The CT digital radiography is a new accurate technique for measuring the long bone length. Authors performed acomparative study on accuracy, time and film consumption and radiation dose between conventional spot scanogramand CT scanogram. We used two femur and two tibia specimen for materials, the Somatom II(Siemens) for CTscanogram, and Rad Check(Voctoreen) for radiation dosimetery. There was no significant difference in accuracybetween direct measurement, conventional scanogram and CT scanogram(lesser than 1% difference). The examinationtime of conventional scanogram was about 35 minutes, CT was 15 minutes, and the film consumption of spot scanogramwas 3 of 14x17'' size, but the CT scanogram need only one 8x10'' film for completion of study. The radiation doseof hip, knee and ankle joint were 220 mRad, 365 mRad, respectively, in spot scanogram, but it was lesser than 5mRad in all joints in CT scanogram. The advantages of the CT scanogram are simple, rapid and reduced radiation.
Ankle Joint ; Femur ; Hip ; Joints ; Knee ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; Tibia

The incidence of duodenal diverticulum found incidentally during upper gastrointestinal roentgenographicexamination varies between 2% and 5%. The majority of cases occur along the medial aspect of the second portion of the duodenum, within 2.5cm of the ampulla of Vater. The majority of duodenal diverticula are asymptomatic, but insome cases, complications such as diverticulitis, hemorrhage, perforation, and fistula formation occur in thethird and fourth portions of the duodenum. We describe a case of giant diverticulum of the transverse duodenum,revealed by UGI and angiography, massive gastrointestinal bleeding in a 80-year-old patient.
Aged, 80 and over ; Ampulla of Vater ; Angiography ; Diverticulitis ; Diverticulum* ; Duodenum* ; Fistula ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Incidence

PURPOSE: The association between autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs) and vitamin D deficiency is controversial. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 [25(OH)D3] and anti-thyroid antibody levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 25(OH)D3, anti-thyroid antibodies, and thyroid function measured in 304 patients who visited the endocrinology clinic were analyzed. The patients were subgrouped into the AITDs or non-AITDs category according to the presence or absence of anti-thyroid antibodies. The relationship between anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and 25(OH)D3 was evaluated. RESULTS: The patients with elevated anti-thyroid antibodies had lower levels of serum 25(OH)D3 than those who did not (12.6+/-5.5 ng/mL vs. 14.5+/-7.3 ng/mL, respectively, p<0.001). Importantly, after adjusting for age, sex, and body mass index, a negative correlation (r=-0.252, p<0.001) was recognized between 25(OH)D3 and TPOAb levels in the AITDs group, but this correlation did not exist in the non-AITDs group (r=0.117, p=0.127). 25(OH)D3 level was confirmed as an independent factor after adjusting for co-factors that may affect the presence of TPOAb in the AITDs group. CONCLUSION: 25(OH)D3 level is an independent factor affecting the presence of TPOAb in AITDs. The causal effect of 25(OH)D3 deficiency to AITDs is to be elucidated.
Antibodies ; Body Mass Index ; Endocrinology ; Humans ; Methods ; Peroxidase* ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune* ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

During 8 april 1983 to 9 April 1985, a total of 181 domestic cats (Felis catus domestica Linnaeus) of unknown localities in Korea were purchased at Seoul Chung-ang market, and the internal organs were dissected for helminth infections. In the results, three kinds of trematodes of family Heterophyidae (Ohdner, 1914) were obtained from small intesine of domestic cats and identified as follows: five adult worms of Heterophyopsis continua (Onji et Nishio, 1916) from three hosts, two hundreds and twenty three adult worms of Pygidiopsis summa Onji et Nishio, 1916 from seven hosts and twenty six adult worms of Heterophyes heterophyes nocens (Onji et Nishio, 1916) from three hosts. Among them, Heterophyopsis continua and Pygidiopsis summa had not been proved as natural infectios of cats in Korea.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Heterophyidae ; Heterophyopsis continua ; Pygidiopsis summa ; Heterophyes heterophyes nocens ; cat ; animal

PURPOSE: Although the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for panic disorder (PD) has been studied previously, data on the predictors of treatment outcomes in MBCT for PD are scarce. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty patients with PD were screened to analyze treatment outcomes such as MBCT completion, treatment response, and remission after undergoing MBCT for PD. Sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid personality disorders, and baseline medication doses were examined. The study administered the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-Revised to patients at baseline and at eight weeks. RESULTS: Sixty-five participants were enrolled in the present study. Comorbid personality disorder was significantly associated with MBCT non-completion. We found that anxiety sensitivity (AS) improvement after an eight week MBCT program was a statistically significant factor associated with treatment response. Using logistic regression analysis, AS improvement after MBCT showed significant association with PD remission after MBCT. CONCLUSION: Comorbid personality disorders of participants could be a potential predictor of MBCT non-completion. Furthermore, AS improvement after MBCT may predict treatment response and remission after MBCT for PD. However, better designed studies with a larger number of patients are needed to confirm our findings.
Adult ; Cognitive Therapy/*methods ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mindfulness/*methods ; Panic Disorder/*therapy ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVES: With the rapid increase in the prevalence of diabetes, the age groups of diabetic patients are becoming diversified. This study will examine the degree of obesity, insulin resistance, and insulin secretion ability among patients first diagnosed with diabetes according to age and gender. METHODS: The subjects of this study included 616 patients who were first diagnosed with diabetes during a routine physical examination. This sample was obtained from a total of 28,075 adults aged 19 years and older who received the examination among 33,829 participants in the Korea National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2007–2010. The subjects were categorized by age into young age (age: 19 – 39 years), middle age (age: 40 – 59 years), and old age (age: 60 years and older). The degree of obesity was categorized according to body mass index (BMI) into normal weight (BMI: 18.5 ~ 22.9), overweight (BMI: 23 ~ 24.9), and obesity (BMI: 25 or above). Insulin resistance was evaluated by homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). RESULTS: It was found that 14.1% (n = 87) of a total of 616 subjects (324 men, 292 women) were in the young age group, 43.8% (n = 270) were in the middle age group, and 42.1% (n = 259) were in the old age group. In addition, 83.3% of men that were overweight or obesity were in the young age group, while 79.2% and 60.5% were in the middle age and old age groups, respectively. A total of 82.2% of women that were overweight or obesity were in the young age group, while 79.5% and 77% were in the middle age and old age groups, respectively. For men, the more obesity they were in all age groups, the higher their HOMA-IR. For women, the more obesity they were in the young age and middle age groups, the higher their HOMA-IR; however, women in the old age group showed the highest HOMA-IR when they were of normal weight. CONCLUSION: Among diabetic patients first diagnosed with the disease in Korea, the youth population had the highest obesity rate. Insulin resistance increases as an individual's weight increases among those patients who are first diagnosed with diabetes; the only exception noted is for elderly women.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Bodily Secretions ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Korea* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity* ; Overweight ; Physical Examination ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: Alcohol is traditionally known to have a relaxing effect. However, persons who consume alcohol in excessive amounts suffer from poor sleep quality and patients with alcohol use disorders commonly report insomnia. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of alcohol use on sleep quality. METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted with 234 men and 159 women who had visited a general hospital. We used structured questionnaires, including Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Korean revised version (AUDIT-KR) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-Korean version (PSQI-K). We analyzed the association between scores for all subcategories of the PSQI-K and the AUDIT-KR and then analyzed the correlation between AUDIT-KR and global PSQI-K scores. RESULTS: The global PSQI-K score for men was positively correlated with the AUDIT-KR score (P=0.008) after adjusting for age, chronic disease, tobacco use, exercise, depression, and anxiety. The AUDIT-KR score was significantly associated with subjective sleep quality (P=0.005), sleep duration (P=0.047), and sleep disturbance (P=0.048); it was not associated with sleep latency, sleep efficiency, or daytime dysfunction. Sleep disturbances due to snoring were significantly associated with total AUDIT-KR score (P=0.008). There was no correlation between the global PSQI-K and AUDIT-KR scores for women (P=0.333). However, daytime dysfunction showed a significant association with total AUDIT-KR score (P=0.048). CONCLUSION: Men with higher AUDIT-KR scores tended to suffer from poor sleep quality. AUDIT-KR scores showed significant correlations with subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep disturbances in men.
Alcohol Drinking ; Anxiety ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Snoring ; Tobacco Use

PURPOSE: To investigate an association between the levels of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-receptor autoantibodies (TRAbs) and Graves' orbitopathy (GO) activity/severity scores, and compare the performance of three different TRAb assays in assessing the clinical manifestations of GO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Medical records of 155 patients diagnosed with GO between January 2008 and December 2010 were reviewed. GO activity was assessed by clinical activity score (CAS) and severity graded with the modified NOSPECS score by a single observer. Serum TRAb was measured by three different methods: 1st generation thyrotropin-binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBII) assay (TRAb1st); 3rd generation TBII assay (TRAb3rd); and biological quantitative assay of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) using Mc4-CHO cells (Mc4-CHO TSI assay). Results were correlated with scores of activity/severity of thyroid eye disease. RESULTS: All three assays (TRAb1st, TRAb3rd, and Mc4-CHO TSI) yielded results that were significantly positively correlated with CAS (beta=0.21, 0.21, and 0.46, respectively; p<0.05) and proptosis (beta=0.38, 0.34, and 0.33, respectively; p<0.05). Mc4-CHO TSI bioassay results were significantly positively correlated with all GO severity indices (soft tissue involvement, proptosis, extraocular muscle involvement, and total eye score; beta=0.31, 0.33, 0.25, and 0.39, respectively; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Mc4-CHO TSI bioassay was superior over the two TBIIs in assessing active inflammation and muscle restriction due to GO, whereas TBII assay would be sufficient for evaluation of patients with proptosis.
Adult ; Animals ; Autoantibodies/*blood ; CHO Cells ; Cricetulus ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Graves Ophthalmopathy/blood/*etiology/*immunology ; Humans ; Immunoassay/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Thyrotropin/blood/*immunology

BACKGROUND: Patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SHT) are common in clinical practice. However, the clinical significance of SHT, including prognosis, has not been established. Further clarifying SHT will be critical in devising a management plan and treatment guidelines for SHT patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors of SHT. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of Korean patients who visited the endocrinology outpatient clinic of Severance Hospital from January 2008 to September 2012. Newly-diagnosed patients with SHT were selected and reviewed retrospectively. We compared two groups: the SHT maintenance group and the spontaneous improvement group. RESULTS: The SHT maintenance group and the spontaneous improvement group had initial thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels that were significantly different (P=0.035). In subanalysis for subjects with TSH levels between 5 to 10 microIU/mL, the spontaneous improvement group showed significantly lower antithyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO-Ab) titer than the SHT maintenance group (P=0.039). Regarding lipid profiles, only triglyceride level, unlike total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, was related to TSH level, which is correlated with the severity of SHT. Diffuse thyroiditis on ultrasonography only contributed to the severity of SHT, not to the prognosis. High sensitivity C-reactive protein and urine iodine excretion, generally regarded as possible prognostic factors, did not show any significant relation with the prognosis and severity of SHT. CONCLUSION: Only initial TSH level was a definite prognostic factor of SHT. TPO-Ab titer was also a helpful prognostic factor for SHT in cases with mildly elevated TSH. Other than TSH and TPO-Ab, we were unable to validate biochemical prognostic factors in this retrospective study for Korean SHT patients.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Endocrinology ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism* ; Iodine ; Medical Records ; Peroxidase ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyrotropin ; Triglycerides ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the consensus about treatment strategies for comorbid conditions in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). METHODS: The executive committee of the Korean Medication Algorithm Project for GAD developed questionnaires about treatment strategies for patients with panic disorder based on guidelines or algorithms and clinical trial studies previously published in foreign countries. This study analyzed the treatment strategies for comorbid conditions in GAD. Fifty-five (65%) of 84 experts on a committee reviewing GADs responded to the questionnaires. We classified the consensus of expert opinions into three categories (first-line, second-line, and third-line treatment strategies) and identified the treatment of choice according using a chi2 test and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The consensus about treatment strategies in the case of GAD with comorbid depression recommended a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) as the first-line drug treatment. An SSRI, an SNRI and a benzodiazepine (e.g. alprazolam, clonazepam) are recommended in GAD patients with other comorbid anxiety disorders. CONCLUSION: This study provided information about the consensus among Korean experts with regard to treatment strategies for comorbid conditions of GAD.
Alprazolam ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Benzodiazepines ; Comorbidity ; Consensus ; Depression ; Expert Testimony ; Humans ; Norepinephrine ; Panic Disorder ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Serotonin