• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.283-290
• /
• 1997

A total of 32 human diphyllobothriasis cases have been reported so far in Korea, exclud- ing 21 egg-positive cases from stool examinations. Authors experienced five more human cases of DiphHllobothrium latum infection, especially infected due to eating raw flesh of redlip mullet, Lizc hoematocheiln. Five cases were neighbors residing in the Puchon area, Kyonggi-do, who ate raw mullets (L. hQematocheila) in a party in February 1996. The mul- lets were purchased at the Noryangjin fisheries market in Seoul. All of cases (2 males and 3 females) were 35 to 43 years old and healthy with the body weight range of 56-62 kg. They complained about gastrointestinal trouble and abdominal discomfort, but were in normal ranges of their hematology and urinalysis data. None revealed any sign of anemia The patients experienced natural discharge of a chain of segments before, and showed diphyllobothriid eggs in their stool specimens when they visited our laboratory. They were administered with praziquantel (15 mg/kg of body weight) and 30 g of magnesium sulfate as a purgative. Two whole worms with the scolices (310-340 cm in length; 8-13 mm in width) were expelled each from two out of five cases after anthelmintic treatment, and the others expelled the parts of strobilae without scolex. The worms were identified as D. Ictum, based on the following biological characters. external morphologies, coiling of uterus, the number of uterine loops, position of genital opening, morphologies of cirrus, cirrus sac and seminal vesicle on the histological sections, position of vagina and uterine pore , and microscopical and SEM morphologies of the eggs.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.144-149
• /
• 2014

Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common childhood infectious diseases. Despite antibiotic treatment for AOM, AOM and its complication still continue to develop. Acute mastoiditis is a serious complication of AOM and epidural abscess constitutes the commonest of all intracranial complication of AOM. Neurological complication of acute mastoiditis are rare but can be life threatening. Their presentation may be masked by the use of antibiotics. We report the rare case of acute otitis media progressing to acute mastoiditis, epidural abscess formation and lateral sinus thrombophlebitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae in a child. She was admitted with acute otitis media with fever. Despite proper antibiotics, acute mastodititis and epidural abscess were developed, and after surgical drainage and antibiotics therapy she was recovered without sequalae.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.209-216
• /
• 2016

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) between children and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) at a single tertiary care center. Methods: In this retrospective medical record review, we extracted the demographic characteristics, diagnostic variables, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with IE and CHD between 2000 and 2016. Results: We identified a total of 14 pediatric patients (nine male; median age at diagnosis, 3 years). Of the 14 patients, six had a history of previous open heart surgery, while four had undergone tetralogy of Fallot repair, with transannular patch or Rastelli procedure. Among the 10 children with positive blood cultures, the most common isolated organism was Staphylococcus spp. (8/10, 80%). Eleven adult patients had IE and CHD. Among the adult patients, only four were diagnosed with CHD before IE, and ventricular septal defect was the most common CHD. The most common isolated organism was Streptococcus spp. (6/11, 55%). Compared with adult patients, pediatric patients had a higher incidence of previously diagnosed CHD (P=0.001), with Staphylococcus spp. as the causative organism (P=0.027). The median duration between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of IE was 9 days in children and 42 days in adults (P=0.012). Conclusions: Significant differences with regard to the diagnosis and progress of IE were observed between children and adults. Age-adjusted and systematic reassessment may be necessary for the diagnosis and management of IE.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.378-384
• /
• 2001

Systemic arterialization of the lung without sequestration is the rarest form of congenital anomalous systemic arterial supply to the lung, where an anomalous systemic artery arising from aorta supplies a normal unsequestrated segment of the lung. The non-sequestrated lung parenchyma which is supplied by an aberrant artery, has no parenchymal or bronchial abnormalities, and there is a normal connection with the bronchial trees. The symptoms of this disease varies. In most patients, it is often asymptomatic, but symptoms including dyspnea, hemoptysis, and central nervous system complications are possible. Here, we report a case of systemic arterialization of the lung without sequestration, which confirmed by angiography, with a review of the literature.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.662-672
• /
• 2002

The lungs are frequently the site of adverse drug reactions because of their higher oxygen concentration, the distinctive properties of the pulmonary circulation, and the close proximity of the alveolar epithelium to the blood. Amiodarone, an iodinated benzofuran derivative, is an effective antiarrhythmic drug commonly used for refractory tachyarrhythmia. However, it has a wide range of adverse effects, the most serious of which is lung disease. Most patients present with the insidious onset of dyspnea and a nonproductive cough, and generally recover after withdrawing the drug. We recently experienced four fatal cases of amiodarone pulmonary toxicity. Therefore, we discuss these unusual drug-induced pulmonary toxicity cases with a review of the relevant literature.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.203-209
• /
• 2004

Background : Methotrexate (MTX) has been used to treat a wide range of malignant and benign diseases including osteosarcoma, advanced stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, psoriasis, severe rheumatoid arthritis, sarcoidosis, and Wegener's granulomatosis. MTX-induced lung injury occurs in up to 10% of treated patients. Although both acute and chronic presentations have been described, typical manifestation of MTX-induced lung injury is subacute with symptoms usually developing within several months after starting therapy. Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is the most common histopathologic manifestation of MTX-induced lung disease, while bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) and diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) are less common. Granuloma formation is reported in 34.7%. In Korea, Two reports of MTX pneumonitis have been published. The one presented with NSIP and the other with DAD. We recently experienced a case of MTX pneumonitis with presentation of hypersensitivity pneumonitis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.65 no.6
• /
• pp.522-526
• /
• 2008

A 63-year old woman was admitted to our hospital for an evaluation of thrombocytopenia. She had been diagnosed with tuberculous pericarditis three months earlier in a local clinic and treated with anti-tuberculosis medication. Two months later, thrombocytopenia developed. The medication was subsequently stopped because it was suspected that the anti-tuberculosis medication, particularly rifampin, might have caused the severe platelet reduction. However, the thrombocytopenia was more aggravated. A bone marrow biopsy was performed, which showed moderate amounts of histiocytes with active hemophagocytosis. This finding strongly suggested that the critical thrombocytopenia had been caused by hemophagocytic syndrome, not by the side effects of the anti-tuberculosis medication. Furthermore, the development of hemophagocytosis might have been due to an uncontrolled tuberculosis infection and its associated aberrant immunity. Therefore, she was started with both standard anti-tuberculosis medication and chemotherapy using etoposide plus steroid. One month after the initiation of treatment, the thrombocytopenia had gradually improved and she was discharged in a tolerable condition. At the third month of the follow-up, her platelet level and ferritin, the activity marker of hemophagocytic syndrome, was within the normal range.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.62 no.6
• /
• pp.549-553
• /
• 2007

Sarcoidosis is a multi-systemic syndrome of an unknown etiology, and it is characterized by the formation of multiple noncaseating granulomas that disrupt the architecture and function of the tissues in which they reside. The most commonly affected organs are lung, skin and lymph nodes. Overt clinical involvement of the nervous system is uncommon and this occurs in about 5% of all patients during the course of their disease. The most common manifestations are granulomatous leptomeningitis, cranial nerve palsy, electrolyte or other endocrinologic abnormalities, but isolated memory impairment is a rare manifestation. This is a case of 59 years-old male with recent memory impairment, and he was previously diagnosed with pulmonary sarcoidosis by transbronchial lung biopsy. The brain MRI imaging revealed the leptomeningeal and parenchymal involvement of sarcoidosis. He was treated with high dose corticosteroid and his memory function was improved to nearly a normal level. We report here on a case of successful treatment of pulmonary sarcoidosis combined with neurosarcoidosis with using high dose corticosteroid, and the patient presented with recent memory impairment.

• Neonatal Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.153-157
• /
• 2011

Pneumopericardium is a rare form of neonatal air leakage. Tension pneumopericardium is much more infrequent, but can cause a cardiovascular deterioration with high mortality up to 80% and neurodevelopmental morbidity in half of the cases. We report two cases of preterm infants who successfully recovered from tension pneumopericardium that developed during mechanical ventilator assistance. The patients displayed a sudden increase in oxygen demand and subsequent cardiovascular deterioration. Immediate needle aspiration of the pneumopericardium performed after checking X-ray images rescued each of patient. Since the clinical symptoms are non-specific, clinicians' suspicion is most important when patients show sudden refractory cardiovascular collapse, especially in ventilator-assisted neonates. This life threatening complication demands instant diagnosis and intervention.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.622-626
• /
• 2009

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease was initially described as a self-limiting histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis in Japan in 1972, and is predominantly observed in women under the age of 30 year and in Asian populations. The pathogenesis is still poorly understood but is thought to include infections, and autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. The most common clinical manifestations are fever and painless cervical lymphadenitis. Diagnosis is based on the histopathological findings, characterized by focal necrosis in the paracortical region with abundant karyorrhexis, aggregates of atypical mononuclear cells around the zone of necrosis, absence of neutrophils and plasma cells, and usually intact lymph node capsule. There is no specific therapy for the condition, and aseptic meningitis can occur as one of the complications. Here, we report the case of a patient with Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease accompanied with aseptic meningitis, which may be confused as a case of tuberculous meningitis and lymphadenitis.