Polycythemia Vera Diagnosed after Esophageal Variceal Rupture.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm that leads to hyperviscosity and the risk of thrombosis. We encountered the case of a young male Filipino patient diagnosed with PV after the rupture of esophageal varices. The complete blood cell count showed a slight increase in white blood cells.

Persistent endothelial damage after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in Kawasaki disease.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. Although endothelial cell damage associated with vasculitis might lead to the hypercoagulability that is involved in coronary artery disease, the changes in coagulation after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG) have not been well investigated in KD. The aims of this study were to address the changes in coagulation before and after IVIG in KD, and to further elucidate the coagulation-inflammation axis, with special attention to endothelial damage.

[Case of drug-induced pneumonitis associated with a dietary supplement containing CoQ10].

A 61-year-old woman began to take a dietary supplement contained CoQ10 and perilla leaf extract. Two months later, a dry cough appeared. The number of eosinophils in peripheral blood was elevated and chest radiograph images showed infiltrative shadows in the left middle lung.

Serial changes in leukocyte deformability and whole blood rheology in patients with sepsis or trauma.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate serial changes in leukocyte deformability and rheologic properties of whole blood in patients with sepsis or trauma.

Methods: Seventeen sepsis patients and 22 trauma patients were enrolled. Leukocyte deformability and rheologic properties of whole blood were determined with the use of a microchannel array etched on a single-crystal silicon tip, simulating the microvasculature.

Protective effects of a selective neutrophil elastase inhibitor (sivelestat) on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute dysfunction of the pulmonary microcirculation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a neutrophil elastase inhibitor, sivelestat, on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury through analysis of hemodynamic changes in the pulmonary microcirculation.

Design: Randomized animal study.

Setting: Medical school laboratory.

Dopamine does not correct oxygen consumption/oxygen delivery relation abnormality during vasomotor shock induced by interleukin-1beta.

We previously showed that interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) induces vasomotor shock and impairs the oxygen consumption (VO2)/oxygen delivery (DO2) relation by increasing the slope of the supply-independent line in rabbits. In the present study, we investigated the inotropic effect of dopamine on the VO2/DO2 abnormality induced by IL-1beta. Twelve rabbits were divided into two groups (n = 6, each) and were given 10 microg/kg of IL-1beta or saline (control) intravenously.

Long-term enhanced expression of heat shock proteins and decelerated apoptosis in polymorphonuclear leukocytes from major burn patients.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs), as molecular chaperones, have been reported to protect cells against a variety of environmental stresses. The objective of this study was to clarify the serial changes in expression of HSPs, oxidative activity, and apoptosis in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) from burn patients. Eight patients with severe burns (mean burn index 24.

Physiologic responses to small emboli and hemodynamic effects of changes in deformability of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in isolated rabbit lung.

We hypothesized that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or chemotactic peptide N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (FMLP) would alter the pulmonary hemodynamics of buffer-perfused rabbit lung. Pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) was measured at baseline, at peak response, and at 30 min after PMN infusion in the perfusate (Ppa x time, PT product). Infusion of peritoneal-harvested PMNs resulted in a transient increase in both pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and lung weight.