BACKGROUND: Hepatic myelopathy results from liver disease, which lacks of effective cure method. Liver transplantation has attempted to cure this disease; however, the long-term therapeutic effect is rarely reported. OBJECTIVE: To explore the long-term therapeutic effect of liver transplantation in patients with hepatic myelopathy. METHODS: The clinical data of 2 patients with hepatic myelopathy, who underwent orthotopic liver transplantation, in August 2002 and November 2004, at the 309 Hospital of Chinese PLA, were analyzed retrospectively. The time of follow-up was 18 and 43 months, respectively. The muscle strength of double lower limbs in 2 patients was assessed prior to and after operation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Two patients recovered well at 4 weeks after transplantation, the clinical symptom and physical signs of patients were improved obviously, the blood routine examination and other biochemical index were normal,and the function of transplanted kidney was normal. Two patients discharged at 6 weeks after transplantation. Patient 1 could stand for a long time at months 6 after transplantation, walked slowly with the supporter after 12 months and without the supporter at 43 months. The muscular strength of two lower limbs was grade 4. And the liver function was normal. Patients 2 could move his lower limbs in bed at months 6 after transplantation, walked with the supporter at 18 months. The muscular strength of two lower limbs was grade 3. The liver function was normal. It demonstrated that liver transplantation is beneficial to control hepatic myelopathy and recover muscular strength of two lower limbs. It is a newly developed, effective curing method for treating hepatic myelopathy. However, the numbers were small with short time observation, thus, the long-term therapeutic effect still need to be explored.

Objective To explore the roles of B lymphocyte and plasma cell in liver allograft re-jection to find the evidences of humoral factor participating in the rejection. Methods Immunohisto-chemical inspection of C4d, CD20+ B lymphocytes and CD138+ plasma cells were performed in 34 liver biopsy specimens from 25 patients with hepatic injury and their preoperative specimens. Then we ob-served the variances of the above parameters in the liver biopsy specimens and the differences of them with different hepatic injuries. We further observed the relation of the presence of CD20+ B lympho-cytes and CD138+ plasma cells to C4d positivity. Meanwhile, we compared the difficulties of clinical therapy with different presences of CD20+ B lymphocytes and CD138+ plasma cells in the liver biopsy specimens. Results The positive ratios of CD20+B lymphocytes and CD138+ plasma cells were signif-icantly higher in the acute rejection group than in the non-rejection group(P<0. 05 and P<0. 01).The positive ratios of CD20+ B lymphocytes were markedly higher in the chronic rejection group than in the non-rejection group(P<0. 05). There was no difference in CD138+ plasma cells between the 2 groups. The degrees of hepatic injury could not influence the positive ratioes of CD138+ plasma, but the positive ratioes of CD20+ B lymphocytes in the heavy hepatic injury groups was higher than in the slight hepatic injury groups(P<0. 05). CD20+ B lymphocytes and CD138+ plasma cells presented fol-lowing C4d(P<0. 01 and P<0. 05). The effective power of steroid in the all-positive group was obvi-ously lower than in the all-negative group(P<0. 05). Conclusion Humoral immune may participate in some liver allograft rejection. It would be more favorable for observing and prewarning the humoral re-jection by finding CD20, CD138 and C4d by immunohistochemical staining in liver biopsy specimens with hepatic injury after liver transplantation. It would be helpful for choosing the therapeutic regi-mens of liver allograft rejection.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the viability of periodontal ligament cells of rat teeth after low-temperature preservation under high pressure by means of MTT assay, WST-1 assay. 12 teeth of Sprague-Dawley white female rats of 4 week-old were used for each group. Both side of the first and second maxillary molars were extracted as atraumatically as possible under tiletamine anesthesia. The experimental groups were group 1 (Immediate extraction), group 2 (Slow freezing under pressure of 3 MPa), group 3 (Slow freezing under pressure of 2 MPa), group 4 (Slow freezing under no additional pressure), group 5 (Rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen under pressure of 2 MPa), group 6 (Rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen under no additional pressure), group 7 (low-temperature preservation at 0degrees C under pressure of 2 MPa), group 8 (low-temperature preservation at 0degrees C under no additional pressure), group 9 (low-temperature preservation at -5degrees C under pressure of 90 MPa). F-medium and 10% DMSO were used as preservation medium and cryo-protectant. For cryo-preservation groups, thawing was performed in 37degrees C water bath, then MTT assay, WST-1 assay were processed. One way ANOVA and Tukey HSD method were performed at the 95% level of confidence. The values of optical density obtained by MTT assay and WST-1 were divided by the values of eosin staining for tissue volume standardization. In both MTT and WST-1 assay, group 7 (0degrees C/2 MPa) showed higher viability of periodontal ligament cells than other group (2-6, 8) and this was statistically significant (p < 0.05), but showed lower viability than group 1, immediate extraction group (no statistical significance). By the results of this study, low-temperature preservation at 0degrees C under pressure of 2 MPa suggest the possibility for long term preservation of teeth.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Baths ; Cryopreservation ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Female ; Freezing ; Humans ; Molar ; Nitrogen ; Periodontal Ligament ; Rats ; Tiletamine ; Tooth

Objective To investigate image quality and clinical value of dual-source dual energy virtual non-contrast (VNC) CT of the head. MethodsSixty-two patients suspected of cerebrovascular diseases underwent conventional non-contrast (CNC) CT and dual energy CTA examination of the head with dual-source CT. Virtual non-contrast images were reconstructed using dual energy software. The CT values of gray matter, white matter, cerebrospinal fluid, hyperdense hemorrhagic lesion and hypodense ischemic lesion were compared between CNC and VNC images. A four-score scale was used to assess image quality subjectively. Image noise, radiation dosage and detection rate were compared between CNC and VNC images. Paired t test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Chi-square test (McNemar test and Kappa test) were used. Results The CT value on CNC and VNC images, were (43. 3 ± 1.5) and (33. 2 ± 1.3) HU for gray matter (t = 46.98, P ＜ 0. 01), (32. 9 ± 1.3) and (28.8 ± 1.6) HU for white matter(t = 16. 28, P ＜0.01), (9.0 ± 1.4) and (5.3 ± 1.9) HU for cerebrospinal fluid (t=12.41, P＜0.01),(62.8 ±10.0) and (51.3 ± 11.5) HU for hyperdense lesion (Z = -4.37, P ＜ 0.01), (20.7 ±4.7) and (18.0 ±6. 9) HU for hypodense lesion (t = 3. 84, P ＜ 0. 01), respectively. VNC images[(1.63 ±0.34) HU]had more noise than CNC images[(0.99±0.18) HU](Z= -6.41, P＜0.01). VNC [(0. 53 ± 0. 08) mSv]had less effective dose than CNC[(1.37 ± 0. 23) mSy](Z= - 6. 45, P ＜ 0. 01).In subjective assessment, VNC images had more noise (2. 7 ± 0. 5 for VNC and 3.9 ± 0. 3 for CNC,Z = -6. 84, P ＜ 0. 01) and skull base-related artifacts (2. 4 ± 0. 9 for VNC and 3.7 ± 0. 5 for CNC,Z = -6. 15, P ＜0. 01) than CNC images. The gray/white matter contrast (1.3 ± 0. 5 for VNC and 3.3 ±0. 6 for CNC, Z = - 7. 01, P ＜ 0. 01), hyperdense lesion display (3.0 ± 0. 4 for VNC and 4. 0 ± 0. 0 for CNC,Z = -4. 52, P ＜ 0. 01) and hypodense lesion display (3.2 ± 0. 8 for VNC and 3.9 ± 0. 3 for CNC,Z= -3. 12, P ＜0. 01) on VNC images were lower than those on CNC images. In per-patient analysis,29 cases of hyperdense lesion (hemorrhage) were found on VNC images without misdiagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were all 100. 0% (29/29,33/33, 29/29, 33/33). VNC images had the same detection rate of hyperdense lesions as CNC images (P ＞0. 05, Kappa = 1. 000) at per-patient level. Twenty-two patients with hypodense ischemic lesions were found on VNC images with one false positive case and two false negative cases. The sensitivity,specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 91.3% (21/23), 97.4%(38/39), 95.5% (21/22) and 95.0% (38/40) respectively. No statistical difference was found in detecting hypodense lesions between VNC and CNC images (χ2 = 0. 00, P ＞ 0. 05, Kappa = 0. 895). In per-lesion analysis, 53 hemorrhage lesions were found on VNC images with false negative results of four lesions and no false positive result. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 93.0% (53/57), 100. 0% (38/38), 100. 0% (53/53) and 90. 5% (38/42)respectively. There was no significant difference in detection rate of hyperdense lesion between VNC and CNC images (χ2 =2. 25, P ＞0. 05, Kappa =0. 914). Thirty-eight hypodense lesions were found on VNC images with 2 false positive lesions and 13 false negative lesions. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 73.5% (36/49), 96.4% (53/55), 94. 7% (36/38)and 80. 3% (53/66) respectively. The detection rate of hypodense lesion on VNC images was lower than that on CNC images (χ2 = 6. 67 ,P ＜ 0.01, Kappa = 0. 707). Conclusion Compared with CNC images,head VNC images have reduced image quality and radiation dosage. VNC images can replace CNC images potentially in detecting intracranial hemorrhage and provide information for ischemic cerebrovascular diseases to some extent.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the disability registration state of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Korea. METHODS: Based on the National Health Information Database, the disability registration state was examined for brain lesion disability and other possible complicated disabilities accompanying brain disorder in children diagnosed with CP aged up to 5 years old who were born between 2002 and 2008. RESULTS: Of children diagnosed with CP, 73.1% were registered as having brain lesion disability for the first time before they turned 2 years old. The younger the children, the more likely they will have 1st and 2nd degree disability. However, when the age of children is increased, such likelihood is decreased. The percentage of children registered as having overlapping disabilities was 7%–20%. CONCLUSION: It is important to establish a more accurate standard to rate disability and provide national support systems for children with CP with various severities and multiple disabilities. By reorganizing the current disability registration system for pediatric brain lesions, the system could serve as a classification standard to provide medical and social welfare services.
Brain ; Brain Diseases ; Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Classification ; Disabled Children ; Humans ; Korea* ; Registries ; Social Welfare

PURPOSE: Cathepsin K is a potent collagenase implicated in human and animal atherosclerosis-based vascular remodeling. This study examined the hypothesis that serum CatK is associated with the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2012, 256 consecutive subjects were enrolled from among patients who underwent coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention treatment. A total of 129 age-matched subjects served as controls. RESULTS: The subjects' serum cathepsin K and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. The patients with CAD had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to the controls (130.8+/-25.5 ng/mL vs. 86.9+/-25.5 ng/mL, p<0.001), and the patients with acute coronary syndrome had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to those with stable angina pectoris (137.1+/-26.9 ng/mL vs. 102.6+/-12.9 ng/mL, p<0.001). A linear regression analysis showed that overall, the cathepsin K levels were inversely correlated with the high-density lipoprotein levels (r=-0.29, p<0.01) and positively with hs-CRP levels (r=0.32, p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analyses shows that cathepsin K levels were independent predictors of CAD (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.56; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These data indicated that elevated levels of cathepsin K are closely associated with the presence of CAD and that circulating cathepsin K serves a useful biomarker for CAD.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Cathepsin K/*blood ; Coronary Artery Disease/*blood/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: Cathepsin K is a potent collagenase implicated in human and animal atherosclerosis-based vascular remodeling. This study examined the hypothesis that serum CatK is associated with the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2011 and December 2012, 256 consecutive subjects were enrolled from among patients who underwent coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention treatment. A total of 129 age-matched subjects served as controls. RESULTS: The subjects' serum cathepsin K and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. The patients with CAD had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to the controls (130.8+/-25.5 ng/mL vs. 86.9+/-25.5 ng/mL, p<0.001), and the patients with acute coronary syndrome had significantly higher serum cathepsin K levels compared to those with stable angina pectoris (137.1+/-26.9 ng/mL vs. 102.6+/-12.9 ng/mL, p<0.001). A linear regression analysis showed that overall, the cathepsin K levels were inversely correlated with the high-density lipoprotein levels (r=-0.29, p<0.01) and positively with hs-CRP levels (r=0.32, p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analyses shows that cathepsin K levels were independent predictors of CAD (odds ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.56; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These data indicated that elevated levels of cathepsin K are closely associated with the presence of CAD and that circulating cathepsin K serves a useful biomarker for CAD.
Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Cathepsin K/*blood ; Coronary Artery Disease/*blood/metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: South Korea has a high prevalence of gallstones, the type of which could be influenced by changes in diet and socioeconomic status. Here we aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics and changing patterns of gallstones over the past 20 years in Korea. METHODS: A total of 5,808 patients who underwent cholecystectomy due to gallstones at Seoul National University Hospital between 1996 and 2015 were analyzed. Patients were divided into 4 subgroups: period 1 (1996–2000, n = 792), period 2 (2001–2005, n = 1,215), period 3 (2006–2010, n = 1,525), period 4 (2011–2015, n = 2,276). Gallstones were classified by type: pure cholesterol (PC), mixed cholesterol (MC), calcium bilirubinate (CB), black pigment (BP), and combination (COM). RESULTS: The female to male ratio was 1.16 with mean ages of 53.6 and 55.3 years old, respectively. The ratio of cholesterol stones to pigment stones was 0.96:1. The mean age and male to female ratio of the patients increased over time. The proportion of cholesterol vs pigment stone did not differ significantly. Proportions of PC and MC stone subtypes did not change notably, whereas proportion of BP stones increased (34.0% to 45.5%), and CB stones decreased (20.7% to 5.3%). CONCLUSION: Gallstone types and occurrences were affected by environmental changes, and pigment stones remained common in Korea. Although no distinct increase in cholesterol stones was noted, the proportion of CB stones decreased. As the mean age at gallstone presentation increases, BP stones could become more prevalent.
Bilirubin ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystolithiasis ; Cholelithiasis ; Cholesterol ; Classification ; Diet ; Female ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Seoul ; Social Class

Objective:To evaluate the effect of multidimensional model of laparoscopic suture training in spread of laparoscopic pancreatic surgery.Methods:The surgeons who took advanced training in Department of Gastroenterology and Pancreatic Surgery in Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital from September 2018 to March 2020 were enrolled. Theoretical presentation, simulation training and assessment, clinical practices were included in the multidimensional training model. The " mattress suture" module (2 mattress sutures) in the LAP Mentor laparoscopic advanced simulator was used as the initial assessment and post-training assessment. The average needle loading time, time to form a knot, total time, accuracy rate of precise needle passage through the entrance and exit dots, and total aggressive tissue handing provided in the LAP Mentor were analyzed pre- and post-training. The trained surgeons were followed up for their clinical work in own hospitals.Results:A total of 13 surgeons were trained, including 4 deputy chief physicians, 7 attending physicians over 3 years, and 2 attending physicians under 3 years. The trainees had only primary laparoscopic surgery experience and no laparoscopic pancreatic surgery experience. After training in the above scheme, the average needle loading time was shortened from (93.6±31.6) s to (45.7±13.6) s, and the time to form a knot was reduced from (138.9±46.2) s to (62.1±22.9) s, and total time to accomplish the suture shortened from (15.9±3.8) min to (6.7±3.5) min. The accuracy rate of precise needle passage through the entrance and exit dots increased from (63.7±10.3)% to (89.6±9.8)%. The total aggressive tissue handing decreased from (18.2±12.5) to (6.7±4.9). All those data showed statistical differences ( P<0.05). During follow-up, all traineescan operate the laparoscopic pancreatic surgery proficiently. One trainee completed his first laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenctomy as the primary surgeon, and one trainee complete the splenic vein branch suture to stop hemostasis during laparoscopic pancreatectomy with spleen-preserving spleen, and 3 trainees completed laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenctomy as the first assistant surgeons with good outcomes. Conclusion:Multidimensional model of laparoscopic suture training can improve the trainee's suture skill and help perform complex laparoscopic pancreatic surgery with self-confidence.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to propose a deep-learning model for the detection of the mandibular canal on dental panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: A total of 2,100 panoramic radiographs (PANs) were collected from 3 different machines: RAYSCAN Alpha (n=700, PAN A), OP-100 (n=700, PAN B), and CS8100 (n=700, PAN C). Initially, an oral and maxillofacial radiologist coarsely annotated the mandibular canals. For deep learning analysis, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) utilizing U-Net architecture were employed for automated canal segmentation. Seven independent networks were trained using training sets representing all possible combinations of the 3 groups. These networks were then assessed using a hold-out test dataset. Results: Among the 7 networks evaluated, the network trained with all 3 available groups achieved an average precision of 90.6%, a recall of 87.4%, and a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 88.9%. The 3 networks trained using each of the 3 possible 2-group combinations also demonstrated reliable performance for mandibular canal segmentation, as follows: 1) PAN A and B exhibited a mean DSC of 87.9%, 2) PAN A and C displayed a mean DSC of 87.8%, and 3) PAN B and C demonstrated a mean DSC of 88.4%. Conclusion This multi-device study indicated that the examined CNN-based deep learning approach can achieve excellent canal segmentation performance, with a DSC exceeding 88%. Furthermore, the study highlighted the importance of considering the characteristics of panoramic radiographs when developing a robust deep-learning network, rather than depending solely on the size of the dataset.