Factors Associated with Ischemic Stroke on Therapeutic Anticoagulation in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

PURPOSE: In this study, we investigated the stroke mechanism and the factors associated with ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who were on optimal oral anticoagulation with warfarin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter case-control study. The cases were consecutive patients with NVAF who developed cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack (TIA) while on warfarin therapy with an international normalized ratio (INR) > or =2 between January 2007 and December 2011. The controls were patients with NVAF without ischemic stroke who were on warfarin therapy for more than 1 year with a mean INR > or =2 during the same time period. We also determined etiologic mechanisms of stroke in cases. RESULTS: Among 3569 consecutive patients with cerebral infarction or TIA who had NVAF, 55 (1.5%) patients had INR > or =2 at admission. The most common stroke mechanism was cardioembolism (76.0%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that smoking and history of previous ischemic stroke were independently associated with cases. High CHADS2 score (> or =3) or CHA2DS2-VASc score (> or =5), in particular, with previous ischemic stroke along with > or =1 point of other components of CHADS2 score or > or =3 points of other components of CHA2DS2-VASc score was a significant predictor for development of ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: NVAF patients with high CHADS2/CHA2DS2-VASc scores and a previous ischemic stroke or smoking history are at high risk of stroke despite optimal warfarin treatment. Some other measures to reduce the risk of stroke would be necessary in those specific groups of patients.

Factors Associated with Ischemic Stroke on Therapeutic Anticoagulation in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

PURPOSE: In this study, we investigated the stroke mechanism and the factors associated with ischemic stroke in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) who were on optimal oral anticoagulation with warfarin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a multicenter case-control study. The cases were consecutive patients with NVAF who developed cerebral infarction or transient ischemic attack (TIA) while on warfarin therapy with an international normalized ratio (INR) > or =2 between January 2007 and December 2011. The controls were patients with NVAF without ischemic stroke who were on warfarin therapy for more than 1 year with a mean INR > or =2 during the same time period. We also determined etiologic mechanisms of stroke in cases. RESULTS: Among 3569 consecutive patients with cerebral infarction or TIA who had NVAF, 55 (1.5%) patients had INR > or =2 at admission. The most common stroke mechanism was cardioembolism (76.0%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that smoking and history of previous ischemic stroke were independently associated with cases. High CHADS2 score (> or =3) or CHA2DS2-VASc score (> or =5), in particular, with previous ischemic stroke along with > or =1 point of other components of CHADS2 score or > or =3 points of other components of CHA2DS2-VASc score was a significant predictor for development of ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION: NVAF patients with high CHADS2/CHA2DS2-VASc scores and a previous ischemic stroke or smoking history are at high risk of stroke despite optimal warfarin treatment. Some other measures to reduce the risk of stroke would be necessary in those specific groups of patients.

Diet control to achieve euglycemia induces significant loss of heart and liver weight via increased autophagy compared with ad libitum diet in diabetic rats

Intensive glucose control increases the all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that strict diet control to achieve euglycemia in diabetes damages major organs, increasing the mortality risk. To evaluate effects on major organs when euglycemia is obtained by diet control, we generated a model of end-stage T2DM in 13-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats by subtotal pancreatectomy, followed by ad libitum feeding for 5 weeks. We divided these rats into two groups and for the subsequent 6 weeks provided ad libitum feeding to half (AL, n=12) and a calorie-controlled diet to the other half (R, n=12). To avoid hypoglycemia, the degree of calorie restriction in the R group was isocaloric (g per kg body weight per day) compared with a sham-operated control group (C, n=12). During the 6-week diet control period, AL rats ate three times more than rats in the C or R groups, developing hyperglycemia with renal hyperplasia. R group achieved euglycemia but lost overall body weight significantly compared with the C or AL group (49 or 22%, respectively), heart weight (39 or 23%, respectively) and liver weight (50 or 46%, respectively). Autophagy levels in the heart and liver were the highest in the R group (P<0.01), which also had the lowest pAkt/Akt levels among the groups (P<0.05 in the heart; P<0.01 in the liver). In conclusion, glycemic control achieved by diet control can prevent hyperglycemia-induced renal hyperplasia in diabetes but may be deleterious even at isocaloric rate when insulin is deficient because of significant loss of heart and liver mass via increased autophagy.

A Case of Acute Motor and Sensory Axonal Neuropathy Following Hepatitis A Infection

Acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) are recently described subtypes of Guillain-Barre syndrome characterized by acute onset of distal weakness, loss of deep tendon reflexes, and sensory symptoms. A 21-yr-old male was transferred to our hospital due to respiration difficulties and progressive weakness. In laboratory findings, immunoglobulin M antibodies against hepatitis A were detected in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The findings of motor nerve conduction studies showed markedly reduced amplitudes of compound muscle action potentials in bilateral peroneal, and posterior tibial nerves, without evidence of demyelination. Based on clinical features, laboratory findings, and electrophysiologic investigation, the patient was diagnosed the AMSAN following acute hepatitis A viral infection. The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and recovered slowly. Clinicians should consider this rare but a serious case of AMSAN following acute hepatitis A infection.

The Impact of Implementing Critical Care Team on Open General Intensive Care Unit / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: There are a plethora of literatures showing that high-intensity intensive care unit (ICU) physician staffing is associated with reduced ICU mortality. However, it is not widely used in ICUs because of limited budgets and resources. We created a critical care team (CCT) to improve outcomes in an open general ICU and evaluated its effectiveness based on patients' outcomes. METHODS: We conducted this prospective, observational study in an open, general ICU setting, during a period ranging from March of 2009 to February of 2010. The CCT consisted of five teaching staffs. It provided rapid medical services within three hours after calls or consultation. RESULTS: We analyzed the data of 830 patients (157 patients of the CCT group and 673 patients of the non-CCT one). Patients of the CCT group presented more serious conditions than those of the non-CCT group (acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation II [APACHE II] 20.2 vs. 15.8, p<0.001; sequential organ failure assessment [SOFA] 5.5 vs. 4.6, p=0.003). The CCT group also had significantly more patients on mechanical ventilation than those in the non-CCT group (45.9% vs. 23.9%, p<0.001). Success rate of weaning was significantly higher in the CCT group than that of the non-CCT group (61.1% vs. 44.7%, p=0.021). On a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the increased ICU mortality was associated with the older age, non-CCT, higher APACHE II score, higher SOFA score and mechanical ventilation (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Although the CCT did not provide full-time services in an open general ICU setting, it might be associated with a reduced ICU mortality. This is particularly the case with patients on mechanical ventilation.

Lacunar Infarction Following Recurrent Transient Ischemic Attack During Consecutive Hemodialysis / 대한뇌졸중학회지

The link between hemodialysis and cerebrovascular disease has become more apparent. Several reports have suggested that the incidence of ischemic stroke on hemodialysis patients is greater than that on the general populations. We report a case with lacunar infarction following recurrent transient ischemic attack during consecutive hemodialysis.

A Case of Right Middle Cerebral Artery Infarction Presenting as Thunderclap Headache

Thunderclap headache refers to a sudden and severe headache that comes unexpectedly, reminding one of a clap of thunder. The initial description of this type of headache was in association with an unruptured intracranial aneurysm. It is known to be a presenting feature of subarachnoid hemorrhage, unruptured intracranial aneurysm, cerebral venous thrombosis, cervical artery dissection, spontaneous intracranial hypotension, pituitary apoplexy, retroclival hematoma, and hypertensive reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy. A formula for diagnostic assessment of thunderclap headache, such as brain computed tomographic scan and spinal tap, should be established. We experienced a case of cerebral infarction presented with thunderclap headache, diagnosed using diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We suggest that, even when these patients have shown non-specific findings on neurological examination, brain computed tomography, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, diffusion MRI should be considered for differential diagnosis of thunderclap headache in emergency medical services.

Spontaneous left external iliac vein rupture / 대한외과학회지

We report a 72-year-old female patient with spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein. She visited our hospital for abdominal and back pain. She had the abnormal finding of hemoperitoneum. We performed an emergency operation with diagnosis of left ovarian cyst rupture though she suffered from spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein. This case provides insight to the experience of spontaneous rupture of the left external iliac vein.

Two Cases of Postintubation Tracheoesophageal Fistula in Patients with a History of Tracheostomy: Case Report / 대한구급학회지

Common causes of acquired tracheoesophageal (T-E) fistula are blunt trauma on the neck or chest, malignancy, long-term mechanical ventilation, and post-intubation injury. Most of the cases are fatal due to severe respiratory infection. We experienced two cases of post-intubation T-E fistula in patients with a history of tracheostomy that developed earlier than usual. One case was caused by excessive cuff pressure and the other by avulsion injury during endotracheal intubation. We can get instructions from these cases that how to prevent T-E fistula because it is hard to treat and causes severe outcomes.

Long-Term Dysfunction of Frontal Lobe in a Patient with Isolated Reversible Splenial Lesion after Status Epilepticus / 대한간질학회지

Reversible splenial edema has been often reported in epilepsy patients. Clinical presentation is reported to be silent in general. We experienced a patient with splenial lesion and cognitive dysfunction. A 21-year-old man underwent video-EEG monitoring for preoperative evaluation. He had suffered from viral encephalitis eight years ago and developed chronic drug-resistant epilepsy. After antiepileptic drugs withdrawal, he developed eight episodes of secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures for several hours and some seizures were repeated without recovery of consciousness. Majority of ictal EEG onset presumed to originate from the left frontal region. After seizures he had shown disorientation and irritability with gradual recovery. Brain MRI demonstrated a splenial lesion. Though splenial lesion disappeared on follow-up MRI, neuropsychological test demonstrated frontal lobe dysfunction 6 months later compared with that performed just before the video-EEG monitoring. We report a patient with isolated reversible splenial lesion associated with long term dysfunction of frontal lobe.

A Case of Orgasmic Aura Associated with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy from the Nondominant Hemisphere

We experienced a patient with an orgasmic aura originating from the right mesial temporal structure. A 36-year-old right-handed woman suffered from a specific sensation of sexual arousal and orgasm-like euphoria lasting 1~2 minutes for several years. Video EEG monitoring ascertained those sensations as epileptic in nature arising from the right mesial temporal area through a foramen ovale electrode. The findings of 99mTc-ECD-SPECT and 18F-FDG PET were concordant with those of the brain MRI which was pathologically consistent with hippocampal sclerosis.

Posterior Thoracic Spinal Cord Artery Infarction

No abstract available.

18F-FDG PET and 99mTc-ECD SPECT between Ictal and Interictal Phase in a Patient with Status Epilepticus Arising from the Occipital Lobe

A 35-year-old woman suffered from elementary visual symptom that was confirmed as nonconvulsive simple partial status epilepticus arising from the right occipital lobe. 99mTc-ECD SPECT and 18F-FDG PET were done during the ictal and interictal phase, respectively, which were documented by EEG. Subtraction images of SPECT and PET were overlayed on the MRI by SISCOM to compare the area of metabolic change with that of perfusion change. There was no definite mismatch between the hypermetabolic area and the hyperperfusion area during nonconvulsive status epilepticus.

A Case of Pure Autonomic Seizure Presenting as Sinus Tachycardia

Tachycardia rarely consists of an ictal symptomatology associated with autonomic symptoms such as sialorrhea, even if it commonly precedes or combines with a limbic aura of complex partial seizure. A 14-year-old boy with recurrent palpitation, chest discomfort, and sialorrhea suffered from a pure autonomic seizure presenting as sinus tachycardia with a neural origin, which had been misdiagnosed as paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia without improvement by cardiac medication. The right mesial temporal origin was revealed by video CCTV-EEG with the profile of the heart rate during ictus.

Apical Lung Cancer Associated with Neurofibromatosis Type 1

No abstract available.

A Case of Critical Illness Myopathy

Critical illness myopathy (CIM) is characterized by generalized flaccid weakness occurring in patients with severe systemic illness. A 27-year-old woman presented with loss of consciousness and dyspnea. The brain MRI suggested Wernicke's encephalopathy. During treatment, she experienced progressive quadriparesis and respiratory muscle weakness, which required the mechanical ventilation. The muscle pathology of vastus lateralis revealed type 2 muscle fiber atrophy on histochemical stain and selective loss of myosin on electron microscopic study, and suggested clinical diagnosis of critical illness myopathy.

Computed tomographic evaluation of brain abscess

The use of CT is most reliable in diagnosis and management of brain abscess. Authors analized 17 cases of pathologically and clinically proven brain abscess during the period of 39 months from Jan. 1978 to Mar, 1982 at National Medical Center. The results were as follows; 1. The sex ration 9 males to 8 females, and no sexdifference was seen, and the greatest number of cases were seen below the age of 30(65%). 2. The otogenicinfection was the most frequent predisposing factors(8 cases). Other predisposing factors were postoperative infection (2 cases), pulmonary infection (2 cases), and congenital heart disease(2 cases). The most common site ofinvolvement was posterior fossa(5 cases). Next was temporal lobe (4 cases), and temporoparietal lobe (3 cases). 3.Most common presenting symptoms were headache, fever, focal neurological signs, and dizziness. 4. Among the 22 brain abscesses of 17 patients, the msot frequent CT finding in precontrast scan was a low density surrounded by afaint dense or dense ring (11 cases). Next was purely low density (6 cases). Associated hydrocephalus was found in4 cases, and multiple or multiloculated abscess was seen in 4 cases. 5. In post contrast scan, brain abscessusually show complete, oval or round shaped, thin, evening righ enhancement with mild or moderate surroundingedema, but there was no specific enhancement.

Radiological study of primary lung cancer

The incidence of primary lung cancer is increasing in our country. This presentation is an attempt to correlate a useful diagnosis with radiological findings of primary lung cancer. Histologically proved 210 cases of primary lung cancer are as follow: Epidermoid Ca. 65%, Adeno Ca. 18%, Small cell Ca. 9.5%, Large cell Ca. 2%, Unclassified Ca. 3.3%, Mucoepidermoid Ca. 2.4%, Mixed Ca. 0.5%. 3. In smoking history; 91% of epidermoid Ca, 17%of small cell Ca. 30% of adeno Ca. has smoking history. 4. In mass size; Average diameter of mass was most was5.3cm. Hilar mass was seen in 48 cases. Hilar mass was most frequent finding in small cell Ca. and the peripheral mass in adeno Ca. 5. Cavitary lung Ca. was 26 cases (12.4%) and most cases had relative thick wall and its mean thickness was 3.6mm. 6. Coexistence of pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer was 22 cases (10.5%), and most common in epidermoid cell Ca. as 16 cases. 7. Other findings include metastasis to lymph node, bone and other organ, and pleural effusion.

Analysis of the patterns of bronchial obstruction at bronchography

Of the bronchographic findings of 408 patients, performed in our hospital for recent 5 years, 108 cases showed definite bronchial obstruction, and 61 cases of those were selected and their obstructive findings were evaluated. All that not confirmed were abandoned. For evaluation of the reliability of 9 bronchographic obstruction signs onappplying to diagnose malignant or benign pulmonary diseases, each sign was identified and applied to each of the61 confirmed cases. In addition, obstructed bronchi, distance of obstruction from the bifurcation site, and thedirection of meniscus, if peresent, were evaluated. The reuslts were follows; 1. The most frequent cause ofbronchial obstruction was lung cancer (59.0%), and that of the benign obstruction was pulmonary tuberculosis(13.1%). 2. Amputation, asymmetric narrowing, thumbprint indentation, rat-tail narrowing and encasement signs werethe most accurate signs of malignancy and were practically diagnostic ones, 3, The most frequent sign in lungcancer was sharp cut off one, but it could be seen in lung abscess and in unresolved pneumonia, too. 4. Circumferential symmetric narrowing and regular concavity with a small central profection signs were specific onesto benignancy. 5. The most frequent obstruction sign in benign lung disease was gradual tapering sign, but it alsocould be seen inbronchogenic epidermoid and alveolar cell carcinoma. 6. Of all bronchial obstructions, 55.4% occurred at lobar bronchus and 77.4% of those were caused by lung cancer. 7. 77.2% of those obstruction which located within 3 times distance of the bronchial diameter at the nearest proximal bifurcation site, were lungcancer, but 75.0% of those located at over 3 times distance were benign pulmonary diseases. 8. There were nocorrelation of the direction of the meniscus at the obstructing and in differential diagnosis between benign andmalignant pulmonary diseases.