In the present study, we made an attempt to compare polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) with PCR-direct sequence analysis for their accuracy and sensitivity in detecting resistance to rifampicin (RMP). A total of 32 clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis including 22 resistant and 10 sensitive isolates, whose drug susceptibility have been tested by conventional proportion method, were analyzed by using PCR-SSCP and PCR-sequence analysis. Among 22 RMP resistant isolates, 16 isolates showed SSCP profiles different from that of a RMP sensitive control strain, M. tuberculosis H37Rv indicating the possible existence of a sequence alteration in this region of the rpoB gene, while 6 resistant isolates displayed SSCP profiles indistinguishable from the sensitive control strain. On the other hand, all of 10 RMP sensitive isolates showed SSCP profiles similar to that of the sensitive control strain. Therefore, overall agreement rste between conventional proportion method and PCR-SSCP reached 81%. Subsequently, all of 32 clinical isolates were subjected to sequence analysis. The results from the sequence analysis revealed that all of 22 resistant isolates indeed contain mutations in the stretch of 81 bp region of rpoB gene, while none of 10 sensitive isolates contain any sequence alterations. Therefore, this study suggests that PCR-sequence analysis works more efficiently and accurately than PCR-SSCP analysis for rapid screening of RMP-resistant M. tuberculosis clinical isolates.
Hand ; Mass Screening ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Rifampin* ; Sequence Analysis* ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: There are relatively few results from studies on nodular Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In addition, some Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients present with irregular symptoms, making the distinction from malignant thyroid nodule difficult. Therefore, we performed analyses on ultrasonographic findings of nodular Hashimoto's thyroiditis. METHODS: A retrospective follow-up study was performed on 76 patients (88 nodules) diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis after undergoing fine needle aspiration biopsy from January 2009 to December 2010. A frequency analysis was performed to investigate the most common ultrasonographic findings of nodular Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In addition, patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of extensive Hashimoto's thyroiditis on the parenchyma, and ultrasonographic findings were compared and analyzed for nodules in each group. RESULTS: The study was performed on 76 patients and 88 nodules. The majority of nodular Hashimoto's thyroiditis were found to be solid on ultrasonography, and echogenicity was mostly hypoechoic, with prominent hypoechoic findings being more common. Most nodules did not have a rim surrounding the margins, and absence of accompanying calcification was also noted. The comparison and analysis of ultrasonographic findings of two patient groups that were divided based on the presence or absence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis across the parenchyma, revealed no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Most nodular Hashimoto's thyroiditis cases do not present with calcification or rims and frequently present as solid and hypoechoic. It can be concluded that such findings are consistent regardless of whether there is accompanying extensive changes at the thyroid parenchyma associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hashimoto Disease* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule ; Thyroiditis ; Ultrasonography*

OBJECTIVE: To compare COH characteristics and IVF outcomes among IVF-ET patients who were treated with various therapeutic modalities for ovarian endometriomas and to propose effective pre-cyclic therapeutic modalities to improve IVF-ET outcomes in the patients with ovarian endometriomas. METHODS: All cases that had undergone IVF-ET after laparoscopy between January 1997 to August 2003 were reviewed. Forty-eight patients with tubal factor were assigned to Group I. Twenty seven, 22 and 38 patients diagnosed as severe pelvic adhesion with ovarian endometriomas by laparoscopy received only medical therapy (Group II), cyst aspiration (Group III), and sclerotherapy (Group IV), respectively. Laparoscopic cystectomy was performed in 20 patients (Group V). Resistance index was measured on day administering hCG. RESULTS: As compared with Group I, in Group II resistance index increased (p<0.05) but number of oocytes, good-quality oocyte ratio (mature and intermediate oocytes/total retrieval oocytes), fertilization rate, and embryo development rate decreased (p<0.05). In Group III fertilization rate and embryo development rate decreased (p<0.05). There was no difference between Group IV and Group I in all parameters except basal FSH which increased (p<0.05). In Group V basal FSH, and resistance increased (p<0.05) and number of oocytes and good-quality oocytes ratio decreased (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Sclerotherapy is an effective therapeutic option which can be done prior to IVF-ET cycles in the patients with ovarian endometriomas. Further studies on a large scale are necessary to confirm these data.
Cystectomy ; Embryonic Development ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Sclerotherapy

