Ascending aortic aneurysm of the thorax is a condition characterized by an increase in the diameter of the ascending aorta between the aortic valve and the brachiocephalic artery. Most patients with ascending aortic aneurysm are asymptomatic and do not require treatment; the rates of dissection, rupture, and mortality are also low. In this report, we describe the autopsy findings in a case of sudden death due to acute myocardial infarction secondary to the previously asymptomatic, unruptured, and undissected aortic aneurysm of the thoracic ascending aorta extending to the sinus of Valsalva. The findings in this case emphasize the importance of preventive management of asymptomatic ascending aortic aneurysms, and possible mechanisms of sudden cardiac death in patients with uncomplicated ascending aortic aneurysm is also discussed.

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a rare but serious complication that primarily occurs in patients with long bone fractures. Herein, we report a case of sudden death due to FES, which was later confirmed by autopsy. The clinical course and pathological findings of the case are also presented. A 79-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a car while crossing a crosswalk, and due to the impact, he flew 4.5 meters away. He was admitted to the emergency room and diagnosed with an intertrochanteric fracture of the right femur. Upon admission, he had clear consciousness and normal vital signs. The patient died 27 hours after trauma during surgery for a right femur fracture. Histological examination revealed fat droplets in lung tissue. The diagnosis of FES was confirmed based on clinical and histological findings.

PURPOSE: Intraductal papilloma of the breast (IDP) is the most common causes of nipple discharge and it is often a solitary, centrally located tumor that most commonly occurs in the fifth and sixth decades of life. There have been many conflicting reports on the malignant potential of IDP. METHODS: From February 2003 to November 2008, we operated 161 patients who were diagnosed with IDP at Konyang University Hospital. A retrospective review of all the pathologic reports and the corresponding radiological reports was undertaken. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 43.23 years (SD, +/-10.1). Eighty-three (51.6%) had nipple discharge, 37 (44.6%) had bloody discharge and 46 (55.4%) had yellowish serous discharge. Twenty-four had a mass and 2 had both bloody discharge and a mass. Radiologic significant findings were shown on 20 mammography exams, 71 ductography exams and 157 breast ultrasound exams. Onehundred forty-four (89.4%) patients with IDP or papillomatosis had surrounding pathologic lesions in the operated specimen according to the final pathology, 107 (66.5%) had fibrocystic change, 26 (16.1%) had fibroadenoma, 30 (18.6%) had atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), 11 (6.8%) had carcinoma in situ and 4 (2.5%) had invasive ductal carcinoma. During the follow up, 7 patients (4.3%) developed recurrent IDP, 3 patients developed ADH and 5 patients developed carcinoma in situ (4 patients had ductal carcinoma in situ and 1 patient had lobular carcinoma in situ). CONCLUSION: Intraductal papilloma should be closely followed up due to its malignant potential and the surrounding breast tissue with IDP should be carefully evaluated due to the high rate of developing other precancerous lesions.
Breast ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Fibroadenoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Mammography ; Nipples ; Papilloma ; Papilloma, Intraductal ; Precancerous Conditions ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Intraductal papilloma of the breast (IDP) is the most common causes of nipple discharge and it is often a solitary, centrally located tumor that most commonly occurs in the fifth and sixth decades of life. There have been many conflicting reports on the malignant potential of IDP. METHODS: From February 2003 to November 2008, we operated 161 patients who were diagnosed with IDP at Konyang University Hospital. A retrospective review of all the pathologic reports and the corresponding radiological reports was undertaken. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 43.23 years (SD, +/-10.1). Eighty-three (51.6%) had nipple discharge, 37 (44.6%) had bloody discharge and 46 (55.4%) had yellowish serous discharge. Twenty-four had a mass and 2 had both bloody discharge and a mass. Radiologic significant findings were shown on 20 mammography exams, 71 ductography exams and 157 breast ultrasound exams. Onehundred forty-four (89.4%) patients with IDP or papillomatosis had surrounding pathologic lesions in the operated specimen according to the final pathology, 107 (66.5%) had fibrocystic change, 26 (16.1%) had fibroadenoma, 30 (18.6%) had atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), 11 (6.8%) had carcinoma in situ and 4 (2.5%) had invasive ductal carcinoma. During the follow up, 7 patients (4.3%) developed recurrent IDP, 3 patients developed ADH and 5 patients developed carcinoma in situ (4 patients had ductal carcinoma in situ and 1 patient had lobular carcinoma in situ). CONCLUSION: Intraductal papilloma should be closely followed up due to its malignant potential and the surrounding breast tissue with IDP should be carefully evaluated due to the high rate of developing other precancerous lesions.
Breast ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Fibroadenoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Mammography ; Nipples ; Papilloma ; Papilloma, Intraductal ; Precancerous Conditions ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic vascular disease is major cause of morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients. C-reactive protein(CRP) as a marker of inflammmation appears to be clinically useful in prediction of coronary heart disease and mortality. This study is designed to test whether plasma concentration of CRP correlates with coronary heart disease and mortality in CAPD patients. METHODS: A total of 137 end-stage-renal disease patients undergoing CAPD were included. The measurement of baseline CRP and stress thallium SPECT were performed in all patients. Patients were followed prospectively from initiation of dialysis to June 1999 for analysis of survival rate and cause of death. Coronary angiography performed in 16 of 32 patients showed all positive results. RESULTS: 32 patients showed positive results in thallium SPECT. The baseline CRP concentration were higher among patients with positive results in thallium SPECT than those with negative results(1.05 g/L vs 1.30mg/dL, p<0.001). The survival rate was significantly lower in lower CRP group than higher CRP group (44months vs 26 months, p<0.001). However, There was no difference in cause of death according to serum CRP level. Death from cardiac cause is significantly higher among patients with positive thallium SPECT than negative results. The most common cause of death are, in descending order of frequency, cardiac disease including acute MI, sepsis, cerebrovascular disease. CONCLUSION: The baseline level of inflammation as assessed by the plasma concentration of CRP independently predicts the risk of coronary heart disease and survival in CAPD patients.
C-Reactive Protein* ; Cause of Death ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease* ; Dialysis ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Mortality* ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Survival Rate ; Thallium ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon ; Vascular Diseases

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α blocker therapy on the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society Health Index (ASAS-HI) among patients who have failed conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Methods: A comparative study was conducted involving axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients treated with either TNF-α blocker or conventional therapy. Patient data, including demographics, disease characteristics, and ASAS-HI scores, were collected before and after treatment. Statistical analysis was performed to compare changes in ASAS-HI scores between the TNF-α blocker and the conventional therapy group. Results: The study population consisted of patients with axSpA, with a mean age of 38.3 years in conventional treatment group and 29.3 years in TNF-α blocker group. Most variables, including C-reactive protein levels, other comorbidities, and disease assessment scores showed no significant difference between groups. Longitudinal analysis within each treatment group from Week 0 to 12 showed no significant change in the conventional treatment group, whereas the TNF-α blocker group experienced a significant reduction in ASAS-HI scores, demonstrating the effectiveness of the treatment. The TNF-α blocker group exhibited a significantly greater improvement in ASAS-HI scores compared to the conventional therapy group. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index demonstrated strong positive correlations with ASAS-HI scores, indicating higher disease activity and functional limitation are associated with worse health outcomes in patients. Conclusion The research demonstrates that ASAS-HI scores significantly improve with TNF-α blocker therapy in axSpA patients, underscoring ASAS-HI's effectiveness as a tool for evaluating drug responses.

