Authors have experienced a case of retinal occlusion in patient with mitral valve prolapse. The patient was 10-year-old male who had visited our hospital due to the sudden onset of painless diminished vision and visual field defect of right eye since 2 days ago. The funduscopic finding of right eye showed typical appearance of retinal arterial occlusion with ischemic retinal whitening which app3ared as opacification. And, we also found mitral valve prolapse in this patient. One of the recently reported complications of mitral valve prolapse is thromboemboli resulting in cerebral ischemic events and visual complications. Such emboli can explain some cases of branch and central retinal arterial occlusion.
Child ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve Prolapse* ; Mitral Valve* ; Retinal Artery* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Vision, Low ; Visual Fields

No abstract available.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is an unusual disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of gastrointestinal tract, peripheral eosinophilia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. There are mucosal, muscular, and subserosal types, of which the subserosal type is the rarest. We experienced a 32-year old male patient with the subserosal type of eosinophilic gastroe-nteritis, who was presented with abdominal distension. The ascitic fluid revealed increased eosinophil count. With oral prednisolone, diarrhea and ascites rapidly disappeared and eosinophils in peripheral blood returned to normal. We report this case with a review of relevant literature.
Adult ; Ascites* ; Ascitic Fluid ; Diarrhea ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils* ; Gastroenteritis* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Male ; Prednisolone

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the cervical range of motion (ROM) of cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients, before and after open door laminoplasty. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Majority of the cases regarding the change of cervical range of motion after cervical laminoplasty showed decreased range of motion, and the results were diverse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of the 487 patients, who underwent open door laminoplasty at our hospital from March 1997 to March 2008, 98 had been followed for at least 2 years and had cervical flexion-extension lateral x-rays. In all patients, open door laminoplasty involved at least three segments: three, four, and five segments in 11, 52, and 35 patients, respectively. In previous cases, fixation involved sutures using suture anchors. The lordosis or kyphosis between C2 and C7 was analyzed using cervical flexion-extension lateral radiographs before and 2 years after the operation. RESULTS: The average patient age was 62.7 (range 32-82) years; 65 patients were male and 33 were female. From preoperatively to postoperatively, the average kyphosis of cervical flexion decreased from 10.7degrees to 7.8degrees, average lordosis decreased from 21.2degrees to 14.2degrees, and cervical ROM decreased from 31.9degrees to 22.0degrees, respectively (mean 9.9degrees, 31.0%). CONCLUSIONS: We could observe decreased cervical range of motion after cervical laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathic patients. Thus, the treatment to prevent the postoperative decrease of cervical range of motion and further study to find a new treatment are thought to be essential.
Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Lordosis ; Male ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine ; Suture Anchors ; Sutures

Sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish Churg-Strauss syndrome from idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome and there may be overlap syndrome in the differential diagnosis of systemic vasculitis with hypereosinophilia. Recently, we experienced a 42-year-old female patient who presented signs and symptoms of cardiac failure and neuropathy with peripheral hypereosinophilia. She had no history of asthma. She had erythematous skin lesions and distal digit necrosis. The cause of hypereosinophilia could not be identified. Skin and nerve biopsy revealed vasculitis with eosinophilic infiltration. Cardiac failure improved dramatically with steroid, inotropics and diuretics. Other symptoms including digital necrosis also improved. During steroid, tapering peripheral eosinophilia recurred. For maintenance therapy, we added daily cyclophosphamide to every-other-day prednisolone therapy. We report the case with a review of the literature.
Adult ; Asthma ; Biopsy ; Churg-Strauss Syndrome* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diuretics ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome* ; Necrosis ; Prednisolone ; Skin ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Vasculitis

Single ascospore isolates of Cordyceps bassiana were observed for their colony pigmentation on Sabouraud Dextrose agar plus Yeast Extract (SDAY) plates and were inoculated in a brown rice medium for production of fruiting bodies. Colony pigmentation did not show any relationship with perithecial stromata formation. The isolates were also grown on opposite sides of SDAY agar plates and were observed for vegetative compatibility. Neither vegetative compatibility nor perithecial stromata could be found to be related to each other. It was concluded that fertile fruiting body production was independent of colony pigmentation and vegetative compatibility. Synnemata formation was found to be more common than perithecial stromata formation. This might be due to its highly conidiogenous anamorphic stage, i.e., Beauveria bassiana.
Agar ; Beauveria ; Cordyceps ; Cultural Characteristics ; Fruit ; Glucose ; Pigmentation ; Yeasts

