PURPOSE: Since the laparoscopic cholecystectomy became an usual procedure, operative indications of the gallbladder polyps have had the tendency to enlarge. There are no precise management plan about the gallbladder polyps which is not included in the accepted operative indications. Therefore a management plan may be required for the patients who has gallbladder polyps which is not accepted operative indications. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed 106 patients with gallbladder polyps who were diagnosed preoperatively by ultrasound and CT from January 1991 to January 2005. Our operation indications are polyp above 10 mm, symptomatic polyp, sessile polyp, coincidence of stone, focal thickening of gallbladder wall, diffuse wall thickening and detection during other operations. The gallbladder polyps which were suspected to the gallbladder cancer strongly on radiologic studies and polyps above 20 mm size were excluded in this studies. RESULTS: Among the 106 patients, 87 patients underwent operation, and polypoid lesions disappeared during the follow-up period in 3 patients, and 16 patients are on regular follow up. Fifty-six cases received operation with accepted operative indications, and the thirty-one cases underwent operation by the patient's demand. Two groups showed significant difference in true polyp on pathological diagnosis (P < 0.001). There was 16.07% true polyp in opertive indication based 56 patients and no true polyp in patient's demanded 31 cases. The pathologic diagnoses were cholesterol polyp in 27 patients (87.15%), no polyp in 2 patients, adenomatous hyperplasia in 2 patients. The correlation of the polyp size and pathologic diagnosis was an inverse relation to the polyp size and incidence of pseudopolyp (P=0.014). CONCLUSION: We propose that the 6-month-interval follow-up observation is fully safe for polyps sized below 10 mm and not included in accepted operative indications.
Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Cholesterol ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Polyps ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Ultrasonography

Early onset of systemic toxicity of local anesthetics is a common complication in regional anesthesia. However late onset of systemic toxicity is an unfamiliar phenomenon for an anesthesiologist. We present a case of a late onset of systemic toxicity of local anesthestics in a patient who received brachial plexus block for hand surgery. An hour later after the block, he complained of light-headedness and anxiety. Then he was found to be unconsciousness with involuntary movement of his four extremities. Later his speech became slurred and patient became unresponsive. Following which, general anesthesia was induced and the patient recovered his consciousness after surgery with no sequela related to systemic toxicity with local anesthetics. We observe from this report that considering the time for local anesthetics to reach peak plasma concentration, anesthesiologists should monitor and observe their patient for at least an hour from the completion of brachial plexus block.
Anesthesia, Conduction ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics, Local ; Anxiety ; Brachial Plexus ; Consciousness ; Dizziness ; Dyskinesias ; Extremities ; Hand ; Humans ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Plasma ; Unconsciousness

The management guideline for traumatic brain injury (TBI) recommends high-dose barbiturate therapy to control increased intracranial pressure refractory to other therapeutic options. High-dose barbiturate therapy, however, may cause many severe side effects; the commonly recognized ones include hypotension, immunosuppression, hepatic dysfunction, renal dysfunction, and prolonged decrease of cortical activity. Meanwhile, dyskalemia remains relatively uncommon. In this study, we report the case of a hypokalemic patient with severe rebound hyperkalemia, which occurred as a result of barbiturate coma therapy administered for TBI treatment.
Brain Injuries ; Coma* ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Hypokalemia ; Hypotension ; Immunosuppression ; Intracranial Pressure

OBJECTIVE: The optimal threshold of the infusion volume of cement has been a continuous subject in percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). This study verifies a causal relationship between the cement volume and the clinical outcome, and suggests the parameters of the appropriate volume of cement in PVP. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. One hundred nine patients, who underwent PVP between 2012 and 2015, were included in the study. Various factors such as patients' fracture levels, fracture types, fracture body volumes, fracture rates, bone mineral densities, and infused cement volumes were analyzed. Cement infusion ratios were calculated, using total amount of infused cement and fractured body volume. Follow up was done after one-week, one-month and three-months, postoperatively. Changes in the middle body height and the cement leakage levels were monitored and clinical outcomes were evaluated using a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Among the variables, the infusion ratio (r=-0.320, p=0.003, Pearson's correlation) was the only index that showed a significant cause and effect relationship with favorable clinical outcome, except the group with a T-score of higher than -2.5, and the group with a upper thoracic vertebral level. The patients with a cement infusion ratio of 27.8% or more of the fractured body volume had favorable results. CONCLUSION: This study showed that high cement infusion ratio revealed favorable outcome in the vertebroplasty of the osteoporotic compression fractures. Infusion ratio of more than 27.8% to osteoporotic compressed vertebrae is optimal for rapid recovery after PVP.
Body Height ; Bone Cements ; Bone Density ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine ; Vertebroplasty*

