A night blood survey was carried out among inhabitants aged over 1 year from the fifteen villages throughout Cheju-Do (Quelpart Island). Blood films from 2,139 persons were examined and 183(8.6 percent) showed microfilariae, the incidences varying according to geographical sources are from 0.8 to 19.5 per cent. All the microfilariae found in this survey were of the nocturnal periodic Brugia malayi. The microfilarial density was 1.9 per cent of blood. The age and sex distributions of microfilaria rate in Cheju-Do were not distinctly different. On the other hand, the intradermal test using Dirofilaria antigen (FPT antigen) and clinical survey of filariasis were also undertaken in same areas of microfilaria survey. Out of 2,449 inhabitants examined 1,434(58.6 percent) persons showed positive reaction of skin test, 503(20.5 percent) persons have clinical manifestations and 112 (4.6 percent) persons showed elephantiasis . It is assumed that Aedes togoi may be the most probable vector of B. malayi in the areas of Cheju-Do.
parasitology ; helminth ; nematoda ; Brugia malayi ; epidemiolgy ; filariasis ; intradermal test ; blood

STUDY DESIGN: A case of brain infarction due to occlusion of vertebral artery after cervical spine fracture is reported. OBJECTIVES: Documentation of possibility and clinical significances of brain infarction as one of grave complications after cervical spine injury. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Occlusion of vertebral artery and consequent brain infarction can be associated with cervical spine injuries because vertebral arteries course through the transverse foramina from sixth to second corvical vertebrae. Infarction of vertebrobasilar system may cause impairment of cerebral, cerebellar, or brain stem function and can occasionally bring grave functional loss, even death. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case of occlusion of vertebral artery and consequent cerebral infarction after cervical spine fracture in a 66 year-old man. Brain CT and angiogram were performed. He was managed with anticoagulants. RESULTS: Neurologic deficits from brain infarction disappeared after 2 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Attention to the possibility of these complications and awareness of their clinical features seem to be mandatory in managing cervical spine injury patients.
Aged ; Anticoagulants ; Brain ; Brain Infarction ; Brain Stem ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Humans ; Infarction ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Spine* ; Vertebral Artery*

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has a high risk for postoperative thromboembolic complications such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) compared to other surgical diseases, but the relationship between VTE and CRC in Asian patients remains poorly understood. The present study examined the incidence of symptomatic VTE in Korean patients who underwent surgery for CRC. We also identified risk factors, incidence and survival rate for VTE in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients were identified from the CRC database treated from January 2011 to December 2012 in a single institution. These patients were classified into VTE and non-VTE groups, their demographic features were compared, and the factors which had significant effects on VTE and mortality between the two groups were analyzed. RESULTS: We analyzed retrospectively a total of 840 patients and the incidence of VTE was 3.7% (31 patients) during the follow-up period (mean, 17.2 months). Histologic subtype (mucinous adenocarcinoma) and previous history of VTE affected the incidence of VTE on multivariate analysis. There was a statistically significant difference in survival rate between the VTE and non-VTE group, but VTE wasn't the factor affecting survival rate on multivariate analysis. Comparing differences in survival rate for each pathologic stage, there was only a significant difference in stage II patients. CONCLUSION: Among CRC patients after surgery, the incidence of VTE was approximately 3% within 1 year and development of VTE wasn't a significant risk factor for death in our study but these findings are not conclusive due to our small sample size.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sample Size ; Survival Rate ; Venous Thromboembolism*

Recent in vitro studies have revealed that a certain Mycobacterium can survive and multiply within freeliving amoebae. It is believed that protozoans function as host cells for the intracellular replication and evasion of Mycobacterium spp. under harmful conditions. In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of a bacterium naturally observed within an amoeba isolate acquired from a contact lens storage case. The bacterium multiplied within Acanthamoeba, but exerted no cytopathic effects on the amoeba during a 6-year amoebic culture. Trasnmission electron microscopy showed that the bacteria were randomly distributed within the cytoplasm of trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba. On the basis of the results of 18S rRNA gene analysis, the amoeba was identified as A. lugdunensis. A 16S rRNA gene analysis placed this bacterium within the genus Mycobacterium. The bacterium evidenced positive reactivity for acid-fast and fluorescent acid-fast stains. The bacterium was capable of growth on the Middlebrook 7H11-Mycobacterium-specific agar. The identification and characterization of bacterial endosymbionts of free-living protozoa bears significant implications for our understanding of the ecology and the identification of other atypical mycobacterial pathogens.
Acanthamoeba/genetics/isolation & purification/*microbiology ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Contact Lens Solutions ; *Contact Lenses ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission/methods ; Mycobacterium/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S/genetics ; Symbiosis

PURPOSE: We examined the clinical and pathologic findings of small renal masses that were suspected to be malignant. We investigated the prevalence and the predictors of benign tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the patients who underwent surgeries for renal lesions between September 1994 and June 2007. We analyzed the pathologic reports and medical records of 586 patients who had a renal mass that was 4cm or less. The mean patient age was 53 years(age range: 15-82). There were 418 male patients(71.3%) and 168 females(28.7%). Multiple logistic regression analysis was done to determine the clinical factors associated with benign renal masses, including the radiological tumor size, a cystic versus solid appearance, gender, age and the presenting symptoms. RESULTS: Of the 586 renal masses, 62(10.6%) were benign, 520(88.7%) were renal cell carcinoma and 4(0.7%) were other malignancies. The proportion of benign lesions was significantly higher in the females than that in the males(21.4% vs. 6.2%, respectively, p<001) and the proportion of benign lesions was significantly higher for the smaller masses(0-2cm) than for the 2.1-4cm sized tumors(14.7% vs. 9.1%, respectively, p=0.048). On multivariate analysis, gender and tumor size were significantly associated with malignant histology with the males having an odds ratio(OR) of 4.16 (95% CI 2.41-7.19, p<0.001) and the tumor size more than 2cm having an OR of 1.93(95% CI 1.08-3.44, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: A considerable number(10.6%) of benign lesions 4cm or less in the radiological diameter were operated on based on suspicious preoperative imaging. The results of this study seem to help not only for counseling the patients, but also for deciding on a therapeutic modality preoperatively.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Counseling ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nephrectomy ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

