BACKGROUND: To report the radiological and clinical outcomes of internal fixation using distal clavicle hook plates for distal clavicle fractures. METHODS: From April 2008 to December 2012, 32 patients with distal clavicle fractures underwent surgery using an AO hook plate. The reduction was qualified and evaluated according to the radiological findings. The evaluation of the clinical outcomes was performed with the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) score, the Korean Shoulder score, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score. RESULTS: By radiological evaluation, we found that 31 of 32 patients showed anatomical reduction and solid bone union. Although we obtained satisfactory UCLA scores, Korean Shoulder Scale scores, and VAS pain scores, 12 cases of complications were present. We found 4 cases of osteolysis of the acromion, 1 case of nonunion, 3 cases of periprosthetic fractures, 3 cases of subacromial pain, and 1 case of skin irritation. We performed re-operations in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: To avoid complications associated with clavicle hook plates, choosing the appropriate hook size and bending of the hook according to the slope of the acromion undersurface is critical. Also, we believe that early removal of clavicle plates may help reduce complications.
Acromion ; California ; Clavicle* ; Humans ; Osteolysis ; Periprosthetic Fractures ; Shoulder ; Skin

Unilateral renal agenesis is uncommon congenital condition with important implication when operation is performed. We report on two cases of unilateral renal agenesis but blind loop of ureter in a 2 year male child with vesical diverticulum and a 8 year old girl with contralateral hydronephrosis. An excretory urogram of the former revealed nonvisualization of left kidney and normal right kidney, it of the latter showed marked hydronephrosis of right kidney and nonvisualization of left kidney. These cases were finally confirmed by exploratory surgery with transvesical retrograde pyelography and histopathological findings of resected surgical specimen.
Child ; Diverticulum ; Female ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Kidney ; Male ; Ureter ; Urography

No abstract available.
Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Immunoglobulins* ; Pneumonia*

Teratoma of the testis is rare in testicular tumors and usually has more than one germ cell layer. Recently, we experienced one case of testicular teratoma in 19 years old adolescence, admitted to the department of urology, Chungnam National University Hospital. Histopathologic finding revealed the testicular teratoma with 3 germ layers. Herein, we report this one case of testicular teratoma with review of related literatures.
Adolescent ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Germ Cells ; Germ Layers ; Humans ; Teratoma* ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis ; Urology ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: A variety of biodegradable polymers have been utilized to fabricate matrices for engineering genitourinary tissues, Chitosan is a biosynthetic polysaccharide that is the deacetylated derivative of chitin. The aims were to investigate the characteristics of the newly developed porous chitosan-based biodegradable scaffolds and to reconstruct cavernosal smooth muscle structure in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To study the cytotoxicity of the newly developed scaffolds, cultured L929 murine fibroblasts were stained with PKH-26 and then cultured on culture plate or loaded in chitosan/hyaluronic acid polymers. For in vivo study, human corpus cavernosal smooth muscle cells were seeded on the scaffolds at concentration of 20*106 cells per cm3 .A total of 24 polymer scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously with cells in one side and without cells in the other side, respectively, in 12 athymic mice, Mice were scarificed 7, 14, 28 days after implantation, respectively. H-E stain and monoclonal anti-alpha smooth muscle actin stain were performed. RESULTS: Scanning electron micrographs of chitosan and 0.03% hyaluronic acid based scaffolds showed sheet-like porous structure. The cell division numbers of L929 murine fibroblasts sere significantly increased in scaffolds by chitosan/hyaluronic acid compared with chitosan alone, Histologically the retrieved polymers seeded with cavernosal smooth muscle cells showed organized smooth muscle structure 28 days after implantation. immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the smooth muscle phenotype. CONCLUSION: These results show that porous chitosan-based biodegradable scaffolds are new biomaterials for the reconstruction of cavernosal smooth muscle structure. However, further studies are needed to make cavernosal sinusoidal structure using this new scaffolds.
Actins ; Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Cell Division ; Chitin ; Chitosan ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Penis ; Phenotype ; Polymers ; Tissue Engineering

