We report a case of solitary congenital calcified nodule of the ear in a 1-year-old female. The lesion was a 2 X 2mm-sized, elevated, slightly erythematous and whitish-centered nodule located since birth on the superior helical rim of her left ear. Histopathological findings fram the totally excised lesion showed calcium deposits as amorphous, basophilic masses in the upper dermis and focal discharge of calcium by means of transepidermal elimination. Surrounding the calcium deposits, lymphohistiocytic infiltrations were present.
Basophils ; Calcium ; Dermis ; Ear* ; Female ; Humans ; Parturition

Multiple biliary papillomatosis involves an epithelial field change of the intrahepatic and extrahepatic portions of the biliary tree. Pathologically it is benign, occasionally with dysplasia, but the clinical behavior is regarded as having a low-grade malignant potential. Such malignancy is rare but the prognosis is poor if it is impossible to remove the tumor completely. Here, we report one case of multiple biliary papillomatosis in the biliary tree.
Biliary Tract ; Papilloma* ; Prognosis

Isolated aneurysm of the common iliac artery that is secondary to medial degeneration (MD) is a very rare clinical entity. MD is an important histological abnormality that is commonly seen in the annuloaortic ectasia with Marfan syndrome. This abnormality is also observed in congenital aortic disease, atherosclerosis, and aging. This aortic disease develops as the consequences of disruption of the medial elastic layers in association with loss of vascular smooth muscle cells and the accumulation of proteoglycans. An iliac aneurysm greater than 3 cm in diameter should be treated. The treatment options include open surgical replacement with prosthetic graft or endovascular stent grafting. We experienced one case of the isolated common iliac artery aneurysm in a 60 year-old female patient. Her chief complaint was a pulsatile painful mass in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen that she had suffered with for 5 days. She was treated by performing aorto-left external iliac artery bypass with a Dacron graft (10 mm in diameter). The result was excellent. We report here on a case of a isolated common iliac artery aneurysm that was caused by MD, and we include a review of the relevant literature.
Abdomen ; Aging ; Aneurysm* ; Aortic Diseases ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Female ; Humans ; Iliac Aneurysm ; Iliac Artery* ; Marfan Syndrome ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Polyethylene Terephthalates ; Proteoglycans ; Transplants

Gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumors (GANT) are uncommon neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The GANT is a specialized form of stromal neoplasm with the feature of myenteric plexus derivation. We report a patient with a GANT of the small intestine and liver metastasis. The patient was admitted for evaluation of hematochezia and a palpable abdominal mass. A CT of the abdomen showed an exophytic mass arising from the distal ileum and exhibiting deep ulceration and air-cavity formation, and a huge cystic mass in the right lobe of the liver. The gross appearance of a surgical specimen of the liver showed a huge cystic mass, containing liquified hemorrhagic fluid, with an irregular nodular peripheral portion. Its capsule was intact. An ileal mass, measuring 9x5 cm and arising from the submucosal layer, with deep ulceration was seen. Histological examination of the liver and the ileal mass revealed a malignant stromal tumor with neural differentiation on immunohistochemical staining.
Abdomen ; Autonomic Pathways* ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Ileum ; Intestine, Small ; Liver* ; Myenteric Plexus ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be an independent risk for cardiovascular diseases. The carotid intima.media thickness (IMT) is a surrogate marker of subclinical atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to measure the carotid IMT in subjects with or without OSA and quantify its correlation with OSA severity. METHODS: Subjects were categorized into OSA and non-OSA groups based on polysomnography findings. The carotid IMT was considered a marker of atherosclerosis. The independent relationship between carotid IMT and OSA severity was analyzed using multiple linear regression. The presumed confounders were age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, blood lipid and glucose profiles, smoking and alcohol drinking statuses, medications, being overweight, and having hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or hyperlipidemia. RESULTS: The carotid IMT was larger in OSA subjects (n=82, 0.620+/-0.096 mm [mean+/-SD]) than in non-OSA subjects (n=22, 0.551+/-0.078 mm; p=0.006), and was independently correlated with OSA severity (p<0.001). However, it was not affected by any of the other variables investigated. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with OSA showed an increased IMT, with the thickness being correlated with the OSA severity. This finding suggests that accelerated atherosclerosis in OSA is the mechanism linking OSA and future cardiovascular events.
Alcohol Drinking ; Anoxia ; Atherosclerosis ; Biomarkers ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glucose ; Hypertension ; Linear Models ; Overweight ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Ultrasonography, Doppler

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and its related characteristics among healthy adults in some Korean rural areas. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using the data from 1352 adults who were over the age 40 and under the age 70 and who were free of diabetes mellitus (DM), cardiovascular diseases and other diseases and who participated in a survey conducted as part of the Korean Rural Genomic Cohort Study. IFG was defined as a serum fasting glucose level between 100 and 125 mg/dL. RESULTS: The prevalence of IFG was 20.4% in men, 15.5% in women and 12.7% overall. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the independent risk factors for IFG were male gender, having a family history of DM, the quartiles of gamma glutamyltransferase and high sensitive C-reactive protein and the waist circumference. The homeostatis model assessment for insulin resistance was very strongly associated with IFG. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and MS components was higher in the subjects with IFG then in those with normal fasting glucose (NFG). CONCLUSIONS: The result of study could supply evidence to find the high risk population and to determine a strategy for treating IFG. Further research is needed to explain the causal relationship and mechanisms of IFG.
Adult ; Aged ; Body Weights and Measures ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Fasting ; Female ; Glucose Intolerance/*epidemiology ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Sex Factors ; Socioeconomic Factors

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) contributes to the development of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study is to analyze the association between OSA and cardiovascular diseases in adult. METHODS: We recruited 718 consecutive subjects (611 male, 44.8+/-12.7 years old) diagnosed as OSA based on overnight polysomnography. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction and stroke was defined and compared with that in general adult population (the Third Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, KNHANES III 2005). Correlation between the prevalence and OSA severity was analyzed after adjusting age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Prevalence of vascular diseases was higher in OSA than general population. Prevalence of hypertension was 39.0% (13.0% from KNHANES III), diabetes 8.2% (5.2%), myocardial infarction 3.0% (0.6%) and stroke 7.2% (1.6%). Apnea-hypopnea index as the marker of OSA severity significantly correlated with hypertension (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiovascular diseases were more prevalent in OSA. Prevalence of hypertension increased proportionally to OSA severity.
Adult ; Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Polysomnography ; Prevalence ; Respiration ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke ; Vascular Diseases

A pyogeinc granuloma, also known as a lobular capillary hemangioma, is a benign vascular tumor of the skin and mucous membranes, which is common in infants and children. It usually presents as a rapidly evolving solitary, sessile, or polypoid vascular nodule. An intravenous pyogenic granuloma (IVPG) is a rare form of pyogenic granuloma, in which the whole lesion appears as a single polypoid mass projecting into the lumen of a vein. All reported cases of IVPG have been limited the head, neck, and upper extremity. We report a case of an intravenous pyogenic granuloma located within the iliac vein of a lower extremity.
Capillaries* ; Child ; Granuloma ; Granuloma, Pyogenic* ; Head ; Humans ; Iliac Vein* ; Infant ; Lower Extremity ; Mucous Membrane ; Neck ; Skin ; Upper Extremity ; Veins

PURPOSE: Although numerous etiological models of premenstrual syndrome(PMS) such as the biochemical, hormonal, psychosocial models have been proposed, there is no consistent conclusion. Especially, in psychosocial model, state-dependent changes in the perception of stressors according to menstrual cycle phases was suggested for PMS. In this study, we investigated relationship between menstrual cycle and daily minor stressors in young women, and vulnerability to minor stressors in young women with PMS. METHODS: 46 female college students completed modified daily rating form(DRF) of premenstrual symptoms which based on DSM-IV criteria for PMDD, and daily stress inventory(DSI) during at least one menstrual cycle. If the mean score of at least one DRF item during premenstrual phase were more than 3 on 6 point scale and 30% increase in symptom severity during premenstrual phase compared with during postmenstrual phase, they were referred as PMS group(N=20), and the others as non-PMS group(N=26). The event, impact, and impact/event ratio scores of DSI were compared in two groups. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance with repeated measure ANOVA. And post hoc simple; repeated contrast test were performed when indicated by significant repeated measure ANOVA. RESULTS: In all subjects, the event and the impact scores in premenstrual and menstrual phases were significantly higher than in postmenstrual phase. Among the DSI categories, the impact scores of interpersonal problem and cognitive stressors in premenstrual and menstrual phases were significantly higher than in postmenstrual phase. In PMS group, there was a significant difference between premenstrual and postmenstrual phase in the impact score but not in the event score, and the event and the impact scores were significantly increased in menstrual phase than postmenstrual phase. In non-PMS group, the event and the impact scores in premenstrual and menstrual phases were significantly higher than in postmenstrual phase. There was no significant difference in the impact/event ratio scores in both groups. Between the PMS and non-PMS group, there was significant difference in the impact/event ratio scores in premenstrual phase, but not in the event score and the impact scores at any phase. CONCLUSION: Young women may experience more daily minor stressors and may be impacted more severely in premenstrual and menstrual phases than in postmenstrual phase. In premenstrual phase, the young women with PMS are likely to have more vulnerability to daily minor stressors than controls. Further studies using larger sample size with varied age are required.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Female ; Humans ; Life Change Events* ; Menstrual Cycle ; Premenstrual Syndrome* ; Sample Size

Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative bacterial infection produced by Actinomyces israeli. The three major clinical presentation include the cervicofacial, thoracic, and abdominal regions. Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare entity which presents some difficulty in establishing a correct preoperative diagnosis. The diagnosis is usually based on histologic demonstration of sulfur granules in pus or surgically resected specimen. Recently, authors experienced a case of actinomycosis of the greater omentum in 38-years old woman. The patient underwent surgery under the impression of periappendiceal abscess. A 6cm sized firm mass was noted in the transverse colon. Histologically the mass was composed of fibroinflammatory mass with multiple actinomycosis granules.
Abscess ; Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis* ; Adult ; Bacterial Infections ; Colon, Transverse ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Omentum* ; Sulfur ; Suppuration