A total of 33 patients with infective endocarditis were observed in the Guro and Hye Hwa Hospitals of Korea University Between September, 1981 and Feb, 1987. Among thses patients four patients presented with heart murmur and heart failure and had vegetation like findings observed on the two dimensional echocardiography. But these patients did not have any fever or leukocytosis in the peripheral blood and the repeated blood cultures were negative. They showed the immunologic phenomena of infective endocarditis such as microscopic hematuria in 4 patients, rheumatoid factor in 3 patients, false positive VDRL in one patient. The serum complement was decreased in 2 patients in whom it was checked. We report these 4 patients because we think these patients might be in the clinical stage in which the infecting organism is spontaneously cleared but the immunologic sequelae are remained.
Complement System Proteins ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis* ; Fever ; Heart Failure ; Heart Murmurs ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Rheumatoid Factor

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and the prostatic volume. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1997 to December 2006, 555 male out-patients who visited our health care center were investigated and they underwent transrectal ultrasonogram of the prostate. The patients were divided into two groups; group A met the criteria for metabolic syndrome (128 patients) and group B did not meet the criteria (427 patients). The authors compared the age, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and the prostate volume between these two groups. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in age and PSA between the two groups. The prostate volume was significantly larger in group A (39.5+/-17.3cc) than in group B (31.7+/-9.6cc). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study proved that metabolic syndrome and the prostate volume are related. Therefore, proper clinical management of metabolic syndrome should accompany the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Male ; Outpatients ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: For the management of patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) in premature infants, fluid restriction, correction of anemia, mechanical ventilation, diuretics, and surgery have been used, and the closure rate of PDA has improved significantly since the introduction of indomethacin and mefenamic acid as pharmacologic treatments of PDA. We studied to evaluate and compare the therapeutic effects of indomethacin and mefenamic acid in the management of premature infants with PDA. METHODS: 32 inborn premature infants who were hospitalized in NICU and diagnosed as PDA by cardiac sector were retrospectively studied and divided into two groups : An indomethacin treated group and a mefenamic acid treated group. Their gestational age, birth weight, blood urea nitrogen(BUN), creatinine(Cr), platelet count, urine output, fluid therapy, postnatal age, closure rate of PDA, and etc. were examined and conpared through the medical record review. RESULTS: The mean postnatal age on drug use was 4.6 days in intravenous indomethacin treated group(n=18), 9.0 days in oral mefenamic acid treated group(n=14), and the mean gestational age was 32.0 weeks and 32.3 weeks, respectively. After the use of each drugs, platelet count and urine output decreased, whereas blood urea nitrogen and creatinine increased. The closure rate of PDA was 94.4%(17/18) in the indomethacin treated group and 85.7%(12/14) in the mefenamic acid treated group(P=0.568). On the multivariate analysis except for the drugs, the most significant factor on PDA closure in preterm neonates was total amount of intake(P=0.000). CONCLUSION: We conclude that intravenous indomethacin is as effective as oral mefenamic acid in the therapy of preterm infants with PDA.
Anemia ; Birth Weight ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; Diuretics ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Fluid Therapy ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Indomethacin* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Medical Records ; Mefenamic Acid* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Platelet Count ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Urea

Tuberculosis can involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract but 80~90% of patients present the disease in the ileocecal region. The cases of colon cancer coexisting with colonic tuberculosis are relatively rare and ascending colon is the predominant site of the combined disease. A 46-year-old man, without specific past medical or family history, showed multiple colonic polyps and ulcers on colonoscopic examination. After surgery, the surgical specimen disclosed adenocarcinoma in the ascending colon, eleven adenomatous polyps throughout the colon, and multiple tuberculous ulcers in the entire colon. Tuberculosis of terminal ileum was also accompanied. The association of colonic tuberculosis and colon cancer with multiple polyps in this case may have been coincidental. The preoperative colonoscopic examination and pathologic diagnosis by frozen section during operation are necessary for the adequate treatment.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenomatous Polyps ; Colon* ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Colonic Polyps ; Diagnosis ; Frozen Sections ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Ileum ; Middle Aged ; Polyps ; Tuberculosis* ; Ulcer

The purpose of this study is to obtain the clinicopathological characteristics of replication error-positive (RER ) gastric adenocarcinoma in Korean, and to identify the significance of RER in adenoma stage of gastric carcinogenesis. Microsatellite instability was examined at D2S71, D2S119, D3S1067, D6S87, D11S905, DM, AR, VWF, HPRT, and BAT-26 loci. Frameshift mutation of BAX gene was analyzed in RER tumors. Normal and tumor DNA of 76 cases of gastric carcinoma and 25 cases of adenoma were examined. RER was found in 8 of 76 cases (10.5%), and it was more frequently found in adenocarcinoma of female (17.7%) than those of male (4.8%). The frequency of RER was not different between the histologic types, age of the patient, anatomical location of the carcinoma, and the stage. The RER found in adenoma suggests that RER contributes to the malignant transformation early in the adenoma stage of the gastric carcinogenesis. None of the RER tumors revealed frameshift mutation of the BAX gene.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Adenoma ; Carcinogenesis ; DNA ; Female ; Frameshift Mutation ; Humans ; Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase ; Male ; Microsatellite Instability

BACKGROUND: pH measurement is an important test in assessing the etiology of pleurisy and in identifying complicated parapneumonic effusion. Although the blood gas analyzer is the' gold standard method' for pleural pH measurement, pH meter & pH strip methods are also used for this purpose interchangably. However, the correlation among the pH data measured by the three different methods needs to be evaluated. In this study, we measured the pH of pleural fluid with the three different methods respectively and evaluated the correlation among the measured data. METHODS: From August 1999 to March 2000, were measured the pleural fluid pH in 34 clinical samples with three methods-blood gas analyzer, pH meter, and pH strip. In the blood gas analyzer and pH meter methods, the temperature of plerual fluid was maintained around 0℃ in air-tight condition before analysis and measurement was performed within 30 minutes after collection. As for the pH strip method, the pleural fluid pH was checked in the ward immediately after tapping and in the clinical laboratory of our hospital. This part is unclear. RESULTS: The causes of pleural effusion were tuberculosis pleurisy in 16 cases, malignant pleural effusion 5 cases, parapneumonic effusion 9 cases, empyema 3 cases, and congestive heart failure 1 case. The pH of pleural fluid (mean±SD) was 7.34±0.12 with blood gas analyser, 7.52±0.25 with pH meter, 7.37±0.16 with pH strip of immediate measurement and 6.93±0.201 with pH strip of delayed measurement. The pH measured by delayed pH strip measurement was lower than those of other methods(p<0.05). The correlation of the results between the blood gas analyzer and pH meter(p=0.002, r=0.518) and the blood gas analyzer and pH strip of immediate measurement(p<0.001, r=0.607). CONCLUSION: In the determination of pH of pleural fluid, pH strip method could be a simple and reliable method under immediate measurement conditions after fluid tapping.
Empyema ; Heart Failure ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration* ; Methods* ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant ; Pleurisy ; Tuberculosis

Phosphate is an essential ion and plays a vital role in many physiological processes. Carpopedal spasm is known as a symptom of hypocalcemia, or rarely, hypomagnesemia. We present an unusual case of carpal spasm seen in a patient with hypophosphatemia. A fourteen year old boy was admitted with acute onset of both carpal spasm after vomiting and diarrhea. Biochemical investigation revealed only moderate hypophosphatemia without hypocalcemia. Other laboratory findings including hormone tests were normal. Carpal spasm improved with correction of hypophosphatemia. The phathophysiology of neurologic dysfunction related to hypophosphatemia is not clear yet. Careful observation of serum electrolytes including phosphate is necessary when the patient has neurologic symptoms.
Diarrhea ; Electrolytes ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Hypophosphatemia* ; Male ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Physiological Processes ; Spasm* ; Vomiting

Storage of platelet concentrates in platelet additive solution (PAS) with plasma removal has many advantages, including reduction of allergic reactions, contributing to the available plasma pool for fractionation or transfusion, and employment of pathogen reduction technology. In order to decrease platelet activation for improvement of in vivo viability, PAS should be designed for optimization of aerobic metabolism using compounds such as glucose, acetate, citrate, phosphate, and electrolytes. After a thorough discussion, particularly on the efficacy and regulations, use of the buffy coat method as well as application of a new generation of PAS may likely be the future direction of platelet storage in Korea.
Blood Platelets* ; Citric Acid ; Electrolytes ; Employment ; Glucose ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Metabolism ; Plasma ; Platelet Activation ; Social Control, Formal

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous malignant melanoma represents a tumor arising within the melanocytic systems of the skin. Once considered an uncommon cancer, melanoma is now rising in incidence at a rate faster than any other cancer. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinico-pathological characteristics of malignant melanoma. METHODS: A total of 61 patients with malignant melanoma were enrolled in this retrospective study. We classified malignant melanoma as follows; ALMM, acral lentigious malignant melanoma, NMM, nodular malignant melanoma, SSMM, superficial spreading malignant melanoma, MM, mucosal melanoma, LMM, lentigo maligna melanoma. We used the staging system of American Joint Committee on Cancer to evaluate the clinical status in our subjects. The hospital charts and histopathological slides of patients with malignant melanoma diagnosed at Asan Medical Center from 1989 to 1999 were reviewed. Immunohistochemical study was performed for S-100 and HMB-45 in 10 cases and for Ki-67 in 5 cases. RESULTS: 1. The male to female ratio was 1.3. The mean age at diagnosis was 52.6 years. ALMM was the most common type(52.5%) in this study. ALMM and NMM developed in elderly persons, while SSMM developed in younger persons. Malignant melanomas arising from pre-existing mole were 10 cases(16.4%). 2. In forty two cases(68.9%), malignant lesions were limited to skin, but 19 cases(31.1%) were disseminated to lymph nodes, skin or internal organ at the initial examination. Sole and heel were the favored sites in ALMM. Lower extremities and back were the favored sites in NMM and SSMM. Four patients were initially presented with metastatic symptoms such as dyspnea, abdominal mass, headache, or axillary mass, and cutaneous malignant melanoma eventually were diagnosed as their origin. 3. Histopathologically, 6 cases were categorized into amelanotic type and 1 case was into desmoplastic type. 4. More than a half cases developed metastases to other organs. Common metastatic sites were lymph nodes, lung, brain, skin, liver, bone, and bladder in decreasing order of frequency. 5. The five-year survival rate was 100% in stage IA, IB, and IIA but 0% in stage IV. Face, chest and lower extremities showed worse prognosis. Men had worse prognosis than women. NMM revealed the lowest 5-year survival rate(30%). CONCLUSION: Among the prognostic factors such as locations, clinical types, ages, and gender, the stages at the initial presentation was the most important predictable value in our study. Therefore, the early recognition of malignant melanoma is the key to possible cure.
Aged ; Brain ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Headache ; Heel ; Humans ; Hutchinson's Melanotic Freckle ; Incidence ; Joints ; Liver ; Lower Extremity ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Melanoma* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Survival Rate ; Thorax ; Urinary Bladder

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the nature of emotional responsiveness in normal adults, we exam the emotional responses to emotional pictures in an evaluative space defined by arousal and valence. METHODS: Subjects were instructed to rate the arousal and valence that they experienced from the presentation of one of two sets of 60 emotional pictures. These two picture sets were comprised of 107 pictures: 101 selected from International Affective Pictures System and six pictures from our own collection. According to "evaluative space model", the authors set an evaluative space defined by the arousal scores as independent variable and the valence scores as dependent variable. In this evaluative space, one-hundred-and-seven pairs of coordinates representing respective emotional pictures were plotted. With regression analyses, the steepness of the regression lines on the plots with positive emotional responsiveness (n=51) and those with negative emotional responsiveness (n=56) were compared. RESULTS: In the evaluative space, the regression line of negative emotional responsiveness was significantly different from that of positive responsiveness. The slope of negative responsiviveness was significantly steeper than that of positive responsiveness. At a low arousal level, the absolute valence of a positive stimuli was larger than that of a negative picture. CONCLUSION: This finding indicates that the function of the negative affective responsiveness might be different from that of the positive responsitiveness. IAPS also seems applicable to Korean subjects.
Adult ; Arousal ; Humans