BACKGROUND:The regeneration ability of articular cartilage is limited.However,the emerging of tissue regeneration based on the use of autologous cells appears to offer great promise in repairing articular cartilage defects.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the short-term effectiveness and safety of autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI).DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A prospective study was performed at the eighty university hospitals and general hospitals in Korea from March 2001 to April 2006.PARTICIPANTS:Two hundred and sixty-one patients with articular cartilage injury of the knee were selected,including 169 males,92 females,with the mean age of 36.47 years (ranged:15-70 yeats old),and the mean size of chondral defect was 4.91 cm2 (ranged:2.0-20.0 cm2).Totally 215 cases were femoral condyle injury,30 cases with trochlear,25 cases with patellar,and 2 cases with tibia defects.METHODS:A total of 200-300 mg of cartilage tissue was obtained from a non-weight-bearing portion of the knee,followed by in society score after ACI was evaluated by Knee Society Score-A (KSS-A)and Knee Society Score-B (KSS-B)system.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:KSS-A and KSS-B score of defected areas after ACI.RESULTS:All patients Received: followed-up without any loss.The KSS-A was 63.55±18.47 and 88.74±11.47 prior to and at 6 months after implantation,the difference had significance (P＜0.05).The KSS-B was 59.56±24.92 and 85.13±14.67 respectively prior to and at 6 months after implantation,which had obviously difference (P＜0.05).The joint pain,activity,stability,flexion contracture,locomotor activity and stair climbing were obviously improved.The effective rate was 97.3% and excellent and good rate was 89.3%.CONCLUSION:ACI can achieve a good result in treating knee articular cartilage defects,which can encourage the recover of knee function.

Endoscopic variceal ligation is the preferred endoscopic treatment method for esophageal variceal bleeding. The incidence of complications such as chest pain, bleeding, stricture formation, and aspiration pneumonia is low. We report a case wherein a malfunctioning multiple-band ligator could have potentially caused damage to the esophageal varices and massive bleeding. The equipment was safely removed using scissors and forceps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report detailing the management of a case of esophageal variceal bleeding.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of atrial myxoma may not always be straightforward, and the distinction between myxoma and thrombi is not easy, especially when we observe a mass after successful surgery. Our report describes a 72-year-old woman who presented with right upper limb hemiparesis and was subsequently diagnosed as having transient ischemic attack due to a left atrial myxoma. One month after successful surgical resection of the tumor, the patient developed left-sided weakness. Echocardiography revealed a left atrial mass attached to the interatrial septum. Intravenous heparin was administered as a therapeutic trial for postoperative thrombi, which resulted in a decrease in mass size within a week. Anticoagulation with warfarin was continued, and complete resolution was demonstrated on a 4-month follow-up transesophageal echocardiography. This case highlights the fact that thrombus formation at the surgical site should be considered an unusual but potential complication after surgical resection of left atrial myxomas.
Aged ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heparin ; Humans ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Myxoma* ; Paresis ; Thrombosis* ; Upper Extremity ; Warfarin

A 65-year-old female visited the emergency room for severe back pain radiating to the neck. Aortic dissection computed tomography revealed a ruptured liver abscess and large pneumoperitoneum. Although emergent percutaneous drainage of the liver abscess and aggressive resuscitation were performed, massive hemolytic anemia and disseminated intravascular hemolysis developed and she subsequently died, 11 hours after her visit to the emergency room. Clostridium perfringens was identified in a blood culture obtained at the emergency room. We report this case because refractory septic shock due to a liver abscess and massive intravascular hemolytic anemia caused by Clostridium perfringens in a healthy female is rare.
Aged ; Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Back Pain ; Clostridium perfringens* ; Clostridium* ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Drainage ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Liver Abscess* ; Liver* ; Neck ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Resuscitation ; Shock, Septic*

A 36-yr-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus was admitted in our center because of thrombocytopenia that was being treated with corticosteroids. She was prescribed a four-day course of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusion. After three days of IVIG infusion, she developed aseptic meningitis with severe pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid, followed by acute kidney injury. These complications resolved completely with conservative management. Here, we report these rare complications of IVIG and the outcome.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins* ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Leukocytosis ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic* ; Thrombocytopenia