[Usual interstitial pneumonia associated with psoriasis vulgaris].

The patient was a 56-year-old man who had received diagnoses of psoriasis vulgaris at the age of thirty-three and of nephrotic syndrome at forty-five, and had been treated with prednisolone. He consulted the outpatient clinic because of a cough, and interstitial pneumonia was diagnosed. He was admitted to our hospital because his symptoms and chest radiographic findings continued to worsen under treatment with antitussives. Chest radiography revealed a linear-reticular shadow in the lower lung fields. Chest computed tomography also revealed micro-cystic lesions, reticular shadows and traction bronchiectasis underneath the pleura at the back of both lower lobes. His serum titer of antinuclear antibody was increased, but he had no other symptoms or autoantibodies. Surgical lung biopsy under thoracoscopy revealed usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP). The association of interstitial pneumonia with psoriasis vulgaris is rare.

Increased serum thymidine kinase activity in acute sarcoidosis.

This is the first case report of acute sarcoidosis with increased serum thymidine kinase (TK) activity. A 43-year-old male presented fever, swelling of parotid glands, lymphadenopathy, and peripheral neuropathy. Sarcoidosis was pathologically diagnosed by lung and parotid gland biopsy. His serum TK, which was increased to 11.2 U/l at diagnosis (normal <5 U/l), normalized after glucocorticoid therapy. Serum TK has been considered as a good marker of the proliferative activity of various types of neoplasms. Its rise in sarcoidosis has, however, not been described. Because acute sarcoidosis sometimes resembles malignant lymphoma, the possible rise of serum TK in sarcoidosis may be worthy of note.