Mesenteric pseudocyst is rare. This term is used to describe the abdominal cystic mass, without the origin of abdominal organ. We presented a case of mesenteric pseudocyst of the small bowel in a 70-year-old man. Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy showed a 3.5 cm sized excavated lesion on the posterior wall of angle. Endocopic biopsy confirmed a histologic diagnosis of the poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, which includes the signet ring cell component. Abdominal computed tomography scan showed a focal mucosal enhancement in the posterior wall of angle of the stomach, a 2.4 cm sized enhancing mass on the distal small bowel loop, without distant metastases or ascites in rectal shelf, and multiple gallbladder stones. The patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy with gastroduodenostomy, segmental resection of the small bowel, and cholecystectomy. The final pathological diagnosis was mesenteric pseudocyst. This is the first case report describing incidentally detected mesenteric pseudocyst of the small bowel in gastric cancer patients.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Ascites ; Biopsy ; Cellular Structures ; Cholecystectomy ; Gallbladder ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Mesenteric Cyst ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between perfusion- and diffusion-related parameters from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and those from dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging in tumors and normal muscles of the head and neck. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 20 consecutive patients with head and neck tumors with MR imaging performed using a 3T MR scanner. Tissue diffusivity (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) were derived from bi-exponential fitting of IVIM data obtained with 14 different b-values in three orthogonal directions. We investigated the correlation between D, f, and D* and model-free parameters from the DCE-MRI (wash-in, Tmax, Emax, initial AUC60, whole AUC) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value in the tumor and normal masseter muscle using a whole volume-of-interest approach. Pearson's correlation test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: No correlation was found between f or D* and any of the parameters from the DCE-MRI in all patients or in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (p > 0.05). The ADC was significantly correlated with D values in the tumors (p < 0.001, r = 0.980) and muscles (p = 0.013, r = 0.542), despite its significantly higher value than D. The difference between ADC and D showed significant correlation with f values in the tumors (p = 0.017, r = 0.528) and muscles (p = 0.003, r = 0.630), but no correlation with D* (p > 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Intravoxel incoherent motion shows no significant correlation with model-free perfusion parameters derived from the DCE-MRI but is feasible for the analysis of diffusivity in both tumors and normal muscles of the head and neck.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Diffusion ; Head* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Masseter Muscle ; Muscles ; Neck* ; Perfusion ; Retrospective Studies

Endogenous endophthalmitis secondary to group B Streptococcus (GBS) is extremely rare, particularly in healthy adults. However, the visual prognosis is poor. We report the first South Korean case of GBS infective endocarditis presenting as endogenous endophthalmitis and skin and soft tissue infection. Cultures of blood, vitreous humor, and pus from skin aspirates yielded a penicillin-susceptible serotype V strain of Streptococcus agalactiae. After 6 weeks, the patient completely recovered from GBS infective endocarditis. However, despite early antibiotic treatment and early surgical intervention, the patient's right eye developed phthisis bulbi and was a candidate for evisceration.
Adult* ; Endocarditis* ; Endophthalmitis* ; Humans ; Patient Rights ; Prognosis ; Serogroup ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Infections ; Streptococcus agalactiae* ; Streptococcus* ; Suppuration ; Vitreous Body

We examined the anticancer effects of a novel sirtuin inhibitor, MHY2256, on HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells to investigate its underlying molecular mechanisms. MHY2256 significantly suppressed the activity of sirtuin 1 and expression levels of sirtuin 1/2 and stimulated acetylation of forkhead box O1, which is a target protein of sirtuin 1. Treatment with MHY2256 inhibited the growth of the HCT116 (TP53 wild-type), HT-29 (TP53 mutant), and DLD-1 (TP53 mutant) human colorectal cancer cell lines. In addition, MHY2256 induced G0/G1 phase arrest of the cell cycle progression, which was accompanied by the reduction of cyclin D1 and cyclin E and the decrease of cyclin-dependent kinase 2, cyclin-dependent kinase 4, cyclin-dependent kinase 6, phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein, and E2F transcription factor 1. Apoptosis induction was shown by DNA fragmentation and increase in late apoptosis, which were detected using flow cytometric analysis. MHY2256 downregulated expression levels of procaspase-8, -9, and -3 and led to subsequent poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. MHY2256-induced apoptosis was involved in the activation of caspase-8, -9, and -3 and was prevented by pretreatment with Z-VAD-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor. Furthermore, the autophagic effects of MHY2256 were observed as cytoplasmic vacuolation, green fluorescent protein-light-chain 3 punctate dots, accumulation of acidic vesicular organelles, and upregulated expression level of light-chain 3-II. Taken together, these results suggest that MHY2256 could be a potential novel sirtuin inhibitor for the chemoprevention or treatment of colorectal cancer or both.