BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adult studies have reported that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) show ultrastructural and functional myocardial deterioration. The aim of this study was to assess whether cardiac functional deterioration can be detected in pediatric patients with type I DM and whether or not a relatively short duration of DM and hyperglycemia influences cardiac function. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-seven children and adolescents with DM and 38 healthy subjects (control group) were enrolled. Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), DM-induced complications, and left ventricular (LV) function as assessed using conventional and unconventional echocardiography {tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and vector velocity imaging (VVI)} were evaluated. RESULTS: The conventional echocardiographic parameters, with the exception of early peak mitral inflow velocity, the findings of pulsed wave TDI at the annular level, and regional ventricular function by VVI, were not significantly different between the two groups. Using the conventional and unconventional indices of systolic and diastolic function, no significant relationship was found between the duration of DM and the echocardiographic parameters. The deceleration time (DT) and E'/A' had an inverse correlation with HbA1c (p=0.042 and p=0.016, respectively). CONCLUSION: Patients with DM in childhood and early adolescence rarely have insight on the significance of DM, and their diet is difficult to control. An alteration of myocardial function induced by DM may begin earlier than generally thought, and these changes are accelerated when glycemic control is poor. We recommend the early institution of close observation of patients with diabetes for alterations in cardiac function, in addition to other diabetic complications.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Deceleration ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Diet ; Echocardiography ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Ventricular Function ; Ventricular Function, Left

We studied two intraabdominal desmoplastic small cell tumors. The patients were two men, 37 and 23 years old, with jaundice and palpable abdominal masses. On exploratory laparotomy, each patient revealed a huge mass in the greater omentum with disseminated peritoneal seeding, measuring 32 cm and 11 cm in its greatest dimension, respectively. The tumor involved the diaphragm, rectal shelf, and cul de sac in case 1, and it involved the porta hepatis, retroperitoneum, and serosal surface of the ascending and transverse colon in case 2. Omentectomy of the huge mass and satellite masses was performed in each patient. Both tumors showed nearly the same histopathologic features. The histologic pattern was suggestive of a metastatic small cell carcinoma, but there was no specific, single primary site. The tumors consisted of variably sized, discrete islands of epithelial-like small cells in dense desmoplastic stroma. The tumor cells revealed divergent epithelial, mesenchymal, and neural differentiation by histologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic observations. Only one cycle of chemotherapy including cisplatin and VP-16 was given in case 1 because of a subsequent hepatic problem, who, thereafter, showed massive intraabdominal recurrent tumors 6 months after diagnosis. In case 2, the poor condition of the patient had made chemotherapy and radiotherapy impossible. Case 2 died of disseminated intravascular coagulation following progressive cachexia 7 months after diagnosis.
Neoplasm Metastasis

A recently recognized connective tissue disorder, Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a genetic aortic aneurysm syndrome caused by mutations in the transforming growth factor-receptor type I or II gene (TGFBR1 or TGFBR2). They have distinctive phenotypic abnormalities including widely spaced eyes (hypertelorism), bifid uvula or cleft palate, and arterial tortuosity with aortic aneurysm or dissection throughout the arterial tree. LDS is characterized by aggressive and rapid progression of aortic aneurysm. Therefore, the patients with distinct phenotype, marked aortic dilatation and aneurysm at early age should be suspected to be affected by LDS and rapid TGFBR gene analysis should be done. We report one child diagnosed as LDS due to typical phenotypes and two novel missense mutations of the TGFBR2 gene (c.1526G>T and c.1528A>T).
Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Child ; Cleft Palate ; Connective Tissue ; Dilatation ; Eye ; Humans ; Joint Instability ; Loeys-Dietz Syndrome ; Mutation, Missense ; Phenotype ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Skin Diseases, Genetic ; Thorax ; Uvula ; Vascular Malformations

Anal duct carcinoma is a rare tumor, and accounts for less than 5 percent of all anal cancers, which typically present a long-standing perianal fistulas. Some authors suggest that the fistulous tracts are congenital duplications of the lower end of the hind gut lined by rectal mucosa which is prone to malignant change to mucinous adenocarcinoma. It is usually a well differentiated mucinous (colloid) adenocarcinoma. The prognosis after wide excision of the rectum is relatively good. Since 1985, we have had three cases of anal duct carcinoma with well differentiated mucinous adenocarcinoma involving the posterior wall of the anus. Two patients had a long history of perianal fistula with mucinous discharge. There was no spread to the regional lymph node except one patient who had regional lymph node metastasis, and post-operative chemotherapy and radiation therapy were then given. All patients have no evidence of any recurrent problem at 16 months to 3 years following the surgical treatment. Because of their rarity and the failure of recognition at an early stage, we are presenting three cases to emphasize the characteristic features of this insidious, slow-growing carcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma

A rare case of hepatic metastasis with a choriocarcinomatous component from a composite adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon in a 60-year-old man is reported. The hepatic metastasis displayed choriocarcinoma with extensive hemorrhagic necrosis. The tumor cells were poorly differentiated with scattered foci of bizzare syncytiotrophoblastic cells. Retrospective examination of the previous colonic carcinoma proved that the tumor was composed of two distinctive elements. One was a moderately well differentiated adenocarcinoma located in mucosa and submucosa. The other was a deep seated and undifferentiated carcinoma which was made up of hyperchromatic bizzare cells with syncytiotrophoblastic cells. There were transitional foci from adenocarcinoma to undifferentiated carcinoma with trophoblastic cells. Immunohistochemical staining showed beta-hCG expression in the undifferentiated cells of both the primary and the metastatic tumors. Implications for the possible origin and cause of tumor cell heterogeneity are briefly discussed.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Carcinoma ; Choriocarcinoma* ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid* ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mucous Membrane ; Necrosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Population Characteristics ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Trophoblasts

The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis occurred in CAPD patients is quite difficult due to its clinical similarity with acute peritonitis. Delayed diagnosis and treatment of acute pancreatitis in CAPD patients may result in fatal complication. We experienced a case of acute pancreatitis in a CAPD patient. A 62 years old female visited the hospital with acute abdominal pain and cloudy effluent for 3 days. She has been on CAPD for 3 years and had two episodes of peritonitis at 6 months and 1 year before the admission. The causative organism was Streptococcus viridans in each episode. The peritonitis symptoms and peritoneal leukocyte count incresed despite of using Vancomycin(R) and Netilmicin(R). Causative organism was not isolated from dialysis. Serum amylase concentrations increased from 105mg/dL at the admission to 1,052mg/dL on day 10 of admission. Abdominal ultrasonography and abdominal computerized tomogram revealed fat infiltration, focal necrosis and multiple cyst formation at pancreas area. Computerized tomogram guided aspiration cytology revealed acute inflammation and necrosis. Bacteria were not found in the aspirate. Clinical symptoms were improved after discontinuation of CAPD and intraperitoneal use of antibiotics. The patient restarted CAPD on the day 18 and remained without complications. We report this case with a brief review of literatures.
Abdominal Pain ; Amylases ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Dialysis ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leukocyte Count ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis* ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Peritonitis ; Renal Dialysis ; Ultrasonography ; Viridans Streptococci

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It has been reported that various inflammatory and immune reactions are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. We tried to investigate whether the TNF receptor superfamilies are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirteen carotid atheroma specimens(frozen sections : 10 cases, paraffin section : 5 cases) were obtained from the patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy at Samsung Medical Center and one normal aortic tissue was obtained from a transplantation donor in brain death. In the carotid endarterectomy specimens and a normal aortic tissue , the expressions of R110(TR1), 139(TR2) and DR3(TR3), members of the TNF receptor superfamilies were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies. Simultaneously, we evaluated the expressions of foam cells, smooth muscle cells, T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis identified a strong expressions of foam cells and smooth muscle cells in all atheroma. But, the expression of T-lymphocytes was minimal and that of B-lymphocytes was rare. The expression of DR3(TR3) was seen in all atheroma as strongly positive. The expression of 139(TR2) was observed well in frozen sections, but not in paraffin sections. Whereas, that of R110(TR1) was observed in paraffin sections as weakly positive, but not in frozen section. The areas where the TNF receptor superfamilies were expressed correlated to the area of foam cell presence. The expression of DR3 also correlated with expression of smooth muscle cells. In normal aortic tissue, the expression of inflammatory cells or TNF receptor superfamilies was not observed except smooth muscle cells which were observed in normal artery. CONCLUSION: Foam cells and smooth muscle cells were abundantly present in atheroma. The TNF receptor superfamilies are expressed in the atheroma and the region of expression was coincident with the presence of foam cells.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; B-Lymphocytes ; Brain Death ; Endarterectomy, Carotid ; Foam Cells ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Paraffin ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic* ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tissue Donors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of human rights sensitivity and social distance in psychiatric hospital orderlies on attitudes toward mental illness, including authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health ideology. METHODS: Participants were 201 psychiatric hospital orderlies working in one national mental hospital or one of 10 private mental hospitals. Data were collected from May 9 to June 22, 2016. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression using the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. RESULTS: Human rights sensitivity and social distance were statistically significant predictors for the attitude toward mental illness in psychiatric hospital orderlies. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that human rights sensitivity and social distance explained an additional 23% of authoritarianism, 16% of benevolence, 35% of social restrictiveness and 29% of community mental health ideology. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that education programs to increase levels of human rights sensitivity and reduce the levels of social distance among psychiatric hospital orderlies would improve their attitude toward patients with the mental illness.
Authoritarianism ; Beneficence ; Education ; Hospitals, Psychiatric* ; Human Rights* ; Humans* ; Mental Health ; Psychiatric Aides* ; Social Distance*

Pulmonary Fibrosis*

Cysticercosis is a parasitic disease which results when man serves as the intermediate host of Taenia Solium, the pork tape warm; the larvae, cysticercus, develop in various body tissue. We have recently experienced a case of cysticercosis in the scrotum diagnosed by excision & biopsy.
Biopsy ; Cysticercosis* ; Cysticercus ; Larva ; Parasitic Diseases ; Scrotum* ; Taenia solium