BACKGROUND/AIMS: The role of dietary factors in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to compare IgG4 levels to common food antigens between patients with IBS and healthy controls. METHODS: Thirty-two patients diagnosed as IBS according to the Rome III criteria (12 diarrhea subgroup; 20 non-diarrhea subgroup) and 32 sex and age-matched healthy controls participated in the study. Serum IgG4 titers to 90 common foods were measured in each subject. The number of subjects with positivity defined as the cut-off value ≥ 0.7 U/mL was compared. RESULTS: Patients with IBS had significantly higher IgG4 titers to wheat, leek and taro compared to those of controls. Serum IgG4 titers to ginger, cocoa, walnut, white radish, onion, and lettuce in IBS patients tended to be higher than controls. IgG4 titers to wheat, gluten and gliadin in the diarrhea subgroup, and lettuce, leek and taro in the non-diarrhea subgroup tended to be higher compared with controls. The number of subjects with positivity to apple, orange, lettuce, and leek was significantly higher in IBS patients than controls. The number of subjects with positivity to apple, orange, gluten, and gliadin in the diarrhea subgroup, and egg white, pineapple, soybean, lettuce, and leek in the non-diarrhea subgroup was significantly higher compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Serum IgG4 antibody levels to some common foods are abnormally elevated in IBS patients. The type of foods with abnormally elevated serum IgG4 titers in the diarrhea subgroup may be different from that in the non-diarrhea subgroup.
Ananas ; Cacao ; Citrus sinensis ; Colocasia ; Diarrhea ; Egg White ; Ginger ; Gliadin ; Glutens ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome* ; Juglans ; Lettuce ; Onions ; Raphanus ; Soybeans ; Triticum

No abstract available.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders*

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional(3D) magnetic resonance(MR) projection imaging was evaluated as a noninvasive alternative to direct cholangiography for the assessment of its reliability in patients with obsructive jaundice. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A heavily T2-weighted gradient-echo sequence(PSIF) was used for 3D MR projecion imaging of the biliary system in five healthy volunteers and 25 patients with obstructive jaundice. The 3D images of the bile ducts were formed by stacking consecutive coronal MR images obtained with a fast imaging method to a maximum-intensity projection algorithm. RESULTS: In the volunteers, MR cholangiography could demonstrate the anatomy of the biliary tract in only two subjects. The extrahepatic and intraheparic bile ducts were well visualized in 23 patients with obstructive jaundice. The leve of obstruction and the grade of dilatation were dipicted with MR cholangiography in all cases. And the cause of obstruction could be determined with MR cholangiography in 18 cases, MR cholangiography was successful in two patients in whom ERCP failed. The gallbladder or dilated pancreatic duct not demonstrated by means of direct cholangiography was demonstrated with MR cholangiography in six cases.
Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiography* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Dilatation ; Gallbladder ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive* ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Artery*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver*

PURPOSE: A pancreaticoduodenectomy is the procedure of choice for patients with resectable carci nomas of the pancreatic head, duodenum, or periampullary region. Although the morbity and the mortality are decreasing now, but there are still high. Leakage of the pancreatic duct remains the major source of death and complications after a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Thus, the authors used a stented pancrea ticojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy after a pancreaticoduodenectomy to decrease leakage of the pancreatic duct. METHODS: The authors studied retrospectively 44 consecutive patients who had a pancrea ticoduodenectomy with a stented pancreaticojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy at Kwangju Christian Hospital between 1993 and 1998. RESULTS: Leakage of the pancreaticojejunostomy was diagnosed in one of the 44 patients (2.5%). There were two deaths after the pancreaticoduodenectomy, one from compli cation of leakage of the pancreaticojejunostomy and the other from UGI bleeding. CONCLUSION: The stented pancreaticojejunostomy and jejunojejunostomy is an effective and safe method for use with a pancreaticoduodenectomy. However, the leakage that might occur despite the stented pancreaticojeju nostomy and jejunojejunostomy can be managed less invasively.
Duodenum ; Gwangju ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Noma ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy* ; Pancreaticojejunostomy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stents*

No abstract available.
Meconium* ; Retrospective Studies*

No abstract available.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the morphology of the intercondylar notch of the knee in 72 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) intact group and 30 acute and chronic ACL tear group by plain radiographs and MRI, and to find the predisposing factors of ACL tear. The ACL tear group was divided into acute and chronic ACL tear group. In plain lateral radio-graphs, beta angle, angle between extension line from anterior cortical line of distal femur and from Blumensaat s line, was measured. In magnetic resonance imaging, the width of intercondylar notch (NB), the widest width of both femoral condyle (NW), intercondylar notch width from lower one third point of notch basal line (NB1), intercondylar notch width from upper one third point of notch basal line (NB2), depth of intercondylar notch from notch basal line (ND), and intercondylar angle which made from both end point of notch basal line and apex of intercondylar notch (alpha) were measured. Three groups were compared with each other by statistical analysis. Stastistically, the acute ACL tear group had narrow upper portion of intercondylar notch than chronic ACL tear group and more acute angle of roof of the intercondylar notch than intact ACL group. So in notchplasty, the upper one-third of intercondylar notch should be carefully widened. And after fixation of femoral interference screw, arthroscopic observation should be done whether reconstruced graft touchs the roof of the intercondylar notch during the extension of the knee.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Causality ; Femur ; Knee ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants