Molecular imaging is a technique for imaging the processes occurring in a living body at a molecular level in real-time, combining molecular cell biology with advanced imaging technologies using molecular probes and fluorescence. Gastrointestinal endoscopic molecular imaging shows great promise for improving the identification of neoplasms, providing characterization for patient stratification and assessing the response to molecular targeted therapy. In inflammatory bowel disease, endoscopic molecular imaging can be used to assess disease severity and predict therapeutic response and prognosis. Endoscopic molecular imaging is also able to visualize dysplasia in the presence of background inflammation. Several preclinical and clinical trials have evaluated endoscopic molecular imaging; however, this area is just beginning to evolve, and many issues have not been solved yet. In the future, it is expected that endoscopic molecular imaging will be of increasing interest among clinicians as a new technology for the identification and evaluation of colorectal neoplasm and colitis-associated cancer.

Colonoscopy is one of the most useful procedures for making the diagnosis and treating various colorectal diseases, but this procedure rarely causes serious complications such as perforation. The incidence of colon perforation during colonoscopy is low. However, as the demand for screening and surveillance colonoscopy has gradually increased and colonoscopic polypectomy has become a commoner procedure in daily clinical practice, endoscopists should pay attention to prevent and manage colonoscopy-related perforation. The purpose of this review is to briefly summarize the guidelines from the World Journal of Emergency Surgery for the management of colonoscopy-related perforation.
Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Incidence ; Intestinal Perforation ; Mass Screening

Colonoscopy is one of the most useful procedures for making the diagnosis and treating various colorectal diseases, but this procedure rarely causes serious complications such as perforation. The incidence of colon perforation during colonoscopy is low. However, as the demand for screening and surveillance colonoscopy has gradually increased and colonoscopic polypectomy has become a commoner procedure in daily clinical practice, endoscopists should pay attention to prevent and manage colonoscopy-related perforation. The purpose of this review is to briefly summarize the guidelines from the World Journal of Emergency Surgery for the management of colonoscopy-related perforation.
Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Incidence ; Intestinal Perforation ; Mass Screening

Endoscopic variceal ligation is the preferred endoscopic treatment method for esophageal variceal bleeding. The incidence of complications such as chest pain, bleeding, stricture formation, and aspiration pneumonia is low. We report a case wherein a malfunctioning multiple-band ligator could have potentially caused damage to the esophageal varices and massive bleeding. The equipment was safely removed using scissors and forceps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report detailing the management of a case of esophageal variceal bleeding.

Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is an uncommon condition caused by hemorrhage into the rectus sheath. RSH is characterized by abdominal pain and an abdominal mass. This condition is associated with old age, childbirth, abdominal surgery, severe coughing, severe sneezing, anticoagulation therapy, and/or coagulation disorders. We report herein a case of RSH and pelvic cavity hematoma that was induced by dalteparin injection in a 77-year-old woman with pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, and who was successfully treated by conservative management.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Cough ; Dalteparin* ; Female ; General Surgery ; Hematoma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Parturition ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Sneezing ; Venous Thrombosis

Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is an uncommon condition caused by hemorrhage into the rectus sheath. RSH is characterized by abdominal pain and an abdominal mass. This condition is associated with old age, childbirth, abdominal surgery, severe coughing, severe sneezing, anticoagulation therapy, and/or coagulation disorders. We report herein a case of RSH and pelvic cavity hematoma that was induced by dalteparin injection in a 77-year-old woman with pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, and who was successfully treated by conservative management.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Cough ; Dalteparin* ; Female ; General Surgery ; Hematoma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Parturition ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Sneezing ; Venous Thrombosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Specific IgE to food allergen is associated with atopic dermatitis, but it does not always show good clinical correlation. It has been suggested that IgG may be partly involved in allergen-induced reaction. This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance of specific IgG antibody to egg white (EW) in atopic dermatitis patients who showed improvement with egg elimination diet. METHOD: Eleven atopic dermatitis patients who responded to egg elimination diet were selected. They were classified into two groups; group I (n=5) with positive specific IgE to EW and group II (n=6) with normal levels of serum specific IgE. Two volunteers with no allergic diseases were enrolled in the control group. EW-specific IgG western blotting was performed with patient's serum and purified protein extracted from EW. RESULTS: IgG western blotting to EW in group I showed bands at 51.8 kD in two patients and bands at 35 kD in the others. In group II, two showed bands at 51.8 kD, and diffuse bands at 35 kD~51.8 kD were found in four patients. There were no bands in the control group. CONCLUSION: Regardless of the presence of specific IgE, specific IgG to EW was detected by western blotting in patients with egg-associated atopic dermatitis, suggesting that specific IgG may play a role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.
Blotting, Western* ; Child* ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Diet ; Egg White ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Ovum* ; Volunteers

