No abstract available.
Ganglion Cysts* ; Paralysis* ; Peroneal Nerve*

Allergic angitis and granulomatosis is a kind of rare systemic vasculitis, with various manifestations of disease of lung, heart, skin, musculoskeletal system, nervous system and hepatobiliary tract. There was no report of a case with manifestation of pleuritis and pericarditis, while several cases had been reported in Korea. So we here report a case of allergic angitis and granulomatosis with manifestations of pleuritis and pericarditis. The case also showed clinical manifestations of hypereosinophilia, asthma, rhinitis, pulmonary infilterates with eosinophilia and nephritis. Open lung biopsy showed arteritis with heavy infilteration of activated eosinophil in lung, pleura and pericardium. The involvement of heart might cause critical complication leading death. The patients who are supposed as allergic angitis and granulomatosis should be examined for the involvement of heart.
Arteritis ; Asthma ; Biopsy ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Musculoskeletal System ; Nephritis ; Nervous System ; Pericarditis* ; Pericardium ; Pleura ; Pleurisy* ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Systemic Vasculitis

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term maintenance rate and associated factors of silicone punctal plugs in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 163 patients with SS who underwent silicone punctal plug insertion between December 2013 and July 2021 at Severance Hospital. The status of punctal plug insertions was classified into the following three categories by the clinician: maintenance, spontaneous loss, and intended removal. Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the risk factors for spontaneous loss. Results: The mean maintenance period was 12.8±15.3 (median 7.07) months. The rate of spontaneous loss was 58%, and the rate of punctal plug removal by the clinician was 14%. The number of prior plug insertions was a risk factor for spontaneous loss [hazard ratio (HR) 1.055, p=0.035]. The upper eyelid punctum was at a higher risk than the lower one (p=0.042). Small-sized plugs showed a significantly higher risk for spontaneous loss than large-sized ones (HR 1.287, p=0.035). Flow-controller type plugs were more vulnerable to spontaneous loss than complete occluders [Micro FlowTM vs. EagleFlex® (HR 2.707, p=0.008) and Micro FlowTM vs. UltraplugTM (HR 3.402, p=0.005)]. The most common reason for removal was tear overflow (5.6%). Conclusion In repeated insertion, characteristics of the punctal plug, including the type and size, and location of plug insertion, influenced the spontaneous loss of plugs. The management of punctal plugs, including insertion, maintenance, and removal, requires personalized strategies for versatile situations.

