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The auricle develops from six auricular tubercles which originate from the mesenchyme of the first and second branchial arch. If a defective fusion of these tubercles occur, a preauricular fistula may be formed. We report two cases of congenital preauricular fistula manifested by soft nodules with external openings on the left preauricular area. Histologically, the fistulas are lined by stratified squamous epithelium, and elastic cartilage. and chronic inflammatory cell infiltration are also present.
Branchial Region ; Elastic Cartilage ; Epithelium ; Fistula* ; Mesoderm

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by the betacoronavirus (MERS-CoV). Since the isolation and identification of MERS-CoV in 2012, cases have been spread to neighboring nations in Arabian Peninsula area and Europe. The recent outbreak of MERS in Korea confirmed that MERS-CoV is capable of causing epidemics through person-to-person transmission. Despite of its high mortality, there is no available effective vaccine and therapeutic agent partly due to its short history. So far, ribavirin and interferon therapy has been failed to prove its efficacy in human patients. Thus, there is an urgent need for the effective countermeasures such as vaccines and therapeutics. In the current review, recent advances in the development of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies have been discussed.
Antibodies ; Communicable Diseases, Emerging ; Europe ; Humans ; Interferons ; Korea ; Middle East ; Mortality ; Ribavirin ; Vaccines*

Sclerosing stromal tumor (SST) was first delineated as a distinct ovarian sex cord stromal tumor in 1973 by Chalvardjian and Scully. It is a benign neoplasm, distinguished from other ovarian stromal tumors by the production of collagen and a pseudolobular pattern, and it tends to occur in the second and third decades of life in diagnosed patients. We discovered two rare cases of SST in post-menopausal women which are the topic of this report. These case studies are accompanied by a brief review of the literature.
Collagen ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Ovary* ; Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumors

Pioglitazone (PGZ), a synthetic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, is known to regulate inflammatory process and to have neuroprotective effects against neurological disorders. In the present study, we examined the effects of 30 mg/kg PGZ on excitotoxic neuronal damage and glial activation in the mouse hippocampus following intracerebroventricular injection of kainic acid (KA). PGZ treatment significantly reduced seizure-like behavior. PGZ had the neuroprotective effect against KA-induced neuronal damage and attenuated the activations of astrocytes and microglia in the hippocampal CA3 region. In addition, MPO and NFkappaB immunoreactivities in the glial cells were also decreased in the PGZ-treated group. These results indicate that PGZ had anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects against KA-induced excitotocix injury, and that neuroprotective effect of PGZ might be due to the attenuation of KA-induced activation in astrocytes and microglia as well as KA-induced increases in MPO and NFkappaB.
Animals ; Astrocytes ; CA3 Region, Hippocampal ; Hippocampus* ; Kainic Acid ; Mice* ; Microglia ; Nervous System Diseases ; Neuroglia ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; PPAR gamma

Purpose: Metatarsal pads are prescribed to decrease forefoot plantar pressure. However, the appropriate metatarsal pad placement location remains a debated issue. We aimed to identify the most effective insole design that reduces forefoot plantar pressure and determine the optimal position for metatarsal pad placement. Materials and Methods: We recruited 16 healthy adult volunteers, and measured their plantar pressure data during walking while using an in-shoe system. The volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four insole conditions: 1/16-inch insole (i.e., control), 1/4-inch soft plastazote (SP) flat insole, metatarsal pad positioned proximal to the metatarsal head (MTH) on the control insole (P0), and metatarsal pad positioned 10 mm distal from the proximal border of the MTH on the control insole (P10). A masking protocol was created by dividing the forefoot into three subareas, distal to the MTH (dMTH), beneath to the MTH (bMTH), and proximal to the MTH (pMTH). The participants reported their comfort level for each insole using a visual analog scale. Results: The SP flat insole and metatarsal pads both had a forefoot plantar pressure-reducing effect and provided insole comfort. Of the three insole designs, the SP flat insole was the most effective. No clear difference existed in efficacy in terms of the location of the metatarsal pad placement. Conclusion Considering the possibility of discomfort caused by improper metatarsal pad placement, the SP that increases shock absorption may be more clinically useful.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the difference of coracohumeral ligament (CHL) thickness between asymptomatic shoulders and adhesive capsulitis. METHOD: Ultrasound examination was performed in 44 consecutive shoulders of 24 individuals (12 males and 12 females). Nine were diagnosed as adhesive capsulitis by clinical examination. We measured the maximum thickness of CHL. For CHL assessment, participants were scanned in sitting position with shoulder in maximal external rotation, elbow in 90 degrees flexion, forearm in neutral position, and hand in fist. The transducer was positioned between coracoid process and greater tuberosity of humerus. We used t test to compare the CHL thickness between asymptomatic and adhesive capsulitis and bivariate correlation analysis to assess a correlation between age and CHL thickness. RESULTS: There was a significant positive linear relationship between age and CHL thickness (p<0.01, gamma=0.424). In female, there was a positive linear relationship between age and CHL thickness (p<0.01, gamma=0.610). However, in male, there was no significant correlation (gamma=0.224). The mean value of CHL thickness was 1.53 mm in 9 adhesive capsulitis and 0.92 mm in 35 asymptomatic ones. CHL thickness was significantly greater in adhesive capsulitis than in asymptomatic ones (p < 001). CONCLUSION: The thickened CHL is a good suggestive diagnostic value of adhesive capsulitis.
Adhesives ; Bursitis ; Elbow ; Female ; Forearm ; Hand ; Humans ; Humerus ; Ligaments ; Male ; Shoulder ; Transducers

BACKGROUND: With increasing industrial development, opportunities are growing to contact electricity in the workplace or home. Therefore, the risk of electrical accident has been increased gradually. In general, electrical injuries involve the extremities and result in amputation or severe disability of limbs. Delayed spinal cord injury and peripheral neuropathies following electrical accidents are extremely rare. CASE REPORT: A 32-year-old man with 10 years working experience at a CRT-monitor manufacturer with repetitive exposures to high voltage current visited our hosipital. He complained of left leg weakness and atrophy, and intermittent pain. The symptoms were progressive. Other symptoms occurred such as nocturia, hesitancy, and weak urinary stream. We examined the patient and conducted EMG, L-spine MRI, neurometer test, isokinetic strength test, and physical examination. The results showed neural injuries due to anterior horn lesions or compression of the left femoral nerve pathway, with a consequent diagnosis of neurogenic bladder.
Adult ; Amputation ; Animals ; Atrophy ; Diagnosis ; Electricity ; Extremities ; Femoral Nerve ; Horns ; Humans ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscular Atrophy ; Nocturia ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Physical Examination ; Rivers ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic

BACKGROUND: Reoxygenation of an ischemic heart causes a decrease in the cardiac function, which is known as reperfusion injury that is associated with an increase in the concentration of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This study examined the effect of the propofol concentration on the generation of ROS during reoxygenation in rat embryonic heart H9c2 cells. METHODS: Cultured H9c2 cells were examined in the following sequences: Prehypoxic, Hypoxic and Reoxygenation period. Each period required 60 minutes. The cells were exposed to propofol at the beginning of the prehypoxic period. Thirty minutes later, DCFH-DA (dichlorofluorescin diacetate) 10 micrometer was added to detect the ROS. The propofol concentrations used were 0, 5, 25, 50, 250 micrometer in the first experiment and 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 micrometer in the second experiment. The ROS level was estimated using a fluorometer at 5-minute intervals from 5 to 60 minutes after reoxygenation. RESULTS: When the propofol concentrations was > 5 micrometer, the ROS levels were significantly lower than those of the untreated group (P0) (P < 0.05). At propofol concentrations < 5 micrometer, the ROS levels 35 to 60 minutes after reoxygenation were significantly lower that in the untreated group (P < 0.05). Between 5 and 30 minutes after reoxygenation, the cells exposed to 1, 4 and 5 micrometer propofol also showed lower ROS levels than the untreated group P0. However, 2 and 3 micrometer propofol did not show any significant difference in ROS values to those observed in the untreated group except for 2 micrometer at 25 minutes after reoxygenation. CONCLUSIONS: During the reoxygenation period in H9c2 cells, propofol concentrations > 5 micrometer inhibited ROS production over the whole period, and even 1micrometer showed some inhibition of ROS.
Animals ; Heart* ; Propofol* ; Rats* ; Reactive Oxygen Species* ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury

BACKGROUND: The detection of total anti-hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) immunoglobulin (Ig) and IgM is important for diagnosing acute hepatitis A. Our laboratory introduced new commercial automated chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIAs) for use in addition to pre-existing automated CLIA. We evaluated the rate of agreement in the detection of total anti-HAV Ig and IgM in serum samples between two automated CLIAs. METHODS: We analyzed 181 samples those were submitted for testing at Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center. We analyzed the rate of agreement between the ADVIA Centaur XP (Siemens, Germany) and the MODULAR ANALYTICS E170 (Roche, Switzerland) analyzers. We performed reverse transcription (RT)-PCR when there was a discrepancy between the results from the two analyzers. RESULTS: The agreement rates between the ADVIA Centaur XP and the MODULAR ANALYTICS E170 for total anti-HAV Ig and IgM were 97.2% and 98.9%, respectively. Discrepant results were obtained in seven cases; all were found to be HAV-negative based on RT-PCR analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The total anti-HAV Ig and IgM results obtained using the two automated analyzers were comparable. However, in cases of equivocal results tested by the ADVIA Centaur XP for anti-HAV IgM, retesting and follow-up testing of samples are recommended.
Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A Antibodies ; Hepatitis A virus ; Immunoassay ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Luminescence ; Reverse Transcription ; Viruses