PURPOSE: To investigate clinical outcomes and to analyze the factors of successful treatment of conjunctiva-Muller muscle resection (CMMR) in patients with mild to moderate ptosis. METHODS: The medical records of 22 patients (30 eyes) with upper lid ptosis were retrospectively reviewed. All patients underwent conjunctiva-Muller muscle resections, and four patients (seven eyes) underwent concurrent upper lid blepharoplasty. The mean follow-up period was 81.62 +/- 21 days. Pre- and post-operative MRD1, IPF and pupil to brow distance were measured using the Image J program. A preoperative phenylephrine test and a pathologic examination were performed to analyze the presence of Muller's muscle and the tear secreting glands from the CMMR specimens. RESULTS: The overall success rate of the procedure was 93%. Postoperatively, the MRD1 increased on average by 1.47 mm (p = 0.00) and increased by an average of 1.72 mm when the phenylephrine test response was greater than 2 mm and by 0.99 mm when the response less than 2 mm. The Muller muscle was observed in every specimen. CONCLUSIONS: Conjunctiva-Muller muscle resection is an effective and safe method for treating mild to moderate ptosis, for which the preoperative phenylephrine test result is the most important factor for surgical success.
Blepharoplasty ; Conjunctiva ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Muscles ; Phenylephrine ; Pupil ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
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Laser in Situ keratomileusis(LASIK) has advantages over other refractive surgery. In particular, the refractive outcome to correct high myopia is relatively good. However, photorefractive keratectomy(PRK) is more widely used to treat low to moderate myopia than LASIK procedure. This study was a retrospective analysis of the surgical results after LASIK in the low to moderate myopia(-0.75D~-6.00D). Mean spherical equivalent refractive error was -0,12D, six month postoperatively, which was changed from mean spherical equivalent refractive error -5.07D preoperatively. Mean uncorrected visual acuity showed 0.91. None of the patients have lost their best corrected VA. Retreatment with LASIK enhancement for residual myopia was necessary in 6 eyes, because of undercorrection. This results showed that LASIK can be recommend to treat low to moderate myopia.
Humans ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ* ; Myopia* ; Refractive Errors ; Refractive Surgical Procedures ; Retreatment ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity

PUPOSE: Through a survey on an Internet homepage, we conducted research concerning the need of patients and their families for information on gastric cancer. We also assessed their interest in gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 619 inquiries presented from June 2002 to September 2003 and 524 replies submitted to a questionnaire survey delivered by the Internet homepage (www.gastriccancer.co.kr) from August to October 2003 to gastric cancer patients and their families. RESULTS: Analysis of Inquiries: The classified inquiries listed in order of frequency are as follows: treatment, prognosis, stages, symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnostic modalities, favorable food, etiology, follow-up, etc. Among the inquiries about treatment, the most frequent subgroup was about the scope of surgery or perioperative implications. Next came questions concerning chemotherapy. Among the questions from patients yet to be operated, on those about operability and the prognosis were most frequent. Among the patients who had undergone a resection, questions on complications and the corresponding prognosis were most frequent. The concern from patients with inoperable or recurrent cancers was related to terminal care and/or chemotherapy. Analysis of Questionnaires: The respondents acquired information on gastric cancer from the Internet (40%), doctors (32%), the mass media (15%) and acquaintances (13%). Only 6% of the respondents were sufficiently satisfied with the information provided by doctors. Among the respondents, 89.9% were interested in complementing treatment with folk remedies while only 5% were not. CONCLUSION: Patients and their families were eager to get information about gastric cancer. However, many of them found the doctors' information to be insufficient. Our suggestion is that the public health, academic societies, medical institutions, and public organizations should endeavor to provide through an activated Internet network correct information on gastric cancer.
Complement System Proteins ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Friends ; Humans ; Internet* ; Mass Media ; Medicine, Traditional ; Prognosis ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Societies, Medical ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: There have been studies on the relations between metabolic syndrome and colorectal cancer or on the relations between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphism and colorectal cancer, but reports on the relationship between metabolic syndrome, MTHFR polymorphism and colorectal cancer all together are rare. The aim of this study is to find the interrelation between metabolic syndrome and MTHFR polymorphism in colorectal cancer. METHODS: This study investigated 255 colorectal cancer patients (cancer group) who underwent surgery in our hospital from March 2003 to December 2008 and compared those patients to 488 healthy patients (control group). The diagnostic criterion for metabolic syndrome was based on the National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), and the MTHFR 677 polymorphism was analyzed. RESULTS: When colorectal cancer patients and patients in the control group were classified as MTHFR 677 subtypes, there was no difference between the two groups: CC 87 (34.1%), CT 134 (52.6%), and TT 34 (13.3%) for the cancer group and CC 145 (32.4%), CT 238 (53.1%), and TT 65 (14.5%) for the control group. Distributions of MTHFR 677C/T genotype and allele frequencies in the individuals with and without metabolic syndrome in the cancer group showed no differences. Moreover, we could find no differences in distributions of MTHFR 677C/T genotypes in the clinical and the biomedical variables of individuals with and without metabolic syndrome in the cancer group. CONCLUSION: Our results show no relation between metabolic syndrome and MTHFR polymorphism in colorectal cancer. However, a further prospective study, based on a precise diagnostic criterion for metabolic syndrome, is needed.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Cholesterol ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)

