Intracranial lipomas located in the cerebellopontine angle are extremely rare. These tumors are maldevelopmental lesions which can cause slowly progessive neurological symptoms. The clinical management of these tumours differs significantly from other lesions in this region. A 45 year old man presented with a 3-month history of vertigo and tinnitus in the left ear. In T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, the lesion was hyperintense and did not enhance after application of gadolinium. The patient was treated with medical therapy with good response. We present a review of the literature, with particular regard to management. Conservative treatment is recommended and limited surgery is usually indicated if the patients suffer from disabling neurological symptoms and signs e.g., vertigo, nausea, trigeminal neuralgia, facial weakness or facial spasm.
Cerebellopontine Angle ; Ear ; Gadolinium ; Humans ; Lipoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Spasm ; Tinnitus ; Trigeminal Neuralgia ; Vertigo

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to compare nosocomial infection rates between intensive care units of military and civilian hospitals. METHODS: From July to December 2000, we surveyed the intensive care unit of Armed Forces Capital Hospital (AFCH). We compared device use ratios and device-day infection rates with those of Korean Society for Nosocomial Infection Control (KOSNIC) and National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system. RESULTS: During the period of study, 185 cases were admitted and 24 nosocomial infections were detected: 7 cases of pneumonia, 6 urinary tract, 3 blood stream, 3 cardiovascular system, 3 surgical site infections, 1 skin and soft tissue, and 1 central nervous system infection. Ventilator, urinary catheter and central venous catheter use ratios were 0.14 (95% confidence interval, 0.12-0.16), 0.58 (0.56-0.60) and 0.33 (0.31-0.35). The ratios of NNIS were 0.41, 0.67 and 0.50. Ventilator-, urinary catheter- and central venous catheter-day infection rates were 18.69(11.36-53.32), 6.65 (3.36-14.20) and 1.95 (1.44-9.92). However, the rates of KOSNIC were 9.93, 5.29 and 3.62. The rates of NNIS were 11.24, 6.14 and 5.55. CONCLUSIONS: In AFCH ventilators were used less frequently than NNIS, but more ventilator-associated pneumonia were developed than KOSNIC and NNIS.
Arm ; Cardiovascular System ; Central Nervous System Infections ; Central Venous Catheters ; Cross Infection* ; Hospitals, Military ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Military Personnel* ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated ; Rivers ; Skin ; Urinary Catheters ; Urinary Tract ; Ventilators, Mechanical

No abstract available.
Clone Cells* ; Humans* ; Lymphocytes*

In order to identify the correlations between clinical results and quantitative data of gait analysis, we analyzed the results of 20 cases of total knee joint replacement arthroplasty in 15 patients with degenerative arthritis. We also evaluated the gait analysis of ten age-matched healthy candidates as a control group. Mean follow-up periods were 30 months. Clinical results included post-operative HSS (Hospital for Special Surgery) knee rating scores and the changes of the tibiofemoral angles. The three dimensional gait analysis included clinical assessment, video-taping, three dimensional kinematics and kinetics. The three dimensional kinematics were obtained using a 5 camera VICON system, and the three dimensional kinetic data was collected using two AMTI force plates. There was no statistical difference in linear parameters between the patient and control group. In patients group, however, double support time decreased as the HSS score increased, and range of knee motion and maximum knee flexion increased in accordance with the increase of pain score. Kinematic data of the patients group revealed that some parameters, such as knee flexion during loading response, knee flexion in swing phase, and knee varus during swing phase, were decreased. On the other hand, internal rotation of the knee from initial contact to initial swing was increased when compared with that of control group. There was no significant correlation between the degrees of tibiofemoral angle and coronal plane moment in the patients group. In three cases which showed mild varus instability post-operatively, knee flexion during loading response decreased and valgus moment in midstance increased as compared with the cases without instability. We believe that three dimensional gait analysis will be a good modality for evaluation of the results after total knee arthroplasty. With further accumulation of long term. follow-up data of gait analysis, we might be able to predict the long term results of total knee arthroplasty including possibility of loosening.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gait* ; Hand ; Humans ; Kinetics ; Knee Joint ; Knee* ; Osteoarthritis

It has been reported that the maintenance of proper ligament balance around the knee joint and the proper location of tibio-femoral joint line position are very important factors for obtaining good knee joint function after the total knee replacement arthroplasty. but, yet the exact effect of the change of joint line on the result of total knee replacement arthroplasty has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of the change of joint line on the patellar position and the postoperative knee joint function as well as the effect of antero-posterior offset of tibial component on the clinical result. The authors performed the clinical and radiological analysis of 85 knees, in which total knee replacement arthroplasty was performed and followed over 1 year. Tibio-femoral joint line changed from -7mm to +6.8mm (average -0.07) and in this range, the change of joint line did not influence the clinical result and the patellar position. As tibio-femoral joint line migrated proximally, the patella migrated distally and as tibio-femoral joint line migrated distally, the patella migrated proximally. Postoperative pain decreased as the patella and patellar articular surface moved proximally. As the patellar bone height from tibial tuberosity decreased postoperatively. The range of motion decreased. Antero-ppsterior offset of tibial component distributed from -4.2mm to +4.5mm (average 0.62mm) and no effect on cllinical result in this range. In conclusion, it may be suggested that the change of joint line in total knee replacement arthroplasty must be changed as little as possible for the good postoperative range of motion and relief of pain.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee* ; Joints* ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Ligaments ; Pain, Postoperative ; Patella ; Range of Motion, Articular

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of malaria has been usually made using microscopic examination of Wright stained thin blood films in Korean army. This method is labor-intensive, time consuming and requires the microscopic expertise. Therefore, the alternative techniques, rapid diagnostic test, have been sought for use in Korean army. We performed a comparison of the OptiMAL test with GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid I, II to assess its sensitivity and specificity of Plasmodium vivax malaria. METHODS: Blood specimen were collected from 51 patients who were presented and initially diagnosed for P. vivax by the microscopy of blood smears and from 30 control patients without malaria infection at the Capital Armed Forces General Hospital (CAFGH) between October 2000 and February 2001. Among the 51 patients, we also collected 24 samples from 24 patients at 2 or 3 days after therapy. The OptiMAL test and GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid I, II were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions on all samples respectively. RESULTS: Compared with the blood film, sensitivities and specificities of the OptiMAL test, GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid I and GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid II were 94.1~100% (29/29), 80.4~83.3%, 96.1~96.7% respectively. One case was interpreted as 'undetermined' by OptiMAL test. In 24 patients during therapy, the sensitivities of the OptiMAL test, GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid I and GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid II on 8 specimens with mean 120/microliter parasitemia and 16 specimens with negative parasitemia were 75~43.8%, 87.5~81.3%, 100~100% respectively. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrated that the sensitivity and specificity of the GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid I were not satisfactory, but the sensitivity and specificity of the OptiMAL test and GENEDIA Malaria (P. vivax) Ab Rapid II were relatively high and useful diagnostic tests for diagnosis of P. vivax in areas like the militaries where laboratory facilities are poor or non-existent.
Arm ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Malaria* ; Malaria, Vivax ; Microscopy ; Military Personnel* ; Parasitemia ; Plasmodium vivax* ; Plasmodium* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis, one of the most common metabolic bone disease, might be influenced by the severity of Parkinson's disease (PD). Objectives : We investigated the relationship between the Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and the severity of PD in postmenopausal and senile women. METHODS: We measured BMD of lumbar spine (L1-L4) by Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA; Hologic QDR-4500A). We compared BMD between patient group (30 patients with PD) and control (183 postmenopausal and senile health women). The patients were divided into two groups according to osteoporosis and analyzed the following potential factors influencing BMD in PD; age, duration of symptom, age of onset, Hoehn and Yahr stage (H-Y stage), UPDRS motor score, duration of treatment, body mass index (BMI), dominant symptom such as tremor or rigidity. RESULTS: 1. BMD was significantly decreased with aging (p <0.01) in control group, but BMD tend to decreased with aging in PD (p=0.08). 2. BMD of patient group was significantly lower than that of control group (p<0.001). 3. BMD of osteoporosis group was significantly related to BMI (p<0.05) and conversely related to H-Y staging(p <0.05), UPDRS motor score (p <0.01). 4. However, BMD of osteoporosis group were not related to age, duration of symptom, age of onset, dominant symptom and duration of treatment (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Osteoporosis is related to H-Y stage, UPDRS motor score and BMI as well as aging in PD.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Age of Onset ; Aging ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Female ; Humans ; Osteoporosis ; Parkinson Disease* ; Spine ; Tremor

PURPOSE: The use of flumazenil administration in the emergency department is still controversial because of concerns about adverse effects. The present study was conducted to re-evaluate the risk-benefit ratio associated with flumazenil administration to patients suspected of having acute hypnotics and sedatives poisoning in the emergency department. METHODS: A retrospective chart review study was conducted for patients whose final diagnoses were “poisoning” and “benzodiazepine” or “sedatives-hypnotics” from Mar. 2006 to Feb. 2015. The basal characteristics of the patients, including past medical history, ingredients and dose of ingested drug and co-ingested drugs were investigated. For patients administered flumazenil, responsiveness and time from admission to flumazenil administration were investigated with supplement. All collected data were analyzed in aspect terms of risk/benefit. RESULTS: A total of 678 patients were included in our study. Benzodiazepine was the most common sedative/hypnotic drug prescribed, and the frequency of prescription continuously increased. The proportion of TCA as co-ingestion decreased from 13.1% to 3.9% in patients with acute sedative/hypnotic poisoning. Flumazenil was administered to 55 patients (8.1%), of which 29 patients (52.7%) were applied to contraindications. Fifty-three patients (96.4%) showed positive responsiveness, including partial responsiveness after flumazenil administration. No severe adverse events were identified. CONCLUSION: Based on the current trends in prescription patterns for sedative/hypnotic drugs, increased use of non-TCA antidepressants, and responsiveness to administration of flumazenil, benefit seemed weighted more in this study, although the observed benefits were based on limited results. Further prospective multicenter studies will be needed to optimize benefit-risk ratio.
Antidepressive Agents ; Benzodiazepines ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Flumazenil* ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives* ; Poisoning* ; Prescriptions ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment

We report here three cases of Amanita virosa induced toxic hepatitis. Two of the three cases recovered but the other died 10 days after mushroom ingestion. Since the mortality of Amanita mushroom induced toxic hepatitis is very high, prompt diagnosis and aggressive therapeutic measures should be initiated as soon as possible. Our cases showed that the initial serum aminotransferase levels might not predict the clinical outcome of the patient, but that the prothrombin time (PT) seemed to be a more useful prognostic marker. Close monitoring of aminotransferase levels and PT as well as appropriate therapy are recommended. All three cases showed signs of proteinuria and we were able to characterize mixed tubular and glomerular type proteinuria at 3 or 4 days after ingestion in two cases. Among the previously reported Korean cases of suspected Amanita induced toxic hepatitis, most species could not be identified except for four cases of Amanita virosa. No cases of Amanita phalloides induced toxic hepatitis have been identified in Korea so far.
Adult ; Amanita* ; Amanitins/poisoning* ; Case Report ; Female ; Hepatitis, Toxic/urine ; Hepatitis, Toxic/etiology* ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Mushroom Poisoning/complications* ; Proteinuria/etiology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) could induce anti-tumor and radiosensitizing effects in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/c-nu mice that were inoculated with A431 (human squamous cell carcinoma) cells in the right hind legs were divided into five groups: I (no treatment), II (EGF for 6 days), III (EGF for 20 days), IV (radiotherapy [RT]), and V (RT plus concomitant EGF). EGF was administered intraperitoneally (5 mg/kg) once a day and the RT dose was 30 Gy in six fractions. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections of tumor, liver, lung, and kidney tissues were investigated. Additionally, tumors were subjected to immunohistochemistry staining with caspase-3. RESULTS: EGF for 6 days decreased tumor volume, but it approached the level of the control group at the end of follow-up (p=0.550). The duration of tumor shrinkage was prolonged in group V while the slope of tumor re-growth phase was steeper in group IV (p=0.034). EGF for 20 days decreased tumor volume until the end of the observation period (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry revealed that mice in group V showed stronger intensity than those in group IV. There were no abnormal histological findings upon H&E staining of the normal organs. CONCLUSION: EGF-induced anti-tumor effect was ascertained in the xenograft mouse models with A431 cells. Concomitant use of EGF has the potential role as a radiosensitizer in the design of fractionated irradiation.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoxylin ; Heterografts* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney ; Leg ; Liver ; Lung ; Mice* ; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents ; Tumor Burden ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays