Effects of oral estrogen (Tibolone) on the urinary symptoms and urodynamics parameters were assessed by a double-blind prospective trial in 24 postmenopausal women. Patients were assessed subjectively and objectively before and after treatment by symptom score change, urethral pressure profiles and uroflow. There was statistical difference in the subjective response (symptom score) to treatment between the two groups (p<0.001), there was no significant urodynamic changes (p> 0.05). Although there was no significant urodynamic changes, estrogen treatment in postmenopausal women was effective to improve urinary symptoms. Careful observation with periodic follow up will be needed because of possible harmful side effects of estrogen.
Estrogens* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Urodynamics*

Primary hyperparathyroidism is not a rare disease, but only several cases have been reported in Korean literature. Recently, we experienced one case of primary hyperparathyroidism with hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, ureteral stones, skeletal abnormalities. We describe a case of primary hyperparathyroidism which was confirmed through the measurement of serum calcium and parathyroid hormone, neck CT scan, subtraction scan and surgical exploration The serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels were normalized postoperatively.
Calcium ; Child* ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Hypercalciuria ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary* ; Neck ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Rare Diseases ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ureter ; Urolithiasis*

The Authors recently experienced with a 11 years old female patient who had a cysticercus in her left inferior rectus muscle. Under the diagnosis of a conjunctival cyst, a surgical intervention was carried out. The microscopic studies revealed that as a cysticercus cellulosae. The post-operative outcomes are uneventful and the ocular functions are satisfactory, visual acuity and ocular motility as well.
Child ; Cysticercus* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Visual Acuity

Clinical Protocols ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genioplasty ; Humans ; Malocclusion ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Osteotomy

Cleft Lip ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Intention ; Maxilla ; Mouth ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Orthopedics ; Palate ; Palate, Hard ; Palate, Soft ; Prosthodontics ; Rehabilitation

PURPOSE: Strabismus affects any age and represents various functional or non-functional eye problems. This population-based study was conducted to determine the prevalence of strabismus and nystagmus in South Korea according to various sociodemographic factors. METHODS: We acquired data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nation-wide cross-sectional survey and examinations of the non-institutionalized civilian population in South Korea (n = 30,538), conducted from July 2008 to December 2011. The prevalence of strabismus and nystagmus were verified, and associated sociodemographic factors was evaluated. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of strabismic disorder in participants over 3 years of age was 1.4 ± 0.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3–1.6%; 1.5 ± 0.1% in males, 1.3 ± 0.1% in females). The prevalence of exodeviation (15 or more prism diopters), esodeviation (10 or more prism diopters), vertical deviation, and other complicated strabismus and nystagmus was 1.0%, 0.2%, 0.2%, 0.1% and 0.1% respectively. The prevalence was highest in the 6 to 15-year age group (1.9 ± 0.3%), and lowest in the 40 to 49 years age group (0.8 ± 0.1%) (p = 0.005). There were no statistically significant differences for gender, region, residential area, household income, educational level and occupation. CONCLUSIONS: This nation-wide epidemiologic study demonstrated that the prevalence of strabismus and nystagmus according to various sociodemographic factors in South Korea was not statistically significant except for age group. Further investigations are required based on more surveys to better recognize the etiologic or risk factors that may be related to strabismus and nystagmus.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Esotropia ; Exotropia ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Strabismus*

Purpose: We aimed to assess the characteristics of patients with concurrent tinnitus and hyperacusis, determine the best audiological criteria for predicting hyperacusis, and confirm whether objective evidence of changes in the brain exists. Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients with tinnitus who visited the hospital between March 2020 and December 2021 were reviewed. Data on accompanying hyperacusis, audiological profiles, and questionnaires including the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Depression Inventory, and numerical rating scale were analyzed. Resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) using power spectral density (PSD) and event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) were performed to objectively quantify changes in the brain. Results: A total of 194 patients were analyzed. Among them, 51 (26.3%) reported combined subjective hyperacusis with tinnitus.However, the proportions widely varied from 7.4% to 68.4% based on three audiological criteria for assessment. A higher score on the THI questionnaire was independently associated with the co-occurrence of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Fair agreement was observed between subjective hyperacusis and the audiological criterion based on a loudness discomfort level (LDL) of ≤90 dB at two or more frequencies for the diagnosis of hyperacusis. An increased beta-PSD and decreased levels of gamma-PSD, all-ERSP, and delta-ERSP were observed in patients with hyperacusis (p<0.05). Conclusion Patients with co-occurring tinnitus and hyperacusis had more severe tinnitus distress. An LDL of ≤90 dB at two or more frequencies may be applicable to predict accompanying hyperacusis in subjects with tinnitus, and qEEG also provides more objective information.

