The branch retinal vein occlusion is the second most common retinal vascular disease after diabetic retinopathy. Complications such as macular edema, retinal neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, epiretinal membrane may be associated. But, the retinal detachment may occur rarely in BRVO patients. We studied the clinical features of retinal detachment associated with branch retinal vein occlusion. We reviewed the medical records of 15 retinal detachment patients associated with branch retinal vein occlusion. Mean age was 54.7 years old and 10 patients(66.7%) were female. Hypertension was associated in 13cases(86.7%). The duration between the development of BRVO and the development of retinal detachment was shorter than 4 years in all cases and shorter than 2 years in 9 cases(60.0%). Retinal break was identified in 14 cases(93.3%), among which 13 cases(92.2%) were located inside the lesion of branch vein occlusion. The epiretinal membrane was frequently combined 8 cases(53.3%). The preoperative laser photocoagulation was done in 4 cases(26.7%). The primary surgical procedures included scleral buckling in 8 cases(53.3%), pars plana vitrectomy in 6 cases(40.0%), and scleral buckling with pars plana vitrectomy in 1 case(6.7%). Three cases(20.0%) required reoperations. The postoperative complications included the progression of cataract in 6 cases(40.0%), iatrogenic retinal tear in 3 cases(20.0%), epiretinal membrane in 2 cases(13.3%), and proliferative vitreoretinopathy in 1 case(6.7%). The anatomic retinal reattachment was achieved in 14 cases(93.5%) and the visual recovery in 11 cases(73.3%).
Cataract ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Epiretinal Membrane ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Light Coagulation ; Macular Edema ; Medical Records ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinal Detachment* ; Retinal Neovascularization ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Scleral Buckling ; Vascular Diseases ; Veins ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

Pseudo-kaposi's sarcoma is a vasoproliferative disorder that may resemble Kaposi's sarcoma, clinically and histologically. In most cases, it has been associated with congenital or iatrogenic arteriovenous fistula and chronic venous insuffiency. We present a 36-year-old male patient with pseudo-Kaposi's sarcoma caused by a deed vein thrombosis in the absence of any detectable underlying etiologic factors.
Adult ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Humans ; Male ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Kaposi* ; Thrombosis ; Veins ; Venous Thrombosis*

Authors experienced a case of A3B in a 46-year-old patient with liver cirrhosis and two cases of A3 in her children by family study. A3 subgroups were confirmed by delayed and weak positive with anti-A and anti-A,B, negative in anti-A1 lectin, adsorption-elution test, and family study. We report a family case of A3B and A3 with brief review of literatures.
Child ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Middle Aged

To check expert opinion about the investigation system of medicine-related death, model for "Death Investigation Center" was suggested and related questionnaire were requested. Between 15 December 2009 and 5 April 2010, we sent e-mails of the questionnaire which asked the opinion for the new postmortem investigation system. We sent the questionnaire to 3,289 lawyers and 4,523 doctors (total 7812), and received 100 replies out of the total. All the lawyers and doctors interviewed knew the importance of the postmortem investigation system. Most of them (87%) agreed to the introduction of the new postmortem investigation system. Some of them thought that protector's agreement was necessary for the postmortem investigation (21%), and more doctors were likely to participate with legal protocol (23%). If the postmortem investigation could not be performed due to the protector's disagreement, another specialized medical investigation should be needed to figure out the cause of death (85%). The new postmortem investigation system should be performed by the specific institution, and supported by the government (44%). In many expert's opinion, nonmedical experts such as lawyers and priests should be included for the institution of investigation for objectivity and neutrality (72%). This sample study finds that the postmortem investigation performed by specialized institution is necessary to determine the cause of death in the hospital. For the operation of the system, neutrality and the operating core would be the most important.
Cause of Death ; Electronic Mail ; Expert Testimony ; Humans ; Lawyers ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The prompt detection of bacteremia continues to be one of the most important responsibilities of clinical microbiology. But clinical diagnosis of bacteremia remains difficult, particularly in the neonates and young children. And fastidious bacteria with specific growth requirements or bacteria requiring longer incubation period are apt to be negative results in blood cultures. Therefore, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification which targets the highly conserved DNA sequences found in all eubacteria would permit fast and sensitive determination of the presence of bacteria in blood. METHODS: A primer pair (DG74, RW01) for highly conserved regions of bacterial DNA encoding 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was utilized for PCR amplification. PCR results were compaired with blood cultures and PCR products were digested with SmaI restriction enzyme for cutting of recognition site. RESULTS: Among 44 blood specimens which organisms were isolated by blood culture, 41 samples were positive for PCR, and 3 samples which C. albicans, P. aeruginosa, and gram- positive bacillus isolated were negative. No signal was observed when blood obtained from person without clinical sign and or symptoms of bacteremia. All 41 PCR products (371 bp) were cutted in two DNA fragments (161 bp, 210 bp) by SmaI enzyme. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that a single primer pair designed to anneal to a highly conserved region of bacterial DNA can amplify DNA specimens from different bacteria, while not amplifying human DNA. Because of early detection, molecular trial of patients with signs and symptoms of possible bacterial infection will decrease morbidity and mortality with bacteremia, this approach may make it possible to identify new, nonculturable bacterial pathogens. Furthermore, if we use the specific primers for gram positive or negative bacteria in PCR method, it would be a more useful diagnostic tool for the clinicians.
Bacillus ; Bacteremia* ; Bacteria* ; Bacterial Infections ; Base Sequence ; Child ; Diagnosis* ; DNA ; DNA, Bacterial ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mortality ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Background: Fibroblasts produce collagen molecules that support the structure of the skin.The decrease and hypersynthesis of collagen causes skin problems such as skin atrophy, wrinkles and scars. Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism of mitoxantrone on collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. Methods: Cultured fibroblasts were treated with mitoxantrone, and then collagen synthesis was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Results: Mitoxantrone inhibited the expression of type I collagen in fibroblasts at both the mRNA and protein levels. In the collagen gel contraction assay, mitoxantrone significantly inhibited gel contraction compared to the control group. Mitoxantrone inhibited transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-induced phosphorylation of SMAD3. Finally, mitoxantrone inhibited the expression of LARP6, an RNA-binding protein that regulates collagen mRNA stability. Conclusion These results suggest that mitoxantrone reduces collagen synthesis by inhibiting TGF-β/SMAD signaling and LARP6 expression in fibroblasts, which can be developed as a therapeutic agent for diseases caused by collagen hypersynthesis.

During 2010 and 2012 grape harvest seasons in Gyeonggi-do, Korea, a white stain symptom was observed on the harvested grape fruits in 'Campbell-Early' and 'Kyoho' varieties. In samples collected from the infected vine, two different strains of pathogenic fungi have been found and identified as Acremonium acutatum and Trichothecium roseum based on fungal morphology and nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and supported by the phylogenetic analysis of the rDNA-ITS region. The DNA homologies of the isolated strains were 99.8% and 99.6% identical with T. roseum (IFB-22133) and A. acutatum (CBS682.71), respectively. In the pathogenicity test, the spores of A. acutatum and T. roseum sprayed on the grapes caused white stain symptoms on the fruits in two weeks after the artificial inoculation, which is similar to observations in the field. To our knowledge, this is the first report of white stain symptoms caused by A. acutatum and T. roseum on the grapes in Korea.
Acremonium* ; Base Sequence ; DNA ; Fruit ; Fungi ; Gyeonggi-do ; Korea ; Seasons ; Spores ; Virulence ; Vitis*

Objective: : The treatment paradigm for acute ischemic stroke has undergone several major changes in the past decade, contributing to improved patient prognosis in clinical practice. However, the extent to which these changes have affected patient prognosis in the real-world is yet to be clarified. This study aimed to evaluate the real-world impact of modern reperfusion therapy for acute ischemic stroke using data from the National Health Insurance Service in Korea. Methods: : This study included patients aged 18–80 years who were admitted via the emergency room with an I63 code between 2011 and 2020. The rates of intravenous thrombolysis use and endovascular treatment according to the year of admission were investigated. Furthermore, the rates of decompressive craniectomy and 3-month mortality were also analyzed. The 10-year observational period was divided into three periods based on the 2015 guideline change as follows : prior, 2011–2014; transitional, 2015–2016; and modern, 2017–2020. Results: : A total of 307117 patients (mean age, 65.7±10.9 years) were included, and most patients were male (59.7%). The rate of endovascular treatment gradually increased during the study period from 0.71% in the prior period to 1.32% in the transitional period and finally to 1.85% in the modern period. Meanwhile, the 3-month mortality rate gradually decreased from 4.78% in the prior period to 4.03% in the transitional period and to 3.71% in the modern period. Conclusion : In Korea, the mortality rate decreased as the rate of modern reperfusion therapy increased in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Overall, technical and scientific advances in reperfusion therapy have improved the outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke in Korea.

Background: Direct immunofluorescence (DIF) is a histochemical technique used to detect tissue-bound autoantibodies and diagnose various immune-mediated skin diseases. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of DIF for each disorder, and the consistency between clinical, histopathological, and DIF results. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in 194 patients who underwent skin biopsy and DIF testing at our hospital between January 2011 and December 2021. An antibody panel against immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, IgM, C3, C1q, and fibrinogen was used. The concordance rate and κ-coefficient between the clinical, histopathological, and DIF results were evaluated. Results: DIF was observed to be positive in 87 cases; 51 cases of immune-mediated bullous diseases, seven cases of connective tissue diseases (CTDs), 25 cases of vasculitis, and four cases of other diseases. The overall sensitivity of DIF for immune-mediated bullous diseases was 71.8%, which was higher than that of histopathology (64.8%). In CTDs and vasculitis, the overall sensitivities of DIF were 30.4% and 65.8%, respectively, which were lower than those of histopathology (73.9% and 84.2%, respectively). In addition, good concordance among the clinical, histological, and DIF results was observed. Conclusion DIF is a useful diagnostic method, especially for immune-mediated bullous diseases, lupus erythematosus, and Henoch-Schonlein purpura. However, in other CTDs and vasculitis cases, the sensitivity of DIF is relatively low. Therefore, the diagnostic value of DIF along with clinical and histopathological findings will be maximized only when the DIF test is performed for appropriate diseases.

No abstract available.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization ; Heterocyclic Compounds ; Korea ; Stem Cells