Internal medicine
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Objective The reference ranges of serum thyroid hormone levels are determined by the values of normal subjects aged 15 or 20 to 60 years old in Japan and may differ from the values in elderly patients. In addition, the relationship between the thyroid function and cognitive function remains controversial. We assessed the thyroid function of elderly subjects ≥60 years old and its impact on the cognitive function in Japanese adults. ⋯ Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in the elderly varied widely by age group and gender. The upper limit of the reference range of TSH for those ≥60 years old may be higher (7.7-9.2 mIU/L for men; 8.2-8.6 mIU/L for women) than the current range for those <60 years old (4.23 mIU/L). Conclusion The thyroid function seemed to be slightly higher (lower TSH and higher FT4) in the population without cognitive impairment than in those with cognitive impairment, except for men in their 90s.
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Case Reports
Unilateral Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis with Polymyositis-related Interstitial Lung Disease.
A 61-year-old patient with cystic bronchiectasis and bronchial artery hyperplasia in the left lung was diagnosed with polymyositis-related interstitial lung disease. After nine months of immunosuppressive therapy, he developed unilateral autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP) in the right lung with respiratory failure. ⋯ His respiratory condition improved, and he was discharged from the hospital with supplemental oxygen. Three reported cases of APAP with polymyositis-related interstitial lung disease, including the present case, were all positive for anti-glycyl tRNA synthetase antibody and were under immunosuppressive treatment.
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Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) with cerebral vasculitis is rare, and its prognosis is unfavorable. High-dose glucocorticoids and cyclophosphamide are widely used for the treatment of NPSLE, but cyclophosphamide has a risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and ovarian insufficiency, which may discourage its use in young women. ⋯ MMF might be a treatment option for NPSLE without concern for reproductive toxicity. However, there are only a few reports on the efficacy of MMF in NPSLE, and further investigations are needed.
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Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a zoonotic infection caused by Bartonella henselae typically resulting in self-limited regional lymphadenopathy. Encephalitis is a complication with a supposedly benign prognosis, but we encountered an exceptional case. A 19-year-old Japanese woman presented with status epilepticus. ⋯ Multimodal treatment ameliorated her encephalitis, but neurological sequelae including spastic paraparesis, persisted. After several months, she developed age-disproportionate parkinsonism inconsistent with a neurodegenerative disease. In conclusion, CSD-associated encephalitis can result in severe neurological sequelae and post-encephalitic parkinsonism.
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Patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) classically present with ventricular arrhythmias and less commonly heart failure. ARVC is an inherited cardiomyopathy and generally based on a variant of desmosomal genes. ⋯ Concomitant right ventricular myocarditis was detected four years after the diagnosis of ARVC. ARVC and myocarditis might have a deep pathophysiological association, at least in some cases.