Among 666 premature infants or low birthweight infants who were admitted in NICU of St. Francisco General Hospital from January 1990 to Jun 1992, 96 infants were diagnosed as retinopathy of prematurity by indirect ophthalmoscope. The result were follows: 1) Among 666 patients, retinopathy of prematurity developed in 96 patients(14.1%) 2) The high incidence was observed in low birthweight and small gestational age. 3) Mean age of first diagnosing time was 42.0( 12 day of life and mean gestational age was 31.8 2.5 weeks and mean birthweight was 1646.5 (350.7gm. 4) In gestational age, birthweight and duration of oxygen therapy, there was statistically difference between cryotherapy group and spontaneous regression group. Other possible risk factors-hyaline membrane disease, apnea, anemia-were showed higher incidence in cryotherapy group. 5) Among the 20 infants who were treated with cryotherapy, 16 infants (80%) showed regression of neovascularization.
Apnea ; Cryotherapy ; Gestational Age ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Membranes ; Ophthalmoscopes ; Oxygen ; Retinopathy of Prematurity*

Traumatic dislocation of the hip presents serious problems that may lead to avascular necrosis, nerve palsy, post-traumatic arthritis even when reduction is promptly and adequately carried out. Among them avascular necrosis is the most important prognostic factor, so the early detection of this complication has critical significance for final result. Bone scan has been considered one of early diagnostic test, but recently MRI replaced its role for imaging in the detection of early AVN, treatment monitoring and prediction of prognosis. Authors prospectively studied the early finding of MRI to detect avascular necrosis of the femoral head and to predict prognosis in traumatic hip dislocation and fracture-dislocation. From December 1990 to November 1994, 12 case of dislocation and fracture-dislocation of the hip were studied . In follow up period ranging from 19 months to 65 months, 10 case had excellent or good result. All cases had abnormal MRI finding such as paraarticular edema, capsular bulging, joint effusion, femoral head fracture, but findings such as femoral head signal changes were dectected in only 3 cases. Among the 3 cases, 1 case had developed AVN and 2 cases were uneventful. Other complications were 3 cases of posttraumatic arthritis, 2 cases of incomplete sciatic nerve palsy, and 1 case of heterotrophic ossification. Although early MRI finding at posttrauma 2weeks gave less specific information, it could give good information for risk group and follow up control with more cases. Although it is expensive, MRI can be one of the most reliable reference in early diagnosis of AVN and prediction of prognosis in traumatic dislocation and fracture- dislocation of the hip with non-invasive method.
Arthritis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Dislocations ; Early Diagnosis ; Edema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head* ; Hip Dislocation* ; Hip Joint ; Hip* ; Joints ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Necrosis ; Paralysis ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Sciatic Neuropathy

BACKGROUND:Accurate and timely diagnosis of acute surgical disease in pregnant patient is chal enging. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most accurate modality to diagnose acute appendicitis in pregnant patients, it is often used as a last resort because of high cost and long scan time. We performed this study to analyze differential diagnoses of appendix MRI and to investigate if there are any blood tests that can predict surgical condition in pregnant patients. METHODS:A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on 46 pregnant patients who underwent non-enhanced appendix MRI in suspicion of acute appendicitis from 2010 to 2016. Differential diagnoses of appendix MRI were analyzed and blood tests were compared between those who had surgical and non-surgical disease. RESULTS:Appendix MRI differentiated two surgical disease; acute appendicitis and ovarian torsion; and various non-surgical conditions such as uterine myoma, hydronephrosis, ureterolithiasis and diverticulitis among clinically suspected acute appendicitis in pregnancy. The diagnostic accuracy of MRI for acute appendicitis in this study was 93.5％. Patients who had surgical disease showed significantly higher WBC count (≥11,000/mm3), proportion of neutrophils in the WBC (≥79.9％), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR≥6.4), levels of C-reactive protein (CRP≥1.82 mg/dL) and bilirubin (≥0.66 mg/dL ) than those who had non-surgical disease. CONCLUSION:MRI can reliably differentiate surgical conditions and several blood tests (WBC, proportion of neutrophils in the WBC, NLR, CRP, bilirubin) can help anticipate acute surgical condition among pregnant patients suspected to have acute appendicitis.

PURPOSE: The introduction of the mumps vaccine has dramatically reduced the number of mumps cases, but outbreaks have recently occurred among highly vaccinated populations in developed countries. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with mumps admitted between 1989 and 2012 in a single hospital in Korea are described in the present study. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated inpatients with mumps between 1989 and 2012 and outpatients and inpatients with mumps in 2011-2012. RESULTS: A total of 152 patients with mumps were admitted between 1989 and 2012, and 163 patients were recorded in 2011-2012. The highest number of admitted cases occurred in 1998 and 2012 (35 and 34 cases, respectively). Among the patients admitted in 2011-2012, the highest frequency was observed among people aged 15-19 years, and low frequency was observed in those aged <4 years and >20 years, compatible to the city data and national data. In patients admitted to our department in 1998 (35 cases) and in 2010-2012 (27 cases), there were significant differences in the mean age and the rate of secondary measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination, but had similar clinical features, including complications, except aseptic meningitis. Antimumps immunoglobulin (Ig) G was positive in 83% and 100%, and IgM was positive in 67% and 41%, respectively, in the two periods. CONCLUSION: In Korea, recent mumps outbreaks have occurred mainly among secondary school students who received two doses of the MMR vaccine. The vaccinees might have a modified immune reaction to viral insults, manifesting modified epidemiological and clinical features.
Antibodies ; Developed Countries ; Disease Outbreaks* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Mumps Vaccine ; Mumps* ; Observational Study* ; Outpatients ; Retrospective Studies ; Vaccination

PURPOSE: Calcium phosphate (CaP)-coated implants promote osseointegration and survival rate. The aim of this study was to (1) analyze the dissolution behavior of the residual CaP particles of removed implants and (2) evaluate bone apposition of CaP-coated machined surface implants at the early healing phase. METHODS: Mandibular premolars were extracted from five dogs. After eight weeks, the implants were placed according to drilling protocols: a nonmobile implant (NI) group and rotational implant (RI) group. For CaP dissolution behavior analysis, 8 implants were removed after 0, 1, 2, and 4 weeks. The surface morphology and deposition of the coatings were observed. For bone apposition analysis, block sections were obtained after 1-, 2-, and 4-week healing periods and the specimens were analyzed. RESULTS: Calcium and phosphorus were detected in the implants that were removed immediately after insertion, and the other implants were composed mainly of titanium. There were no notable differences between the NI and RI groups in terms of the healing process. The bone-to-implant contact and bone density in the RI group showed a remarkable increase after 2 weeks of healing. CONCLUSIONS: It can be speculated that the CaP coating dissolves early in the healing phase and chemically induces early bone formation regardless of the primary stability.
Animals ; Bicuspid ; Bone Density ; Calcium* ; Dental Implantation ; Dogs ; Osseointegration ; Osteogenesis ; Phosphorus ; Survival Rate ; Titanium

Anisakiasis is a parasitic disease caused by ingestion of raw fish infected with anisakis larvae. The endoscopic features of the gastic mucosa are edema, ulceration and hemorrhage. Chronic gastric anisakiasis forming a submucosal tumor is rare. A 53-year old female was diagnosed with having a 1 cm sized gastric submucosal mass-like lesion by gastroscopy. Endoscopic ultrasonography showed an inhomogenous low echoic tumor with an irregular margin in the submucosal layer. The patient underwent an endoscopic submucosal dissection and band ligation. A serological assay with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for an anisakiasis specific IgG antibody were positive. The pathological finding of the resected mass was centrally denatured larvae with eosinophilic abscess in the submucosal layer. We report a case of chronic gastric anisakiasis that presented as a gastric submucosal tumor that was removed by the endoscopic submucosal dissection method, with a review of the relevant literature.
Abscess* ; Anisakiasis ; Anisakis ; Eating ; Edema ; Endosonography ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophils* ; Female ; Gastroscopy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Larva ; Ligation ; Middle Aged ; Mucous Membrane ; Parasitic Diseases ; Ulcer

Glycosphingolipids including gangliosides play important regulatory roles in cell proliferation and differentiation. UDP-glucose:ceramide glucosyltransferase (Ugcg) catalyze the initial step in glycosphingolipids biosynthesis pathway. In this study, Ugcg expression was reduced to approximately 80% by short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) to evaluate the roles of glycosphingolipids in proliferation and neural differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). HPTLC/immunofluorescence analyses of shRNA-transfected mESCs revealed that treatment with Ugcg-shRNA decreased expression of major gangliosides, GM3 and GD3. Furthermore, MTT and Western blot/immunofluorescence analyses demonstrated that inhibition of the Ugcg expression in mESCs resulted in decrease of cell proliferation (P < 0.05) and decrease of activation of the ERK1/2 (P < 0.05), respectively. To further investigate the role of glycosphingolipids in neural differentiation, the embryoid bodies formed from Ugcg-shRNA transfected mESCs were differentiated into neural cells by treatment with retinoic acid. We found that inhibition of Ugcg expression did not affect embryoid body (EB) differentiation, as judged by morphological comparison and expression of early neural precursor cell marker, nestin, in differentiated EBs. However, RT-PCR/immunofluorescence analyses showed that expression of microtubule- associated protein 2 (MAP-2) for neurons and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for glial cells was decreased in neural cells differentiated from the shRNA-transfected mESCs. These results suggest that glycosphingolipids are involved in the proliferation of mESCs through ERK1/2 activation, and that glycosphingolipids play roles in differentiation of neural precursor cells derived from mESCs.
Animals ; *Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Down-Regulation ; Embryonic Stem Cells/*cytology/metabolism ; Glucosyltransferases/genetics/metabolism ; Glycosphingolipids/genetics/*metabolism ; Mice ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism ; *Neurogenesis ; Neurons/*cytology/metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/genetics

Lipomas of the gastrointestinal tract are rare, and most of them are frequently seen in the colon. This tumor is classified into subtypes by the proportion of the inner mesenchymal components. Fibrolipoma, as a variant type of lipoma, is rich in the fibrous component. It is generally detected incidentally, but sometimes symptoms such as bleeding, abdominal pain or anemia can be observed according to the size, shape and location of the tumor. It can be resected surgically or endoscopically, and then it can be confirmed by the pathologic diagnosis. Recurrence can occur, so follow-up evaluation is needed. We report here on a case of a fibrolipoma of the colon, and the tumor was endoscopically resected.
Abdominal Pain ; Anemia ; Colon ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Lipoma ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: Procalcitonin is a well-established biochemical marker for bacterial infection. We conducted this study to analyze the correlation between procalcitonin and Infection Probability Score (IPS), a recently introduced scoring system to predict bacterial infection in intensive care unit patients. The cutoff value of IPS corresponding to procalcitonin cutoff values was determined for procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy in emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS: A retrospective observation study was conducted on adult ED patients who simultaneously underwent an IPS-required blood test and procalcitonin treatment from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2012. Based on their diagnosis at discharge, patients were grouped into a lower respiratory infection group or an "other" diagnosis group. The correlation between IPS and procalcitonin was analyzed by correlation and linear regression analysis. The IPS value corresponded to 0.25 ng/mL procalcitonin (in the lower respiratory infection group) and 0.5 ng/mL (in the other diagnosis group) as inferred by ROC curve analysis. A total of 722 cases (lower respiratory infection group: 258, other diagnosis group: 464) were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: In correlation analysis, the IPS showed a significant correlation with procalcitonin level in both groups (r=0.26, p<0.01, r=0.25, p<0.01, respectively). In ROC curve analysis, IPS 14 could predict procalcitonin> or =0.25 microg/L in the lower respiratory infection group (area under curve: 0.783 [95% CI, 0.724-0.841], sensitivity: 77.8%, specificity: 72.3%). Also, IPS 14 could predict procalcitonin> or =0.5 microg/L in the other diagnosis group (area under curve: 0.764 [95% CI, 0.717-0.810], sensitivity: 70.1%, specificity: 74.2%). CONCLUSION: The IPS had a significant correlation with procalcitonin level and IPS> or =14 corresponded to the procalcitonin cut-off value to predict bacterial infection in ED patients. Thus, IPS> or =14 may be used to predict bacterial infection and can guide early anti-microbial therapy in ED patients when procalcitonin is not readily available.
Adult ; Bacterial Infections ; Biomarkers ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies* ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Linear Models ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: Asymmetric crying facies is caused by agenesis or hypoplasia of the depressor anguli oris muscle and is often associated various anomalies. Several static and dynamic surgical interventions have been reported, but their effects are unreliable. We report on the successful use of botulinum toxin A in an asymmetric crying facies patient. METHODS: A 4-year-old girl presented with a facial asymmetry on crying or smiling. Physical examination revealed that her face had no asymmetry at rest. However, the patient showed characteristic asymmetry when smiling, crying, and with other normal facial movements. Asymmetric crying facies was clinically suspected and the weakness of left depressor anguli oris was present on electrophysiology study. Fifteen units of botulinum toxin type A were injected to the right depressor anguli oris muscle. RESULTS: The patient showed the prominent improvement in the facial symmetry without significant complication and the effect persisted until 3 months post injection. CONCLUSION: Asymmetric crying facies was treated successfully with botulinum toxin A and this method was easy and noninvasive.
Botulinum Toxins ; Botulinum Toxins, Type A ; Crying ; Electrophysiology ; Facial Asymmetry ; Facial Paralysis ; Facies ; Humans ; Muscles ; Physical Examination ; Preschool Child ; Smiling