The study aimed to compare the whitening efficacy of a strip and gel containing 2.9% hydrogen peroxide, using a tooth whitening light activator. The whitening effect was compared through in vitro and in vivo studies. In the in vitro study, we used stained hydroxyapatite (HAP) specimens as artificial teeth. HAP specimens were made using HAP powder and polyvinyl alcohol solution, and stained by modified Stookey's method. A whitening gel and whitening strip were applied to the respective specimens for 20 minutes, with a light activator. The color changes were measured using a colorimeter. In the in vivo study, one group (test 1) used the gel with a light activator and the other group (test 2) used a strip with the same activator for 15 minutes a day, for four consecutive days. An organoleptic evaluation using a Vita shade guide and instrumental evaluation using a Shade eye-NCC (Shofu Co., Japan) were performed. The color change values (ΔE*) in the in vitro study revealed the strip with the light activator to be more effective than the gel with the same activator (p<0.001). In the in vivo study, even though there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the ΔE*, using either the Shade eye-NCC or the Vita shade guide, the change in yellowness (Δb*) was statistically significant (p=0.024). In conclusion, test 2 group that used 2.9% hydrogen peroxide strip with a light activator, showed a tendency towards increased whitening than test 1 group that used the gel with the same activator; however further studies are needed to validate the above finding.
Durapatite ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; In Vitro Techniques ; Methods ; Polyvinyl Alcohol ; Sensation ; Tooth Bleaching* ; Tooth* ; Tooth, Artificial

Renal papillary necrosis(RPN) is a 4bointerstitial nephropathy accompanied by compromised medullary blood flow that ultimately results in a focal or diffuse ischemic necrosis of segments of the renal medulla. Renal papillary necrosis is infrequently reported as complication of fungal infections. Underlying condi- tions such as prematurity, immunosuppressive therapy, neoplastic disease, previous antibiotic therapy, diabetes mellitus, extensive burn and indwelling vascular catheters were found in candidal RPN. Candidal renal papillary necrosis is a extremely rare and fatal disease. Only 20 cases were reported over the past. There were only three survivors which were diagnosed were treated with antifugal agents early in the clinical course. As far as we know, this case is the first case of candidal RPN treated with bilateral nephrectomy. We report a case of candidal renal papillary necrosis in a 66-year-old diabetic woman treated with bilateral nephrectomy, along with review of the literatures.
Aged ; Burns ; Candida tropicalis ; Candidiasis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Necrosis* ; Nephrectomy ; Survivors ; Vascular Access Devices

Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to ethambutol (EMB) has been assigned to an operon, embCAB, which has been proposed to be a structural gene for mycobacterial arabinosyl transferases. Recently, genetic events resulting in structural mutations at embB have been proposed as major contributors to the EMB-resistance of isolates whose minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) level is higher than 20 microgram/ml. On the contrary, isolates with a MIC level lower than 20 microgram/ml do not seem to contain any sequence alterations. In this study, in an effort to understand the role of embB mutations at a low-level of EMB resistance, we investigated the sequence polymorphisms of clinical isolates whose MIC levels are lower than 10 microgram/ml. Accordingly, the sequence alterations of a 312-bp region of the embB gene containing the 306th codon, which has been assigned as a hot-spot for EMB-resistance related mutations, were determined for 21 EMB-resistant and 5 EMB-susceptible clinical isolates. In brief, among 21 EMB- resistant isolates examined, 12 (57.1%) contained mutations in embB (10 at the 306th codon and 2 at other sites), and the remaining isolates 9 contained no mutations in any region of embB. The observed mutations included M306V, M306I, and M306L substitutions that have been reported previously. However, 3 were novel types, which included M306T, A313G and Y322C, D331Y double substitutions. On the other hand, all of the EMB-susceptible isolates were found to be free of mutations. In conclusion, our findings suggest that sequence polymorphism of embB may play a pivotal role in the EMB- resistance of M. tuberculosis.
Antitubercular Agents/*pharmacology ; Chromosome Mapping ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Ethambutol/*pharmacology ; *Mutation ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*drug effects/genetics ; Pentosyltransferases/*genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Chronic alcohol consumption causes alcoholic liver disease, which is associated with the initiation of dysregulated lipid metabolism. Recent evidences suggest that dysregulated cholesterol metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic fatty liver disease. Ecklonia stolonifera (ES), a perennial brown marine alga that belongs to the family Laminariaceae, is rich in phlorotannins. Many studies have indicated that ES has extensive pharmacological effects, such as antioxidative, hepatoprotective, and antiinflammatory effects. However, only a few studies have investigated the protective effect of ES in alcoholic fatty liver. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal diet (ND) (fed a normal diet for 10 weeks) and ethanol diet (ED) groups. Rats in the ED group were fed a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet (containing 5% ethanol) for 10 weeks and administered ES extract (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg/day), silymarin (100 mg/kg/day), or no treatment for 4 weeks. Each treatment group comprised of eight rats. The supplementation with ES resulted in decreased serum levels of triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. In addition, there were decreases in hepatic lipid and malondialdehyde levels. Changes in liver histology, as analyzed by Oil Red O staining, showed that the ES treatment suppressed adipogenesis. In addition, the ES treatment increased the expression of fatty acid oxidation-related genes (e.g., PPAR-α and CPT-1) but decreased the expression of SREBP 1, which is a TG synthesis-related gene. These results suggest that ES extract may be useful in preventing fatty acid oxidation and reducing lipogenesis in ethanol-induced fatty liver.
Adipogenesis ; Alanine Transaminase ; Alcohol Drinking ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Ethanol ; Fatty Liver* ; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipogenesis ; Liver ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Metabolism ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Silymarin ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Yellow fever (YF) can be prevented through vaccination, but YF vaccination causes adverse events. The increasing number of travelers to YF-endemic areas prompted an investigation of YF vaccination's adverse events on Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January to December 2007, 318 live-17DD vaccinees at the International Travelers' Clinic of the National Medical Center were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: The adverse events were evaluated through six telephone interviews of 309 subjects (male: 168, 54.4%) on days 3, 6, 9, 16, 23, and 30 after the administration of the vaccine. There were 106 adverse events in 97 (31.4%) subjects aged 11 months to 70 years (male: 56, 18.1%). Of the 34 (11.0%) subjects who had underlying diseases, 3 (1.0%) reported adverse events (P=0.06). Nineteen (6.1%) of the 72 (23.3%) subjects who concurrently received other vaccines also experienced adverse events (P=0.29). Those who had underlying illnesses and those aged 10 to 19 years reported more frequent adverse events (P=0.06 and 0.14, respectively), but the significance of this finding is uncertain. Most of the adverse events occurred within 10 days after the vaccination and spontaneously subsided. CONCLUSION: This study shows that most of the YF vaccine's adverse events are well tolerated and that the vaccine safely protects a vaccinee from YF.
Aged ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Vaccination ; Vaccines ; Yellow Fever ; Yellow Fever Vaccine

BACKGROUND: Yellow fever (YF) can be prevented through vaccination, but YF vaccination causes adverse events. The increasing number of travelers to YF-endemic areas prompted an investigation of YF vaccination's adverse events on Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January to December 2007, 318 live-17DD vaccinees at the International Travelers' Clinic of the National Medical Center were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: The adverse events were evaluated through six telephone interviews of 309 subjects (male: 168, 54.4%) on days 3, 6, 9, 16, 23, and 30 after the administration of the vaccine. There were 106 adverse events in 97 (31.4%) subjects aged 11 months to 70 years (male: 56, 18.1%). Of the 34 (11.0%) subjects who had underlying diseases, 3 (1.0%) reported adverse events (P=0.06). Nineteen (6.1%) of the 72 (23.3%) subjects who concurrently received other vaccines also experienced adverse events (P=0.29). Those who had underlying illnesses and those aged 10 to 19 years reported more frequent adverse events (P=0.06 and 0.14, respectively), but the significance of this finding is uncertain. Most of the adverse events occurred within 10 days after the vaccination and spontaneously subsided. CONCLUSION: This study shows that most of the YF vaccine's adverse events are well tolerated and that the vaccine safely protects a vaccinee from YF.
Aged ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Vaccination ; Vaccines ; Yellow Fever ; Yellow Fever Vaccine