Patients with ankylosing spondylitis are susceptible to fractures, which usually occur in the cervical spine. However, upper spinal fractures, particularly dens fracture-nonunion complicating ankylosing spondylitis, are quite rare. We encountered one such case. The patient was treated with posterior fusion followed by a halovest, which resulted in good conditions.
Humans ; Spinal Fractures ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective follow-up study comparing soft disc cervical myelopathy (Group A) and spondylotic bar cervical myelopathy (Group B). OBJECTIVES: To analyze different factors by comparing preoperative radiological and clinical data of Group A with that of Group B. SUMMARY AND LITERATURE REVIEW: The different causes of cervcal myelopathy resulted in different symptoms and prognoses. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A clinical and radiological analysis of the data in 31 patients who underwent an anterior cervical decompression and fusion was performed to assess the different factors between two groups. The patients were classified into two groups; 20 in Group A and 11 in Group B. Comparisons between the two groups were made in regard to the physical findings, radiological and clinical evaluation. RESULTS: The duration of myelopathy was 3 months in Group A and 8.7months in Group B. Of all cases, 5 cases (25.0%) in group A and 4 cases (36.4%) in group B had myelopathy associated with radiculopathy. Of the 20 cases in group A with myelopathy, 7 cases had a median compression and 13 cases had a paramedian compression on MRI. Of the 11 cases in group B with meylopathy, 9 cases had a median compression and 2 cases had a paramedian compression on MRI. The follow-up MRI of the 14 cases (73.7%) in group A and 2 cases (20.0%) in group B showed spontaneous regression of the T2 WI high signal intensity. CONCLUSION: In degenerative disc disease, the different causes of cervcal myelopathy result in different symptoms and prognoses. However, the treatment of choice in both groups is a one level anterior decompression and fusion.
Decompression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prognosis ; Radiculopathy ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography*

Actinidia arguta, also called as kiwiberry or hardy kiwifruit, is one of the major varieties of kiwi plants. It is small in size and has no hairs on the surface, which making it easy to be consumed. In addition, it can be cultivated in Asia, due to its cold resistance. We have been interested in the beneficial effects of the fruits of A. arguta and investigated the constituents and biological activities. A new triterpenoid, argutinic acid, along with three triterpenoids and three megastigmines were isolated from the fruits of A. arguta. The structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis including NMR, MS, UV and IR. Among the isolated compounds, two triterpenes, argutinic acid (1) and usrolic acid (4) showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Dermatomyositis is a disorder of unknown etiology characterized by an inflammatory myopathy involving striated skeletal muscle and associated characteristic skin lesions. In recent years, there has been increased the awareness of the association of malignant tumor with this disorder. But the relations between dermatomyositis and malignant tumors remains controversial. Comparing to other countries, the incidence rate may be said to be low in Korea. However, we suggest that our concerning makes it's associated malignant tumors discovered. The cutaneous necrosis, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, older age, or acute onset of symptoms proved to have the predictive value of cancer in dermatomyositis. Therefore, we think that more detailed diagnostic workups for malignant neoplasms are recommended in the patient with this criterion. Here we reported a case.of dermatomyositis accompaning by lung cancer with brief review of literatures.
Blood Sedimentation ; Dermatomyositis* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myositis ; Necrosis ; Skin ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma*

BACKGROUND: The cell-mediated immune response plays an important role in tuberculosis. After being activated by mycobacterial antigens, T lymphocytes express a high affinity receptor (IL-2R) for interleukin-2 (IL-2) on their own surface and release a soluble fraction of the IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) from the cell membrane into the circulation. Neopterin is a metabolite of guanosine-triphosphate, which is produced by stimulated macrophages under the influence of IFN-gamma with a T lymphocyte origin. Therefore, the utility of sIL-2R, IFN-gamma and the neopterin levels as immunologic indices of the cell-mediated immune response and severity of disease in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was assessed. METHOD: The serum sIL-2R, IFN-gamma and neopterin levels were measured in 39 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, 6 patients with tuberculous lymphadenitis prior to treatment and 10 healthy subjects. The serum and pleural sIL-2R, neopterin and ADA levels were measured in 22 patients with tuberculous pleurisy. The patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were divided into a mild, moderate and severe group according to the severity by ATS guidelines. To compare the results from these patients with those of the pretreatment levels, the sIL-2R, IFN-gamma and neopterin levels were measured in 36 of the 39 patients(1 patient, expired; 2 patients were referred to a sanitarium) with pulmonary tuberculosis after 2 months of treatment. RESULTS: 1) The serum sIL-2R and IFN-gamma levels were elevated in patients with tuberculosis when compared to those of healthy subjects (0.05). The neopterin concentration in the serum was significantly lower in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis(2967+/-2132.8 pg/ml) than in healthy controls(4949+/-1242.1 pg/ml)(p<0.05). 2) In the pulmonary tuberculosis group, the serum sIL-2R and IFN-gamma levels were higher in patients with severe disease than those in patients with mild and moderate disease. However, the neopterin levels declined as the pulmonary tuberculosis became more severe (p<0.01). 3) The mean serum sIL-2R and IFN-gamma levels declined from 1071+/-1139.4 U/ml to 1023+/-1920.9 U/ml(p>0.05), 41 52.8 pg/ml to 22+/-23.9 pg/ml(p<0.05), respectively, after 2 month of treatment. The mean serum neopterin levels increased from 3158+/-2272.6 pg/ml to 3737+/-2307.5 pg/ml(0.05) after a 2 month of treatment. These findings were remarkable in the severe group of pulmonary tuberculosis with a clinical correlation. 4) In the patients with tuberculous pleurisy, the serum sIL-2R and ADA were significantly higher than those in the pleural fluid, However, the neopterin levels in the sera and pleural effusion were similar. CONCLUSION: On the basis of this study, sIL-2R, IFN-gamma and neopterin measurements may not only provide an insight into the present state of the cell-mediated immune response, but also serve as parameters monitoring of the prognosis of the disease, particularly in patients with severe pulmonary tuberculosis. In addition, an assay of the pleural sIL-2R levels might signal a stimulated local immunity including T cell activation in the tuberculous pleural effusion.

There have been paucity of reports on atlas hypoplasia, and as a result this condition is not clearly defined, nor well understood. The authors reported three cases of atlas hypoplasia that were found in adults who presented with myelopathic symptoms. On radiographic examination, it was found that the anterior-posterior diameter of the atlas was remarkably narrower in all three cases in comparison with normal persons. The MRI in all three cases also revealed intramedullary high signal lesions at the levels where severe spinal cord compression was present. This led to our diagnosis of atlas hypoplasia causing myelopathy.
Adult* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Cord Compression ; Spinal Cord Diseases*

Ischemic colitis is the most common form of gastrointestinal ischemic injury. Indeed, many medical conditions and medications can cause reduced blood flow to the colon. The splenic flexure, descending colon, and sigmoid colon are most commonly affected. Involvement of only the right colon is an infrequent occurrence. Ischemic colitis of the right colon usually is associated with low flow states. Given the high morbidity and mortality of this disorder, early diagnosis and aggressive management is critical. Ischemic colitis associated with heart disease, such as congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, aortic valve disease, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, is usually due to low cardiac output, or to disease states resulting in dehydration, or to the splanchnic vasoconstrictive effect of some medications. Here we present a case of nonocclusive ischemic colitis of the right colon after percutaneous coronary intervention for unstable angina. The colitis was successfully treated with conservative management.
Angina, Unstable ; Aortic Valve ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Colitis ; Colitis, Ischemic ; Colon ; Colon, Descending ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Colon, Transverse ; Dehydration ; Early Diagnosis ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and lung cancer incidence in Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a population-based case-control study covering 908 lung cancer patients and 908 controls selected from a random sample of people within each Korean province and matched according to age, sex, and smoking status. We developed land-use regression models to estimate annual residential exposure to particulate matter (PM₁₀) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) over a 20-year exposure period. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Increases in lung cancer incidence (expressed as adjusted OR) were 1.09 (95% CI: 0.96−1.23) with a ten-unit increase in PM₁₀ (µg/m³) and 1.10 (95% CI: 1.00−1.22) with a ten-unit increase in NO₂ (ppb). Tendencies for stronger associations between air pollution and lung cancer incidence were noted among never smokers, among those with low fruit consumption, and among those with a higher education level. Air pollution was more strongly associated with squamous cell and small cell carcinomas than with adenocarcinoma of the lung. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that PM₁₀ and NO₂ contribute to lung cancer incidence in Korea.
Adenocarcinoma ; Air Pollution* ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Case-Control Studies* ; Education ; Epithelial Cells ; Fruit ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Nitrogen Dioxide ; Odds Ratio ; Particulate Matter ; Smoke ; Smoking

A Mucocele-like tumor (MLT) of the breast is a rare lesion and is pathologically characterized by mucin-filled cysts and extravasated mucin present in the adjacent stroma. Since the first report of an MLT of the breast by Rosen in 1986, an MLT has been considered as part of a diverse spectrum of pathological lesions including benign tumors, atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and mucinous carcinomas. We described a case of an MLT of the breast associated with DCIS and a mucinous carcinoma in a 46-year-old female patient who was treated with a left modified radical mastectomy and a sentinel lymph node biopsy. This case supports the concept of a spectrum of pathological lesions for an MLT, including benign lesions, columnar hyperplasia, ADH, DCIS and mucinous carcinomas.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Middle Aged ; Mucins ; Nitriles ; Pyrethrins ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy