Internal medicine
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A 46-year-old man complained of chest pain at rest for the past three months. His symptoms gradually exacerbated and were suspected of being due to unstable angina. A coronary angiogram revealed focal tight stenosis at the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery with gross spastic coronary findings. ⋯ We treated the stenosis using a drug-coated balloon instead of drug-eluting stents. There was no restenosis, and OCT revealed good plaque healing at follow-up. This case suggests that the pre-interventional OCT plaque morphology can have a positive impact on the revascularization strategy.
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This report describes a 59-year-old woman who presented with progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM)-like symptoms and severe dysautonomia, including orthostatic hypotension, sinus bradycardia, dysuria, and prolonged constipation. Her neurological symptoms improved after immunotherapy, but the dysautonomia persisted. Anti-ganglionic acetylcholine receptor (gAChR) α3 subunit antibodies, which are frequently identified in patients with autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, were detected in the pre-treatment serum. The central distribution of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, a target of anti-gAChR antibodies, and immunotherapeutic efficacy observed in this case indicate that anti-gAChR α3 subunit antibodies are associated with the PERM-like features accompanied by autonomic manifestations.
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We herein report a 67-year-old kidney transplant patient who died of COVID-19. He was treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin and received mechanical ventilation that temporarily improved his respiratory status. ⋯ The autopsy revealed prominent organization of alveoli and alveolar ducts, with a massive accumulation of macrophages in the lungs. A few severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigen-positive cells were detected in the lung, suggesting delayed virus clearance owing to his long-term immunosuppressed state, leading to constant lung damage and ultimately respiratory failure.
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Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is vasculitis of large-sized vessels that can lead to vision loss. We herein report a rare case of GCA accompanied by ptosis and diplopia as early symptoms, which were caused by third nerve palsy. A 78-year-old man presented with fever, right temporal headache, right eyelid ptosis, and diplopia. ⋯ The symptoms disappeared after a slight delay following the administration of prednisolone. Unlike vision loss, ptosis and diplopia are considered to be reversible and responsive to treatment. GCA should not be ruled out if patients exhibit these ophthalmic symptoms.
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Case Reports
Acute Pulmonary Graft-Versus-Host Disease in a Patient with Adult T-cell Leukemia-Lymphoma Diagnosed by a Cryobiopsy.
A 51-year-old woman with adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma was hospitalized in order to undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. On day 29 after transplantation, she began to experience hypoxia upon exertion. ⋯ A histopathological analysis following a transbronchial lung cryobiopsy revealed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We herein report a rare case of histopathologically diagnosed acute pulmonary GVHD with spontaneous remission.