29 isoniazid (INH) resistant isolated strains and INH sensitive reference strain (H37Rv) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were analysed by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and NciI restriction mapping for the detection of mutations in katG gene and inhA gene. The katG gene was divided into 3 parts (Akat, Bkat, Ckat; each part is about 800 bp) and amplified, inhA gene was amplified as a whole. Each of the amplified 800 bp DNA was digested into small fragments of less than 400 bp with restriction enzymes for the direct PCR-SSCP analysis. Firstly, 10 strains were analysed. All the 10 isolates showed clearly distinct SSCP patterns in Bkat from that of the reference strain, but only two isolates showed distinct SSCP patterns in Akat, and no isolated strain showed any distinct SSCP patterns in Ckat. 10 isolates also showed distinct SSCP patterns in inhA. NciI restriction mapping of Bkat showed mutation in codon 463 in 7 strains among 10 isolated strains. With these results an early detection strategy for the INH resistant M. tuberculosis was applied to the rest of 19 isolated INH resistant strains. Firstly, isolates were screened by Ncsl mapping in Bkat, and 13 strains showed mutations in codon 463. Secondly, the rest of 6 INH resistant isolates were analysed by PCR-SSCP with restriction enzyme digestion (PCR-SSCP-RE) in Bkat, and all the strains showed distinct SSCP patterns from that of the INH sensitive reference strain. This proved our strategy as effective and economic and time saving method in early detection of INH resistant M. tuberculosis.
Codon ; Diagnosis* ; Digestion ; DNA ; Isoniazid* ; Korea* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Restriction Mapping ; Tuberculosis

Primary malignant parovarian epithelial tumors are extremely rare, with only 56 cases previously reported in the world literature. Most parovarian epithelial tumors are of paramesonephric (Mullerian) origin. In this article, we report the first case in the Korean literature of papillary serous cystadenoma of borderline malignancy from paramesonephric parovarian cyst. This case presented here is of particular interest since this neoplasm is rare. A 48-year-old female underwent a hysterectomy with bilateral adnexectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection for a cystic tumor of the right parovarian area. The tumor, measuring 13 cm in diameter, was apart from the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus. The cyst wall had well-developed smooth muscle layers. The cyst was lined with mildly atypical ciliated and non-ciliated low columnar cells compatible with those of paramesonephric origin. From the inner surface of the cyst several cauliflower-like structures projected into the lumen. They were of a predominantly papillary architecture covered by atypical epithelial cells with piling-up and occasional glandular growth. No destructive stromal invasion was identified.
Cystadenoma, Serous* ; Epithelial Cells ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Ovary ; Parovarian Cyst* ; Uterus

BACKGROUND: Motor conduction slowing in diabetic distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSP) generally exceeds that in distal axonal polyneuropathy. Additional mechanisms secondary to axonal injury may contribute towards this slowing. However, clinical and pathophysiological significances of motor conduction slowing have been rarely discussed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and pathophysiological significance of conduction slowing in DSP. METHODS: We analyzed motor conduction studies of 39 patients with symptomatic painful DSP and 24 patients with asymptomatic painless DSP. Motor conduction studies of 39 patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were used as controls for the amplitude-dependent slowing of conduction. Percentages of normal limits were calculated for the compound muscle action potential amplitude (CMAP), distal motor latency (DL), and conduction velocity (CV), and converted to a square root (SQRT) form. The changes of SQRT-DL or SQRT-CV according to SQRT-CMAP changes were plotted and analyzed. RESULTS: Regression analysis showed that DL and CV were amplitude-dependent in both painless DSP and ALS. The changes of DL and CV in painful DSP did not show amplitude-dependency except DL in the lower extremities. CONCLUSIONS: This data supports the hypothesis that the mechanism of slowing is similar in both painless DSP and ALS and results from the loss of large, fast-conducting fibers. Lack of amplitude-dependency of conduction slowing in painful DSP may reflect the combined axonal and demyelinating changes, possibly due to inflammation.
Action Potentials ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; Axons ; Diabetic Neuropathies* ; Electrophysiology ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lower Extremity ; Neural Conduction ; Polyneuropathies

BACKGROUND: Xpert Flu (Cepheid, USA) allows for fully automated real-time RT-PCR using a single-use disposable cartridge. The aim of this study was to evaluate Xpert Flu for the detection of influenza A virus and subtype A/H1N1/2009 pandemic virus. METHODS: We conducted a prospective comparison study for Xpert Flu with the RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set (Roche Diagnostics, Germany). Analytical specificities of the assays were determined by testing commonly encountered respiratory viral pathogens, including parainfluenza virus type 1/2/3, rhinovirus A, rhinovirus B, metapneumovirus, adenovirus, and coronavirus. The analytical sensitivities and workflow of both methods were also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 102 consecutive clinical specimens were tested by both methods. Total agreement between the two methods was estimated to be 99.0% (101/102): 11 A/H1N1/2009 and 3 seasonal influenza A by the RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set; 10 and 3 by Xpert Flu. No cross-reactivity was observed between influenza A/H1N1/2009 and other respiratory viral pathogens in either method. The limits of detection of the RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set and Xpert Flu were 500 TCID50/mL and 20 TCID50/mL, respectively. Xpert Flu required 85 minutes (10 minutes of hands-on time) for processing, while RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set took 128 minutes (30 minutes of handson time). CONCLUSION: The results of Xpert Flu were comparable to those of the RealTime ready Influenza A/H1N1 Detection Set. It is of note that the fully automated and closed system of Xpert Flu could be advantageous for reducing hands-on time and for preventing cross-contamination during the testing process.
Adenoviridae ; Coronavirus ; Influenza A virus ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; Limit of Detection ; Metapneumovirus ; Pandemics ; Paramyxoviridae Infections ; Prospective Studies ; Rhinovirus ; Seasons ; Sprains and Strains ; Viruses

