The impact of blood flow rate during hemodialysis on all-cause mortality.

Background/aims: Inadequacy of dialysis is associated with morbidity and mortality in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Blood flow rate (BFR) during HD is one of the important determinants of increasing dialysis dose. However, the optimal BFR is unclear.

The impact of high serum bicarbonate levels on mortality in hemodialysis patients.

Background/aims: The optimal serum bicarbonate level is controversial for patients who are undergoing hemodialysis (HD). In this study, we analyzed the impact of serum bicarbonate levels on mortality among HD patients.

Methods: Prevalent HD patients were selected from the Clinical Research Center registry for End Stage Renal Disease cohort in Korea.

Invasive Primary Colonic Aspergillosis in the Immunocompetent Host without Classical Risk Factors.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA), generally considered an opportunistic infection in immunocompromised hosts, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. IA commonly occurs in the respiratory tract with isolated reports of aspergillosis infection in the nasal sinuses, central nervous system, skin, liver, and urinary tract. Extra-pulmonary aspergillosis is usually observed in disseminated disease.

Severe hypokalemia and thyrotoxic paralysis from painless thyroiditis complicated by life-threatening polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and rhabdomyolysis.

A 61-year-old man presented with lower extremity paralysis and severe hypokalemia. His thyroid function test showed thyrotoxicosis. Despite attempts to correct his hypokalemia, he developed pulseless polymorphic ventricular tachycardia two hours later.

Plasma exchange successfully treats central pontine myelinolysis after acute hypernatremia from intravenous sodium bicarbonate therapy.

Background: Osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS) primarily occurs after rapid correction of severe hyponatremia. There are no proven effective therapies for ODS, but we describe the first case showing the successful treatment of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) by plasma exchange, which occurred after rapid development of hypernatremia from intravenous sodium bicarbonate therapy.

Case Presentation: A 40-year-old woman presented with general weakness, hypokalemia, and metabolic acidosis.

A case of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome presenting as Graves disease.

The Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome is a congenital disorder characterized by aplasia of the uterus and the upper part of the vagina in an XX individual with normal development of secondary sexual characteristics. Individuals with this syndrome may also present with renal and skeletal abnormalities. We report a case of a 16-year-old girl presenting with thyrotoxicosis and primary amenorrhea.

Eosinophilic myocarditis associated with visceral larva migrans caused by Toxocara canis infection.

A 41-year-old woman who was diagnosed with myocarditis presented eosinophilia. Since the antibody against Toxocara canis (T. canis) was positive, we diagnosed that she had visceral larva migrans due to T.