.59 in patients, A : B = 0.37 : 0.63 in controls; p=0.21) or in the genotype frequency (AA:AB:BB= 45:116:90 in patients, AA:AB:BB=22:77:66 in controls; p=0.41). There was no association of the paraoxonase genotype with serum lipoprotein level and acute coronary syndrome in this study. The B allele was not an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease in this study. CONCLUSION: The paraoxonase gene 192 polymorphism was not an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease in this study.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Alleles ; Arginine ; Aryldialkylphosphatase* ; Cholesterol ; Codon ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Glutamine ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Metabolism ; Plasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: To determine the usefulness of ultrasound-guided core biopsy for the diagnosis of non-palpable beast lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between April 1996 and December 2000, 932 lesions in 901 patients were the object of ultrasound-guided core biopsy. Of these, 440 non-palpable lesions ranging in size from 0.3 to 3.0 (average, 0.9)cm, and found in 428 patients (all women aged, on average, 43.9 years), were included in this study. The pathologic results of core biopsy were compared with the available surgical data, and clinical and radiologic follow-up data were also reviewed. A 16-gauge needle was used in 197 lesions, and a 14-gauge neadle in the other 243. RESULTS: At core biopsy, 53 lesions were diagnosed as invasive carcinoma, and 45 of these were excised. Forthfour were confirmed as invasive carcinoma, and in one case there was no residual tumor. Seven lesions, diagnosed as ductal carcinoma in situ at core biopsy, were surgically removed, and the final diagnosis was ductal carcinoma in four cases and invasive carcinoma in two. Two of four cases initially diagnosed as atypical ductal hyperplasia were finally diagnosed as invasive carcinoma after surgery. Six lesions diagnosed at core biopsy asbenign were later found to be malignant (false-negative rate, 8.3%). Radiologic imaging suggested that all six lesions-for two of which, a 14-gauge needle was used, and for four, a 16-gauge needle-were malignant. The false-negative rate was 5.1% and 12%, respectively, whithout statistical significance (p=0.26). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy for non-palpable breast lesions is useful and can replace surgical excision. To avoid false-negative assessment, however, strict radiologic-histopathologic correlation is required.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Needles ; Neoplasm, Residual

Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder with variable clinical features. The interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist anakinra has been proposed as an alternative effective treatment in refractory AOSD. We report, for the first time in Korea, two cases of refractory AOSD in which anakinra treatment produced a clinical response. The first patient had frequent clinical flare-ups with fever, sore throat, myalgia, and pleuritic chest pain despite treatment with methotrexate and etanercept. In the second patient, treatments with various immunosuppressive agents failed to control the disease activity. Treatment with anakinra 100 mg/day was initiated in both cases. A complete clinical remission and improvement in the laboratory parameters were observed. The steroid dose was tapered without further clinical flare-ups. Anakinra appears to be an effective alternative treatment modality in patients with AOSD refractory to conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs and corticosteroid therapy.
Antirheumatic Agents ; Chest Pain ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein ; Interleukins ; Korea ; Methotrexate ; Pharyngitis ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset ; Etanercept

We experienced a case of infective endocarditis, which unusual has symptoms and microcytic hypochromic anemia. Anemia associated with infective endocarditis is a common manifestation, but is generally normocytic nor-mochromic. However, microcytic hypochromic anemia is an uncommon manifestation of infective endo-carditis, and has only been noted in a few previous reports. We systematically evaluated anemia, and diagnosed fatal underlying diseases, such as infective endocarditis.
Anemia ; Anemia, Hypochromic* ; Endocarditis*