No abstract available.
Gaucher Disease*

Articular cartilage is a highly differentiated tissue, lacking a vascular supply and having only limited regenerative capability. Cut or other mechanical damage restricted to the cartilage does not repair. Experimentally and clinically, cartilage defect that penetrate the subchondral bone undergoes repair through the formation of tissue usually characterized as fibrous, fibrocartilaginous or hyaline-like cartilaginous tissue. There is little definitive informations about local or systemic factors that control the differentiation of mesenchymal cells to osteoblast, chondroblast or fibroblast. Our study was designed to evaluate the effect of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-pl) and autogenous periosteal graft on the healing of osteochondral defect of distal femur of rabbit and also the possibility of these method to be clinically applicable to human. The experimental model used in the present study for including cartilage in rabbit was based mainly on the model used by Frukawa et al14). in rabbit. A full thickness osteochondral defect of 80 rabbit were made with 2mm diameter of drill-bit and electrically driven drill. Experimental animals were divided into four group: 1) group I, osteochondral defect only, 2) group II, osteochondral defect with infiltration of phosphate buffer solution, 3) group III, osteochondral defect with infiltration of TGF-Bl, 4) group IV, osteochondral defect with autogenous periosteal graft. The healing of the defect was assessed at 1 week, 3 weeks, 5 weeks, 12 weeks after operation by gross and histochemical examination. At 1 week, fibrinoid material in edge to edge arcade arrangement was present in group I,II,III,IV. At 3 weeks, spindle shaped undifferentiated mesenchymal cell present in the periphery of fibrinous network, but there is no appearance of mesenchymal cell in group I,II. At 5 weeks, essentially complete repopulation of the defect with progressive differentiation of cells to chondroblast, chondrocyte, osteoblast and synthesis of cartilage and matrix in their appropriate location in group III and IV were found. At 12weeks, hyaline like cartilage formation was observed in group III and IV. but early trace of degeneration of the cartilage were seen in many defect with the prevalence and intensity of the degeneration increasing at group I and 3 . Our study demonstrated in detail the repair of full-thickness defect in rabbit articular cartilage extending into cancellous bone of the marrow cavity under influence of local growth factor (TGF-pl) and autogenous periosteal graft. Excellent reconstruction of articular cartilage was observed in TGF- Bl infiltration group and autogenous periosteal graft group as early as 5 weeks after the creation of defect. Although the further study should be carried out for their clinical application, we conclude that TGF-Bl regulates the overall mechanism of matrix constituent in connective tissue and autogenous periosteal graft have a chondrogenic potential to repair major osteochondral defect. these suggest that TGF-Bl and autogenous periosteal graft may be a important pathophysiological regulator of chondro- genesis.
Animals ; Bone Marrow ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Chondrocytes ; Connective Tissue ; Femur ; Fibrin ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Models, Theoretical ; Osteoblasts ; Prevalence ; Transplants*

The effects of intraventricular alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist and antagonist, clonidine and rauwolscine, on changes of blood pressure induced by the rise of intracranial pressure were investigated in urethane-anesthetized rabbits. 2) The rise of ICP, induced by the infusion of saline into a balloon placed in the epidural space, was comparatively slow in the beginning of the infusion but became sharp as the infusion proceeded. Corresponding with the gradual increase of ICP, there was a slight decrease in BP. An abrupt rise of BP was observed when ICP showed a sharp increase. 3) Intraventricular rauwolscine 5(microgram) by itself did not affect BP. In these rauwolscine-treated rabbits the increase of both ICP and BP by the infusion was similar to that of the control animals. 4) The pretreatment with rauwolscine 50(microgram) did hardly affect BP, but this made the increase of ICP and BP by the infusion different from that of the control animals. The slight hypotensive response in the beginning of the infusion did not appear and the pressor response to the raised ICP was markedly facilitated. The volume of saline inused into the infusing balloon to cause the same increase of ICP as in the control animals was much smaller than in the control ones, and the magnitude of the maximal increase of BP was much greater. 5) The pretreatment with 500 microgram of intraventricular rauwolscine produced an increase of BP. In these animals the increase of both ICP and BP by the infusion seemed to be slightly facilitated than in the control animals. 6) Intraventricular clonidine 30(microgram) markedly decreased BP. In these clonidine-treated animals the slight hypotensive response in the beginning was more distinct than in the control animals, and the pressor response was hardly seen. 7) The hypotensive response to intraventricular clonidine 30(microgram) was weakened in the animals pretreated with intraventricular rauwolscine 500(microgram). In these animals the increase of both ICP and BP by the infusion appeared as in the control animals. 8) The above results suggest that the pressor response to the raised ICP in rabbits was inhibited under the condition of stimulation of central alpha2-adrenoceptors and facilitated under the condition of blockade of the receptors. It seems that the rise of blood pressure takes place when the activity of alpha2-adrenoceptors is impared by the increased pressure of the balloon placed in the epidural space.
Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Clonidine ; Epidural Space ; Intracranial Pressure* ; Rabbits* ; Yohimbine

