186 serum samples from 81 patients with gastric cancer were determined for circulatingimmune complexe (CIC) by using the polyethylene glycol turbidity assay. Compared with 105healthy blood donors, the mean value of CIC were significantly increased in pretreatment pati-ents (47.46?24.52vs.27.67?12.09), and the corresponding figures for stage Ⅰ+Ⅱ, Ⅲ and stage Ⅳpatients were 38.60?14.24, 42.04?13. 18 and 54.31?29. 15 respectively. The incidence of positivityof CIC in pretreatment patients was 32.1%. The mean value of CIC is significantlyhigher in patients whose disease could not be treated with radical surgery than in patientswhose disease could.CIC levels increased significantly during 11～45 days after radical operation.CIC levels were positive correlated with levels of serum IgA, IgM, C_3, and negative corre-lated with the rate of lymphocyte transformation. The patients found positive for ANA hadhigher incidence of positivity of CIC than those found negative for ANA.The clinical signifi-cance of CIC in patients with gastric cancer was also discussed.

A case of furuncular myiasis was reported for the first time in a 29-year-old young Taiwanese traveler returning from an ecotourism in Peru. Furuncle-like lesions were observed on the top of his head and he complained of crawling sensations within his scalp. The invasive larva of botfly, Dermatobia hominis, was extruded from the furuncular lesion of the patient. Awareness of cutaneous myiasis for clinicians should be considered for a patient who has a furuncular lesion and has recently returned from a botfly-endemic area.
Adult ; Animals ; Diptera ; growth & development ; physiology ; Humans ; Larva ; physiology ; Male ; Myiasis ; diagnosis ; parasitology ; Taiwan ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Autologous fat injection is ideal for patients who wish to add contour, projection and gross volumization of the aging, atrophic face and is claimed to be a safe procedure. However, there are several case reports in the literature where patients have suffered from acute visual loss and cerebral infarction after facial fat injection. This paper explores a rare case of vessel related complication, an arteriovenous fistula that occurs after fat injection on forehead. METHODS: A 28-year-old female who showed a non- tender, soft 1.0x2.5cm sized mass on forehead for 3 weeks. A thrill could be detected on the tortuous dilatated vessel-like structure around the mass. She had a fat injection on forehead for soft tissue augmentation 3 months prior to developing the mass. 3-dimensional brain CT angiography showed arteriovenous fistula. RESULTS: The fistula is totally excised with ligation of feeding vessels. Pathology report showed an atypical vessel which had intimal thickening, myxoid degeneration and thrombus formation. There were no evidences of recurrence at least for 2 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: An occurrence of arteriovenous fistula after autologous fat injection is very rare. After perforation of artery and vein by coincidence, blood extravasates with the formation of a hematoma capsule and a pseudocapsule around it. The hematoma capsule would expand and clot would reabsorb resulting in a cavity leading to fistula formation. Other vessel related complications like acute visual loss or cerebral infarction are very severe. Therefore, surgeons should be cautious during facial fat injection to avoid vessel injuries.
Adult ; Aging ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Female ; Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forehead ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Ligation ; Recurrence ; Thrombosis ; Veins

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to estimate the number of serious and persistent mentally ill patients in Korea. METHODS: Study populations were recruited from medical insurance data of two district areas one rural and the other urban areas. Subjects were all mentally ill who had ever visited any hospital in 1993 and were diagnosed as having psychosis, personality disorder and drug abuse. We conducted a home visiting survey applying semi-structured diagnostic interview, assessing the level of social adjustment with Strauss-Carpenter Scale, and past psychiatric history by the trained researchers, in October and November, 1994. RESULTS: According to diagnostic assessment, schizophrenic patients constituted the major portion(61.1%) of study subjects. The distribution of occupational functions and social contacts was variable according to diagnosis. Most schizophrenic patients were unemployed or worked less than 6 months in the previous year(67.2%), and showed poor social contact(72.3%). But affective disorder patients were relatively independent in job maintenance and social relationship. Alcoholic patients lay between those of schizophrenic and affective disorder groups. It was estimated that about 87,000 adult Koreans were suffering from chronic mental disorders which seriously interfere with their daily life. CONCLUSIONS: Serious and persistent mentally ill patients were common in Korea. Community support program should be provided for them.
Adult ; Alcoholics ; Community Psychiatry ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; House Calls ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Mental Disorders ; Mentally Ill Persons* ; Mood Disorders ; Personality Disorders ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Social Adjustment ; Substance-Related Disorders

Body donation trends in Korea have changed significantly over the last 3 decades. Establishing a body donation system will promote donations to universities for academic purposes. Yonsei University College of Medicine started its own body donation system in 1992, including documenting donors’ records. However, there has been no reported attempt to analyze the trend of these records, which could provide noteworthy information that can be interpreted for medical advances. This study performed a statistical analysis of the donors’ records between 1992 and 2019 to analyze the sociological and anthropological changes. Donor personal information such as sex, age, religion, and place and cause of death were extracted from the Yonsei University College of Medicine database. Our statistical analysis revealed significant correlations between donors’ records and the changes in the number of geriatric hospitals, religious beliefs, number of donations, and donor age.

Body donation trends in Korea have changed significantly over the last 3 decades. Establishing a body donation system will promote donations to universities for academic purposes. Yonsei University College of Medicine started its own body donation system in 1992, including documenting donors’ records. However, there has been no reported attempt to analyze the trend of these records, which could provide noteworthy information that can be interpreted for medical advances. This study performed a statistical analysis of the donors’ records between 1992 and 2019 to analyze the sociological and anthropological changes. Donor personal information such as sex, age, religion, and place and cause of death were extracted from the Yonsei University College of Medicine database. Our statistical analysis revealed significant correlations between donors’ records and the changes in the number of geriatric hospitals, religious beliefs, number of donations, and donor age.