Traditionally, urologists recommend an interval of at least 4 weeks after prostate biopsy before radical prostatectomy. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether the interval from prostate biopsy to radical prostatectomy affects immediate operative outcomes, with a focus on differences in surgical approach. The study population of 1,848 radical prostatectomy patients was divided into two groups according to the surgical approach: open or minimally invasive. Open group included perineal and retropubic approach, and minimally invasive group included laparoscopic and robotic approach. The cut-off of the biopsy-to-surgery interval was 4 weeks. Positive surgical margin status, operative time and estimated blood loss were evaluated as endpoint parameters. In the open group, there were significant differences in operative time and estimated blood loss between the <4-week and > or =4-week interval subgroups, but there was no difference in positive margin rate. In the minimally invasive group, there were no differences in the three outcome parameters between the two subgroups. Multivariate analysis revealed that the biopsy-to-surgery interval was not a significant factor affecting immediate operative outcomes in both open and minimally invasive groups, with the exception of the interval > or =4 weeks as a significant factor decreasing operative time in the minimally invasive group. In conclusion, performing open or minimally invasive radical prostatectomy within 4 weeks of prostate biopsy is feasible for both approaches, and is even beneficial for minimally invasive radical prostatectomy to reduce operative time.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/*statistics & numerical data ; *Operative Time ; Postoperative Hemorrhage/*epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Prostatectomy/*statistics & numerical data ; Prostatic Neoplasms/epidemiology/*pathology/*surgery ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Time-to-Treatment/*statistics & numerical data ; Treatment Outcome

To study the correlation of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection with clinical stage in cervical abnormalities, 17 cases of normal cervical tissue and 69 cases of abnormal cervical tissue (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cervical cancer) was examined by PCR with HPV-specific consensus primers. One case (5.9%) of normal cervical tissue and 42 cases (60.9%) of abnormal cervical tissues harbored HPV. To investigate the integration of HPV genome in 24 cases of HPV 16 positive cervical cancer, E2 gene of HPV 16 was amplified. Integration of HPV 16 was found in 7 cases (29.2%) with E2 disruption. All samples with E2 disruption were from invasive cervical cancer. A multiplex PCR for the mapping of integrated HPV 16 genome with an anchor primer and indicator primers showed that 11 cases (45.8%) were disrupted somewhere in HPV genome but E6, E7, and LCR regions were conserved in all cases. Seven types of integrated HPV genome from long- (7,062 bp) to short-conserved type (3,204 bp) with various deletions were detected by the multiplex PCR. These results show that integration can be detected more accurately by multiplex PCR than by E2 PCR, and E2 disruption is not a critical event of integration
Consensus ; Genome ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; Humans* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: Cervical lymph node metastases are quite common in papillary thyroid cancer and the spreading route of a metastasis is usually in a sequential fashion. However, skip metastasis is not uncommon in node-positive papillary thyroid cancer. The goal of this study was to evaluate the pattern of cervical lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid cancer. METHODS: A total of the 265 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma that underwent a total thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection between January 2006 and August 2007 were enrolled in the study. Medical records were reviewed for analyses of the pattern of cervical lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: Cervical lymph node metastases were noted in 39.2% of the total cases and in 27.9% of the 197 patients that had only central lymph node dissection and 48.5% of the 68 patients that had central and lateral lymph node dissections. Among the cases of central and lateral node dissection, skip metastasis, lateral lymph node metastasis without central lymph node metastasis, was observed in 4 (5.8%) of the cases and a false positive result of node dissection was confirmed in 19 (28.1%) cases. CONCLUSION: For complete surgery of papillary thyroid carcinoma, a thorough examination of the cervical lymph node is required. Acareful consideration of the possibility of skip metastasis and false positive results in cervical lymph node dissection, especially in the lateral compartment, is necessary.
Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes* ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of core strengthening on trunk balance in patients with subacute stroke. METHOD: Fifty-nine subacute hemiparetic stroke in-patients participated in this study. All patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the control group and the experimental group. Both groups received the same conventional physical therapies for 4 weeks. The experimental group received an additional core strengthening program (CSP). Korean mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE) and Korean Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI) were performed on admission. CSP was performed for 30 minutes a day, 3 days per week for 4 weeks. We selected nine exercises available for stroke patients, and divided them as three steps according to the degree of difficulty. Because of the muscle weakness in stroke patients, a physical therapist often helped them during exercise. Outcome measurement included trunk control test (TCT), trunk impairment scale (TIS), and Berg balance scale (BBS) and we compared both groups before and after the period of training. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in baseline general characteristics and initial values between the two groups. After rehabilitation therapy, both groups showed significant improvements in BBS, TIS, and TCT (p<0.05). Following 4 weeks of therapy, changes of BBS, TIS score in the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p<0.05). However, the change of TCT score was not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Analysis of different clinical parameters showed that better outcomes in BBS, TIS scores were achieved from CSP. This study suggests that CSP conducted for 4 weeks may be beneficial as a therapeutic technique for use in improvement of trunk balance in patients with subacute hemiparetic stroke.
Exercise ; Humans ; Muscle Weakness ; Physical Therapists ; Stroke

The title has been spelled incorrectly: "MEALS" should have appeared as "MELAS".