Respiratory infections are very common and highly contagious. Respiratory infectious diseases affect not only the person infected but also the family members and the society. As medical sciences advance, several diseases have been conquered; however, the impact of novel infectious diseases on the society is enormous. As the clinical presentation of respiratory infections is similar regardless of the pathogen, the causative agent is not distinguishable by symptoms alone. Moreover, it is difficult to develop a cure because of the various viral mutations. Various respiratory infectious diseases ranging from influenza, which threaten the health of mankind globally, to the coronavirus disease 2019, which resulted in a pandemic, exist. Contrary to human expectations that development in health care and improvement in hygiene will conquer infectious diseases, humankind’s health and social systems are threatened by novel infectious diseases. Owing to the development of transport and trading activity, the rate of spread of new infectious diseases is increasing. As respiratory infections can threaten the members of the global community at any time, investigations on preventing the transmission of these diseases as well as development of effective antivirals and vaccines are of utmost importance and require a worldwide effort.
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Barriers to and facilitators of populational adherence to prevention and control measures of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases: a qualitative evidence synthesis Tácito Zaildo, Thayla Amorim Santino, Gabriela Chaves, Baldomero Antonio Kato da Silva, João Carlos Alchieri, Cecilia M. Patino, Sarah Leite, Kleber Giovanni Luz, Ricardo Oliveira Guerra, Tito Hugo Soares da Penha, Gabriel Rodrigues da Silva, Ada Cristina European Respiratory Review.2023; 32(168): 220238. CrossRef
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Papillary fibroelastomas are the second most common primary cardiac tumor in adults. Over 80% of fibroelastomas occur on the cardiac valves, usually on the left side of the heart, while the remaining lesions are typically scattered throughout the atria and ventricles. Although the optimal timing for surgery is controversial and depends on tumor size and location, prompt surgical resection is warranted in patients at high risk of embolism. A tumor on the cardiac valve can be removed using the slicing excision technique without leaflet injury. Here we present two cases of papillary fibroelastomas occurring on the ventricular surface of the aortic valve and in the right ventricle.
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A Importância da Multimodalidade de Imagem no Diagnóstico de um Raro Caso de Fibroelastoma Papilar no Ápice do Ventrículo Esquerdo Marcio Mendes Pereira, Vinícius José da Silva Nina, José Xavier de Melo Filho, Rodrigo de Jesus Louzeiro Melo, Marco Túlio Hercos Juliano, Luma Sayonara Martins Pereira ABC Imagem Cardiovascular.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
The Importance of Imaging Multimodality in the Diagnosis of a Rare Case of Papillary Fibroelastoma in the Left Ventricular Apex Marcio Mendes Pereira, Vinícius José da Silva Nina, José Xavier de Melo, Rodrigo de Jesus Louzeiro Melo, Marco Túlio Hercos Juliano, Luma Sayonara Martins Pereira ABC Imagem Cardiovascular.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare, progressive immune-mediated systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, characterized by recurrent inflammation of cartilaginous structures. Approximately 30% of RP cases are associated with other autoimmune diseases. However, the co-occurrence of RP and Crohn disease (CD) has rarely been reported. Herein, we present a 35-year-old woman diagnosed with RP and CD, who was refractory to initial conventional medications, including azathioprine and glucocorticoid, but who subsequently responded to infliximab (IFX). For both diseases, remission was sustained with IFX. There has been no previous report regarding the successful treatment of co-existing RP and CD with IFX.
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Relapsing Polychondritis in a Patient With Auricular Chondritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case Report With Literature Review David D Bickford, Thomas Ritter, Pinky Jha, Hari R Paudel Cureus.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
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Yeungnam Univ J Med. 2017;34(1):69-74. Published online June 30, 2017
BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease is considered a risk factor for thyroid nodules as well as thyroid dysfunction such as hypothyroidism. Among patients on hemodialysis, we assessed the size of thyroid nodule and goiter at baseline and 1 year later with ultrasonography. METHODS: We prospectively selected 47 patients with hemodialysis at January 2012 and reviewed their medical records. We checked goiter and thyroid nodules at January 2012 and December 2012. RESULTS: In the hemodialysis patients (n=47), 24 patients (51.1%) had thyroid nodules and 33 patients (70.2%) had goiter at baseline. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) was higher in patients with thyroid nodules (204.4±102.9 vs. 129.9±93.6 pg/mL, p=0.01). Thyroid ultrasonography was conducted in 29 patients after 1 year. The thickness of the thyroid isthmus increased (2.8±1.6 vs. 3.2±1.9 mm, p=0.003), but the number of nodules did not change (1.2±1.9 vs. 1.4±2.0, p=0.109). PTH was associated with the enlargement of thyroid nodules significantly through logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Thyroid goiter and nodules in hemodialysis patients were more prevalent than in the general population. PTH influenced the production of thyroid nodules in hemodialysis patients. Regular examination with thyroid ultrasonography and thyroid function test should be considered in hemodialysis patients.
Glomerulonephritis (GN) is sometimes associated with infective endocarditis (IE). Bartonella endocarditis is difficult to diagnose because it is rare and cannot be detected by blood culture. This is the first report of cytoplasmic anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-positive subacute endocarditis-associated GN caused by Bartonella infection in South Korea. A 67-year-old man was hospitalized due to azotemia. He complained of weight loss and anorexia for 6 months. A diagnosis of IE was made based upon echocardiographic detection of vegetations on the mitral and aortic valves and a Bartonella antibody titer of 1:2,048. Renal histology identified focal crescentic GN. Azotemia and proteinuria improved after doxycycline and rifampin treatment combining with steroid therapy.
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Clinicopathological differences between Bartonella and other bacterial endocarditis-related glomerulonephritis – our experience and a pooled analysis Mineaki Kitamura, Alana Dasgupta, Jonathan Henricks, Samir V. Parikh, Tibor Nadasdy, Edward Clark, Jose A. Bazan, Anjali A. Satoskar Frontiers in Nephrology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
A paragonimiasis infestation is caused by the paragonimus species. Paragonimiasis mainly occurs by ingestion of raw or undercooked freshwater crabs or crayfish. In our country, the prevalence of paragonimiasis was high until late 1960s due to eating habits, but after the 1970s the prevalence of the disease has markedly decreased and now the disease is rarely seen. The diagnosis of tuberculosis by Chest X-ray is often confused with pulmonary carcinoma, bacillary and parasitic infections, and chronic mycosis. Pulmonary paragonimiasis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of lung cancer especially in the appropriate clinical setting because effective treatment with praziquantel can be rewarding. We report a case of a 58-year-old woman with pulmonary paragonimiasis that was suspicious for lung cancer, as detected by biopsy.
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A Case of Delayed Diagnosis of Pulmonary Paragonimiasis due to Improvement after Anti-tuberculosis Therapy Suhyeon Lee, Yeonsil Yu, Jinyoung An, Jeongmin Lee, Jin-Sung Son, Young Kyung Lee, Sookhee Song, Hyeok Kim, Suhyun Kim Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.2014; 77(4): 178. CrossRef
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare, cystic lung disease that is associated with mutation in the tuberous sclerosis genes, renal angiomyolipomas, lymphatic spread and a remarkable female gender predilection. The pathology of LAM is represented by the proliferation of immature smooth muscle cells in the walls of airways, and venules and lymphatic vessels in the lung. The clinical course of LAM is characterized by progressive dyspnea on exertion, recurrent pneumothorax and collections of chylous fluid. The diagnosis of pulmonary LAM can be made on chest X-ray, a high-resolution CT scan and lung biopsy. We experienced a case of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis in a 28-years-old female patient who had suffered from progressive dyspnea on exertion, so we report on it along with a brief review of the relevant literature.
Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare disorder that's characterized by accumulation of surfactant components in the alveolar space. Idiopathic PAP is recognized as an autoimmune disease that's due to impaired alveolar macrophage function and this caused by autoantibodies against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). We report here a case of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis that was deemed interstitial lung disease at the initial diagnosis. A 61-year-old man presented with intermittent blood tinged sputum and dyspnea on exertion. The man was a painter for 30 years and he had a 10 pack-years smoking history. Chest computerized tomography (CT) revealed multifocal ground-glass opacity with interstitial thickening at both lungs. His pulmonary function tests and methacholine test revealed non specific results. He was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease on the basis of the chest CT finding and occupational history. However, seven months later, his symptoms progressed. Follow-up chest CT was performed. Wedge resection via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (the anterior basal segment of the left lower lobe) was done. Microscopic examination showed large groups of alveoli with excessive amounts of surfactant and a complex mixture of protein and lipid (fat) molecules. Finally, he was diagnosed as having pulmonary alveolar proteinosis.
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Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in a 15-year-old girl Yechan Kyung, Jihyun Kim, Hong Kwan Kim, Joungho Han, Kangmo Ahn Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease.2015; 3(1): 86. CrossRef
Eosinophilic myositis is a rare idiopathic inflammatory muscle disease, and the patients with this malady present with diverse signs and symptoms such as muscle swelling, tenderness, pain, weakness, cutaneous lesions and eosinophilia. The etiology and pathogenesis of eosinophilic myositis remain elusive. Several drugs may occasionally initiate an immune mediated inflammatory myopathy, including eosinophilic myositis. We report here on a case a 17-year-old female patient who had taken anti-tuberculosis medicine for tuberculosis pleurisy. She presented with many clinical manifestations, including fever, skin rash, proximal muscle weakness, dyspnea, dysphagia and hypereosinophilia. She was diagnosed with eosinophilic myositis by the pathologic study. The muscle weakness progressed despite of stopping the anti-tuberculosis medicine, but the myositis promptly improved following the administration of glucocorticoid. Although drug induced myopathies may be uncommon, if a patient presents with muscular symptoms, then physicians have to consider the possibility of drug induced myopathies.