• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.576-584
• /
• 2003

Purpose : For the early diagnosis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP) presenting with acute abdominal pain preceding skin rash. Methods : The clinical, endoscopic and radiological records of 23 cases of HSP, presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms preceding skin rash were reviewed. Results : The intervals from the onset of abdominal pain to the development of the skin rash were one day to 30 days(median five days), most of them were within two weeks. The presenting abdominal symptoms were abdominal pain(23 cases), vomiting(16 cases), hematochezia or melena(eight cases) and hematemesis(three cases). The abnormal endoscopic findings include coalescing erythematous lesions, areas of submucosal hemorrhage and superficial erosions and ulcers. The upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed the abnormalities in 21 of 23 cases, which were observed in the duodenum( 21 cases), the stomach(12 cases) and the esophagus(one case). Duodenitis with hemorrhage and/or erosions in the descending duodenum was the sole endoscopic abnormality in two cases and was the most marked finding in three cases. Sigmoidoscopy showed the abnormalities in six of eight cases. The abdominal ultrasonogram showed abnormalities in 12 of 17 cases, which included small bowel wall thickening(eight cases) and intramural hemorrhage(three cases). Recurrences after three months of symptom free intervals developed in four cases; three of them had persistent nephritis beyond one year. Conclusion : The erosive hemorrhagic duodenitis in the descending duodenum in the upper endoscopy and the small bowel wall thickening in the abdominal ultrasonogram can be useful findings in the diagnosis of HSP presenting with acute abdomen.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.874-881
• /
• 2004

Angiogenesis has been implicated in progression of inflammation, arthritis, psoriasis, atherosclerosis as well as tumor growth and metastasis. Intensive studies have been carried out to develop a strategy for cancer treatment by blocking angiogenesis. During angiogenesis, endothelial proliferation and migration essentially occurs upon activation. In this study, we compared the expression profiles of human umbilical endothelial cells activated by incubating in vitro in the rich medium containing several growth factors, and non-activated ones. cDNA targets derived from total RNAs of HUVEC activated for 13 h in M199 medium containing endothelial cell growth supplement, 20% fetal bovine serum, and heparin, after reaching 70～80% confluency, or non-activated, were hybridized onto oligonucleotide microarrays containing 1,8864 genetic elements. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis resulted in two subgroups on dendrogram exhibiting activated and non-activated HUVECs. We then extracted 122 outlier genes which were shown to be up-regulated or under-expressed by at least 2-folds in activated HUVECs. Among these, 32 annotated genes were up-regulated and 38 were down-regulated in activated HUVECs. Interestingly, genes involved in cell proliferation, motility, and inflammation/ immune response were up-regulated in activated HUVEC, whereas genes for cell adhesion or vessel morphogenesis/function were down-regulated. Unexpectedly, the expression of genes well-characterized as angiogenesis markers was not changed except Eph-B4, which was down-regulated about 4 folds. 52 unknown genes were also up- or down-regulated. Therefore, these results could provide an opportunity to targeting new vascular molecules for the development of anti-angiogenic molecules.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.65 no.2
• /
• pp.116-120
• /
• 2008

Rifampin is one of the first line drugs for treating tuberculosis, but it might be associated with serious adverse effects, including renal failure. We report here on a case of a 57-year-old patient who developed Henoch-$Sh{\ddot{o}}nlein$ purpura during antituberculosis therapy that included rifampin. The patient converted to negative on the AFB smear for tuberculosis two weeks after the initial administration of antituberculosis medication. After treatment for 60 days, this patient was diagnosed with Henoch-$Sh{\ddot{o}}nlein$ purpura by the purpura lesion on the lower legs, the leukocytoclastic vasculitis, the renal impairment and the pathological examination. After stopping rifampin, the skin lesions disappeared in about 10 days and his renal function gradually improved. This case study showed that Henoch-$Sh{\ddot{o}}nlein$ purpura can be caused by rifampin during antituberculosis therapy and we recommend that the use of rifampin should be restrained when clinical symptoms of Henoch-$Sh{\ddot{o}}nlein$ purpura are observed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.272-274
• /
• 2004

We report an unusual case of left atrial auricular abscess which was successfully treated by surgical resection, treatment with antibiotics and mediastinal irrigation. A 9-year-old female patient with previous history of urinary tract infection was admitted because of persistent fever. Echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed massive pericardial effusion and a mass lesion at the left upper cardiac border. Pericardiocentesis isolated Staphylococcus aureus on culture. The patient underwent mass removal under cardiopulmonary bypass. The mass was located within the left atrial auricular wall with fibropurulent abscess formation inside. Postoperative mediastinal irrigation was performed. Pathologic examination of the mass showed organized thrombi with chronic fibrosing mural endocarditis. She discharged on the 21st postoperative day without complication.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.36 no.10
• /
• pp.776-779
• /
• 2003

An eight-year-old boy was referred to our hospital with cough and high fever. His past medical history included a small sized ventricular septal defect (VSD) at birth. Transthoracic echocardiography disclosed a 10 x 6 mm vegetation on tricuspid valve, a small VSD and the moderate tricuspid valve insufficiency were found. Blood cultures grew methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. Despite proper antibiotic therapy, fever was not controlled and his course was complicated by pulmonary infarction. The patient simultaneously underwent pulmonary resection and open heart surgery. Through the median sternotomy we performed open thrombectomy and lobectomy (right lower lobe) at first, and then vegetectomy, tricuspid valve repair, and direct closure of VSD were done under cardiopulmonary bypass.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.60-63
• /
• 2002

Edwards Duromedics mechanical valve was introduced into clinical use in 1982 and is still being used today after several modifications. Valve-related complications after mechanical valve replacement are thiombo-embolism, endocarditis, valve malfunction, valve leaflet escape and fracture. Incidence of valve leaflet escape is very low. A 40 year-old male patient who had undergone mitral replacement with a 31mm Edwards Duromedics mechanical valve(model

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.209-212
• /
• 1997

A fifteen-year-old boy was transported to our hospital emmergency room due to sudden onset of chest pain, hemoptysis and dyspnea. He was diagnosed as persistent ductus arteriosus that had developed acute bacterial endocarditis with pulmonic valve vegetation and pulmonary embolism with pulmonary infarction. After conservative antibiotic therapy (vancomycin + aminoglycoside), we operated this patient successfully - patch closer of the ductus and pulmonary valve valvuloplasty - under the cardiopulmonary bypass.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.37 no.7
• /
• pp.613-616
• /
• 2004

Systemic lupus erythemotosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder with dermal, renal, and cardiac manifestations. It frequently has cardiovascular complications such as pericarditis, myocarditis, and valvular heart diseases. Valvular heart diseases in SLE comes mainly in the form of mitral or aortic insufficiencies. Report of aortic stenosis is extremely rare. Surgical treatments of valvular heart disease in SLE are not done frequently because of complications in other organs. Aortic stenosis developed in a 59 year-old woman with SLE, and aortic valve replacement was done successfully.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.190-193
• /
• 1998

We experienced a case of primary sternal tuberculosis with destroyed midsternum and bony defect. An 22-year-old female was admitted to our hospital two times for severe sternal pain and spontaneous fracture without history of trauma. On hospital admission, chest X-ray and chest CT showed destruction of midsternum and soft tissue swelling. Fine needle aspiration cytology revealed tuberculous osteomyelitis with cold abscess. And the patient was treated with usual anti-tubeculosis medication for preoperative preparation. At operation, we confirmed midsternal destruction with cold abscess and multiple sinus tracts. After removal of diseased sternal segment and cold abscess, we performed sternal reconstruction with autologus iliac bone graft. The pathologic report was compatible with tuberculous osteomyelitis and caseous necrosis The postoperative course was smooth and uneventful, and she remains well without sternal instability two months later.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.36 no.8
• /
• pp.610-613
• /
• 2003

A 68-year-old man with constrictive pericarditis underwent pericardiectorny. The pericardium was dissected with a Harmonic Scalpel (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH). The harmonic scalpel differs from electrocautery in that there is only a minimal transfer of energy and no transfer of electrical energy to the tissues. A significant decrease in intraoperative and possibly even postoperative heart rhythm disorders is to be expected, as there is no conduction of electricity. This new device has many advantages including no muscular stimulation, low heat, a smokeless fold and easy hemostasis. We exprienced a patient who underwent pericardiectomy using the Harmonic scalpel, so we report this case with a brief literature.