An immunocompetent case of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillusviridinutans.

We encountered an extremely rare immunocompetent case of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) caused by Aspergillus viridinutans. A 74-year-old woman was admitted with fever and hemoptysis. Chest computed tomography revealed a nodule in the left upper lobe. Bronchoscopy was performed, and the transbronchial biopsy specimen revealed Aspergillus fungi. Treatment of the nodule was initially ineffective with voriconazole but effective with liposomal amphotericin B. The causative organism was later identified as A. viridinutans based on the gene sequence of ß-tubulin. This is the first immunocompetent case of CPA caused by A. viridinutans.

A case of nonmucinous pulmonary micropapillary adenocarcinoma mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis.

We report a rare case of nonmucinous pulmonary micropapillary adenocarcinoma mimicking pulmonary tuberculosis. A 68-year-old woman was hospitalized with hemoptysis. Her computed tomography revealed cavities and tree-in-bud appearance similar to the extensive form of pulmonary tuberculosis. However, histopathological findings of transbronchial biopsies of all lesions revealed adenocarcinoma and no pulmonary tuberculosis. Tree-in-bud appearance may relate to the floating micropapillary tufts in alveolar spaces. If pulmonary carcinoma is complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis, patients must be isolated and disadvantaged in cancer treatments. Therefore, recognizing this case may be therapeutically useful for respiratory physicians treating both diseases.

A Fast-growing Benign Metastasizing Leiomyoma Mimicking Malignancy.

We herein report a rare case of fast-growing benign metastasizing leiomyoma. A 52-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with abnormal chest shadows. Chest computed tomography showed well-circumscribed cystic tumors. Because malignancy could not be completely distinguished in fast-growing tumors, video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed. The pathological findings revealed many cysts and the proliferation of smooth muscle cells. According to the Stanford criteria, the tumor was diagnosed as benign metastasizing leiomyoma. One possible reason for the fast growth of the tumor was enlargement of the cysts. Malignant diseases characterized by cystic tumors are rare but occasionally reported. Therefore, differentiation by a pathological examination is essential.

PaO2-guided Low-dose Oxygen Therapy for Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis to Prevent Acute Exacerbation of Interstitial Pneumonia.

We herein report the first case of low-dose oxygen therapy for pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) using PaO2 as a therapeutic index to prevent acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia. An 86-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with abdominal distension. PCI was diagnosed by abdominal computed tomography. Low-dose oxygen therapy was started to avoid acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia. The oxygen dose was adjusted so that the PaO2 value was approximately 100 mmHg. After seven days of treatment, the colon gas had disappeared, and no acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia was observed. A PaO2 value around 100 mmHg is effective for PCI without inducing acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia.

Successful Treatment of Antifungal Combination Therapy with Inhaled Liposomal Amphotericin B and Oral Voriconazole for Intractable Chronic Progressive Pulmonary Aspergillosis.

We experienced a case of the successful treatment of intractable pulmonary aspergillosis with inhaled liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) and oral voriconazole (VRCZ). A 52-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a fever. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed an infiltrative shadow. Two separate sputum cultures detected Aspergillus niger. Although we treated the patient with single and combined antifungal agents, the infiltrative shadow worsened. After obtaining sufficient informed consent from the patient, we switched him to an inhaled L-AMB. The infiltrative shadow subsequently improved. The patient has remained well for one year without exacerbation. We herein report the usefulness of inhaled L-AMB and oral VRCZ.

[Case of SAPHO syndrome with significant sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis].

A 59-year-old man with hypertension developed general fatigue, fever, and precordialgia in early March 2007. An antibacterial agent was intravenously administered; however, no improvement in his symptoms or laboratory findings was observed. He had acne and pustulosis, and radiographs and CT of the chest revealed sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis. As a result, the diagnosis was revised to SAPHO syndrome, and he improved with steroid administration. SAPHO syndrome is a condition that is rarely found at the initial examination in the Department of Internal Medicine. We report a case with a discussion of the literature.

Clinical features of Proteus mirabilis pneumonia.

In this study, we clinically reviewed 13 patients with Proteus mirabilis pneumonia who were admitted for treatment to Kawasaki Medical School Kawasaki Hospital, Okayama, Japan, between April 2006 and July 2009. Clinical features were retrospectively reviewed. Results showed that: (1) hospital-acquired pneumonia occurred in elderly patients with underlying diseases such as cerebrovascular disease; (2) some patients had complications of urinary tract infection due to P. mirabilis; (3) preadministration of antibacterial agents did not become a risk factor; (4) resistance for levofloxacin (LVFX) was observed; (5) prognosis was comparatively good (effective rate 84.7%).

Clinical features of Escherichia coli pneumonia.

Escherichia coli pneumonia was clinically reviewed. Twenty-two patients with E. coli pneumonia were admitted for treatment to Kawasaki Medical School Kawasaki Hospital, between January 2006 and December 2008. Clinical features were retrospectively reviewed. Results showed that: (1) hospital-acquired pneumonia occurred in elderly patients with underlying diseases, such as cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; (2) more patients had complications of urinary-tract infection or alimentary infection due to E. coli; (3) previous administration of antibacterial agents did not become a risk factor; (4) resistance to ampicillin (ABPC) and levofloxacin (LVFX) was observed; and (5) mortality was 22.7%.

[A case of miliary tuberculosis difficult to distinguish from metastatic lung cancer].

We report a case of the coexistence of pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer maked a wrong diagnosis of lung cancer and metastatic lung carcinoma. The patient was a 80-years-old woman who had ascites and anorexia and decreased weight. Chest CT film showed a mass shadow in the right S, and infiltrative shadows on bilateral lung fields. FDG-PET revealed the tumor in the right lower lung field and many infiltrative shadows in all lung fields, and showed that FDG accumulated diffusely along the peritoneum. We made a diagnosis of lung cancer and metastatic lung carcinoma. However we obtained a diagnosis of coexisting of pulmonary tuberclosis and lung cancer autopsy. When the patient has a shadow suggestive of lung tumor shadow with many infiltrative shadows, we tend to make a diagnosis of lung cancer and metastatic lung carcinoma. We saw the importance of a postmortem examination in a new light.

Procalcitonin and severity of community-acquired pneumonia.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between procalcitonin and the severity and prognosis of community-acquired pneumonia. The subjects were 162 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (disease severity, mild, 39 patients; moderate, 81 patients; severe, 37 patients; and super severe, 5 patients) in whom we examined the serum procalcitonin concentration at the start of treatment; we determined the relationship of procalcitonin status with disease severity and prognosis. The results showed that procalcitonin was positive in 12.8% of the patients with mild disease, 27.1% of the patients with moderate disease, 59.5% of the patients with severe disease, and 80.0% of the patients with super severe disease. The mortality of procalcitonin-positive patients was 37.7%, whereas that of the procalcitonin-negative patients was 12.8%. Based on the above findings, it is concluded that the more severe the community-acquired pneumonia, the higher is the positivity rate for procalcitonin, and the prognosis in procalcitonin-positive patients is worse than that in procalcitonin-negative patients.

[Clinical effects of continuous infusion and intermittent infusion of meropenem on bacterial pneumonia in the elderly].

We compared the clinical effects of continuous infusion and intermittent infusion of meropenem (MEPM) on bacterial pneumonia in the elderly. The subjects were elderly patients (over 65) with moderate community-acquired bacterial pneumonia whose performance status was 3 or 4. They were randomly divided into an intermittent group (0.5 g MEPM was infused morning and evening) and a continuous infusion group (1.0 g/day over 24 hours was infused continuously), and the clinical effects were reviewed prospectively. Clinical efficacy on the third day was 64.0% in the intermittent infusion group and 72.0% in the continuous infusion group, and the overall clinical efficacy was 76.0% in the intermittent infusion group and 80.0% in the continuous infusion group. Administration periods were 13.2 +/- 5.7 days in the intermittent infusion group and 12.1 +/- 4.5 days in the continuous infusion group. These results show no statistically significant difference, and suggest that continuous infusion of MEPM did not have better clinical effect than intermittent administration twice a day in the treatment of elderly patients with moderate community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.