No abstract available.
Teratoma*

Among various soft tissue tumors, extraskeletal chondroma is a rare benign cartilaginous tumor most frequently found in the hands, adjacent to periarticular tissue. We recently experienced a case of extraskeletal chondroma in a 47-year-old woman. The skin lesion showed a slowly-growing, solitary nodule on the dorsal aspect of her foot, causing pain and tenderness. An excisional biopsy was undertaken, revealing a well-encapsulated subcutaneous nodule which was mainly composed of mature hyaline cartilage.
Biopsy ; Chondroma* ; Female ; Foot* ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyaline Cartilage ; Middle Aged ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Critical care physician staffing is a crucial element of the intensive care unit (ICU) organization, and is associated with better outcomes in ICUs. Adult ICUs in Korea have been suffering from inadequate full-time intensivists and nurses because of insufficient reimbursement rates (<50% of the original critical care cost) from the National Health Insurance System. Recently, full-time intensivists have been introduced as a prerequisite for adult ICUs of tertiary hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of intensivist staffing among critical care program directors regarding the barriers and solutions when implementing an intensivist model of critical care in Korea. METHODS: An email survey of critical care program directors in designated teaching hospitals for critical care subspecialty training by the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine was performed. The survey domains included vision, culture, resources, barriers, and potential solutions to implementing intensivist physician staffing (IPS). RESULTS: Forty-two critical care program directors were surveyed. A total of 28 directors (66.7%) responded to email queries. Of these, 27 directors (96.4%) agreed that IPS would improve the quality of care in the ICU, although half of them reported a negative perception of relevant clinical colleagues for the role of full-time intensivists and poor resources for IPS in their hospitals. Increased financial burden due to hiring full-time intensivists and concerns regarding exclusion from the management of their critically ill patients in the ICU, together with loss of income for primary attending physicians were stated by the respondents to be major barriers to implementing IPS. Financial incentives for the required cost from the health insurance system and enhancement of medical law relevant to critical care were regarded as solutions to these issues. CONCLUSIONS: Critical care program directors believe that intensivist-led critical care can improve the outcome of ICUs. They indicated the financial burden due to IPS and underestimation of a full-time intensivist's role to be major barriers. The program directors agreed that a partnership between hospital leaders and the Ministry of Health and Welfare was needed to overcome these barriers.
Adult* ; Critical Care ; Critical Illness ; Electronic Mail ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Intensive Care Units ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Motivation ; National Health Programs ; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tertiary Care Centers

We found an error in this article. The author's name should be corrected as following: from "Younsuk Koh" to "Younsuck Koh".

Primary inoculation tuberculosis, also called tuberculosis chancre or tuberculosis primary complex, is the result of direct inoculation of M. tuberculosis in the skin of a host who has not been infected. A 33-year-old laboratory male presents with painless erythematous nodule and central ulcer on the left middle finger for 3 weeks. The skin lesion was developed after he punctured his finger with a needle containing M. tuberculosis. He had no history of tuberculosis. Histopathologic finding showed a wedged shaped abscess mixed with nuclear dust and eosinophils in the epidermis, and inflammatory cell infiltrations and caseation necrosis within the granuloma in the dermis. No bacillus was found in the lesion on AFB stain. We performed polymerase chain reaction with lesional tissue and obtained a positive result. So we diagnosed this case as a primary inoculation tuberculosis, and started antituberculosis medication. After 2 months of treatment, the erythema and ulcer improved. The patient completed a 9 months course of antituberculosis therapy without complication.
Abscess ; Adult ; Bacillus ; Chancre ; Dermis ; Dust ; Eosinophils ; Epidermis ; Erythema ; Fingers ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Needles ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin ; Tuberculosis* ; Ulcer

Keratoacanthoma is a rapidly growing tumor that has the tendency of spontaneous involution but it may persist for some times, continue to enlarge and may become invasive and destructive. Many modalities are available for the treatment of keratoacanthoma. Although excisional surgery is the treatment of choice, this can result in functional and cosmetic defects when large or strategically located lesions are treated. An effective nonsurgical treatment would be desirable in such cases. We report two cases with unusually large or facial keratoacanthoma treated with intralesional methotrexate. One case showed complete resolution over 6 injections and the other after 2 injections. We suggest that intralesional injection of methotrexate is a simple, effective, safe and inexpensive method for the treatment of large keratoacanthoma.
Injections, Intralesional ; Keratoacanthoma* ; Methotrexate*

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a disorder caused by otoconia in the inner ear. Its symptoms are repeated episodes of positional vertigo, that is, of a spinning sensation caused by changes in the position of the head. BPPV with simultaneous ipsilateral sudden deafness is rare. A 82-year-old woman was admitted due to acute onset of right ear hearing impairment, tinnitus, and vertigo for a day. She had a history of hypertension for 5 years. On neurologic examination, spontaneous nystagmus was not observed. However, roll test showed direction-changing horizontal geotrophic nystagmus. Vestibular function test showed positional nystagmus compactable with right horizontal semicircular canal-BPPV (canalolithiasis). Brain MRI was unremarkable. Neuro-otologic evaluation reveals right ear sensorineural deafness. Barbecue maneuver was applied for treatment for BPPV. Dexamethasone 10 mg intravenous for 5 days after then methylprednisolone orally for 5 days was done. Vertigo improved after treatment, but deafness still remain. We report a case of sudden deafness concurrent with ipsilateral BPPV and consider the mechanisms of this lesion.
Aged, 80 and over ; Brain ; Deafness ; Dexamethasone ; Ear ; Ear, Inner ; Female ; Head ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Methylprednisolone ; Neurologic Examination ; Nystagmus, Physiologic ; Otolithic Membrane ; Tinnitus ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Function Tests

PURPOSE: Serum levels of G-CSF and GM-CSF were measured and CFU-GM assay using G- CSF, GM-CSF and SCF was conducted to evaluate the influence of hematopoietic growth factor on the precursor cells of cyclic neutropenia. METHODS: A 7-year-old male with cyclic neutropenia was studied. Marrow mononuclear cells were isolated at neutrophil nadir and recovery and cultured in methylcellulose media with or without G-CSF, GM- CSF and SCF. CD34 positive cells were evaluated using flow cytometry. Serum levels of G-CSF and GM-CSF were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The Numbers of CFU-GM without growth factors were 50 at neutrophil nadir and 33 at the recovery phase in the patient and show increased colony forming capacity. CD34 positive cells were 9.32% at nadir and 14.17% at recovery. Increasement of CFU-GM with G-CSF at nadir and recovery were 46% and 118% and those with GM-CSF were 70% and 78% respectively, compared with 54.4% and 78.2% in control groups. In contrast, the presence of SCF did not enhance CFU-GM number in the patient, but in the control group, increasement with SCF was 28.9 %. There an was inverse relationship between serum G-CSF levels and peripheral neutrophil count whereas those of GM-CSF were constant. CONCLUSION: Serum G-CSF level showed inverse relationship with neutrophil counts. The response of progenitor cells to G-CSF and GM-CSF was not impaired. The presence of SCF did not enhance CFU-GM number in the patient. This result suggests that the abnormality in hematopoiesis in cyclic neutropenia may involve more immature progenitor cells responsive to SCF.
Bone Marrow ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor* ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor* ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Progenitor Cells* ; Hematopoiesis ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Male ; Methylcellulose ; Neutropenia* ; Neutrophils ; Stem Cells

The appearance of a tumor in the chest wall is rare compared to that in any other part of the body. It can be classified into benign and malignant types and can be located in the rib, clavicle, sternum, cartilage and soft tissues. Tumors that are metastatic are commonly located in the lung, breast, bone and pleura. But, the soft tissue mass of anterior chest wall is rarely metastasized from a distant organ that is not confined to the thoracic cavity. This and thus has rarely been described. A 68-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with a chief complaint of resting dyspnea. A huge non-tender mass of about 10*15 cm in size was visible on his left lower anterior chest wall. We pathologically confirmed that the mass was a metastatic renal cell carcinoma of clear cell type by incision biopsy. Through an incision biopsy, the mass was pathologically confirmed as a metastatic renal cell carcinoma of the clear cell type.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cartilage ; Clavicle ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pleura ; Ribs ; Sternum ; Thoracic Cavity ; Thoracic Wall* ; Thorax*

PURPOSE: As vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) could lead to renal functional deterioration when combined with urinary tract infection, we need to decide whether operative anti-reflux treatment should be performed at the time of diagnosis of VUR. Predictive value of radioisotope voiding cystography (RIVCG) for renal outcome was tested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 35 children (18 males, 17 females), radiologic voiding cystourethrography (VCU), RIVCG and DMSA scan were performed. Change in renal function was evaluated using the follow-up DMSA scan, ultrasonography, and clinical information. Discriminant analysis was performed using individual or integrated variables such as reflux amount and extent at each phase of voiding on RIVCG, in addition to age, gender and cortical defect on DMSA scan at the time of diagnosis. Discriminant function was composed and its performance was examined. RESULTS: Reflux extent at the filling phase and reflux amount and extent at postvoiding phase had a significant prognostic value. Total reflux amount was a composite variable to predict prognosis. Discriminant function composed of reflux extent at the filling phase and reflux amount and extent at postvoiding phase showed better positive predictive value and specificity than conventional reflux grading. CONCLUSION: RIVCG could predict renal outcome by disclosing characteristic reflux pattern during various voiding phases.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Succimer ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux