Asian American Man Research Articles

Limbic Keratoconjunctivitis Associated With Dupilumab Treatment in Atopic Dermatitis

A 22-year-old Asian American man was seen for atopic dermatitis, pollenosis, oral allergy syndrome, and peanut/tree nut allergies in August 2017. He had a history of hypothyroidism and childhood eczema but no history of eye disease or prior ophthalmology visits. Examination revealed atopic dermatitis of hands, head, neck, and legs. His past treatment included corticosteroid and calcineurin inhibitor creams and allergen immunotherapy. The IgE level was 1792 kU/L, and blood eosinophils were 600/mm3.

An atypical clinical course of a 71-year-old man with right arm weakness and ataxia

A 71-year-old right-handed Asian American man was referred to our movement disorders clinic for evaluation of impaired gait and balance of uncertain duration. Three years before this evaluation, he was seen by a general neurologist for right arm weakness. The neurologist noted ophthalmoparesis, hyporeflexia, and ataxia in addition to proximal right arm weakness. Diagnostic tests revealed elevated anti-GQ1b antibody titers at 188 IV (normal range, 0–50 IV), which led to an initial diagnosis of the Miller Fisher variant (MFS) of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Asymptomatic pink nodules on a 28-year-old patient

Asymptomatic pink nodules on a 28-year-old patient

Special Report: Asian American Hate Incidents—A Co-occurring Epidemic During COVID-19

<i>Special Report:</i> Asian American Hate Incidents—A Co-occurring Epidemic During COVID-19

Physical disability in/and transcultural fandom: Conversations with my spouse

This article, in contrast with more traditional forms of scholarly engagement, draws heavily on an interview I conducted with my spouse, who is a physically disabled fan of science fiction and fantasy, to help illuminate some of the complexities of my own area of research, transcultural fandoms. Often, when we write about disability and fandom (to the extent that we do at all), our emphasis is on issues of the accessibility of physical and virtual fan spaces. I take that up here as well, metaphorically sobbing over yet another mobility scooter damaged at the hands of possibly well-intentioned airline staff; but the article quickly comes to focus more on the multiple subjectivities that inflect any experience of fandom, including that of disabled fans. Particularly insofar as my spouse is a disabled Asian-American (Japanese/Korean) man and experiences fandom through the sometimes-conflicting lenses of race and ethnicity, disability, gender and functional heteronormativity, the experiences and impressions he recounts here reflect my own work on the fundamentally transcultural nature of fandoms and fans, in which ‘culture’ denotes not only nation-centred practices, but also those of the many subjectivities that comprise our identities.

UNBREAKABLE DONG NGUYEN: REAFFIRMING ASIAN-AMERICAN MASCULINITY IN THE SERIES UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015) is an American sitcom that explores the Asian-American immigrant Dong as he seeks acceptance of his masculine identity in the society. While many studies have discussed the stereotypic perceptions of Asian-American men in television series, they scarcely analyze how the individuals attempt to reaffirm their own masculinity. Toward this end, this article aims to analyze how Dong as an Asian-American man expresses and reconstructs his masculinities. It examines Dong‟s character, his interracial relationship with a white woman, and his interracial competition with a white man by using Iwamoto and Liu‟s framework of Asianized and transgressive attributions. The analysis found that Dong embodies a multidimensional masculinity that is different from hegemonic white masculinity. As an Asian-American man, Dong appears to be creating a new, more flexible masculinity, one that is linked with certain feminine characteristics.

Geisha of a Different Kind: Race and Sexuality in Gaysian America. By C. Winter Han. New York: New York University Press, 2015. Pp. xiv+237. $89.00 (cloth); $26.00 (paper).

Geisha of a Different Kind: Race and Sexuality in Gaysian America. By C. Winter Han. New York: New York University Press, 2015. Pp. xiv+237. $89.00 (cloth); $26.00 (paper).

“The White Man’s Bruce Lee”: Race and the Construction of White Masculinity in David Fincher’s Fight Club (1999)

“The White Man’s Bruce Lee”Race and the Construction of White Masculinity in David Fincher’s Fight Club (1999) Brian Locke (bio) Born theoretically white, we are permitted to pass our childhood as imaginary Indians, our adolescence as imaginary Negroes, and only then are expected to settle down to being what we really are: white once more. —Leslie A. Fiedler There is something at least a little bit odd about the representation of Asian American masculinity in Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999). The film’s only Asian American character with a significant speaking part appears just once; and even though he looks unambiguously Asian, he has a European family name. A Korean American actor, Joon B. Kim, plays an unlucky liquor store clerk whom the hyper-masculine Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), one of the film’s two male leads, drags into a dark alley. Forcing him to his knees, he tells the weeping young man that he will shoot him in the head. “There’s going to be nothing left of your face,” Tyler intones, causing the Asian American man to emit a high-pitched squeal. “Raymond K. Hessel,” Tyler asks as he inspects the clerk’s expired community college identification card, “what did you study?” Raymond’s terror prevents him from responding. Fearing a violent outcome, the other male lead, the film’s nameless narrator (whom Edward Norton, the actor who plays him, calls Jack),1 implores him to speak. “Answer him, Raymond!” “Animal s-s-s-stuff,” stutters the clerk. Tyler wants to know why he quit. “I-I don’t know,” Raymond stutters some more, “too much school.” Tyler continues the interrogation, “Would you rather die here on your knees in the back of [End Page 61] a convenience store” or finish school? Under threat of death, Tyler orders him to complete his veterinarian education. “I know where you live,” he whispers to Raymond. The camera pulls in tight to Jack’s face, which registers disgust. “I think I’m going to be sick,” he mutters. After Tyler orders Raymond to run away, the scene takes a turn. “That wasn’t funny,” Jack shouts, “what the fuck was the point of that?” By way of a response, Tyler shows Jack that the gun has no bullets, retroactively turning his sadism into benevolent paternalism. Even though Tyler had earlier identified Raymond as a “human sacrifice,” implying murder, Raymond was never in any danger. “Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life,” says Tyler, “his breakfast will taste better than any meal that you and I have ever tasted.” Jack’s affect changes from disgust to quiet admiration. It turns out that Tyler perpetrated the charade to force Raymond out of a self-defeating passivity. By Tyler’s logic, once Raymond had faced death, what he had formerly considered to be insurmountable would seem much less so. “He had a plan,” says Jack’s voiceover, “and it started to make sense.” From Tyler’s point of view, Raymond represents the many American men emasculated by an American society circa 1999 dominated by corporations and consumerism. The “plan” to which Jack’s voiceover refers involves helping such men to recover their masculinity through physical violence. With Jack’s help, Tyler founds Fight Club, an underground group in which men recoup what they take to be their inherent masculine selves through bare-knuckle brawling. Fight Club starts off as a loose association with a handful of members grappling late at night in a tavern parking lot. But because contemporary society has marginalized so many, it quickly gains members and momentum, eventually replicating franchises across the nation. The “human sacrifice” scene emphasizes Raymond’s emasculation by rehearsing the stereotypical gender binary that defines feminine behavior as weak and passive and masculine behavior as strong and active. Tyler’s domination of Raymond is total. He stands rock solid while holding the gun to Raymond’s head; Raymond’s body undulates with fear. Tyler is calm; sweat glazes Raymond’s face. Tyler’s voice is low and composed with no articulated pauses; Raymond’s speech alternates between stuttering [End Page 62] and high-pitched whimpering and crying...

A Case of Priapism Associated With Rapid Increase in Risperidone Dose

To the Editor: In Greek mythology, a son of Aphrodite and fertility god named Priapos was best noted for his permanently large and erect penis,1 which gave rise to the medical term priapism. Priapism is defined as a genital organ tumescence or rigidity, with or without pain, that persists without any sexual purpose.2 Psychotropic medications can cause this rare side effect by blocking the α1 receptor; among the atypical antipsychotics, risperidone has one of the highest affinities for the α1-adrenergic receptor.3 We report a case of a 21-year-old man who developed priapism after risperidone was restarted and the dose rapidly increased. Early recognition of priapism is emphasized. Case report. Mr A, a 21-year-old Asian-American single man with a 12th-grade education, was admitted to the psychiatric inpatient unit for increasing psychosis and schizophreniform disorder. Initially, the patient reported outpatient compliance on his sole medication of risperidone 2 mg twice daily. On admission day 1, the patient was prescribed risperidone 2 mg orally twice daily. On day 3 of his hospitalization, the risperidone dosage was increased to 3 mg orally twice daily. On the morning of day 4, the patient complained of a persistent and painful erection lasting for 2 hours. Through patient re-interview, it was discovered that the patient was noncompliant with risperidone treatment for approximately 3 days prior to admission. Prior to this event, the patient had no history of priapism, penile trauma, or sexual dysfunction. He had no family history of sickle cell trait or disease. His medical history was significant for cigarette smoking, recreational alcohol and marijuana use, and one instance of smoking methamphetamine months prior to admission; his urine drug screen was negative on admission. He was not taking any other medications. His physical examination was without abnormalities except for penile erection. Laboratory workup results revealed no significant abnormalities. Mr A was given 10 mg of terbutaline orally, and within 1 hour there was complete detumescence and no further treatment was necessary. Risperidone was discontinued, and he was started on asenapine 5 mg twice daily. On follow-up 3 weeks later, no further priapism nor sequelae of sexual dysfunction were reported. Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic effective against both positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. It is generally used due to its characteristically fewer extrapyramidal side effects as compared with typical antipsychotics. Initial dosing is generally 2 mg/d with increases of 1 to 2 mg/d every 24 hours.4 Risperidone 4–8 mg/d is the recommended dose range for schizophrenia.4 Risperidone has a high affinity for the dopamine D2, 5-HT2A/2C, α1/α2-adrenergic, and histamine H1 receptors.5 Time to steady state for risperidone ranges from 1 to 7 days with a mean elimination half-life of approximately 19 hours.5 Despite speculation, the most commonly accepted theory for drug-induced priapism is the characteristic α1-adrenergic antagonism leading to decreased sympathetic tone and little to no blood flow in the corpora cavernosa of the penis. Although the mechanism of action of terbutaline is unclear, it is a β2-adrenergic agonist thought to relax the smooth muscles of the corpora cavernosa.6 Approximately 30% of all priapism cases are drug-induced, some of which are from psychotropic medications.7 Without urgent intervention, priapism can lead to fibrosis of tissue leading to permanent impotence. Due to its emergent nature, early patient education is crucial to provide immediate treatment on presentation of symptoms. The uniqueness of this case involves an association of priapism with rapidly restarting risperidone at a medium dose. Physicians should be aware, especially early in the course of therapy, of this rare but potentially serious side effect of risperidone.

Stent-Assisted Coil Embolization of a Large Fusiform Aneurysm of Proximal Anterior Descending Artery

A 37-year-old Asian American man presented with severe stable angina of recent onset over a period of 3 weeks. He was an active policeman, whose only significant past medical history was a prolonged febrile illness with a rash at age 5. Exercise myocardial perfusion stress test was strongly positive with ST depression in inferolateral leads and large reversible perfusion defects in the inferior, inferolateral, and lateral walls of the left ventricle. Cardiac catheterization revealed a large fusiform aneurysm of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery, ectasia of the proximal circumflex artery with 95% narrowing, and an occluded right coronary artery with an occluded proximal aneurysm. (Figure 1). Figure 1. Coronary angiogram showing a proximal aneurysm of the left anterior descending (LAD) artery and ecstatic circumflex artery with severe stenosis inside the ecstatic segment. Coronary CT angiogram showed 3-dimensional extent of the aneurysms, stenoses, and, in particular, the LAD aneurysm's relation to the main pulmonary artery. The LAD aneurysm measured 11.7×17.7×24.2 mm, with a 2.5-mm diagonal artery arising from the side wall. (Figure 2). Figure 2. A, Computed tomography (CT) angiogram showing aneurysms and stenoses. B, CT angiogram showing …

3T MRI induced post-traumatic stress disorder: a case report

IntroductionMRI is considered a safe and well tolerated imaging technique with risks largely limited to heating and/or displacement of implanted ferromagnetic metal in the patient’s body, worsening anxiety, triggering claustrophobia, and gadolinium induced nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.Case presentationWe present a case of a 26 year old Asian American man with no significant past medical or psychiatric history and two months of left T4 radicular pain. During 3T-MRI of the whole spine, the patient experienced acute agitation, fear, anxiety, tachypnea, tachycardia with palpitations, and dizziness. He felt intense surface heat over segments of his body and very loud noises. He perceived impending serious bodily harm by the scanner. The scan was aborted at the lumbar spine, and cervical and thoracic spine was unremarkable. The patient’s pain resolved in the weeks following with over the counter analgesics, however, he developed increased arousal, re-experiencing the event, persistent avoidance, and significant psychosocial impairment consistent with DSM-IV-TR criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).ConclusionThis is the first reported case of MRI induced PTSD. Theoretically, the high-magnetic field of the 3T scanner may have contributed to the development of symptoms.

Cross-National Identity Transformation: Becoming a Gay ‘Asian-American’ Man

Prior to moving to the U.S., the author, a gay Japanese man, was secure in his multiple identities. After the cross-national transition to the U.S., however, he confronted unique and particular challenges in negotiating his multiple identities. As a foreigner, adopting the cultural discourse of the gay Asian-American identity as a way of life shocked and surprised him—especially because of the ways in which others communicated with him. In particular, others generally viewed his identity expression as reinforcing the stereotypical image of gay men and failing to conform with the social perception of Asian-Americans. Also, the racialized and gendered image of gay Asian-American men became a conflict in his interactions with gay and bisexual men because its image did not fully represent who he is. Being trapped by his dual-identity conflict, he faced difficulty in negotiating performative aspects of gay Asian-American male identity construction. At the same time, this contradiction became an opportunity for him to (de)construct his dual identity conflict and to finally name himself with such labeling. This analysis employs autoethnography to explore the author’s cross-national transformation process of becoming a gay Asian-American man. Finally, this analysis intends to link his personal experience and the cultural and social experiences of gay Asian-American male identity.

Asian Masculinities and Parodic Possibility in Odaiko Solos and Filmic Representations

Asian Masculinities and Parodic Possibility in Odaiko Solos and Filmic Representations Paul J. Yoon (bio) The racial self-imagination for the Asian American male has always obtained some relation to representations of Asian male bodies from or in Asia. Perhaps it is more accurate to state that while pernicious stereotypes of the Asian male body in the American context abound, establishing positive performed or mediated Asian male body types requires looking (often literally) to Asia. In stating this I do not mean that negative stereotypes from Asia are absent, only that positive stereotypes typically flow from Asia into the Asian American imagination and not the other way around. Whether it’s the kung fu master, samurai, yakuza, Ultraman, or ruthless Korean gangpae, these Asian male bodies are agentic and powerful, all of which are traits recognizably aligned with (at the very least) Western notions of masculinity that are typically constructed as “good.” And yet, being stereotypes, these images are themselves troubled. What Asian American boy hasn’t faced this playground taunt: “How come you don’t know kung fu? You’re Oriental aren’t you?” usually followed by a mocking imitation of Bruce Lee’s falsetto “WHA-PA!” Inasmuch as the Asian/Asian American male is politically emasculated and excluded from the national discourse (Lowe 1996) or, as David Eng argues, “racially castrated” (2001), social iterability is limited to a two-dimensional choice between a math whiz or the kung fu master. That an Asian American man confronts or submits to constructions that are not of his doing is not a situation unique to him, or to any single group for that matter. Many within cultural studies take it for granted that we are, all of us, inserted into a world that is (obviously) not of our own creation, but, more importantly, one to which we must, at least in part, conform in order to be seen or, as in the case of musicians, heard. The latter is the Hegelian demand that our existence as socially viable entities arrives only through socially prescribed channels of recognition. We are all socially iterable in some way, even if that is in comprehensive opposition to standing definitions of what passes for “human” (or “male” or “female” or “sexual” or any other category you can imagine) since being the opposite is still being defined in relation to a presumed standard. The question is what do we do with normative points of recognition when they do not allow us to be fully “ourselves”? As Judith Butler describes (2004), one’s existence [End Page 100] rests on preexisting norms that allow one’s self to be “seen.” My ability to do anything is rooted in conditions that are, paradoxically, not of my own doing. At the same time, Butler does not believe that we are condemned into a Sisyphean feedback loop that continually reestablishes a presumed normativity. Agency within structure is not found in a naïve denial of this condition or a return to an equally naïve free monad. Our ability to alter social iterability presents itself precisely because we must repeat these structures. Performativity of race or gender (or any other social position) is reified through repeat performances. However, this is a temporary reification that is subject to alteration or “contamination.” It is precisely at the point of performance that we can try something new or signify (Gates 1989) on the norms that are given to us with the hopeful, perhaps quixotic, goal of expanding the boundaries of social iterability. This article concerns the intersection of male bodies in musical performance and film and the way performers have shaped and have been shaped by the images and constructions of masculinity that have traveled back and forth between Asia and the United States. Specifically, I discuss Asian and Asian American male bodies playing the odaiko, but also how the odaiko solo is itself impacted by or analogous to filmic representations of Asian male bodies. To paraphrase author Maxine Hong Kingston (1975), how can you separate what is traditionally Chinese or Japanese from what are the movies, performance, or theater? This question recognizes a heteroglossia (Bakhtin 1981) where both mediated representations and tradition are inseparably...

Pertussis in an Elderly Asian-American Man: A Case Report

Cough is a frequent presenting complaint in the Emergency Department. The differential diagnosis for cough is variable depending on patient age and symptom duration. We report the case of an elderly gentleman with a history of asthma who presented with cough, with the ultimate diagnosis of Bordetella pertussis infection. The management of the patient in the Emergency Department placed hospital staff at risk for infection from a virulent pathogen. Details regarding typical and atypical presentations of pertussis and the establishment of transmission-based precautions are discussed.

Intermittent fevers

Dr. Murray McLachlan: Today’s case is that of a 34-year-old Asian-American man who presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with complaints of 2 weeks of intermittent fevers and chills with persistent generalized malaise. The patient stated that the fevers, which were as high as 40.0°C, responded to acetaminophen. One week before presentation, the patient began vomiting and was evaluated in another ED. He was treated with intravenous hydration and was discharged with the diagnosis of viral syndrome.

Multiple Hemorrhagic Strokes From DIC Associated With Occult Large Cell Carcinoma

Multiple hemorrhagic strokes are a rare presentation of paraneoplastic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). We present a case of DIC occurring in a patient with occult large cell carcinoma. A 77-year old Asian-American man presented with 1 month of vision disturbance followed by acute onset of left hemiparesis and encephalopathy. He was found to have three strokes of varying ages, and was placed on aspirin and clopidogrel. He returned 4 days later with hemorrhagic conversion of the strokes and laboratory abnormalities suggestive of DIC. Over the hospital course, he suffered recurrent ischemic strokes and intracerebral hemorrhages despite management of his coagulopathy. On autopsy, an occult large cell carcinoma was found in the hilar lymph nodes, as well as multiple intravascular thrombi. Recurrent hemorrhagic strokes associated with DIC may be the initial presentation of occult malignancy. Although adenocarcinoma is classically associated with paraneoplastic DIC, this case demonstrates that large cell carcinoma may also be implicated.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease: Hydroxychloroquine as a Treatment

We describe a case of recurrent Kikuchi's disease in a South Asian-American man that was treated successfully with chloroquine and on recurrence with hydroxychloroquine. Each treatment led to a very prompt response.