To elucidate the complex of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGF-BPs) in short stature patients, we carried out a prospective study on three patients who were diagnosed as complete GH deficiency at the department of pediatrics from July 1992 to June 1993. The results were summarized as follows: 1) Two circulating IGFs complexed to specific binding protein existed in normal serum. Binding activity was found to be in the 150,000 molecular weight area (the large complex) and 50~60,000 molecular weight area (the small complex). 2) Binding activity for the large complex was seen to be dependent on advancing age, level of large IGF-BP3 complex peacked at the age of 15~16 years. 3) The binding activity for large complex diminished in three GH deficient patients and increased after hGH injection to near or above normal level. 4) Increased growth rate after GH treatment in GH deficient patient was closely related with increasing level of the large IGF-BP3 complex. Therefore we suggest that the large IGF-BP3 complex is regulated by GH. Estimating its serum level is useful for screening of GH deficiency and the monitoring of response to GH therapy.
Carrier Proteins ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I* ; Mass Screening ; Molecular Weight ; Pediatrics ; Prospective Studies

[Background] Over the last thirty years, majority of researches on clinical effectiveness of acupuncture have been explanatory (or experimental) randomized controlled trial. The benefits of acupuncture in clinical trials are stillcontroversial and most studies concluded that further control studies were required. Standardized combinations of acupuncture points for all the experimental subjects in various past studies have been criticized because such treatments do not reflect current routine clinical treatment.
[Objective] This paper aims to review pragmatic clinical trials on the effect of acupuncture treatment and to develop the ideal clinical research methodology of acupuncture study.
[Method] Clinical studies of acupuncture relevant with pragmatic or individualized trials were searched mainly in Pubmed and Science direct databases. All articles were fully reviewed by researchers, and data were evaluated by usage of a standardized form.
[Results & Suggestion] Pragmatic acupuncture researches were tried for various symptoms (eg. low back pain, hypertension, depression during pregnancy, sleep quality in HIV disease, chronic poststroke leg spasticity, headache, etc). Individualized acupuncture treatments based on oriental disease pattern diagnosis reflexes practical treatments which is more effective than unified and fixed acupuncture treatments without any theoretical basis of oriental medical philosophy.
[Conclusion] To overcome the controversies and limitations of past explanatory acupuncture trials, more individualized and tailored acupuncture trials with the theoretical basis of oriental medical diagnosis is highly recommended. Also clear definition and categorization of pattern identification should be established for further active clinical researches and applications of acupuncture.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the CT features of second branchial cleft cysts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the computed tomographic images in nine cases of second branchial cleft cyst which was confirmed pathologically. Emphasis was on localization of the masses to fascial spaces as defined by the deep cervical fasica. RESULTS: In all nine cases, the lerions were located in the submandibular and carotid spaces. Among these cases, six(67%) had simultaneous involvement of the other contiguous spaces, such as anterior and posterior cervical spaces. All cases had round or oval, unilocular, cystic masses with partial or complete rim enhancement. In eight cases(89%), smooth and thin walls were observed. In one case, thick wall and septations were noted. No definite calcifications were noted in all cases. The internal contents of cystic masses showed relatively homogeneous appearance, and CT number ranged from 20 to 35.2 Hounsfield unit(HU)(mean, 28.4HU). CONCLUSION: CT diagnosis of second branchial cleft cyst would be easily obtained from recognition of frequent simultaneous involvement of the other contiguous spaces, along with a typical location and characteristic morphology.
Branchial Region* ; Branchioma* ; Diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies

To evaluate left ventricular diastolic function in patients with coronary artery disease, gate radionuclide ventriculography was performed prospectively in 42 patients who were admitted to Seoul National University Hospital from November 1985 to August 1986 because of anterior chest pain. All patients had no valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia, and no abnormal vall motion in gated nuclide ventriculography and contrast left ventriculography. 25 patients with more than 50% of stenosis in coronary arteriography were compared with 17 control subjects without stenosis. The following results were obtained; 1) There were no significant differences between normal controls and patients with coronary artery disease in the analysis of the parameters of the left ventricular systolic function, such as ejection fraction (EF), peak ejection rate (PER), time to peak ejection rate (TPER) and ejection time (TES, TES/BCL). 2) Same results were found with those of the left vnetricular diastolic function, such as peak filling rate (PFR), diastolic time interval (DTI, DTI/BCL), rapid diastolic filling interval and time to late diastolic filling (TLDF). 3) The percent contribution of late diastolic filling to stroke volume (%LDF/SV) was more increased in patients with coronary artery disease than the normal control subjects (38.2+/-12.4% vs 28.3+/-7.8%, P<0.01). 4) As the results of above, it can be concluded that the percent contribution of late diastolic filling to stroke volume (%LDF/SV) obtained by using the non-invasive method of gated radionuclide ventriculography can be a sensitive parameter for early evaluation of the left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in coronary artery disease.
Angiography ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathies ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Gated Blood-Pool Imaging ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Radionuclide Ventriculography ; Seoul ; Stroke Volume

Purpose: Septic arthritis of the knee is an orthopedic emergency that requires early diagnosis and surgical treatment. This study examined the effectiveness of drain insertion and irrigation in the treatment of septic arthritis of the knee under local anesthesia. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on nine cases (eight patients) diagnosed with septic arthritis of the knee from September 2017 to February 2020 and treated with drain insertion and irrigation under local anesthesia. After penetrating through the superolateral portal to the superomedial portal and inserting the drain, daily irrigation of approximately 3 L of normal saline was done. The following were investigated: age, sex, underlying disease, cause, degree of osteoarthritis, time from diagnosis to surgery, duration of hospitalization, duration of normalization of C-reactive protein, and smear and culture. Results: The initial white blood cell count of joint fluid was 71,472±51,667/mm3 (32,400–203,904/mm3 ), and polymorphic leukocytes were 91.1%±2.6% (86%–95%). The average time from diagnosis to surgery was 8.3±1.3 hours (6–10 hours), and the irrigation period was 8.2±3.2 days (4–15 days). The average length of hospitalization was 20.8±8.7 days (9–37 days). There was no reoperation or recurrence. Smear and culture tests were not identified. Conclusion In the treatment of septic arthritis of the knee, the insertion of a drain tube and irrigation under local anesthesia is a relatively fast and simple method to reduce pain by repetitive draining of purulent joint fluid and can be used as an alternative treatment for patients with a risk of general or spinal anesthesia.

PURPOSE: We aimed to assess the clinical value of endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting extraprostatic extension and seminal vesicle invasion in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 54 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer were retrospectively analyzed. The findings of endorectal MRI, performed at least 3 weeks after biopsy, were compared with the pathological results of radical prostatectomy specimens. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the detection of extraprostatic extension and seminal vesicle invasion were calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the endorectal MRI findings were 50.0%, 82.6%, and 77.8% for the detection of extraprostatic extension, respectively, and 75.0%, 92.0%, and 90.7% for the detection of seminal vesicle invasion, respectively. The sensitivity of endorectal MRI in the detection of extraprostatic extension improved as the Gleason score increased. CONCLUSIONS: Endorectal MRI findings demonstrated modest sensitivity for predicting extraprostatic extension, whereas specificity was relatively high. In addition, endorectal MRI showed better sensitivity for detecting high-grade tumors.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Seminal Vesicles ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Two cases of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection(TAPVC) were diagnosed in 18 years old female and 20 years old male. Both of them complained frequent URI and exertional dyspnea from childhood. The chest films of the two cases showed cardiomegaly and increased pulmonary vascularity. Particulary, the film of female case showed a typical snowman appearance. In both cases, the diagnosis of TAPVC was made preoperately by 2-D echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac angiography. The postoperative diagnosis was also TAPVC. The correvtive surgery was performed without complications and postoperative course was uneventful. We report two cases of TAPVC which is very rare in adult.
Adolescent ; Adult* ; Angiography ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cardiomegaly ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Thorax ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To compare the 5-year oncologic and functional outcomes of robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RALPN) and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) as treatment for localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the records of 181 patients with localized RCC who underwent RALPN (n=97) or LPN (n=84) between 2007 and 2011. Demographic and preoperative data with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), intraoperative data including warm ischemic time (WIT) and complications, oncologic outcomes (recurrence, metastasis), and rate of eGFR preservation at most recent follow-up were examined. RESULTS: WIT was shorter in the RALPN group (27±9.1 minutes) than the LPN group (31±10 minutes, p=0.019). Intraoperative complication rates were also lower in RALPN patients than LPN patients (4.1% vs. 14.3%). The eGFR preservation rate was higher in the RALPN group (84.6%) than in the LPN group (81.5%, p=0.049). Particularly, a relatively high difference in the eGFR preservation rate was observed in the RALPN group compared with the LPN group according to R.E.N.A.L. score 7–10 values (RALPN, 86.5±12.9 vs. LPN, 76.7±16.0; p=0.003). During the follow-up period, there was no local recurrence in either group and distant metastases only occurred in one patient in the RALPN group and in 2 patients in the LPN group. CONCLUSIONS: RALPN and LPN showed similar 5-year oncologic outcomes, but RALPN was superior to LPN in terms of WIT, intraoperative complications, and long-term eGFR preservation rate, especially in complex cases.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Intraoperative Complications ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nephrectomy* ; Recurrence ; Warm Ischemia

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Few studies have assessed the prognostic value of the primary tumor maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) measured by 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose PET-CT for patients with bile duct and gallbladder cancer. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 61 patients with confirmed bile duct and gallbladder cancer who underwent FDG PET-CT in Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) from April 2008 to April 2011. Prognostic significance of SUVmax and other clinicopathological variables was assessed. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were diagnosed as common bile duct cancer, 17 as hilar bile duct cancer, 12 as intrahepatic bile duct cancer, and nine as gallbladder cancer. In univariate analysis, diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, mass forming type, poorly differentiated cell type, nonsurgical treatment, advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging and primary tumor SUVmax were significant predictors of poor overall survival. In multivariate analysis adjusted for age and sex, primary tumor SUVmax (hazard ratio [HR], 4.526; 95% CI, 1.813-11.299), advanced AJCC staging (HR, 4.843; 95% CI, 1.760-13.328), and nonsurgical treatment (HR, 6.029; 95% CI, 1.989-18.271) were independently associated with poor overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Primary tumor SUVmax measured by FDG PET-CT is an independent and significant prognostic factor for overall survival in bile duct and gallbladder cancer.
Aged ; Bile Duct Neoplasms/*diagnosis/mortality/radionuclide imaging ; Cholangiocarcinoma/diagnosis/mortality/radionuclide imaging ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/diagnostic use/metabolism/standards ; Gallbladder Neoplasms/*diagnosis/mortality/radionuclide imaging ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis/mortality/radionuclide imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography/standards ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Radiopharmaceuticals/diagnostic use/metabolism/standards ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/standards

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the tension-free placement of a monofilament polypropylene mesh for the repair of an anterior vaginal wall prolapse (AVWP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women aged > or = 30 years with an AVWP stage of II or greater were included. Forty-nine women underwent trans-vaginal repair using a Gynemesh(TM) PS. Forty-six women who had symptomatic stress urinary incontinence received a midurethral sling (MUS). At the 12-month follow-up, evaluations were made for changes in the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) stage and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory. Cure was defined as a POP-Q stage of 0 and improvement as a stage of I. Complications were also evaluated. RESULTS: The cure rate was 71.4%, and the improvement rate was 18.4%. Obstructive/discomfort, irritative, and stress subscale scores of the Urinary Distress Inventory anterior and posterior subscale scores of the POP Distress Inventory and the obstructive subscale score of the Colo-Rectal-Anal Distress Inventory were significantly improved. Thirty-two of the 46 women (69.6%) who received MUS procedures reported no leakage after surgery. Complications were 2 cases of increased intraoperative bleeding and 1 case of vaginal erosion. CONCLUSIONS: Trans-vaginal repair using a Gynemesh(TM) PS is a feasible and effective procedure for the treatment of AVWP with no significant complications.
Aged ; Animals ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Mice ; Pelvic Floor ; Pelvic Organ Prolapse ; Polypropylenes ; Prolapse ; Suburethral Slings ; Urinary Incontinence