Male genital tract inflammatory conditions may be associated with unexplained infertility. The presence of cytokine such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was reported in the semen of infertile men. However, the effect of these cytokines on human sperm function is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in-vitro effects of TNF-alpha on human sperm motility with computer assisted sperm analysis. Washed sperm from 16 normal men were incubated without and with TNF-alpha(0.1, 10, 1000 ng/ml). The changes of parameters of sperm motility were recorded at different time intervals (0, 5, 24 hour). There was no significant change of parameters of sperm motility in the incubation with TNF-alpha. It is suggested that TNF-alpha alone does not interfere with the sperm motility and more studies are needed.
Cytokines ; Humans ; Infertility ; Male ; Semen ; Sperm Motility* ; Spermatozoa* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

OBJECTIVE: To know when human papillomavirus (HPV) testing should be done after conization. METHODS: Between 1997 to 2004, Large Loop Excisions of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ) were done for conization to women with cervical pathology at A University Hospital. The Pap and HPV typing were done before LLETZ procedures. After conizations, HPV typing were planned to be done every 3 months. Every HPV typing was done by HPV oligonucleotide microarray (Biomedlab Co., Seoul, South Korea). RESULTS: For 8 years, 120 LLETZ were enrolled in this study. There were 8 cases of no neoplasm, 9 cases of CIN 1, 17 cases of CIN 2, 74 cases of CIN 3, 10 cases of microinvasive cervix cancer, and 2 cases of adenocarcinoma in situ. HPV DNA before LLETZ procedures was found about 85.0% and subtype 16 was the most common type among the patients with cervical lesion (40.8%). After LLETZ, 190 HPV typing were done through 1,307 total months (average, 6.9 months/typing). 95 (79.2%) cases had negative results, and 25 (20.8%) cases had positive results. Our data showed that, after conization, about 80% turned out to negative in 6 months. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested HPV DNA testing should be done after 6 months of LLETZ, as about 80% were destined to negative in 6 months.
Adenocarcinoma ; Conization* ; DNA ; Female ; Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests ; Humans* ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Pathology ; Seoul ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: Preterm birth is an important cause of infant death and morbidity but its pathophysiology still remains to be clear. The associations between preterm birth and the polymorphism of interleukin-1beta gene and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene have been suspected. And ethnic variations in the polymorphism of the genes were also reported. We decided to study polymorphisms of interleukin-1beta+3953 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in Korean pregnant women. METHODS: Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 is the control group of 33 subjects with uncomplicated term delivery : group 2 is the case group of patients who had spontaneous preterm delivery. Polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in gestational age and birth weight between two groups (P<0.001). No significant differences were found in genotypic frequencies and allelic frequencies in interleukin-1beta+3953 between two groups. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene had 5 alleles and the most frequent allele was IL1RN*1 (410bp), 66.7% in control group and 77.8% in case group. And significant differences were not found in genotypic frequencies and allelic frequencies between two groups, too. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in polymorphisms in interleukin-1beta +3953 and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist between term delivery group and preterm birth group.
Alleles ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Interleukin-1* ; Interleukin-1beta* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Pregnant Women ; Premature Birth*

Congenital unilateral pulmonary vein atresia is a very rare cardiac malformation. In this case, the patient was brought to the hospital for recurrent upper respiratory infection without exertional dyspnea or hemoptysis, and cardiac murmurs were heard on physical examination. The volume of affected lung was lost on simple chest x-ray. Lung perfusion scan revealed no visualization of affected lung. Cardiac catheterization revealed mild pulmonary artery hypertension. Pulmonary angiography showed a small right pulmonary artery, stasis of contrast material and venous phase revealed nonvisualization of draining right pulmonary veins. In this case, the patient did not undergo any surgical treatment for no symptoms other than recurrent upper respiratory infection were reported. We report a case of congenital right pulmonary vein atresia.
Angiography ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Dyspnea ; Heart Murmurs ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Lung ; Perfusion ; Physical Examination ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Veins* ; Thorax

Leukocytosis and neutrophilia is common during the acute phase of Kawasaki disease whereas leukopenia is not common and severe neutropenia is rare. Severe neutropenia is defined as absolute neutrophil count less than 500/mm3. There are only few publicatons reporting of atypical Kawasaki disease with severe neutropenia. We report a case of atypical Kawasaki disease with severe neutropenia.
Leukocytosis ; Leukopenia ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Neutropenia* ; Neutrophils

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of transrectal ultrasonography compared with chain cystourethrography in stress urinary incontinence. The advantages of transrectal ultrasonography are that it is a simple. comfortable, noninvasive and quick out patient procedure. The diagnostic criteria of stress urinary incontinence are more than 146.6` in posterior urethrovesical angle, more than 1.02cm in bladder neck descent and more than 0.14cm in bladder neck opening. In conclusion, transrectal ultrasonography is a highly sensitive and specific method for the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence.
Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine* ; Female* ; Humans ; Neck ; Ultrasonography* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence*

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of transrectal ultrasonography compared with chain cystourethrography in stress urinary incontinence. The advantages of transrectal ultrasonography are that it is a simple. comfortable, noninvasive and quick out patient procedure. The diagnostic criteria of stress urinary incontinence are more than 146.6` in posterior urethrovesical angle, more than 1.02cm in bladder neck descent and more than 0.14cm in bladder neck opening. In conclusion, transrectal ultrasonography is a highly sensitive and specific method for the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence.
Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine* ; Female* ; Humans ; Neck ; Ultrasonography* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence*

Ascites is a rare complication of multiple myeloma. When it develops, it is usually associated with extensive liver infiltration with plasma cells, infectious peritonitis or myelomatous peritoneal infiltration. Ascites caused by peritoneal infiltration is even less frequent than others. The majority of previously reported cases were characterized by an IgA paraprotein and lack of skeletal lesions. This rare extramedullary complication of myeloma has been unresponsive to therapy and rapidly fatal. Therefore, it is important to recognize myeloma as a cause of ascites and the presence of ascites heralds a poor prognosis of myeloma. We recently experienced a case of myeloma with ascites and reviewed the relevant literature of human myeloma presenting with the triad of ascites, relative or absolute sparing of the skeleton, and an IgA paraprotein. A 76-year-old man was presented with ascites early in the course of myeloma. He had no evidence of intra-abdominal plasmacytoma and skeletal lesions. Myelomatous ascites was demonstrated by the monoclonal immunoglobulin of IgA type in ascitic fluid. He was treated by plasmapheresis due to hyperviscosity syndrome and VAD combination chemotherapy. He was discharged with the improved clinical condition.
Aged ; Ascites* ; Ascitic Fluid ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulins ; Liver ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Paraproteins ; Peritonitis ; Plasma Cells ; Plasmacytoma ; Plasmapheresis ; Prognosis ; Skeleton

Gastrointestinal complications of diabetes mellitus include diarrhea, constipation, small bowel bacterial overgrowth, and gastropathy. Diabetic gastropathy is well-described motility disorder probably caused by an automatic neuropathy of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Diabetic gastropathy is rarely discrbed in pregnant women. We have experienced two cases of diabetic gastropathy in pregnant diabetic women. We report these cases with a review of literatures.
Constipation ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diarrhea ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnant Women ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

Retroperitoneal teratomas, which were found occasionally in children but very rarely in adults, occur mainly at the upper pole of left kidney and diagnosed after they grow very enormously. Authors experienced one case of about 20 cm-size retroperitoneal teratoma, which occurred to a 30-year-old postpartum woman at the left upper pole of kidney.
Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; Postpartum Period ; Teratoma*