PURPOSE: Some patients who undergo surgical resection of pancreatic cancer survive longer than other patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect long-term survival after resection of histopathologically confirmed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A single-center, retrospective study was conducted among 164 patients who underwent surgical resection of pancreatic cancer, between May 1995 and December 2004. The patient follow-up process was conducted via telephone survey and review of electronic medical records for at least 5 years or until death. RESULTS: We compared patients with long-term (> or =60 months, n = 19) and short-term survival (<60 months, n = 145). Resection margin status, differentiation of the tumor, tumor stage, pre-operative serum level of albumin, total bilirubin and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 level are related with survival difference (all factors, P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that a pre-operative serum total bilirubin level <7 mg/dL and a pre-operative serum CA19-9 level <37 U/mL is a statistically significant prognostic factor for long-term survival. CONCLUSION: The preoperative serum total bilirubin and serum CA19-9 levels are associated with long-term survival after surgical resection of pancreatic cancer.
Adenocarcinoma ; Bilirubin ; Electronic Health Records ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Telephone

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is used for long-term nutritional support and can be performed with relatively few complications. Among the major and minor complications, migration and erosion of the internal bumper into or through the abdominal wall, so called buried bumper syndrome has been described more recently. We describe a patient in whom internal bumper eroded into stomach wall and was completely covered by gastric epithelium 45 days after gastrostomy placement. The gastrostomy tube itself was patent, and the end still protruded into the lumen of the stomach. But, endoscopy was failed to remove the gastrostomy tube and surgical exploration was required in our case. We experienced a case of buried bumper syndrome after percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and report with a review of literatures.
Abdominal Wall ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; Endoscopy ; Epithelium ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Nutritional Support ; Stomach

BACKGROUND: The catheter ablation usin radiofrequency(RF) energy in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia(AVNRT) and atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia(AVRT) ahs been proved as a safe and effective nonpharmacologic therapeutic modality. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the success rate and complications of the initial experience and to determine the extent of myocardial damage of RF catheter ablation. METHODS: Electrophysiologic study was performed with the standard technique. Twenty five patinents(M:F=16:9, mean age:42 years old) underwent RF catheter ablation in St. May's Hospital from April to December in 1994. The RF generator in this study was RFG-3D model and catheters were 6F or 7F steerable catheters with 4mm kistal tip. In order to evaluate the extent of myocardial damage the WBC count, LDH, CK, and CK-MB fraction were checked before and after RF catheter ablation and the Tc99m myocardial scintigraphy was performed within 72 hours of the porcedure. RESULTS: Six of twenty five patients had AVNRT, in which the success rate of selective ablation of the slow pathway was 83.8%. Nineteen patients with AVRT had one accessory pathway. The ablation success rate of 14 accessory pathways in left free wall location was 85.7%, and that of 3 in left posteroseptal location was 66.6%. Two right sided accessory pathways were not ablated successfully. The level of CK-MB fraction after ablation was within normal limit. Only one case revealed grade 2 of hot spot in Tc99m myocardial scintigraphy. CONCLUSION: The RF catheter ablation in patients with AVNRT and AVRT is a safe and effective nonpharmacologic therapeutic modality. But right sided accessory pathways are more difficult to ablate than left sided accessory pathways, requiring more experiences and better technique. The extent of myocardial damage after RF catheter ablation reveals relatively minimal by cardiac enzyme study and Tc99mmyocardial scintigraphy.
Catheter Ablation* ; Catheters ; Humans ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Tachycardia, Supraventricular*

Clinical features, laboratory and operative findings were reviewed in 17 cases adult Ebstein's anomaly admitted to Seoul National University Hospital from Feburary,1979 to October, 1987. 1) Mean age of first diagnosis was 28.6 tears old(range ; 14-57 years old). 2) Exertional duspnea(88.2%) and palpitation(64.7%) were the predominant symptoms, and PSVT was documented in 4 cases among 11 patoents with palpitation. 3) Echocardiogram showed displacement or delayed closure of the tricuspid valve in 13 cases. 4) On similtaneous recording of the intracardiac ECG and pressure, right ventricular electrogram with atrial pressure in atrialized right ventricle was observed in all cases. 5) Right ventriculogram revealed displacement of the tricuspid valve in 9 cases and tricuspid regurgitation in 10 cases. 6) Interatrial communication via ASD(8) and PFO(3) was present in 11 cases(64.7%). 7) Operative finding of 9 cases showed abnormalities of septal leaflet in 9(100%), posterior leaflet in 8(88.8%), and anterior leaflet in 2 cases(22.2%).
Adult* ; Atrial Pressure ; Diagnosis ; Ebstein Anomaly* ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Seoul ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency

PURPOSE: The impact of obesity on the surgical outcomes of Asian patients undergoing laparoscopic colon surgery is not clear. The purpose was to evaluate the outcome of laparoscopic surgery in obese Asian patients with colon cancer.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the prospectively collected data of 1,740 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer between January 2008 and December 2010. Patients were classified according to the categories proposed by the International Obesity Task Force, Non-obese (body mass index [BMI]<25.0 kg/m2), Obese-I (BMI, 25.0–29.9 kg/m2), and Obese-II (BMI≥30 kg/m2). Surgical outcomes, including open conversion, operative time, and postoperative hospital stay, were compared in the Non-obese, Obese-I, and Obese-II patients.RESULTS: Of the 1,192 patients in the study, 812 (68.1%), 360 (30.2%), and 20 (1.7%), were classified as Non-obese, Obese-I, and Obese-II, respectively. The Obese-II group had higher conversion rates (10.0% vs. 3.6% and 1.6%, P=0.008) and, longer operative times (180.35 vs. 162.54 and 147.84 minutes, P<0.001) than the Obese-I and Non-obese group. However, the other postoperative outcomes were not significantly different. The overall survival and disease-free survival were not significantly different between groups (P=0.952). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent risk factor for conversion were BMI, total operative time, previous operative history, and cancer perforation.CONCLUSION: The outcomes of laparoscopic colon surgery in obese patients are similar to those of non-obese patients, offering all the benefits of a minimally invasive approach. However, the conversion rate was higher in obese patients. It is therefore very important for surgeons to be aware of these risks during laparoscopic colon surgery in obese patients.
Advisory Committees ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Colectomy ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Multivariate Analysis ; Obesity ; Observational Study ; Operative Time ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surgeons

PURPOSE: Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders with diverse modes of inheritance. There are several subtypes of SCAs. SCA 8, SCA 12, and SCA 17 are the less common forms of SCAs with limited information available on their epidemiological profiles in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SCA8, SCA12, and SCA17 in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-six unrelated Korean patients were enrolled and showed normal trinucleotide repeats through polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) for the genes ATXN1, ATXN2, ATXN3, CACNA1A , and ATXN7, which correspond to SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, and SCA7, respectively. PCR products from patients were further analyzed by capillary electrophoresis using fluorescence labeled primers for the genes ATXN8OS, PPP2R2B, and TBP, which correspond to SCA8, SCA12, and SCA17. RESULTS: Three patients had 104, 97, and 75 abnormal expanded repeats in the ATXN8OS gene, the causative gene for SCA8. None of the patients exhibited abnormal repeats in SCA12 and SCA17. Normal trinucleotide repeat ranges of the cohort in this study were estimated to be 17-34 copies (average, 24+/-4 copies) for SCA8, 7-18 copies (average, 13+/-3 copies) for SCA12, and 26-43 copies (average, 35+/-2 copies) for SCA17. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that SCA8, SCA12, and SCA17 are rare in Korean patients with SCA, and further genetic studies are warranted to enhance the mutation detection rate in the Korean SCA population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Electrophoresis, Capillary ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Korea ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid* ; Spinocerebellar Ataxias* ; Trinucleotide Repeats ; Wills

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory activity of ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) extract (IPE) in vitro and in vivo. Raji (a human B cell line) and Jurkat (a human T cell line) cells were treated with various doses of IPE and cell proliferation was measured by WST assay. Results showed that IPE promoted the proliferation of both Raji and Jurkat cells in a dose-dependent manner. IPE also enhanced IL-6 and TNF-α production in macrophages in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), although IPE alone did not induce cytokine production. Moreover, IPE treatment upregulated iNOS gene expression in macrophages in a time- and dose-dependent manner and led to the production of nitric oxide in macrophages in the presence of IFNγ. In vivo studies revealed that oral administration of IPE for 2 weeks increased the differentiation of CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+ cells in splenocytes. These findings suggested that IPE has immunomodulatory effects and could be developed as an immunomodulatory supplement.
Administration, Oral ; Cell Proliferation ; Cytokines ; Ethanol* ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Ice* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin-6 ; Jurkat Cells ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Mesembryanthemum* ; Nitric Oxide

PURPOSE: Although heart failure (HF) is recognized as a leading contributor to healthcare costs and a significant economic burden worldwide, studies of HF-related costs in South Korea are limited. This study aimed to estimate HF-related costs per Korean patient per year and per visit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data obtained from six hospitals in South Korea. Patients with HF who experienced ≥one hospitalization or ≥two outpatient visits between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 were included. Patients were followed up for 1 year [in Korean won (KRW)]. RESULTS: Among a total of 500 patients (mean age, 66.1 years; male sex, 54.4%), the mean 1-year HF-related cost per patient was KRW 2,607,173, which included both, outpatient care (KRW 952,863) and inpatient care (KRW 1,654,309). During the post-index period, 22.2% of patients had at least one hospitalization, and their 1-year costs per patient (KRW 8,530,290) were higher than those of patients who had only visited a hospital over a 12-month period (77.8%; KRW 917,029). Among 111 hospitalized patients, the 1-year costs were 1.7-fold greater in patients (n=52) who were admitted to the hospital via the emergency department (ED) than in those (n=59) who were not (KRW 11,040,453 vs. KRW 6,317,942; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The majority of healthcare costs for HF patients in South Korea was related to hospitalization, especially admissions via the ED. Appropriate treatment strategies including modification of risk factors to prevent or decrease hospitalization are needed to reduce the economic burden on HF patients.
Ambulatory Care ; Cohort Studies* ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Health Care Costs* ; Heart Failure* ; Heart* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Korea* ; Male ; Outpatients ; Retrospective Studies* ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: Protein-calorie malnutrition is a common problem in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Serum albumin(SA) concentration has been used as a marker for assessing nutritional status. Hypoalbuminemia has been linked to an increased risk of morbidity and mortality and more numerous, prolonged hospitalization for peritoneal dialysis patients. The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting SA value in CAPD patients. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study which included patients' demographics, anthropometric data, biochemical parameters, urea kinetic data and comorbidity in 106 stable CAPD patients. RESULTS: 1) There were 50 men and 56 women with a mean CAPD duration of 43 months and mean age of 49 years. The mean concentration of SA was 3.9+/-0.5 (range 2.5-5.3) g/dl and weekly Kt/Vurea 2.0+/-0.4 (range 1.32-3.79) 2) Twenty-one patients(20%) were classified as group I(SA<3.5g/dl)and the remaining patients(80%) as group II(SA 3.5g/dl) 3) Group I patients were significantly older(55+/-11 vs 47+/-11 years, p<0.05) and had significantly higher comorbidity score(1.5+/-0.8 vs 0.7+/-0.9, p<0.05), C-reactive protein (4.5+/-0.9 vs 0.5+/-0.1 mg/dl, p<0.05), 24-hr dialysate-toplasma creatinine(D/PCr) ratio(0.84+/-0.1 vs 0.76+/-0.1, p<0.05), 24-hr dialysate protein (7167+/-2031 vs 5471+/-1515 mg, p<0.05) and had significantly lower residual renal function(RRF)(0.2+/-0.3 vs 0.7+/-1.2 ml/min, p<0.05), BUN(48+/-14.8 vs 55.6+/-14.9 mg/dl, p<0.05), serum creatinine(10.4+/-2.8 vs 12.6+/-3.5 mg/dl, p<0.05), IGF-1(186+/-99 vs 260+/-131 ng/ml, p<0.05), serum phosphorus(4.1+/-1.2 vs 5.0+/-1.3 mg /dl, p<0.05) than group II.4) SA showed positive correlation with anion gap (r=0.43, p value=0.001), transferrin(r=0.41, p value= 0.001) phosphorus(r=0.31, p value=0.001) and negative correlation with 24-hr dialysate protein loss(r=-0.51, p value=0.001), 24-hr D/PCr ratio(r=-0.49, p value=0.001), comorbidity score(r=-0.36, p vluue=0.001). NPCR(r=0.22, p value=0.023), IGF-1(r=0.30, p value=0.002), BUN(r=0.23, p value=0.016) weakly correlated with SA.5) By stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis, age, CRP, 24-hr D/PCr ratio and RRF independently influenced SA level. CONCLUSION: SA level seems to be affected by non-nutritional factors such as age, peritoneal membrane transport characteristics, residual renal function and presence of acute phase protein response manifested by CRP elevation, in addition to nutritional factors.
Acid-Base Equilibrium ; Acute-Phase Proteins ; C-Reactive Protein ; Comorbidity ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Demography ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Membranes ; Mortality ; Nutritional Status ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Protein-Energy Malnutrition ; Serum Albumin* ; Urea

Schwannoma is a tumor that arises from neural sheath Schwann cells of peripheral nerves. Schwannoma is mostly solitary, except when it occurs in association with Von Recklinghausen's disease. Solitary schwannoma can occur in association with a nerve anywhere within the body, but rarely occurs in the pelvis. Microscopically, the tumors can be divided into hypercellular bundles of spindle-shaped cells (Antoni A area) and areas of lower cellularity, with loose myxomatous arrangement of cells and fibers (Antoni B area). Complete resection of pelvic schwannoma is a curative treatment. We report a case of benign presacral cystic schwannoma that caused recurrent acute urinary retention in a 79-year-old woman, along with a review of the literature.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Pelvis ; Peripheral Nerves ; Schwann Cells ; Urinary Retention*