No abstract available.
Chorion* ; Chorionic Villi*

No abstract available.
Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Korea* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Glycogen Synthase ; Glycogen ; Insulin ; Rats

How the news media cover cancer may have profound significance for cancer prevention and control; however, little is known about the actual content of cancer news coverage in Korea. This research thus aimed to examine news portrayal of specific cancer types with respect to threat and efficacy, and to investigate whether news portrayal corresponds to actual cancer statistics. A content analysis of 1,138 cancer news stories was conducted, using a representative sample from 23 news outlets (television, newspapers, and other news media) in Korea over a 5-year period from 2008 to 2012. Cancer incidence and mortality rates were obtained from the Korean Statistical Information Service. Results suggest that threat was most prominent in news stories on pancreatic cancer (with 87% of the articles containing threat information with specific details), followed by liver (80%) and lung cancers (70%), and least in stomach cancer (41%). Efficacy information with details was conveyed most often in articles on colorectal (54%), skin (54%), and liver (50%) cancers, and least in thyroid cancer (17%). In terms of discrepancies between news portrayal and actual statistics, the threat of pancreatic and liver cancers was overreported, whereas the threat of stomach and prostate cancers was underreported. Efficacy information regarding cervical and colorectal cancers was overrepresented in the news relative to cancer statistics; efficacy of lung and thyroid cancers was underreported. Findings provide important implications for medical professionals to understand news information about particular cancers as a basis for public (mis)perception, and to communicate effectively about cancer risk with the public and patients.
Communication ; Humans ; Incidence ; Internet/statistics & numerical data ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Male ; Mass Media/*statistics & numerical data ; Neoplasms/*epidemiology/mortality/prevention & control ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Prostatic Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/epidemiology

How the news media cover cancer may have profound significance for cancer prevention and control; however, little is known about the actual content of cancer news coverage in Korea. This research thus aimed to examine news portrayal of specific cancer types with respect to threat and efficacy, and to investigate whether news portrayal corresponds to actual cancer statistics. A content analysis of 1,138 cancer news stories was conducted, using a representative sample from 23 news outlets (television, newspapers, and other news media) in Korea over a 5-year period from 2008 to 2012. Cancer incidence and mortality rates were obtained from the Korean Statistical Information Service. Results suggest that threat was most prominent in news stories on pancreatic cancer (with 87% of the articles containing threat information with specific details), followed by liver (80%) and lung cancers (70%), and least in stomach cancer (41%). Efficacy information with details was conveyed most often in articles on colorectal (54%), skin (54%), and liver (50%) cancers, and least in thyroid cancer (17%). In terms of discrepancies between news portrayal and actual statistics, the threat of pancreatic and liver cancers was overreported, whereas the threat of stomach and prostate cancers was underreported. Efficacy information regarding cervical and colorectal cancers was overrepresented in the news relative to cancer statistics; efficacy of lung and thyroid cancers was underreported. Findings provide important implications for medical professionals to understand news information about particular cancers as a basis for public (mis)perception, and to communicate effectively about cancer risk with the public and patients.
Communication ; Humans ; Incidence ; Internet/statistics & numerical data ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Male ; Mass Media/*statistics & numerical data ; Neoplasms/*epidemiology/mortality/prevention & control ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Prostatic Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/epidemiology

No abstract available.
Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Korea*

OBJECTIVES: The most common chromosomal abnormality contributing to recurrent abortion is the balanced chromosomal translocation. However the exact incidence of fetal losses are still unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the incidence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities and outcome of pregnancy in recurrent miscarriage couples with balanced translocation. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of recurrent spontaneous abortion patients with balanced chromosomal translocation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytogenetic analysis was performed in 56 couples with history of recurrent abortions from 1995 to 1999. The use of high resolution banding technique and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in the chromosomal analysis has made the precise evaluation of chromosome aberrations. RESULTS: Among 56 couples, 42 patients had reciprocal translocation and 14 had Robertsonian translocation. Chromosomal aberrations were more frequent in women (36 cases) than in men (20 cases). Prenatal cytogenetic analyses were carried out in 14 subsequent pregnancies for carrier couples with balanced translocation. The fetal karyotypes showed that 5 cases (35.7%) was normal, 8 (57.1%) were balanced translocation, and 1 (7.1%) was unbalanced translocations. And cytogenetic analyses were done on 15 subsequent chorionic villi samples of abortuses for carrier couples with balanced translocations. Fourteen of fifteen abortuses (93.3%) were abnormal karyotype. CONCLUSIONS: Although the incidence of chromosomal imbalance in the fetuses was relatively low in prenatal cytogenetic analysis, individuals with balanced translocations are predisposed to giving birth to malformed offsprings with chromosomal imbalance (partial trisomy or monosomy). Therefore we recommend preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) for recurrent abortions with balanced translocation and preventing the birth of offspring with chromosomal abnormalities.
Abnormal Karyotype ; Abortion, Habitual* ; Abortion, Spontaneous ; Chorionic Villi ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Family Characteristics* ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Incidence* ; Karyotype ; Male ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Preimplantation Diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Translocation, Genetic ; Trisomy

Hashimoto's encephalopathy (HE) is a steroid-responsive disorder of persistent or relapsing neurological or neu-ropsychological deficits associated with elevated serum concentrations of antithyroid antibody that frequently presents with myoclonus, seizures, and stroke-like episodes. We report a 55-year-old woman who presented with an altered men-tality associated with generalized tonic-clonic seizure. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis 3 years prior. Serum antithyroglobulin antibody and antimicrosomal antibody were elevated. Electroencephalography (EEG) showed generalized slowing. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with T2-weighted sequence and fluid-attenuated inver-sion- recovery (FLAIR) image revealed a high signal intensity in both mesial temporal areas. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) demonstrated decreased perfusion in multiple areas. With the impression of HE, she was placed on high dose steroid and thyroid hormone replacement therapy which ameliorated her neurological symp-toms. We suggest that HE should be included in the differential diagnosis of decreased mentality, especially when patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis show altered consciousness, seizure disorder, or cognitive decline.
Brain ; Consciousness ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Myoclonus ; Perfusion ; Seizures ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

BACKGROUND: The H-reflex has been used to assess the proximal nerve conduction in radiculopathy or peripheral neuropathy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the H-reflex in the diagnosis of subclinical diabetic polyneuropathy. METHOD: Thirty-four diabetic patients (17 women and 17 men) who had neither motor nor sensory symptoms were selected (mean age 57.6 +/- 12.9 years). The duration of diabetes varied from 0.5 to 24 years (mean 6.2 +/- 5.1 years). None of the patients had any known cause of peripheral neuropathy other than diabetes. Twenty-seven healthy subjects (16 women and 11 men) were evaluated as an age-matched control group. H-reflex studies were performed using Braddom and Johnson's methods. The presence and latencies of the H-reflexes were examined in both legs. RESULTS: Twenty-four of the 34 patients (70.6%) had abnormal H-reflex responses (absent H-reflex in 17, prolonged latency in 7). However, only three out of the 27 control subjects (11.1%) had abnormal H-reflex responses (absent H-reflex in 1, prolonged latency in 2). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormalities in H-reflex studies have often been seen in diabetic subjects without overt neurological symptoms. This study suggests that the H-reflex study may be a useful screening tool in the diagnosis of subclinical diabetic polyneuropathy.
Diabetic Neuropathies* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; H-Reflex* ; Humans ; Leg ; Mass Screening ; Neural Conduction ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Radiculopathy

Microcystic adnexal carcinoma, also known as sclerosing sweat duct carcinoma, is an uncommon skin appendage neoplasm with both follicular and sweat duct differentiation. It typically occurs on the upper lip or central face of middle-aged patients but rarely affects the scalp. We report a case of microcystic adnexal carcinoma which developed on the scalp. A 65-year-old woman presented with a 10-year history of an asymptomatic, 1x1.5cm sized, firm, fixed, and dome-shaped mass on the scalp. A biopsy specimen showed a dermal tumor extending into the subcutis. Both the follicular and ductal structure, and CEA staining revealed a weakly positive reaction in the glandular structure of the tumor.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Female ; Humans ; Lip ; Scalp* ; Skin ; Sweat