Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a disease characterized by prolongation of ventricle repolarization and by the occurrence, usually during emotional or physical stress, of life-threatening arrhythmias that lead to sudden death in most symptomatic and untreated patients. Two variants have been initially identified:the original Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome of congenital deafness and autosomal recessive inheritance, and the more frequent Romano-Ward syndrome of autosomal dominant inheritance. Evidence also shows that approximately 25 to 30% of the cases are sporadic with syncope and a prolonged QT interval but without showing evidence for familial involvement. Familial and sporadic cases have been grouped under the definition of congenital long QT syndrome. We experienced a case of congenital long QT syndrome in a 13-year-old female girl. She had episodes of recurrent syncope and QT interval prolongation(QTc=0.46sec) in electrocardiogram(ECG). The ECG of her mother showed QT interval prologation(QTc=0.46sec). After applying atenolol, the QT interval returned to normal range and syncope has not occurred. We report a case of congenital long QT syndrome with a brief review of related literatures.
Adolescent ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atenolol ; Deafness ; Death, Sudden ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Jervell-Lange Nielsen Syndrome ; Long QT Syndrome* ; Mothers ; Reference Values ; Romano-Ward Syndrome ; Syncope* ; Wills

OBJECTIVES: To understand the importance of the serum level of Ca-125 among pelvic mass, we performed a study. METHOD: From January to December 1998, we performed the study. Before hysterectomy, we performed a blood sampling to know the serum level of Ca-125, After hysterectomy, we weighed the uterus and measured the thickness of endometrium and other histologic characteristics. RESULTS: We performed my research to 80 peoples. The relation between uterine weight and the serum level of Ca-125 is little, if ever(R2=0.0007), and the relation between the thickness of endometrium and the serum level of Ca-125 is also little, if ever(R2=0.0353). The relation between leiomyoma, the cycle of endometrium and the serum level of Ca-125 were also little, but there was a close relationship between adenomyosis and the serum level of Ca-125. CONCLUSION: There was little relationship between uterine weight and the serum level of Ca-125.
Adenomyosis ; Endometrium ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Leiomyoma ; Uterus

No abstract available.
Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney* ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*

Despite on-going efforts to control malaria, the rate of malaria has not decreased throughout the world. It was believed that endemic malaria had been eradicated in Korea since the end of the 1970s, however it reemerged from 1993 and has been increasing ever since. Besides endemic malaria, imported malaria is also increasing in Korea as the number of overseas travellers and foreign workers increases. We discovered malaria in a two-year-old child who visited Sierra Leone with his missionary father. The patient contracted malaria despite chemo-prophylaxis with chloroquine and was diagnosed as falciparum malaria by blood smear examination and IFAT. He successfully recovered after administraion of quinine and clindamycin without complication. However, the malaria did not respond quickly to chloroqine and Fansidar but a drug resistence test was not performed.
Child* ; Chloroquine ; Clindamycin ; Fathers ; Humans ; Korea ; Malaria* ; Missions and Missionaries ; Quinine ; Sierra Leone

PURPOSE: To evaluate the importance of two ancillary findings of anterior tibial plateau bruise/fracture and popliteus muscle strain on MR diagnosis of posterior cruicate ligament injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 48 patients with confirmed posterior cruciate ligament tear. We studied the incidence of anterior tibial plateau injury and popliteus muscle strain, and the specificity of popliteus muscle strain with or without bony injury. RESULTS: A complete tear of the posterior cruciate ligament was noted in 37 cases, a partial tear in 11. Anterior tibial plateau lesion was found in 21 of 48 cases (44%); This total was made up of 17/37 PCL complete tears (46%) and 4/11 partial tears (36%). The difference in the incidence of complete and partial tears is not statisticially significant. Popliteus muscle injury was found in 20 of 48 cases (42%), the total consisted of 19/37 PCL complete tears (51%) and 1/11 partial tears (10%). The incidence of 42% is relatively high, approximating that of bony injury. The difference in the incidence of complete and partial tears is statistically significant (p<0.006). Specificity for posterior cruciate ligament tear is 69% (20/29), and when concomitant with anterior tibial plateua injury is 94% (16/17). CONCLUSION: As in the case of anterior cruciate ligament injury, these documented ancillary findings of anterior tibial plateau and popliteus muscle injuries are very helpful when MR diagnosis of posterior cruciate ligament injury itself and differentiation of partial and complete rupture are doubtful.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypoxemia has been noted in patients with liver cirrhosis because of bronchial vessel dilatation. Cabenes et al. reported that bronchial hyperresponsiveness to the metacholine inhalation was observed in patients of left side heart failure, he suggested that one of the mechanism was bronchial vessel dilatation. We hypothesized that patients of liver cirrhosis might have bronchial hyperresponsiveness to metacholine inhalation due to portal hypertension. We evaluate the relationship between bronchial responsiveness and severity of liver cirrhosirs, severity of portal hypertension. METHODS: In the 22 patients of the liver cirrhosis with clinical portal hypertension metacholine provocation test was done and determined PC20 FEV1. We classified lifter cirrhosis according to Pugh- Child classification Esophagogastroscopies were performed for the evaluation of the relationship between bronchial hyperresponsiveness and severity of esophageal varix. RESULTS: In the 22 cases of the liver cirrhosis with clinical portal hypertension. The causes of liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis was 9 cases. hepatitis B virus was 12 cases, hepatitis C virus was 1 case. and 151 cases (68.18%) of total 22 cases were positive in metacholine provocation test. In positive cases There was no significant relationship between PC20FEV1 and severity of liver cirrhosis which were classified by Pugh-Child classification or severity of esophageal varix(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: we observed that bronchial responsiveness to metacholine increased in the patients of liver cirrhosis and there was no significant relationship between the severity of liver cirrhosis and the severity of esophageal varix.
Anoxia ; Child ; Classification ; Dilatation ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Fibrosis ; Heart Failure ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Inhalation ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic ; Liver*

PURPOSE: We evaluated the effect of human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) on the engraftment and/or in vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells in an umbilical cord blood (UCB)-xenotransplantation model. In addition, we assessed its effect on the expression of cell adhesion molecules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Female NOD/SCID mice received sublethal total body irradiation with a single dose of 250 cGy. Eighteen to 24 hours after irradiation, 1x107 human UCB-derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) and 5x106 human UCB-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were infused via the tail vein. Mice were randomly divided into three groups: Group 1 mice received MNCs only, Group 2 received MNCs only and were then treated with hPTH, Group 3 mice received MNCs and MSCs, and were treated with hPTH. RESULTS: Engraftment was achieved in all the mice. Bone marrow cellularity was approximately 20% in Group 1, but 70-80% in the hPTH treated groups. Transplantation of MNCs together with MSCs had no additional effect on bone marrow cellularity. However, the proportion of human CD13 and CD33 myeloid progenitor cells was higher in Group 3, while the proportion of human CD34 did not differ significantly between the three groups. The proportion of CXCR4 cells in Group 3 was larger than in Groups 1 and 2 but without statistical significance. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated a positive effect of hPTH on stem cell proliferation and a possible synergistic effect of MSCs and hPTH on the proportion of human hematopoietic progenitor cells, in a xenotransplantation model. Clinical trials of the use of hPTH after stem cell transplantation should be considered.
Animals ; Bone Marrow/metabolism ; Cell Proliferation ; Female ; Fetal Blood/*cytology ; Flow Cytometry ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/*drug effects ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear/*cytology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells/*cytology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Mice, SCID ; Parathyroid Hormone/*therapeutic use ; Stem Cells/cytology ; Transplantation, Heterologous

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report on the result of repairing Achilles tendon using absorbable suture under nerve block. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 20 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture who were followed up for at least six months after the operation. We repaired Achilles tendon using two absorbable sutures using the Krackow technique for the proximal stump and the Kessler technique for the distal stump. A programmed postoperative management including non-weight bearing with a short leg cast for four weeks after the operation was applied for all patients. We evaluated clinical results using American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score, visual analogue scale (VAS) for satisfaction, range of motion of ankle, functional recovery rate, and the starting time of single heel raise. RESULTS: The mean VAS score for satisfaction and AOFAS score was 9.2 and 93.0, respectively. The affected ankle showed a mean dorsiflexion rate of 90% and plantar-flexion rate of 94% compared to the uninjured side. The single heel raise could start at a mean of 3.5 months after the operation. CONCLUSION: Treatment of Achilles tendon rupture with absorbable suture material using the hybrid suture technique of proximal Krackow and distal Kessler showed sufficient stability and minimal chronic inflammatory reaction.
Achilles Tendon* ; Ankle ; Foot ; Heel ; Humans ; Leg ; Nerve Block ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture* ; Suture Techniques ; Sutures*

PURPOSE: Few studies have been performed on the value and efficacy of presurgical evaluation methods, postoperative outcomes and characteristic pathologic features in the children who underwent epilepsy surgery. The objective of this study is to summarize experiences of epilepsy surgery in children with intractable partial epilepsies. METHODS: Forty-seven patients were included in this study. All had medically intractable partial epilepsy and underwent epilepsy surgery after meticulous presurgical evaluation including interictal and ictal EEG, MRI, interictal and ictal SPECT and FDG-PET. RESULTS: Out of the 47 patients, 28 had temporal lobe epilepsy, 8 frontal lobe epilepsy, 8 occipital lobe epilepsy, and 3 parietal lobe epilepsy. Pathologic findings were as follows: cortical dysplasia in 21, hippocampal sclerosis in 8, cortical dysplasia combined with hippocampal sclerosis in 8, cortical dysplasia with tumor in 4, and cortical dysplasia, hippocampal sclerosis and tumor in 1, tumor in 4, heterotopia in 1. FDG-PET was the most sensitive imaging modality. MRI showed the highest specificity in terms of concordance with ictal EEG finding. Postoperative outcome was as follows: Engel class I in 34, class II in 4, class III in 3, and class IV in 6. No significant difference was found in postoperative outcome between the temporal and the extratemporal resection group. Postoperative seizure outcome was not correlated with MRI or pathologic finding. CONCLUSION: Epilepsy surgery seems to be an effective and safe therapeutic choice in children with intractable partial epilepsies regardless of the location of epileptogenic zone. Further study is necessary on the efficacy of each imaging modality, postoperative quality of life and the effect on long-term neurocognitive function.
Child* ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsies, Partial* ; Epilepsy* ; Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; Parietal Lobe ; Quality of Life ; Sclerosis ; Seizures ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), one of the components of Agent Orange, has been reported to be a deadly poison despite its presence at extremely small doses. TCDD is reported to cause various kinds of cancers and other harmful effects on humans. However, a correlation between exposure to TCDD and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not yet proven. Thus, we examined the correlation between exposure to TCDD and ACS through an analysis of coronary angiograms from veterans of the Vietnam War. Two hundred fifty-one consecutive men undergoing coronary angiograms owing to ACS between April 2004 and May 2009 at Gwangju Veterans Hospital were analyzed. Included subjects were between 50 and 70 years of age. The patients were divided into two groups: 121 patients who had been exposed to TCDD (Group I) and 130 patients who had not been exposed to TCDD (Group II). Clinical and coronary angiographic findings were evaluated. Baseline clinical characteristics, inflammatory markers, and echocardiographic parameters were not significantly different between the two groups. The incidence of hypertension (71.1% vs. 60.0%, p=0.039) and hyperlipidemia (27.3% vs. 16.9%, p=0.038) was higher in Group I than in Group II. Total occlusion, stent length, stent use, and coronary lesion characteristics were not significantly different between the two groups. The rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) had no relationship with exposure to TCDD. Exposure to TCDD might not affect severity or the rate of MACE in persons with ACS.
2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Angiography ; Citrus sinensis ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Male ; Stents ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin ; Veterans ; Vietnam