[Two cases of Mycobacterium avium complex pleuritis].

We encountered 2 cases of Mycobacterium avium complex pleuritis. One case was a 68-year-old woman suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, treated with steroids. She presented to our hospital with dyspnea, which improved after a chest tube insertion and the administration of rifampicin, ethambutol, clarithromycin, and streptomycin.

[Hypersensitivity pneumonitis induced by Hypsizigus marumoreus].

We present the case of a 53-year-old woman who was employed at a mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii and Hypsizigus marumoreus) cultivation factory for 15 years. She was admitted to our hospital because of fever and dry cough. Chest radiography and CT scanning revealed diffuse ground glass opacity and centrilobular nodules in both lung fields.

[Bilateral primary racemose hemangioma of the bronchial artery detected by nodular stenosis of the bronchial lumen in a patient with chronic cough and a review of the Japanese literature].

A 55-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with chronic cough. Although his chest X-ray was normal, chest computed tomography revealed a nodular lesion that was causing beaded stenosis of the lumen of the upper lobe bronchus. Nodules approximately 10 mm in size were seen in the mediastinum.

[A case of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome suspected from pulmonary hematoma due to disruption of the lung].

A 20-year-old man was referred to our hospital due to hemoptysis. Chest CT showed a ground-glass opacity, suggesting pulmonary bleeding; however, a diagnosis was not obtained. At a follow-up examination after 2 months, Chest CT showed improvement of the ground-glass opacity, however a cavitary nodule had newly appeared.

[Severe complications and their outcomes in 65 patients with Legionella pneumonia].

The aim of the current study was to investigate the lethal complications of Legionella pneumonia. Severe complications and their outcomes in 65 patients with Legionella pneumonia were studied. All patients who eventually had a fatal outcome or who had severe complications received antimicrobial agents active against Legionella on the admission day.

[Mucoid impaction of the bronchi caused by Schizophyllum commune which developed after discontinuation of itraconazole administration].

We report the case of a 75-year-old woman with mucoid impaction of the bronchi (MIB) due to Schizophyllum commune who improved with itraconazole (ITCZ) administration and relapsed after discontinuation of the drug. She improved again after readministration of ITCZ, and MIB has not recurred. This patient was not suffering from asthma and has been well without steroid administration.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome with recurrent spontaneous pneumothoraces and cavitary lesion on chest X-ray as the initial complications.

A 17-year-old-man developed left-sided pneumothorax in 1995. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed a thick-walled cavity in the left lower lobe. Video-assisted thoracic surgery was performed, and pathologic findings of the resected lung showed a cavity, organizing hematoma, and a fibrous nodule.

[Primary ciliary dyskinesia. A case report and comparison with 4 previous cases].

We encountered a 59-year-old man, whose chief complaints were sputum and dyspnea on effort. He had suffered from sinusitis since childhood, and chest computed tomography showed bronchiectasis. Electron microscopic examination of bronchial mucosa biopsied by bronchoscopy showed defect of the inner dynein arm in most of his cilia.

[Nemaline myopathy detected with respiratory failure and right ventricular heart failure].

We describe the case of a 40-year-old woman who was admitted for dyspnea and pitting edema of the lower extremities. Severe type II respiratory failure and right ventricular heart failure were present. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) improved the symptoms and blood gas values.

Changes in lung function and health status in patients with COPD treated with tiotropium or salmeterol plus fluticasone.

Background And Objective: The effects of tiotropium, a long-acting anticholinergic drug, were compared with those of the combination of salmeterol, a long-acting beta(2)-agonist, and fluticasone, an inhaled corticosteroid, in patients with COPD.

Methods: A 4-month, randomized, open cross-over study of tiotropium, 18 microg once daily, versus salmeterol, 50 microg, plus fluticasone, 200 microg, twice daily, was conducted in patients with COPD. Efficacy was assessed by spirometry and responses to the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ).

[Case of pneumonia caused by beta-lactamase-producing and amoxicillin/clavulanate resistant strains of H. influenzae].

An 80-year-old woman presenting with fever and cough was given a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. She was hospitalized and treated with ampicillin/sulbactam (ABPC/SBT) and clarithromycin (CAM). Gram stain images and sputum culture results led us to believe that the causative agent was Haemophilus influenzae.

[Case of hot tub lung with confirmation of exacerbation following jet bath use].

A 49-year-old woman presented with exertional dyspnea. Chest CT revealed patchy areas of ground-glass attenuation and ill-defined centrilobular nodules scattered in both lungs. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid showed lymphocytosis.

Effect of early versus late intervention with inhaled corticosteroids on airway wall thickness in patients with asthma.

Background And Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether early versus late initiation of long-term inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy decreases airway wall thickness in patients with asthma.

Methods: One hundred and eighty-one patients with asthma not previously treated with ICS were given inhaled budesonide for 1 year. These patients were divided into five groups according to the duration of their asthma symptoms, which ranged from less than 1 year to more than 10 years.

[Lung cancer associated with rheumatoid arthritis and usual interstitial pneumonia].

Unlabelled: To assess the effects of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) and smoking in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients regarding lung cancer risk, we studied 86 RA patients (14 patients with lung cancer, 58 patients with UIP (RA/ UIP), and 14 patients with both). Among the 28 RA patients with lung cancer, 14 patients (50%) had UIP. Compared to the lung cancer patients without UIP, the proportion of smokers (92.

Development of sarcoidosis during etanercept therapy.

This report describes a 65-year-old woman who developed granulomatous lesions consistent with sarcoidosis during etanercept therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. Hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy and multiple nodules in both lung fields developed 21 months after administration of etanercept. Noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas consistent with sarcoidosis were detected in a lung biopsy specimen and in the parietal pleura obtained via thoracotomy.

[Autopsy case of diffuse pleural thickening presenting respiratory impairment and benign asbestos pleurisy].

A 51-year-old man presented with back pain in 1997. He had a 30-year-history of occupational asbestos exposure. His chest CT showed bilateral pleural thickening and pleural effusion.

[Long-term CT findings of X-linked agammaglobulinemia with bronchiectasis diagnosed in an adult].

We report a case of X-linked agammaglobulinemia who presented with bronchiectasis. The patient had suffered pneumonia about every five years since childhood until he presented to our hospital at age 34 years old. CT showed bronchiectasis predominantly in the right middle lobe, lingula, and lower lobes.

[Clinical features of mixed infections in patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia].

We retrospectively analyzed the severity, the mortality and the initial antimicrobial therapy in 195 patients with Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia (SPP). Of these, 59 (30.3%) patients had mixed pneumonia.

Desquamative interstitial pneumonia with a remarkable increase in the number of BAL eosinophils.

A 57-year old man with desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) showed a marked increase in eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. The patient was referred to our hospital for abnormal shadows on his chest X-ray with no symptoms in May 2007. Computed tomography (CT) showed patchy, peripheral predominate ground-glass opacity.

[A case of rheumatoid arthritis complicated with methotrexate-induced pneumonitis and pneumocystis pneumonia].

A 62-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis was given 4 mg/body methotrexate (MTX) every week and 5 mg prednisolone every day. She developed a severe cough starting in the evening after starting taking MTX and after a fever of 38 degrees and dyspnea appeared the patient was hospitalized. On admission, chest CT findings showed diffuse ground glass attenuation.

Pulmonary Schizophyllum commune infection developing mucoid impaction of the bronchi.

A 54-year-old woman was admitted for cough, sputum, and an abnormal chest X-ray shadow. Bronchoscopy showed mucoid impaction of the bronchi (MIB). Histopathologic evidence of mucous plugs was consistent with one component of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis.

[A case of the metastatic calcification of trachea, bronchus, and lung].

A 43-year-old man with chronic renal failure who had been treated by continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was admitted to our hospital because of dry cough. Blood gas analysis showed hypoxemia and metabolic alkalosis. Laboratory data showed elevated levels of phosphorus, BNP, and KL-6.

[Pulmonary infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

We studied 149 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (mean age 68.0 years; 68 men, 81 women) with pulmonary infections. The mean age at the onset of RA and the duration of RA was 57.

[Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a patient with hyper-IgE syndrome].

A 15-year-old girl with abnormal findings detected on a medical check-up chest x-ray film was admitted to our center. High-resolution computed tomography, performed upon hospitalization, demonstrated panlobular nodular darkening in left lung fields, and an expanding, blended, map-like darkening near the pleura. Since a Grocott stain-positive cyst was confirmed histopathologically by transbronchial lung biopsy, the patient was given a diagnosis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

[Etiology and outcome of community-acquired pneumonia in relation to age and severity in hospitalized adult patients].

The aim of this study was to determine the etiology and outcome of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in relation to age and severity in hospitalized patients. Overall, 652 consecutive patients with CAP were studied retrospectively during a 4-year period from 2002. Severity of pneumonia was classified according to the guidelines of the Japanese Respiratory Society (JRS 2005) and American Thoracic Society (ATS 2001).