Neutropenic Enterocolitis in Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Neutropenic enterocolitis is an acute life-threatening, necrotizing inflammation of cecum and terminal ileum often seen in leukemia and lymphoma during periods of prolonged or severe neutropenia. It has been also referred to as necrotizing enterocolitis, ileocecal syndrome, or typhlitis (from the Greek word typhlon meaning cecum). The pathophysiology of the neutropenic enterocolitis is unknown but is believed to be multifactorial. The clinical symptoms of neutropenic enterocolitis are nonspecific including fever, abdominal pain (often right lower quadrant), abdominal distension, diarrhea, bloody stools, nausea, and vomiting. So acute appendicitis is should be included in the differential diagnosis. The early signs and symptoms are nonspecific and it may rapidly lead to intestinal perforation. The definite management of neutropenic enterocolitis is contrversial. but the prognosis is likely to be good with early diagnosis and proper management. We report one case of neutropenic enterocolitis in acute myelogenous leukemia with literature review.

Akt Expression in Acute Leukemia Cells and Its Clinical Significance / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: Disturbances in apoptosis through phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/Akt pathway is thought to be crucial in cancer cell immortality. Enhanced expression and activation of Akt was investigated in several malignancies but not in acute leukemia. We investigated the expression of Akt and phospho-Akt in acute leukemia cells and clinical characteristics of expression and non-expression group. METHODS: Bone marrow cells from patients who were newly diagnosed as acute leukemia and healthy volunteer were obtained and analyzed by Western blot analysis using monoclonal antibody against Akt, phospho-Akt (Ser473), and phospho-Akt (Thr308). Clinical data were obtained retrospectively. RESULTS: The expression of Akt was demonstrated in 27 of 43 cases (63%) and phospho- Akt(Ser473) was noted in 24 of 27 (54%) Akt-positive cases, respectively. Phospho-Akt (Ser473)-expression group showed significantly higher initial WBC counts compared to negative group (P=0.003). By chromosomal analysis, patients with Akt expression did not show any good prognostic karyotype (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: This result suggests that Akt overexpression and activation is detected in acute leukemia cells and might have a role in molecular pathogenesis of acute leukemia.

A Case of Serum Amino Acid Disturbance with Hyperammonemia in a Patient with Multiple Myeloma / 대한혈액학회지

Hyperviscosity and hypercalcemia are the common causes of disturbance of consciousness in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, there have been anecdotal reports of disturbance of consciousness in MM due to hyperammonemia and serum amino acid disturbance without possible causes such as liver failure. A 45-year-old female patient with MM was admitted due to general weakness. On 7th hospital day, she showed somnolence and disorientation. On the assumption of hyperviscosity syndrome, plasma exchange was performed immediately, but no effect. At that time, serum ammonia level was 431ng/dL, and serum glycine level was abnormally elevated. This type of serum amino acid disturbance was different from that usually found in chronic liver disease. After vincristine, adriamycin, and dexamethasone chemotherapy, serum ammonia level was restored to the normal range followed by improved mental status. We report, first in Korea, a case of MM with mental disturbance due to hyperammonemia and serum amino acid disturbance.

Biological Characteristics of AC133 Antigen-Positive Acute Leukemia / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: AC133 antigen is a cell surface antigen which is selectively expressed on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. It has been reported that AC133 antigen is expressed on the subsets of CD34+ acute leukemia, and occasionally on CD34- acute leukemia. We investigated the clinical and biological characteristics of AC133 antigen-positive acute leukemia. METHODS: Thirty-six adult acute leukemia patients were analyzed using a cut-off criterion of 20% or more gated leukemic blasts expressing the AC133 antigen for AC133+ leukemia. The biological characteristics focused on apoptosis were examined using multicolor flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: AC133 antigen was expressed in 12 cases (33.3%). Eleven of 21 (52.4%) acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patients and 1 of 15 (6.7%) acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients were positive for AC133 antigen, and the difference was significant. None of the clinical prognostic markers were significantly different between AC133+ and AC133- AML. Median disease free and overall survival time were not significantly different between AC133+ and AC133- AML. The expression rate of CD34 was significantly higher in AC133+ AML patients compared to those of AC133- AML (P=0.045). Among the apoptosis-related proteins, the Fas expression on the leukemic blasts was higher in the AC133+ AML (P=0.048), but Fas ligand, Bcl-2, caspase-3 expression rates were not significantly different between AC133+ and AC133- AML. The apoptosis rate was significantly lower in the Ara-C treated AC133+ AML (P=0.049), but the apoptosis rates to other apoptosis-inducing agents (doxorubicin, TNF-alpha) were not different between AC133+ and AC133- AML cells. We thought that there were some associations between a trend toward higher caspase-3 expression rates and lower Ara-C induced apoptosis rates in the AC133+ AML. CONCLUSION: There was no significant correlation between AC133 antigen expression and various clinical characteristics of acute leukemia, but the AC133 antigen might provide different biological characteristics including apoptosis from other immature cell surface markers. However, to verify the prognostic usefulness of AC133 antigen and the basis of the biological characteristics of AC133 antigen-positive acute leukemia, further study is needed.

A Case of Mediastinal Pancreatic Pseudocyst / 결핵

BACKGROUND: A pancreatic pseudocyst is one of various complications occurring in acute of chronic pancreatitis. It is usually located in the retroperitoneal space near the pancreas. However, other unusual locations are also possible. Jones intially described the mediastinal pseudocyst in 1940. Since then, fewer than 50 cases have been reported. A diagnosis of a mediastinal pseudocyst is accomplished by imaging studies revealing the cystic nature of the mass with evidences of acute or chronic pancreatitis. There is some controversy regarding the appropriate management of mediastinal pseudocyst because of the high mortality and morbidity after surgical management. Here we report a case of a mediastinal pancreatic pseudocyst found in a patient with asymptomatic alcohol-related pancreatitis complicated by the development of a mediastinal peudocyst, which quickly resolved after endoscopic retrograde pancreatic and biliary drainage and subcutaneous injection of a somatostatin analog(octreotide acetate) without any complications.

