The sling operation is especially indicated in patients with intrinsic sphincter dysfunction (ISD). We evaluated of the effectiveness of the sling operation for the treatment of genuine stress incontinence patients with ISD. We operated 7 patients and followed up all of the patients for 214 (mean 8) months. Preoperative maximal urethral closure pressure was ranged from 23 to 74 (mean 38.4) cmH2O and valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) was ranged from 41 to 78 (mean 59.5) cmH2O. We applied rectus fascia or GoreTex mesh as sling material. As a results, genuine stress incontinence (GSI) had completely cured in all of 7 cases. However, postoperative urinary retention was developed in two cases. In one of these, we released suspension suture, and in another case, urethrolysis and Raz operation was underwent in other hospital. All of these two cases showed improvement of voiding and any recurrence of incontinence was not noted. In conclusion, GSI due to ISD can be cured by the technique of the sling operation, so we suggest that the sling operation is one of the treatment for GSI patient with ISD.
Fascia ; Humans ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Recurrence ; Sutures ; Urinary Retention

In complete urethral stricture, visual internal urethrotomy has not so high success rate because of the difficulty in determining the precise direction of incision and the inadequacy in scar tissue removal. Nd:YAG laser internal urethrotomy vaporizes the fibrotic scar tissue on strictured urethra and make for re-epithelization of urethra without scar tissue formation. We report experiences of 11 cases of two-staged Nd:YAG laser internal urethrotomy for complete urethral stricture. Age of patients was ranged from 25 to 61 (mean; 42) years old. All of 11 cases developed after urethral injury and was complete urethral stricture. The aim of first stage of operation is to make communication through region of urethral stricture. At second stage of operation, we reconfirmed the direction of neourethra, excised and vaporized the fibrotic scar tissue on strictured urethra using Nd:YAG laser at all directions to achieve normal appearance as possible. Follow-up duration was 6-18 (mean; 14) months. There was no recurrence at all. After 6 months, maximal flow rate was 21-29 (mean; 23.7) ml/sec, and we could not find any stricture portion on retrograde urethrogram. As a conclusion, two-staged Nd:YAG laser internal urethrotomy for complete urethral stricture is a new alternative method, which has many advantages such as technical simplicity, clear operative field due to less bleeding, unnecessity, of adjuvant urethral dilation, and no recurrence rate after the operation.
Cicatrix ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Urethra ; Urethral Stricture*

Traditionally, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been regarded as an organic disease, and the pathophysiology of IBS is heterogeneous. Currently, the diagnosis of IBS is based upon the Rome diagnostic criteria. The performance of these criteria is only modest in predicting IBS, and moreover their validation is lacking. Additionally, as functional symptoms are common in the general population, healthy controls or volunteers are difficult to define and there is currently no definition of “normal” in the Rome criteria. Due to the weaknesses of the current diagnostic criteria, patients and doctors expect new gold standard diagnostic tools. Various etiologic mechanisms result in potential biomarkers. The focus of this research has been to find non-invasive biomarkers from serum, breath gas, and fecal materials. Though biomarkers should be based on biological and pathogenic processes, most biomarkers for IBS have been developed to identify organic diseases and therefore eliminate IBS. To date, these types of biomarkers for IBS have been disappointing. The purposes of developing biomarkers include improvement of diagnosis, differentiation from other organic diseases, and discrimination of IBS subtypes. A true mechanistic biomarker would make it possible to rule in IBS, rather than to rule out other organic diseases. New serologic biomarkers for diarrhea-predominant IBS have been introduced based on the pathophysiologic findings from a rat model and validation in a large-scale clinical trial. Further investigations of abnormal organic findings from each subtype of IBS would enable the development of new, simple subtype-specific biomarkers.
Biomarkers* ; Constipation ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome* ; Models, Animal ; Volunteers

Purpose: This study examined how students’ academic performance changed after undergoing a transition to online learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, based on the test results of 16 integrated courses conducted in 3 semesters at Hanyang University College of Medicine in Korea. Methods: For the 16 required courses that formed an integrated system-based curriculum running for 3 semesters, the major examinations’ raw scores were collected for each student. Percent-correct scores were used in the subsequent analysis. We used the t-test to compare grades between 2019 and 2020, and the Cohen D was calculated as a measure of effect size. The correlation of scores between courses was calculated using Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: There was a significant decrease in scores in 2020 for 10 courses (62.5%). While most of the integrated system-based curriculum test scores showed strong correlations, with coefficients of 0.6 or higher in both 2019 and 2020, the correlation coefficients were generally higher in 2020. When students were divided into low, middle, and high achievement groups, low-achieving students consistently showed declining test scores in all 3 semesters. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the transition to online classes due to COVID-19 has led to an overall decline in academic performance. This overall decline, which may occur when the curriculum is centered on recorded lectures, needs to be addressed. Further, medical schools need to consider establishing a support system for the academic development of low-achieving students.

Objective To analyze the clinic features and hereditary characteristics of three subtypes of porokeratosis, namely disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP), porokeratosis palmaris et plantaris disseminata(PPPD) and porokeratosis of Mibelli (PM) in five pedigrees with porokeratosis. Meth-ods After clinical and pathological diagnosis, every living family member of the five pedigrees with poro-kerotosis was undergoing medical examination and genetics analysis. These five pedigrees consisted of three DSAP pedigrees (totally 266 family members including 100 patients), and one PPPD pedigree (composing of 90 members including 26 patients), one PM pedigree (cornposing of 34 members including 17 patients). Results While diagnosed as porokeratosis, the five pedigrees included three distinctive variants, each with its own clinic characteristics. The lesions was initiated on the face in DSAP subtype, on palms and the flex-ion side of fingers in PPPD subtype; or involving sun-covered areas in PM subtype. Of the three subtypes of porokeratosis, the onset age in DSAP subtype was earliest, usually about 8-20 years old, about 14-20 years old in PPPD subtype, but PM subtype about 20-30 years old. Conclusions As a group of autosomal dominant genodermatosis, porokeratosis presented various clinic variants with different genetic basis. And, different subtype could be seen in a same patient or same pedigree.

We describe the use of a new urethral stent implanted in 6 patients with prostatic outflow obstruction. All patients were in a high risk group for surgery and treated successfully, for a follow-up of 6 to 13 (mean 8.5) months. The majority of patients were satisfied with the procedure, which provided a quick, safe and effective results, compared with conventional surgical treatment. The stent, woven from nitinol in the form of a tubular mesh, was inserted into the prostatic urethra via a delivery device using endoscopic control under local anesthesia. During follow-up period, the stent remained in situ and there were no urinary incontinence or other complications. The average maximum flow rate at postoperative 6 months was 19.5 ml/sec. This stent is a useful alternative to conventional surgical treatment in the high risk and large prostate patient.
Anesthesia, Local ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prostate ; Stents* ; Urethra ; Urinary Incontinence

PURPOSE: Phyllodes tumors are characterized by a double-layered epithelial component arranged in cleft-like ducts surrounded by a hypercellular spindle-celled stroma. Currently, phyllodes tumors are classified as benign, borderline, or malignant based on microscopic features. The relatively high rate of recurrence is an unsolved management problem. If a malignant phllodes tumor is treated inadequately, it may show a propensity for rapid growth and metastatic spread. However, benign phyllodes tumor are often indistinguishable from fibroadenoma, and can be cured by local surgery. Percutaneous removal of benign breast tumors using the Mammotome system has recently been regarded as a feasible, safe method without serious complications. The Mammotome system has an expanding role in the surgical treatment of benign breast disease, and may further extend its role to the excision of small malignant lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of the Mammotome biopsy device in the treatment of benign phyllodes tumor, and to identify whether surgical excision is necessary for benign phyllodes tumors diagnosed and excised by Mammotome. METHODS: From Jan. 2003 to Feb. 2007, a total of 2,751 US- guided mammotome excisions were performed in 2,226 patients at Kangnam Cha hospital. Out of 2,751 lesions, 30 lesions were proved to be benign phyllodes tumors. All lesions were removed using an 8-gauge probe without any residual lesions. Ultrasonographic follow-up was performed at a 3- to 6-month interval to assess recurrence. The mean follow-up period was 33.2 months (max, 51 months; min, 2 months). RESULTS: The mean patient age was 31.4 years. The average size of the lesion was 1.5 cm (SD+0.43 cm). The majority of lesions, 73.3% (22 cases), were palpable, and 26.7% (8 cases) were nonpalpable. Twenty-two lesions (73.8%) were classified as BIRADS category 3, eight lesions (26.7%) were classified as category 4A by ultrasound. During the follow-up period, local recurrence developed in only one patient, making the local recurrence rate 3.3%. No distant metastasis was observed. CONCLUSION: Benign phyllodes tumors found on mammotome excision may not require surgical reexcision if surgeons are sure that the targeted lesions were excised completely and the follow-up ultrasound does not show any residual lesions, especially in small phyllodes tumors, the greatest dimension of which is less than 3 cm.
Biopsy* ; Breast Diseases ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Fibroadenoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phyllodes Tumor* ; Recurrence ; Ultrasonography

