A case of retroperitoneal teratoma, found in a ten month old female infant was reported. Twenty four hours after the direct retroperitoneal air insufflation, a retrograde pyelography was performed using B.B. 16F. cytoscope. These two studies were essential to make preoperative diagnosis. Review of retroperitoneal tumor was also added.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Insufflation ; Teratoma* ; Urography

The authors have experienced a case of Duchenne type of progressive muscular dystrophy in a 9 year old boy who was presented with significantly increased serum enzymes related to this disedase and musle biopsy findings compatible with muscular dystrophy, reported with review of literatures concerned.
Biopsy ; Child ; Humans ; Male ; Muscular Dystrophies*

BACKGROUND: The current perception threshold (CPT) could be quantified by stimulating Abeta and C fibers at 2,000 and 5 Hz, respectively. C fibers play a role in the autonomic nervous system and are involved in temperature and pain sensation. We evaluated the usefulness of CPT for diagnosing distal polyneuropathy (DPN) and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in diabetic patients. METHODS: The CPT was measured in the index finger (C7 level) and in the third toe (L5 level) in diabetic patients aged 30 to 69 years. We assessed DPN according to the neuropathy total symptom score-6 (NTSS-6) and 10-g monofilament pressure sensation. Subjects with a NTSS-6 >6 or with abnormal 10-g monofilament sensation were defined to have DPN. CAN was evaluated by spectral analysis of heart rate variability and by Ewing's traditional tests. RESULTS: The subjects with DPN had significantly higher CPT at all of the frequencies than the subjects without DPN (P<0.05). Abnormal 10-g monofilament sensation and NTSS-6 >6 could be most precisely predicted by CPT at 2,000 and 5 Hz, respectively. However, only 6.5% and 19.6% of subjects with DPN had an abnormal CPT at 2,000 Hz at the C7 and L5 levels. Although CPT at 5 Hz showed a negative correlation with the power of low and high frequency in the spectral analysis (P<0.05), only 16.7% of subjects with CAN exhibited an abnormal CPT at the same frequency. CONCLUSION: Although the CPT is significantly associated with neuropathic symptoms or signs corresponding to the nerve fiber stimulated, it provides little additional information compared with conventional evaluations.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Diabetic Neuropathies* ; Fingers ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Nerve Fibers ; Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated ; Polyneuropathies ; Sensation ; Toes

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has resulted in a tremendous advance in the technology of medical diagnosis. However, even with all positive advances, there are usually some negative aspects, especially noise. It is well known that loud sounds can induce a hearing loss. This study was performed to determine the acoustic characteristics of MRI noise and whether or not the sound exposure resulting from routine MRI examinations is capable of altering the auditory thresholds of patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Digital Impulse Sound Level Meter was placed at patient's head level and at a 2m distance. Frequency of MRI noise was recorded by Digital audio tape and analyzed by Computerized Sound Lab (CSL). A total of 53 adults (106 ears) who were scheduled for MR imaging studies were included in the study. Pure-tone air-conductive auditory threshold was determined bilaterally in each patient before and after MRI. RESULTS: The noise levels at head level ranged from 80.8 dB to 86.0 dB, and at a 2 m distance, from 71.9 dB to 75.9 dB. The frequency ranged from 60 Hz to 2500 Hz. Nine of the 106 ears had a hearing loss of at least 10 dB at one frequency. CONCLUSION: The noise generated by the MRI is sufficiently intense to cause some temporary threshold shifts (TTS). TTS may transform to permanent threshold shifts. Therefore, it is important to devise a method to minimize the risk of these shifts, for example, by using earplug.
Acoustics* ; Adult ; Auditory Threshold ; Diagnosis ; Ear ; Ear Protective Devices ; Head ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Noise*

BACKGROUND: Panax ginseng has glucose-lowering effects, some of which are associated with the improvement in insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Because mitochondria play a pivotal role in the insulin resistance of skeletal muscle, we investigated the effects of the ginsenoside Rg3, one of the active components of P. ginseng, on mitochondrial function and biogenesis in C2C12 myotubes. METHODS: C2C12 myotubes were treated with Rg3 for 24 hours. Insulin signaling pathway proteins were examined by Western blot. Cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels and the oxygen consumption rate were measured. The protein or mRNA levels of mitochondrial complexes were evaluated by Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: Rg3 treatment to C2C12 cells activated the insulin signaling pathway proteins, insulin receptor substrate-1 and Akt. Rg3 increased ATP production and the oxygen consumption rate, suggesting improved mitochondrial function. Rg3 increased the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor, which are transcription factors related to mitochondrial biogenesis. Subsequent increased expression of mitochondrial complex IV and V was also observed. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Rg3 improves mitochondrial function and the expression of key genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, leading to an improvement in insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Rg3 may have the potential to be developed as an anti-hyperglycemic agent.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Blotting, Western ; Insulin ; Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins ; Insulin Resistance ; Mitochondria ; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal* ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nuclear Respiratory Factor 1 ; Organelle Biogenesis* ; Oxygen Consumption ; Panax ; Peroxisomes ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; RNA, Messenger ; Transcription Factors

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of novel type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) antibodies targeting eukaryote translation elongation factor 1 alpha 1 autoantibody (EEF1A1-AAb) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2L3 autoantibody (UBE2L3-AAb) has been shown to be negatively correlated with age in T1DM subjects. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether age affects the levels of these two antibodies in nondiabetic subjects. METHODS: EEF1A1-AAb and UBE2L3-AAb levels in nondiabetic control subjects (n=150) and T1DM subjects (n=101) in various ranges of age (18 to 69 years) were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cutoff point for the presence of each autoantibody was determined based on control subjects using the formula: [mean absorbance+3×standard deviation]. RESULTS: In nondiabetic subjects, there were no significant correlations between age and EEF1A1-AAb and UBE2L3-AAb levels. However, there was wide variation in EEF1A1-AAb and UBE2L3-AAb levels among control subjects <40 years old; the prevalence of both EEF1A1-AAb and UBE2L3-AAb in these subjects was 4.4%. When using cutoff points determined from the control subjects <40 years old, the prevalence of both autoantibodies in T1DM subjects was decreased (EEFA1-AAb, 15.8% to 8.9%; UBE2L3-AAb, 10.9% to 7.9%) when compared to the prevalence using the cutoff derived from the totals for control subjects. CONCLUSION: There was no association between age and EEF1A1-AAb or UBE2L3-AAb levels in nondiabetic subjects. However, the wide variation in EEF1A1-AAb and UBE2L3-AAb levels apparent among the control subjects <40 years old should be taken into consideration when determining the cutoff reference range for the diagnosis of T1DM.
Antibodies ; Autoantibodies* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eukaryota* ; Humans ; Peptide Elongation Factor 1* ; Peptide Elongation Factors* ; Prevalence ; Reference Values ; Young Adult*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Total laryngectomy has become a usual treatment for any advanced carcinoma of the larynx, but most patients who have undergone total laryngectomy have shown permanent disability in voice production. To solve this problem, studies of voice rehabilitation after total laryngectomy have been done. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have developed an accurate method to measure the vocal tract shape along its length from magnetic resonance images acquired during the sustained phonation of Korean vowels by T-E shunt patients and normal subject. We estimated the accuracy of MRI and also compared the vocal tract spape of the normal and T-E shunt patients by comparing the first three formant frequencies estimated from MRI to those measured directly from speech data of the T-E patients and the normal subject. RESULTS: The length of T-E shunt patient's vocal tract is 17-18.5 cm. T-E shunt patients phonated strained voice. The length of resonant chamber of T-E shunt patients are shorter than that of the normal subject. The vocal tract is shortened during the phonation by T-E shunt patients. In cases of /e/ and /i/, front cavities are constricted while back cavities are shortened. The pseudoglottis of the T-E shunt patients is located at the region 14-15 cm from lip. CONCLUSION: Acoustic characteristics and vocal tract shapes of the T-E shunt patients are relatively similar to those of the normal subject. To achieve normal voice, reconstruction of pharyngeal and superior glottal resonant chamber will be desirable.
Acoustics ; Humans ; Laryngectomy* ; Larynx ; Lip ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Phonation* ; Rehabilitation ; Voice

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We evaluated whether colonic transit time (CTT) can predict the degree of bowel preparation in patients with chronic constipation undergoing scheduled colonoscopy in order to assist in the development of better bowel preparation strategies for these patients. METHODS: We analyzed the records of 160 patients with chronic constipation from March 2007 to November 2012. We enrolled patients who had undergone a CTT test followed by colonoscopy. We defined patients with a CTT > or =30 hours as the slow transit time (STT) group, and patients with a CTT <30 hours as the normal transit time (NTT) group. Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) scores were compared between the STT and NTT groups. RESULTS: Of 160 patients with chronic constipation, 82 (51%) were included in the STT group and 78 (49%) were included in the NTT group. Patients with a BBPS score of <6 were more prevalent in the STT group than in the NTT group (31.7% vs. 10.3%, P=0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that slow CTT was an independent predictor of inadequate bowel preparation (odds ratio, 0.261; 95% confidence interval, 0.107-0.634; P=0.003). The best CTT cut-off value for predicting inadequate bowel preparation in patients with chronic constipation was 37 hours, as determined by receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (area under the ROC curve: 0.676, specificity: 0.735, sensitivity: 0.643). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic constipation and a CTT >30 hours were at risk for inadequate bowel preparation. CTT measured prior to colonoscopy could be useful for developing individualized strategies for bowel preparation in patients with slow CTT, as these patients are likely to have inadequate bowel preparation.
Colon* ; Colonoscopy ; Constipation* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: The most frequent disease seen in the anal area is hemorrhoid. The main therapeutic approach has been surgical treatment. However, in case of first degree and second degree hemorroids, the high frequency therapy is available. It can be applied on the OPD basis by the family pratitioners. Method: The data have been collected between Nov. 1997 and Apr. 1999, 464 cases are surveyed on the basis of sex, age, symptom duration, main symptom, location and duration of hemorrhoid, associated anal disease, therapeutic complication, and patients subjective satisfaction. Only 220 out of the 464 cases were available for the patients satisfaction study because of limited follow up study. RESULT: The sex ratio is 1.18:1 (252 in male, 212 in female). Age distribution shows a clustering pattern around the middle age(158 cases in the 30s, and 142 in the 40s respectively). Symptom duration before their first hospital visit reveals 118 cases(25.4%). under 5 years, 105 cases(22.6%) over 10 years, 102 cases(22.1%) 5 to 10 years orderly. The main symptom includes hemorrhoidal mass, bleeding, and pain. 146 cases(31.5%) had all the symptom descrived above. Patients with mass and bleeding were 122 patients(26.3%). In case of the degee of internal hemorrhoid, the second degree of hemorrhoid was the most common(386 cases: 83.2%) followed by the first degree(43 cases: 9.3%), the third degree (24 cases: 5.1%) and the forth degree(11 cases:2.4%). Total number of the patients with therapeutic complication were 99 cases. The complications were acute urinary retension (46cases: 46.5%), perianal edema (30 cases: 30.3%), bleeding (18cases: 18.2%) and anal stricture (5 cases: 5.0%). Satisfaction survey was based on the 220 follow up case study. 125 cases revealed very satisfied.(56.8%), 66 slightly satisfied (30.0%) and 29 unsatisfied.(13.2%). CONCLUSION: As shown in the study above, the high frequency therapy provided the patients with the high level of satisfaction. Based on the this fact, it is suggested to the family practitioners.
Age Distribution ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Edema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhoids* ; Humans ; Male ; Sex Ratio

BACKGROUND: Early diagnosis of tuberculosis is critical, especially in Korea, an area where tuberculosis is endemic. Because antibody responses to some membrane proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are not comparable, and the policy of BCG vaccination and the prevalence of tuberculosis are different from country to country, the usefulness of the serological diagnostic tests is questionable in Korea, even though they have been confirmed to be useful in other countries. In the specific context of Korea, we tried to evaluate the validity of the ICT Tuberculosis Test (ICT), a membrane-based antibody kit that purports to detect the 5 M. tuberculosis complex-specific antigens including 38-kDa protein. METHOD: 68 patients with tuberculosis were tested: 37 had no history of previous tuberculosis, and 31 were reactivated cases. The control group comprised 77 subjects: 25 healthy adults, 35 hospital workers with frequent contact with tuberculosis patients, and 17 in-patients with non-tuberculous respiratory diseases. RESULTS: The diagnostic sensitivities of the ICT were 87% and 73% in patients with versus without previous history of tuberculosis, respectively. The sensitivities of smear-positive and smear-negative patient groups were 81% and 73%, respectively. Both of the two patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis tested positive through the ICT. The specificities of the ICT were 88%, 94%, and 94% in healthy adults, hospital workers, and non-tuberculous patients, respectively, with an overall specificity of 92%. Conclusion: It is suggested that when combined with traditional techniques, the ICT is an useful tool for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The procedure is simple, easy to perform, rapid, and needs no equipment. It shows 73% sensitivity and 92% specificity for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.
Adult ; Antibody Formation ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Membrane Proteins ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Prevalence ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Vaccination