Utilization of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for refractory status asthmaticus during pregnancy: A case report

Refractory status asthmaticus represents the most severe clinical presentations of asthma, and it is typically associated with the presence of hypoxemia, hypercapnia, lactic acidosis, dynamic hyperventilation and altered state of consciousness. Several case reports have demonstrated extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as an alternative treatment method for patients with status asthmaticus that failed to respond to maximal conventional therapy. We experienced a case of pregnant woman with severe asthma attack not relieved by conventional treatment, in whom early administration of ECMO resulted in a good outcome. A 23-year-old woman at, 11 weeks of pregnancy, was admitted with acute asthma attack. Despite maximal rescue therapies with mechanical ventilation, her condition gradually deteriorated. Venovenous ECMO was initiated 4 hours from intubation and gas exchange with lung mechanics was rapidly recovered within hours. She was extubated 45 hours after initiation of ECMO and had successful weaning from ECMO 2 days after extubation. The patient had no complication and gave birth to a healthy baby at 37 weeks of gestation. This is the first case report in Korea on the successful use of ECMO in a pregnant woman with severe respiratory insufficiency due to status asthmaticus, who failed to respond to mechanical ventilation and maximum pharmacological treatment. Early ECMO application is a useful treatment option for patients with refractory status asthmaticus refractory to conventional therapy.

A Case of Long-term Survival in a Patient with Primary Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor of the Lung / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) arising primarily in the lung is an extremely rare and aggressive malignancy with poor chances of patient survival. We present a case of long-term survival by a 29-year-old woman with PNET diagnosed after a hertological and immunohertochemical examination of a biopsy specimen obtained by performing video-assisted thoracic surgery. The patient underwent a left lower lung lobe lobectomy and 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient has been free of any symptoms of the recurrence of the disease for 6 years after treatment completion.

Gene Expression Analysis of Inflammatory Cytokines in Korean Psoriatic Patients

BACKGROUND: Although phenotypic heterogeneity of psoriasis is suggested by the alternate activation of either T-helper (Th)1-related or Th17-related cytokines, little is known about the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is differential expression of Th1-related and Th17-related inflammatory cytokine genes 1) between psoriatic patients and healthy controls, and 2) between patients with different psoriasis phenotypes. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with psoriasis (10 with guttate psoriasis and 15 with plaque psoriasis) and 5 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The mRNA levels of circulating cytokines (interleukin [IL]-2, IL-12p40, interferon-γ, IL-17A, IL-22, and IL-23R) were measured by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The comparison between psoriatic and healthy control samples revealed that IL-12p40, IL-17A, and IL-22 mRNA levels were significantly higher (approximately 4∼6 folds) in the patients with psoriasis. The mRNA levels of these six cytokines in the blood did not differ between the guttate and plaque psoriasis groups. CONCLUSION: We found that the mRNA levels of blood inflammatory cytokines (IL-12p40, IL-17A, and IL-22) were significantly elevated in patients with psoriasis compared to the levels in healthy controls, but they did not significantly differ between patients with guttate and plaque type psoriasis.

A Case of Protein Losing Enteropathy as Only Clinical manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus / 고신대학교의과대학학술지

Protein losing enteropathy (PLE) due to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is relatively uncommon. PLE may be appeared sequentially after the diagnosis of SLE or concurrently with SLE. In most of concurrent cases, PLE was diagnosed one of various symptoms of SLE. Cases of PLE as the initial and only clinical presentation of SLE have been rarely reported. We described a 30-year old woman with general edema and abdominal distension was diagnosed PLE after stool alpha 1 antitrypsin clearance test. Her symptoms were getting worse even though the treatment with intravenous albumin. She was finally diagnosed PLE associated with SLE by additional laboratory findings (positive antinuclear antibody and anti-dsDNA IgG and low C3, C4 and CH50). She was treated with high dose of steroids and her symptoms were improved.

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Accompanied by Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis / 대한내과학회지

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease caused by the SFTS virus (family Bunyaviridae, genus Phlebovirus). A 77-year-old female farmer was bitten by a tick and developed a fever 5 days later, resulting in admittance to the emergency room. The laboratory findings showed elevated liver enzyme levels, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Lymphoma was suspected based on computed tomography results. After confirming SFTS virus infection via the polymerase chain reaction, a bone marrow biopsy revealed hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). HLH is rarely observed in patients with SFTS and few studies have reported the presence of SFTS in bone marrow. Here, we report a case of SFTS that was initially mistaken for a lymphoma, and was accompanied by HLH.

A Case of Desquamative Interstitial Pneumonia with an Increased Number of Eosinophils in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / 대한내과학회지

Here, we present a case of desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) that was initially misdiagnosed as chronic eosinophilic pneumonia due to an increased number of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). A 56-year-old male smoker presented with a productive cough that had been present for 1 month. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) revealed multifocal patchy ground-glass and reticular opacities in the subpleural area. BALF analysis revealed an elevated level of eosinophils (37%). Thus, the patient was initially diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia and was administered prednisolone (0.5 mg/kg/day). However, his symptoms and the diffuse infiltrative shadows on HRCT did not improve after 2 months of treatment, and a video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy led to the diagnosis of DIP. Prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) was administered again, and the patient's symptoms improved. At 1 year after the end of treatment, the patient remained symptom-free.