Spontaneous resolution of thoracic radiation therapy-induced organizing pneumonia: A case series.

We retrospectively analyzed the data of 9 patients with organizing pneumonia induced by radiation therapy. Radiation therapy had been administered for breast cancer in 8 patients and for lung cancer in 1 patient. Symptoms were detected in 8 patients; however, none of the patients developed hypoxemia or respiratory failure, and the clinical course was good.

Necrotising Candida oesophagitis after thoracic radiotherapy: significance of oesophageal wall oedema on CT.

Although oesophageal candidiasis is usually a superficial mucosal infection, necrotising Candida oesophagitis has been reported to cause oesophageal perforation or lung abscess. We report the case of an elderly Japanese man presenting with painless dysphagia after thoracic radiotherapy for oesophageal cancer. Non-contrast CT demonstrated segmental and oedematous thickening of the oesophageal wall.

[An autopsy case involving severe sepsis due to Capnocytophaga canimorsus infection].

Capnocytophaga canimorsus, a commensal bacterium from the carine mouth, causes septicemia in human beings through bites or scratches. We report a case of a 60-year-old man contracting septicemia due to C. canimorsus infection after a dog bite who died less than 12 hours after admission.

Analysis of inhaled corticosteroid selection in patients with bronchial asthma using a questionnaire survey--effects of age, gender, and disease severity.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) has played an important role in the management of asthma. Although several kinds of ICSs are currently available, there is no established strategy for ICS selection.

Methods: Using the data from the 2004 questionnaire surveys by the Niigata Asthma Treatment Study Group, we analyzed relationships between each patient and the ICS employed on the basis of patient background, asthma control and treatment, and indicated characteristics of ICS selection by the physician.

[Severity classification and prognosis in hospitalized elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia].

Aim: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a common and serious illness. CAP can be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in elderly patients. This study aims to investigate the precision of disease severity staging scales such as Pneumonia Outcomes Research Team (PORT) Severity Index (PSI) and A-DROP (Age, Dehydration, Respiratory failure, Orientation disturbance, shock blood Pressure) in elderly patients with CAP.

Rapid detection of causative pathogen of peritonitis using in-situ hybridization in a patient with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) peritonitis is a common problem in patients on peritoneal dialysis, and the bacteriological diagnosis is important for the treatment of this condition. We used Hybrizep (a method for detecting the genes of bacteria ingested in phagocytes), to detect the causative bacterium in a 50-year-old woman receiving peritoneal dialysis who was admitted our hospital with bacterial peritonitis. The test, using peritoneal dialysis fluid, was positive for Streptococcus epidermidis.

The impact of the Chuetsu earthquake on asthma control.

The Impact of the Chuetsu Earthquake on Asthma Control.