No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Intussusception*

No abstract available.
Intestinal Obstruction*

No abstract available.
Appendicitis* ; Child* ; Humans

PURPOSE: Intussusception is a very common pediatric problem and needs early management. This study evaluated the risk factors of intussusception in infants and children for early diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: 216 cases of pediatric intussusception occurring between 1993 and 1999 in Mokpo Catholic Hospital were investigated retrospectively. 164 patients treated with barium reduction comprised the barium reduction (BR) group and 52 patients treated with manual reduction or bowel resection was operation (OP) group. RESULTS: The age incidence under 1 year old was 108 patients (65.9%) in BR group, 45 patients (86.5%) in OP group. Male to female ratio was 1.8:1 in BR and 1.7:1 in OP, respectively. In the seasonal distribution spring was more common in both group (34.1%, 34.6%). 60.4% in BR group, 76.9% in OP group were revealed leukocytosis above 10.000/mm3 in serum. Previous combined diseases were upper respiratory infection (31.7%, 42.3%), acute gastroenteritis (1.2%, 1.9%) and multiple familial polyposis (0.5% in BR group). The frequent symptoms and signs were bloody stool (86.0%,92.3%), abdominal pain and irritability (86.6%, 82.7%), vomiting (76.9%, 67.3%), and abdominal mass (56.7%, 76.9%). Tachycardia was 12.2% in BR and 44.2% in OP. In plain abdominal radiography, intestinal obstructive pattern was present in 5.5% of BR group and 53.8% of OP group. Success rate of barium reduction within 24 hours after symptom appearance was 82.3%. Within 24-48 hours was 61.1%, above 48 hours was 25%. There was a statistically significant difference between BR group and OP group of patients under 1 year old, with tachycardia, symptoms for longer than 48 hours and obstructive pattern on plain abdominal radiography (p<0.05). Of surgical cases, 84.6% were idiopathic. The common anatomical type was ileo-colic type (53.9%). The methods of operation were manual reduction (94.2%) and bowel resection (5.8%). Postoperative complications occurred in 4 cases; 3 cases of wound infection and 1 case of pulmonary complication. Recurrence rate was 12.8% in BR group. CONCLUSION: Risk factors of high incidence such as under 1 year old, severe obstructive pattern on the plain abdominal radiograph, symptoms for longer than 48 hours, and tachycardia, were related with a low success rate of barium reduction. Therefore, a gentle barium enema is recommended in high risk patients for diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention.
Abdominal Pain ; Barium ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Enema ; Female ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Intussusception* ; Jeollanam-do ; Leukocytosis ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seasons ; Tachycardia ; Vomiting ; Wound Infection

The amplification of c-myc oncogene was evaluated in 42 cases of ovarian carcinomas to correlate with clinical parameters. Using oligonucleotide primers, sequences from the c-myc exon-3 gene and from a control gene, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), were amplified simultaneously by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). After the products of differential PCR (d-PCR) were electrophoresed, slot blot hybridization was performed, and hybridized with P32 dATP-labeled myc and tPA oligonucleotide probes and then autoradiographed. The signal intensities of the two products were quantitated by densitometry and the ratios of two products (c-myc/tPA) were measured. The ovarian carcinomas showed significantly increased amplification of c-myc oncogene Oligonucleoti compared to normal control group (p<0.05). 15 of 42 cases (35.7%) showed various degrees of the MYC gene amplification up to 27 folds in various histologic types of ovarian carcinomas. No significant differences of the MYC gene amplification according to histologic subtypes, tumor action) grades and clinical stages of ovarian carcinomas were present.
Densitometry ; DNA Primers ; Genes, myc ; Oligonucleotide Probes ; Oncogenes* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

PURPOSE: Acute appendicitis still remains one of the most common causes of childhood abdominal surgery. Despite of the development of modern diagnostic tools, it presents more serious problems than in adults due to the higher perforation rate. METHODS: In our hospital, 5-year term clinical reviews have been performed, over the last 2 decades to see if there were any changing tendencies of this disease entity. We reviewed 186 cases of child acute appendicitis between January 1997 and December 2001. RESULTS: The results were as follows: 1) The male to female ratio was 1.35: 1. 2) The peak incidence occurred in the 11 to 15 years old age group. 3) The overall perforation rate was 24.7%, which was decreased compared with 34.7% of our previous study (P<0.05, Odd ratio=0.60). 4) The negative exploration rate was 8.06%. 5) The overall complication rate were 2.85% and 32.6% in non-perforated and perforated cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the incidence of acute appendicitis were shown to be almost the same as for the previous decade, but the perforation rate had dropped, maybe due to the early intervention, and advances in the diagnostic tools.
Adult ; Appendicitis* ; Child* ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male

Objective: As a part of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), the rapid assessment of cardiac systolic function using tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) are thought to be valuable tools during a cardiac emergency. This article is an untact pilot experiment before the clinical application of these procedures in an emergency room. Methods: Totally, 206 video samples from YouTube concerning echocardiograms of a normal heart, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary embolism were extracted and analyzed with free programs opened in internet services. Results: The values of MAPSE, TAPSE, and TAPSE+MAPSE ranged between 13.3±2.3 mm, 23±2.8 mm, and 36±4.5 mm, respectively, in the normal echocardiogram versus 7.8±2.5 mm, 16.5±5.0 mm, and 24.2±6.4 mm, respectively, in an abnormal echocardiogram (P<0.05). Positive correlations were obtained between MAPSE and TAPSE, MAPSE and TAPSE+MAPSE, and TAPSE and TAPSE+MAPSE (R2=0.346, R2=0.687, and R2=0.871, respectively). MAPSE ≤ 7.7 mm, TAPSE ≤18.5 mm, and TAPSE+MAPSE ≤27.7 mm show 100% sensitivity, and the specificities for an abnormal echocardiogram at these values are 51.8%, 63.3%, and 71.7%, respectively. At TAPSE ≤18.5 mm and TAPSE/(TAPSE+MAPSE) ≤0.61, the sensitivity of pulmonary hypertension containing a pulmonary embolism is 81.2%, and the specificity is 81%. It is presumed that the lower these values, the higher the emergency. Conclusion In a cardiac emergency, differentiating left or right systolic heart failure is probably useful by checking not only MAPSE or TAPSE using POCUS, but also determining the ratios MAPSE/(MAPSE+TAPSE) or TAPSE/(MAPSE+TAPSE). However, further retrospective or prospective studies in an emergency room are required for a specific disease diagnosis.

PURPOSE: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) are tumor-suppressor genes that may be involved in breast tumorigenesis. However, the roles of these genes in the regulation of breast cancer growth or progress are unclear. In this study, we aimed to find any correlation between the reduction of IGFBP-3 or PTEN protein expression in cancer tissues and the clinicopathological parameters in breast cancer. METHODS: We collected both cancer and adjacent normal tissues from 46 breast cancer patients (from January 1 to December 31, 2006), and checked the IGFBP-3 and PTEN protein levels in cancer and adjacent normal tissues using Western immunoblot. We evaluated the correlation of reduction status of IGFBP-3 and PTEN protein expression with variable clinicopathological parameters. RESULTS: The frequency of IGFBP-3 and PTEN protein reduction in cancer tissue, compared to adjacent normal tissue, was 63.0% and 34.8%, respectively. And in 87.5% of patients, who showed significant PTEN reduction, IGFBP-3 protein expression was reduced in cancer tissues. In contrast, IGFBP-3 protein reduced in only 50% of patients who didn't show PTEN reduction. However, we did not find any significant correlation between reduction of IGFBP-3 or PTEN expression in cancer tissue and variable clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSION: The IGFBP-3 and PTEN genes were expressed in all breast cancer tissues. Nonetheless, we did not find any significant relationship between reduction of IGFBP-3 or PTEN expression and the clinicopathological parameters in this study. Therefore, further studies are needed to document the roles of IGFBP-3 and PTEN genes in breast cancer growth or progress.
Blotting, Western ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carrier Proteins ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Microfilament Proteins ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase

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

A 25-year-old woman complaining of dyspnea on exertion, coughing, fever and chills was admitted in January, 1998. Her clinical, radiological, and pathological findings were compatible with hypersensitivity pneumonitis and precipitin antibody to Trichosporon cutaneum was detected in her serum. Although some cases of T. cutaneum-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis developed during the winter season were reported in Japan, there had been no report of such a case in Korea. This case suggests that T. cutaneum-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis can develop beyond the summer season in certain environments.
Adult ; Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic* ; Chills ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Japan ; Korea ; Seasons ; Trichosporon*