BACKGROUND: The opportunistic imperfect fungus Candida albicans causing life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients is recognized to be one of important nosocomial pathogens. Recently, an outbreak of septicemia caused by C. albicans was occured in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Chungbuk university hospital. To investigate the molecular epidemiology of these infections, we analyzed genotypes of C. albicans isolates from NICU and non-NICU. METHODS: Fourteen isolates of C. albicans were used for intraspecies genotyping, which were composed of 9 isolates from NICU and 5 isolates from non-NICU from January to April 1998. Each three isolates of C. albicans, C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis were used for interspecies genotyping. The genotyping were analyzed by RAPD with four random primers. RESULTS: The genotypes of C. albicans isolates from immature neonates in NICU were identical with those from medical persons in NICU but different with those from patients in non-NICU. Interspecies RAPD profiles were more distinctive than intraspecies RAPD profiles. The reproducibility of RAPD showed good result. CONCLUSION: These results show that C. albicans isolated from NICU disclose the same RAPD genotype, which suggests the clonal origin, and RAPD can be the useful method for the epidemiological study of nosocomial infection caused by C.albicans.
Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Cross Infection ; DNA* ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Fungi ; Genotype ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal* ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Sepsis*

The frequency of intestinal tuberculosis is relatively common; however, primary tuberculosis of the appendix remains a rarity. We report on a case of primary tuberculous appendicitis for which we obtained the MDCT images revealing thickening of the appendix and the surrounding lymphadenopathies.
Appendicitis ; Appendix ; Tuberculosis

Adventitial cystic disease of the popliteal artery is a rare disorder that causes localized stenosis or occlusion by compression of the vessel lumen. The disease produces lower extremity claudication, typically in young and middle-aged men. We report a case of the adventitial cystic disease of the popliteal artery in a 55-year-old man with symptom of left calf claudication. Diagnosis was done by ultrasound, angiography, and magnetic resonance imaging. The patient was treated with resection of the diseased popliteal artery followed by interposition of saphenous vein graft. Postoperatively, the symptom and sign resolved completely.
Angiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Popliteal Artery* ; Saphenous Vein ; Transplants ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: This study attempted to investigate the prevalence and related factors of Clonorchiasis among five major riverside residents in South Korea. METHODS: This study is descriptive research, nationwide survey, and the subjects are 23,492 residents selected by convenience sampling. Data collection was conducted between March 1 and June 30, 2011, and stool collection and questionnaire survey were conducted by affiliated public health centers in 38 cities and Gun's. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of Clonorchiasis in the five major riversides were as follows: the Guem River 15.2%; the Nakdong River 11.9%; the Seomjin River 10.9%; the Han River 5.7%; and the Yeongsan River 3.9%. The prevalence rates were shown to be significantly high among people who had highly frequent experiences of eating and cooking freshwater raw fish, were diagnosed with liver and/or biliary tract diseases, and drank less than once a month. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that it is necessary to improve awareness of Clonorchiasis and provide intensive public health education for the riverside residents. And the target groups should be set up by reflecting the characteristics of at-risk groups, and it is necessary to prepare customized strategies for prevention and management of Clonorchiasis.
Biliary Tract Diseases ; Clonorchiasis* ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Cooking ; Data Collection ; Eating ; Education ; Fresh Water ; Health Behavior ; Korea* ; Liver ; Parasite Egg Count ; Parasites ; Prevalence* ; Public Health ; Rivers

Purpose: Despite the relatively low incidence of sympathetic ophthalmia, prompt diagnosis is essential to prevent visual impairment in both eyes. Here, we present a case of sympathetic ophthalmia, emphasizing distinctive imaging findings.Case summary: A 64-year-old male patient presented with complaints of right ocular pain and visual disturbances occurring 3 weeks after blunt trauma. The patient had a history of ophthalmologic surgeries, including cataract surgery in both eyes and intraocular lens trans-scleral fixation in the right eye. A primary suture was performed in the right eye due to iris prolapse through the scleral incision site and anterior chamber hemorrhage. At 1 week post-surgery, the patient reported diminished visual acuity in the left eye. Further assessment using wide-field fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography revealed multiple focal hyperfluorescence leakage and serous retinal detachment. Consequently, sympathetic ophthalmia was diagnosed. Intravenous administration of high-dose steroids led to significant symptom improvement. Conclusions We present a patient with a history of multiple ophthalmic surgeries and contralateral eye trauma indicative of sympathetic ophthalmia. Imaging modalities revealed typical findings for this condition. This case report emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of sympathetic ophthalmia.

Objectives: Since protecting patients’ privacy is a major concern in clinical research, there has been a growing need for privacy-preserving data analysis platforms. For this purpose, a federated learning (FL) method based on the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP) common data model (CDM) was implemented, and its feasibility was demonstrated. Methods: We implemented an FL platform on FeederNet, which is a distributed clinical data analysis platform based on the OMOP CDM in Korea. We trained it through an artificial neural network (ANN) using data from patients who received steroid prescriptions or injections, with the aim of predicting the occurrence of side effects depending on the prescribed dose. The ANN was trained using the FL platform with the OMOP CDMs of Kyung Hee University Medical Center (KHMC) and Ajou University Hospital (AUH). Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) for predicting bone fracture, osteonecrosis, and osteoporosis using only data from each hospital were 0.8426, 0.6920, and 0.7727 for KHMC and 0.7891, 0.7049, and 0.7544 for AUH, respectively. In contrast, when using FL, the corresponding AUROCs were 0.8260, 0.7001, and 0.7928 for KHMC and 0.7912, 0.8076, and 0.7441 for AUH, respectively. In particular, FL led to a 14% improvement in performance for osteonecrosis at AUH. Conclusions FL can be performed with the OMOP CDM, and FL often shows better performance than using only a single institution's data. Therefore, research using OMOP CDM has been expanded from statistical analysis to machine learning so that researchers can conduct more diverse research.

The relationship between anti-Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein (CSP) antibody levels and the prevalence of malaria in epidemic areas of South Korea was evaluated. Blood samples were collected from inhabitants of Gimpo-si (city), Paju-si, and Yeoncheon-gun (county) in Gyeonggi-do (province), as well as Cheorwon-gun in Gangwon-do from November to December 2004. Microscopic examinations were used to identify malaria parasites. ELISA was used to quantitate anti-circumsporozoite protein (CSP) antibodies against P. vivax. A total of 1,774 blood samples were collected. The overall CSP-ELISA-positive rate was 7.7% (n=139). The annual parasite incidences (APIs) in these areas gradually decreased from 2004 to 2005 (1.09 and 0.80, respectively). The positive rate in Gimpo (10.4%, 44/425) was the highest identified by CSP-ELISA. The highest API was found in Yeoncheon, followed by Cheorwon, Paju, and Gimpo in both years. The positive rates of CSP-ELISA were closely related to the APIs in the study areas. These results suggest that seroepidemiological studies based on CSP may be helpful in estimating the malaria prevalence in certain areas. In addition, this assay can be used to establish and evaluate malaria control and eradication programs in affected areas.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Malaria, Vivax/*blood/*epidemiology/parasitology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plasmodium vivax/*immunology/physiology ; Prevalence ; Protozoan Proteins/immunology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Young Adult