Clinical Characteristics of Campylobacter Enterocolitis in Korean Adults: A Retrospective Study at a Single Center / 대한소화기학회지

Background/Aims@#Although the diarrheal disease caused by Campylobacter bacteria has been continuously increasing in Korea, there has been limited study on the clinical aspects of Campylobacter enteritis in adults in Korea. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical features and characteristics of adult patients with Campylobacter enteritis. @*Methods@#This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with Campylobacter enterocolitis at Nowon Eulji University Hopsital between January 2016 and December 2017. Campylobacter enterocolitis was diagnosed through polymerase chain reaction of stools from patients with acute diarrhea. @*Results@#Among 630 hospitalized patients with acute diarrhea, Campylobacter enterocolitis was diagnosed in 88 patients (14.0%). The mean age was 37.9±19.1 years. Campylobacter enterocolitis was most prevalent in the summer (52 patients, 59.1%). Patients exhibited more than 10 times of diarrhea in 36 (40.9%), high fever above 39℃ in 19 (21.59%), and abdominal pain above 5 points on the numeric rating scale in 23 (26.14%) cases. In abdominal CT scan, pancolitis was found in 58 patients (65.9%). Small intestine was involved in 37 patients (42.4%). Mean CRP was 10.14 mg/dL (range 0.72-32.27 mg/dL). The duration of diarrhea after antibiotics treatment was 2.34±1.51 days in the ciprofloxacin treatment group and 2.26±1.71 days in the 3rd cephalosporin treatment group. @*Conclusions@#Campylobacter enterocolitis was common during summer. Commonly healthy young adults were hospitalized due to severe symptoms of Campylobacter enterocolitis. Whole colon and small bowel were frequently involved. Most patients were treated with antibiotics, and the efficacy of 3rd cephalosporin treatment was not inferior to that of ciprofloxacin treatment.

Pulmonary thromboembolism combined with intracardiac thrombus occurred during the steroid reduction in nephrotic syndrome patient / 영남의대학술지

Nephrotic syndrome is associated with a hypercoagulable state, which results in thromboembolism as one of its main complications. Various pathogenetic factors that cause the hypercoagulable state in nephrotic syndrome have been recognized. We report on a 19-year-old female with a minimal-change disease who developed pulmonary thromboembolism combined with intracardiac thrombus while on tapering steroid. Our patient showed hypoalbuminemia with an episode of shock, and was successfully treated with thrombolysis and anticoagulation therapy.

Preliminary Suggestion about Staging of Anorectal Malignant Melanoma May Be Used to Predict Prognosis / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Anorectal malignant melanomas (AMM) are rare and have poor survival. The study aims to evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of patients with AMM, and to devise a staging system predictive of survival outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 28 patients diagnosed with, and treated for AMM. Patients classified by clinical staging of mucosal melanoma (MM) were reclassified via rectal and anal TNM staging. Survival outcomes were compared among patients grouped by the three different staging systems. RESULTS: The three staging systems were equated with similar figures for 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) of patients diagnosed with stage I disease. Patients (n=19) diagnosed with MM stage II disease were reclassified by rectal TNM staging into three subgroups: IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC. For these patients, both 5-year OS and 5-year DFS differed significantly between the subgroups IIIA and IIIC (OS: IIIA vs. IIIC, 66.7% vs. 0%, p=0.002; DFS: IIIA vs. IIIC, 51.4% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The accuracy of prognosis in patients diagnosed with AMM and lymph node metastasis has improved by using rectal TNM staging, which includes information regarding the number of lymph node metastases.

Massive Hemoptysis due to Acute Mitral Regurgitation with Sporadic Primary Mitral Valve Prolapse / 대한중환자의학회지

The most common cardiac cause of massive hemoptysis is mitral stenosis. Mitral regurgitation is rarely complicated by massive hemoptysis. A 48-year-old man with no significant medical history was admitted to our hospital with hemoptysis and production of 500 mL of blood within 24 hours. A pan-systolic murmur was found on chest examination. A chest computed tomography showed airspace consolidation in the right upper and middle lobes, with faint bilateral ground glass opacity. Echocardiography revealed mitral valve prolapse and grade IV mitral regurgitation. The patient was diagnosed with sporadic primary mitral valve prolapse. After mitral valve repair surgery, the patient recovered fully.

Acute lung injury after bee sting acupuncture

Bee stings can cause severe adverse reactions. There have been no cases of acute lung injury induced by bee sting acupuncture. We report a case of a 52-year-old male who required high flow oxygen therapy because of acute lung injury by bee sting acupuncture. The patient had been treated with live bee sting acupuncture by himself for knee pain. After self-injections of live bee sting, he immediately presented with generalized urticaria that remitted within 3 hours after taking an oral antihistamine. Ten days later, he visited our emergency department due to dyspnea and dizziness. He was diagnosed with acute lung injury by bee sting acupuncture based upon a history of symptom onset after exposure to the allergen and clinical test results. This case emphasizes that practitioners should consider potential risks of delayed-onset adverse reactions induced by bee sting acupuncture.

Massive Hemoptysis due to Acute Mitral Regurgitation with Sporadic Primary Mitral Valve Prolapse / 대한구급학회지

The most common cardiac cause of massive hemoptysis is mitral stenosis. Mitral regurgitation is rarely complicated by massive hemoptysis. A 48-year-old man with no significant medical history was admitted to our hospital with hemoptysis and production of 500 mL of blood within 24 hours. A pan-systolic murmur was found on chest examination. A chest computed tomography showed airspace consolidation in the right upper and middle lobes, with faint bilateral ground glass opacity. Echocardiography revealed mitral valve prolapse and grade IV mitral regurgitation. The patient was diagnosed with sporadic primary mitral valve prolapse. After mitral valve repair surgery, the patient recovered fully.

Amphetamine-Like Weight Reduction Drug Induced Acute Cardiomyopathy with Left Ventricular Thrombosis / 이화의대지

A 37-year-old female patient admitted due to dyspnea on exertion and peripheral edema. For one and a half years, the patient had been taking various drugs and supplements to reduce weight, including amphetamine-like drugs. The patient had no major cardiovascular risk factors except three pack-years of smoking. A chest computed tomography showed a 1.7 cm diameter, capsulated space-occupying lesion in the left ventricle (LV) and 2-dimensional echocardiography showed LV systolic dysfunction (Left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], 30%) with a mobile cystic mass (1.1x1.8 cm) that was attached to the LV apex, which was increased in size and number the next day, even with low dose low-molecular-weight heparin. With an increased dose of anticoagulation medication and heart failure management with diuretics and angiotensin receptor II blocker, LV dysfunction was recovered and the LV thrombus disappeared.

Biphalangeal Toes in the Korean Foot

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence and ratio of biphalangeal toes in Korean adult and to investigate whether this finding correlates with the evolution of human toes. METHOD: The materials used in this study consisted of 1,290 radiographs of the human feet obtained from 645 adults with foot symptom and complete osseous growth. The 1,290 radiographs consisted of anteroposterior weightbearing radiographs and nonweightbearing oblique radiographs. Those were retrospectively reviewed and carried out of detailed macroscopic examinations. RESULTS: Biphalangeal toe was observed for the 5th toe in 934 cases (72.40%), for the 4th toe in 161 cases (12.48%), for the 3rd toe in 7 cases (0.54%), and for the 2nd toe in 1 case (0.08%). Bilaterality of biphalangeal and triphalangeal toes for each toe was observed over 97.1%. CONCLUSION: Our results are in agreement with Nakashima and it is likely that over 70% of the Asian population have only two phalanges in their fifth toes, and it seems to be an example of microevolution or genetic adaptation to bipedalism.