True primary mediastinal ectopic goiters are quite rare, and they occur in less than 1% of all goiters. We report here on a case in which a primary mediastinal ectopic goiter was accompanied with papillary microcarcinoma of the cervical thyroid. The mediastinal ectopic goiter was not connected to the cervical thyroid and its blood was supplied from intrathoracic vessels, which necessitated a thoracotomy or sternotomy for removal rather than a standard cervical collar incision. We performed total thyroidectomy for the papillary microcarcinoma of the cervical thyroid gland and transsternal removal for the mediastinal goiter; this resulted in a favorable outcome.
Goiter* ; Sternotomy ; Thoracotomy ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroidectomy

Canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine parvovirus (CPV), and canine parainfluenza virus 5 (CPIV-5) are the major viral pathogens in dogs. Despite the availability of vaccines for dogs against these four viral pathogens, investigations of antibodies against these pathogens have rarely been reported in South Korea. In this study, we investigated the recent incidence of viral diseases in dogs and conducted sero-surveillance for CDV, CAV-2, CPV, and CPIV-5 in Korean dogs. The most frequently diagnosed canine viral disease in Korean dog samples from 2000 to 2022 was CPV infection, which accounted for 48.7% (464/953) of the cases. A total of 400 dog serum samples collected between 2019 and 2022 were screened for the presence of virus-neutralizing antibodies against CDV, CAV-2, CPV, and CPIV-5. The overall seropositivity rates for CDV, CAV-2, CPV, and CPIV-5 were 83.8%, 77.8%, 99.3%, and 82.0%, respectively. The protection rate against CPV was the highest (98.3%) and that against CAV-2 was the lowest (44.8%) in dog sera. Male and female dogs showed no significant differences in seropositivity rates. CDV and CPIV-5 seropositivity increased with age in dogs, and the highest incidence and seropositivity rates of CPV indicated that Korean dogs have been continuously exposed to wild CPV, and that CPV is a pathogen that urgently requires attention among canine viral diseases.

Animals imported from abroad are a cause of rabies outbreaks in many countries. Therefore, rabies serology testing for dogs and cats traveling abroad is an important measure to reduce the incidence of rabies. Rabies virus antibodies were measured in sera collected from 2,367 dogs and 894 cats between 2017 and 2021. A serum sample with a value of 0.5 IU/mL or higher was considered a pass. The overall pass rates for rabies virus were 96.4% in dogs and 98.4% in cats. The mean rabies virus neutralization assay titers were higher in cats than in dogs and in female than in male animals. According to age, 6-year-old dogs and 9-year-old cats had the highest virus neutralization assay titers. Of the failure cases, 53.0% (53/100) were dogs or cats less than 1 year old. Although the average failure rates in dogs and cats were low at 3.5% and 1.6%, respectively, the factors influencing failure were age and vaccine manufacturer. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the vaccination interval and timing of blood collection after boosting.

East Asian surgeons generally report lower morbidity and mortality rates for gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy than do surgeons in Western countries; however, the disparity remains unexplained. The aim of this article was to determine the feasibility and safety regarding cases in which East Asian surgeons perform such procedures in Caucasian patients (CPs). Twelve CPs underwent gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer at Yonsei University Severance Hospital, Seoul, Korea between June 2011 and April 2014. Procedures performed included total gastrectomy (7 of 12, 58%), distal gastrectomy (4 of 12, 33%), and completion total gastrectomy (1 of 12, 8%). Nine patients (75%) underwent D2 lymphadenectomy, and D1+ lymphadenectomy was performed in three others (25%). In four patients (33%), combined resections were carried out. The median values of surgical parameters were as follows: operative time, 266.5 min (range, 120-586 min); estimated blood loss, 90 mL (range, 37-350 mL); retrieved lymph node count, 37.5 (range, 22-63); and postoperative hospital stay, 13.7 days (range, 5-63 days). No mortality was encountered, although two patients (17%) experienced complications (both Clavien-Dindo classification grade IIIa anastomotic leakages), which were successfully managed by conservative treatment. In the hands of East Asian surgeons, mortality and short-term morbidity appears to be acceptably low in CPs subjected to gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy for gastric cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; *European Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; *Gastrectomy/adverse effects ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; *Lymph Node Excision/adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Operative Time ; *Patients ; Pilot Projects ; Republic of Korea ; Safety ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; *Surgeons

No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels* ; Myocardial Infarction*

No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels* ; Myocardial Infarction*

Aspergillus funigatus and other pathogenic fungi synthesize a toxic epidithi-odiopiperzine (ETP) metabolite, namely gliotoxin. Gliotoxin commonly react with sulfhydryl groups, and then, forms hydrogen peroxide. These fungal toxins induce apoptotic cell death in various cells. Apoptosis induced by gliotoxin need calcium. Effect of calcium preconditioning was not reported in gliotoxin-induced apoptosis. To examine the effect of protein kinase C (PKC) and calcium which was regulate caspase-3, PKC and calcium preconditioning before gliotoxin treatment, apoptotic agents such as bcl-2 family, caspase-3 and DNA fragmentation in A7r5 cell line from rat smooth muscle cell were studied. These results showed that gliotoxin induces the expression of bad of bcl-2 family, caspase-3 activation and DNA fragmentation in A7r5 cells. Gliotoxin treatment followed by calcium and PKC preconditioning suppress the Bad of bcl-2 family, and inhibited caspase-3 activation, respectively. These results suggest that PKC and calcium preconditioning protect the gliotoxin-induced apoptosis, through the protection of pro-apoptotic bcl-2 family in A7r5 cells.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Aspergillus ; Calcium ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Cell Line ; DNA Fragmentation ; Fungi ; Gliotoxin ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Mycotoxins ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle* ; Protein Kinase C ; Rats*

We found an error in our published article. Figure 1 should be corrected.

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Communicable Diseases* ; Humans ; Immunization*

Background/Aims: Although it is near concluded that renin-angiotensin system inhibitors do not have a harmful effect on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is no report about whether angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) offer any protective role. This study aimed to compare the association of ARBs and ACEIs with COVID-19-related mortality. Methods: All patients with COVID-19 in Korea between January 19 and April 16, 2020 were enrolled. The association of ARBs and ACEIs with mortality within 60 days were evaluated. A comparison of hazard ratio (HR) was performed between COVID-19 patients and a retrospective cohort of pneumonia patients hospitalized in 2019 in Korea. Results: Among 10,448 COVID-19 patients, ARBs and ACEIs were prescribed in 1,231 (11.7%) and 57 (0.6%) patients, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and history of comorbidities, the ARB group showed neutral association (HR, 1.034; 95% CI, 0.765 to 1.399; p = 0.8270) and the ACEI groups showed no significant associations likely owing to the small population size (HR, 0.736; 95% CI, 0.314 to 1.726; p = 0.4810). When comparing HR between COVID-19 patients and a retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized with pneumonia in 2019, the trend of ACEIs showed similar benefits, whereas the protective effect of ARBs observed in the retrospective cohort was absent in COVID-19 patients. Meta-analyses showed significant positive correlation with survival of ACEIs, whereas a neutral association between ARBs and mortality. Conclusions Although ARBs or ACEIs were not associated with fatal outcomes, potential beneficial effects of ARBs observed in pneumonia were attenuated in COVID-19.