BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to investigate the current two years' clinical research coordinators (CRCs) employment and estimate total number of CRCs in Korea. METHODS: The participants were administrative officers or head CRCs in institutions designated by Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA). Data on the current status of CRCs' employment was collected with self-administered questionnaires or telephone interview. And total number of CRCs in Korea was estimated based on ratio between the number of the KFDA approved clinical trials and current number of CRCs. RESULTS: The number of CRCs was 1381 at 36 centers in 2009 and 1444 at 37 centers in 2010. About 79 percent of CRCs were employed by investigators. The estimated number of CRCs was from 1677 to 1763 at 135 centers in 2009 and from 1802 to 1890 at 142 centers in 2010 based on number of clinical trials approved by KFDA. Two third of regional clinical trial centers (RCTCs) had written employment policy, and 25 percent of RCTCs employed CRCs in a regular position. All RCTCs had educational programs for CRCs and supported CRCs for training outside. 75 percent of RCTCs provided ID card for CRCs belonging to investigators to access to hospital document. Half of RCTCs had CRC registration system in hospital-wide. CONCLUSION: The number of CRCs in Korea can be easily estimated with the number of KFDA approved clinical trials. Majority of RCTCs still employed CRCs in an irregular position, which should be switched to regular position to reduce the CRCs' unsatisfaction. It is also needed to develop centralized CRC management system for CRCs belonging to investigators.
Calcium Hydroxide ; Employment ; Head ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Personnel ; Zinc Oxide

BACKGROUND: The authors report the results of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) treated with a surgical dislocation. METHODS: From April 2005 to May 2007, 15 FAI hips were treated with a surgical dislocation. The male/female ratio, mean age and mean symptom duration was 12/2, 35.8 years and 2.3 years, respectively. Radiographs and MR arthrograms were taken. The clinical evaluation involved changes in the pre- and postoperative Harris hip score (HHS). RESULTS: There were 12 hips (80%) with at least one structural abnormality in the radiographs, with 11 (79%) labral tears and 8 (73%) abnormally high angles in the MR arthrograms. We performed 15 osteochondroplasties, 12 labral repairs, 12 acetabuloplasty, and 3 debridements. The mean HHS improved from 76 to 93 points. Three non-unions of the trochanteric osteotomy sites were encountered as complications. CONCLUSIONS: Radiographs and MR arthrograms are important for making a proper diagnosis of FAI and planning treatment. A surgical dislocation can be used to treat FAI but further technical improvements will be needed for fixation of the greater trochanteric osteotomy sites.
Acetabulum/surgery ; Adult ; Female ; Femoracetabular Impingement/radiography/*surgery ; Femur Head/surgery ; Humans ; Ligaments, Articular/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Orthopedic Procedures/methods ; Osteotomy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: We wanted to measure the size of the osteolysis of the pelvis and to quantify its location and we wanted to assess the correlation of these measurements with the clinical result. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 40 hips (31 patients) that showed definitive osteolysis among 116 hips (97 patients) that underwent 3 dimensional CT scanning post-operatively after total hip arthroplasties with using cementless acetabular cups. The inclusion criteria were a follow up duration of more than 18 months and no history of infection. The radiographs were obtained at the 6th to 12th week postoperatively. The size of pelvic osteolysis was divided into 4 groups (less than 1 cm3 (A), between 1 cm3 to 2 cm3 (B), between 2 cm3 to 3 cm3 (C), more than 3 cm3 (D)), and the location of osteolysis was divided into 5 groups (anterior, posterior, superior, inferior and central) The size and location of osteolysis and the wear of the polyethylene were analysed in relation to the clinical outcome, which was assessed using the Harris Hip Score). RESULTS: The average size of the osteolysis was 3.2 cm3 (A 14 cases in group A, B 11 cases in group B, C 4 cases in group C, and D 11 cases in group D). There was significant correlation between the size of the osteolysis and the clinical outcome (Rs=-0569). However, there was no significant correlation between the osteolysis location (Anterior: 18 cases, Superior: 5 cases, Posterior: 10 cases, Inferior: 33 cases and Central: 32 cases) and the clinical outcome (P=0.35). CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation between the size of the osteolysis and the Harris Hip Score (Rs=- 0569). Especially, a pelvic osteolysis of more than 3 cm3 was found to be correlated with a decreased postoperative HHS (P=0.022). We hope that these results may be useful to help guide the treatment of osteolysis.
Arthroplasty ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; Osteolysis ; Pelvis ; Polyethylene

Pnuemocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is one of leading causes of acute respiratory failure in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the mortality rate remains high in mechanically ventilated HIV patients with PJP. There are several reported cases who received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment for respiratory failure associated with severe PJP in HIV-infected patients. We report a patient who was newly diagnosed with HIV and PJP whose condition worsened after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring veno-venous ECMO. The patient recovered from PJP and is undergoing treatment with HAART. ECMO support can be an effective life-saving salvage therapy for acute respiratory failure refractory to mechanical ventilation following HAART in HIV-infected patients with severe PJP.
Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active* ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation* ; HIV ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pneumocystis jirovecii* ; Pneumocystis* ; Pneumonia* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Salvage Therapy

Primary thyroid lymphoma is a relatively rare thyroid tumor and usually a non-Hodgkin type. Its most common histologic type is the diffuse large B cell lymphoma followed by mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). It is known to be frequently associated with autoimmune thyroiditis such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. We report three cases of thyroid lymphoma at a single institution with a review of the literature.
Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A cutting balloon (CB) is a balloon catheter with 3 or 4 metal blades on its surface used for making controlled endovascular surgical incisions and promising minimal intimal injury. Some reports suggest advantages of the use of CB in the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR). The purpose of this study was to report the clinical experience of the use of CB for ISR. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 28 patients were enrolled in this study. Angiographic success (defined by 40% residual stenosis), in-hospital, 30 days and 6 months clinical outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS: Angiographic success was 92.9% (26/28). The number of inflations and maximal inflation pressure were 2.8+/-0.9 and 10.1+/-1.3 ATM, respectively. The balloon/artery (B/A) ratio was 1.1+/-0.2. There was a case of stent insertion for treating type D dissection and a case of rotational atherectomy for suboptimal result after CB angioplasty. 25 cases underwent analysis through 6 months of clinical follow-up. During the 6-month clinical follow-up, 4 cases of re-PTCA were documented, while MACE during in-hospital time and the subsequent 30 days was 0%. CONCLUSION: Our experience demonstrated that CB can be performed safely and effectively in coronary ISR. Further clinical and angiographic effectiveness are warranted in a large-scale clinical trial.
Angioplasty ; Angioplasty, Balloon* ; Atherectomy, Coronary ; Catheters ; Coronary Restenosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inflation, Economic ; Stents*

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the usefulness of CT arthrography (CTA) by conducting a comparative study of CTA and MR arthrography (MRA) with the arthroscopic findings in the same patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty nine patients who suffered from shoulder disease underwent MRA and CTA concurrently. The sensitivity and specificity of CTA was evaluated, as compared to MRA, in the case of four types of shoulder pathological lesions. The accuracy of CTA was evaluated by analyzing the arthroscopic findings of thirty four patients. RESULTS: Compared to MRA, CTA showed a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 100% for diagnosing supraspinatus tendon (SST) full thickness tear, and CTA showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 97.5% for making the diagnosis of superior labrum anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesion. For diagnosing partial articular side supraspinatus avulsion (PASTA) lesion, some studies have shown the usefulness of CTA with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 97.7%. However, for diagnosing SST bursal side partial tear, the sensitivity of CTA was as low as 10%. CTA has been shown to be relatively accurate when the diagnoses were verified with the arthroscopic findings; diagnosing SST full thickness tear and SLAP lesion with CTA has shown an accuracy of 100% and87.5% respectively, and CTA showed 71.4% diagnostic accuracy for PASTA lesion. CONCLUSION: CTA was a useful tool and it was equivalent to MRA for the assessment of SST full thickness tear, SLAP lesion and PASTA lesion, but not bursal side partial tear. Thus, it may be used preferably to diagnose shoulder pathology and for follow up as an inexpensive tool after operation.
Arthrography ; Arthroscopy ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Shoulder ; Tendons

PURPOSE: The underlying cause of myasthenia gravis (MG) is unknown, although it likely involves a genetic component. However, no common genetic variants have been unequivocally linked to autoimmune MG. We sought to identify the genetic variants associated with an increased or decreased risk of developing MG in samples from a Korean Multicenter MG Cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine new genetic targets related to autoimmune MG, a whole genome-based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis was conducted using an Axiom(TM) Genome-Wide ASI 1 Array, comprising 598375 SNPs and samples from 109 MG patients and 150 neurologically normal controls. RESULTS: In total, 641 SNPs from five case-control associations showed p-values of less than 10(-5). From regional analysis, we selected seven candidate genes (RYR3, CACNA1S, SLAMF1, SOX5, FHOD3, GABRB1, and SACS) for further analysis. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that a few genetic polymorphisms, such as in RYR3, CACNA1S, and SLAMF1, might be related to autoimmune MG. Our findings also encourage further studies, particularly confirmatory studies with larger samples, to validate and analyze the association between these SNPs and autoimmune MG.
Antigens, CD/genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/genetics ; Calcium Channels/genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Myasthenia Gravis/*etiology ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide/genetics ; Receptors, Cell Surface/genetics ; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel/genetics

The incidence of coexisting hyperparathyroidism and empty sella syndrome is rare and the etiology and incidence of their coexistence is not known. The association of hyperparathyroidism and the empty sella syndrome may be related to multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndrome due to a genetic disorder. We experienced a rare case of hyperparathyroidism presenting as acute pancreatitis combined with empty sella. We report here a 37-year old female who manifested epigastric pain because of acute pancreatitis. She had hypercalcemia due to parathyroid adenoma. A pituitary gland was not visible in the sella turcica on MRI scans. On genetic analysis, she did not show a mutation of the MENIN gene. Empty sella is thought to be a coincidental finding with hyperparathyroidism.
Empty Sella Syndrome ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Incidence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia ; Pancreatitis ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Pituitary Gland ; Sella Turcica

Talocalcaneal coalition known as the most common tarsal coalition is a congenital failure of segmentation. Talocalcaneal coalition with complete bone bridge is very rare, and there are few references in the literature about the clinical results and the operative method for this type of tarsal coalition. We report a case of 15 years old female with complete talocalcaneal coalition, who showed good clinical results by lateral sliding calcaneal osteotomy.
Female ; Humans ; Osteotomy