PURPOSE: To analyze the effect of presence with or absent of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and its stage, birth weight, conceptual age and associated diseases on the axial length of premature infants' eye. METHODS: A total of 102 eyes of 51 premature infants less than 36 weeks of conceptual age were evaluated in this study. Fundus examination for ROP and axial length measurement were conducted at 40, 52 and 64 weeks of postconceptual age. The medical records were reviewed retrospectively. Independent t-test analysis, simple regression analysis, and one-way ANOVA were performed to assess the influence of each factor on axial length. RESULTS: The mean axial length at 40, 52 and 64 weeks were 17.35, 18.80 and 19.78 mm, respectively. The mean axial length with and without ROP at 40 weeks were 17.10 mm and 17.54 mm, respectively, which were statistically significant (p=0.000). There was a significant decrease in axial length at 40 weeks in the higher ROP stage (p<0.05). Axial length and birth weight showed positive correlation with statistical significance at 40 weeks, while these parameters showed no significant correlation at 64 weeks. Axial length and conceptual age showed a positive correlation with statistical significance at 40 weeks (p=0.000), yet a negative correlation at 64 weeks with no statistical significance (p=0.306). A significant difference was not observed between sex and the associated diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The factors that affect the axial length of an infants'eye at 40 weeks were ROP and its stage, birth weight, and conceptual age. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between sex and the associated diseases.
Birth Weight ; Diterpenes ; Eye ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Medical Records ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Retrospective Studies

Colorectal cancer is one of the malignant tumours of which molecular genetic alterations have been much unveiled among the human cancers. In the multi-stepwise process to the carcinogenesis, it has been recently revealed that the neoplastic growth is originated either from the activiation of oncogene through its mutation, rearragement and amplification, or from the inactivation of the tumour suppression gene through its mutation and deletion. DCC(Deleted in colon cancer) protein is the product of DCC gene, the representative of tumor suppressor genes. The alteration of DCC protein may be related with the aggressiveness of carcinoma and metastasis. As a result, the prognosis of the cancer may be also thought to be affected. Now the prognosis of colorectal cancer mainly depends on pathologic staging, but there are some variations of survival and recurrence among the patients in same stage. Then this study is aimed to reveal the significance of alteration of DCC protein as an independent factor related to prognosis. Twenty three cancer tissues were obtained from the rejected specimens of colorectal carcinomas. We exacted the DCC gene products in the cancer tissues by the methods of immunohistochemical stains and Western blots. We also analyzed the relationships between the alteration of DCC proteins and the status of regional lymph node metastasis or the serum levels of CEA's(carcinoembryonic antigen). As results, we found the abscence or very scanty stains of DCC protein by Western lot in 14 cancer tissues of available 19 cases, but there were all negative responses in immunohistochemical stains. In contrast with above results, there were all positively stains of DCC proteins in corresponding 23 normal colorectal tissues by both the methods. There was no significantly statistical relation between the alteration of DCC proteins and the status of regional lymph node metastasis or the serum level of CEA. In conclusion, we can confirm that the DCC proteins are abscent or very scanty in colorectal cancer tissues and that may be related with the process of carcinogenesis. But the role of DCC protein loss as an independent prognostic factor was not found in this study.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinogenesis ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Coloring Agents ; Genes, DCC ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Molecular Biology ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oncogenes ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Staphylococcal Protein A

With the advent of checkpoint inhibitors, it has opened up opportunities for numerous cancer patients. However, as is the case with every treatment, complications need to be weighed. Gastrointestinal adverse effects, such as diarrhea and colitis are well-known complications for checkpoint inhibitors. In severe cases, colitis-induced colonic perforation may occur with an estimation of 1.0% to 1.5% in anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. However, only a handful of cases of such devastating complications have been reported in anti-PD-1 antibodies such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab. We here report a case of intestinal perforation in a patient treated with nivolumab.

Carotid body tumor is relatively rare neoplasm of the extra-adrenal paraganglion system. We have experienced two cases of carotid body tumors and successfully resected without any complication. Pre-operative intravascular embolization of the major arterial feeders was used. The cases and literatures were briefly reviewed.
Carotid Body Tumor ; Carotid Body