PURPOSE: The survival of bone marrow derived stem cell was reported several times. But the survival of adipose tissue derived stem cells(hASCs) was not mentioned on. We studied the adipose tissue derived stem cell's survival and effect on articular cartilage in rabbits. METHODS: Osteoarthritis was induced in twenty New Zealand white rabbits by intraarticular injection of monosodium iodoacetate(MIA). After four weeks, hASCs were also injected into the knee joints space without any vehicle, but the control group received phosphate buffered saline only. The histologic grade of articular cartilage was measured in 4 and 8 weeks after the transplantation of hASC and the viability of injected stem cells measured by Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) examination. RESULTS: After 4 and 8 weeks from hASCs transplantation, histologic grade was not significantly difference between two groups(p>0.05), and the Y chromosome of the transplanted hASCs was not detected in articular cartilage. CONCLUSION: We found that direct injection of hASC in joint space didn't work on damaged articular cartilage repair.
Adipose Tissue ; Bone Marrow ; Cartilage, Articular ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Injections, Intra-Articular ; Joints ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Osteoarthritis ; Rabbits ; Stem Cells ; Transplants ; Y Chromosome

No abstract available.
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Hypogonadism* ; Male*

Background: The largest outbreak of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 occurred at a preschool in South Korea from June 12 to 29, 2020. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of EHEC infection in this outbreak. Methods: Epidemiological investigation was performed on all 184 children and 19 workers at the preschool using a standard questionnaire to assess symptoms, food intake, attendance, and special activity history. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of confirmed cases was performed to determine genetic relevance. Results: During this outbreak, 103 children were affected, whereas only one infection was identified in adults. Of the 103 pediatric patients, 85 had symptoms (82.5%), including diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloody stool, fever, and vomiting. Thirty-two patients (31.1%) were hospitalized, 15 (14.6%) were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, and 4 (3.9%) received dialysis treatment. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis identified 4 genotypes with high genetic relevance (92.3%). Epidemiological investigation revealed that this outbreak might have occurred from ingesting foods stored in a refrigerator with a constant temperature above 10°C, which was conducive to bacterial growth. Despite several measures after outbreak recognition, new infections continued to appear. Therefore, the preschool was forced to close on June 19 to prevent further person-to-person transmission. Conclusion Our findings from the response to the largest outbreak will help prepare countermeasures against future EHEC outbreak.

OBJECTIVE: We utilized a spectral and network analysis technique with an integrated support vector classification algorithm for the automated detection of cognitive capacity using resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. METHODS: An eyes-closed resting EEG was recorded in 158 older subjects, and spectral EEG parameters in seven frequency bands, as well as functional brain network parameters were, calculated. In the feature extraction stage, the statistical power of the spectral and network parameters was calculated for the low-, moderate-, and high-performance groups. Afterward, the highly-powered features were selected as input into a support vector machine classifier with two discrete outputs: low- or high-performance groups. The classifier was then trained using a training set and the performance of the classification process was evaluated using a test set. RESULTS: The performance of the Support Vector Machine was evaluated using a 5-fold cross-validation and area under the curve values of 70.15% and 74.06% were achieved for the letter numbering task and the spatial span task. CONCLUSION: In this study, reliable results for classification accuracy and specificity were achieved. These findings provide an example of a novel method for parameter analysis, feature extraction, training, and testing the cognitive function of elderly subjects based on a quantitative EEG signal.
Aged ; Brain ; Classification ; Cognition ; Electroencephalography* ; Humans ; Memory, Short-Term* ; Methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Support Vector Machine

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The ingestion of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract usually happens as a result of accidental swallowing, and rarely produces symptoms. Although most foreign bodies are eliminated spontaneously, 10~20% of cases need treatment with endoscopy. We evaluated the role of endoscopy for removing foreign bodies from the upper gastrointestinal tract. METHODS: We analyzed one hundred and thirty-nine cases of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract which were endoscopically treated at Chungnam National University Hospital from January 2001 to July 2004. RESULTS: Patients' age ranged from 6 months to 96 years old (mean 36.0 years old). The ratio of males to females was 1.2 : 1. The common foreign bodies included coins (29 cases) and fish bones (23 cases), animal bones (19 cases), and stones (15 cases) follows in order. The most common location was the esophagus (79.9%). In most cases (73.4%), the foreign body was removed using an alligator tooth and a grasping forceps. Twenty-eight among one hundred and thirty-nine patients had a co-morbid condition, such as esophageal disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stomach cancer, or a psychiatric disorder. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic removal is a very powerful and useful method for removing foreign bodies from the upper gastrointestinal tract. Nevertheless, a simpler and more efficient endoscopic equipment is required
Alligators and Crocodiles ; Animals ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Deglutition ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eating ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Diseases ; Esophagus ; Female ; Foreign Bodies* ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Numismatics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Surgical Instruments ; Tooth ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract*

BACKGROUND: To decide the optimal antibiotics and application of chest tube, examination of pleural fluid is fundamental in the management of empyema. Some criteria for drainage of pleural fluid have been recommended but some controversies have been suggested. Recently, newer radiologic methods including ultrasound and computed tomography scanning, have been applied to the diagnosis and management of pleural effusions. We undertook a retrospective analysis of 30 patients with pleural effusion who had CT scans of the chest in order to apply the criteria of Light et at retrospectively to patients with loculation and to correlate the radiologic appearance of pleural effusions with pleural fluid chemistry. METHOD: We analyzed the records of 30 out of 147 patients with pleural effusion undergoing chest CT scans. RESULTS: 1) Six of the pleural fluid cultures yielded gram negative organisms and three anaerobic bacterias and one Staphylococcus aureus and one non-hemolytic Streptococci. No organism was cultured in nineteen cases(63.0%). 2) The reasons for taking chest CT scans were to rule out malignancy or parenchymal lung disease(46.7%), Poor response to antibiotics(40.0%), hard to aspirate pleural fluid(10.0%) and to decide the site for chest tube insertion(3.3%). 3) There was no significant correlations between ATS stages and loculation but there was a tendency to Inoculate in stage III. 4) There was a significant inverse relationship between the level of pH and loculation(P<0.05) but there appeared to be no relationship between pleural fluid, LDH, glucose, protein, loculation and pleural thickening. 5) In 12 out of 30, therapeutic measures were changed according to the chest CT scan findings. CONCLUSION: We were unable to identify any correlations between the plerual fluid chemistry, ATS stages and loculations except pH, and we suggest that tube thoracotomy should be individualized according to the clinical judgement arid serial observation. All patients with empyema do not need a chest CT scan but a CT scan can provide determination of loculation, guiding and assessing therapy which should decrease morbidity and hospital stay.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; Chemistry ; Chest Tubes ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Empyema* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Length of Stay ; Lung ; Pleural Effusion ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed* ; Ultrasonography

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is an increasingly common worldwide and colonizing S. aureus strains may serve as the causative pathogen for overt clinical infections. This study was performed to determine whether the pathogenic CA-MRSA isolate in clinical infections was genetically related to the MRSA isolates in community carriers. We prospectively collected a total of 42 CA-MRSA isolates (23 clinical infection isolates and 19 colonization isolates) in a local region of Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests, staphylococcal toxin assays, SCCmec typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and spa (staphylococcal protein A) typing were performed with all isolates. Thirty-four (81%) of 42 CA-MRSA isolates belonged to sequence type (ST) 72 in the MLST analysis. The distribution of STs did not differ significantly between colonization and clinical infection isolates (89.5% [17/19] vs. 73.9% [17/23], P=0.26). Among the ST72-MRSA isolates, spa type t664 (18, 52.9%) and t324 (8, 23.5%) were common in both groups. This study demonstrates that the community-associated MRSA strains from patients with clinical infections are closely related to the strains found in carriers from one local community.
Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Staphylococcal Infections/*microbiology

PURPOSE: Traditionally, titanium miniplate has been used for rigid fixation of mandible fractures. However, the limitations of metal plate have been reported such as hypersensitivity, interference with the cranio-facial growth of growing child, secondary bone resorption around the plate, foreign body reaction, declination of primary callus formation, and bone atrophy, and so forth. Recently, biodegradable miniplate has been introduced and used as an alternative to the metal plate despite of its lower strength. This study evaluated the usefulness and stability of biodegradable plate and screw for treatment of mandible fractures. METHODS: In this study, 61 patients(92 areas) diagnosed as mandible fracture in the last 2 years have been reviewed. We used titanium plate and screw in 32 patients, and biodegradable plate and screw(INION?) in 29 patients. Stability of plates and screws, bony healing process and its side effects were observed by clinical and radiographic assessment. RESULTS: In the titanium material group, one of malocclusion, two of mouth opening limitation, three of pain, three of palpation were shown. The plate of six patients involved in these complications were removed. In the biodegradable group, two of mouth opening limitation, two of pain, one of localized wound infection were shown and one plate was removed secondarily. CONCLUSION: There was no statistical difference between two groups in bony healing and complication rates. Biodegradable implants show efficient stability during initial bone healing and low side effects in long-term follow up periods.
Absorbable Implants ; Atrophy ; Bone Resorption ; Bony Callus ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Fracture Fixation ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Malocclusion ; Mandible ; Mouth ; Palpation ; Titanium ; Wound Infection

Abacavir is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor that is commonly used in HIV-infected patients. A well-known and potentially life-threatening side effect of abacavir is allergic hypersensitivity reaction. A screening test for the HLA-B*5701 allele is currently used to predict the risk of hypersensitivity reaction to abacavir. This test, however, may be less useful in Korea, because of the low prevalence of HLA-B*5701. A 52-year-old male with HIV infection was referred to our hospital because of suspected side-effects of antiviral agents and lymph node enlargement of the neck. He suffered from a fever, generalized edema, skin rash of the whole body, and difficulty breathing after starting antiviral agents. Suspected as a hypersensitivity reaction resulting from drug side-effects, prescription of abacavir was stopped. The patient subsequently recovered. The presence of the HLA-B*5701 allele was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction-sequencing based typing (PCR-SBT).
Alleles ; Antiviral Agents ; Dideoxynucleosides ; Edema ; Exanthema ; Fever ; HIV Infections ; HLA-B Antigens ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence ; Respiration ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase

PURPOSE: No precise data are available showing how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can be applied to diagnosis for the first attack of a suspected cerebrovascular disease in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application level of MRI and MRA as diagnostic tools and the related factors to the use of these techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used the health benefit claim data of 89,890 patients who were hospitalized for the first time due to suspected cerebrovascular disease in 2007 without having visited medical institutions as an outpatient or inpatient from 2003 to 2006. RESULTS: Of the 89,890 cases, 28.4% took both MRI and MRA, 10.7% took only MRI and 6.9% took only MRA. The related factors identified in the multivariate logistic regression analysis were gender, type of insurance, type of medical institution, type of department, duration of hospitalization, and type of disease. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the application level of MRI and MRA as diagnostic measures for the first attack of a suspected cerebrovascular diseases varied depending on several factors. It is necessary to study more accurate levels of computerized tomography (CT), computerized tomography angiography (CTA), MRI or MRA as measures to diagnose a first attack of suspected cerebrovascular disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cerebral Angiography ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/*diagnosis/radiography ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography/*utilization ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*utilization ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult