BACKGROUND: The high concentration of plasma total homocysteine is recently considered an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to provide reference ranges for plasma homocysteine levels and to investigate the relationship between plasma homocysteine and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy Korean men. METHODS: Anthropometric parameters, alcohol intake, cigarette use and nutrient intake were determined in 166 healthy men within a wide age range(30-69 yr). Serum levels of lipids, glucose and insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT), plasma amino acid concentrations and levels of antioxidant nutrients and enzymes were also measured. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as plasma homocysteine levels above the 90th percentile(> or =15micromol/L) of respective plasma homocysteine distribution in study subjects. Characteristics of hyperhomocysteinemic men(n=16) were compared to normohomocys- teinemic men(n=16) matched for age and body mass index. RESULTS: Plasma total homocysteine values ranged from 2.4 to 38.1micromol/L, a skewed, right-tailed distribution. The homocysteine levels of 25th, 50th and 75th percentile were 7.02, 9.61 and 12.4micromol/L, respectively. The mean concentration of plasma total homocysteine was 10.7micromol/L. Plasma total homocysteine level was positively correlated to body mass index, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and alcohol intake, but negatively correlated to serum bata-carotene concentration. In multivariate analysis, serum triglyceride level was the strongest determinant of plasma total homocysteine concentration. There were no significant differences between two groups in waist to hip ratio, alcohol intake, cigarette use, blood pressure and serum levels of glucose and insulin during OGTT. Hyperhomocysteinemic men had significantly higher mean values of serum triglyceride(258mg/dl), total cholesterol(226mg/dl), and LDL-cholesterol(140mg/dl) than normohomocysteinemic men. Hyperhomocysteinemic men showed a decrease in lipid corrected values of serum bata-carotene and alpha-tocopherol and plasma concentrations of serine and taurine, when compared to normohomocysteinemic men. The mean intakes of vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12 and bata-carotene tended to decline by 25-30% in hyper- homocysteinemic group, when compared to normohomocysteinemic group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that healthy Korean men with hyperhomocys- teinemia show signs of hyperlipidemia and decreased antioxidants nutrients and these factors increase risk for coronary artery disease. In addition, hyperhomocysteinemia may affect amino acid metabolism related to homocysteine.
alpha-Tocopherol ; Antioxidants ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Folic Acid ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Hyperlipidemias ; Insulin ; Male ; Metabolism ; Multivariate Analysis ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors* ; Serine ; Taurine ; Tobacco Products ; Triglycerides ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 6 ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Purpose: To evaluate and introduce the technique of C-arm guided aspiration and an injection of a mixture of corticosteroid and local anesthesia for the treatment of calcific tendinitis of the rectus femoris around the hip joint. Materials and Methods: Between March 2003 and May 2005, C-arm guided aspiration and an injection of a mixture of corticosteroid and local anesthesia were performed on 5 patients and a local excision were performed in 1 patient for the treatment of calcific tendinitis of the rectus femoris. The minimum follow-up period was 6 months. The radiology evaluation revealed the presence and size of the calcification. The clinical evaluation involved checking the level of pain relief, range of motion, recurrence, complications. Results: The hip pain improved immediately after treatment. There were no recurrences or complications. Conclusion: The combined treatment of C-arm guided aspiration and an injection of a mixture of corticosteroid and local anesthesia is an effective method for treating calcific tendinitis of the rectus femoris, which can induce rapid symptom relief without any surgical morbidity.
Anesthesia, Local ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip Joint* ; Hip* ; Humans ; Quadriceps Muscle* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Recurrence ; Tendinopathy*

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a gram-negative halophilic organism commonly associated with outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis which also sometimes causes serious wound infection. It is an uncommon cause of bacteremia. We have experienced a case of bacteremia due to Vibrio parahaemolyticus in a 59-year old man who initially presented with edema and dyspnea. He was diagnosed as liver cirrhosis, gastric cancer, and hepatoma. On hospital day 13, Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from blood culture. The isolate showed typical cultural and biochemical characteristics such as salt tolerance and did not ferment lactose. The isolate was intermediate to ampicillin but susceptible to other agents.
Ampicillin ; Bacteremia* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Disease Outbreaks ; Dyspnea ; Edema ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Lactose ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Middle Aged ; Salt-Tolerance ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

An antrochoanal polyp is a solitary polypoid mass that arises from the maxillary sinus, and protrudes through the natural ostium into the middle meatus, and reaches the choana, The polyp does not differ histologically from an ordinary nasal polyp, which is composed of edematous, hyperplastic submucosal connective tissue stroma, and is relatively hypocellular, In this sequence of events. Its computed tomographic(CT)findings are characteristic. We retrospectively analyzed CT studies of nine cases, all of which showed similar CT findings; a solitary, homogeneous, hypodense mass without bony destruction that extends from the maxillary sinus through the widened ostium into the choana.
Connective Tissue ; Maxillary Sinus ; Nasal Polyps ; Polyps* ; Retrospective Studies

Triple X syndrome is a relatively rare sex chromosomal anomaly, and its association with psychopathology is not well understood. The authors report one case of obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD)with karyotype-confirmed triple X syndrome, 47,XXX. She had incomplete sexual development, seconddary amenorrhea and multiple obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed left occipital white matter hyperintensity lesion. The patient's multiple obsessive-compulsive symptoms were responded partially with fluoxetine and adjunctive buspirone treatment, however, her overall psychological functions were much improved. With the literature reviews, the authors suggest the possibility that a certain type of sex chromosome aneuploidy might be susceptible to obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders(OCSDs)or OCD.
Amenorrhea ; Aneuploidy ; Brain ; Buspirone ; Female ; Fluoxetine ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder* ; Psychopathology ; Sex Chromosomes ; Sexual Development

Serum immunoglobulins from Israeli carp (I. carp) were purified using affinity chromatography. Fish were immunized with purified mouse IgG, and the specific fish antibodies purified from the immune serum on a mouse IgG-immobilized agarose gel. Rabbit anti-carp Ig (Raclg) antibodies were produced following hyperimmunization with mlgG specific I. Carp Ab. SDS-PAGE analysis under reducing condition showed that I. carp Ig (clg) were composed of two u-like heavy chains with about 82 and 50 kD, respectively and one light chain with about 25 kD. On immunoblotting analysis, however, Raclg failed to react with light chain. When both protein A and protein G purified normal clg were compared with mlgG specific clg, no significant structural differences among them were observed. To investigate if there is any homology between other fish Ig molecules, cross-reactivity of Raclg against Ig molecules from 6 different fish sera and mouse control serum was checked on immunoblotting analysis. As a result, Raclg responded to only carp and tilapia Ig molecules, indicating that both tilapia and carp are very closely associated, especially, in the genetic basis of immunoglobulin structure. In flow cytometry study, Raclg appeared to recognize 45.8% of carp Ig+, 14.5% of catfish Ig+ and <5% of tilapia Ig+ cells. The result suggest the heterogeniety between receptor immunoglobulins on B-like lymphocytes and soluble immunoglobulins in serum. It is crucial to obtain pure fish immunoglobulins to produce reagent antibodies as tools for the study of their specific immune response.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Carps* ; Catfishes ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins* ; Lymphocytes ; Mice ; Sepharose ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; Tilapia

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No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study is for the evaluation of low tesla(0.064T) MR imaging diagnostic accuracy in the internal derangement of the knee. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the MR images of 36 injured knees of 35 patients. The presence of tear was determined by arthroscopy or surgery in all cases. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of low tesla MRI for the diagnosis of anterior cruciate ligament injury were 83%, 88%, 86%, 77%, 91%, for the posterior cruciate ligament 75%, 95%, 86%, 92%, 83%, for the medial collateral ligament 83%, 96%, 92%, 91%, 92%, for the lateral collateral ligament 67%, 97%, 94%, 67%, 97%, for the menisci 75%, 93%, 89%, 75%, 93%. CONCLUSION: The low tesla MRI is an accurate method in detection and evaluation of the internal derangement of the knee.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Arthroscopy ; Collateral Ligaments ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Knee* ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity