This article presents a description of the ultrasonographic and computed tomographic findings with a discussion on the imaging features in three patients with epigastric hernias, simulating abdominal wall lipomas. Ultrasonogram showed a heterogeneous hypoechoic mass encircled by echogenic rim within subcutaneous space of the abdominal wall. Computed tomographic findings were a localized fatty mass surrounded by a thin capsule in as sociation with a focal discontinuity of the linea alba. Ultrasonogram was not diagnostic, but computed tomogram was suggestive because of the well demonstrated focal defect in linea alba.
Abdominal Wall ; Hernia* ; Humans ; Lipoma ; Ultrasonography*

OBJECTIVES: Mild cognitive impairment(MCI) and dementia of Alzheimer's type(AD) are characterized by progressive decline of cognitive abilities and a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms like depression. Among various diagnostic tools of AD, many studies showed that elevated levels of serum total homocysteine are associated with increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. We investigated whether elevated homocysteine concentrations are associated with depressive symptoms in MCI and AD. METHODS: A total of 86 patients diagnosed with MCI or AD participated. Total serum homocysteine levels in fasting blood samples were measured. We examined cognitive symptoms by MMSE-KC, Global Deterioration Scale(GDS), Clinical dementia rating(CDR) and depressive symptoms by Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale(K-GDS). RESULTS: The total serum homocysteine levels were significantly higher in MCI with depression than in MCI without depression. There was no significant difference in the mean homocysteine levels between AD patients with depression and AD patients without depression. The total homocysteine levels showed a negative correlation with MMSE-KC and a positive correlation with CDR, GDS. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that elevated homocysteine level is a risk factor for the decline of cognitive function and depression. We found a significant relationship between elevated serum homocysteine level and depressive symptoms in MCI. But our study had several limitations, thus more research is needed to confirm this finding.
Alzheimer Disease ; Dementia* ; Depression* ; Fasting ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment* ; Neurobehavioral Manifestations ; Risk Factors

A retrospective study was conducted on 10 patients who had undergone extended pyelolithotomy for staghorn calculi. There were some complications which were such as retained stones in 3 cases, urine leak 1 case, pneumothorax 1 case, but this surgical technique was relatively simple and easy for patients with staghorn calculi disease.
Calculi* ; Humans ; Pneumothorax ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease(AD) and mild cognitive impairment(MCI) affect several nervous structures involved with the autonomic nervous system. Association between neuropsychiatric deficits and heart rate variability has been observed. But cardiac autonomic function in AD has been scarcely studied and the results reported are conflicting. We investigated autonomic function in normal control, MCI, AD using heart rate variabil-ity(HRV) technique. METHODS: Time and frequency-domain variability of 5-min R-R interval series was comparatively evaluated in 26 normal control subjects, 22 MCI subjects and 34 AD subjects. Analysis of variance(ANOVA) was used to compare the differences across groups. Correlations between MMSE-KC and HRV components were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed among the groups in time, frequency-domain analysis of HRV (p>0.05). HRV were not found to be significantly correlated with the degree of cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in HRV with MCI, AD subjects when compared with normal controls. Further investigation is required to use HRV technique as noninvasive parameters of MCI and AD.
Alzheimer Disease ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Mild Cognitive Impairment

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the prevalence and composite score of the neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI), and dementia of Alzheimer's type(AD). The aim of this study is to analyze the correlation between the result of Korean Neuropsychiatric Inventory(K-NPI) and cognitive function. METHODS: A total of 163 patients diagnosed with MCI or AD was divided into three groups(55 MCI patients, 56 dementia patients with mild stage, and 52 dementia patients with moderate, severe stage). We examined neuropsychiatric symptoms by K-NPI and compared the prevalence and composite score of each subdomain in K-NPI among three groups. RESULTS: The most common symptoms in the MCI group were depression/dysphoria, sleep/night-time behavior, anxiety, and irritability/lability. In mild AD group, the most frequent disturbance was agitation/aggression, depression/dysphoria, anxiety, apathy/indifference, and sleep/night-time behavior. In moderate to severe AD group, the most frequent disturbance was apathy/indifference, depression/dysphoria, agitation/aggression, and delusion. The frequencies of delusion, hallucination, agitation/aggression, apathy/indifference, aberrant motor behavior, appetite/eating change were statistically significant. The total NPI score showed a negative correlation with MMSE-KC and a positive correlation with GDS. CONCLUSIONS: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are common features of MCI and AD. These symptoms observed in MCI are similar to those of mild AD. Psychosis is most common in moderate to severe AD, leading to a faster rate of cognitive decline. Therefore, proper management according to the neuropsychiatric symptoms of MCI and three stages of dementia is needed.
Anxiety ; Delusions ; Dementia ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Prevalence ; Psychotic Disorders

The effects of BCG and vitamin A acetate, either alone or in combination were studied on rats with bladder tumors induced by N-butyl -N-(4 -hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine. Therapy was started at week 12 and all rats were sacrificed at week 20. Vitamin A acetate therapy significantly reduced the mean number of tumors and the incidence of bladder cancer. The combination of vitamin A acetate and intraperitoneal BCG therapy, more effectively reduced the mean number of bladder tumors and the incidence of bladder cancer than vitamin A acetate therapy alone did. BCG therapy also significantly reduced the mean number of tumors and the incidence of bladder cancer. The difference between the effect of intraperitoneal BCG injection and that of intravesical BCG was not statistically significant. The combination therapy of BCG and vitamin A acetate more effectively reduced the mean number or tumors than BCG therapy along did. The incidence of bladder cancer was also reduced though the statistical significance was not definite (p =0.07). The above results suggest that vitamin A acetate and BCG therapy after initiation of precancerous lesions, alter favorably the course of the experimental bladder cancers in rats and the combination of the two does more effectively.
Animals ; Bacillus* ; Incidence ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Rats ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder* ; Vitamin A* ; Vitamins*

Five cases of congenital pseuduthrosis of the tibia were treated at Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yonsei Medical Center from September 1971 to February 1982. In four cases, many cafe-au-lait spots were shown on the whole body skin, which are suggestive of neurofibromatosis. The evidence of hereditary factor is elicited on Case 2. Satisfactory bony union occurred in Case 1 & 3 in which the delayed autogenous bone graft was used. Among various methods of treatment of the congenitaeudarthrosis, in this study, the delayed autogenous bone graft and the free vascularized bone graft was recommended.
Cafe-au-Lait Spots ; Fibrinogen ; Neurofibromatoses ; Orthopedics ; Pseudarthrosis ; Skin ; Tibia ; Transplants

Low back pain and sciatica is one of the most frequent and troublesome problem in the orthopedic field. A study of the effectivity and reliability of the anterior interbody fusion with autoiliac bone graft for the spondylogenic and Discogenic back pain was done on 166 patients who had been hospitalized from January 1978 to December 1984. The approach to the lesion was retroperitoneal with anterior approach. The anterior interbody fusion was performed by using one block or two block from autoiliac bone. The status of the spine fusion after operation was decided by the plane roentgenogram or clinical sign, and the tomogram or dynamogram in some case. We analysed 116 patients having anterior fusionto study whether fusion rate has any relation with the number of the grafted bone, preoperative diagnosis and the level of fusion. At 9 months after operation, the clinical result was assesed and was compared between the group of the preoperative diagnosis. The following results were obtained from analysis of the cases studied. 1. The fusion rate for the grafted bone was 92.2%. There was no difference in fusion rates between the group of patients operated using one block and two-block. 2. The fate of the grafted bone could be categorized into 5 different types. 3. In patients with spondylolisthesis or spondylolysis, there was high incidence of non union.Also in terms of the vertebral level, the fusin between the L5-Sl showed high incidence of non union. 4. High fusion rate was obtained by using back brace without cast immobilization. The average duration of brace wearing was 6.6 months. 5. Overall clinical results were as follows:excellent or good 64.6%, fair 31.9%, poor 3.5%,and spondylolisthesis showed better clinical results than other diseases. 6. Post sympathectomy symptoms were noticed in 12 patients after operation and there were no permanent genitourinary problem.
Arthrodesis ; Back Pain ; Braces ; Diagnosis ; Equidae ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Incidence ; Low Back Pain ; Orthopedics ; Receptors, CXCR4 ; Sciatica ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis ; Spondylolysis ; Sympathectomy ; Transplants

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease which most frequently affects the sacro-iliac joints of young men, and also the synovial joints of the whole spine. Bony fusion of these joints and ossification along the longitudinal ligaments lead to total immobility of the vertebrae. Sixty-two cases of ankylosing spondylitis treated at the Severance Hospital from June 1980 to June 1986 were analysed clinically and the followings were obtained. 1. The average age was 38 years and the sex ratio between the male and the female was 58: 4(Male=94%). 2. The most frequent location of pain was low back (32%), and the pain was usually bilateral (81%). 3. The main stiff regions were the hip joint (35%) and the lumbar spine (27%). 4. The most frequent joint affected was the hip (44%), and the extraarticular manifestations were pleuropulmonary disease (29%), gastrointestinal disorder (15%), iritis (10%), etc. 5. The characteristic X-ray findings were sacro-iliac changes (72%), facet joint blurring (53%), and syndesmophyte (37%). 6. Laborstory findings showed increased ESR (85%), positive HLA B-27 (97%), negative rheumatoid factor (94%), and the serum immunoglobulins snd complements were not decreased.
Clinical Study ; Complement System Proteins ; Female ; Hip ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Iritis ; Joints ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Male ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Sex Ratio ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; Zygapophyseal Joint

The depth of wound level is as important as the level of the tendon injury itself. And the timing of the operative procedure is an important factor. As a rule, tendons injured outside of the flexor sheath yield much better results than those injured within the sheath. The nutritional supply of the flexor tendons is not completely understood. Many elaborate studies have outilned the vascular anatomy of these tendons, and not all authors are in agreement. It is now clear that synovial fluid within the sheath supplies nutrition to the tendon much as synovial fluid in a joint supports cartilage. With this in mind, the present study was designed to determine the effect of exposing tendons for varying periods of time on the viability of the tendon and sequential morphological changes. The results are as follows: 1. Twelve hours after tendon sheath removal, collagen fibrillar dissociation and irregular surface of the tendon sheath were noted on the chicken flexor tendons by electronmicroscopy. 2. Superficial tenocyte necrosis was created after 24 hours of tendon exposure. 3. At 3 days, inflammatory cell infiltration and thickening of the outer synovial layer were noted. After 7 days, fibrosis of the degenerated tendon started from the exposed surface. 4. The fibrous connective tissue and new blood vessel infiltration into the tendon were progressed after 7 days. From these morphological results, any interference with the synovial environment leads to a regressive change of the flexor tendons immediately. It is suggested that delayed primary wound covering procedure within three days an after exposed tendon injury is ideal, and it should by done at least 7 days after tendon exposure.
Blood Vessels ; Cartilage ; Chickens ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; Equipment and Supplies ; Fibrosis ; Joints ; Necrosis ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Synovial Fluid ; Tendon Injuries ; Tendons ; Wounds and Injuries