No abstract available.
Child ; Femoral Fractures ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: We observed the developmental pattern of activation of MAPK signal transduction pathways known to be activated by electroconvulsive shock(ECS) in young rat hippocampus after kainic acid(KA)-induced seizure. METHODS: We used the method of immunoblotting for examining the basal protein amount and basal level of phosphorylation of MAPK kinase(SAPK/ERK kinase -1, SEK-1), MAPK(c-Jun N terminal protein kinase, JNK), transcription factor(c-Jun) and immediate early gene proteins(Fos) in rat hippocampus at postnatal day 7, 14, and 21, respectively. We also examined the changes of phosphorylation of those proteins after kainic acid-induced seizure in the same way. RESULTS: The basal protein amounts of SEK-1, JNK, and c-Jun did not show age-dependent changes and basal level of phosphorylation of JNK and c-Jun remains unchanged throughout the early developmental period. The basal level of phosphorylation of SEK-1 was peaked at postnatal 7 days and then decreased with aging. After kainic acid-induced seizure, the change of phosphorylation of JNK was not observed but those of SEK-1 and c-Jun increased after postnatal day 14. The expression of Fos was observed at postnatal day 7 and also increased with aging. CONCLUSION: These results show that the MAPK signal transduction system in rat hippocampus matures in accordance with aging, but the process of maturation differs depending specific proteins. This study suggests the signal transduction cascade(SEK-1 - JNK - c-Jun - Fos) which is well established in cell line studies may not be applied to rat hipposcampus because we could not observe the activation of JNK after KA-induced seizure in young rat hippocampus.
Aging ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Hippocampus* ; Immunoblotting ; Kainic Acid ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinases ; Rats* ; Seizures* ; Signal Transduction*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the intensity of tumor budding in rectal carcinoma and to determine how it correlates with the malignant potential. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intensities of the tumor budding at the invasive front of the surgical specimens from 90 patients (male, 51) with well- or moderately- differentiated rectal carcinoma were investigated. Differences in the budding intensity among pathologic variables were compared, and recurrences and survivals were analyzed in accordance with degree of the budding intensity. The patients ranged in age from 33 to 75 years (mean, 55.4) with the median follow-up being 43 months (range, 12~108). RESULTS: Tumor budding was identified in 89 patients (98.9%) with a mean intensity of 7.5+/-5.3. The budding intensity was significantly higher in tumors with lymphatic invasion (p=0.0081), blood vessel invasion (p<0.0001), and perineural invasion (p=0.0013) than in those tumor without these findings. It became significantly higher with the increase in nodal stage (p<0.0001). The intensity of tumor budding in patients with relapse (29 patients) was significantly higher than that in patients without relapse (6.2+/-5.0 vs. 10.2+/-4.9; p=0.0005), but this difference in the intensity was observed only for the node-positive patients (8.0+/-3.4 vs. 11.9+/-5.1; p=0.0064). When the patients were stratified into two groups on either side of the mean of the intensity, the higher intensity group showed a significantly less favorable disease- free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) (p=0.0026 and 0.0205, respectively). Based on the multivariate analysis, the nodal stage and the intensity of budding proved to be the independent variables associated with DFS (p=0.023 and 0.03, respectively). CONCLUSION: Tumor budding at the invasive margin is a reliable pathologic index that indicates a higher malignant potential and a less favorable prognosis for patients with advanced rectal carcinoma.
Blood Vessels ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

A carcinoid tumor of the stomach is uncommon, has no clinical symptoms, and is regarded as a benign. It is also incidentally found in most cases. 48-year-old woman with gastric carcinoid tumor was admitted. She had suffered from a anorexia and a dry mouth for 4-months. A gastroscopy revealed a polypoid mass on the greater curvature of the mid-body of the stomach which was subsequently thought to be an adenocarcinoma. An endoscopic mucosectomy revealed however, that it was a carcinoid tumor. A case of carcinoid tumor of the stomach is here by presented with a brief literature review.
Adenocarcinoma ; Anorexia ; Carcinoid Tumor* ; Female ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mouth ; Stomach*

Purpose: Patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy are a high-risk group that requires psychosocial support. This study retrospectively reviewed the prevalence of psychological symptoms in patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy for periampullary neoplasm and the psychosocial referral rate after implementing full screening and triage algorithm for administering a distress management protocol based on the integrated supportive care system established in 2010. Materials and Methods: From September 2010 to December 2018, insomnia, anxiety, and depression were screened on the first day of admission (T1) and on the 10th postoperative day (T2). Patients with clinical levels of distress were referred to a mental health clinic for appropriate aftercare. Results: The adherence rate to routine screening was 82.7% (364/440). Among the 364 patients, the prevalence of insomnia, anxiety, and depression increased from 22.0% (T1) to 32.6% (T2, p=0.001), 29.1% to 33.6% (p=0.256), and 18.4% to 27.6% (p=0.001), respectively. Less than 45% of those with psychological symptoms expressed their needs for psychological supportive care. Among those with psychological symptoms at T2, clinical insomnia, anxiety, and depression were detected via in-depth evaluations among 77.2%, 38.1%, and 82.5% of patients, respectively. Patients who had two or more symptoms at T2 had a longer postoperative hospital stay, as compared to those with one or no symptoms (a median of 20.5 days vs. 18.0 days, p=0.006). Psychiatric consultation rate was 72.8% among patients with clinical psychological symptoms, and 74% of the consulted patients completed psychiatric intervention before discharge. Conclusion Over one-third of the patients had psychological symptoms before and after pancreatoduodenectomy. Implementing a routine psychological symptoms screening with a systematic psychiatric referral protocol enhanced surgeons’ responsiveness to patients’ psychological symptoms.

PURPOSE: Sphincter preservation is one of the main goals in the treatment of rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oncologic safety of a sphincter-saving resection with a distal resection margin of less than 1 cm. METHODS: Two hundred forty-eight patients who underwent a sphincter-saving resection between June 1989 and December 2002 and who had a confirmed distal resection margin of less than 1 cm on pathologic examination were included. All patients were evaluated for local and systemic recurrences. RESULTS: The median follow-up period was 45 (6~144) months. The mean length of distal resection margin was 0.79+/-0.26 cm. Lower rectalcancer was most common (56.5%). Forty patients (16.1%) experienced recurrence. The local recurrence rate was 3.6%, systemic recurrence rate was 11.7%, and the combined local and systemic recurrence rate was 0.4%. In systemic recurrence, the liver was the most common site, followed by the lung. Among stage II & III groups, patients who underwent adjuvant chemoradiotherapy experienced significantly lower local recurrence compared to patients in the chemotherapy-only or the no-adjuvant group (2.6%, 12.9%, 8.7%, P=0.05). The length of distal resection margin, the total mesorectal excision, the location of tumor, sex, histology, and stage were not associated with local recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: A distal resection margin of less than 1 cm in a sphincter-saving resection showed acceptableoncologic outcomes. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy were beneficial to reduce local recurrence in the stage II and the stage III groups.
Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence

Syphilis is re-emerging worldwide due to the HIV epidemic. Prior to the introduction of penicillin, syphilis was the second most common primary cause of all cases of uveitis. Today, ocular syphilis is a rare disease, especially in an immunocompetent patient. Variable manifestation without pathognomonic signs of ocular syphilis often lead to delayed diagnosis, resulted in irreversibile loss of vision. In Korea, syphilitic uveitis has not been reported in an immunocompetent patient since 1984. We experienced a case of syphilitic uveitis in an immunocompetent man with visual deterioration. As the incidence of syphilis is increasing in these days, a high degree of clinical suspicion should be considered in patients with unexplained ocular inflammation and visual disturbances.
Delayed Diagnosis ; HIV ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Penicillins ; Rare Diseases ; Syphilis ; Uveitis ; Vision, Ocular

Syphilis is re-emerging worldwide due to the HIV epidemic. Prior to the introduction of penicillin, syphilis was the second most common primary cause of all cases of uveitis. Today, ocular syphilis is a rare disease, especially in an immunocompetent patient. Variable manifestation without pathognomonic signs of ocular syphilis often lead to delayed diagnosis, resulted in irreversibile loss of vision. In Korea, syphilitic uveitis has not been reported in an immunocompetent patient since 1984. We experienced a case of syphilitic uveitis in an immunocompetent man with visual deterioration. As the incidence of syphilis is increasing in these days, a high degree of clinical suspicion should be considered in patients with unexplained ocular inflammation and visual disturbances.
Delayed Diagnosis ; HIV ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Penicillins ; Rare Diseases ; Syphilis ; Uveitis ; Vision, Ocular

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mirtazapine treatment in multicenter population consisting of Korean patients suffering from moderate-to-severe depression. METHODS: Total 163 of in and outpatients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (DSM-IV) and 18 or over scores of 17-items Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) received treatment with mirtazapine (15-45 mg/day) for 6 weeks. Efficacy was assessed by HAMD, Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scales and statistical analyses were performed on the intent-to-treat sample (143 patients) using the last-observation-carried-forward method. In addition, reported adverse events, routine laboratory parameters, and vital signs were investigated to evaluate the safety of mirtazapine. RESULTS: Mean daily dose of mirtazapine was 28.4 mg. At the end of the study, the response rate (50% or more reduction from baseline in HAMD scores) was 75.5% and the remission rate (7 or less in HAMD score) was 42.7%. Mirtazapine treatment induced significant reduction in depressive symptoms at the 4(th) day and substantial reduction along the treatment period, as assessed by changes in HAMD, MADRS, BDI, and CGI scales. At the 4(th) day and first week of mirtazapine treatment, the mean HAMD-17 total score was significantly reduced compared that of the baseline and the response rates were 11.9% and 28.7%, respectively. Mirtazapine was well tolerated in general, and somnolence and sedation were the most common adverse events reported. In addition, there were no clinically relevant changes in laboratory parameters and vital signs, although body weight was increased. CONCLUSION: Although this trial had many limitations of open non-comparative study, mirtazapine was demonstrated to an effective treatment for moderate to severe major depressive disorder and was well tolerated. A potentially rapid onset of overall therapeutic efficacy of mirtazapine was suggested by significant changes in all major variables of efficacy after 4(th) day of treatment.
Body Weight ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Vital Signs ; Weights and Measures

Background: Remdesivir is widely used for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but controversies regarding its efficacy still remain. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the effect of remdesivir on clinical and virologic outcomes of severe COVID-19 patients from June to July 2020. Primary clinical endpoints included clinical recovery, additional mechanical ventilator (MV) support, and duration of oxygen or MV support. Viral load reduction by hospital day (HD) 15 was evaluated by calculating changes in cycle threshold (Ct) values. Results: A total of 86 severe COVID-19 patients were evaluated including 48 remdesivirtreated patients. Baseline characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. Remdesivir was administered an average of 7.42 days from symptom onset. The proportions of clinical recovery of the remdesivir and supportive care group at HD 14 (56.3% and 39.5%) and HD 28 (87.5% and 78.9%) were not statistically different. The proportion of patients requiring MV support by HD 28 was significantly lower in the remdesivir group than in the supportive care group (22.9% vs. 44.7%, P = 0.032), and MV duration was significantly shorter in the remdesivir group (average, 1.97 vs. 5.37 days; P = 0.017). Analysis of upper respiratory tract specimens demonstrated that increases of Ct value from HD 1–5 to 11–15 were significantly greater in the remdesivir group than the supportive care group (average, 10.19 vs. 5.36; P = 0.007), and the slope of the Ct value increase was also significantly steeper in the remdesivir group (average, 5.10 vs. 2.68; P = 0.007). Conclusion The remdesivir group showed clinical and virologic benefit in terms of MV requirement and viral load reduction, supporting remdesivir treatment for severe COVID-19.