Microscopic polyangiitis is a systemic small-vessel vasculitis, which may involve multiple organs, but cardiac involvement is relatively rare. We report a case of microscopic polyangiitis with multiple organ involvement, in which myocardial infarction was the early manifestation of the disease. A 53-year-old man presented with sudden papulovesicular eruptions and swellings on the face, posterior neck, dorsa of both hands and fingers, and with diffuse erythematous patches on the back. He had suffered from renal dysfunction, arthralgia, and hypertension for more than 8 years. He had been admitted to the department of cardiology for acute myocardial infarction and had suffered from recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding, renal failure, acute pancreatitis and sepsis during the admission. Histopathologically, small-vessel leukocytoclastic vasculitis with out granuloma was seen. Direct immunofluorescence showed no immune deposite. A high serum level of P-ANCA was detected by ELISA.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Arthralgia ; Cardiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fingers ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Granuloma ; Hand ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Microscopic Polyangiitis* ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Neck ; Pancreatitis ; Sepsis ; Vasculitis

Intervertebral disc calcification is rare in children, and known as a spine disease of unknown cause. Since the original description by Baron in 1924, about 200 cases have been reported worldwide. This disease is usually self-limited and responds to a conservative management unless there is an evidence of disc herniation into the spinal canal with associated neural symptoms. We experienced a case of intervertebral disc calcification in a 6-year-old girl and report the clinical and radiographic findings in detail.
Child ; Female* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc* ; Spinal Canal ; Spine

No abstract available.
Animals ; Dopamine* ; Models, Animal* ; Parkinsonian Disorders* ; Rats* ; Receptors, Dopamine*

No abstract available.
Astrocytoma ; Brain* ; Drug Therapy ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma* ; Humans ; Nimustine* ; Radiotherapy*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: DA-9701 is a novel prokinetic agent. In the present study, we investigated the effect of DA-9701 on the motility of the gastric antrum in the normal and clonidine-induced hypomotility in an in vivo animal model. METHODS: A strain gauge force transducer was sutured on the gastric antrum to measure the contractile activity in rats. A total of 28 rats were subclassified into the 4 groups: (1) the placebo group, (2) the DA-9701 group, (3) the placebo group in the clonidine-pretreated rats, and (4) the DA-9701 group in the clonidine-pretreated rats. After the basal recording, either placebo (3% [w/v] hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose) or DA-9701 was administered. Contractile signals were measured after the administration and after a meal. In the clonidine-pretreated rats, either placebo or DA-9701 was administered. Contractile signals were measured after the administration and after a meal. RESULTS: Oral administration of DA-9701 did not significantly alter the motility index of the gastric antrum in the preprandial and postprandial periods, compared with the placebo group. The administration of clonidine decreased the motility index of the gastric antrum in the preprandial and postprandial periods, compared with the administration of placebo. This reduction of the antral motility by the administration of clonidine was not observed in the clonidine-pretreated DA-9701 group. The percentage of the motility index in the postprandial period was significantly greater in the clonidine-pretreated DA-9701 group, compared with the clonidine-pretreated placebo group. CONCLUSIONS: DA-9701 improves the hypomotility of the gastric antrum induced by clonidine, suggesting its gastroprokinetic effect in the pathologic condition.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Clonidine ; Meals ; Models, Animal ; Postprandial Period ; Pyloric Antrum* ; Rats* ; Transducers

No abstract available.
Carotid Artery, Internal

Background: The platelet aggregation test is widely used to measure antiplatelet therapy response and to detect platelet function disorders. CS-5100 (Sysmex Co., Japan) is a recently introduced coagulation analyzer that can also measure platelet aggregation. We evaluated the performance of CS-5100 in the platelet aggregation test for use in clinical laboratories. Methods: We investigated the precision, stability, dilution test, and correlation of CS-5100 with a traditional aggregometer. Precision was tested using normal and patient samples. Stability was assessed over 5 different time points for 8 hours. The dilution test was performed with normal samples using ADP agonists. We tested correlations between the results of Chrono-log aggregometer (Chrono-Log Co., USA) and CS-5100 using 10 samples with 5 agonists each. We also calculated the reference range of 5 agonists using 22-30 normal samples. Results: The coefficients of variation using normal samples were 7.45% and 3.27% for ADP and arachidonic acid, respectively. Stability was maintained for up to 2 hours in most samples. Dilution tests showed similar results until reaching a dilution factor of 2. Strong correlations of the results between Chrono-log and CS-5100 were found, except for ristocetin. The reference ranges of 5 reagents in CS-5100 were similar to those obtained with the Chrono-log aggregometer. Conclusions The performance of CS-5100 in platelet aggregation tests showed reliable results compared to a traditional aggregometer. CS-5100 can perform coagulation test and platelet aggregation test, simultaneously. Thus, CS-5100 can enable cost saving and reduce turn-around-time by reducing the inspection time.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the relationship among health-related quality of life of the Cheon-nam region elderly with low back pain. METHODS: Data were obtained from cross-sectional surveys conducted as a part of the Community Health Survey 2008. The final analysis included data from 7,003 of the 7,070 elderly participants (aged over 65 years), as 67 responses were excluded since they were inaccurate. Data were analyzed with SPSS for Windows (ver. 19.0), using a chi2-test, a t-test, an ANOVA, and multiple liner regression. The significance threshold was set as p<0.05. RESULTS: Factors related to the health-related quality of life of the elderly were low back pain, age, education level, occupation, subjective health status, subjective stress, drinking status, number of chronic diseases, and sleep duration. Further, health-related quality of life was significantly lower in elderly adults with low back pain. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve health-related quality of life of the elderly and the development of the program for the management of low back pain will be needed to determine, it is considered necessary to study more to follow through the various analysis of in the elderly and health-related quality of life.
Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drinking ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Occupations ; Quality of Life

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Identification of coronary sites susceptible to progression or nonprogression might provide additional information to select medical or surgical treatment and furthermore for appropriate timing for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft. METHODS: We reviewed serial coronary arteriograms of 50 patients with coronary artery disease retrospectively. Patients were managed with standard treatment including anti-hypertensives, antiplatelets, lipid-lowering agents and other risk factor management by attending physician's decision. Patients who received percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft or thrombolysis were excluded. Cononary arteriographies were undertaken with average 33 months interval. Criteria for the progression and regression were the changes of the luminal diameter narrowing of the arterial segment by 20% or more reduction or increase, respectively. Results: Patients show progressive change, regressive change or no significant interval change in 50%, 12% and 30% of total 50 patients, respectively. Male gender, angiographic interval were the significant predictor of progressive change. In terms of coronary segment, stable segments are most frequent 52.2% (72/138) and progression in 40.2% (74/184), regression in 27.5% (38/138). Initial coronary lesions with low grade stenosis (less than 50%) have a tendency to progress than that of high grade stenosis (70% or more) Percentage diameter stenosis of new lesion are not related linearly with the interval between two sequential angiographies. CONCLUSION: Number of patients with progressive coronary arteriogram are more frequent than the patients with regressive change or no interval change. Progression and regression are frequent finding of serial coronary arteriography in usual clinical practice. Progression and regression are found frequently in the same patient at different coronary branches (16 patients). It suggested that the local factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease as well as systemic risk factors.
Angiography* ; Angioplasty ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Phenobarbital ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Transplants

Solitary plasmacytoma consists of solitary bone plasmacytoma (SBP) and extramedullary plasmacytoma. Its frequency is about 7% among the total plasma cell neoplasm. Solitary bone plasmacytoma of the cranial cavity occurs in 0~18% of patients with SBP. We experienced a case of SBP originated from the middle cranial fossa in a 68-year-old man. After surgical removal of the mass, biopsy specimen revealed plasmacytoma, kappa type. There was no evidence of systemic involvement. Additional radiotherapy was performed. Twenty-one months after the diagnosis of SBP, pathologic fracture of the left humerus happened. Biopsy specimen of the operation revealed same diagnosis. At that time, Bence Jones proteinuria was detected in immuno-electrophoresis of urine and simple bone X-rays showed multiple osteolytic lesions.A case of SBP of the orbit and middle cranial fossa in a 68-year-old man is presented and the literature is reviewed.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Cranial Fossa, Middle* ; Diagnosis ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Humans ; Humerus ; Neoplasms, Plasma Cell ; Orbit ; Plasmacytoma* ; Proteinuria ; Radiotherapy