Internal medicine
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Infection can induce hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). We herein report a 52-year-old man who had HLH and AAV simultaneously, possibly caused by Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis. ⋯ He eventually died and was sent for autopsy after combination treatment of valve replacement, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants, including corticosteroids. This case involved a challenging diagnosis and treatment of HLH with various complications in an adult.
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Case Reports
A Case of Hepatitis C Virus-associated Cryoglobulinemic Livedo Reticularis Improved with Direct-acting Antivirals.
We herein report a case of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated cryoglobulinemic livedo reticularis in a woman in her 60s that improved with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Hyperpigmentation was observed in both lower legs, and a skin biopsy confirmed livedo reticularis, suggesting a relationship with cryoglobulinemia and HCV infection. ⋯ The disappearance of serum cryoglobulin was confirmed approximately two years after an SVR was obtained and livedo reticularis was improved. DAA therapy can be an effective therapeutic option for extrahepatic complications associated with HCV infection.
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We present the case of a 42-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome treated with adalimumab who developed immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) and trigeminal neuropathy after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccination. Trigeminal neuralgia and elevated serum creatine kinase levels emerged 12 days post-vaccination, followed by myalgia in the femoral muscles. ⋯ The pathogenesis may involve molecular mimicry between the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and autologous tissues triggered by vaccination. This case emphasizes the association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, tumor necrosis factor inhibitor, IMNM, and trigeminal neuropathy, as well as the importance of monitoring immune-mediated adverse events following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with autoimmune disease.
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A 79-year-old woman was diagnosed with transverse colon cancer, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. She underwent surgery and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. At 80 years old, the patient exhibited changes in skin tone at the chest and abdomen with CK7+/CK20-/CDX2- immunostaining that was later identified as poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. ⋯ The patient passed away three months after the detection of the skin lesion. Autopsy revealed recurrence at the transverse colon, multiple organ metastases, a similar postmortem immunostaining pattern, and high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-high). We herein report this case of CK7+/CK20-/CDX2- and MSI-high transverse colon cancer showing cutaneous metastasis.
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A 79-year-old man experienced a fever and immobility after receiving 6 doses of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical instillation therapy for bladder tumor. Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury occurred; therefore, hemodialysis was performed. His kidney function was restored. ⋯ He was diagnosed with disseminated BCG infection through sputum culture. BCG infection shows various symptoms and is difficult to diagnose microbiologically. It should be suspected when systemic symptoms occur after BCG intravesical instillation therapy.