A prospective study was initiated to compare maternal serum concentration of CA-125 during the first trimester of normal and abnormal pregnancies. Serum specimens were obtained from 87 women with a normal intrauterine pregnancy and 47 women with abnormal pregnancies which were ended in spontaneo abortion or pathologically confirmed to be missed abortion. In normal pregnancies, the mean serum CA-125 concentrations were increased significantly from amenorhea 6 weeks (139.838.7 IU/ml), and were higher statistically than the values tested in the same weeks of abnormal pregnancies. In abnormal pregnancies serum CA-125 concentations were relatively lower than those of normal pregnancies. But these differences were not statistically significant except the values tested in amenorhea 6weeks. So serum levels of CA-125 may not be proved useful in monitoring of early pregnancies outcome.
Abortion, Missed ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First* ; Pregnancy* ; Prospective Studies

No abstract available.
Chemokine CCL2* ; Endometriosis* ; Endometrium* ; Female ; Humans ; Monocytes*

OBJECTIVES: Insertion of a silicone stent during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is the most common procedure to prevent rhinostomy closure. It has been claimed that silicone intubation improves the surgical outcomes of endoscopic DCR. However, many reports have documented an equally high success rate for surgery without silicone intubation. Accordingly, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the outcomes of endoscopic DCR with and without silicone intubation and determine whether silicone intubation is actually beneficial for patients. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify relevant controlled trials evaluating endoscopic DCR with and without silicone intubation. The search was restricted to English articles published between January 2007 and December 2016. Relevant articles were reviewed to obtain information pertaining to interventions and outcomes. We also performed a meta-analysis of the relevant literature. RESULTS: In total, 1,216 patients included in 12 randomized controlled trials were pooled. A total of 1,239 endoscopic DCR procedures were performed, and silicone stents were used in 533 procedures. The overall success rate for endoscopic DCR was 91.9% (1,139/1,239), while the success rates with and without silicone intubation were 92.9% (495/533) and 91.2% (644/706), respectively. There was no statistically significant heterogeneity among the included studies. A meta-analysis using a fixed-effects models showed no significant difference in the success rate between endoscopic DCR with silicone intubation and that without silicone intubation (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.89 to 2.12; P=0.148; z=1.45). Furthermore, there were no significant differences with regard to surgical complications such as synechia, granulation, and postoperative bleeding. CONCLUSION: The findings of our meta-analysis suggest that the success rate and postoperative complication rate for endoscopic DCR is not influenced by the use of silicone intubation during the procedure.
Dacryocystorhinostomy* ; Endoscopy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Population Characteristics ; Postoperative Complications ; Silicon* ; Silicones* ; Stents

PURPOSE: Recently, the incidence of refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) pneumonia has increased in Korea. Given that its early diagnosis is helpful in selection of the treatment, this study aimed at investigating the value of the antimycoplasma antibody (IgM) for early diagnosis of MP pneumonia. METHODS: A total of 315 children admitted with MP pneumonia from September 2015 to May 2016 were investigated with the IgM and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of MP pneumonia. Specifically, patients were grouped into nonrefractory respiratory MP and refractory MP groups according to their response to macrolide therapy. RESULTS: In the 44 PCR-negative seroconversed children, seroconversed IgM was more frequent in the refractory MP group compared with the nonrefractory respiratory MP group with statistical significance (P<0.001). In the 264 IgM-positive children, the time of antibody reaction was more delayed in the refractory MP group compared to the nonrefractory respiratory MP group with statistical significance (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that there was a higher incidence of seroconversed IgM and delayed antibody reaction in the refractory MP group. In children with suspect MP pneumonia, follow-up studies of antibody are necessary, even through initial antibody and PCR showed negative findings. In addition, this result may suggest that the diagnosis of refractory MP pneunomia will be helpful in establishing the strategy of the treatment.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Mycoplasma ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Cryptococcosis commonly affects patients with immune dysfunction, as in the case of immunosuppression in organ transplant patients or as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in patients afflicted with human immunodeficiency virus. The varied appearance of cryptococcal skin lesion makes clinical diagnosis of cutaneous cryptococcosis difficult. Cryptococcosis proves to be a fatal fungal infection in the immunocompromised patient. Therefore, diagnosis and early treatment of cryptococcosis become vital. A 56-year-old renal transplant recipient, with an ongoing immunosuppression regimen of cyclosporine, prednisolone, and mycophenolate mofetil, was admitted with a 2-week history of pain and edema of right arm without respiratory symptoms. Despite empiric antibiotic therapy, the patient continued to complain of severe tenderness of the involved arm and fever persisted as well. On the third day of hospital stay, a biopsy of the erythematous skin lesion was acquired. On the eighth day of hospital stay, results of both skin biopsy and blood cultures showed the presence of Cryptococcus neoformans. The treatment was begun with intravenous fluconazole (400 mg/day). After 4 days of antifungal treatment, the patient developed fever along with cough with purulent sputum. As the new developing symptoms were suggestive of pneumonia, especially of pulmonary cryptococcosis, the antifungal agent was changed from fluconazole to amphotericin B treatment (0.8 mg/kg, 50 mg/day). Chest computer tomography showed improvement in the pneumonic infiltration and consolidation after 4 weeks of amphotericin B treatment. In conclusion, cellulitis in immunocompromised patients should be suspected in case of highly atypical infectious etiology, and skin biopsy should not be delayed if empiric antibiotic therapy does not control the inflammatory response. Additionally, the patient should be treated with intravenous amphotericin B treatment in case of severe cryptococcosis.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Amphotericin B ; Arm ; Biopsy ; Cellulitis ; Cough ; Cryptococcosis ; Cryptococcus neoformans ; Cyclosporine ; Edema ; Fever ; Fluconazole ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney Transplantation ; Length of Stay ; Middle Aged ; Mycophenolic Acid ; Pneumonia ; Prednisolone ; Skin ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Transplants