The Ross operation, a procedure of replacement of the diseased aortic valve with an autologous pulmonary valve, has many advantages such as no need for anticoagulation therapy and similar valve function and growth potential as native valves. However secondary aortic disease has emerged as a significant complication and indication for reoperation. We report a 48-year-old woman who had Ross operation in 1997 for a damaged bicuspid aortic valve and severe aortic regurgitation due to subacute bacterial endocarditis complicated by aortic root abscess. In 2009, 12 years later, progressive severe aortic regurgitation with incomplete coaptation and mild dilatation of the aortic root was shown on echocardiography and contrasted CT, while the pulmonary homograft retained normal function. She subsequently underwent aortic valve replacement. Histopathological examination of the explanted neo-aortic valve and neo-arterial wall revealed pannus formation at the nodulus Arantii area of the three valve cusps, ventricularis, and arterialis. The amount of elastic fibres in the neo-aorta media was less than usual for an aorta of this patient's age but was similar to a pulmonary artery. The pathological findings were not different from other studies of specimens removed between 7 to 12 years after Ross operation. However, the pathophysiology and long-term implications of these findings remain debatable. Considering the anatomical and physiological changes induced by the procedure, separate mechanisms for aortic dilatation and regurgitation are worthy of consideration.
Aorta/*pathology ; Aortic Valve/*surgery ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency/*etiology ; Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures/*adverse effects ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Heart Valve Diseases/*surgery ; Prostheses and Implants ; Pulmonary Valve/*transplantation

The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of nutrition education program and pamphlet for the lower grades elementary students focused on individual daily needed food exchange units using Food Exchange System. Program consisted of four lessons (40 min/lesson), "5 major nutrients & function", "6 food group and sources", "daily needed food exchange units for normal body weight", and "smart snack choice and exercise". Pamphlet as activity book was developed for the program. The subjects were 3rd grade elementary students (educated group, 31 vs. non-educated group, 31). Educated group were lessoned as group and/or individual. We examined the differences in nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes, dietary intakes and satisfaction of the program and pamphlet. In educated group, there were positive improvements on nutrition knowledge score "function and foods of 5 nutrients" and on dietary attitudes "type of breakfast and snacks". In the evaluation of dietary intakes according to KDRI, there were positive improvements on intakes level of riboflavin, vit. C, folate, Ca, P, Fe and Zn in educated group. In satisfaction with the program and pamphlet, contents, font size, visual, figure, difficulty and program curriculum were over 2.90/3.0. It showed that the developed nutrition education program and pamphlet focused on individual daily needed food exchange units using Food Exchange System improved nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes and nutrients intake level in the lower grades elementary students.
Breakfast ; Curriculum ; Folic Acid ; Humans ; Pamphlets ; Riboflavin ; Snacks

This statistical analysis of 4,709 legal autopsies performed in Korea in 2012 was conducted to obtain primary data about and related variables. The analysis revealed the following: 1. Of the total number of deaths, men accounted for and women, 26.8%. Evidently, the number of deaths among men was more than twice that among women. 2. With respect to mode of death, 54.8% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 39.2% were natural deaths, and 6.0% had unknown causes. Of the 2,581 unnatural deaths, 44.8% were accidental deaths; 27.2%, suicidal; 17.5%, homicidal; and 10.3%, undetermined. 3. Of the total number of unnatural deaths, 43.0% were trauma-related deaths, for which falling down was the leading cause, accounting for 33.5% cases. Asphyxiation was accounted for 17.2%, among which the predominant cause was hanging (55.3%). Moreover, 12.5% of deaths were due to drowning; 11.5%, poisoning; 11.2%, thermal injuries; 2.7%, complications in medical procedures; and 0.3%, electrocution, starvation, or neglect. 4. Among 1,847 natural deaths, heart diseases accounted for 50.2% and vascular diseases accounted for 16.7%. 5. There were 207 cases of deaths among children under the age of 10, of which 94 were unnatural and 49 were homicidal deaths. Of all cases, 9.2% had an unknown cause of death, and of these 67.6%, were putrefied or skeletonized bodies.
Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Drowning ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Poisoning ; Skeleton ; Starvation ; Vascular Diseases

Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas are the second most common primary cardiac tumor. This tumor is usually benign and it involves the cardiac valve. However, most cardiac papillary fibroelastomas originate from a single site, and the incidence of cardiac papillary fibroelastomas originating from multiple sites is very rare (5%). A 55-year-old woman who presented with momentary dizziness and syncope was evaluated by performing echocardiography. Multiple tumors attached to the aortic valve were noted. The mass was removed freely without leaving any defect on the aortic valve leaflet. After the recovery period, the patient is currently being followed up at the outpatient department.
Aortic Valve ; Dizziness ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart Neoplasms ; Heart Valves ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Outpatients ; Syncope

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between H. pylori infection and recurrent abdominal pain (RAP) in children and to evaluate the effects of eradication therapy on RAP. METHODS: From January 1998 to January 2005, 166 children with RAP (61 male, 105 female) aged 10.0+/-3.3 years were included. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopies were performed for all the patients. All H. pylori infected children (n=70) received the eradication therapy and were divided into two groups: Group Ia (n=52); eradicated, Group Ib (n=18); non-eradicated. H. pylori-negative children (n=96) were divided into three groups according to the medication: Group IIa (n=67); no medication, Group IIb (n=13); acid-suppressant, Group IIc (n=16); both acid-suppressant and antibiotics. Questionnaire for symptoms were asked at the first, 6th, 12th, 24th, and 36th months following the treatment (grade 0; completely resolved, grade 1; definitely improved, but there are occasional episodes of mild abdominal pain, grade 2; no change in the frequency and intensity of abdominal pain). RESULTS: In about 90% of H. pylori positive children, RAP improved in the both H. pylori-eradicated and non-eradicated children in a follow-up survey. In about 75% of H. pylori-negative children, RAP also improved among in the three groups of patients regardless of medication. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there was no correlations between improvement of RAP and eradication of H. pylori, and between improvement of RAP and medication. Consequently the reassurance that the children with RAP have no serious organic cause was important to improvement of RAP.
Abdominal Pain* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Child* ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Follow-Up Studies ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Both death certificates and postmortem examination certificates are used as proof of death. These certificates sometimes contain erroneous information but how frequently they do so is unknown. In particular, only a few studies have measured the accuracy of the cause and manner of death on Korea death documents. In this study, we compared the cause and manner of death on both kinds of certificates with those on autopsy reports to determine the frequency of errors, and to identify way to improve the accuracy of these certificates. In 2012, 528 autopsies were requested of out institute, and certificates were submitted in 241 of the cases. The manner of death was classified as natural, unnatural, or unknown. The cause of death in the autopsy report matched that on the death certificate in 37 of 63 cases (58.7%), and the manner of death matched in 40 of 63 cases (63.5%). The cause of death in the autopsy report matched that on the postmortem examination certificate in 62 of 178 cases (34.8%), and the manner of death matched in 74 of 178 cases (41.6%). Death certificates and postmortem examination certificates are important documents. We identified many incorrect reports of causes and manners of death on both kinds of documents, especially the postmortem death certificates. These inaccuracies are presumably due to a lack of forensic information and education, as well as lack of interest on the part of medical doctors.
Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Death Certificates* ; Education ; Korea

In the oral cavity, complex microbial community is shaped by various host and environmental factors. Extensive literature describing the oral microbiome in the context of oral health and disease is available. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies and data analysis have drastically improved the analysis of the oral microbiome. For microbiome study, bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplification and sequencing is often employed owing to the cost-effective and fast nature of the method. In this review, practical considerations for performing a microbiome study, including experimental design, molecular analysis technology, and general data analysis, will be discussed.

Allergic angitis and granulomatosis is a kind of rare systemic vasculitis, with various manifestations of disease of lung, heart, skin, musculoskeletal system, nervous system and hepatobiliary tract. There was no report of a case with manifestation of pleuritis and pericarditis, while several cases had been reported in Korea. So we here report a case of allergic angitis and granulomatosis with manifestations of pleuritis and pericarditis. The case also showed clinical manifestations of hypereosinophilia, asthma, rhinitis, pulmonary infilterates with eosinophilia and nephritis. Open lung biopsy showed arteritis with heavy infilteration of activated eosinophil in lung, pleura and pericardium. The involvement of heart might cause critical complication leading death. The patients who are supposed as allergic angitis and granulomatosis should be examined for the involvement of heart.
Arteritis ; Asthma ; Biopsy ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Musculoskeletal System ; Nephritis ; Nervous System ; Pericarditis* ; Pericardium ; Pleura ; Pleurisy* ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Systemic Vasculitis

We present a 79-year-old male with aphasic status that was confirmed by a 99m-Tc ethyl cysteinate diethylester (ECD) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). He was admitted to our hospital due to a sudden onset of aphasia. In a Korean-version Western Aphasia Battery (K-WAB) test, the patient was diagnosed with Wernicke's aphasia (aphasia quotient (AQ)=54.50). In a brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) revealed the lesion of an old intracranial hemorrhage in the left posterior temporal area. An electroencephalography (EEG) showed continuous slowing in the left temporal area. SPECT demonstrated focal hyperperfusion in the left temporal cortex anterior to the lesion. After the administration of phenytoin, the aphasia was much improved (follow-up K-WAB : AQ=70.00). In follow-up studies two months later, EEG showed no interval changes and SPECT revealed no focal hyperperfusion in the left temporal area. Simple partial seizure is not easy to diagnose especially when manifesting with nonmotor symptoms such as aphasia. In this case, Wernicke's apha-sia was the only manifestation of epileptic seizure, the EEG did not show any definite epileptiform discharges. SPECT showed focal hyperperfusion in the left temporal area which was supposed to be a seizure focus. We conclude that SPECT might be useful in diagnosing a simple partial seizure manifesting as aphasia without EEG change.
Aged ; Aphasia ; Brain* ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Male ; Phenytoin ; Seizures ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

Pilomatricoma is a benign adnexal tumor, differentiating towards elements of the hair matrix and shaft. The tumor typically presents as a solitary, deep-seated, firm nodule with overlying normal epidermis. Herein, we report three cases of pilomatricomas with the dermal bullae overlying tumors. Histopathological examination of the lesions showed marked lymphatic dilatations, edema, and attenuated collagen and elastic fibers above the pilomatricomas in the upper dermis. We diagnosed them as lymphangiectatic pilomatricomas.
Collagen ; Dermis ; Dilatation ; Edema ; Elastic Tissue ; Epidermis ; Hair ; Pilomatrixoma*