Medical thoracoscopy performed under local anesthesia is useful for diagnosing pleural metastasis of renal cell carcinoma.

A patient with a past history of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) presented to us with an exudative pleural effusion. Because pleural effusion cytology was inconclusive, we performed medical thoracoscopy under local anesthesia. Multiple white tumors measuring approximately 2 cm in diameter were observed on the parietal pleura.

[Mycobacterium xenopi lung infection in a patient with multiple lung cysts that responded well to chemotherapy: a case report].

An abnormal shadow was observed on the chest radiograph of a 39-year-old man during health examination. The chest CT scan showed a consolidation around the cysts in the left upper lobe. The patient was diagnosed with Mycobacterium xenopi lung infection based on the presence of acid-fast bacilli in the sputum culture several times, which were identified as Mycobacterium xenopi by DNA-DNA hybridization.

[Legionella pneumonia in a patient with positive culture results of Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid but negative urinary antigen test results].

A 39-year-old man presented to a local physician complaining of fever, headache without cough or sputum. Abnormal shadows were found on chest X-ray films. Pneumonia was diagnosed and he was referred to our hospital, where chest computed tomography showed bilateral, multifocal, and patchy ground-glass opacities.

[Comparison between pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza pneumonia and seasonal influenza pneumonia in adults].

We compared 126 cases of seasonal influenza pneumonia (seasonal flu) reported between January, 1996 and March, 2009, with 10 cases of laboratory-confirmed pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus pneumonia (novel flu), based on clinical condition, computed tomography (CT) findings, severity, treatment, and prognosis, to clarify the characteristics of this novel flu. The mean age of subjects was 52.4 years in the novel flu group and 64 years in the seasonal flu group, and novel flu patients were younger than seasonal flu patients.

[Case of novel influenza A (H1N1) pneumonia with shrinkage of a pulmonary lesion].

Fever developed in a 56-year-old man with sarcoidosis and bronchial asthma, and influenza was diagnosed. He was given zanamivir on the day of diagnosis, but he suffered a bronchial asthma attack 4 days after the diagnosis of influenza, and pneumonia developed 7 days subsequently. He was then admitted to our hospital.