Internal medicine
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Most cases of liver dysfunction in pregnancy are pregnancy-related, but the onset of systemic autoimmune diseases is also differentiated. A 24-year-old woman presented with liver dysfunction at 28 weeks' gestation with suspected autoimmune hepatitis and started taking ursodeoxycholic acid. ⋯ Since the patient had major symptoms during the puerperium, she was diagnosed with adult-onset Still's disease. When encountering a patient with liver dysfunction during pregnancy, we should also consider the onset of autoimmune diseases.
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A 67-year-old man complained of lower limb edema with a purpuric skin rash. Laboratory tests revealed proteinuria, elevated serum creatinine levels, and low serum albumin levels. ⋯ A pathological analysis of the renal tissue revealed membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, common histological features of cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV), and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma invasion. Although hematologic malignancy is a rare cause of type II CV, these clinical findings suggest that mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALT) lymphoma may have been the cause in the present case.
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Case Reports
A Bone Histomorphometric Analysis of Hypophosphatasia-related Osteoporosis after Teriparatide Treatment.
A 79-year-old man was admitted with a compression fracture of the first lumbar vertebra. His alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level was 35 IU/L, and his dual energy X-ray absorptiometry T score was -3.7 standard deviations, indicating osteoporosis. A genetic analysis showed a mutation of the alkaline phosphatase biomineralization-associated gene encoding tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase. ⋯ A bone biopsy performed after three years of teriparatide treatment showed that cancellous bone was adynamic. In cortical bone, tetracycline double-labeling indicates enhanced bone formation. Teriparatide may thus be a viable treatment option even in patients with hypophosphatasia.
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Case Reports
A Case of Muscle Biopsy-proven Drug-induced Microscopic Polyangiitis in a Patient with Tuberculosis.
We herein report a case of muscle biopsy-proven microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) in a patient with tuberculosis. The patient had developed a persistent fever after the initiation of treatment for tuberculosis and was positive for myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA). However, because conventional symptoms were lacking, determination of the biopsy site was difficult. ⋯ The fever was alleviated by glucocorticoids. Tuberculosis and antituberculosis drugs can cause ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). A muscle biopsy is useful for the diagnosis of AAV.
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Observational Study
Rapid Evaluation of Large Vessel Occlusion for Mechanical Thrombectomy Using Carotid Duplex Ultrasound.
Objectives This study clarified the usefulness of carotid duplex ultrasound (CDU) in evaluating large vessel occlusion (LVO) in patients with acute stroke planned to be treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Methods This study was single-center, prospective, observational trial. If the ratio of end-diastolic velocity in the common carotid arteries was ≥1.4, or diastolic flow in the affected internal carotid artery (ICA) was absent on CDU, patients were immediately transferred to the angio-suite without additional cerebrovascular imaging. ⋯ Among the 29 total patients treated with MT, 20 (67%) showed a modified Rankin Scale score ≤2 at 90 days. The door-to-puncture time was significantly shorter in patients evaluated by CDU alone (34 minutes) than in those evaluated by magnetic resonance angiography after CDU (47.5 minutes, p<0.001). Conclusion CDU might reduce the time metrics for early initiation of MT with good sensitivity and specificity in identifying LVO.