Retinal arteriovenous crossing sites are important because they are generally the points at which. in branch retinal obstruction, a blockage of venous blood flow occurs. We evaluated retrospectively the cases of 54 patiens wIth a recent temporal branch retinal vein occlusion to determine the relative anatomic position of the obstructed vein in relation to its crossing artery. In 54 (100%) of 54 eyes, the artery lay antenor to the vein, toward the vitreous cavity. In the control corssing site, the artery lay anterior to the vein 41.3% (J9/46) of the time (p<0.01) The second control group, which was obtained by examining all of the first-and second-order, without BRVO, consisted of 103 crossing sites. In this second control group's artenovenous crossmgs, the arteries were situated anteriorly in 83 (80.6%) of 103 crossing sites (p<0.005). Our observation that the artery lies anterior to the vein at the all of BRVO crossing sites contributes further evidence that mechanical factors play a prominent role in the causing BRVO.
Arteries ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Retrospective Studies ; Veins

A Macular hole may change in size of the hole; may increase in size with time and an epiretinal membrane may form. Rarely, a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment may occur with time and long term visual acuity usually remains stable or progressively worse. But to our knowledge spontaneous disappearance of a macular hole caused by development of an epiretinal membrane with improvement in vision rarely occurs. The traumatic, full-thickness macular hole in a 15-year-old man during 3 month follow-up period, changed its biomicroscopic appearance and fluorescein angiographic finding. Furthermore, visual acuity showed some improvement. The authors believe this spontaneous disappearance of macular hole is probably occured as a result of epiretinal membrane formation.
Adolescent ; Epiretinal Membrane ; Fluorescein ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Perforations* ; Visual Acuity

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective radiological assessment was conducted. OBJECTIVES: An attempt to analyze the degenerative change of an intervertebral disc for adjacent segment degeneration in lumbar degenerative diseases. LITERATURE REVIEW SUMMARY: A review of the literature failed to uncover any documented study examining the quantitative analysis of the degenerative change of the intervertebral disc for adjacent segment degeneration. METHODS: This study was based on 45 patients, treated operatively or conservatively at this hospital, between April 1995 and July 2004. 39 and 6 cases of operative and conservative treatments, respectively, were performed. In the 39 operative treatments, there were 34 cases of fusion and 5 of discectomy. Dynamic X-ray and MRI were performed at the initial evaluation, and again more than 2 years later. In the 34 fusion cases, the upper and lower adjacent segments of the fused level were studied, and in the 11 non-fusion cases (conservative treatment or discectomy), the L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1 level were studied. The instability of the dynamic X-ray and Thompson grade changes of the disc on MRI were also evaluated. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: Adjacent segment degeneration was found in 10 of the 34 cases (29.4%) on plain X-ray. The average Thompson grades of the 33 upper segment cases were 2.6 and 3.4 preoperatively and postoperatively (P=0.000), and for the 24 of the lower segment cases were 2.9and 3.2 (P=0.033), respectively. No statistical increase in the Thompson grade was found in the non-fusion group. CONCLUSIONS: The adjacent discs of the fusion group showed statistically meaningful degeneration on MRI, but this was not correlated with adjacent segment degeneration on plain X-ray. Various anatomical and functional factors must be considered in the evaluation of adjacent segment disease.
Diskectomy ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fusion*

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective radiological assessment was conducted. OBJECTIVES: An attempt to analyze the degenerative change of an intervertebral disc for adjacent segment degeneration in lumbar degenerative diseases. LITERATURE REVIEW SUMMARY: A review of the literature failed to uncover any documented study examining the quantitative analysis of the degenerative change of the intervertebral disc for adjacent segment degeneration. METHODS: This study was based on 45 patients, treated operatively or conservatively at this hospital, between April 1995 and July 2004. 39 and 6 cases of operative and conservative treatments, respectively, were performed. In the 39 operative treatments, there were 34 cases of fusion and 5 of discectomy. Dynamic X-ray and MRI were performed at the initial evaluation, and again more than 2 years later. In the 34 fusion cases, the upper and lower adjacent segments of the fused level were studied, and in the 11 non-fusion cases (conservative treatment or discectomy), the L3-4, L4-5 and L5-S1 level were studied. The instability of the dynamic X-ray and Thompson grade changes of the disc on MRI were also evaluated. Statistical analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: Adjacent segment degeneration was found in 10 of the 34 cases (29.4%) on plain X-ray. The average Thompson grades of the 33 upper segment cases were 2.6 and 3.4 preoperatively and postoperatively (P=0.000), and for the 24 of the lower segment cases were 2.9and 3.2 (P=0.033), respectively. No statistical increase in the Thompson grade was found in the non-fusion group. CONCLUSIONS: The adjacent discs of the fusion group showed statistically meaningful degeneration on MRI, but this was not correlated with adjacent segment degeneration on plain X-ray. Various anatomical and functional factors must be considered in the evaluation of adjacent segment disease.
Diskectomy ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fusion*

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) status and evaluate the associated factors in a Korean pediatric population aged 0-18 yr. METHODS: Serum 25OHD levels were retrospectively analyzed in 13,236 Korean children and adolescents. 25OHD tests by chemiluminescent immunoassay were requested from 332 medical institutions nationwide in Korea between January 2014 and December 2014. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and insufficiency (VDI) and the associated factors were analyzed. VDD and VDI were defined as serum 25OHD levels of <20.0 ng/mL and 20.0-29.9 ng/mL, respectively. RESULTS: The 25OHD levels negatively correlated with age (r=-0.4033, P<0.001). Overall, 79.8% boys and 83.8% girls had hypovitaminosis D (VDI or VDD). The Odds ratios (ORs) of being in the VDD/VDI category as against the reference category of VDS (vitamin D sufficiency) were as follows: increase in age by 1 yr (OR=1.42/1.25, all P<0.001); girls (OR=1.32/1.16, P<0.001/P=0.004) compared to boys, spring (OR=1.61/1.80), fall (OR=1.31/1.28), and winter (OR=1.44/2.03, all P<0.001) compared to summer season; living in urban areas (OR=1.23, P<0.001) compared to rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: VDD and VDI are highly prevalent in children and adolescents in Korea. Serum 25OHD levels decreased significantly according to increasing age. Winter and spring seasons, increasing age, female sex, and living in urban areas are the factors associated with a high risk of VDD or VDI.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Korea ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Vitamin D Deficiency* ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

BACKGROUND: To establish effective preventive measures for hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection, a nationwide epidemiologic study on seroprevalence of anti-HAV and the disease prevalence is needed. The aim of this study was to analyze the recent sero-epidemiological changes of hepatitis A markers in Korea. METHODS: The results of 11,068 anti-HAV total and 32,360 anti-HAV IgM tests by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) that had been requested in recent four years (2005-2008) to a reference medical laboratory from 1,699 institutions nationwide were retrospectively analyzed according to the distribution of year, sex, and age groups. RESULTS: The overall positive rate of anti-HAV total was 62.8%. The overall positive rate of anti-HAV IgM was 11.0%, showing a significantly increasing trend by year: 7.7%, 10.9%, 8.9%, and 14.3% in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively (P<0.0001). The positive rate of anti-HAV IgM was higher in male than in female subjects (11.8% vs 10.0%, P<0.0001), and 81.8% (2,916/3,566) of the anti-HAV IgM positive results were observed in the age groups of 21-40 yr. The annual positive rates of anti-HAV total and anti-HAV IgM showed significantly decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, in the age groups of > or =21 yr. Conclusion: In accordance with a decreasing sero-positivity of anti-HAV total, the prevalence of acute hepatitis A virus infection has been considerably increased during the recent four years in the age groups of > or =21 yr. The results of this study could be used effectively as a basic data for establishing effective preventive measures for hepatitis A including vaccination in these susceptible age groups.
Adult ; Biological Markers/blood ; Chemiluminescent Measurements ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Hepatitis A/*epidemiology ; Hepatitis A Antibodies/*blood ; Hepatitis A virus/*immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Time Factors

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective clinical and radiographic review. OBJECTIVES: To assess the treatment for the recurred symptoms caused by various sequential degenerative changes at the adja-cent segments to previous lumbar fusion. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Accelerated degeneration of lumbar segments adjacent to a previous fusion has been established, but the treatment for this condition has rarely been demonstrated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 19 consecutive patients who had treatments for the recurred symptoms caused by a sequential degenerative change at the adjacent segments were reviewed. The sequential changes at the adjacent segments were instability, disc space narrowing, spinal stenosis, and/or vertebral slip, and the symptoms of these changes were back pain in all patients and leg pain in many patients, particularly in later years. RESULTS: Initially all symptomatic patients were tried with conservative regimens of medication, physiotherapy, exercise, and education. A back brace was also applied for the patients who have considerable back pain, and the epidural injections for those who have leg pain. The symptoms of these patients, particularly the back pain were responded well to the conservative therapy during the earlier years, but surgery was needed eventually at the later years in 8 patients, particularly for the leg pain. For these patients, an adequate decompression and extension of the fusion using instrumentation resulted in good fusion with satisfactory clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION: The initial symptoms of the sequential degenerative changes at the adjacent segment after lumbar fusion were well responded to the conservative treatments, but a surgical treatment was needed eventually in many patients. The methods and results of the surgical treatment were similar to those of primary conditions.
Back Pain ; Braces ; Decompression ; Education ; Humans ; Injections, Epidural ; Leg ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Stenosis

Inflammation may be linked to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. However, two conflicting observational results were recently reported on the relationship between the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) and the risk of colorectal cancer. Few epidemiologic studies have examined the association between inflammatory markers and the risk of colorectal cancer. We prospectively examined the mortality and incidence risk for colon and rectal cancers among 424,419 Koreans (108,907 men and 315,512 women). The subjects were 40 to 95 years of age and from the Korean Cancer Prevention Study (KCPS) cohort. All subjects received medical examination from the National Health Insurance Corporation in 1993 and 1995. The maximum follow-up period was 10 years, and the follow-up periods began in January 1, 1994 and ended in December 31, 2003. An elevated white blood cell count (WBC) was associated with a higher mortality risk of colon cancer (highest versus lowest quartile: men, 1.55, 95% CI 1.10-2.18, p for trend = 0.0014; women, 1.51, 95% CI 1.12- 2.03, p for trend = 0.0049). Similarly, an elevated WBC was associated with a higher incidence risk of colon cancer (highest versus lowest quartile: men, 1.38, 1.09-1.76, p for trend = 0.0017; women, 1.46, 95% CI 1.20-1.78, p for trend= 0.0003). A positive linear trend was also observed in non- smokers. There was no significant association between WBC and the risk of rectal cancer. Our findings demonstrate that an elevated WBC is associated with an increase in both the mortality and incidence rates of colon cancer. These results support our hypothesis that inflammation increases the risk of colon cancer.
Smoking ; Risk Factors ; Rectal Neoplasms/epidemiology/mortality ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Male ; *Leukocyte Count ; Humans ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Colorectal Neoplasms/epidemiology/mortality ; Colonic Neoplasms/*epidemiology/mortality ; Cohort Studies ; Biological Markers ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Adult

PURPOSE: The safety of MMR(Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) immunization to children with egg allergies has been debated for decades because the live attenuated virus used in the vaccine is grown in cultured chick-embryo fibroblasts. Many studies that investigated adverse reactions to MMR vaccine have been reported abroad, but there has been no report in Korean children. So, this study is aimed at determining the prevalence of positive reactions to skin test with the diluted MMR vaccine and the safety of MMR immunization in Korean children with egg allergies. METHODS: Twenty children who have atopic dermatitis or urticaria associated with egg allergies in Samsung Medical Center underwent prick and intradermal tests with diluted MMR vaccine. Then, we administered the vaccine to the children subcutaneously. RESULTS: One patient(5.0%) had a positive result on the prick test and five(25.0%) on the intradermal test. Urticaria was elicited after MMR immunization in two children(10%) who had past illness of urticaria. One of them had a positive result on the prick and intradermal tests, but the other had negative results on both tests. CONCLUSION: Although anaphylaxis did not appear in our study, adverse reactions to MMR vaccination can occur in children with egg allergies, regardless of skin test result to MMR vaccine, prick or intradermal. Thus, in children with a history of severe systemic allergic reaction to egg, it is safe to perform MMR vaccination in a tertiary medical center where emergency care can be taken appropriately.
Anaphylaxis ; Child* ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Egg Hypersensitivity* ; Emergency Medical Services ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunization* ; Intradermal Tests ; Measles* ; Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine ; Mumps* ; Ovum* ; Prevalence ; Rubella* ; Skin Tests ; Urticaria ; Vaccination

OBJECTIVE: Mycoplasmas have been implicated in many diseases including cervicitis, urethritis, salpingitis, endometritis... and functioning as cofactors catalyzing the HIV disease state. The oncogenic potentiality of mycoplasma was only recently realized when they were shown causing chromosomal changes and in vitro cell transformations through gradual progressive chromsomal loss and translocation. Few study has been reported the prevalence of mycoplasma infection in human cancers and suggested that there was a connection between these organisms and human cancers. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between Ureaplasma urealyticum infection and cervical cancer. METHODS: The detection frequency of Ureaplasma urealyticum in 52 invasive cervical cancer tissues and 17 normal cervical tissues was studied using PCR. RESULTS: U. urealyticum DNA was detected in 8 out of 52(15.4%) invasive cervical cancer tissues and 1 out of 17(5.9%) normal cervical tissues. No statistic significance was observed between the detection frequency of Ureaplasma urealyticum and clinicopathologic parameters. The prevalence of Ureaplasma urealyticum in invasive cervical tissues was 15.4% and this rate was higher than 5.9% in normal cervical tissues but there was no statistic significance. CONCLUSIONS: With respect to clinicopathologic parameters of cervical cancer, there was no significant relation between U. urealyticum infection and cervical cancer. There is, however, few study and case on cervical cancer internally and externally. It is considered that more studies on the subject with much cases should be made.
Carcinogenesis ; DNA ; Endometritis ; Female ; HIV ; Humans ; Mycoplasma ; Mycoplasma Infections ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Salpingitis ; Ureaplasma urealyticum* ; Ureaplasma* ; Urethritis ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* ; Uterine Cervicitis