Ulcerative colitis is diffuse inflammatory condition at mucosal lining of the colon & rectum and rare in Korea but there are no pathognomonic features or specific diagnostic tests. However, recently the diagnostic methods for ulcerative colitis are much developed and the incidence of ulcerative colitis is increased in Korea. Therefor, an analysis of 31 cases of ulcerative colitis which was diagnosed and treated in the department of the YeungNam University Hospital from May l983 to April 1991 was reviewed. The results were as following: 1) The sex distribution assumed a ratio of 1 to 2.1 and the age distribution was vqriable but the most prevalent age group was 5th decade(29.0%). 2) The most common clinical manifestations were abdominal pain & bloody diarrhea. 3) As to the extent of disease determined by the barium enema & endoscopy, rectum or rectosigmoid colon was involved in majority of the cases 22.6%, 41.9 (respectively). 4) Significant laboratory findings were elevated ESR, anemia, leukocytosis, hypoalbuminemia. 5) The endoscopic examination was performed in all 31 cases and showed sinificant findings such as hyperemia, mucosai edema, superficial ulceration & mucosal friability. 6) 23 of 26 cases treated by sulfasalazine medication showed improved, and 3 cases were improved by steriod medication and the surgical operation was indicated in 1 case.
Abdominal Pain ; Age Distribution ; Anemia ; Barium ; Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Colon ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Diarrhea ; Edema ; Endoscopy ; Enema ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Incidence ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Rectum ; Sex Distribution ; Sulfasalazine ; Ulcer*

Complications of penile prosthesis include malfunction, infection and patient dissatisfaction. Herein, a rare complication of a retained reservoir having eroded into the bladder after the removal of the penile components of a three-piece penile prosthesis, is reported. A 39-year-old man complained of irritative voiding symptoms. The symptoms had developed 4 years after the removal of the penile components of the prosthesis. The erosion of the reservoir into the bladder was discovered incidentally during the treatment of bladder calculi. The reservoir was removed by an open vesicolithotomy.
Adult ; Calculi ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; Humans ; Penile Prosthesis* ; Prostheses and Implants ; Urinary Bladder Calculi* ; Urinary Bladder*

Nasal lymphoma is an uncommon neoplasm in the sinonasal tract. The NK/T-cell type of lymphoma is more commonly found in Asian populations. However, B-cell lymphoma is more common in the western countries whereas it is rare in Asia. Recently, we experienced two cases of sinonasal B-cell lymphoma, which are rare cases in Korea, one in an advanced stage and one in an early stage. Both patients had no specific nasal symptoms or systemic B symptoms (fever, night sweat, weight loss). As our cases demonstrate, diagnosis of B cell lymphoma is often delayed in many cases because B-cell lymphoma does not show any specific symptoms. Thus, careful physical examination and biopsy under suspicion of malignancy are important for early diagnosis of nasal lymphoma.
Asia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Physical Examination ; Sweat

Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder joint is a common disorder characterized by a gradual increase of pain and limitation in range of motion of the shoulder joint. The pathophysiological process involves fibrous inflammation of the capsule leading to capsular thickening and contracture. Intra-articular corticosteroid injection is commonly performed in patients with adhesive capsulitis. However, there is no consensus as to the best injection site. Corticosteroid injection sites for the treatment include posterior capsule approach, rotator interval approach, multi-site, and subacromial injection. All injection methods lead to improvement in adhesive capsulitis cases. In this review article, we provide an overview of current corticosteroid injection methods for adhesive capsulitis.

Although hemangioma is not infrequent among gynecological patients, misdiagnosis is possible in clitoral hemangioma because of it's anatomical location and the shape. It is difficult to consider hemangioma rather than another disease as the cause of clitoral enlargement. To our knowledge, there are only 2 reported cases with clitoral involvement of hemangioma in the literature and we report first in Korea. Here we describe a patient with a large and ulcerative clitoral hemangioma, who recovered completely after a simple treatment.
Clitoris* ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Humans ; Korea ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The nasal epithelium is the first barrier encountered by airborne allergens and is an active participant in airway inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine the activation mechanism of nasal epithelial cells with Alternaria and the effect of rhinovirus on the Alternaria induced activation of nasal epithelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cultured epithelial cells were stimulated by Alternaria with or without rhinovirus-16 (RV-16) infection. Release of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) into culture supernatants were measured to determine the activation of epithelial cells. Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) of the epithelial cells were analyzed using western blot analysis. Intracellular NF-kappaB and AP-1 activity were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To determine the epithelial cell activation mechanism, cytokine production was inhibited with NF-kB, AP-1, and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors. RESULTS: Exposure of epithelial cells to Alternaria enhanced the production of cytokines. Intracellular NF-kB expression and activity were significantly increased by Alternaria, but not by RV-16. AP-1 expression and activity were not influenced by Alternaria. Increased IL-6 production was significantly inhibited by transcription factor inhibitors. However, IL-8 and GM-CSF production were not inhibited by these transcription factor inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Our in-vitro results demonstrate that Alternaria activates nasal polyp epithelial cells via NF-kB pathway and that NF-kB, AP-1, and MAPK are involved in the production of IL-6.
Allergens ; Alternaria ; Blotting, Western ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epithelial Cells ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Granulocytes ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Interleukins ; Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nasal Polyps ; NF-kappa B ; Protein Kinases ; Rhinovirus ; Transcription Factor AP-1 ; Transcription Factors

BACKGROUND: The incidence of acute hepatitis A in adults has recently been increasing. This study was conducted to investigate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of acute hepatitis A in Daegu province over the past 10 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 55 patients (male/female: 34/21), who were diagnosed with acute hepatitis A by confirmation of the IgM anti-HAV between January 1998 and June 2007. RESULTS: The mean age was 29.7+/-10.3 years (range; 17-65 years). The incidence was most common between March and June (56.1%), in the third and fourth decades of life (78.2%) and 90.9% (50/55) of the patients were diagnosed from 2003 to present. The common symptoms included anorexia, nausea or vomiting (69.1%), fever and chills (49.1%), myalgia (47.3%), weight loss (47.3%), fatigue (40.0%), abdominal pain (36.4%), diarrhea (9.1%) and pruritus (5.5%). The mean duration of hospital stay was 8.6+/-3.4 days (range; 3-20 days). The route of transmission was identified in only 11 patients (20.0%); 7 patients (12.7%) traveled (abroad or domestic), 2 patients (3.6%) ingested raw food and 2 patients (3.6%) had friends with acute hepatitis A. Fifty four patients recovered without complication; one patient developed fulminant hepatitis and recovered after a liver transplantation. CONCLUSION: The incidence of acute hepatitis A in adults is increasing. Because of the cost of treatment and potential for serious disease, persons, under 40 are recommened to have hepatitis A vaccination and confirmation of IgG anti-HAV.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult* ; Anorexia ; Chills ; Daegu ; Diarrhea ; Epidemiology ; Fatigue ; Fever ; Friends ; Hepatitis A Antibodies ; Hepatitis A virus ; Hepatitis A* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Length of Stay ; Liver Transplantation ; Medical Records ; Myalgia ; Nausea ; Pruritus ; Vaccination ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study evaluated the prevention by lamivudine of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B patients. METHODS: Lamivudine therapy was administered to 879 of the 2,511 patients who satisfied our analysis inclusion criteria. A Cox regression model revealed that four factors increased the prevalence of HCC: gender (females; OR=0.53, p=0.006), age (> or =40 years; OR=4.64, p<0.001), platelet count (> or =100x10(3)/mm3; OR=0.35, p<0.001), and alcohol consumption (> or =80 g/day; OR=1.79, p=0.004). Five hundred and eighty-nine patients in the lamivudine-treated group and 589 patients in the control group were selected for a matched case-control study. The mean follow-up periods were 2.8 and 5.1 years in the lamivudine-treated and control groups, respectively. RESULTS: HCC occurred in 10 patients (1.7%) of the lamivudine group, with an incidence rate of 0.61% patients/year, and in 65 patients (11.0%) of the control group, with an incidence rate of 2.16% patients/year. The cumulative incidence of HCC was lower in the lamivudine group than in the control group (p=0.0117, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: Lamivudine can reduce the incidence of HCC in patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B.
Alcohol Drinking ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Case-Control Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lamivudine* ; Platelet Count ; Prevalence

Background: One of the challenges neurosurgeons are facing in the global public health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is to balance COVID-19 screening with timely surgery. We described a clinical pathway for patients who needed emergency brain surgery and determined whether differences in the surgery preparation process caused by COVID-19 screening affected clinical outcomes. Methods: During the COVID-19 period, patients in need of emergency brain surgery in our institution were managed using a novel standardized pathway designed for COVID-19 screening. We conducted a retrospective review of patients who were hospitalized through the emergency room and underwent emergency brain surgery. A total of 32 patients who underwent emergency brain surgery from February 1 to June 30, 2020 were included in the COVID-19 group, and 65 patients who underwent surgery from February 1 to June 30, 2019 were included in the pre-COVID-19 group. The baseline characteristics, disease severity indicators, time intervals of emergency processes, and clinical outcomes of the two groups were compared. Subgroup analysis was performed between the immediate surgery group and the semi-elective surgery group during the COVID-19 period. Results: There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics and severity indicators between the pre-COVID-19 group and COVID-19 group. The time interval to skin incision was significantly increased in the COVID-19 group (P = 0.027). However, there were no significant differences in the clinical outcomes between the two groups. In subgroup comparison, the time interval to skin incision was shorter in the immediate surgery group during the COVID-19 period compared with the pre-COVID-19 group (P = 0.040). The screening process did not significantly increase the time interval to classification and admission for immediate surgery.The time interval to surgery initiation was longer in the COVID-19 period due to the increased time interval in the semi-elective surgery group (P < 0.001). Conclusion We proposed a clinical pathway for the preoperative screening of COVID-19 in patients requiring emergency brain surgery. No significant differences were observed in the clinical outcomes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The protocol we described showed acceptable results during this pandemic.

No abstract available.
Eosinophilia* ; Fever* ; Glomerulonephritis*