Internal medicine
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An 84-year-old woman visited our hospital for dyspnea due to right pleural effusion, with lymphocytic dominance and a high adenosine deaminase (ADA) level, that had been noted 1 month earlier. She was suspected of having tuberculosis pleurisy; however, anti-tuberculosis treatment yielded no improvements. ⋯ Her symptoms improved after starting steroid therapy. Cases of pleural effusion due to SjS with a high ADA level may be misdiagnosed as tuberculosis pleurisy.
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Acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia (AFOP) is rare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We herein report a case of AFOP with SLE and hemophagocytic syndrome. Early-phase high-resolution computed tomography showed a fine granular lung pattern. ⋯ Pneumonia and thrombocytopenia worsened during high-dose steroid therapy, plasma exchange, and intravenous immunoglobulin administration. The addition of intravenous cyclophosphamide successfully ameliorated the symptoms and radiographic lesions. Therefore, this therapy may be useful for treating severe AFOP.
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We herein report a case of mitochondrial disease with heart and intestinal tract involvement resulting in hemodynamic collapse. A 66-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital because of cardiogenic shock. ⋯ Insertion of a colorectal tube immediately decreased the intra-abdominal pressure, improving the hemodynamics. Finally, we diagnosed her with mitochondrial disease, concluding that the resulting combination of acute heart failure and abdominal compartment syndrome had aggravated the hemodynamics.
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We herein report a case of myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF) harboring a novel variant in mitochondrial cysteine transfer RNA (MT-TC). A 68-year-old woman presented with progressive myoclonic epilepsy with optic atrophy and peripheral neuropathy. ⋯ No mutations were found in the causative genes for diseases known to be related to intranuclear inclusions; however, a novel variant in MT-TC was found. The association between intranuclear inclusions and this newly identified MERRF-associated variant is unclear; however, the rare complication of intranuclear inclusions in a patient with typical MERRF symptoms should be noted for future studies.
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Case Reports
A Patient with a Unilateral Insular Lesion Showing Bilaterally Reduced Perception of Noxious Stimulation.
No study has reported a unilateral localized cerebral lesion of the posterior insula bilaterally reducing noxious stimuli perception. A 57-year-old man with an infarct involving the right posterior insula presented with reduced somatosensory response in the upper and lower left extremities. ⋯ Other somatic sensations, including non-noxious temperatures, remained intact in the right upper and lower extremities. These findings in our patient with a unilateral insular lesion indicated a bilaterally reduced perception of noxious stimulation.