Internal medicine
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To comprehensively evaluate the association between the CC16 gene A38G polymorphism and the risk of asthma. ⋯ CC16 gene A38G polymorphism is not associated with the risk of asthma.
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Multicenter Study
The Differences in the Epidemiology and Predictors of Death between Candidemia Acquired in Intensive Care Units and Other Hospital Settings.
The burden of candidemia is shifting from intensive care units (ICU) to non-ICU settings. This study aimed to define the differences in epidemiology and predictors of death between ICU-acquired candidemia (ICUAC) and non-ICUAC. ⋯ The Candida species and antifungal resistance profiles in patients with ICUAC were similar to non-ICUAC patients, but led to worse outcomes. The protective and risk factors for death may therefore be relevant for the clinical management of patients with candidemia in ICU and non-ICU settings.
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Review Case Reports
Light-Chain Deposition Disease Successfully Treated with Bortezomib in an Elderly Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
We herein report the case of an elderly patient with light-chain deposition disease (LCDD) successfully treated with bortezomib. An 83-year-old woman was admitted because of nephrotic syndrome. ⋯ She responded to a modified regimen of bortezomib-based chemotherapy with disappearance of proteinuria without any adverse effects. According to a literature review of 16 cases, including the present case, bortezomib-based chemotherapy appears to be a convincing strategy for the treatment of LCDD even in elderly patients.
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Review
Autoimmune hepatitis: recent advances in the pathogenesis and new diagnostic guidelines in Japan.
Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is thought to be associated with various genetic and immunological abnormalities. Concerning the pathogenesis of AIH, increasing attention has been paid to genome-wide association studies, toll-like receptors and Treg/Th17 balance. For Japanese patients with AIH, novel diagnostic guidelines have been proposed in view of the differential clinical features between Japanese and Caucasian patients. ⋯ Histologically, centrilobular necrosis without portal inflammation is particularly characteristic in the acute hepatitis phase. Some patients become resistant to steroid therapy and have a very poor prognosis once they progress to acute hepatic failure. Therefore, additional revision of the current diagnostic criteria, including severity grading, will be needed in the future.
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Rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with dermatomyositis (DM) and has a high mortality rate even with immunosuppressive agents. For such cases, there is no evidence on the combined effect of direct hemoperfusion with a Polymyxin B immobilized fiber column and intravenous immunoglobulin. We herein report a case of 61-year-old woman who presented with respiratory failure. She showed ILD associated with DM which did not improve with immunosuppressive agents, but was improved with the addition of both direct hemoperfusion with a Polymyxin B immobilized fiber column and intravenous immunoglobulin.