A Case of Steroid Resistant Minimal Change Disease Associated with Portal Vein Thrombosis Treated by Combined Immunosuppressive Agents / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Minimal change disease (MCD) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome and relatively well responds with steroid treatment. However, nearly half of patients with MCD experience recurrence of nephrotic syndrome. Thromboembolic events including renal vein thrombosis may occur in patients with MCD, but portal vein thrombosis rarely occurs. We experienced a case of frequent relapse/steroid dependent MCD with nephrotic syndrome progressed to steroid resistance associated with portal vein thrombosis. This patient showed complete remission of MCD and resolution of portal vein thrombosis after treatment with corticosteroid, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and anticoagulant.

A Case of Lactate Containing Peritoneal Dialysis Solution Induced Lactic Acidosis Corrected by Changing to Hemodialysis / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Elevated lactate levels are associated with acute illnesses, and the mortality is high. Here, we report a case of lactate-containing peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution inducing lactic acidosis corrected by changing to hemodialysis (HD). This 70-year-old female patient was treated with PD 8 months previously for end-stage renal disease caused by diabetes mellitus. She was admitted complaining of general weakness. Initial lactate level was 22.1 mg/dL and increased to 62.4 mg/dL showing high anion gap metabolic acidosis and compensatory hyperventilation. There are no definite causes of lactic acidosis besides the use of PD solutions containing a lactate component. The patient's lactate level was decreased after temporarily changing the dialysis modality to HD. Her lactate level was increased again after restarting PD, and decreased to normal after restarting HD. We report this case because physicians should consider lactate-containing PD solution as a possible cause of lactic acidosis.

Prognostic Value of Preoperative Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography in Surgically Resected Gastric Cancer / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The diagnostic value of PET-CT, in gastric cancer is well known, but the prognostic value of pretreatment PET-CT has not been adequately evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the preoperative prognostic value of PET-CT in gastric cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 107 patients underwent surgical treatment for gastric cancer from April 2007 to December 2010 at Dong-A University Medical Center after confirming the presence of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on preoperative PET-CT. Among these patients, the following subjects were excluded: follow-up loss (13), palliative resection (5), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (1), and unrelated death (1). The remaining 87 patients were included in this study and data were collected by retrospectively reviewing the medical records. The median follow-up duration, defined as the period from operation to last imaging study date, was 34.2+/-14.8 months. FDG uptake values were represented by maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax). In order to assess the correlation between SUVmax and recurrence, Kaplan-Meier's survival analysis with log-rank test and cox proportional hazard model were performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to determine the optimal cutoff value of SUVmax. RESULTS: The result of Kaplan-Meier's survival analysis with log-rank test were significantly different between high SUVmax group and low SUVmax group (p=0.035), the cutoff value of which was 5.6. However, in multivariate analysis with cox proportional hazard model, T-staging, N-staging and SUVmax did not show statistical significance (p=0.190, p=0.307, and p=0.436, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: High SUVmax on PET-CT in gastric cancer can be a useful prognostic factor.

Prognostic Value of Preoperative Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography in Surgically Resected Gastric Cancer / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The diagnostic value of PET-CT, in gastric cancer is well known, but the prognostic value of pretreatment PET-CT has not been adequately evaluated. This study aimed to investigate the preoperative prognostic value of PET-CT in gastric cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 107 patients underwent surgical treatment for gastric cancer from April 2007 to December 2010 at Dong-A University Medical Center after confirming the presence of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on preoperative PET-CT. Among these patients, the following subjects were excluded: follow-up loss (13), palliative resection (5), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (1), and unrelated death (1). The remaining 87 patients were included in this study and data were collected by retrospectively reviewing the medical records. The median follow-up duration, defined as the period from operation to last imaging study date, was 34.2+/-14.8 months. FDG uptake values were represented by maximal standardized uptake value (SUVmax). In order to assess the correlation between SUVmax and recurrence, Kaplan-Meier's survival analysis with log-rank test and cox proportional hazard model were performed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to determine the optimal cutoff value of SUVmax. RESULTS: The result of Kaplan-Meier's survival analysis with log-rank test were significantly different between high SUVmax group and low SUVmax group (p=0.035), the cutoff value of which was 5.6. However, in multivariate analysis with cox proportional hazard model, T-staging, N-staging and SUVmax did not show statistical significance (p=0.190, p=0.307, and p=0.436, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: High SUVmax on PET-CT in gastric cancer can be a useful prognostic factor.

Prevalence of porcine parvovirus in pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome in Jeju Island / 대한수의학회지

Postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), which was first identified in western Canada in 1991 and more recently in the United States, Europe and Asia, is an emerging disease in pigs. Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) is the primary infectious viral agent causing PMWS, but the full expression of the disease may require the presence of other agents. It is reported that there is apparent synergism between PCV-2 and porcine parvovirus (PPV) in increasing the severity of the clinical signs and lesions of PMWS. From January 2006 to May 2008, a total of the 154 lymph node samples were collected from 4~12 weeks old pigs which had been submitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeju National University, Korea. These pigs were diagnosed as PMWS on the basis of clinical and pathological examination from 48 commercial herds in Jeju Island. Based on the immunohistochemistry, porcine parvovirus was detected in 69 cases (44.8%) from 154 weaned or grower pigs. PPV antigens were detected in the cytoplasm of histiocytic cells multifocally infiltrated in the cortex and paracortex of lymph nodes. The results of this study clarify that PPV is prevalent in pigs with PMWS on Jeju Island. Therefore PPV is one of the most important co-agents in the development of naturally acquired PMWS. This study may be helpful to the control of this disease and to epidemiological aspects.

Epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary pneumocystosis and concurrent infections in pigs in Jeju Island, Korea

Epidemiological characteristics of swine pulmonary Pneumocystis (P.) carinii and concurrent infections were surveyed on Jeju Island, Korea, within a designated period in 172 pigs submitted from 54 farms to the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Jeju National University. The submitted cases were evaluated by histopathology, immunohistochemistry, PCR/RT-PCR, and bacteriology. P. carinii infection was confirmed in 39 (22.7%) of the 172 pigs. Histopathologically, the lungs had moderate to severe lymphohistioctyic interstitial pneumonia with variable numbers of fungal organisms within lesions. Furthermore, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) co-infection was a common phenomenon (12.8%, 20.5%, and 48.7% were positive for PRRS, PCV-2, or both, respectively, as determined by PCR/RT-PCR). Infection was much more concentrated during winter (December to March) and 53.8% of the infected pigs were 7- to 8-weeks old. In addition, three pigs showed co-infection with bacteria such as Pasteurella multocida and Streptococcus suis. The results of the present study suggest that the secondary P. carinii infection is common following primary viral infection in swine in Korea. They further suggest that co-infection of P. carinii might be enhanced by the virulence of primary pathogens or might have synergistic effects in the pigs with chronic wasting diseases.

Claudin-7 is Highly Expressed in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma and Renal Oncocytoma

Claudin-7 has recently been suggested to be a distal nephron marker. We tested the possibility that expression of claudin-7 could be used as a marker of renal tumors originating from the distal nephron. We examined the immunohistochemical expression of claudin-7 and parvalbumin in 239 renal tumors, including 179 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC)s, 29 papillary RCCs, 20 chromophobe RCCs, and 11 renal oncocytomas. In addition, the methylation specific-PCR (MSP) of claudin-7 was performed. Claudin-7 and parvalbumin immunostains were positive in 3.4%, 7.8% of clear cell RCCs, 34.5%, 31.0% of papillary RCCs, 95.0%, 80.0% of chromophobe RCCs, and 72.7%, 81.8% of renal oncocytomas, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of claudin-7 in diagnosing chromophobe RCC among subtypes of RCC were 95.0% and 92.3%. Those of parvalbumin were 80.0% and 88.9%. The expression pattern of claudin-7 was mostly diffuse in chromophobe RCC and was either focal or diffuse in oncocytoma. All of the cases examined in the MSP revealed the presence of unmethylated promoter of claudin-7 without regard to claudin-7 immunoreactivity. Hypermethylation of the promoter might not be the underlying mechanism for loss of its expression in RCC. Claudin-7 can be used as a useful diagnostic marker in diagnosing chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma.

Study on the Effects and Safety of Propofol Anesthesia during Cystoscopy / 대한비뇨기과학회지

Purpose: Cystoscopy, as with other endoscopic procedures, is a fearful and painful for the majority of patients. To this reduce fear, pain and discomfort, the routine administration of sedative drugs, such as midazolam and propofol, is widely accepted for a gastrointestinal endoscopy. There have also been some studies on midazolam anesthesia during cystoscopy. However, the effects and safety of propofol anesthesia during cystoscopy have not been established. Therefore, the effects and safety of propofol anesthesia during cystoscopy were investigated in this study. Materials and Methods: 200 male patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A consisted of 80 patients sedated using 1mg/kg propofol IV, and group B consisted of 120 patients who received normal saline IV instead of propofol. All patients received 90mg diclofenac IM for pain control. There were no significant differences in the ages and weights between the two groups. The vital signs and oxygen saturation were monitored before, during and after the cystoscopy. The degree of pain and satisfaction of the patients and urologist were measured. Results: The pain scales were significantly reduced in group A compared to group B. Group A patients and the operator were also significantly more satisfied than those in group B. Although the blood pressure, pulse rate or respiratory rate changed during the cystoscopy, they were not clinically significant and there was no need for additional treatment. 12 patients in group A showed temporary hypoxia; however, they were treated with oxygen administration and recovered within several minutes. Conclusions: Propofol anesthesia during cystoscopy can be performed safely and effectively as an outpatient procedure, as long as there is adequate preparation and monitoring.

A Case of Latzko Partial Colpocleisis for Treating Huge Vesicovaginal Fistula

Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) is a subtype of female urogenital fistula. VVF is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the vagina that allows the continuous involuntary leakage of urine into the vaginal canal. In addition to the medical sequelae from these fistulas, they often have a profound effect on the patient's emotional well-being. In the past it was mostly by obstetric causes. But now a days, posthysterectomy fistulas are most commonly seen. In 1914, Latzko published his partial colpocleisis technique for repair of posthysterectomy VVF, in which he employed the resection of scarred vaginal mucosa and a layered horizontal closure. Latzko's procedure has been cited, with his 95-100% success rates noted. Recently we experienced a case of huge vesicovaginal fistula. The patient is a 67-year-old woman with a history of constant urine leakage. The problem began after she had undergone total abdominal hysterectomy 30 years ago for uterine ruture. We repaired it by Latzko partial colpocleisis.

Fibrous Pseudotumor of Paratesticular Region / 대한비뇨기과학회지

A fibrous pseudotumor of the paratesticular region is rare, but one of the most common neoplasma of this area. It has also been called a nodular fibrous proliferation, pseudofibromatous periorchitis, benign fibrous paratesticular tumor, and fibrous mesothelioma (pseudofibroma). Complete surgical excision, by orchiectomy, appears to be curative. A case of a fibrous pseudotumor is reported and the clinical presentation and radiographic and histological findings described.

Ureteroscopic Removal of Multiple Renal Pelvis and Lower Calyceal Stones / 대한비뇨기과학회지

The goal of surgical stone management is to achieve maximal stone clearance with minimal morbidity to the patient. Because of its efficacy, efficiency and low morbidity, extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy(ESWL) is the first-line treatment for almost all urinary calculi. However, stone clearance after ESWL has been shown to be affected by the stone burden, location, chemical composition and kidney anatomy. Especially, the success rate for ESWL is reduced in lower pole stone(LPS). Percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PNL) and retrograde ureteroscopic intrarenal surgery(RIRS) are alternative treatment options for stones refractory to ESWL such as LPS. Although effective, PNLsubjects the patient to increased morbidity compared to ESWL and RIRS. Because of its low morbidity and relatively high success rate, RIRS for LPS is an attractive treatment modality in selective patients. We report a case of multiple renal pelvis and lower calyceal stones treated with ureteroscopy.