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiologic results of using Acutrak screws for treating ankle medial malleolar fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 38 cases of ankle medial malleolar fracture treated with Acutrak screws from February 2005 to May 2008. RESULTS: In clinical result, there were 30 exellent cases, 7 good cases, 1 fair case. In radiologic result, there is no case with reduction loss. Average union time is 10.5 weeks. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Acutrak screw fixation is a useful method for ankle medial malleolar fracture, there are many advantages in accurate anatomical reduction, small incision, short operative time.
Animals ; Ankle ; Operative Time

Radiological criteria such as smooth, sharply defined interface, obtuse angles between lesion and lung and intimate effect on mediastinal contents were usually used to differentiate mediastinal lesion from parenchymal lung lesion Recently, we experienced a 60-year-old female presenting with anterior mediastinal mass with cavitation. Grossly it was proven to be peripheral lung cancer adjacent to mediastinum and microscopically it was squamous cell carcinoma. The gross pathological findings of surgical specimen were very well correlated with radiological findings. The unique location such as lung periphery and attachment to mediastinum led us to misdiagnosis of anterior mediastinal mass such as germ-cell tumor and neurogenic tumor.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate effect of alpha-lipoic acid on apoptotic cell death in rat hippocampal neuron following transient forebrain ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. METHODS: The four-vessel occlusion method was used to induce transient I/R injury in the forebrain of Sprague-Dawley rats. In the treatment group, alpha-Lipoic acid (LA) was administered subcutaneously at 50 mg/kg/day for 7 days before induction of I/R injury. RESULTS: Pretreatment with LA significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive neurons in the pyramidal cells layer of the hipocampal CA1 region 5 days after the ischemia, suggesting a marked reduction of apoptotic cell death. Pretreatment with LA also resulted in marked suppression at the transcript level of mRNA for caspase-3 at 24 hours, and decreased concentration of the active form of caspase-3 protein in the hippocampus at 1, 3, and 5 days after I/R injury. Furthermore, as indicated by western blot analysis, the concentration of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) in the hippocampus was reduced at 1 and 3 days after a transient I/R injury by pretreatment with LA. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that LA has the potential to prevent neuronal cell death in the hippocampus by inhibiting intracellular signaling pathways responsible for apoptosis following transient I/R injury.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Apoptosis Inducing Factor ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death* ; Hippocampus* ; Ischemia ; Neurons ; Prosencephalon* ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury* ; RNA, Messenger ; Thioctic Acid*

Avulsion fracture of medial cuneiform by tibialis anterior tendon is quite rare. It has been reported about the avulsion fracture and surgical repair of tibialis anterior tendon rupture at distal insertion site of medial cuneiform in Korea. We report a case of right foot medial cuneiform avulsion fracture by tibialis anterior tendon after autobike accident and describe this case with a review of literature.
Foot ; Korea ; Rupture ; Tendons

BACKGROUND: Puffer fish can be the source of lethal flood poisoning in humans. Tetrodotoxin(TTX) poisonings are not infrequency seen in Korea, but there are few clinical reports. So we reviewed the patients of TTX poisoning and analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed of 40 patients who visited Chung Ang Gil Hospital from Jan. 1, 1995 to May. 31, 1998 with a diagnosis of TTX poisoning by a review of patients' medical records and telephone inquiries, The diagnosis of TTX poisoning was made by causal links between consumption of puffer fish and the development of typical symptoms of tetrodotoxication. The clinical severity of the patients in this study was classified according to the classification of Fukuda. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 40 years. The highest incidence was in the 4th decade in 21 patients(52.5%). The ratio of male to female was 3.44:1, Seasonal distribution excluding cases in 1998 was 12 patients in spring, 6 in summer, 5 in autumn and 12 in winter. The mean interval between consumption and symptom onset was 137 minutes. Common initial symptoms were circumoral numbness(32 patients) and paresthesia of extremities(24 patients). Various symptoms were developed after ingestion of puffer flesh such as neuromuscular(39 patients), cardiovascular/pulmonary (23 patients) and gastrointestinal (16 patients) system. Mean recovery time from the onset of symptom was 22.00 hours. All were treated with symptomatic and supportive measures and recovered completely without sequelae. In 2 cases ventilatory supports were applied for 18.5 hours and 31.5 hours respectively.
Classification ; Diagnosis ; Eating ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Paresthesia ; Poisoning* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Telephone ; Tetraodontiformes*