The mortality of patients with brain abscess has decreased significaltly. This has been attributed to improved diagnostic imaging, the evolution of neurosurgical techniques and understanding of intracranial pressure pathophysiology, greater critical care understanding, and newer antibiotics. However, the mortality associated with intraventricular rupture of brain abscess remained consistently high at or above 80% once identified. A case of intraventicular rupture of thalamic abscess with good quality of survival is presented based on aggressive 4-component therapeutic plan used. The four components are 1) extraventricular drainage for 6 weeks, 2) lavage of the ventricular system using closed irrigation system, 3) intravenous antibiotics, 4) intraventricular gentamicin and vancomycin, twice and once daily, respectively.
Abscess* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain Abscess ; Critical Care ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Drainage ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Intracranial Pressure ; Mortality ; Rupture* ; Thalamus ; Therapeutic Irrigation ; Vancomycin

Biliary cystadenoma is a rare biliary ductal neoplasm that usually arises in the liver and less frequently in the extrahepatic bile ducts. Clinical manifestations are non-specific; hence preoperative diagnosis depends heavily on imaging. Computed tomography, ultrasonography, angiography and cholangiogram are useful diagnostic procedures in biliary cystic tumor, but definite diagnosis depends on histologic diagnosis. Surgical resection often yields excellent results. Surgical procedures used to treat cystadenomas include: aspiration, drainage, marsupialization, and excision. If there is no evidence of metastasis, complete resection of these tumors is necessary for a complete cure. We experienced an 80-year-old man who complained of jaundice and RUQ pain. He was diagnosed as biliary mucinous cystadenoma, We confirmed our diagnosis by cholangioscopic biopsy, and performed endoscopic sphincterotomy(EST). So, we report this case and have reviewed the relevant literature as a part of our report for the subject case.
Aged, 80 and over ; Angiography ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Biliary Tract* ; Biopsy ; Cystadenoma ; Cystadenoma, Mucinous* ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Humans ; Jaundice* ; Liver ; Mucins* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas* ; Ultrasonography

To assay the cytogenetic toxicity of NiCl, K2Cr2O7CdC12, and HgC12, the frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges(SCEs) and chromosomal aberrations were observed in the metaphase chromosomes of the human lymphocytes which were cultured with above materials. The frequencies of SCEs are dose-dependently increased by all materials in this experiment. Chromosomal aberrations, especially gap and break, are increased by the nickel and chromic compounds, while not significantly increased by the cadmium and mercurial compounds. This results indicate the dose dependent relationship between the frequencies of SCEs and the concentrations of the heavy metals, but the increasing rates of the SCEs induced by the heavy metals are less sensitive than other mutagens or carcinogens which were confirmed.
Cadmium ; Carcinogens ; Chromatids ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Cytogenetics ; Humans ; Humans* ; Lymphocytes* ; Metals, Heavy* ; Metaphase ; Mutagens ; Nickel ; Siblings* ; Sister Chromatid Exchange*

PURPOSE: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, Aroclor 1254), synthetic chlorinated organic compounds, are known to decrease thyroid function, sperm count, and fertility, and increase the risk of testicular cancer; they may have serious effects on male reproduction. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective role of palmiwon on PCB-induced spermiotoxicity in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 90-day-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, each consisting of ten animals. The control group (Group I) received corn oil, the second group of rats (Group II) was administered 2 mg/kg body weight/day of Aroclor 1254+corn oil intraperitoneally for 30 days. The third group of rats (Group III) was treated with 2 mg/kg body weight/day of Aroclor 1254+corn oil intraperitoneally plus palmiwon (300 mg/day) orally for 30 days. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, the animals were killed by decapitation. Their serum testosterone levels was measured before and after the experimental medication was taken, and the number and motility of sperm, which had been collected from the cauda epididymal region, were evaluated. RESULTS: The results of this experiment show that treatment with palmiwon significantly improved sperm motility and number in rats that had been exposed to PCBs. There was no marked difference in body weight, testis weight, or epididymis weight among the groups. Nor were there any significant pathological differences in the testes among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Palmiwon has the potential for treating PCB-induced spermiotoxicity. More experiments with larger samples and a longer period of treatment are needed.
Animals ; Aroclors ; Biphenyl Compounds ; Body Weight ; Corn Oil ; Decapitation ; Epididymis ; Fertility ; Humans ; Male ; Polychlorinated Biphenyls ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reproduction ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; Testis ; Testosterone ; Thyroid Gland

Background: Keloids can occur anywhere in the human body. They are difficult to remove and can cause distress in patients. Although many options are available to treat keloids, no single method is considered the optimal treatment of choice. The authors encountered cases where an umbilical keloid developed at the trocar site after laparoscopic surgery and managed the keloid using a transposition flap. Methods: A total of 10 umbilical keloid patients treated from 2013 to 2020 were included in this study. All patients developed a keloid due to the placement of a laparoscopic trocar incision port, and their major complaints varied from an asymptomatic nodule to pruritus or pain. All excisions were performed under local anesthesia, and transposition flaps were planned afterward. The surrounding tissue was rearranged so that the shape of the umbilicus was deformed to the minimum extent possible. The keloid scars were examined both preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). Results: All surgical wounds healed well without complications. The average time interval from laparoscopic surgery to keloid scar revision was 4.3 years. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 10.9 months, and no patient underwent reoperation. Four patients were treated with triamcinolone after surgery due to mild hypertrophy or pruritus. The POSAS observer scale showed significantly decreasing scores over time in all patients (P=0.002). Conclusions Cosmetically unfavorable keloids that form in the umbilicus following laparoscopic surgery can be improved with a simple procedure using excision and transposition flaps.

Background: The Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) has maintained a nationwide end-stage renal disease (ESRD) registry data from Korean Renal Data System (KORDS) since 1985, as the representative registry of ESRD patients in Korea. This review is aimed to update the status of domestic ESRD and to provide evidence on the direction of dialysis therapy. Methods: The KORDS Committee of KSN has collected data on dialysis centers and patients through an online registry program, and the data from 1986 to 2019 were analyzed. Results: The incidence and prevalence of ESRD patients in Korea are increasing. The ESRD population numbered more than 100,000 in 2019, doubling during the 10 years since 2010. The proportion of diabetes mellitus as a major cause of ESRD seems to have reached a plateau. The increasing number of elderly dialysis patients is a constant trend, with more than half for the proportion of patients older than 65 years old in 2019. All-cause mortality decreased for the last approximately 20 years, regardless of sex, age, and cause of ESRD. The 5-year patient survival rate in both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis increased from 2001 to 2013. Since 2013, the patient survival rates in peritoneal dialysis were similar to those in hemodialysis. Cardiovascular complications were the leading cause of death in ESRD patients. Conclusions The incidence and prevalence of Korean ESRD patients have increased over time, although patient survival has also steadily increased. The establishment of a surveillance method to address the major cause of mortality in ESRD patients will help improve outcomes.

Background: The Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) has maintained a nationwide end-stage renal disease (ESRD) registry data from Korean Renal Data System (KORDS) since 1985, as the representative registry of ESRD patients in Korea. This review is aimed to update the status of domestic ESRD and to provide evidence on the direction of dialysis therapy. Methods: The KORDS Committee of KSN has collected data on dialysis centers and patients through an online registry program, and the data from 1986 to 2019 were analyzed. Results: The incidence and prevalence of ESRD patients in Korea are increasing. The ESRD population numbered more than 100,000 in 2019, doubling during the 10 years since 2010. The proportion of diabetes mellitus as a major cause of ESRD seems to have reached a plateau. The increasing number of elderly dialysis patients is a constant trend, with more than half for the proportion of patients older than 65 years old in 2019. All-cause mortality decreased for the last approximately 20 years, regardless of sex, age, and cause of ESRD. The 5-year patient survival rate in both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis increased from 2001 to 2013. Since 2013, the patient survival rates in peritoneal dialysis were similar to those in hemodialysis. Cardiovascular complications were the leading cause of death in ESRD patients. Conclusions The incidence and prevalence of Korean ESRD patients have increased over time, although patient survival has also steadily increased. The establishment of a surveillance method to address the major cause of mortality in ESRD patients will help improve outcomes.