Risk Factors of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in CAPD Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a critical and an independent factor for mortality of patients with end-stage renal disease, and numerous risk factors for LVH have been discussed in previous studies. In present study, we intended to clarify the factors that affect the progression of LVH in patients with their first continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and to analyse the influences of these risk factors on severity of LVH. METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled the patients who performed echocardiography both before and in period between 24 to 30 months after CAPD. We estimated the change of LVH by the calculated difference of left ventricular mass index (LVMI) on echocardiography. We analyzed the factors that influence the change of LVMI such as age, sex, baseline renal disease, body mass index, blood pressure, hematocrit, calcium, phosphate, intact parathyroid hormone (i-PTH), serum albumin and peritoneal transport status on peritoneal equilibration test (PET). RESULTS: The causes of renal disease of the patients (male : female=10 : 16, mean age 55.74+/-12.0 years) were as follows : 13 cases (50.0%) of diabetic nephropathy, 11 cases (47.4%) of chronic glomerulonephritis, 1 case (3.8%) of hypertensive nephrosclerosis, and 1 case (3.8%) of unknown cause. Mean duration of follow-up was 25.5+/-2.1 months. As a result, the difference of LVMI positively correlated with mean systolic blood pressure (p=0.001, r=0.598) and mean diastolic blood pressure (p<0.001, r=0.718), difference of pulse pressure (p<0.001, r=0.893), and maximal i-PTH level (p=0.041, r=0.404). On the other hand, the difference of LVMI showed negative correlation with mean hematocrit (p=0.031, r=-0.421). In multiple linear regression analysis, the mean diastolic blood pressure and the difference of pulse pressure appeared to be the independent risk factors for the difference of LVMI (R2=0.923). CONCLUSION: The factors necessary to restrict the progression of LVH after initiation of CAPD are strict blood pressure control, correction of anemia, optimal treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism. These corrections could secure the amelioration of LVH.

A Case of Acute Purulent Pericarditis, Caused by Klebsiella Pneumoniae, without Preceeding Diseases

Acute pericarditis may be caused by a variety of disorders. Most cases of acute pericarditis without any initial apparent cause are idiopathic, although presumably viral in origin. While staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus pneumonias and streptococcus pyogens were the predominant organisms recovered prior to 1950, gram negative bacilli, anaerobic bacteria and fungus were recovered after 1950. These changes of the etiologic diversity of acute pericarditis were related to the development and advances of cardiac surgery, antibiotics, chemotherapy for cancer and immunosuppressive treatments. It is important for the therapy of acute bacterial pericarditis to establish the proper regimen of antibiotics and to drain pericardial effusion, if needed. We report a case of acute pericarditis, caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, an uncommon pathogen that caused purulent pericarditis with cardiac tamponade.

Restoration of Wild - type p53 Induces Chemo-sensitization in the Gastric Cancer Cell Line with Mutant p53 / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: It has been theorized that p53 may be involved in the sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. We evaluated the chemosensitivity of wild p53 after transduction into gastric cancer cell lines with mutant p53. MATERIALS AND METHODS: YCC-3(parent cell line with mutant p53), YCC-3v(parent cell line transduced with vector alone) and YCC-3C3(clone with wild p53) cell lines were used in this study. p53 protein expression was measured by ELISA assay. Tumorigenicity and drug sensitivity were evaluated by soft agar and proliferation assay, respectively. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flowcytometry. Telomerase activity was measured by TRAP assay and terminal restriction fragment(TRF) length was measured after Southern blot analysis. RESULTS: Even though p53 production from the YCC-3C3 cell line was three times higher than those of YCC-3 and YCC-3v cell lines, the cell cycle was the same in these three cell lines. In the YCC-3C3 cell line, drug sensitivity to etoposide and cisplatin was increased when we compared it to those of the YCC-3v cell line(etoposide, 50% versus 83%; cisplatin, 67% versus 83%). However, there was no chemo-sensitization effect with vincristine, vinblastine and carboplatin. After exposure to cisplatin, a G0/G1 check-point effect was found in the YCC-3C3 cell line, but not in the YCC-3v cell line. No differences were found in telomerase activity, TRFs length or DNA fragmentation between the YCC-3v and YCC-3C3 cell lines after cisplatin treatment. CONCLUSION: Wild-type p53 gene transduction in the gastric cancer cell line induced sensitization to the cytotoxicity of etoposide and cisplatin. This suggests the possible application of combined chemo-gene therapy with an EP regimen and wild-type p53 in gastric cancer patients with p53 mutation.

Midkine Gene Expression in Gastric Cancer Tissues / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical significance of the tumor growth factor, midkine (MK), in paired gastric cancer and normal tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty paired normal and cancer tissues were tested for MK mRNA expression by Northern blot analysis. Vessel staining was done by immunohistochemical staining using CD-31 monoclonal antibody (Dako). RESULTS: MK mRNA was mainly expressed in cancer tissues (11 versus 1). Lymph node metastasis, pathological stage and tumor differentiation did not correlate with MK expression. However, MK expression rate increased with increment in tumor size (p=0.05). Microvascular density did not correlate with tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and pathological stages. However, there was a tendency of vascular density increment with MK expression in T1-T2 stage. CONCLUSION: MK was mainly expressed in larger gastric cancer tissues suggesting its role in cancer growth in vivo. But no definite correlation between MK expression and tumor microvascular density was found.