Halitosis is defined as a nasty odor emanating through the mouth and is primarily related to the enhanced concentration of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs). VSC measurements have been commonly used for experimental comparison and clinical diagnosis. As quantitative methods for comparative analyses of oral malodor, gas chromatography devices have been most commonly used to quickly and easily determine the concentration of several gas components of VSCs, which are agents primarily responsible for halitosis. The concentrations of VSCs fluctuate dynamically depending on contributing factors, including various oral/systemic conditions, intake of medicine and food/drink, oral hygiene, and even routine daily activities. Therefore, the exact analysis of VSCs requires the appropriate standardization of not only exact measurement techniques but also participant conditioning with scientific considerations. Thus, this paper describes the experimental standardizations commonly recommended in previous literature and their scientific background.

Nasal glioma is a rare, benign, congenital tumor, which is ectopic sequested brain tissue that has lost its intracranial connection. It is thought to be the result of an abnormality in embryonic development. A 2-month-old female patient presented with firm, noncompressible, pinkish, 0.6 cm-diameter, protruding mass on the glabella from birth. No intracranial connection was found by MRI. Histopathological finding showed an unencapsulated pale-staining fibrillary glial tissue, which contains astrocytes and some neurons. Immunohistochemically, the glial tissue and astrocytes were positive for GFAP(glial fibrillary acidic protein), and neurons were positive for NSE(neuron-specific enolase).
Astrocytes ; Brain ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Glioma* ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurons ; Parturition ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Adolescent ; Ataxia Telangiectasia/*genetics ; Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins/*genetics ; Base Sequence ; Chromosome Inversion ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14/genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7/genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mutation ; RNA Splicing ; Translocation, Genetic

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate whether prophylactic extended-field pelvic radiotherapy (EF-PRT) yields better results than standard whole pelvic radiotherapy (WPRT) in patients with pelvic lymph node-positive cervical cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 126 cases of stage IB-IVA cervical cancer that had pelvic lymph node involvement in magnetic resonance imaging and were treated with CCRT between 2000 and 2016 were reviewed. None of the patients had paraaortic lymph node (PALN) metastases. The patients were classified to two groups, namely, those treated with EF-PRT, including prophylactic para-aortic radiotherapy, and those treated only with WPRT. The median dose to the PALN area in patients treated with EF-PRT was 45 Gy. All patients received concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy. RESULTS: Overall, 52 and 74 patients underwent EF-PRT and WPRT, respectively. Patient characteristics and irradiated dose were not significantly different, except the dose to the para-aortic area, between the two groups. The median follow-up period was 75.5 months (range, 5 to 195 months). The 10-year cumulative recurrence rate of PALN for EF-PRT vs. WPRT was 6.9% and 10.1% (p = 0.421), respectively. The 10-year disease-free survival and overall survival for EF-PRT vs. WPRT were 69.7% vs. 66.1% (p = 0.748) and 71.7% vs. 72.3% (p = 0.845), respectively. Acute gastrointestinal complications were significantly higher in EF-PRT (n = 21; 40.4%) than WPRT (n = 26; 35.1%) (p = 0.046). Late toxicities were not significantly different in both groups. CONCLUSION: In this study, prophylactic radiotherapy for PALN does not have an additional benefit in patients with pelvic lymph node-positive cervical cancer treated with CCRT.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

Tomb with lime-soil mixture barrier (LSMB) was constructed by the people from upper class people of Joseon Dynasty. The coffin of LSMB was surrounded by hard concrete barriers, being successfully protected from outside invasions until the archaeological excavation begins. The human remains were extremely preserved well, providing important information on the health and illness of the people of Joseon dynasty. Recent investigation into human skeletons from LSMB in Yong-in city was another forensic anthropological case that was very meaningful to our research. During the examination on the elderly Joseon female bones, we discovered unusual saw-marks on the shaft of both tibiae. We could not find any osteological evidences suggestive of healed bone process. Considering archaeological and anthropological findings altogether, the occurrence time of saw-marks was considered to be perimortem period. However, as for why such a saw mark was made on the tibiae, we did not get any information about it. We expect that this report facilitate other researcher to do explore the usefulness of forensic anthropology examination on the similar human skeleton cases identified in various archaeological ruins.
Aged ; Female ; Forensic Anthropology ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Skeleton* ; Tibia*

Pustular psoriasis refers to a group of disorder characterized by recalcitrant, sterile pustular eruption. It classified into four clinical patterns: Zumbusch, annular, exanthematous, and localized. Annular pustular psoriasis consists of gyrate, annular lesions with an erythematous, scaly, pustular margin. In contrast to the Zumbusch variety, the annular type is benign and less severe. We herein report a case of annular pustular psoriasis of a 9-year-old girl with review of the literature.
Child ; Female ; Humans ; Psoriasis*