Microbiomes are known to have a beneficial effect on human health by promoting the effective removal of improperly functioning immune cells and protecting the host from pathogen infection. On the other hand, these microbiomes are also known as the causative agent of numerous malignant tumors. Until now, the bladder has been regarded as aseptic, but the concept of the “sterile bladder” has been changed with the discovery of living bacteria embedded in the bladder with the recent development of polymerase chain reaction and culture techniques. This paper referred to the relationship between microbiome and bladder cancer. Microbiome will be able to be seen as a non-invasive biomarker to predict the success rate of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillation treatment in patients of bladder cancer.

Microbiomes are known to have a beneficial effect on human health by promoting the effective removal of improperly functioning immune cells and protecting the host from pathogen infection. On the other hand, these microbiomes are also known as the causative agent of numerous malignant tumors. Until now, the bladder has been regarded as aseptic, but the concept of the “sterile bladder” has been changed with the discovery of living bacteria embedded in the bladder with the recent development of polymerase chain reaction and culture techniques. This paper referred to the relationship between microbiome and bladder cancer. Microbiome will be able to be seen as a non-invasive biomarker to predict the success rate of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillation treatment in patients of bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in culture release a biologically active human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This effect is detectable during pregnancy with a maximum between the 16th and 19th week. HCG plays an important role for the corpus luteum rescue during the early gestational age and possibly for the immunotolerance. This study was performed to investigate the relationships between the productivity of cultured PBMC of pregnant women and the ability to maintain early pregnancy, and whether 12-o-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) increases hCG sectetion by cultured PBMCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PBMC were obtained from 20 pregnant women between 16th to 19th week of gestation , and cultured with TPA. Culture cells were harvested and hCG mRNA were extracted and RT-PCR were performed. Culture supernatants were collected and hCG concentration were determined by commercial RIA methods. RESULTS: The mean age was 31.0 years old, 19 of 20 (95%) pregnant women's PBMC secereted hCG and expressed hCG mRNA, but in control group exept male hepatitis B patient, none of them produced hCG. TPA activated expression of hCG in PBMC in linear manner. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women's cultured PBMC secreted hCG, but not in non-pregnant or male. We could confirm the mRNA of hCG in PBMC as well in the placental control. The productivity of hCG in PBMC might be closely related with maintenance of early pregnancy.
Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Corpus Luteum ; Efficiency ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Hepatitis B ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; RNA, Messenger

In Korea, careinoma of the cervix is the most common malignancy in women annually affecting 25 per every 100,000 female. The widespread use of the Papanicolaou smear has resulted in earlier detection of the tumor and a reduction in the number of patients with advanced disease, but the incidence of cervix. carcinoma is still the fifth most common malignancy in the world. Cervical carcinoma spreads to the small bowel primarily by direct extension from involved lymph nodes, most commonly from peraaortic or mesenteric nodes to the serosa of the bowel. But, the involvement of small bowel by cervical carcinoma is so rare, and shows a maximum incidence of small bowel involvement of less than 1.5%. We report a patient with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix metastases to the second portion of the duodenum in whom the diagnosis was made by endoscopic biopsy of the lesion.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Diagnosis ; Duodenum* ; Esophagus* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intestines* ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Papanicolaou Test ; Serous Membrane ; Stomach*

Presbycusis, a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss caused by changes in the inner ear, is related to multiple factors such as noise exposure and otologic disease. In institute-based studies, we tried to determine the incidence of presbycusis in Korean populations living in Seoul, Kyunggi and Kangwon provinces by gender and age groups. The subjects were people who had visited health promotion centers. Pure tone audiometry was done over 20 years on 6,028 subjects. In a community-based study, the subjects were elderly residents of Kanghwa-do area. There were no obvious factors that could cause hearing impairment in the subjects. For the pure tone audiometry, hearing threshold was obtained by using the six-dimension method. The incidence of presbycusis for subjects aged 65 years and older was 37.8% and 8.3% for > or = 27 dB HL criterion and > or = 41 dB HL criterion, respectively. The incidence increased with age. A statistically significant difference in the hearing threshold was found between men and women aged 65 years or older. No differences were found between the community-based study and the institute- based studies. There was a high incidence (about 40%) of presbycusis among Koreans aged 65 years or older (for > or = 27 dB HL criterion). With an aging population, we anticipate that this report could be used to provide a basic data for the study of presbycusis.
Adult ; Aged ; Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Auditory Threshold ; Female ; Frail Elderly ; Health Promotion ; Human ; Incidence ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Age ; Presbycusis/epidemiology* ; Presbycusis/diagnosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies have reported that the frequency of re-diagnosing as carcinoma after endoscopic resection of gastric adenoma ranges between 6% and 47%. Therefore, specific endoscopic findings have been used to predict re-diagnosing as carcinoma after endoscopic resection of gastric adenoma at our center. We evaluated whether there is a use for these indicators for predicting carcinoma as a final diagnosis in forceps biopsy-proven adenomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated 378 tissue samples from 308 patients. Classification of specimens as adenoma and carcinoma was based on postresection specimen. Endoscopic findings were reviewed for tumor location, size, gross appearance, surface nodularity, central concavity, surface color, and presence of ulcers. These variables were analyzed and compared between the adenoma group (275 cases) and the carcinoma group (103 cases), assigned based on post-resection diagnosis. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 61, and 227 of the patients were male. The mean lesion diameter was 14.9+/-8.1 mm in the adenoma group and 17.9+/-9.3 mm in the carcinoma group. A lesion size of 15 mm or greater, depressed appearance, surface nodularity, central concavity, and presence of high-grade dysplasia were all independently associated with re-diagnosing as carcinoma after endoscopic resection. CONCLUSIONS: Lesion size of 15 mm or greater, depressed-type appearance, central concavity, and nodular surface are feasible predictors of carcinoma as a final diagnosis in forceps biopsy-proven adenomas. Physicians need to recommend immediate endoscopic resection for forceps biopsy-proven adenomas with these four independent features so as not to miss the optimal window for treatment.
Adenoma ; Humans ; Male ; Stomach ; Surgical Instruments ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies have reported that the frequency of re-diagnosing as carcinoma after endoscopic resection of gastric adenoma ranges between 6% and 47%. Therefore, specific endoscopic findings have been used to predict re-diagnosing as carcinoma after endoscopic resection of gastric adenoma at our center. We evaluated whether there is a use for these indicators for predicting carcinoma as a final diagnosis in forceps biopsy-proven adenomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated 378 tissue samples from 308 patients. Classification of specimens as adenoma and carcinoma was based on postresection specimen. Endoscopic findings were reviewed for tumor location, size, gross appearance, surface nodularity, central concavity, surface color, and presence of ulcers. These variables were analyzed and compared between the adenoma group (275 cases) and the carcinoma group (103 cases), assigned based on post-resection diagnosis. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 61, and 227 of the patients were male. The mean lesion diameter was 14.9+/-8.1 mm in the adenoma group and 17.9+/-9.3 mm in the carcinoma group. A lesion size of 15 mm or greater, depressed appearance, surface nodularity, central concavity, and presence of high-grade dysplasia were all independently associated with re-diagnosing as carcinoma after endoscopic resection. CONCLUSIONS: Lesion size of 15 mm or greater, depressed-type appearance, central concavity, and nodular surface are feasible predictors of carcinoma as a final diagnosis in forceps biopsy-proven adenomas. Physicians need to recommend immediate endoscopic resection for forceps biopsy-proven adenomas with these four independent features so as not to miss the optimal window for treatment.
Adenoma ; Humans ; Male ; Stomach ; Surgical Instruments ; Ulcer

Bronchogenic cysts are generally presented as a well defined mass that have thin and smooth wall in the intrapulmonary or mediastinal area by simple chest radiographs. We present the case of a 20-year-old man with a ill-defined left upper lobe mass, found by chest radiographs. At the preoperative examinations, chest computed tomography showed ill-defined mass with Hounsfield Number 26, and nonspecific findings were shown by the bronchoscopy and percutaneous needle aspiration. The patient was undertaken the left upper lobectomy. The surgical specimen contained a ill-defined mass, measuring 2x3 cm. On the section of the mass, a cyst containing dark brown thick materials was noted. The cyst was unilocular, and the wall showed a trabeculation. Microscopically, the cystic mass was lined with ciliated pseudostratified columnar epitheliums and surrounded by smooth muscle and cartilage.
Bronchogenic Cyst* ; Bronchoscopy ; Cartilage ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Needles ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Thorax ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical characteristics of horizontal canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (h-BPPV) with persistent geotropic direction changing positional nystagmus (DCPN). METHODS: One hundred thirty two patients diagnosed as the geotropic subtype of h-BPPV were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were classified into two groups: persistent h-BPPV (ph-BPPV) group which means h-BPPV showing persistent (>1 minute) geotropic DCPN and short duration h-BPPV (sh-BPPV) group that means h-BPPV with short duration (< or =1 minute) geotropic DCPN. We compared the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes between the two groups. RESULTS: The study included 34 patients with ph-BPPV and 98 patients with sh-BPPV. There were no differences between the two groups in age, distribution of sex and the affected side. The ph-BPPV group had higher secondary BPPV preponderance and dizziness handicap index (DHI) score compared to the sh-BPPV group. The ph-BPPV group required higher number of canalith repositioning procedures (CRPs) until resolution and higher multiple/single CRP ratio than the sh-BPPV group. In addition, the ph-BPPV group showed longer duration until the remission of subjective symptoms (vertigo, dizziness) compared to the sh-BPPV group. CONCLUSION: ph-BPPV was more frequently associated with secondary causes of BPPV and demonstrated higher DHI score, total number of CRP, and longer remission duration of subjective symptoms compared to sh-BPPV. This information may be helpful for clinicians in counseling and managing the patients with persistent geotropic DCPN h-BPPV.
Counseling ; Dizziness ; Humans ; Nystagmus, Physiologic ; Retrospective Studies ; Vertigo

Aneurysm of the mitral valve, although uncommon, occurs most commonly in association with infective endocarditis of the aortic valve and true mitral valve aneurysm is a rare cause of mitral regurgitation. We report a case with perforated mitral valve aneurysm in the posterior leaflet without concurrent infective endocarditis initially mistaken diagnosis of cystic mass, which was confirmed at operation with successful mitral valve annuloplasty.
Aneurysm ; Aortic Valve ; Echocardiography ; Endocarditis ; Heart Aneurysm ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Annuloplasty ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency