No abstract available.
Salivary Ducts*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The incidence and prevalence of hyperthyroidism has been reported to be 0.2-0.9/1000 population/year and 5-10/1000 population in foreign countries, respectively. However, there has been no nationwide survey to evaluate them in Korea. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the incidence and prevalence of hyperthyroidism in Korea using medicare claims data provided by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Preference for its therapeutic modalities and its change were also analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed in 308,584 (men 86,460, women 222,124) Korean patients with hyperthyroidism treated from January 2006 to June 2012. Patients with past history of hyperthyroidism were not included. RESULTS: The incidence of hyperthyroidism was 0.72/1000 population/year (men 0.40, women 1.03), and its prevalence was 3.40/1000 population (men 2.09, women 4.70) in Korea. Its peak prevalence was detected between 45 and 49 years of age. Among 177,487 patients with hyperthyroidism treated from 2007 to 2011, anti-thyroid drugs were prescribed in 97.9%, and radioiodine therapy and surgery were finally performed in 8.2% and 0.9%, respectively. The prescription of propylthiouracil (PTU) has been reduced from 63.3% in 2007 to 42.9% in 2011, but the use of methimazole (MMI) increased from 33.9% in 2007 to 54.8% in 2011. Primary physicians preferred PTU to MMI, but physicians in general hospitals preferred MMI to PTU. CONCLUSION: This is the first nationwide report to investigate the incidence and prevalence of hyperthyroidism in Korea.
Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Incidence ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Medicare ; Methimazole ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence ; Propylthiouracil

Malignancy may cause variable musculoskeletal symptoms which resemble connective tissue disorder. This symptoms as a fine sign of hidden neoplasm can precede the diagnosis of underlying malignancy. But only one case of stomach cancer associated with cancer arthritis was reported in the world. This fact is very interesting in Asia which has high prevalence of stomach cancer. We experienced one case of gastric adenocarcinoma with oligoarthritis involving both knee and right elbow. A 48-year-old man was diagnosed stomach cancer by gastric endoscope and biopsy. After then, he complained pain, tenderness, heating sensation, swelling of both knee and right elbow with high fever. Both knee MRI showed abundant synovial effusion and soft tissue edema. Full dose of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug was not effective to control fever and arthritis. But fever and arthritis were gone after resection of tumor.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Arthritis ; Asia ; Biopsy ; Connective Tissue ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Elbow ; Endoscopes ; Fever ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Knee ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Sensation ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: To report one case of neurilemoma of the bulbar conjunctiva with a review of the relevant literature. CASE SUMMARY: A 15-year-old girl presented with a bulbar conjunctival mass in the right eye. There were no other medical or ophthalmologic problems. The patient wanted to remove the mass for cosmetic reasons. We performed an excisional biopsy and simple wound closure. The mass was composed of bipolar spindle shaped cells that were arranged in bundles and fascicles in dense fibrous tissue. Immunohistochemical staining for the S-100 protein was positive. Two months after mass excision, there was no evidence of recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully treated a case of bulbar conjunctival neuriliemoma by simple excision.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Conjunctiva ; Cosmetics ; Eye ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma ; Recurrence ; S100 Proteins

OBJECTIVES: There are a lot of studies that analyze the interaction between the emotion of disgust and the functional brain images using fMRI and PET. But studies using sLORETA (standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography) almost do not exist. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship of the emotion of disgust and the cortical activation using sLORETA analysis. METHODS: Forty five healthy young adults (27.1+/-2.6 years) participated in the study. While they were watching 4 neutral images and 4 disgusting images associated with mutilation selected from the international affective picture system (IAPS), participants' EEGs were taken for 30 seconds per one picture. Through these obtained EEG data, sLORETA analysis was performed to compare EEGs associated with neutral and negative images. RESULTS: During looking for visual disgusting stimulus, all participants reported unpleasantness, arousal and stress. In sLORETA analysis, the decrease of current density in theta wave was shown at left frontal superior gyrus (BA10) and middle gyrus (BA10, 11). This voxel cluster consists of a total of 11 voxels and the threshold of t value indicating statistically significant decreases in the current density (p<0.05) was -1.984. There were no differences between male and female in the degree of being disgusted by the stimuli. CONCLUSION: This finding may suggest that the activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex might be associated with regulating disgust emotion.
Arousal ; Brain ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnets ; Male ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Young Adult

Purpose: To investigate the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) on the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMC). Methods: Primary HTMC cultures were exposed to 0, 0.25, and 0.50 mg/mL anti-VEGF bevacizumab (BV) for 24 hours. The permeability through the trabecular meshwork cell monolayer was assessed using carboxyfluorescein and trans-epithelial endothelial electrical resistance (TEER). The levels of MMP-1/-2 were measured by Western blotting and the production of nitric oxide (NO) was assessed with the Griess assay. Results: Bevacizumab at 0.50 mg/mL decreased the permeability of carboxyfluorescein significantly (p = 0.017) and did not affect TEER (p = 0.308). Administration of 0.50 mg/mL BV decreased MMP-1 and MMP-2 activities (p = 0.014, p = 0.016, respectively) and inhibited NO production significantly (p = 0.023). Conclusions Anti-VEGF decreased the permeability through the HTMC monolayer, which was accompanied by decreased MMP-1/-2 activity and limited NO production.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) on the activity of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) in human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMC). Methods: Primary HTMC cultures were exposed to 0, 0.25, and 0.50 mg/mL anti-VEGF bevacizumab (BV) for 24 hours. The permeability through the trabecular meshwork cell monolayer was assessed using carboxyfluorescein and trans-epithelial endothelial electrical resistance (TEER). The levels of MMP-1/-2 were measured by Western blotting and the production of nitric oxide (NO) was assessed with the Griess assay. Results: Bevacizumab at 0.50 mg/mL decreased the permeability of carboxyfluorescein significantly (p = 0.017) and did not affect TEER (p = 0.308). Administration of 0.50 mg/mL BV decreased MMP-1 and MMP-2 activities (p = 0.014, p = 0.016, respectively) and inhibited NO production significantly (p = 0.023). Conclusions Anti-VEGF decreased the permeability through the HTMC monolayer, which was accompanied by decreased MMP-1/-2 activity and limited NO production.

PURPOSE: The factors for predicting persistent urge symptom and urge incontinence following a tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure were investigated in patients with mixed urinary incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-four women, with a mean age of 55 years, ranging from 28 to 80, with female urinary incontinence (stress urinary incontinence; 201, mixed urinary incontinence; 73) were the subjects of this study. After a TVT procedure, the patients were followed up at 1, 6 and 12 months and every 1 year thereafter. Cure of incontinence after the procedure was defined as the absence of a subjective complaint of leakage and the absence of objective leakage on stress testing, with all other cases considered as failures. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the cure rates for stress urinary incontinence in patients with stress and mixed urinary incontinence. However, of 73 patients with mixed urinary incontinence, 20 (27.4%) ans 12 (16.4%) had persistent urgency and continued urge incontinence, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, a low maximal urethral closure pressure (MUCP) was found to be associated with an increased likelihood of persistent urgency (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.38-0.99; p=0.029) and the persistent urge incontinence (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.99; p=0.030) after a TVT procedure in patients with mixed urinary incontinence. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a low MUCP may be associated with the persistent urgency and urge incontinence after a TVT procedure in patients with mixed urinary incontinence.
Exercise Test ; Female ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Suburethral Slings* ; Surgical Mesh ; Urinary Incontinence* ; Urinary Incontinence, Urge*

Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) administration has been used as an adjuvant therapy after transurethral resection for superficial bladder cancer, but the exact mechanisms of its antitumor activity are not yet known. The aim of this study was to characterize the immunologic aspects of antitumor activity of BCG using an animal model. C3H/He inbred mice and murine bladder tumor cell line, MBT-2 were used. The changes in immune cells such as helper T cells, suppressor T cells, macrophages and natural killer cells in the bladder and spleen were analysed by immunohistochemical method in intravesical BCG instilled in normal bladder, MBT-2 implanted after electrocauterization of the bladder mucosa and MBT-2 implanted and intravesical BCG treated group. The changes in natural killer cell activity of the splenocytes and peritoneal lymphocytes were evaluated using 51chromium release assay at regular time intervals following intraperitoneal BCG instillation. The prophylactic anticancer effect was evaluated by observing the tumor growth in the intravesically BCG treated group after intravesical MBT-2 implantation. In immunohistochemical examination, a remarkable infiltration of macrophage and helper T cell was observed in the lamina propria of the bladder, and the helper and suppressor T cells ratio (Th/Ts ratio) was increased after intravesical BCG therapy. In 51chromium release assay, enhanced natural killer cell activity of the splenocytes and peritoneal lymphocytes was observed after intraperitoneal BCG inoculation. The growth of implanted tumor was suppressed following intravesical instillation of BCG. These results suggest that the antitumor activity of BCG is not related to the simple inflammatory reaction but to the local and systemic immune response in which helper T lymphocytes and mononuclear cells play an important role.
Animals ; BCG Vaccine/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Killer Cells, Natural/immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Spleen/pathology ; T-Lymphocytes/*immunology ; Urinary Bladder/pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/immunology/pathology/*therapy

OBJECTIVE: To observe the change of sympathetic skin response (SSR) before and after sympathectomy in patients with idiopathic palmar hyperhidrosis and to find the usefulness of SSR for assessment of the effects of sympathectomy. METHOD: The SSR was measured in 20 patients with palmar hyperhidrosis and 20 normal control group. Ten days after thoracoscopic sympathectomy, SSR was also measured. A 50~150 V stimulus was applied over the median nerve and SSR was recorded on bilateral palms and soles with Viking IV (Nicolet Biomedical Ins., U.S.A.). Patient's satisfaction with operation was assessed by questionnaire. RESULTS: Absent or unstable SSR recordings rate was increased and amplitudes of SSR were significantly decreased in patients with palmar hyperhidrosis compared with control group. After sympathectomy, SSR was absent in all cases on bilateral palms and these results were correlated with clinical improvment. All patients who had undergone surgery showed significant clinical improvement for palmar hyperhidrosis and about 75% of the cases were found to have compensatory sweating from other site of the body. CONCLUSION: Abnormal sympathetic nerve system responses were observed in patients with palmar hyperhidrosis. SSR recordings and clinical manifestations were influenced by sysmpathectomy.
Humans ; Hyperhidrosis* ; Median Nerve ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Skin* ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Sympathectomy