OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted in order to evaluate the cognitive function of the elderly and to delineate the effects of sex, age and education on cognitive function. METHODS: The Cognitive Impairment Diagnosing Instrument(CIDI) was administered to the residents aged 70 years or more in Jookjang-Myun, Pohang City, Kyungpook. RESULTS: Mean percent decline were different among the CIDI subtests: concentration/calculation showed the greatest deterioration, performances on abstract thinking, higher cortical functions, and orientation in time declined by 20.3 to 29.5%, and long-term memory, memory registration, judgement object naming, and orientation in place showed modest decline. Performances on all the CIDI subtests were significantly correlated with age with correlation coefficients between -0.262 and -0.477. All subtest, but for short-term memory, scores were shown to be affected by education. Men scored better than women on all the CIDI subtests except for short-term memory and memory registration. CONCLUSION: All total and subtest performances of the CIDI were shown to be affected by sex, age, and education. However, memory registration and short-term memory revealed different pattern of decline according to the demographic factors.
Aged* ; Cognition ; Demography ; Education ; Female ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Memory ; Memory, Long-Term ; Memory, Short-Term ; Rural Population* ; Thinking

A testis tumor is comparatively rare and most of them are discovered as a palpable asymptomatic mass. We recently experienced two cases of incidental testicular tumor during scrotal exploration for trauma. Pathologic study revealed a mixed germ cell tumor and mature teratoma, so we report here on these two cases with a review of the related literatures.
Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Teratoma ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis

A testis tumor is comparatively rare and most of them are discovered as a palpable asymptomatic mass. We recently experienced two cases of incidental testicular tumor during scrotal exploration for trauma. Pathologic study revealed a mixed germ cell tumor and mature teratoma, so we report here on these two cases with a review of the related literatures.
Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Teratoma ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis

PURPOSE: The optimal treatment regimen for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease has not yet been fully established. We evaluated the efficacy of standardized combination antibiotic therapy and the factors that might affect unfavorable microbiologic responses in patients with MAC pulmonary disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed data from 96 patients (56 females; median age 59 years) treated with newly diagnosed MAC lung disease between January 2003 and December 2006. RESULTS: All patients received standardized combination antibiotic therapy, consisting of clarithromycin, rifampicin, and ethambutol. Streptomycin was additionally given in 72 patients (75%) for a median duration of 4.5 months. The overall favorable microbiologic response rate was 79% (76/96); 20 patients (21%) had unfavorable microbiologic responses, including failure to sputum conversion (n = 13), relapse (n = 3), and MAC-related death (n = 4). A positive sputum acid-fast bacillus smear at the start of treatment was an independent predictor of an unfavorable microbiologic response. CONCLUSION: Standardized combination antibiotic therapy consisting of clarithromycin, rifampicin, and ethambutol with or without initial use of streptomycin is effective in treating patients with newly diagnosed MAC lung disease.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*therapeutic use ; Clarithromycin/therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination/*methods ; Ethambutol/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases/*drug therapy/*microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium Infections/*drug therapy ; Mycobacterium avium/*metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Rifampin/therapeutic use ; Streptomycin/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

Shigellosis is an acute inflammatory colitis by infection to one of the members of the genus Shigella. It is known that various CNS symptoms including headache and seizure can develop with shigellosis. Encephalopathy with severe brain edema in shigellosis were rarely reported even in children as well as in adults. We report a rare case of acute encephalopathy with shigellosis showing severe diffuse brain edema which resolved rapidly with administration of steroids in an adult.
Adult ; Brain Edema* ; Brain* ; Child ; Colitis ; Dysentery, Bacillary* ; Headache ; Humans ; Seizures ; Shigella ; Steroids

SUMMARY: The malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor(MPNST) is an aggressive neoplasm and can either arise independently or result from malignant change in preexisting neurofibromatosis (von Recklinghausen's disease). Its histologic characteristics remain controversial, but currently it is believed that the schwann cell is the origin of the peripheral nerve sheath tumors. MPNST is an uncommon neoplasm of the head and neck region, and its presentation in the oral cavity is quite rare. In this study, we report a patient with a rare case of a MPNST involving the maxilla. A CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old female presented with a chief complaint of painless swelling with bleeding tendency on the left maxillary tuberosity area 2 months ago. Clinical examination showed a 5.0*3.0 cm2 sized, indurative swelling on the site. Conventional radiographs showed a relatively well-defined soft tissue mass involving the left maxillary sinus, and destruction of the anterior, posterolateral walls of the left maxillary sinus. Subtotal maxillectomy and split-thickness skin graft from thigh were undertaken. In histochemical and immunohistochemical studies, the specimen revealed positive reactivities to Vimentin and S-100 protein. Final diagnosis was made as MPNST.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Maxilla ; Maxillary Sinus ; Mouth ; Neck ; Nerve Sheath Neoplasms ; Neurilemmoma ; Neurofibromatoses ; Palate* ; Peripheral Nerves* ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Thigh ; Transplants ; Vimentin

BACKGROUND: The number of patients with pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has been increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term trends in the NTM recovery rate from respiratory specimens over a 10-year period in a tertiary referral hospital in South Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of mycobacterial cultures of respiratory specimens at Samsung Medical Center from January 2001 to December 2011. RESULTS: During the study period, 32,841 respiratory specimens from 10,563 patients were found to be culture-positive for mycobacteria. These included 12,619 (38%) Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 20,222 (62%) NTM isolates. The proportion of NTM among all positive mycobacterial cultures increased from 43% (548/1,283) in 2001 to 70% (3,341/4,800) in 2011 (p<0.001, test for trend). The recovery rate of NTM isolates from acid-fast bacilli smear-positive specimens increased from 9% (38/417) in 2001 to 64% (1,284/1,997) in 2011 (p<0.001, test for trend). The proportion of positive liquid cultures was higher for NTM than for M. tuberculosis (p<0.001). The most frequently isolated NTM were Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex (53%) and Mycobacterium abscessus-massiliense complex (25%). CONCLUSION: The recovery rate of NTM from respiratory specimens in South Korea has increased steadily.
Epidemiology ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung Diseases ; Mycobacterium ; Mycobacterium avium Complex ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria* ; Republic of Korea* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers* ; Tuberculosis

Malignant glioma is the most frequent type in brain tumors. The prognosis of this tumor has not been significantly improved for the past decades and the average survival of patients is less than one year. Thus, an effective novel therapy is urgently needed. TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), known to have tumor cell-specific killing activity, has been investigated as a novel therapeutic for cancers. We have developed Ad-stTRAIL, an adenovirus delivering secretable trimeric TRAIL for gene therapy and demonstrated the potential to treat malignant gliomas. Currently, this Ad-stTRAIL gene therapy is under phase I clinical trial for malignant gliomas. Here, we report preclinical studies for Ad-stTRAIL carried out using rats. We delivered Ad-stTRAIL intracranially and determined its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. Most Ad-stTRAIL remained in the delivered site and the relatively low number of viral genomes was detected in the opposite site of brain and cerebrospinal fluid. Similarly, only small portion of the viral particles injected was found in the blood plasma and major organs and tissues, probably due to the brain-blood barrier. Multiple administrations did not lead to accumulation of Ad-stTRAIL at the injection site and organs. Repeated delivery of Ad-stTRAIL did not show any serious side effects. Our data indicate that intracranially delivered Ad-stTRAIL is a safe approach, demonstrating the potential as a novel therapy for treating gliomas.
Adenoviridae/genetics ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain/drug effects/*metabolism/pathology ; Brain Neoplasms/genetics/metabolism/pathology/*therapy ; Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic ; DNA, Viral/metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; *Gene Therapy ; Glioma/genetics/metabolism/pathology/*therapy ; Humans ; Liver/drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; Protein Multimerization/genetics ; Rats ; Spleen/drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/genetics/*pharmacokinetics

Malignant glioma is the most frequent type in brain tumors. The prognosis of this tumor has not been significantly improved for the past decades and the average survival of patients is less than one year. Thus, an effective novel therapy is urgently needed. TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), known to have tumor cell-specific killing activity, has been investigated as a novel therapeutic for cancers. We have developed Ad-stTRAIL, an adenovirus delivering secretable trimeric TRAIL for gene therapy and demonstrated the potential to treat malignant gliomas. Currently, this Ad-stTRAIL gene therapy is under phase I clinical trial for malignant gliomas. Here, we report preclinical studies for Ad-stTRAIL carried out using rats. We delivered Ad-stTRAIL intracranially and determined its pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. Most Ad-stTRAIL remained in the delivered site and the relatively low number of viral genomes was detected in the opposite site of brain and cerebrospinal fluid. Similarly, only small portion of the viral particles injected was found in the blood plasma and major organs and tissues, probably due to the brain-blood barrier. Multiple administrations did not lead to accumulation of Ad-stTRAIL at the injection site and organs. Repeated delivery of Ad-stTRAIL did not show any serious side effects. Our data indicate that intracranially delivered Ad-stTRAIL is a safe approach, demonstrating the potential as a novel therapy for treating gliomas.
Adenoviridae/genetics ; Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain/drug effects/*metabolism/pathology ; Brain Neoplasms/genetics/metabolism/pathology/*therapy ; Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic ; DNA, Viral/metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; *Gene Therapy ; Glioma/genetics/metabolism/pathology/*therapy ; Humans ; Liver/drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; Protein Multimerization/genetics ; Rats ; Spleen/drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand/genetics/*pharmacokinetics

Cloacal anomaly is an extremely rare congenital malformation results from a failure in the development of the urorectal fold that separates the rectum from uterovaginal tract. It is characterized by the presence of a single duct where the gastrointestinal, genital and urinary tracts join. It presents with highly variable forms, which make it difficult to be diagnosed antenatally. We report a case of cloacal anomaly confirmed with autopsy, which was initially detected by the presence of a huge cystic fetal abdominal mass by ultrasound at a 22 weeks of gestation.
Autopsy ; Pregnancy ; Rectum ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract