No abstract available.
Polycystic Kidney Diseases* ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.
Gardnerella vaginalis* ; Gardnerella*

BACKGROUND: Paradoxical embolism through the patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a well-recognized mechanism for otherwise unexplained ischemic stroke. Although transthoracic contrast echocardiography (TCE) has been used frequently for noninvasive diagnosis of right to left shunt through PFO, its diagnostic accuracy appears limited, especially in patients with poor acoustic window. Since harmonic imaging (HI) can enhance the definition of contrast microbubbles, theoretical advantages of HI in the detection of right to left shunt through PFO using microbubbles can be considered. However, there are few data regarding the diagnostic efficacy of HI in the detection of right to left shunt through PFO. The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of transthoracic HI in the detection of right to left shunt through PFO in patients with stroke with that of fundamental imaging (FI). Methods: One hundred thirty-six consecutive patients with stroke (82 male, mean age:9) underwent TCE in both HI and FI and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during rest and Valsalva maneuver with intravenous administration of agitated saline. PFO was judged to be present if microbubbles appeared in the left atrium within 3 cardiac cycles of their appearance in the right atrium. TEE was regarded as the gold standard for assessing the diagnostic accuracy of TCE. Results: Right to left shunt through PFO was detected in 40 of 136 patients by TEE (29.4%). FI of TCE detected shunt through PFO in only 9 of 136 patients (6.6%). In contrast, HI detected shunt through PFO in 25 of 136 patients (18.4%). The overall sensitivity and specificity of FI and HI for detection of right to left shunt through PFO were 22.5%, 62.5% (p<0.05) and 100%, 100%, respectively. Valsalva maneuver during HI significantly increased the detection rate of shunt through PFO (during rest in 9 and during Valsalva maneuver in 25, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: HI with contrast microbubble injection significantly enhanced the detection of right to left shunt through PFO in patients with ischemic stroke compared with FI by transthoracic approach.
Acoustics ; Administration, Intravenous ; Diagnosis ; Dihydroergotamine ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Embolism, Paradoxical ; Foramen Ovale, Patent* ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Male ; Microbubbles ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stroke ; Valsalva Maneuver

PURPOSE: To evaluate the function of Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-D-Met (WKYMVm) in human neonatal monocytes. METHODS: The peptide, Trp-Lys-Tyr-Met-Val-D-Met (WKYMVm), was synthesized, purified, and prepared in the Peptide Library Support Facility at Pohang University of Science and Technology. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (200+/-10 g) were preinfected with S. aureus and treated with WKYMVm through femoral vein. At various time points, blood samples were obtained by puncture of femoral artery and the serum was plated on the nutrient agar plate. The number of viable bacteria was determined by counting the number of bacterial colonies. In addition, using S. aureus and C. albicans, we evaluated the bactericidal and fungicidal activities of neonatal monocytes, which were separated from umbilical cord blood by Ficoll gradient. RESULTS: The numbers of bacteria in the blood of WKYMVm-treated rats were rapidly decreased with time, as compared with those of the untreated rats. The peptide treatment enhanced the bactericidal activity in vivo within 10 minutes. In neonatal monocytes, WKYMVm stimulated the intracellular killing of S. aureus in a dose dependent manner, showing the maximum effect at 100 nM. WKYMVm stimulated the phagocytic and fungicidal activities against C. albicans in a dose dependent manner, with the maximum effect at the 100 nM. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that WKYMVm may be an effective agent against the neonatal infections.
Agar ; Animals ; Bacteria ; Female ; Femoral Artery ; Femoral Vein ; Fetal Blood ; Ficoll ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Homicide ; Humans ; Monocytes* ; Peptide Library ; Punctures ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective: To investigate the epidemiologic and demographic characteristics of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) who were admitted to a department of rehabilitation of a university hospital. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Medical records including sex, age at injury, type of disability, traumatic or non-traumatic etiology and presence of ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of patients with SCI who were admitted to the department of rehabilitation between 2012 and 2018 were reviewed. Results: Of the 221 cases of SCI, 161 were traumatic and 60 were non-traumatic. The mean age at injury was 52.8 years. People aged 40–49 years showed highest proportion among overall SCI patients (19.0%). The proportion of male patients was higher in traumatic SCI at 4.96:1 than in non-traumatic SCI at 1.30:1. The most common cause of traumatic SCI was falling off (37.3%), followed by motor vehicle crash (35.4%) and tripping over (19.3%). Meanwhile, the most common cause of non-traumatic SCI was neoplasm (35.0%). Tripping over was the leading cause of traumatic SCI in patients aged ≥60 years (42.6%). A high proportion of traumatic SCI patients were found to have underlying OPLL (26.1%), particularly those who were injured by tripping over (64.5%). Conclusion The mean age of SCI patients was higher than that of previous studies. Falls was the single most common cause of traumatic SCI, and tripping over was the most common cause of injury in the elderly patients. OPLL was prevalent in patients who were injured from tripping over.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a relatively uncommondisease of unknown etiology and pathogensis. It is characterized by massive tissue eosinophilia, that can involve any layers of the gastrointestinal tract wall. The gastrointestinal signs and symptoms usually reflect the layer which is most severly affected. Eosinophilic gastroenteritis can be rarely accompanied by extraintestinal involvement. We report a case of a 19-year-old male with repeated epigastric and low abdominal pain. An abdominal computed tomography showed diffused wall thickeningof esophagus, small bowel and bladder with ascites. Esosinophilic infiltration was shown by multiple biopsies of the esophagus, duodenum on esophagogastroduodenoscopy and peritoneal fluid analysis. The patient was diagnosed with eosinophilic gastroenteritis, accompanied by esosinophilic ascites and cystitis and was treated with corticosteroid and ketotifen. Abdominal pain was improved dramatically.
Abdominal Pain ; Ascites ; Ascitic Fluid ; Biopsy ; Cystitis ; Duodenum ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Enteritis ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Esophagus ; Gastritis ; Gastroenteritis ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Ketotifen ; Male ; Urinary Bladder ; Young Adult

A 84-year-old woman visited by back and pubic pain. Abdominal CT showed 10cm sized abdominal mass with calcified component. At bone scan, multiple bone absorption was seen. T2 weighted MRI revealed heterogeneous high signal mass on pubis. Aspiration cytology reported only blood and exudate without malignant cells. Other 88-year-woman visited by systemic arthralgia and dysbasia. Abdominal CT revealed pubic bone fracture, surrounded by soft tissue, and relatively low density on lumbar spine. Bone scan showed increased absorption at multiple bone and joints. Enhanced chest CT revealed only consolidation, no malignant component was seen. Aspiration cytology reported degenerative bone tissue without malignant cell. At these cases, mass like lesion was looked like malignant tumors, but final diagnosis was insufficiency fractures. Aware these cases, we emphasize avoid misunderstanding for malignancy, may read to unnecessary and excessive evaluation before making the correct diagnosis, at insufficiency fracture.
Absorption ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthralgia ; Bone and Bones ; Exudates and Transudates ; Female ; Fractures, Stress ; Humans ; Joints ; Pubic Bone ; Spine ; Thorax

From March, 1984 to August, 1991, 16 patient were diagnosed as Cushing's disease and 14 of them were treated by transsphenoidal microsurgical procedure. Preoperrative endocrinological evaluation included plasma level of ACTH, serum cortisol concentration, urinary free cortisol and 17-hydroxycorticosteroid, dexamethasone suppression test and bilateral sampling of the inferior petrosal sinuses(IPS). The sensitivity of the last method was 88% for Cushing's disease but the expected laterality with the test was not always consistent with the surgical results. High resolution computed tomography(CT) and high field magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) were done as imaging devices. We cannot tell MRI is superior to CT is diagnosing microadenomas. All operations were performed through transsphenoidal approach. A selective microadenomectomy was done in 8 patients and all of them showed remission. A partial adenomectomy was done in 4 cases. Hypophysectomy was done in 2 cases, one of which was a failed case after the first trial and the other was one with no apparent tumor tissue in 7 successive frozen biopsies during operation. Overall surgical remission rate was 86.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Biopsy ; Dexamethasone ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypophysectomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Plasma

Infiltrating lipoma is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that, in spite of benign nature, characteristically infiltrates adjacent tissues and tends to recur after surgery. It has a predilection for the extremities and the trunk and is extremely rare in the head and neck region. We present a case of congenital infiltrating lipoma of the face, describing the intrabony invasion and osseous dystrophy as well as the soft tissue changes seen on plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging.
Extremities ; Head ; Lipoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Maxilla* ; Neck

Infiltrating lipoma is a rare mesenchymal neoplasm that, in spite of benign nature, characteristically infiltrates adjacent tissues and tends to recur after surgery. It has a predilection for the extremities and the trunk and is extremely rare in the head and neck region. We present a case of congenital infiltrating lipoma of the face, describing the intrabony invasion and osseous dystrophy as well as the soft tissue changes seen on plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging.
Extremities ; Head ; Lipoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Maxilla* ; Neck