No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Immunoglobulin M*

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), also known as allergic granulomatous angiitis, is a rare disorder characterized by the presence of asthma, eosinophilia and small-to-medium-sized vessels vasculitis. The peripheral nervous system is frequently involved in CSS, but central nervous system (CNS) involvement is rare. Furthermore, transverse myelitis (TM) as a presenting symptom in patients with CSS is extremely rare. We report here on a 60-year-old female who presented peripheral eosinophilia, lung eosinophilic infiltration, lung vasculitis, and TM. She was diagnosed as CSS based on clinical manifestation, pathologic findings, and the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Asthma ; Central Nervous System ; Churg-Strauss Syndrome ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Myelitis, Transverse ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Vasculitis

No abstract available.

This study was carried out to investigate the development rates of human embryos co-cultured with cumulus cells to each blastocyst stage. Human zygotes were co-cultured on cumulus cell monolayer in YS medium supplemented with 20% hFF. On day 2, if patient had four or more 'good' embryos(regular blastomeres without fragmentation), embryos were further cultured for 72hrs. Blastocysts on day 5 were classified into early blastocyst (ErB), early expanding blastocyst (EEB), middle expanding Blastocyst (MEB), and expanded blastocyst (EdB) on the basis of their morphological aspects of trophectoderm cells and blastocoele. Subsequently, maximum 3 of best blastocysts were transferred in 486 cycles. The results in this study were as follows: Patients who had four or more 'good' embryos on day 2 were 498 persons, but patients whose embryos could not be transferred due to failure in development to the blastocyst stage on day 5 were 12 persons (2.4%). The development rate of embryos to the blastocyst stage was 58.2% (2,885/4,957) on day 5, and the rates that developed to the ErB, EEB, MEB, and EdB stage were 15.0% (743/4,957), 14.9% (739/4,957), 14.4% (714/4,957), and 13.9% (689/4,957), respectively. Total 1366 blastocysts were transferred in 486 cycles (mean number=2.81). The implantation rate and the ongoing implantation rate obtained by observing the number of G-sac and FHB were 29.9% (409/1,366) and 22.5% (308/1,366), respectively. The clinical pregnancy rate was 51.2% (249/486), and the ongoing pregnancy rate was 39.1% (190/486). Among women showing ongoing pregnancy, women with singleton were 50% (95/190), women with twin were 37.9% (72/190), and women with triplet were 12.1% (23/190). Although triplet pregnancy rate in this study was high such as 12.1%, because many blastocysts with high viability were produced in our co-culture system using cumulus cells on day 5, we really believe that a multiple pregnancy except twin should not occur by selecting good embryos for maximum two blastocyst transfer. These results demonstrate that autologous cumulus cells may be used for the production of blastocysts with high developmental competence, and the use of autologous cumulus cells to be collected easily, and to be treated conveniently at OPU must be an effective means for obtaining high implantation and pregnancy rate.
Blastocyst* ; Blastomeres ; Coculture Techniques* ; Cumulus Cells* ; Embryo Transfer ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Humans* ; Mental Competency ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Pregnancy, Triplet ; Triplets ; Zygote

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of job characteristics and occupational stress on health-related behavior. METHODS: Eight thousand five hundred twenty two workers (21-65 years of age) who recruited from a nationwide sample in Korea completed a self-administered questionnaire regarding socio-demographic factors, job characteristics, health-related behaviors such as alcohol consumption, current smoking status & exercise, and occupational stress assessed by Korean Occupational Stress Scale. Multivariate analyses were conducted to analyze the association of occupational stress and job characteristics with health behavior according to gender separately. RESULTS: In male, the problem drinking was positively associated with older age, lower educational level, some industries such as 'transport,' 'wholesale and retail trade' industries, difficult physical environment, insufficient job control, inadequate social support, job insecurity, and organizational injustice. Current smoking was positively associated with younger age, lower educational level, single marital status, lower incomes, 'transport' industry and high job demand. The rate of regular exercise was negatively associated with lower incomes, shift works, and the 'electricity, gas and water supply' industies, high job demand, insufficient job control, inadequate social support, job insecurity, and lack of reward. 'Financial institutions and insurance' industry. CONCLUSION: Occupational stress and certain industrial classification have impact on health related lifestyles in Korean male employees.
Alcohol Drinking ; Drinking ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Male ; Marital Status ; Multivariate Analysis ; Reward ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Water ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock is the most common cause of in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction. Despite improvement in coronary care, the in-hospital mortality rate of cardiogenic shock is very high in conventional conservative therapy. Recently, it was suggested that coronary angioplasty may reduce the mortality associated with cardiogenic shock. METHOD: Thirteen consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock who underwent coronary angioplasty were studied. Shock was not induced by mechanical complications, arrhythmia, hypovolemia and other reversible cause. We collected and analyzed the clinical, hemodynamic survivor groups. RESULTS: Of 13 patients, 11 had successful reperfusion of the infarct-related coronary artery and 2 had unsuccessful reperfusion. Of 11 patients with successful angioplasty, 8 survived at the time of hospital discharge. All patents with unsuccessful angioplasty died in the hospital. Therefore overall hospital survival rate was 62% and the rate increased to 73% in patients with successful reperfusion. Survivor and non-survivor groups in clinical, hemodynamic and angiographic variables were similar except systolic blood pressure and the presence of successful reperfusion. CONCLUSION: In patients with cardiogenic shock, the patency of infarct-related coronary artery was strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. This findings support aggressive interventional strategy in patient with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction.
Angioplasty ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Coronary Vessels ; Hemodynamics ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Hypovolemia ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Reperfusion ; Shock ; Shock, Cardiogenic* ; Survival Rate ; Survivors

BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock is the most common cause of in-hospital mortality after acute myocardial infarction. Despite improvement in coronary care, the in-hospital mortality rate of cardiogenic shock is very high in conventional conservative therapy. Recently, it was suggested that coronary angioplasty may reduce the mortality associated with cardiogenic shock. METHOD: Thirteen consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock who underwent coronary angioplasty were studied. Shock was not induced by mechanical complications, arrhythmia, hypovolemia and other reversible cause. We collected and analyzed the clinical, hemodynamic survivor groups. RESULTS: Of 13 patients, 11 had successful reperfusion of the infarct-related coronary artery and 2 had unsuccessful reperfusion. Of 11 patients with successful angioplasty, 8 survived at the time of hospital discharge. All patents with unsuccessful angioplasty died in the hospital. Therefore overall hospital survival rate was 62% and the rate increased to 73% in patients with successful reperfusion. Survivor and non-survivor groups in clinical, hemodynamic and angiographic variables were similar except systolic blood pressure and the presence of successful reperfusion. CONCLUSION: In patients with cardiogenic shock, the patency of infarct-related coronary artery was strongly associated with in-hospital mortality. This findings support aggressive interventional strategy in patient with cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction.
Angioplasty ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Coronary Vessels ; Hemodynamics ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Hypovolemia ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Reperfusion ; Shock ; Shock, Cardiogenic* ; Survival Rate ; Survivors

A 65-year-old woman presented with a history of severe lower back pain on forward-flexion for 2 months duration. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a high signal mass with a tail on T1-weighted images at the L3 level. A total surgical resection was performed via a posterior approach with the aid of a microscope. Histopathological examination of the tumor revealed two pathological components: lipoma and myxopapillary ependymoma. The presence of dual histological components in one spinal cord tumor is rare. There are no prior reports of both types of cells (adipose and ependymal) grown simultaneously in a single tumor of the filum terminale in the medical literature. We report a unique case of the co-existence of lipoma and myxopapillary ependymoma within the same tumor located at the filum terminale and review related literature.
Aged ; Cauda Equina* ; Ependymoma* ; Female ; Humans ; Lipoma* ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Cord Neoplasms

Hypomelanosis of Ito is a congenital neurocutaneous syndrome with a particular pattern of streaks, patches and swirling hypopigmentation over variable portions of the body surface. Multiple extracutaneous abnormalities involving the central nervous system, musculoskeletal structures and the eyes occur in over two-thirds of the cases. This report describes a patient with typical unilateral cutaneous lesions associated with extracutaneous features, including hypertrophy of the cerebral hemisphere contralateral to the cutaneous hypopigmentation. Chromosomal analysis of fibroblasts of depigmented skin obtained from the patients showed mosaicism.
Central Nervous System ; Cerebrum ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Hypopigmentation* ; Malformations of Cortical Development* ; Mosaicism ; Neurocutaneous Syndromes ; Skin

Ulnar neuropathy around the elbow in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can occur by synovial invasion, flexion contracture or valgus deformity of the elbow. However, attritional rupture of the ulnar nerve by medial osteophyte with synovial invasion of the rheumatoid elbow is extremely rare. We reported a case of attritional rupture of the ulnar nerve by medial osteophyte in 62 years-old male with rheumatoid arthritis. Exact diagnosis and proper treatment are required if symptoms of ulnar neuropathy present in rheumatoid arthritis with contracture and valgus deformity of the elbow.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Contracture ; Elbow ; Humans ; Male ; Osteophyte ; Rupture ; Ulnar Nerve ; Ulnar Neuropathies