Bacteremia due to Rahnella aquatilis in a Patient with a Chemoport

Rahnella aquatilis, a saprophytic organism, is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The natural habitat of this organism is fresh water, and it is rarely found in clinical specimens. Clinical conditions ascribed to this organism include bacteremia, respiratory infection, urinary tract infection, wound infection in an immunocompromised host, and infective endocarditis in patients with congenital heart diseases. Here, we report a case of bacteremia due to R. aquatilis in a woman with breast cancer who had received chemotherapy through a chemoport. To our knowledge, this is the second case of bacteremia caused by this organism in a patient with cancer in Korea.

An Evaluation of Active Case Detection in Malaria Control Program in Kiyuni Parish of Kyankwanzi District, Uganda

Malaria remains one of the leading health burdens in the developing world, especially in several sub-Saharan Africa countries; and Uganda has some of the highest recorded measures of malaria transmission intensity in the world. It is evident that the prevalence of malaria infection, the incidence of disease, and mortality from severe malaria remain very high in Uganda. Although the recent stable political and economic situation in the last few decades in Uganda supported for a fairly good appreciation of malaria control, the declines in infection, morbidity, and mortality are not sufficient to interrupt transmission and this country is among the top 4 countries with cases of malaria, especially among children under 5 years of age. In fact, Uganda, which is endemic in over 95% of the country, is a representative of challenges facing malaria control in Africa. In this study, we evaluated an active case detection program in 6 randomly selected villages, Uganda. This program covered a potential target population of 5,017 individuals. Our team screened 12,257 samples of malaria by active case detection, every 4 months, from February 2015 to January 2017 in the 6 villages (a total of 6 times). This study assessed the perceptions and practices on malaria control in Kiyuni Parish of Kyankwanzi district, Uganda. Our study presents that the incidence of malaria is sustained high despite efforts to scale-up and improve the use of LLINs and access to ACDs, based on the average incidence confirmed by RDTs.

Development of Epidural and Paraspinal Abscesses after Insufficient Evaluation and Treatment of Acute Pyelonephritis Caused by Staphylococcus aureus / 가정의학회지

Diagnoses of pyelonephritis caused by Staphylococcus aureus should be accompanied by investigations of concomitant bladder obstruction and metastatic infections, especially to the spine or heart. Complicated pyelonephritis due to S. aureus requires more than 2 weeks of antibiotics, which is the typically recommended treatment duration for pyelonephritis. We describe a patient who was diagnosed with complicated epidural and paraspinal abscesses after insufficient evaluation and treatment of acute pyelonephritis due to S. aureus. A 62-year-old man with type 2 diabetes was admitted with fever, increased urinary frequency, and left flank pain. He was diagnosed with acute pyelonephritis caused by S. aureus. His fever and flank pain subsided after 3 days of intravenous antibiotics. Evaluation of bladder obstruction and metastatic infection were not performed, as he declined further evaluation. The patient was discharged with oral antibiotics and was requested to attend weekly appointments but was lost to follow-up. One month later, the patient presented at the outpatient clinic with similar symptoms. Computed tomography showed recurrent pyelonephritis and a distended bladder. His flank pain persisted despite administration of an opioid agent. Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging was performed, revealing epidural and paraspinal abscesses. Ultrasound-guided aspiration of the paraspinal muscle layer was performed, and blood and percutaneous aspirated fluid cultures revealed S. aureus growth. The pattern of antimicrobial sensitivity was identical to that at his first admission. Following more than 4 weeks of antibiotics, magnetic resonance imaging showed the abscesses had decreased in size. The patient was discharged without neurologic sequelae and was provided with oral antibiotics.

Acute Myocardial Infarction after Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Typical Atrial Flutter

A 53-yr-old man underwent radiofrequency ablation to treat persistent atrial flutter. After the procedure, the chest pain was getting worse, and the electrocardiogram showed ST-segment elevation in inferior leads with reciprocal changes. Immediate coronary angiography showed total occlusion with thrombi at the distal portion of the right coronary artery, which was very close to the ablation site. Intervention with thrombus aspiration and balloon dilatation was successful, and the patient recovered without any kind of sequelae. Although the exact mechanism is obscure, the most likely explanation is a thermal injury to the vascular wall that ruptured into the lumen and formed thrombus. Vasospasm and thromboembolism can also be other possibilities. This case raise the alarm to cardiologists who perform radiofrequency ablation to treat various kinds of cardiac arrhythmias, in that myocardial infarction has been rarely considered one of the complications.

Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome Presenting as Cutaneous Miliary Tuberculosis in an HIV-Infected Patient / 대한내과학회지

Tuberculosis is one of the most common opportunistic diseases in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in Korea, and extra-pulmonary infections are frequent in these patients. Cutaneous miliary tuberculosis is a rare form of tuberculosis that presents as a papulopustular eruption and hematogenous dissemination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to multiple organs. This has been reported in patients with progressive HIV infection. We report the first case of cutaneous miliary tuberculosis that developed as a manifestation of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Systemic Amyloid Protein a Amyloidosis Involving the Heart in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis / 대한내과학회지

Amyloidosis can be identified by the deposition of amyloid fibrils in biopsy specimens from multiple organs, including the heart, kidney, skin, and bowel. Systemic amyloid protein A amyloidosis (AA amyloidosis) is commonly associated with chronic inflammatory diseases or chronic infectious conditions. Cardiac involvement in AA amyloidosis is found in < 1% of reported cases. Here, we report a case of cardiac AA amyloidosis confirmed by heart biopsy in a 54-year-old-female with a medical history of rheumatoid arthritis and stage 4 chronic kidney disease due to renal amyloidosis. She had suffered from progressive aggravation of dyspnea for 2 years. Infiltrative disease involving the heart was suspected by echocardiography, and the patient was diagnosed with AA amyloidosis involving the heart by cardiac biopsy. This is a rare case of cardiac involvement in a patient with systemic AA amyloidosis associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Unusual Manifestation of Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Severe Hypercalcemia with Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It usually presents with nonspecific symptoms, such as fever, rather than with overt lymphadenopathy. Reports of hypercalcemia, as the initial presentation of IVLBCL, are limited in the literature, despite it being a well-known complication of various solid cancers. We present a 68-year-old male with severe hypercalcemia and increased levels of serum parathyroid hormone-related protein. He was diagnosed with IVLBCL, involving the bone marrow and spleen, and was successfully treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy. A few previous case reports have shown hypercalcemia in patients with IVLBCL. Much like our case, previous cases with hypercalcemia had advanced diseases, including bone marrow invasion. Although it was an extremely rare manifestation of IVLBCL, we suggest that IVLBCL should be a part of the differential diagnosis in patients with unexplained hypercalcemia. Therefore, an active work-up might be recommended, including positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan and bone marrow examination, which may be useful for early diagnosis.

Evaluation of General Toxicity and Genotoxicity of the Silkworm Extract Powder

The silkworm extract powder contain 1-deoxynojirimycin (DNJ), a potent alpha-glycosidase inhibitor, has therapeutic potency against diabetes mellitus. Therefore, natural products containing DNJ from mulberry leaves and silkworm are consumed as health functional food. The present study was performed to evaluate the safety of the silkworm extract powder, a health food which containing the DNJ. The repeated toxicity studies and gentic toxicity studies of the silkworm extract powder were performed to obtain the data for new functional food approval in MFDS. The safety was evaluated by a single-dose oral toxicity study and a 90 day repeated-dose oral toxicity study in Sprague-Dawley rats. The silkworm extract powder was also evaluated for its mutagenic potential in a battery of genetic toxicity test: in vitro bacterial reverse mutation assay, in vitro chromosomal aberration test, and in vivo mouse bone marrow micronucleus assay. The results of the genetic toxicology assays were negative in all of the assays. The approximate lethal dose in single oral dose toxicity study was considered to be higher than 5000 mg/kg in rats. In the 90 day study, the dose levels were wet at 0, 500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg/day, and 10 animals/sex/dose were treated with oral gavage. The parameters that were monitored were clinical signs, body weights, food and water consumptions, ophthalmic examination, urinalysis, hematology, serum biochemistry, necropsy findings, organ weights, and histopathological examination. No adverse effects were observed after the 90 day administration of the silkworm extract powder. The No-Observed-Adverse-Effect-Level (NOAEL) of silkworm extract powder in the 90 day study was 2000 mg/kg/day in both sexes, and no target organ was identified.

Predictive Factors of Response to Medical Therapy in Crohn's Disease Patients with Intestinal Obstruction / 대한소화기학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Stricture is a very important indication for surgical intervention as strictures can lead to intestinal obstruction. Strictures can be divided into inflammatory and fibrous strictures. Intestinal obstruction due to inflammatory stricture is expected to be resolved with medical treatment. However, factors that can predict the response to medical treatments are unknown. In the present study, we aimed to identify the factors that can predict the response to medical treatments in Crohn's disease patients with intestinal obstruction. METHODS: Data were collected by retrospectively reviewing the medical records of patients with Crohn's disease who visited the emergency department at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2010 because of intestinal obstruction. Based on the response to medical treatments, we classified the patients as responders and non-responders and compared the clinical, biochemical, and radiological findings of the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 39 patients were enrolled. Twenty-nine patients responded to medical treatments whereas 10 patients did not. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of vomiting and duration of disease before the development of obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who responded to the medical treatments exhibited a higher incidence of vomiting and longer duration of disease before the development of obstruction. However, further prospective studies are needed to identify the factors that can predict the response to medical treatments.

Immunoglobulin G4 Non-Related Sclerosing Disease with Intracardiac Mass Mimicking Mitral Stenosis: Case Report

The cardiovascular system may be one of the target organs of both immunoglobulin G4 related and non-related systemic multifocal fibrosclerosis. We present a case of IgG4 non-related systemic multifocal fibrosclerosis mimicking mitral stenosis on echocardiography. For a more detailed differential diagnosis, we used multimodal imaging techniques. After surgical biopsy around the abdominal aortic area in the retroperitoneum, histological examination revealed IgG4 non-related systemic multifocal fibrosclerosis. We describe the multimodal imaging used to diagnose IgG4 non-related systemic multifocal fibrosclerosis and a positive response to steroid treatment. There have been no previous case reports of IgG4 non-related systemic multifocal fibrosclerosis with intracardiac involvement. Here, we report a case of IgG4 non-related systemic multifocal fibrosclerosis mimicking mitral stenosis.

Churg-Strauss syndrome presenting as acute acalculous cholecystitis

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare systemic vasculitis. It is characterized by peripheral eosinophilia, asthma, neuropathy, skin manifestation, and less frequently gastrointestinal tract symptoms. Here we report a case of CSS which is initially manifested as acute acalculous cholecystitis. A 67-year-old asthmatic woman visited Emergency Room because of acute abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed acalculous cholecystitis and laparoscopic cholecystectomy was done. Pathology of gallbladder showed marked eosinophilic infiltration with necrotizing vasculitis and granuloma. On the basis of asthma, sinusitis, lung infiltration, combined peripheral eosinophilia and neuropathy, the patient was diagnosed as CSS. To our knowledge, this is the first case of pathologically proven eosinophilic cholecystitis in Korea.

Delayed Self-expansion Phenomenon as a Complication of Neuroform Stent Assisted Coiling for Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysm

Use of stent assisted coiling of intracranial aneurysms has shown a recent increase. Despite technical improvement and accumulated clinical experiences, due to insufficient study data, debate over short and long term durability and associated complication has continued. To the best of our knowledge, this case report, for the first time, demonstrates delayed self-expansion phenomenon occurring as an acute and unpredictable complication of Neuroform stent assisted coiling for treatment of a ruptured intracranial aneurysm.

Y-Stenting Endovascular Treatment for Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms : A Single-Institution Experience in Korea

OBJECTIVE: Stent-assisted coiling on intracranial aneurysm has been considered as an effective technique and has made the complex aneurysms amenable to coiling. To achieve reconstruction of intracranial vessels with preservation of parent artery the use of stents has the greatest potential for assisted coiling. We report the results of our experiences in ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms using Y-stent coiling. METHODS: From October 2003 to October 2011, 12 patients (3 men, 9 women; mean age, 62.6) harboring 12 complex ruptured aneurysms (3 middle cerebral artery, 9 basilar tip) were treated by Y-stent coiling by using self-expandable intracranial stents. Procedural complications, clinical outcome, and initial and midterm angiographic results were evaluated. The definition of broad-necked aneurysm is neck diameter over than 4 mm or an aneurysm with a neck diameter smaller than 4 mm in which the dome/neck ratio was less than 2. RESULTS: In all patients, the aneurysm was successfully occluded with no apparent procedure-related complication. There was no evidence of thromboembolic complication, arterial dissection and spasm during procedure. Follow-up studies showed stable and complete occlusion of the aneurysm in all patients with no neurologic deficits. CONCLUSION: The present study did show that the Y-stent coiling seemed to facilitate endovascular treatment of ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms. More clinical data with longer follow-up are needed to establish the role of Y-stent coiling in ruptured aneurysms.