OBJECTIVE: Cross-sectional survey was performed to evaluate prevalence of allergic rhinitis and its causative allergens in people in rural area of Cheju Isl~and. Subject and METHOD: A total of 1,236 people with 1,055 children and 181 adults in rural area of Cheju Island were enrolled in this study. In children, 544 were males and 511 were females, and their mean age was 12.3(ranging from 7 to 16) years. In adults, 78 were males and 103 were females, and their mean age was 50.1 (ratging from 18 to 87) years. Evaluations included a questionnaire survey, and skin prick test with extracts of Japanese cedar (Cryptomera japonica, J cedar) pollen and citrus red mite (Panonychus citri, CRM) as well as eleven common inhalant allergens. RESULTS: Prevalence of chronic nasal symptoms was 40.6% (429/1,055) in children, and 45.8 % (83/181) in adults. Prevalence of allergic rhinitis based on positive nasal symptoms on the questionnaire and positive skin response to one or more of the 13 inhalant allergens were 15.4 % (159/1.035) in children, and 19.3% (35/181) in adults. Of 1,035 children, skin-test response was positive in 37.6%, and common sensitizing allergens in order of decreasing frequency were Dermatophagoides pteronpssinus (DP) (26.6%), D. farinae (DF)(22.6%), CRM(14.2%), cockroach(11.3%) and J cedar(9.7%). Of 181 adults, skin-test response was positive in 25.9%, and t,he most common sensitizing allergen was CRM(16.5%), followed by cockroach(11.0%), DP(9. 9%), DF(9.4%), and J cedar(6.6%). Of 159 children with allergic rhinitis, the common sensitizing allergens in order of deereasing frequency were DP(79.2%), DF(67.3%), CRM(35.8%), J cedar(32.7%), and cockroach(27.0%). Of 35 adults with allergic rhinitis, the most common sensitizing allergen was CRM(68.6%), followed by DP(40%), DF(34.3%), cockroach(34.3%), and J cedar(28.9%). CONCLUSION: Allergic rhinitis is a very common disease with a prevalence of 15.4% in children and 19.3% in adults in rural area of Cheju island, and common sensitizing allergens include house dust mite, citrus red mite, cockroach, and Japanese cedar pollen.
Adult ; Allergens* ; Child ; Citrus ; Cockroaches ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cryptomeria ; Female ; Humans ; Jeju-do* ; Male ; Mites ; Pollen ; Prevalence* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis* ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of bee venom allergy in Korea is unknown, OBJECTIVE: We performed a cross-sectional study to evaluate the prevalence of bee venom allergy and importance of risk factors, such as age, sex, and atopy, in the development of the allergic reaction in children and adults living in rural area of Cheju Island. Swbject and METHOD: The prevalence was investigated in subjects with 1,054 children and 370 adults (701 male, 723 female), aged 7-87 years, living in rural area of Cheju Island. A history particularly focused on the systemic reactions after the bee stings was taken in all subjects. Skin prick test,s to common inhalant allergens, including house dust mites, fungi, tree, grass, mugwort and ragweed pollen, cockroach, animal epithelium, Japanese cedar pollen, and citrus red mite were performed. RESULT: The prevalence of bee venom allergy was 5.8% (mild systemic reactions 5.0%, severe systemic reactions 0.8% ). The prevalence was higher in adults than in children (10.2% vs. 5.0%, g = 12.0, p<0.01). Among the children, the prevalerlce wB.S Signifcantly higher ill male than in female (8.6% vs. 1.3%, x=28.7, p<0.01), but no significant diffecence was noted between male and female in adults (10.0% vs. 10.3%, p>0.05). The prevalence of bee venom allergy was not significantly different between subjects with positive skin reaction and those with negative skin reaction to inhalant allergens (6.4% vs. 5.4% ), Conclasion'. The prevlence of bee venom allergy in inhabitants of rural area of Cheju Island is 5.8% (mild systemic,' 5.0%, severe systemic reaction. 0.8%), and bee venom allergy was more common in adults than in children, and in male children than in female children.
Adult* ; Allergens ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Bee Venoms* ; Bees* ; Bites and Stings ; Child* ; Citrus ; Cockroaches ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cryptomeria ; Epithelium ; Female ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Jeju-do* ; Korea ; Male ; Mites ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Prevalence* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Risk Factors ; Skin

Purpose: To analyze the clinical manifestations of culture-proven infective keratitis patients over a recent 10-year period. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 956 cases of infective keratitis between January 2008 and December 2017 at eight tertiary hospitals. The study was performed to analyze the risk factors, causative microbial organisms, therapeutic outcomes, and prognosis. Results: The most common risk factor of keratitis was trauma (33.2%). Initial visual acuity (V/A) was finger count or less in 449 eyes (47.0%). The common location of keratitis was central, and the size was 4 mm2 or less. Hypopyon was observed in 295 eyes (30.9%). Of the 1,039 cultured isolates, 443 (42.6%) grew Gram-negative bacteria with the most common being Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most prevalent Gram-positive bacteria was Staphylococcus epidermidis, and fungi was Fusarium species. Surgical treatments were performed in 201 eyes (21.0%), followed by amniotic membrane transplantation (66 eyes) and evisceration (44 eyes). Final V/A was 20/100 or more in 422 eyes (44.1%). Gram-positive organisms were highly susceptible to moxifloxacin and vancomycin, and Gram-negative organisms were highly susceptible to levofloxacin and ceftazidime. An increase in resistance to these antibiotics was detected for Enterococcus and Pseudomonas. Conclusions In South Korea, infective keratitis occurs frequently in eyes with trauma. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Fusarium species are commonly identified etiologies of microbial keratitis. The appropriate administered medical and surgical treatments of suspected infectious keratitis can lead to visual improvement with particular care taken to minimize infection related to resistant bacteria and fungal microbes as needed. An initial V/A of 0.02 or less, the presence of hypopyon, age of 65 years or more, and a central lesion were associated with poor clinical outcome of bacterial keratitis. Age of 70 years or more was a significant risk factor for poor clinical outcome of fungal keratitis.

Purpose: To analyze the clinical manifestations of culture-proven infective keratitis patients over a recent 10-year period. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 956 cases of infective keratitis between January 2008 and December 2017 at eight tertiary hospitals. The study was performed to analyze the risk factors, causative microbial organisms, therapeutic outcomes, and prognosis. Results: The most common risk factor of keratitis was trauma (33.2%). Initial visual acuity (V/A) was finger count or less in 449 eyes (47.0%). The common location of keratitis was central, and the size was 4 mm2 or less. Hypopyon was observed in 295 eyes (30.9%). Of the 1,039 cultured isolates, 443 (42.6%) grew Gram-negative bacteria with the most common being Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most prevalent Gram-positive bacteria was Staphylococcus epidermidis, and fungi was Fusarium species. Surgical treatments were performed in 201 eyes (21.0%), followed by amniotic membrane transplantation (66 eyes) and evisceration (44 eyes). Final V/A was 20/100 or more in 422 eyes (44.1%). Gram-positive organisms were highly susceptible to moxifloxacin and vancomycin, and Gram-negative organisms were highly susceptible to levofloxacin and ceftazidime. An increase in resistance to these antibiotics was detected for Enterococcus and Pseudomonas. Conclusions In South Korea, infective keratitis occurs frequently in eyes with trauma. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Fusarium species are commonly identified etiologies of microbial keratitis. The appropriate administered medical and surgical treatments of suspected infectious keratitis can lead to visual improvement with particular care taken to minimize infection related to resistant bacteria and fungal microbes as needed. An initial V/A of 0.02 or less, the presence of hypopyon, age of 65 years or more, and a central lesion were associated with poor clinical outcome of bacterial keratitis. Age of 70 years or more was a significant risk factor for poor clinical outcome of fungal keratitis.