Purpose: First-year students can form a preconception based on life experiences before entering college and identifying learners’ existing characteristics can be useful foundation data for curriculum development. This study examines what preconceptions freshman students had about medicine before entering medical school. Methods: A total of 110 first-year students were asked about what preconceptions they had about “medicine”. A total of 1,124 data were used in the content analysis method. Results: The results were extracted into 5, and 12 twelve categories. On the theme of “scientific discipline”, the knowledge students had about general health was based on scant expertise and little evidence. Students perceived medicine as Western and scientific, considering Korean traditional medicine as unscientific. Students believed that “medical practice” should be a “disease treatment” and “patient-centered” approach rather than a “social responsibility”. In “the role of the doctor”, students were concerned about the doctor's being financially stable on the positive side, and about the high-intensity workload on the negative side. In “medical education”, students believed that studying medicine would be “hard and difficult” because of the “importance of memorizing” and “extensive study load”. In “specialty stereotype”, students had biases that were mostly concentrated on “psychiatry” and “surgery” Conclusion Perception of “medicine” has been revealed to a varied range of themes, but some have been inaccurate or unrealistic. These prejudices and groundless beliefs have a gap with the learning outcomes that students should achieve in the curriculum, and these preconceptions seem to have been influenced by South Korea’s unique cultural context.

Many studies about Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) have been performed to determine the effectiveness of EMS. However, most studies enrolled only elderly patients.Moreover, only a few studies have verified the effect of a whole body (WB)-EMS suit on young healthy women. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to verify the physiological effects of exercise training with a WB-EMS suit in young women. During the study periods, 24 young women were randomly assigned into two groups: 1) the WB-EMS training group, and 2) the control. All participants in the two groups performed the same low-intensity resistance exercise three times a week for 6 weeks at a training center. Group 1 used an electric current for WB-EMS suit which was switched on during the exercise period. Outcome measures were body composition, body circumference of hips and abdomen, isokinetic muscle function of knees, balance functions, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)s, cardiopulmonary functions, and lipid profiles. All outcomes were measured before and after the exercise protocol over 6 weeks. A total of 23 young women (group 1, n=11; group 2, n=12) completed a 6-week exercise regimen. After exercise, we compared the differences before and after the exercise program in each group. There were significant differences (p≤0.05) in body circumference, cardiopulmonary function in group 1 and 2. In particular, group 1 that activated WB-EMS showed significant differences in the isokinetic muscle function on knee flexors and balance functions. The results of this study show that exercise with a WB-EMS suit can be considered as an effective exercise addition for young women.

PURPOSE: To review the retrospective imaging findings of thyroid cancer initially assessed as no suspicious malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 338 nodules confirmed to be thyroid cancer, this study included 38 patients with 39 nodules assessed as no suspicious malignancy on initial sonography. (mean age: 39 years, 36 females and 2 males). We evaluated sonographic findings by shape, margin, echogenecity, calcification, cystic degeneration and peripheral hypoechoic rim retrospecively. We analyzed whether sonographic findings were different according to the size (standard: 1 cm). RESULTS: The most frequent sonographic findings were ovoid to round shape 90%, well-defined smooth margin 64%, hypoechogenecity 54%, no calcification 92%, no cystic degeneration 77% and peripheral hypoechoic rim 56%. Suspicious malignancy findings were taller than wide shape 10%, well-defined spiculated margin 36%, markedly hypoechogenecity 10% and microcalcifications 8%. Isoechogenecity, cystic degenetaion and peripheral hypoechoic rim were common in 1 cm more than nodules. Well-defined spiculated margin was common in 1 cm less than nodules. In retrospective, 56% showed no suspicious malignancy finding. CONCLUSION: Although nodules assessed as no suspicious malignancy on initial US had many retrospectively suspicious malignancy findings, still many nodules showed no suspicious malignancy finding. Suspicious findings were ignored due to equivocal finding in small size, isoechogenecity, cystic degeneration or peripheral hypoechioic rim. We need careful observation.
Female ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule