• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 1991

Actinomycosis involving the female genital tract has increased since the advent of the intra-uterine contraceptive devices (IUD) : the incidence of actinomyces in IUD users with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) was reported to be between 17% and 30%. However a definte relationship between actinomyces and PID has not been demonstrated as yet. We present a case of pelvic actinomycotic infection that was initially diagnosed by means of fine needle aspiration. A 57-year-old female presented with urinary frequency and difficulty for 100 days. Computerized tomographic findings showed a mixed heterogenous soft tissue mass in the left superior aspect of urinary bladder. Fine needle aspiration was done under the impression of urinary bladder cancer. Microscopically, smears disclosed many sulfur granules in necrotic background with many neutrophils, histiocytes, multinucleated giant cells and granulation tissue. These findings were confirmed by surgical removal of the mass.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.579-583
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• 2004

Actinomycosis is an indolent infectious disease characterized by pyogenic response and necrosis, followed by intense fibrosis. The main forms of human actinomycosis are cervicofacial, pulmonary, and abdominopelvic type. Pulmonary actinomycosis accounts for 15% to 20% of total cases and unfortunately, clinical manifestations and radiologic findings are nonspecific. Small pleural effusion or empyema may develop in advanced disease but massive empyema is infrequent and rarely reported. We report a case of huge empyema caused by pulmonary actinomycosis in a 55 year-old man, presented with one-month history of productive cough and fever. The CT scan revealed a huge cavity with air-fluid level occupying the left hemithorax. Empyema caused by actinomycosis was confirmed microscopically by demonstration of sulfur granules in empyema sac through thracotomy. Decortication and surgical resection of empyema sac and destructed lung was accomplished and followed by intravenous infusion of penicillin G.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.199-204
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• 1992

A 46 years old male showed radiologically a single cavitary nodular lesion in right upper lung, which extended to the regional chest wall. This finding has to be made into differential diagnosis of numerous pulmonary diseases including infections such as mycobacterial, fungal or bacterial, granulomatous diseases, and neoplasms. For the definite diagnosis, fine needle aspiration biopsy guided by biplane fluoroscopy was performed. The aspirates contained several sulfur granules, in the center of which many gram positive, filamentous organisms were compactly intermingled. Such a findings was compatible with pulmonary actinomycosis. Now the lesions is cleared out by medical treatment with amoxicillin for 3 months.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.147-150
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• 2011

We report a case of cerebral actinomycosis in a 69-year-old immunocompetent woman. The patient showed a progressive worsened mental status for one week. MRI examination showed an increased size of multiple enhancing nodular lesions associated with mild perilesional edema. We performed an open biopsy for the right frontal enhancing lesion. The intraoperative finding showed a yellowish friable lesion that was not demarcated with normal tissue. Pathologically, an actinomycotic lesion with sulfur granules and inflammatory cells was diagnosed. We report an unusual case of diffuse involvement of cerebral actinomycosis. The presence of the uncapsulated friable lesion that consisted mainly of foamy macrophages and lymphocytes could explain the unusual radiological features.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.57-60
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• 2005

A patient with actinomyces infection of the submandibular soft tissue was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). A 38-year-old woman presented with a right submandibular mass which slowly grew in size over one month. Clinically and radiologically, the lesion was considered as tuberculous lymphadenitis or cellulitis. The polymerase chain reaction for tuberculosis was done by aspirated specimen but the result was negative. The smears of aspiration cytology showed characteristic colonies (sulfur granules) of actinomyces in inflammatory background. After antibiotic therapy for eight months, the patient has been well, showing no detectable mass. This patient was simply and rapidly diagnosed by FNAC and can avoid unnecessary surgical biopsy.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.633-647
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• 1993

NC strain mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with Dermatophoilus-like microorganism strain W254 isolated from the sulfur granules of the swine tonsils. The development of the resulting abscesses in NC strain mice was investigated at regular time intervals by means of histological, histochemical and electron microscopical methods. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. The inoculated bacteria have settled in the subserous site of the peritoneal organ and provoked cellular response to form neutrophil, macrophage and connective tissue layers at the time of one week after inoculation, and thereafter were found to have formed typical actinomycotic abscess two weeks after inoculation. 2. The persistant abscesses were appeared to reveal close interaction between higher activity of organism and tissue reaction and contained hyaloid bodies within or outside bacterial clumps. 3. The hyaline materials were appeared to be composed of protein rich in hydroxyphenyl group by histochemical examination. The materials were presumed to be produced by the interaction between bacterial activity and host cell reaction. 4. The bacteria in the abscesses showed the various developmental stages of coccoid body, mulberry-like body tuber-shaped body and filamentous body, and it was confirmed that the mesosomal development was related to septation of the bacterial cells.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.232-237
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• 2010

This study was carried out to evaluate the safety of circulated oriental medicines and their related preparations in Gyeonggi-do. Total 366 samples (165 species) were analyzed about heavy metals, residual contents of sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$), and 68 samples were analyzed about preservatives. 17 samples (13 species, 4.6%) were exceeded the legal limit of heavy metal. The concentrations over the legal limit for Pb, Cd, As and Hg were 6.1~19.2 mg/kg, 0.4~0.7 mg/kg, 6.9 mg/kg and 0.7 mg/kg, respectively. In particular, the exceeding ratio (5.9%) of the legal limit of heavy metals in foreign products was 3.3 times more than domestic products (1.8%). 13 samples (10 species, 3.6%) exceeded the limit of residual sulfur dioxide and the concentration ranges were 105 to 428 mg/kg in domestic products, on the other hand foreign products were from 114 to 2,468 mg/kg. The mean concentration over the limit of residual sulfur dioxide of foreign products (804 mg/kg) was 2.4 times more than domestic products (338 mg/kg). In studying of the preservatives in oriental preparation, the contents of dehydroacetic acid (48.9~64.1%) in 3 samples of labeled solutions were under the labeled preservative contents and the contents of benzoic acid (139.9%) in 1 sample of labeled pill product was exceeded the labeled preservative contents. The numbers of the detected preservatives in unlabeled solutions, pills and granules were 4, 11 and 7, respectively.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.914-916
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• 2002

Actinomycosis of the lung is a chronic, suppurative granulomatous infection which is caused by Actinomyces israelii. It is believed to enter the thorax by way of the bronchial tree, by aspiration of contaminated aerosol particles in the upper digestive tract. Symptoms of chronic cough, sputum, hemoptysis, low grade fever, chest pain, and weight loss are common. Chest X-ray shows mass like lesion, pulmonary infiltration, abscess, and tuberculosis like lesion, which makes differential diagnosis from lung cancer very difficult. Surgical intervention is needed for the diagnosis and treatment, and diagnosis of actinomycosis is achieved when histologic examination reveals sulfur granules containing filamentous organisms. Penicillin is the drug of choice. Two or three months of penicillin treatment is recommended to treat the oropharyngeal or dental abscess to avoid recurrences. We present a case of actinomycosis which is suspected to malignant with review of literatures.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.170-175
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• 2018

Actinomyces are anaerobic, Gram-positive bacteria that are part of the endogenous flora of mucous membranes in humans. Infection caused by these bacteria is termed actinomycosis. The 3 most common types of actinomycosis are cervicofacial, abdominopelvic, and pulmonary. A previously healthy 6-year-old boy presented with the emergency room with fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain and initially diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Exploratory laparoscopy was done. Histologic finding demonstrated acute gangrenous appendicitis complicated by perforation and sulfur granules compatible with actinomycosis. Subsequently, he was diagnosed with abdominal actinomycosis and received long-term antibiotic therapy. Abdominal actinomycosis is uncommon in children and difficult to diagnose because of its nonspecific symptoms and of difficulties in growing Actinomyces in the clinical setting. It is necessary to include abdominal actinomycosis as a differential diagnosis of children presenting with abdominal pain.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.210-215
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• 2004

Pulmonary aneurysm is a rare vascular anomaly.Infection is one of major causes of pulmonary aneurysms. Pulmonary aneurysm by pulmonary actinomycosis is a rare case. Our case is maybe the first case in Korea,so far similar case has not been reported Worldwide written in English. We describe a 73-year-old man with aneurysm of pulmonary artery caused by actinomycosis infection on lung. We detected aneurysm by angiography of pulmonary artery, and actinomycosis infection was revealed by confirm sulfur granules on specimens taken by percutaneous needle aspiration(PCNA). Antibiotic therapy was applied to this patient and aneurym was embolized with coils.With this therapy,the patient was successfully managed and improved.