Spinal epidural abscesses were evaluated using Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 19 surgically and clinically confirmed cases, including 13 with tuberculous spondylitis and 6 with pyogenic spondylitis. We observed rim enhancement patterns in 10 patients and diffuse enhancement patterns in 9 patients. The spread patterns were localized to ventral or dorsal epidural space and encircled entire epidural space. We conclude that rim enhancement indicates abscess and diffuse enhancement indicates granulation tissue and fibrosis. Tuberculous epidural abscess spreads to ventral epidural space and pyogenic epidural abscess encircles entire epidural space.
Abscess ; Epidural Abscess* ; Epidural Space ; Fibrosis ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Spondylitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is often associated with extrahepatic autoimmune disease, and autoantibodies such as anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) or anti-smooth muscle antibody (ASA). The presence of autoantibodies may make discrimination between chronic hepatitis C with autoimmune features and type 1 autoimmune hepatitis difficult. We studied the prevalence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection and their clinical significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ANA, ASA, anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA), anti-microsomal antibody (AmA), rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-cardiolipin antibody (aCL) and lupus anti-coagulant (LA) were tested in 116 patients (80 chronic hepatitis C, 36 liver cirrhosis). Genotypes of HCV were determined in 25 patients by INNO LiPA. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of autoantibody was 65.5%. The most common autoantibody was aCL (34.5%), followed by ANA (25%), RF (18%), LA (15.5%), ASA (6.9%), anti-microsomal antibody (6%) and AMA (1%). The positive rate of either ANA or ASA was 30.2%, but both were positive in 1.7% only. There was no difference in the demographic features, biochemistry, HCV genotypes and disease status between autoantibody-positive and autoantibody-negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: Autoantibodies were commonly found in patients with chronic HCV infection. But, the presence of autoantibodies may be a non-specific finding in chronic hepatitis C infection without clinical significance.
Autoantibodies* ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Biochemistry ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis C, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Autoimmune ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Liver ; Prevalence* ; Rheumatoid Factor

PURPOSE: It is known that single umbilical artery is frequently associated with gastrointestinal or urogenital anomaly, however, routine renal sonography has been debated in healthy neonate with isolated single umbilical artery. This study is designed to determine the usefulness of routine renal sonography in apparently healthy infants with an isolated single umbilical artery. METHODS: Thirty healthy neonates with a single umbilical artery without a major anomaly from January 1995 to July 2002 were enrolled. The authors investigated the clinical background of babies and their mothers after renal sonography after 72 hours of age. When the abnormalities were found at the first renal sonography, the severity of hydronephrosis and degree of obstruction and renal function were analyzed by follow up renal sonography, voiding cystourethrography(VCUG) and technetium-99m-dimercaptosuccinic acid(DMSA) scan or technetium-99m-mercaptoacetyl-triglycerine (MAG3) scan. RESULTS: Among the 30 healthy patients with isolated single umbilical artery, five patients(16.7%) showed abnormalities on first renal sonography with one major(3.3%) and four(13.4%) minor renal anomaly(minimal or mild hydroneohrosis). One major renal anomaly(severe hydronephrosis) showed severe decreased renal function on MAG3 scan without reflux, and the other four minor regressed spontaneously on follow up study. CONCLUSION: The value of routine early renal sonograpy for detecting renal anomaly in healthy infants with an isolated single umbilical artery remained unclear because most of the anomalies would regress spontaneously in the follow up study.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Screening* ; Mothers ; Single Umbilical Artery*

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a main option for the infertility treatment and its major concerns are the risk of multiple pregnancy, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), and congenital malformation. Russell-Silver syndrome (RS) is a congenital disorder characterized by intrauterine and postnatal growth retardation associated with inverted triangular face, clinodactyly, and asymmetry of the body. The possibility of genomic imprinting defect has been suggested because the risk of RS syndrome is increased after IVF like other imprinting defect disorders such as Angelman or Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, and the major epigenetic disturbance of RS syndrome is the hypomethylation of the imprinting in 11p15. We report three cases of RS syndrome in one of IVF twins with a review of the literature.
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome ; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities ; Epigenomics ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Genomic Imprinting ; Humans ; Infertility ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Silver-Russell Syndrome ; Twins

No abstract available.
Bone Diseases, Developmental/diagnosis/drug therapy/*genetics ; Child ; Fibrillin-1/*genetics ; Hand/diagnostic imaging ; Heterozygote ; Human Growth Hormone/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Limb Deformities, Congenital/diagnosis/drug therapy/*genetics ; Male ; Pelvis/diagnostic imaging

No abstract available.
Epidermal Cyst

The study was performed to investigate the relationship of regular exercise to body composition and nutrient intakes of male college students by comparing anthropometric measurements and one-day dietary intakes by 24-hour recall of physical education (PE) majors and non-major male college students. The subjects were 253 students residing in the Gyeonggi area. Only 64.1% and 32.1% of PE majors and non-major students exercised over 4 times a week and PE major students did stronger exercise than the non-major students did. Mean BMI and WHR (Waist Hip Ratio) of the two groups were not different. But percentages of body fat and lean body mass in PE major students were lower and higher, respectively, than those of non-major students. PE major students consumed significantly more energy and other nutrients except iron, niacin, vitamin C, and vitamin E than non-major students. Nutrients consumed less than KRDA was calcium in PE major students and energy, calcium, zinc, vitamin B12, folate, and vitamin C in non-major students. Mean adequacy ratio (MAR) of PE major students (1.00) was significantly higher than that of non-major students (0.94). Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) of all nutrients except vitamin A of PE major students was also significantly higher than that of non-major students. Nutrients below 1.00 in INQ of both groups were calcium, zinc, vitamin B2, and folate. Our data supports that regular exercise may positively influence on body composition and increase diet quality in male college students. Therefore, an educational program focused on regular exercise along with proper dietary behavior would be needed.
Adipose Tissue ; Ascorbic Acid ; Body Composition ; Calcium ; Diet ; Folic Acid ; Hip ; Humans ; Iron ; Male ; Niacin ; Nutritive Value ; Physical Education and Training ; Riboflavin ; Vitamin A ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins ; Zinc

BACKGROUND: Most episodes of acute diarrhea are self-limiting. Most patients require neither a stool culture nor antibiotic therapy. This study was designed to investigate the predictors of a stool-culture positivity and indicators for antibiotic therapy in acute infectious diarrheal patients. METHODS: Medical records of 139 adult cases were retrospectively reviewed during the 12 months between January 1999 and December 1999. We used the Chisquare-test to analyze the data for statistical significance. RESULTS: Fecal leukocytes were examined in 104 cases; 30 tested positive (28.8%). Eighty-five stool cultures were taken, and 24 yielded enteric pathogens, such as Salmonella, Shigella, V. Cholera and V. Parahaemolyticus. Cultures from patients treated between August and October, with fever above 37.6degrees C, or with symptoms of abdominal pain had higher yields(44.2% vs 11.9%, p=0.001, correlation coefficient=0.359; 36.8% vs 10.7%, p=0.012, correlation coefficient=0.273;, 38.1% vs 18.6%, p=0.046, correlation coefficient=0.216 ; respectively) and when combined with fecal leukocytes had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 90.1-95.1%. CONCLUSION: The primary variables (season, fever, and abdominal pain) were excellent predictors of stool culture positivity and indicators for antibiotic therapy, especially when combined with fecal leukocytes
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Cholera ; Diarrhea* ; Fever ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Salmonella ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Shigella

A questionnaire on a variety of ophthalmic topics was made up and sent to 150 members of the Korean Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery-[KSCRS] in May, 1996. Forty percent [60/150] responded within the deadline in June, 1996. As the contents of the questionnaire were almost identical to the ones prepared in the USA [1994, 1995] and in Japan [1994], the answer to the questionnaire could be compared with those gathered from the USA and Japan. Over half of the respondents [57%] were in their forties. The average number of operations done per month was 26. Cataract operation accounted for over 60% of the total operations in 34% of KSCRS members. And more than 76% of the cataract operation were done using phacoemulsification technique in 31% of the respondents. There were no difference in the preferred method of local anesthesia for the cataract surgery in Korea compare to the USA or Japan. And there was less likelihood of using peribulbar anesthesia and no suture technique in Korea compared to the USA. Sixty-one percent of the Korean ophthalmic surgeon implanted the intraocular lenses even before the patients were younger than 20 years old whereas, 82% of ophthalmic surgeon in Japan did only when the patients were older than 20 years of age. For radial keratotomy as a means of correcting myopia, 91% of the Korean respondents were not performing the procedure any more, while 45% of the American respondents abandoned it. Fifty four percent of the Korean respondents and 46% of the American respondents have been doing excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy. There was no statistical difference between the two. From the answers to the qustionnaire, we found that our results did not differ significantly from those of the USA or Japan and we believe that these results reflect the present trends of cataract and refractive surgeries in Korea.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Local ; Cataract* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Humans ; Japan ; Keratotomy, Radial ; Korea ; Lasers, Excimer ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Myopia ; Phacoemulsification ; Photorefractive Keratectomy ; Refractive Surgical Procedures* ; Suture Techniques ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Fever* ; Nephritis, Interstitial*