The diastolic retinal arterial blood pressure was measured by Ophthalmodynamometer in 15 patients of essential hypertension before and after the administration of Raudixin three times a days. The follow up period was 4 to 70 days. The average fall of the systolic brachial blood pressure was 38.1 mmHg(from 174.6 to 136.5 mmHg) 19 days after the treatment, whereas the average fall of the diastolic brachial blood pressure was 19.6 mmHg (from 166.6 to 94.7 mmHg) 24 days after treatment. A positive correlation was demonstrated between the retinal and brachial diastolic blood pressures prior to the treatment. The diastolic brachial blood pressure showed its fall only 15 days after treatment, the average fall being 17.1 mmHg. During this period of time, the average fall of the diastolic retinal arterial pressure was 10.2 mmHg. In 6 cases, the retinal arterial pressure didn't fall back to the normal valures and in 5 cases of Keith-Wagener group II, the retinal arterial pressure remained unchanged in spite of the treatment. The percentage ratio of the retinal to the brachial diastolic blood pressure remained stationary in 3 cases, rose in 4 cases. The number of cases which show fall in this ratio gradually increased and about 80% of the cases demonstrated definite fall one month after treatment. The retinal arterial pressure remained stationary during 2 weeks after treatment in 60% of the cases. The significant lowering of the retinal arterial blood pressure was observed only one month after treatment in the majority of cases. The retinal arterial pressure fell below normal range in no case.
Arterial Pressure* ; Blood Pressure ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Rauwolfia* ; Reference Values ; Retinaldehyde*

Bartter's syndrome is a rare tubular disorder characterized by hypokalemic, hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis, hyperreninemic hyperaldosteronism, hyporesponsiveness to pressor agents, and juxtaglomerular apparatus hyperplasia. We report here a case of Bartter's syndrome in a 5 month-old male infant who improved with potassium supplements. In addition to a case report, brief review of related literatures was done.
Alkalosis ; Bartter Syndrome* ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hyperplasia ; Infant ; Juxtaglomerular Apparatus ; Male ; Potassium

Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors of the ovary are rare, accounting for no more than 0.5% of all ovarian neoplasms. These tumors occur predominantly in women 10 to 30 years of age. Heterologous elements are found in over 20% of the moderately and poorly differentiated Sertoli- Leydig cell tumors. The most common element is gastrointestinal mucin-secreting epithelium, found in approximately 20% of all cases. Approximately 4% of Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors contain immature skeletal muscle and/or cartilaginous elements. The origin of these neoplasms is regarded as neometaplasia of the mesodermal neoplastic element. While the degree of differentiation of Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors is probably of greater importance in determining prognosis than the presence of heterologous components, recent evidence does point to an unfavorable effect on clinical outcome when heterologous mesenchymal components such as cartilage and striated muscle are present. We experienced two cases of ovarian heterologous Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors with gastrointestinal type epithelium and striated skeletal muscle in 20 and 21 year-old females, respectively. One case involved a patient who had complained of amenorrhea for 3 years while the other case involved a patient who had complained of left lower abdominal tenderness and amenorrhea for one and one half years. It was determined by ultrasonography of the pelvis that the two patients suffered from right and left ovarian masses. Both patients underwent adnexectomy. These tumors were large with partly solid and partly cystic areas. Based on light microscopic examination one case was classified as an intermediate Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor with heterologous gastrointestinal type epithelium, while the other case was classified as a poorly differentiated Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor with heterologous striated skeletal muscle.
Female ; Humans

Three rare tumors of the oral cavity are presented. Lingual chondromas, approximately twenty to thirty cases appear to have been reported since the lesion was first described by Berry in 1892, which are usually seen on the lateral borders in the anterior two thirds of the tongue, while the ventral surface and the posterior third are rarely involved. Chondromas of the tonsil are of very rare occurrence, which are thought to arise as a result of metaplasia, rather than from embryonic rests, with chronic fibrosing inflammation being the inciting factor. Because of its rarity, the following cases of chondroma of the tongue and tonsil are being added to small list of such case reported in the literature.

Twenty species representing five genera of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were isolated from twenty-four soil samples of the rhizosphere of the family Gramineae in Paekryung and Daecheong islands. A few species such as Glomus invermaius, G. marcrocapus var. marcrocarpus and Scutellospora coralloidea were recorded for the first time in Korea. The number of spores per 10g of soil was in the range of 8~337 in Paekryung and 16~349 in Daecheong island, respectively. The number of species per 10g of soil was 2~8 species in Paekryung and 2~7 species in Daecheong, respectively. Among them, G. macrocarpus var. macrocarpus was the most abundant species in both islands. The species diversity and evenness were almost similar in Paekryung and Daecheong Islands. Based on the host plants in two islands, the species diversity showed the highest value of 1.63 in Ischaemum crassipes, whereas the eveuness of species showed the lowest value of 0.35 in Eragrostis ferraginea.
Eragrostis ; Fungi* ; Humans ; Islands* ; Korea ; Poaceae ; Rhizosphere ; Soil ; Spores

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that glypican-4 (GPC4) regulates insulin signaling by interacting with insulin receptor and through adipocyte differentiation. However, GPC4 has not been studied with regard to its effects on clinical factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to identify factors associated with GPC4 level in T2DM. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2013, we selected 152 subjects with T2DM and collected serum and plasma into tubes pretreated with aprotinin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor to preserve active gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GPC4, active GLP-1, active GIP, and other factors were measured in these plasma samples. We performed a linear regression analysis to identify factors associated with GPC4 level. RESULTS: The subjects had a mean age of 58.1 years, were mildly obese (mean body mass index [BMI], 26.1 kg/m2), had T2DM of long-duration (mean, 101.3 months), glycated hemoglobin 7.5%, low insulin secretion, and low insulin resistance (mean homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR], 1.2). Their mean GPC4 was 2.0±0.2 ng/mL. In multivariate analysis, GPC4 was independently associated with age (β=0.224, P=0.009), and levels of active GLP-1 (β=0.171, P=0.049) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST; β=–0.176, P=0.043) after being adjusted for other clinical factors. CONCLUSION: GPC4 was independently associated with age, active GLP-1, and AST in T2DM patients, but was not associated with HOMA-IR and BMI, which are well known factors related to GPC4. Further study is needed to identify the mechanisms of the association between GPC4 and basal active GLP-1 levels.
Adipocytes ; Aprotinin ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide ; Glucagon-Like Peptide 1* ; Glypicans* ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Linear Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Plasma ; Receptor, Insulin

BACKGROUND: The role of glycemic variability (GV) in development of cardiovascular diseases remains controversial, and factors that determine glucose fluctuation in patients with diabetes are unknown. We investigated relationships between GV indices, kinds of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs), and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: We analyzed 209 patients with T2DM. The GV index (standard deviation [SD] and mean absolute glucose change [MAG]) were calculated from 7-point self-monitoring of blood glucose profiles. The patients were classified into four groups according to whether they take OHAs known as GV-lowering (A) and GV-increasing (B): 1 (A only), 2 (neither), 3 (both A and B), and 4 (B only). The 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) was calculated using the Pooled Cohort Equations. RESULTS: GV indices were significantly higher in patients taking sulfonylureas (SUs), but lower in those taking dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. In hierarchical regression analysis, the use of SUs remained independent correlates of the SD (beta=0.209, P=0.009) and MAG (beta=0.214, P=0.011). In four OHA groups, GV indices increased progressively from group 1 to group 4. However, these did not differ according to quartiles of 10-year ASCVD risk. CONCLUSION: GV indices correlated significantly with the use of OHAs, particularly SU, and differed significantly according to combination of OHAs. However, cardiovascular risk factors and 10-year ASCVD risk were not related to GV indices. These findings suggest that GV is largely determined by properties of OHAs and not to cardiovascular complications in patients with T2DM.
Blood Glucose ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents* ; Risk Factors*

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This purpose of this research is to study the prevalence of habitual snoring and the association between snoring and cephalo-anthropometric analysis in Korean population. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Four thousand and two hundred twenty four subjects (male: 2277, female: 1947), aged between 18~85 (mean age male: 45.3, female: 44.0), were recruited through home visits and interviewed by well-trained investigators. RESULTS: Three hundred fifty two male subjects (15.5%) and one hundred sixty two female subjects (8.32%) exhibited habitual snoring. Age, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in the snoring group compared to those who dont snore habitually. Using a stepwise variable selection method of multiple logistic regression analysis, we found independent factors as being significant for males and females of the snoring groups. For males, the factors were BMI (p<0.001, OR=1.18 CI: 1.12~1.25), mandibular angle (p<0.001, OR=0.97 CI: 0.96~0.98), and abdominal girth (p<0.001, OR=1.04, CI: 1.02~1.06. For females, they were abdominal girth (p=0.031, OR=1.03, CI: 1.00~1.05), neck girth (p=0.003, OR=1.12, CI: 1.04~1.21), age (p=0.0002, OR=1.02 CI: 1.01~10.3), and BMI (p=0.0007, OR=1.11 CI: 1.05~1.18). CONCLUSION: We found that BMI, gonion angle and abdomen girth in male and abdominal girth, neck girth, age, BMI in female were the significant factors affecting the severity of snoring in Korean population.
Abdomen ; Adult* ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; House Calls ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Neck ; Prevalence ; Research Personnel ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; Snoring*

Sclerotial development of Grifola umbellata (Pers. : Fr.) Donk was investigated through microscopic examinations. The sclerotium of G. umbellata was bumpy and rugged, multi-branched, and dark-brown to black in color. The sclerotial development of G. umbellata was categorized into three stages such as sclerotial initial, development and maturation. Sclerotium development was initiated as the white fungal mass. The superficial part of white sclerotium changed into gray, light brown and then black as its development proceeded further. As a distinctive characteristic of this fungus, a large number of crystals were observed in the medulla layer of sclerotium during its maturation. For development of new sclerotium, G. umbellata formed a white sclerotial primordium on the matured sclerotium. Development of sclerotium in G. umbellata was intimately associated with rhizomorphs of Armillariella mellea and the developing sclerotia were often penetrated by rhizomorphs of A. mellea into medulla layer.
Fungi ; Grifola*

Cri du Chat syndrome (CdCS) is a chromosomal disease resulting from a deletion on the short arm of chromosome 5. Characteristic features include high pitched cat-like cry, distinguishing facial features, and mental retardation. Some cases have been reported in the Korean literature, but no case reports about the concrete aspects of developmental delay in CdCS patients have been published. Therefore, we report a CdCS patient with developmental delay who was misdiagnosed as fetal alcohol syndrome. The result of the Korean-Child Development Review and Sequenced Language Scale for Infants showed severe developmental retardation, especially in expressive language.
Arm ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Chenodeoxycholic Acid ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5 ; Cri-du-Chat Syndrome ; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome ; Humans ; Infant ; Intellectual Disability