Trichuris trichiura (T. trichiura) is soil-transmitted parasite and widely spreads all over the world. High infection rates occur especially in the poor hygiene area. T. trichiura is transmitted by the water and food contaminated with T. trichiura eggs. Most of mildly infected individuals could be asymptomatic, whereas heavily infected patients manifest with anemia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Serious manifestations such as intestinal obstruction and perforation were reported to be caused by Trichuriasis. Diagnostic methods are stool examination of T. trichiura eggs and eosinophil count in blood. Sometimes, colonoscopy can be useful diagnostic tool and treatment. We observed that the North Korean refugee with chronic abdominal pain and the patient with abdominal pain and loose stool have been diagnosed as T. trichiura infection confirmed by colonoscopy. After treatment, the patient's symptom has improved. Therefore we report two cases of trichuriasis with literature review.
Abdominal Pain ; Anemia ; Colonoscopy ; Diarrhea ; Eggs ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Nausea ; Ovum ; Parasites ; Refugees ; Trichuriasis ; Trichuris ; Vomiting ; Water ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome is regarded as a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. We observed and compared aging males symptoms (AMS) between healthy and metabolic syndrome patients in middle-aged Korean men to evaluate clinical significance of AMS. METHODS: From May 2009 to July 2009, 171 middle-aged men (over 40 years-old) who visited a health promotion center of a university hospital in Gyeonggi Province were enrolled in study. The subjects were divided into two groups; metabolic syndrome (N = 87) vs. control (N = 84) and measured the aging male symptoms (AMS) scale. AMS were also grouped according to its severity. RESULTS: There were no significant differences except, weight, body mass index between two groups. In AMS severity, 'severe' group show higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome. And the group of metabolic syndrome gets higher AMS score than control. Among the five constitutive factors of metabolic syndrome, the prevalence of fasting blood sugar (> or = 100 mg/dL) and triglyceride (> or = 150 mg/dL) level is higher 'moderates' and 'severe' groups in AMS severity. In the subscale analysis of AMS, there are significant differences between two groups in sexual and somato-vegitative axis, but are not in psychological axis. With age-adjusted analysis, the results still show same trend. CONCLUSION: It might be necessary to approach aging males symptoms comprehensively during the management of metabolic syndrome in middle-aged men. And it could be helpful in treatment to recognize and control metabolic syndrome factors for the patients with severe aging males symptoms.
Aging ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Blood Glucose ; Body Weight ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Fasting ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the one of the commonly diagnosed female cancer in Korea. Numerous factors have been noted to be associated with risk of breast cancer: body mass index, menarche, menopause, family history, pregnancy and delivery, breastfeeding, alcohol use, smoking habits, diet, education and use of oral contraceptives. Little is known about hair minerals in breast cancer patient and about correlation between hair minerals and body mass index. METHODS: We compared hair mineral analysis data of 37 breast cancer subject with age and body mass index-matched normal control data (N = 144) by cross-sectional analysis. All breast cancer patients were newly diagnosed at one Breast Cancer Center in Ajou University and had their hair cut before anti-cancer chemotherapy, and the normal controls (without breast cancer) also had their hair cut for various reasons in out-patient clinics of the Department of Family Practice and Community Health. RESULTS: Breast cancer patients had low calcium, magnesium, and zinc, whereas they had high arsenic, sodium, and potassium compared with the normal controls. Only hair zinc level had significant negative correlation with body mass index (r = -0.705, P < 0.001) in breast cancer patients, not in normal controls. CONCLUSION: We observed the difference of hair mineral patterns in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients compared to normal controls and the correlation between these minerals and body mass index in breast cancer patient. Especially hair zinc concentration was significantly reduced and had significant negative correlation with body mass index in breast cancer patients.
Arsenic ; Body Mass Index ; Breast ; Breast Feeding ; Breast Neoplasms ; Calcium ; Contraceptives, Oral ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Family Practice ; Female ; Food Habits ; Hair ; Humans ; Korea ; Magnesium ; Menarche ; Menopause ; Minerals ; Outpatients ; Potassium ; Reproductive History ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sodium ; Zinc

BACKGROUND: Platelet has been known as an implicating factor in the pathophysiology of atherosclerotic disease. Larger platelets are more reactive and produce more prothrombotic factors. Several studies have shown relationship between mean platelet volume (MPV) and coronary artery disease. The present study has been designed to investigate association of MPV and subclinical CAD (coronary artery disease; abnormal finding in coronary multidetector computed tomography [MDCT] in asymptomatic individual). METHODS: This cross sectional study was carried out in 103 men and 72 women (over 40 years old) who underwent coronary MDCT as screening test for disease prevention in the health examination center of Hanyang University Medical Center in Korea from January 1 to April 30, 2009. Subclinical CAD was defined when either of the following findings are present in asymptomatic patients: 1) plaque or calcification, 2) stenosis of any level. After adjustment for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, BMI, smoking (pack-years), LDL cholesterol, odds ratios (ORs) for the prevalence of the subclinical CAD were calculated for quintiles of MPV using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, BMI, smoking (pack-years), LDL cholesterol, the OR for subclinical CAD, comparing the fifth quintile of MPV with the first quintile, was 5.83 (95% confidence interval, 1.51 to 22.42; P = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Highest level of MPV is independently associated with the prevalence of the subclinical CAD after adjusting for other risk factors.
Academic Medical Centers ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Platelets ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: A previous Korean study recommended minimal 50 cases of Esophgogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) to achieve technical competency, based on director's opinion. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the achievement of EGD's technical skills during the first 50 EGD cases. METHODS: The data were collected from the first 50 EGDs consecutively performed by six family medicine residents trained the EGD procedure in one residency program from 2004 to 2006. Technical competency of the EGD procedure was evaluated in 4 steps divided with anatomical landmarks (the gastroesophageal junction, the antrum, the fundus of the stomach, and the second portion of the duodenum). Authors measured the procedure time of EGDs performed by residents in 4 steps and calculated the rate of success cases satisfied with author's own criteria made by procedure time. RESULTS: The success rate of EGD procedure in all steps was 26.7% at 10 EGDs, but sharply increased to 80.0% at 30 EGDs, reached 88.0% at 50 EGDs. Fail to perform esophageal intubation and retroversion to the fundus of the stomach was none after 30 EGDs. However, in steps from gastroesphageal junction to the antrum of the stomach and from the antrum of the stomach to the second portion of the duodenum, the failure rate kept up less than 10% during the first 50 EGDs. A statistically significant reduction of the procedure time in success cases was observed between 20 and 30 EGDs in all steps. CONCLUSION: The technical competency of EGD was achieved approximately 90% during the first consecutive 50 EGDs.
Achievement ; Duodenum ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Intubation ; Stomach

Functional foods are becoming increasingly available to consumers worldwide. The health effects of use of functional foods on cardiovascular diseases must be advised. Omega-3 fatty acid can play a role in primary prevention of deaths from coronary heart disease. It has also been reported to be promising treatment for prevention of deaths from cardiovascular diseases particularly in high-risk group. Vitamin E has no primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, but has high possibility of increasing the risk of heart failure and deaths from cardiovascular disease in high-risk group. Vitamin B complex reduces homocysteine, but don't reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Apart from them, gamma linolenic acid, chitosan, soy protein, and red yeast rice may reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease, still, further studies are needed. To prevent cardiovascular diseases, it is the most important to main healthy lifestyle habits. Functional foods should only be supplementary.
Biological Agents ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chitosan ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Disease ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; Functional Food ; gamma-Linolenic Acid ; Heart Failure ; Homocysteine ; Life Style ; Primary Prevention ; Soybean Proteins ; Vitamin B Complex ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins ; Yeasts

No abstract available.
Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Physicians, Family

Insulin autoimmune syndrome is characterized by spontaneous hypoglycemia, high concentrations of serum immunoreactive insulin, and the presence of autoantibodies to insulin without previous insulin injection. A 71-year-old woman with diabetes, who had been treated with oral hypoglycemic agents, suffered from frequent hypoglycemia. High insulin levels and the presence of insulin autoantibodies were shown, so insulin autoimmune syndrome was diagnosed. Drugs containing sulfhydryl groups play an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin autoimmune syndrome. Alpha-lipoic acid, which contains a sulfhydryl group, was administered before the onset of hypoglycemia. The patient's human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type was HLA-Cw4 and DRB1*0406. There is a strong correlation between HLA-DRB1*0406 and insulin autoimmune syndrome. The patient was treated with prednisolone and has not had a hypoglycemic attack since. We report a case of insulin autoimmune syndrome, possibly associated with alpha-lipoic acid.
Aged ; Autoantibodies ; Female ; HLA-C Antigens ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Insulin ; Leukocytes ; Prednisolone ; Thioctic Acid

Many interventional cardiologists rely upon percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents (DES), but DES may provoke serious complications, such as stent thrombosis and delayed restenosis. Previous studies of bare metal stent placement showed regression of neointimal proliferation after 6 months. Here, we report the case of a 50-year-old man demonstrating spontaneous regression of neointimal hyperplasia after undergoing PCI with a bare metal stent to treat a middle left anterior descending (LAD) artery lesion. Coronary angiography showed 90% diffuse restenosis at 6 months after stent placement, but the patient refused PCI due to monetary concerns. After 29 months, follow-up angiography revealed spontaneous regression of restenosis in the middle LAD.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Restenosis ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Middle Aged ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Stents ; Thrombosis

The prevalence of coronary artery disease is gradually increasing. The importance of accurate, early diagnosis and treatment has been emphasized repeatedly, given the possible fatal outcome of coronary artery disease, such as in acute myocardial infarction or heart failure. In order to detect patients at high risk of coronary artery disease, noninvasive multi-detector computed tomographic coronary angiography (CTCAG) has recently been introduced for clinical use. It has become popular thanks to its noninvasiveness and high negative predictive value. Most studies have focused on these advantages, while neglecting a number of flaws in multi-detector CTCAG. We present two cases of multi-detector CTCAG with false positive and false negative results. We would like to emphasize that the interpretation of the findings obtained with multi-detector CTCAG should depend on the clinical findings in the patient, along with other factors, such as the location or length of the lesion.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Early Diagnosis ; Fatal Outcome ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prevalence