Sexual dysfunction is a common problem in patients with end stage renal disease. The pathogenesis of this problem is complex, and includes psychological factors, vascular, and neurological disorders, drug therapy, uremic intoxication and hormonal disturbances. However, we don't have any valid report because pathogenesis and physiologic significance is not proved clearly. With the questionnaire that we provided to our patients, we evaluated the sexual dysfunction in patients with end stage renal disease, and we treated our patient with antidepressants for males and estrogen for females. The results are as follows: 1) Sixty patients among 70 answered the sexual question. Among these, 46 patients (76%) complained of sexual dysfunction, 75% of male patients and 58% of female patients complained of impotence and mensturation disturbance, respectively. Especially, female patients complained of loss of libido as a whole. Also they said that they never tried to do anything to recover their sexual dysfunction. 2) After starting dialysis, 57% of patients showed decrease in coital frequency than before. 58% of patients showed no significant change in subjective sezual symptoms after dialysis. 18% of patients showed significant change in sexual function after anemia treatment. 3) Eighty-eight percents of males and one hundred percents of females treated with antidepressants and estrogen, respectively showed no effect. Finally, we found that sexual dysfunction is a common problem in chronic renal failure, but they never try to recover their conditions. Our therapeutic approach was not effective, but dialysis in CRF patient must be used for lifting the value of life, not by way of life extension. In addition we can make more effective treatment through objective study and psychological examination.
Anemia ; Antidepressive Agents ; Coitus ; Dialysis ; Drug Therapy ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Libido ; Life Expectancy ; Lifting ; Male ; Nervous System Diseases ; Psychology ; Value of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) involving multivessel coronary arteries is extremely rare. Consecutive STEMI in a nonculprit vessel during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the culprit vessel has not been reported. A 53-year-old male presented to the emergency department with anterior wall STEMI. Just after successful primary PCI of the left anterior descending artery, inferior wall STEMI developed. PCI of the right coronary arteries was performed successfully. Five days later, the patient was discharged without symptoms of heart failure. This case underlines the high thrombogenicity along the coronary arteries in patients with STEMI.
Arteries ; Coronary Vessels ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention*

BACKGROUND: Recently, myeloproliferative leukemia (MPL) W515 mutations have been reported to be molecular markers for myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). We studied the association between MPL W515 mutations and the clinico-hematological features of patients with MPNs. METHODS: Our study included 154 consecutive patients diagnosed with MPNs (31 had polycythemia vera [PV]; 106, essential thrombocythemia [ET]; and 17, primary myelofibrosis [PMF]). MPL W515 mutations were detected by real-time PCR and direct sequencing methods. RESULTS: The MPL W515L mutation was found in 4 patients and the MPL W515A mutation was detected in 1 patient. These 5 patients were diagnosed with JAK2 V617F-negative ET, and they accounted for 12.5% of patients with JAK2 V617F-negative ET. The patients with MPL W515-positive ET showed significantly lower hemoglobin levels and WBC counts than did patients with MPL W515-negative ET or JAK2 V617F-positive ET. CONCLUSIONS: MPL W515 mutation is a useful diagnostic marker for JAK2 V617F-negative MPNs and it is associated with specific hematologic characteristics such as lower hemoglobin levels and WBC counts.
Humans ; Janus Kinase 2 ; Leukemia ; Polycythemia Vera ; Primary Myelofibrosis ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Thrombocythemia, Essential