The written examination that is being used as the only tool to assess the learning ability of the students in Korea tests the degree to which each student has mastered the learning objectives. Idealy, the examination should test the students' in three major categories of objectives ; cognitive, motor-skills and affective area, and include various types of question items. In reality, however, the tests are very much simplified both in objective categories and types of question items simply because of the carelessness and conveniences of teachers. This study analyzes the pattern of objective categories, types of question items, and the number of question items of a mid-term examination of one medical school in Seoul. Fifty junior faculties from 50 departments and teaching units were asked to assess the question items of their own departmental examination after a guideline had been given by the authors. Major findings as obtained from the study are as follows ; 1. More than half (56.4%) of the test items were related to the cognitive area and only 10.8% of all the test items were related to motor-skills. Test items of pre-med courses were much more ideal than those of other medical and nursing courses in distribution of objective categories. Only 4.7% of the items of clinical medical courses were for evaluation of motor-skills. 2. In types of question items, 57.1% were essay type and the rest 43.9% were selection type. Test items of clinical medical courses were adopting the most ideal pattern in types of test items by having more than 4 different types of question items. 3. Average number of question items per teaching subject was 27.3 (range : 6-71). Some departments and teaching units were giving students too many test items in a given time period (50 minutes). In conclusion, written examination in a medical college varies in testing students' learning objectives, and types and number of test items by departments and teaching units. It is supported that before making test items, consideration on learning objective categories, types of question items and the number of question items in very much needed.
Humans ; Korea ; Learning* ; Nursing ; Schools, Medical ; Seoul*

Kimura's disease is an important category of reactive lymphadenopathy especially among Asians. It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology and is characterized by angiolymphoid proliferation and eosinophilia. The patient was a 17-year-old man with a 3-year-history of submandibular lymphadenopathy Who was referred to Kyung Hee University Hospital for evaluation of enlarging mass. He had a history of nephrotic syndrome for 7-8 years since 1984. Laboratory findings were not specific except for peripheral blood eosinophilia. The submandibular lymph node showed florid germinal enters, increased postcapillary venules in the paracortex, eosinophilic infiltration, and sclerosis. In this paper, a case of lymphadenopathy of Kimura's disease associated with nephrotic syndrome is reported.
Male ; Humans

A rare case of uterine lipoleiomyoma is reported with presentation of computed tomography, histomorphologic and immunohistochemical findings. This tumor is predominantly lipomatous with an admixture of smooth muscle fiber and hyalinized fibrous tissue. Immunohistochemical study revealed a positive reaction of S-100 protein in fat cells and desmin in smooth muscle fibers. Its histogenesis also has been discussed.

Hypoglossal neurinomas are very rare and those which simultaneously involve the intracranial and extracranial portions are extremely unusual. Using the modified transcondylar approach, the authors successfully removed a dumbbell-shaped hypoglossal neurinoma at the intracranial portion and extending to the anterior upper portion of the axis through the hypoglossal canal. After dividing the cervical musculatures into layers, the vertebral artery was mobilized by opening the foramen transversarium and removing the postero-lateral part of the right occipital condyle, the lateral mass of the atlas and the mastoid tip by means of a small lateral suboccipital craniotomy. This approach offers a wide surgical field and a direct approach to the skull base and upper anterior cervical spine. After total removal of the hypoglossal neurinoma, a very simple supplementary autogenous bone graft was performed between the occipital bone and the lateral mass of the atlas, using the corticocancellous bone fixed with small screws. Postoperatively, the tumor was removed totally and there was no limitation on the cervical rotatory movement. A review of cases of hypoglossal neurinomas and the surgical approaches employed is included in this paper.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Craniotomy ; Mastoid ; Neurilemmoma* ; Occipital Bone ; Skull Base ; Spine ; Transplants ; Vertebral Artery

BACKGROUND: With mitral valvular heart disease, chronic atrial fibrillation(AF) is not likely to return to sinus rhythm after the operation. We evaluate the long term results and factors in recurrence of AF after modified Maze operation with mitral valve surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From 1990 to 1996, 35 patients with chronic AF underwent modified Maze operation with mitral valve procedure in patients with chronic AF. The mean duration of AF was 7.7 +/-4.5 years. The concomitant operations were 34 mitral valve replacement(with 4 tricuspid annuloplasty and 3 tricuspid valve replacement)and 1 mitral valve repair. We analyzed the long term results and factors in recurrence of AF. RESULT: At immediate postoperatively, 33 of the 35 patients(93.9%) were converted to sinus rhythm. There was one operative death. However, AF recurred in 12 out of 35 patients during hospitalization and AF in these 12 patients were treated with antiarrhythmic drugs and electrical defibrillation 2-3 months later. Two out of twelve patients were failed in conversion to sinus rhythm after cessation of medication with side effects. During follow-up(71.1 +/-17.5 months, range 3-9 years), AF recurred in 9 patients and overall conversion rate to sinus rhythm was 73.5%. Predictors of postoperative AF included: duration of preoperative AF(maintenance group: recurrence group=6.3 years VS. 10.3 years, p=0.008) and cardiothoracic ratio on preoperative chest X-ray(0.58 VS. 0.72, p=0.009). CONCLUSION: AF surgery with mitral valve procedure increase the chance of recovery into sinus rhythm, reduce the incidence of atrial arrhythmia, and reduce the left atrial size with decreasing wall stress simultaneously. In order to decrease the incidence of postoperative arrhythmia, proper modification of the surgery with medical therapy should be considered.
Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mitral Valve ; Recurrence ; Thorax ; Tricuspid Valve

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphometric changes in neuroforamen in grade I isthmic spondylolisthesis by anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF). METHODS: Fourteen patients with grade I isthmic spondylolisthesis who underwent single level ALIF with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation were enrolled. All patients underwent standing lateral radiography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery and at 1 week after surgery. For quantitative analysis, the foraminal height, foraminal width, epidural foraminal height, epidural foraminal width, and epidural foraminal area were evaluated at the mid-portion of 28 foramens using T2-weighted sagittal MRI. For qualitative analysis, degree of neural compression in mid-portion of 28 foramens was classified into 4 grades using T2-weighted sagittal MRI. Clinical outcomes were assessed using Visual Analogue Sale (VAS) scores for leg pain and Oswestry disability index before surgery and at 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: The affected levels were L4-5 in 10 cases and L5-S1 in 4. The mean foraminal height was increased (p<0.001), and the mean foraminal width was decreased (p=0.014) significantly after surgery. The mean epidural foraminal height (p<0.001), epidural foraminal width (p<0.001), and epidural foraminal area (p<0.001) showed a significant increase after surgery. The mean grade for neural compression was decreased significantly after surgery (p<0.001). VAS scores for leg pain (p=0.001) and Oswestry disability index (p=0.001) was decreased significantly at one year after surgery. CONCLUSION: Foraminal stenosis in grade I isthmic spondylolisthesis may effectively decompressed by ALIF with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation.
Commerce ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Leg ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Radiography ; Spondylolisthesis*

The authors report two cases of spontaneous regression of disc herniation at the level adjacent to the anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) level. This phenomenon may be due to the increased tension on the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) by appropriate restoration of the disc height and lumbar lordosis, which is a mechanism similar to ligamentotaxis applied to the thoracolumbar burst fracture.
Animals ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Lordosis

The authors report a surgically treated patient with very unusual combination of a giant posterior fossa cyst in cerebellopontine area, Chiari I malformation and syringomyelia in cervico-thoracic area. Ventricles were not dilated. He complained weakness and clumsiness on the right upper extremity. His symptom was attributable to the syringomyelia of cervical spinal cord. The authors managed this patient by removing the arachnoid cyst and cystoperitoneal shunt on the assumption that this cyst has an influence on the formation of Chiari malformation and syringomyelia. After operation there was marked improvement in the motor power in the arm, and a follow-up MRI one month later showed a disappearance of syringomyelia. The authors believe that this very unusual condition is of interest in making the pathogenesis of syringomyelia clear.
Arachnoid* ; Arm ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Cord ; Syringomyelia* ; Upper Extremity

Acute thyroid abscess is an uneommon type of neck infection. We experieneed a case of staphylococcal thyroid abscess in 29 year old man, diagnosed by needle aspira~tion and culture of the aspirate. The patient had complained fever and slowly growing anterior neck swelling. Needle aspiration of the cold nodule prior to broad spectrum antibiotics was performed. After Surgical excision combined with antibiotics, he was discharged with elinical improvement. The laboratory diagnosis and clinical course was summarized and is reported with relevent references.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Clinical Laboratory Techniques ; Fever ; Humans ; Neck ; Needles ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus ; Thyroid Gland

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a disease with a wide variety of clinical progressions such as the rate of disease progression or the degree of metastasis. About 30% of ccRCC patients suffer from metastatic diseases, and about 30% develop metastasis after diagnosis. In the case of metastatic RCC, early prediction of the disease is important because of the poor prognosis, but ccRCC-specific molecular markers for clinical use are not available yet. As an alternative, liquid biopsy, which can find molecules released from tumor tissues in circulating blood and obtain information on metastatic dissemination and recurrence of ccRCC, is emerging. In this article, we will introduce molecules such as cell free DNA, cell free RNA, protein, and exosomes available as circulating biomarkers for liquid biopsy. We will also introduce some promising technologies that can compensate for the limitations of liquid biopsy.