OBJECTIVE To identify the clinical variables that differentiate MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) from MSSA (Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus) infection. METHODS Cases having culture isolates of Staphylococcus species were recruited. Baseline and other laboratory parameters were compared between MSSA and MRSA sub-groups to identify the predictors for MRSA. RESULTS Out of 98 ...

A 65-year-old woman noticed a rapidly enlarging neck mass with tenderness and complained of dyspnea. She was diagnosed as having anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. She died of respiratory failure 14 days after admission. Marked leukocytosis and hypercalcemia were observed in the clinical course. Both serum granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor and parathyroid hormone-related protein levels were elev...

A 67-year-old man was refered to our institution with a complaint of elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level (54 ng/mL). Diagnosis was adenocarcinoma of the prostate with a Gleason score of 9, with bone metastasis (stageD2). He was treated with maximal androgen blockade followed by estramustine phosphate (EMP) because of the progression to hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC)....

Cardiac metastasis of thyroid carcinoma is extremely rare. We treated a case of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma with prominent cardiac metastasis. The 61-year-old male was admitted because of high fever. Investigations revealed a cardiac mass and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Resection of the cardiac mass revealed that it was metastasis from the thyroid carcinoma. After 4 months, he died in spite ...

Two different doses of glutaraldehyde-treated Pasteurella multocida dermonecrotic toxin (PMDT) were used to immunize rats. Rats developed serum IgG antibodies specific for native PMDT, and IgG titers increased with dose and number of toxoid immunizations. Survival rates in both active immunization and passive serum neutralization experiments were dependent on dose of toxoid vaccination and seru...