Cyclosporine nephropathy was induced by intraperitoneal injection of cyclosporine 25 mg/kg in Sprague-Dawley rats daily for 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks to clarify the relationship between cyclosporine nephropathy and the expression of TGF-beta1 with extracellular matrix deposition. On light microscopic examination, the kidneys in the 12 week cyclosporine-treated rats showed focal or striped fibrosis, vacuolization of tubular cells, and injury of endothelial cells. Immunohistochemically, TGF-beta1 protein was strongly expressed in the cyclosporine-treated rat kidneys, especially in the glomerular endothelial cells, interstitial endothelial cells, tubular epithelial cells, and parietal cells in the Bowman's capsule of the glomerulus as well as the periglomerular arterioles. The amount of TGF-beta1 expression was correlated with the morphological change in the cyclosporine-treated rats. Extracellular matrix, such as fibronectin and collagen IV, was also expressed in the endothelial cells of the glomerulus and the interstitium. It can be concluded, therefore that TGF-beta1 protein is probably involved in the early stage of fibrogenesis in cyclosporine nephropathy. It can be postulated that cyclosporine nephropathy results from the accumulation of extracellular matrix associated with the increase of TGF-beta1 transcription. Therefore, these results could be used in reducing fibrosis in cyclosporine nephropathy.
Animals ; Arterioles ; Bowman Capsule ; Collagen ; Cyclosporine ; Endothelial Cells ; Epithelial Cells ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibronectins ; Fibrosis ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Kidney ; Rabeprazole ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the error tendency between preoperative expected refraction and postoperative manifest refraction based on axial length, anterior chamber depth, and keratometric data obtained by an automated keratometer and Pentacam(R) in cataract surgery cases and to report how their differences affect determination of intraocular lens (IOL) power. METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 110 eyes of 84 patients who underwent cataract surgery. Axial length and anterior chamber depth were measured by A scan ultrasound biometry, while keratometric values were obtained by an automated keratometer and Pentacam(R). IOL power was calculated using the SRK/T formula. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the axial length, anterior chamber depth, and the difference of keratometric values between the 2 devices. Refractive error was analyzed 2 months after surgery. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between axial length and anterior chamber depth among the groups; however, the K reading differences were statistically significant. Although the mean absolute error (MAE) of each group showed no statistical significance among the groups, the MAE was more pronounced in the group in which the keratometeric value measured by Pentacam(R) differed more than 1.00 diopter from the automated keratometer measurements. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant difference between axial length and anterior chamber depth among the groups. A difference of 1.00 diopter or more between the keratometric values obtained by an automated keratometer and Pentacam(R) significantly affects the postoperative refractive error; therefore, these factors should be considered when determining IOL power.
Anterior Chamber ; Biometry ; Cataract ; Eye ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Medical Records ; Refractive Errors ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Serum eosinophil cationic protein(ECP) level has been proposed as a indirect marker of eosinophilic inflammation of the airway in bronchial asthma. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum ECP against indirect clinical markers of disease, we compared bronchial obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and peripheral blood eosinophil counts, total IgE with serum ECP levels in patients with bronchial asthma and normal controls. METHOD: Fourty-two patients with bronchial asthma and twenty-six normal controls were enrolled. Measurement were made by spirometry, inhalation challenge with methacholine, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, total IgE and FEIA(fluoroenzymatic immunoassay) of serum ECP RESULT: Serum ECP levels were significantly higher in asthmatic patients than normal controls(p<0.0,5). Serum ECP levels were correlated with peripheral blood eosinophil counts(p<0.01, r=0.544) and bronchial hyperresponsiveness(PC,)(p<0.01, r=-0.456) in patients with bronchial asthma. Serum ECP levels were correlated with degree of bronchial obstruction(FEV, % to predicted value, FEV1/FVC%) in total subjects, but not in asthmatic patients. CONCLUSION: Serum ECP level may be used as indicator of disease activity in bronchial asthma and be helpful in differentiation between normal person and asthmatic patients on simple serological method. Further studies on the changes of serum ECP levels according to disease course and therapeutic responses are needed.
Asthma* ; Biomarkers ; Eosinophil Cationic Protein* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation ; Inhalation ; Methacholine Chloride ; Spirometry

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive degenerative disease involving upper and lower motor neurons, which leads to respiratory paralysis and death. Although ALS has been well known to be combined with cervical spondylosis, its frequency has not been established. The purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of the cervical spondylosis in patients with ALS. METHODS: We evaluated the frequency and degree of spinal stenosis in ALS patients using cervical MRI. The study groups were composed of 30 ALS patients and 30 healthy controls. Using the T2-weighted cervical MRI, we measured the anteroposterior diameters of the cord and canal in the sagittal and axial views at the narrowest and C3-4 levels, and calculated the ratios of cord/canal (CCr). We also measured the areas of the cord and canal in the axial views at the narrowest and C3-4 levels. RESULTS: Of the 30 patients, 20 (66.7%) had cervical spondylosis. On sagittal and axial view, the average CCr at the narrowest / C3-4 level were 71.2 +/- 10.4 / 67.8 +/- 9.6% and 73.1 +/- 9.3 / 71.3 +/- 8.2% in ALS, and 59.2 +/- 4.4 / 56.7 +/- 5.9% and 62.5 +/- 5.6 / 60.4 +/- 6.4% in controls. The area of spinal cord at the narrowest / C3-4 level was 69.1 +/- 9.8 / 70.3 +/- 8.7 mm2 in ALS, and 78.4 +/- 11.3 / 78.9 +/- 10.8 mm2 in controls. The area of canal at the narrowest / C3-4 level was 149.7 +/- 12.5 / 151.5 +/- 7.8 mm2 in ALS, and 172.5 +/- 12.5 / 173.8 +/- 11.6 mm2 in controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed the high frequency of cervical spondylosis and spinal cord atrophy in ALS.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis* ; Atrophy ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Motor Neurons ; Respiratory Paralysis ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spondylosis*

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of relapse in orthodontic treatment of skeletal Class III malocclusion in growing patients. A total of 55 patients were studied and all subjects were divided into two groups according to their stability in the post-treatment stage. Of the sample, 33 patients were included in the stable group and the remaining 22 were assigned to the relapse group. Cephalometric data of the pre-treatment stage was taken and compared between the stable and relapse group. The following results were obtained through t-test: 1. This study presented statistical evidence to show that the major skeletal determinant of prognosis in Class III orthodontic treatment was not anteroposterior discrepancy but vertical discrepancy, especially within the AB-maxillo-mandibular triangle. Vertical angular measurements that showed statistically significant differences were AB-MP and ODI(P<0.01) and the vertical ratio measurements were MP-P/AL and PP-P/AL(P<0.05). 2. Relapse tendency increased with the steep occlusal plane, especially the steep lower occlusal plane. As to occlusal plane, there were statistically significant differences in OP(L)-PP, OP-PP, AB-OP(L) and Wits appraisal(P<0.05). This study claimed that anteroposterior discrepancy was not necessarily the proper criteria to predict relapse. Vertical discrepancy had a significant effect on post-treatment stability.
Adolescent* ; Dental Occlusion ; Humans ; Malocclusion* ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVE: To design a screening method which identifies women with a potential of progression to the premature ovarian failure (POF) in near future, particularly among young women who have high FSH level but no symptoms and signs of POF. METHODS: Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from 30 patients with POF (age range, 19- 39 years) and from 30 controls with normal serum FSH level who had delivered two or more naturally conceived babies (age range, 32-39 years). mtDNA/28S rRNA ratio was determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Comparative threshold cycle (CT) method was adopted for the relative quantitation between two groups and the effectiveness of the method was evaluated. RESULTS: A significant decrease in mtDNA/28S rRNA ratio was found in the POF group (0.58 0.38) when compared with the control group (1.15 0.67) (P<0.01). In both control and POF groups, there was positive correlation between mtDNA and mtDNA/28S rRNA ratio (r=0.774, P<0.001; r=0.556, P=0.001, respectively) and negative correlation between 28S rRNA and mtDNA/28S rRNA ratio (r=-0.677, P<0.001; r=-0.627, P=0.001, respectively), which indicated the suitability of the method. CONCLUSION: This study showed a significant decrease in mtDNA copy number in the peripheral venous blood of POF patients. The comparative CT method was found to be an effective and efficient alternative for the screening purposes. With this basis, further studies on the early diagnostic and/or screening method for the POF might be enriched.
DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction*

STUDY DESIGN: Senescence-related markers were assessed in surgically obtained human nucleus pulposus (NP) specimens. PURPOSE: To demonstrate the mechanism and signaling pathway involved in the senescence of NP chondrocytes. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The population of senescent disc cells has been shown to be increased in degenerated or herniated discs. However, the mechanism and signaling pathway involved in the senescence of NP chondrocytes are unknown. METHODS: We examined cell senescence markers [senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-beta-gal), telomere length, telomerase activity, p53, p21, pRB and p16] and the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in human NP specimens. RESULTS: The percentage of SA-beta-gal-positive NP chondrocytes increased with age, while the telomere length and telomerase activity declined. However, there was no significant correlation between age and H2O2 content. The NP specimens with grade III or IV degeneration showed significantly higher percentages of SA-beta-gal-positive NP chondrocytes than those with grade II degeneration. Immunohistochemistry showed that senescent NP chondrocytes in all specimens expressed p53, p21, and pRB, while a few NP chondrocytes in only two specimens expressed p16. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates that, with increasing age and advancing disc degeneration, senescent NP chondrocytes increase or accumulate in the NP. Furthermore, the telomere-based p53, p21, pRB pathway, rather than the stress-based p16, pRB pathway, plays a more important role in the senescence of NP chondrocytes in in vivo conditions. Our results suggest that prevention or reversal of senescence of NP chondrocytes can be a novel mechanism by which to prevent human disc degeneration.
Aging ; beta-Galactosidase ; Cell Aging ; Chondrocytes ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Telomerase ; Telomere