BACKGROUND: The bronchial anthracofibrosis has been thought to be a unique clinical syndrome caused by a fibrotic response to active or old tuberculous infection, but recent studies suggest that long-term exposure to woodsmoke may be the cause of the development of bronchial anthracofibrosis and the tuberculosis is thought to be a disease frequently associated with bronchial anthrocofibrosis, not the main etiology. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between the bronchial anthracofibrosis and the long-term exposure to woodsmoke and tuberculosis through analyses of the clinical features of patients with bronchial anthracofibrosis. METHODS: 166 patients having bronchial anthracofibrosis confirmed by bronchoscopy were included in this study. They were 23 males and 143 females, having mean sge 72.4 years, ranging from 56 to 91. The epidemiologic features, distinctive clinical features, physiologic findings, radiologic findings and bronchoscopic findings were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: All the patients living in rural area (129 of 166) had experienced long-term exposure to woodsmoke. The history of tuberculosis was obtained in 52 patients without history of occupational exposure to dust. The predominant chest CT findings were atelectasis, bronchial stenosis and calcified or noncalcified lymph node enlargements. The most common abnormality of pulmonary function was obstructive pattern, observed in 47.8%. The bronchoscopic examination disclosed multifocal anthracotic plaques mostly at the bifurcation of lobar or segmental bronchi, particularly in upper lobe. The bronchial stenosis was frequently observed in right middle and upper lobe. The associated diseases were obstructive airway disease in 56, obstructive pneumonia in 40, active tuberculosis in 36, and lung cancer in 11 patients. CONCLUSION: The bronchial anthracofibrosis, in the patient who has long-term experience to woodsmoke inhalation without any history of environmental exposure to dust, is one of the manifestation of lung disease related to woodsmoke inhalation, and is frequently associated with various pulmonary diseases, including tuberculosis.
Bronchi ; Bronchoscopy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dust ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Occupational Exposure ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis

Background: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and management of diabetes mellitus, risk-factor control, and comorbidities among Korean adults. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess the prevalence, treatment, risk factors, comorbidities, and self-management behaviors of diabetes mellitus from 2019 to 2020. We also analyzed data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service to evaluate the use of antidiabetic medications in people with diabetes mellitus from 2002 through 2018. Results: Among Korean adults aged 30 years or older, the estimated prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 16.7% in 2020. From 2019 through 2020, 65.8% of adults with diabetes mellitus were aware of the disease and treated with antidiabetic medications. The percentage of adults with diabetes mellitus who achieved glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) <6.5% was 24.5% despite the increased use of new antidiabetic medications. We found that adults with diabetes mellitus who achieved all three goals of HbA1c <6.5%, blood pressure (BP) <140/85 mm Hg, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL were 9.7%. The percentage of self-management behaviors was lower in men than women. Excess energy intake was observed in 16.7% of adults with diabetes mellitus. Conclusion The prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Korean adults remained high. Only 9.7% of adults with diabetes mellitus achieved all glycemic, BP, and lipid controls from 2019 to 2020. Continuous evaluation of national diabetes statistics and a national effort to increase awareness of diabetes mellitus and improve comprehensive diabetes care are needed.

Numerous systemic diseases manifest with oral symptoms and signs. The molecular diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease worldwide, currently relies on invasive or expensive methods, emphasizing the imperative for easily accessible biomarkers.In this study, we explored the expression patterns of key proteins implicated in AD pathophysiology within the taste buds of mice. We detected the expression of amyloid precursor protein (APP) and tau protein in the taste buds of normal C57BL/6 mice. Phosphorylated tau was predominantly found in type II and III taste cells, while APP was located in type I taste cells. Remarkably, we observed significantly stronger immunoreactivity to phosphorylated tau in the taste buds of aged AD mouse models compared to age-matched controls. These findings underscore the oral expression of biomarkers associated with AD, highlighting the diagnostic potential of the oral cavity for neurodegenerative diseases.

BACKGROUND: Loss of myocardium due to acute myocardial infarction may cause acute heart failure and future left ventricular dysfunction. During heart failure, homeostatic mechanism will be activated and the renin-angiotensin system may play a role in congestive heart failure. Its primary components are angiotensinogen, renin, angiotensin converting enzyme, and angiotensin. According to the recent improvement of molecular biologic technique, it is possible to know the angiotensinogen nucleotidde sequence, amino acid sequence, and tertiary structure and to detect very small amount of material from tissue. The aim of the present study was to examine the change of expression of the liver angiotensinogen mRNA, a component of the circulation renin-angiotensin system in rats after myocardial infarction. METHODS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats(body weight 200-250g) were anesthetized and subjected either to left coronary artery occlusion or to sham operation. And the rats were sacrificed at 1 hours, 4 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days, 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks. Northern blot analysis was performed. RESULTS: The liver angiotensinogen amRNA levels were elevated at 4 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours after myocardial infarction and reduced to control values at 3 days(max 5-fold). The liver angiotensinogen mRNA levels were lesser elevated at 4 hours, 18 hours, 24 hours after sham operation(max 1.8-fold). CONCLUSION: The renin-angiotensin system is one of the major regulators of blood pressure and fiuid and electrolyte homeostasis. It appears that the circulating renin-angiotensin system is activated acutely after myocardial infarction and is then turned off at cardiovascular compensation.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Angiotensinogen* ; Angiotensins ; Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Blotting, Northern ; Compensation and Redress ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Liver* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Renin ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; RNA, Messenger* ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

BACKGROUND: Ischemia/reperfusion injury is very important issue in the era of thrombolysis and primary coronary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarction. However, the mechanism of ischemia-reperfusion injury is not fully clarified. Estrogen is well known to have protective actions against ischemic heart disease. We tested hypothesis that estrogen may protect myocardium by reducing ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats that underwent ovariectomy, female controls, and male rats were subjected to 45minutes of left coronary artery occlusion followed by 4 or 24hours of reperfusion. Coronary artery occlusion was performed 1 week after ovariectomy or sham operation. And sham operation was also performed in each group to confirm the effects of ischemia/reperfusion. RESULTS: Ischemia/reperfusion induced apoptosis in myocardium, especially at border zone, whereas sham operation did not induce apoptosis. After 4 hours of reperfusion the percentages of apoptotic myocytes in border and center zone of reperfused area were 35.7+/-3.7%, 29.0+/-4.2% in ovariectomized rats (n=3), 40.8+/-3.7%, 29.5+/-2.5% in female control rats (n=3), and 39.0+/-1.6% (p=0.10), 32.4+/-1.6% (p=0.43) in male rats (n=3). After 24hours of reperfusion the percentages in border and center zone of reperfused area were 20.6+/-3.1%, 12.9+/-4.8% in ovariectomized rats (n=3), 19.6+/-4.1%, 14.0+/-2.0% in female control rat (n=3), and 21.4+/-6.6% (p=0.93), 15.1+/-2.4% (p=0.85) in male rats (n=3). There is difference of apoptosis neither between male and female rats nor between control and ovariectomized female rats. CONCLUSION: Estrogen did not affect the ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis in rat myocardium.
Angioplasty ; Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Coronary Vessels ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Muscle Cells ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocardium* ; Ovariectomy ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury

PURPOSE: To investigate the chemotherapeutic effect of quercetin against cancer cells, signaling pathway of apoptosis was explored in human pancreatic cells. METHODS: Various anticancer drugs including adriamycin, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine were used. Cell viability was measured by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphe-nyltetra zolium bromide assay. Apoptosis was determined by 4'-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole nuclei staining and flow cytometry in PANC-1 cells treated with 50 microg/mL quercetin for 24 hours. Expression of endoplas mic reticulum (ER) stress mediators including, Grp78/Bip, p-PERK, PERK, ATF4, ATF6 and GADD153/CHOP proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured by fluorescence staining with JC-1, rhodamine 123. Quercetin induced the apoptosis of PANC-1, which was characterized as nucleic acid and genomic DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and sub-G0/G1 fraction of cell cycle increase. But not adriamycin, cisplatin, gemcitabine, and 5-FU. PANC-1 cells were markedly sensitive to quercetin. RESULTS: Treatment with quercetin resulted in the increased accumulation of intracellular Ca2+ ion. Treatment with quercetin also increased the expression of Grp78/Bip and GADD153/CHOP protein and induced mitochondrial dysfunction. Quercetin exerted cytotoxicity against human pancreatic cancer cells via ER stress-mediated apoptotic signaling including reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial dysfunction. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that quercetin may be an important modulator of chemosensitivity of cancer cells against anticancer chemotherapeutic agents.
Apoptosis* ; Benzimidazoles ; Blotting, Western ; Carbocyanines ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Survival ; Chromatin ; Cisplatin ; Deoxycytidine ; DNA Fragmentation ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescence ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Quercetin* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reticulum ; Rhodamine 123