PURPOSE: The aims of this review were to evaluate the usefulness of arthroscopy and to study of different types of knee pathology in children under 15 years old. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1980 to January 2000, we retrospectively reviewed and analyzed 31 children (38 knees) under 15 years old, were performed arthroscopy at our department The use-fulness of arthroscopy was assessed by relating the prearthroscopic diagnosis to the intraarthroscopic findings. The procedure was classified as "not useful "when no additional information was obtained, "useful "when a doubtful diagnosis was confirmed and additional information was obtained, and "very useful "when a totally different diagnosis was reached and the cases of internal derangement. RESULTS: Total 46 lesions of 38 knees were found in arthroscopic finding. Most frequent pathology was meniscal lesions (26 cases), next were ligament injury (6 cases). Arthroscopy was found to be very useful, useful, not useful in 40%, 16%, 44%, respectively of children. CONCLUSION: In this study, the most common arthroscopic findings are meniscal lesions (57%). 56% of all cases were classified as useful and very useful. Overall, arthroscopy is an effective diagnostic and therapeutic tool that can be used safely in children.
Adolescent ; Arthroscopy* ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Knee* ; Ligaments ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of serum CA 125, CA 19-9, and eosinophil as biological markers for the diagnosis and recurrence of endometriosis. METHODS: One hundred seventeen patients who underwent operations for endometriosis between January 2000 and December 2006 at our department were included. A total of 50 reproductive aged women who visited our health care center were the control group. Data on serum level of CA 125, CA 19-9, and eosinophil was collected. Patients symptoms, sonographic findings, stage, treatment, recurrence were also collected. Venous blood sampling was performed 1 month before operation and 1 to 6 months after operation. We analyzed the serum level of CA 125, CA 19-9, and eosinophil according to the endometriosis stage and symptoms. We also analyzed the differences between preoperative and postoperative serum marker levels. RESULTS: The serum level of CA 125 and CA 19-9 was available in 88 patients and 45 patients, respectively. The mean eosinophil count was significantly lower in endometriosis group than in control group. In comparison between preoperative values and postoperative values, the CA 125 and CA 19-9 level showed significant reduction (P<0.05), however the eosinophil level showed no difference. The positive rate of serum CA 125 and CA 19-9 were 68.9% and 60.0% as a single test, whereas the combined positive rate of CA 125 and CA 19-9 was 82.2%. CONCLUSION: For the diagnosis and follow-up of endometriosis, serum CA 125 and CA 19-9 combination test will be valuable. Serum eosinophil count seems to be unsuitable for the screening and follow up test of endometriosis.
Aged ; Biomarkers ; Delivery of Health Care ; Endometriosis ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Recurrence

Tracheal rupture is a rare complication of tracheal intubation, but may result in pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema, subcutaneous emphysema and other serious outcomes. Risk factors associated with tracheobronchial rupture include multiple vigorous attempts at intubation, inexperienced operator, intubating stylets, tracheal abnormalities, overdistension of tracheal or bronchial cuff, repositioning of tube without deflating the cuff, chronic obstructive airway disease and vigorous coughing while being intubated. We report a case of tracheal rupture after using single lumen endotracheal tube. A 41-year-old, 53 kg, female was operated for a repair of anterior cruciate ligament under general anesthesia in other hospital. Two hours later after the end of operation, facial swelling, dyspnea and chest pain developed. Chest computed tomography showed mediastinal emphysema. She was transferred to our hospital and bronchoscopy showed a rupture at posterior part of membranous portion 2 cm proximal to carina. Trachea was repaired and she was discharged from the hospital without complication.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Bronchoscopy ; Chest Pain ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Emphysema ; Female ; Humans ; Intubation ; Mediastinal Emphysema ; Pneumothorax ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Risk Factors ; Rupture* ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Thorax ; Trachea

Multilocular thymic cyst (MTC) has been reported to develop in concert with various mediastinal neoplasms that have intrinsic inflammatory components, such as thymoma, thymic carcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, and seminoma. However, development of mediastinal teratoma without intrinsic inflammation in association with MTC has rarely been reported. Here, we report the findings of a case of MTC associated with mediastinal mature cystic teratoma on computed tomography (CT) with CT-histopathologic correlation.
Hodgkin Disease ; Inflammation ; Mediastinal Cyst* ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Mediastinum ; Seminoma ; Teratoma* ; Thymoma

Multilocular thymic cyst (MTC) has been reported to develop in concert with various mediastinal neoplasms that have intrinsic inflammatory components, such as thymoma, thymic carcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, and seminoma. However, development of mediastinal teratoma without intrinsic inflammation in association with MTC has rarely been reported. Here, we report the findings of a case of MTC associated with mediastinal mature cystic teratoma on computed tomography (CT) with CT-histopathologic correlation.
Hodgkin Disease ; Inflammation ; Mediastinal Cyst* ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Mediastinum ; Seminoma ; Teratoma* ; Thymoma

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the STANDARD F Influenza A/B FIA test (SD Biosensor Inc., Korea) for the rapid detection of influenza A virus in comparison with the Sofia Influenza A+B FIA (Quidel Corp., USA) and SD BIOLINE Influenza Ag A/B/A(H1N1) (Standard Diagnostic, Inc., Korea) tests. Methods: A total of 227 non-duplicated nasopharyngeal aspirates submitted for real-time RT-PCR analysis were included in the study. We used the three commercial tests in remnant samples from routine assays, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We analyzed the diagnostic performance, including sensitivity and specificity, of the three tests. Results: Real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that 67 (29.5%) samples were positive and 160 (70.5%) were negative for influenza A virus, and that all the specimens were negative for influenza B. The overall sensitivity and specificity for influenza A virus detection were 50.7% and 100% for the STANDARD F, 50.7% and 100% for the Sofia, and 29.9% and 100% for the SD BIOLINE tests, respectively. The STANDARD F and SD BIOLINE tests showed negative results for influenza B virus in all specimens, whereas the Sofia test showed two false-positive results. Conclusion The STANDARD F Influenza A/B test showed a good diagnostic performance and may be useful for the rapid diagnosis of influenza A.

In this study, the antibacterial effect was evaluated to determine the benefits of high speed drying (HSD) and far-infrared radiation drying (FIR) compared to the freeze drying (FD) method. Citrus press-cakes (CPCs) are released as a by-product in the citrus processing industry. Previous studies have shown that the HSD and FIR drying methods are much more economical for drying time and mass drying than those of FD, even though FD is the most qualified drying method. The disk diffusion assay was conducted, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined with methanol extracts of the dried CPCs against 11 fish and five food-related pathogenic bacteria. The disk diffusion results indicated that the CPCs dried by HSD, FIR, and FD prevented growth of all tested bacteria almost identically. The MIC and MBC results showed a range from 0.5-8.0 mg/mL and 1.0-16.0 mg/mL respectively. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the extracts changed the morphology of the bacteria cell wall, leading to destruction. These results suggest that CPCs dried by HSD and FIR showed strong antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria and are more useful drying methods than that of the classic FD method in CPCs utilization.
Bacteria ; Cell Wall ; Citrus ; Diffusion ; Freeze Drying ; Methanol ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning

Background: This study aimed to investigate the release and response of IL-18 to steroid treatment in the allergic rhinitis (AR) mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/c mice were sensitized systematically using an intraperitoneal ovalbumin (OVA) injection and locally by OVA inhalation. The steroid treatment group had an intraperitoneal dexamethasone injection. Symptom scores, eosinophil counts in nasal septal mucosa, and IL-18 concentrations in nasal and lung lavage fluid were analyzed. RESULTS: The symptom scores and eosinophil counts of the negative control and steroid treatment groups were significantly lower than those of the positive control group (p<.01). Meanwhile IL-18 concentrations of nasal lavage fluid of the three groups were not significantly different (56.68+/-9.57, 63.39+/-8.93, and 64.47+/-6.83 pg/mL, repectively). IL-18 concentration of lung lavage fluid was significantly different between the positive control and steroid treatment groups (430.75+/-154.54 and 69.94+/-14.26pg/mL respectively, p=.028). CONCLUSION: In this study, IL-18 concentration increased not in the nasal lavage fluid but in the lung lavage fluid in AR mouse model. The increased IL-18 concentration decreased after the steroid therapy. This result suggests that the role of IL-18 in the pathogenesis of AR may be different from that of asthma.
Animals ; Asthma ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Dexamethasone ; Eosinophils ; Inhalation ; Interleukin-18* ; Mice* ; Mucous Membrane* ; Nasal Lavage Fluid ; Ovalbumin ; Ovum ; Rhinitis*

BACKGROUND: Measuring grip and pinch strength is an important part of hand injury evaluation. Currently, there are no standardized values of normal grip and pinch strength among the Korean population, and lack of such data prevents objective evaluation of post-surgical recovery in strength. This study was designed to establish the normal values of grip and pinch strength among the healthy Korean population and to identify any dependent variables affecting grip and pinch strength. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out. The inclusion criterion was being a healthy Korean person without a previous history of hand trauma. The grip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer. Pulp and key pinch strength were measured with a hydraulic pinch gauge. Intra-individual and inter-individual variations in these variables were analyzed in a standardized statistical manner. RESULTS: There were a total of 336 healthy participants between 13 and 77 years of age. As would be expected in any given population, the mean grip and pinch strength was greater in the right hand than the left. Male participants (137) showed mean strengths greater than female participants (199) when adjusted for age. Among the male participants, anthropometric variables correlated positively with grip strength, but no such correlations were identifiable in female participants in a statistically significant way. CONCLUSIONS: Objective measurements of hand strength are an important component of hand injury evaluation, and population-specific normative data are essential for clinical and research purposes. This study reports updated normative hand strengths of the South Korean population in the 21st century.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hand ; Hand Injuries ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Male ; Pinch Strength ; Population Dynamics ; Reference Values

In this case report, we describe a 71-year-old woman with right conal coronary artery-to-pulmonary trunk fistula. She visited the outpatient clinic of the nephrology department for long-term management of renal dysfunction. On transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) conducted as a part of cardiac evaluation, an abnormal Doppler color flow taking a course toward echocardiographic probe was incidentally detected outside the main pulmonary trunk, giving an impression of congenital coronary arteriovenous (AV) fistula. Computed tomography coronary angiography confirmed the presence of congenital coronary AV fistula from a conal branch of the right coronary artery to the main pulmonary trunk in the form of a ground cherry. Although the direction of Doppler color flow is not usual (i.e. toward, not away from, echocardiographic probe) in this case, congenital coronary AV fistula should be in the first priority among potential diagnoses when an abnormal Doppler color flow was found near the main pulmonary trunk on TTE.
Aged ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessel Anomalies ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Nephrology ; Physalis