A ganglion cyst is a relatively common benign tumor on the wrist. Conservative and surgical approaches have been used for its treatment. Various conservative treatment methods have been suggested such as reassurance, aspiration, sclerosant injection, and direct compression. But, there is no acceptable treatment of choice yet because each suggested method has a relatively high recurrence rate. We want to report two cases in which the size of the wrist ganglion was decreased by using electroacupuncture. One patient presented with a chronic ganglion for six years and the other patient presented with a recently occurred acute ganglion. We applied electroacupuncture for 20 minutes once a week for eight weeks to both of them. Afterwards, the size of the wrist ganglion diminished in the follow-up sonography and the accompanying pain was also relieved. Herein we report both cases along with a review of the relevant literature.
Electroacupuncture* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganglion Cysts* ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Wrist*

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a routine ultrasonography (US) is necessary for diagnosis of developmental dysplasia of hip (DDH), presenting with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT). METHODS: Cases of 133 patients (81 males, 52 females) diagnosed as CMT were reviewed, retrospectively. We reviewed the medical charts and diagnostic examination. We also assessed the coincidence of CMT and DDH, and investigated the clinical features of CMT related to DDH. RESULTS: Twenty (15.0%) patients out of 133 CMT patients were diagnosed as having DDH by US. Of whom, 8 patients were radiographically positive and 4 patients were both clinically and radiographically positive. Nine patients were treated with a harness and 1 of them needed closed reduction and casting. Out of 9 patients treated with a harness, only 4 were clinically positive. The difference and ratio of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle thickness between the normal and abnormal side was significantly greater in DDH patients (p=0.014). Further, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed when the SCM ratio is greater than 2.08 and the SCM difference is greater than 6.1 mm, the efficiency of US for the diagnosis of the DDH was found to be the best (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: To evaluate DDH, physical examination showed low sensitivity and radiologic study has limitation for the child before 4 to 6 months of age. Therefore, we recommend that hip is screened by US for the diagnosis of DDH associated with CMT when physical examination is positive or CMT patients with large SCM difference and high SCM ratio.
Child ; Hip ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Male ; Muscles ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Torticollis

Menetrier' disease is a rare disease characterized, histologically, by epithelial hyperplasia involving the surface and foveolar mucous cells, accompanied by atrophic or normal oxyntic glands of the stomach. The 48 year-old man with epigastric discomfort and peripheral edema was admitted to St. Paul Hospital. Gastrofiberscopic examination revealed extremely thickened mucosal fold in fundus and body especially greater curvature of stomach, and microscopically there was marked hyperplasia of foveolae and cystic dilatation. Serum albumin concentration was decreased and clearance of a1-antitrypsin was markedly increased in the stool, suggesting the protein-losing enteropathy. He was diagnosed to Menetrier's disease and treated with H2 blocker, antacids, diuretics and albumin replacement.
Antacids ; Dilatation ; Diuretics ; Edema ; Esophagus* ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Intestines* ; Middle Aged ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies ; Rare Diseases ; Serum Albumin ; Stomach*

BACKGROUND: The sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) is a membrane glycoprotein that facilitates the uptake of iodine by thyroid follicular cells. Although the use of radioiodide is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases, few studies have been conducted to investigate the use of NIS-mediated radioiodide accumulation in lung cancer. We evaluated the expression of NIS by immunohistochemistry in order to examine the diagnostic or therapeutic feasibility of using radioiodide in the treatment of primary lung cancer. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry for NIS was performed in 139 lung cancers. The expression pattern of NIS was compared with the clinicopathological characteristics of the tumors. RESULTS: NIS immunoreactivity was detected in 75 (54.0%) of the 139 cases. Twenty-three (37.7%) of the 61 squamous cell carcinomas, 49 (76.6%) of the 64 adenocarcinomas, 2 (40.0%) of the 5 small cell carcinomas, and 3 (33.3%) of the 9 other carcinomas showed positive NIS immunoreactivity. The expression of NIS was significantly associated with the histologic type (p<0.001), but it did not correlate with tumor size, lymphovascular invasion or lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of NIS was detected in lung cancer tissue using immunohistochemistry. Lung cancer potentially could be targeted with radioiodide for both diagnosis and treatment, especially in cases of adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Iodine ; Ion Transport* ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland

Little is known about hair mineral status in fibromyalgia patients. This study evaluated the characteristics of hair minerals in female patients with fibromyalgia compared with a healthy reference group. Forty-four female patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria were enrolled as the case group. Age- and body mass index-matched data were obtained from 122 control subjects enrolled during visit for a regular health check-up. Hair minerals were analyzed and compared between the two groups. The mean age was 43.7 yr. General characteristics were not different between the two groups. Fibromyalgia patients showed a significantly lower level of calcium (775 microg/g vs 1,093 microg/g), magnesium (52 microg/g vs 72 microg/g), iron (5.9 microg/g vs 7.1 microg/g), copper (28.3 microg/g vs 40.2 microg/g) and manganese (140 ng/g vs 190 ng/g). Calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese were loaded in the same factor using factor analysis; the mean of this factor was significantly lower in fibromyalgia group in multivariate analysis with adjustment for potential confounders. In conclusion, the concentrations of calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese in the hair of female patients with fibromyalgia are lower than of controls, even after adjustment of potential confounders.
Adult ; Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Calcium/analysis ; Female ; Fibromyalgia/*metabolism ; Hair/*chemistry ; Humans ; Iron/analysis ; Magnesium/analysis ; Manganese/analysis ; Metals/*analysis ; Middle Aged