PURPOSE: To report the occurrence of central vein occlusion in an Eales disease patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 23-year-old man presented with decreased left eye visual acuity and was diagnosed with bilateral Eales disease after ophthalmic evaluations. The patient received laser photocoagulation and visual acuity in his left eye improved 1 month after treatment. He was followed up regularly for 3 years and had no specific eye problems. Subsequently, the patient visited our clinic because of visual disturbance in his right eye. The patient's visual acuity was 0.6 in his right eye, and 1.0 in his left eye. On right eye fundus examination, there were multiple flame shape hemorrhages and retinal vascular tortuosity was observed. Arteriovenous transit time was extended on fluorescein angiography. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with central retinal vein occlusion and underwent an internal medical examination to reveal a possible systemic cause of the central retinal vein occlusion; however, there were no systemic problems. Macular edema was observed on optical coherence tomography and the patient received an intravitreal bevacizumab injection. Six months after treatment, the right eye visual acuity and macular edema improved. CONCLUSIONS: Reports of branched retinal vein occlusion on the peripheral retina are common in Eales disease patients. However, the authors experienced and report a case of central retinal vein occlusion occurring in Eales disease.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Eye ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Light Coagulation ; Macular Edema ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Retina ; Retinal Vasculitis ; Retinal Vein ; Retinal Vein Occlusion ; Retinaldehyde ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Veins ; Visual Acuity ; Young Adult ; Bevacizumab

PURPOSE: To report a case of bilateral optic neuropathy related with idiopathic hypertropic pachymeningitis. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year old woman presented with acute visual loss that developed 6 days previously in the right eye and 3 days prior in the left eye. During the initial evaluation, her visual acuity was light perception in the right eye and counting fingers at 30 cm in the left eye. A relative afferent papillary defect (RAPD) was noted in the patient's right eye. On brain MRI, the duramater was thickened and enhanced by contrast. The erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level were increased and myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) as positive. Other neurological and medical abnormalities were not found. Under the suspicion of bilateral optic neuropathy due to idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis, the patient was treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy. Two days after the treatment, the visual acuity was hand movements at 20 cm in the right eye and 0.6 in the left eye. Three months after the treatment, the visual acuity was counting fingers at 20 cm in the right eye, and 0.7 in the left eye. The right eye showed optic disc pallor and diffuse retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) defect. The left eye showed a suspicious RNFL defect, and was otherwise normal. CONCLUSIONS: The authors report a rare case of optic neuropathy related with idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis. Idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis should be considered as one of the various causes of optic neuropathy.
Blood Sedimentation ; Brain ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cytoplasm ; Eye ; Female ; Fingers ; Hand ; Humans ; Light ; Meningitis ; Methylprednisolone ; Nerve Fibers ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; Pallor ; Patient Rights ; Retinaldehyde ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To report the results of managing dislocated posterior chamber intraocular lenses (PC IOLs) by externalizing both haptics alternately through a single clear corneal incision. METHODS: The study included 10 eyes of 10 patients in which a dislocated PC IOL was managed with pars plana vitrectomy. With our modified method, both haptics were alternately externalized through a single clear corneal incision for suture knot placement and then reinserted. RESULTS: The dislocated PC IOLs were repositioned successfully in all 10 eyes, and the corrected visual acuity improved postoperatively in 9 eyes at a minimum follow-up of six months. Abnormal IOL position, IOL capture by the iris, or posterior synechia was not observed. Hypotony maculopathy occurred in one eye, but the macular folding disappeared and the visual acuity improved after adding one-bite suture. CONCLUSIONS: The technique we describe in this study is a simple and effective procedure for repositioning posteriorly dislocated PC IOLs with minimal intraocular manipulations and complications.
Dislocations ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Iris ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Sutures ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Exposure to noise results in pertubations of cochlear microcirculation. There is evidence that these events are mediated, in part, by the calcium channel. The subsequent decrease in cochlear blood flow may lead to hypoxia and predispose to the formation of free oxygen radicals. Saponin extracted from Korean red ginseng is generally known to enhance blood flow and scavenge for free oxygen radicals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the effect of saponin (100 mg/kg) on the cochlear damage induced by noise exposure (1500 Hz narrow band noise, 115 dB, 12hours) in guinea pigs through auditory brainstem response (ABR) and with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), RESULTS: After noise exposure, the saponin pre-treated group showed a significant decrease in the ARR threshold compared with the saponin non- treated group. Also, SEM findings of the cochlea showed that there was a minimal structural change in the outer hair cells in the saponin pre-treated group. CONCLUSION: Saponin extracted from Korean red ginseng can attenuate noise induced cochlear damage in guinea pigs.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Calcium Channels ; Cochlea ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; Guinea Pigs ; Hair ; Hearing Loss ; Microcirculation ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Noise* ; Panax* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Saponins*

PURPOSE: To report a case of central retinal vein occlusion caused by iron deficiency anemia in a healthy young adult. CASE SUMMARY: A 23-year-old female was referred to the department of ophthalmology after 4 days of acute onset of decreased vision in her left eye. The best corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 10/20 in the left eye. There was no ocular pain, afferent pupillary defect or other ocular symptoms. Results of the anterior segment examination were normal. Fundus examination showed mild optic disc swelling, flame-shaped retinal hemorrhages around the optic disc, and vascular tortuosity with dilatation. The fluorescein angiography showed tortuous peripapillary veins, multiple blocked fluorescences due to retinal hemorrhages, and delayed arteriovenous transit time. All medical examinations and laboratory tests for the risk factors of central retinal vein occlusion were within normal limits, except for iron deficiency anemia. The patient was subsequently treated with oral iron. Three months after the first visit, the best corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in the patient's left eye with nearly normal fundus appearances and no iron deficiency anemia detected in laboratory tests. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of CRVO in young adults without other systemic diseases and risk factors, evaluation of the hematologic state may be necessary.
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Dilatation ; Eye ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Iron ; Ophthalmology ; Pupil Disorders ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; Retinal Vein ; Risk Factors ; Veins ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Acuity ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: In previous study, most patients with bronchial anthracofibrosis (BAF) were non-miners, and non-occupational old aged females. However, the clinical significance of BAF in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) is unknown. METHODS: Among patients with CWP who transferred to our hospital for an evaluation of associated pulmonary diseases, 32 patients who had undergone a bronchofibroscopy (BFS) and chest computed tomography (CT) examination were evaluated for the association of the BAF using a retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Nine of the 32 CWP patients (28%) were complicated with BAF. Four of the 16 simple CWP patients (25%) were complicated with BAF. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) classification by profusion, 2 out of 3 patients in category 1, 1 out of 8 patients in category 2 and 1 out of 3 patients in category 3 were complicated with BAF. Five out of 16 complicated CWP patients were complicated with BAF. Three out of 7 patients in type A and 2 out of 5 patients in type C were complicated with BAF. CWP patients with BAF had significantly greater multiple bronchial thickening and multiple mediastinal or hilar lymph node enlargement than the CWP patients without BAF. There was no difference in the other clinical features between the CWP patients with BAF and those without BAF. CONCLUSION: Many CWP patients were complicated with BAF. The occurrence of BAF was not associated with the severity of CWP progression. Therefore, a careful evaluation of the airway with a bronchoscopy examination and chest CT is warranted for BAF complicated CWP patients who present with respiratory symptoms and signs, even ILO class category 1 simple CWP patients.
Aged ; Bronchoscopy ; Coal ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lymph Nodes ; Pneumoconiosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax

Cinnabar is the mineral with mercury in combination with sulfur, and it has been used to make charms in China and Korea. If cinnabar is overheated, mercury vapor that is extremely hazardous or sometimes fatal can be released. We experienced 5 patients of a family who were exposed to mercury vapor when they burnt charms. One of them developed severe acute respiratory failure and the patient needed mechanical ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Despite treatment with cortiocosteroid, D-penicillamine, ECMO and plasmapheresis, the radiologic findings of a patient worsened and he died.
Burns ; China ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Mercury Compounds ; Penicillamine ; Plasmapheresis ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Sulfur

Background/Aims: Renal toxicity is a concern in patients with chronic hepatitis B taking nucleotide analogues, such as adefovir (ADV) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). We sought to determine the long-term renal effects of nucleotide analogue treatment versus entecavir (ETV) treatment. Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, we selected 87 patients who were treated with ADV and subsequently with TDF from June 2008 to December 2013. ETV-treated patients were matched by treatment duration. We analyzed the creatinine increase over 0.5 mg/dL, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decrease over 25%, phosphorus decrease under 2.0 mg/dL, and dose reduction of antiviral agents. Results: The median follow-up period was 60.0 months for both groups. The incidence of liver cirrhosis was higher in the ADVTDF group than in the ETV group (32.2% vs 74.7%, p<0.01).Creatinine increased in both groups during follow-up, but the difference was not significant (5.7% and 2.3%, p=0.44). In addition, GFR decreased more often in the ADV-TDF group than in the ETV group (31.0% and 14.9%, p=0.01). After multivariate Cox regression analysis, ADV-TDF treatment was significantly associated with a GFR decrease over 25% (hazard ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.08 to 4.10; p=0.03) after adjusting for the baseline GFR decrease. Conclusions Patients taking nucleotide analogues had a significantly higher number of renal events than did those taking ETV. Clinicians should be aware of the development of renal toxicity in this patient population. Further long-term studies are warranted.

PURPOSE: To evaluate normal human gastric wall layers in vitro using magnetic resonance*(MR) imaging, to correlate the results with the histologic findings, and to determine the optimal technique for evaluation of the gastric wall. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one normal resected gastric specimens obtained from 25 patients were dissected and placed in a polyethylene tube filled with normal saline. MR imaging with four MR sequences, T1-weighted FLASH*(T1FLASH), fat-saturated T1-weighted FLASH, T2-weighted TSE*(T2TSE), and True-FISP, was performed. The number of gastric wall layers and signal intensity of each layer were determined, and after correlating MR images with the histologic findings, the conspicuity of each layer*(mucosa, submucosa, and muscle), the distinction between each layer, and overall image quality were assessed. RESULTS: The gastric wall was shown by TIFLASH to have two (n=6, 14-6%), three (n=31, 75.6%) and four layers (n=4, 9.8%); by fat-saturated TIFLASH to have two (n=6, 14.6%) and three (n=35, 85.4%) ; by T2TSE to have three (n=24, 58.5%), four (n=11, 26.8%), and five (n=6, 14.6%); and by True-FISP to have one (n=2, 4.9%), two (n=8, 19.5%), three (n=23, 56%), four (n=4, 9.8%), and five (n=4, 9.8%) . The signal intensity of each layer at T1FLASH and fat-saturated T1FLASH was high-intermediate from the lumen in two-layer cases, high-low-high/intermediate in three-layer cases, and high-low-high-intermediate in four-layer cases. The signal intensity of each layer at T2TSE was intermediate/high-low-intermediate in three-layer cases, intermediate low-high-intermediate/low in four-layer cases, and low-high-low-high-low in five-layer cases. Three-layered gastric wall corresponded mostly to mucosa, submucosa, and muscle from the inner to outer layers, respectively. T1FLASH, fat-saturated T1FLASH, and T2TSE were superior to True-FISP in evaluating the gastric wall. T1FLASH and fat-saturated T1FLASH were the best sequences for demonstrating mucosa (p<0.05), and T2TSE was the best for submucosa and the distinction between this and muscle (p<0.05). Both T1FLASH and T2TSE provided the best overall image quality (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In-vitro MR imaging is an excellent technique for the evaluation of layers of normal gastric wall. T2TSE is the sequence which best demonstrates the conspicuity of submucosa, the distinction between submucosa and muscle, and overall image quality.
Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mucous Membrane ; Polyethylene

Expression of estrogen receptors (ER)-alpha and -beta, as well as androgen receptor (AR), in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is thought to be correlated with prognosis, survival, and male prevalence of HCC. These hypotheses are based on investigations of European patients; however the expression patterns of these receptors in Asian patients are largely unknown. In this study, we collected liver carcinoma and peritumor tissues from 32 patients (9 females and 23 males) in South Korea. The expression of ERs and ARs was studied using RT-PCR. Wild-type ER-alpha and AR were expressed in all of the samples investigated, and their expression was independent of the causal virus or patient sex. Expression of the ER-alpha variant was independent of sex (100% female vs. 91.3% male) and HCV and HBV status (91.3% vs. 100%). Wild-type ER-beta was expressed more often in HCV patients than in HBV patients (95.7% vs. 44.4%; p < 0.05). In conclusion, the stronger ER-alpha variant expression in HCC tissues implies that this variant has an important role in HCC development. However, at least in Korean patients, expression of the ER-alpha variant (vER-alpha) is not related to male HCC prevalence. In addition, the predominant expression of ER-beta in HCV patients suggests that it plays an important role in HCV-induced liver disease.
Sex Factors ; Receptors, Estrogen/*metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen/metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Liver Neoplasms/ethnology/*metabolism/virology ; Korea ; Humans ; Hepatitis B virus/isolation & purification ; Hepacivirus/isolation & purification ; Female ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/ethnology/*metabolism/virology ; Biological Markers/metabolism ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Aged