Purpose: We aimed to assess the characteristics of patients with concurrent tinnitus and hyperacusis, determine the best audiological criteria for predicting hyperacusis, and confirm whether objective evidence of changes in the brain exists. Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients with tinnitus who visited the hospital between March 2020 and December 2021 were reviewed. Data on accompanying hyperacusis, audiological profiles, and questionnaires including the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Depression Inventory, and numerical rating scale were analyzed. Resting-state quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) using power spectral density (PSD) and event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) were performed to objectively quantify changes in the brain. Results: A total of 194 patients were analyzed. Among them, 51 (26.3%) reported combined subjective hyperacusis with tinnitus. However, the proportions widely varied from 7.4% to 68.4% based on three audiological criteria for assessment. A higher score on the THI questionnaire was independently associated with the co-occurrence of tinnitus and hyperacusis. Fair agreement was observed between subjective hyperacusis and the audiological criterion based on a loudness discomfort level (LDL) of ≤90 dB at two or more frequencies for the diagnosis of hyperacusis. An increased beta-PSD and decreased levels of gamma-PSD, all-ERSP, and delta-ERSP were observed in patients with hyperacusis (p<0.05). Conclusion Patients with co-occurring tinnitus and hyperacusis had more severe tinnitus distress. An LDL of ≤90 dB at two or more frequencies may be applicable to predict accompanying hyperacusis in subjects with tinnitus, and qEEG also provides more objective information.

Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is important for prostate cancer (PCa) cell proliferation. Here, we showed that proliferation of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cells such as LNCaP was significantly enhanced by testosterone stimulation whereas hormone-insensitive prostate cancer cells such as PC3 and VCaP did not respond to testosterone stimulation. Blocking of AR using bicalutamide abolished testosterone-induced proliferation of LNCaP cells. In addition, knockdown of AR blocked testosterone-induced proliferation of LNCaP cells. Basal expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) was elevated in VCaP cells whereas stimulation of testosterone did not affect the expression of LRP6. However, expression of LRP6 in LNCaP cells was increased by testosterone stimulation. In addition, knockdown of LRP6 abrogated testosterone-induced proliferation of LNCaP cells. Given these results, we suggest that androgen-dependent expression of LRP6 plays a crucial role in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cell proliferation.
Cell Proliferation* ; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Receptors, Androgen ; Testosterone

We report a case in which epidural anesthesia was successfully administered during a cesarean section of a 35 years old parturient patient with severe congestive heart failure and respiratory insufficiency at 33 weeks of gestation. The patient had a past history of mitral regurgitation and mitral valve prolapse treated by mitral valve replacement ten years prior. When limited motion of the prosthetic mitral valve developed, congestive heart failure recurred and was aggravated by the pregnancy. In addition, the patient presented with symptoms of respiratory insufficiency including NYHA III dyspnea, orthopnea, severe pulmonary hypertension (systolic pulmonary arterial pressure: 112 mmHg) due to severe aortic regurgitation, pleural effusion and pulmonary edema on admission. Four-days after admission, with premature labor pain and fetal distress, the patient underwent an emergency cesarean section. Due to the orthopnea, the patient could not breathe in the supine position, and we chose to give epidural anesthesia at a sitting position for preserving self-respiration and to prevent a ventilation-perfusion mismatch that would possibly develop during general anesthesia. Moreover, we could control postoperative pain and maintain a minimal, gradual hemodynamic change throughout the epidural anesthesia. During surgery, the hemodynamic instabilities were controlled by the use of dopamine, dobutamine, ephedrine and milrinone. We safely finished the cesarean section under epidural anesthesia and the patient was sent to the intensive care unit postoperatively to manage congestive heart failure and respiratory insufficiency.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Epidural* ; Anesthesia, General ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Arterial Pressure ; Cesarean Section* ; Dobutamine ; Dopamine ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies ; Ephedrine ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Female ; Fetal Distress ; Heart Failure* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Intensive Care Units ; Milrinone ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Prolapse ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pain, Postoperative ; Pleural Effusion ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Edema ; Respiratory Insufficiency* ; Supine Position