Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare and highly malignant soft tissue neoplasm that most commonly occurs in the long bones. This uncommon tumor has a poor clinical outcome, and the modality of its treatment has not yet been fully established. The authors report an extremely rare presentation of epithelioid sarcoma in the cervical spine, along with its clinical progression, imaging, and pathology. The patient underwent three surgical procedures and adjuvant radiochemical management. He survived for 25 months with a good general condition and adapted well to his social activity. Systemic metastasis was not found, but the patient died of respiratory failure due to direct tracheal invasion of the tumor.
Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pathology ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Sarcoma* ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms ; Spine*

Metaplastic thymoma (MT), accepted in the World Health Organization 2004 scheme, is a circumscribed tumor of the thymus exhibiting biphasic morphology. We herein describe the clinicopathologic features of four MTs and the differential diagnoses of this unusual tumor. There were three women and one man with mean age of 49.5 years. The patients were found to have mediastinal masses, and underwent surgical excision. One exhibited symptoms of myasthenia gravis, and the serum titer for anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody was positive. Grossly, the tumors were encapsulated, and showed vaguely multinodular, solid, tan-white to yellow cut surfaces. Histologically, they comprised epithelial islands intertwining with bundles of delicate spindle cells. The patients remained well after surgical excision at 5-55 months. Because of the distinctive histological appearance and benign clinical course, MT should be distinguished from other more aggressive mediastinal neoplasms displaying biphasic feature.
Carcinosarcoma ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Islands ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Metaplasia ; Myasthenia Gravis ; Thymoma ; Thymus Gland ; World Health Organization

The purpose of the present study was to identify the factor structure of neurocognitive tests used on schizophrenia patients by using the confirmative factor analysis, and to assess the factor score differences of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Comprehensive neurocognitive tests were administered to stabilized schizophrenia patients (N=114) and healthy controls (N=120). In the results of factor analyses on patients, the multifactorial-6-factor model, which included the speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning and memory, visual learning and memory, attention/vigilance, and reasoning/problem solving as suggested by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS), showed the better goodness of fit than any of the other models tested. And assessing the group differences of factor scores, we found the patients performed worse than the controls in all factors, but the result showed meaningful variations of impairments across the cognitive factors. Our study identifies the six major domains with multifactorial structure of cognitive abilities in schizophrenia patients and confirms the distinctive impairment patterns of each cognitive domain. These results may have utility in better understanding the pathology of schizophrenia as well as in genetic studies.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Attention ; Cognition Disorders/etiology ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Memory ; Middle Aged ; Models, Psychological ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Problem Solving ; Schizophrenia/*diagnosis/etiology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Verbal Behavior ; Verbal Learning

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We analyzed chronological changes in hemoglobin according to renal function changes over a 5-year follow-up period. METHODS: We enrolled 5,266 adults with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) > or = 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at an initial examination at a routine health check-up; a follow-up examination was conducted 5 years later. We categorized the subjects according to GFR ratio (groups 1, 2, and 3, defined as GFRratio > or = 1.00, 0.75 to 0.99, and < 0.75, respectively). RESULTS: The mean hemoglobin level in subjects with a GFR of 60 to 74 was higher than in those with a GFR of 75 to 89 or > or = 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 at the initial examination (all p < 0.001). Among females and males, the frequencies of increased hemoglobin were 46.8% and 40.6% in the GFRratio group 1, 52.4% and 46.1% in group 2, and 59.6% and 52.5% in group 3 over the 5-year period, respectively (all p < 0.001). With multiple logistic regression, group 3 showed 1.594-fold (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.127 to 2.225) and 1.353-fold (95% CI, 1.000 to 1.830) higher likelihoods of increased hemoglobin over the 5-year follow-up period in females and males, respectively. The estimated difference in hemoglobin level was highest in group 3 in both genders. These findings were more evident in subgroups without metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or GFR less than 90 mL/min/1.73 m2. CONCLUSIONS: Among a population with GFR > or = 60 mL/min/1.73 m2, a mild decrease in GFR over a 5-year follow-up period was associated with an increase in hemoglobin levels.
Adult ; Aged ; Biological Markers/blood ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; *Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Hemoglobins/*metabolism ; Humans ; Kidney/*physiopathology ; Kidney Diseases/blood/diagnosis/*physiopathology ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Republic of Korea ; Time Factors ; Up-Regulation

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important health issues; however,the association between periodontitis and CKD markers, especially in Korean adults,remains elusive. METHODS: Data on 15,729 Korean adults were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys IV and V. The CKD markers included a decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR;<60 mL/min/1.73m2), proteinuria, and hematuria. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were measured using stepwise multivariate logistic regression analyses for CKD markers based on the presence of periodontitis. RESULTS: Patients with periodontitis had greater unadjusted ORs for CKD markers compared to those without periodontitis, as follows: decreased eGFR,4.07(3.11-5.33); proteinuria, 2.12(1.48-3.05); and hematuria, 1.25 (1.13-1.39, all P<0.001). Periodontitis was a significant predictor of decreased eGFR independent of allcovariates [1.39 (1.03-1.89), P=0.034]. However, the effect of periodontitis on decreased eGFR seemed to be affected by hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis was not an independent predictor of proteinuria; the significance disappeared after adjusting for hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Periodontitis was significantly correlated with hematuria, leading to similar ORs regardless of the adjustment for covariates[1.29 (1.15-1.46), P<0.001]. CONCLUSION: This study confirms the correlation between periodontitis and CKD markers, including decreased eGFR, proteinuria, and hematuria in Korean adults.
Adult* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Periodontal Diseases ; Periodontitis* ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic*

Adult ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid ; Dentigerous Cyst ; Goblet Cells ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Molar, Third ; Odontogenic Cysts ; Parotid Gland ; Salivary Glands ; Tooth Extraction

Background: With the increasing number of internet users, search engines have become a widely used source of health-related information. However, evaluating the quality of medical information obtained through search engines can be challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of search results related to breast implants obtained from major domestic websites in Korea using systematic evaluation standards. Methods: Two main primary search terms (“gaseum” [breast] implant and “yubang” [breast] implant), along with 15 adjunct search terms, were combined and searched in Google, Naver, and Daum. The top 20 websites were evaluated and classified according to their type and provider. They were scored using the Korean Medical Association’s Internet Health Information Certification Standards. The proportion of significant websites, their categorical distribution, and the quality of information scores were then compared. Results: Google yielded the highest number of appropriate results, with statistical significance. Blogs (36.4%) and news (34.8%) were the most common types of search results, while healthcare provider groups (49.5%) constituted the most common provider subgroup. Only 1.9% of the search results were from public organizations. Google had a significantly higher average quality score (14.04) than Naver (13.22), and Daum (12.45) (P<0.05). Conclusions Although almost half of the search results were provided by medical personnel, their average quality score (13.16) was below the overall average (13.36) and far below the 21 points of the journal/abstract category. The findings highlight the need for healthcare providers to provide high-quality medical information, and for users to develop high-level digital health literacy.

PURPOSE: Lymph-node metastasis is considered as critical prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. A preoperative evaluation of lymph-node metastasis can also help to determine the range of distant lymph node dissection. However, the reliability of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in the detection of lymph-node metastasis is not fully known. METHODS: The medical records of 433 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were reviewed retrospectively. FDG-PET/CT and CT were performed on all patients. Lymph nodes were classified into regional and distant lymph nodes according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual, 7th edition. RESULTS: The patients included 231 males (53.3%) and 202 females (46.7%), with a mean age of 64.7 +/- 19.0 years. For regional lymph nodes, the sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT was lower than that of CT (57.1% vs. 73.5%, P < 0.001). For distant lymph nodes, the sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT was higher than that of CT (64.7% vs. 52.9%, P = 0.012). The sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT for regional lymph nodes was higher in patients with larger primary tumors. The positivity of lymph-node metastasis for FDG-PET/CT was affected by carcinoembryonic antigen levels, tumor location, and cancer stage for regional lymph nodes and by age and cancer stage for distant lymph nodes (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of FDG-PET/CT for regional lymph-node metastasis was not superior to that of CT. However, FDG-PET/CT provides helpful information for determining surgical plan especially in high risk patients group.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Electrons* ; Female ; Humans ; Joints ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: This study was to examine the pedagogical validity for a the six-years curriculum in pharmacy education in Korea. METHODS: The focus group, composed of 5 specialists, analyzed the pedagogical validity for a six-years curriculum from the perspective of administrative policies of higher education, educational sociology, curriculum composition, and educational economy. In addition, 3 consultants advised on the main issues related to the reformation of the school system in pharmacy education. RESULTS: It is not clear that the reformation of the school system in pharmacy education is aimed at undergraduate or graduate education in view of specialization of a higher education institute. The reformation of the school system is likely to cause educational inequality since a student who lacks financial support and cultural resources might give up entering pharmacy school. It also may ignite a struggle for power between pharmacists and physicians. The six- years curriculum is supposed to offer integrated experiences with a balance of theory and practice, representing characteristics such as consistency, clarity, reliability, and legitimacy. From the educational economy view, the validity of reformation of the school system can only be secured on the premise the expected income exceeds the total costs if the age-earning profile is constant in the current situation. CONCLUSION: Prior to discussions on the reformation of the school system in pharmacy education, the quality of pharmacy education should be improved first through multifarious efforts such as curriculum development, improvement to teaching and learning, introduction to an accreditation system, revision of the license examination, and graduate and continued pharmacy education and so on.
Accreditation ; Consultants ; Curriculum* ; Education ; Education, Graduate ; Education, Pharmacy* ; Financial Support ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Illegitimacy ; Korea ; Learning ; Licensure ; Pharmacists ; Pharmacy* ; Schools, Pharmacy ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Sociology ; Specialization

PURPOSE: The assurance of a negative resection margin is significant in rectal cancer as it indicates a reduced risk of local recurrence; thus, sufficient length of the resection margin is strongly required. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the length of the distal resection margin (DRM) and local recurrence or survival rate and to evaluate the possibility of performing sphincter-conserving surgery. METHODS: The medical records of 218 rectal cancer patients were analyzed. Patients were classified into three groups according to the length of the DRM as follows: group 1, DRM < 1 cm; group 2, 1 cm < or = DRM < or = 2 cm; and group 3, DRM > 2 cm. RESULTS: Of 218 patients enrolled, 81 were in group 1, 66 in group 2, and 71 in group 3. The 5-year survival rates were 78.2%, 78.2%, and 76.8% for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and there were no statistically significant differences in survival (P = 0.913). Local recurrence was found in 2 patients in group 1, 1 patient in group 2, and 1 patient in group 3; there were no statistically significant differences in local recurrence (P = 0.908). CONCLUSION: A DRM of < 1 cm did not impair the oncologic outcomes of rectal cancer patients. Our results indicated that surgeons should keep in mind to consider the option of sphincter-conserving surgery with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy even in very low rectal cancer.
Chemoradiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies* ; Survival Rate