No abstract available.
Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Child* ; Embolization, Therapeutic* ; Humans

Malignant melanoma of the anorectal region is rare and carries a poor prognosis. The clinical features of pain, bleeding or an external mass are similar to those encountered in many other disorders of the anal canal. We reports a case of anorectal malignant melanoma with regional lymph node involvement who was treated with abdominoperineal resection. Early diagnosis and accurate evaluation is important, as the prognosis was related to tumor size & the thickness. Abdominoperineal resection should be considered in patient without advanced disease.
Anal Canal ; Early Diagnosis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Melanoma* ; Prognosis

Bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma is very rarely encountered in children. We report a case of bronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a 10-year-old boy who presented with persistent cough and atelectasis. Bronchoscopic examination showed a tumor mass occluding the right bronchus intermedius, and the mass was removed by bronchoscopy. The results of the pathological examination revealed low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma. He underwent right middle and lower lobectomy with bronchoplasty, and there was no metastasis. He remains symptom-free without recurrence of bronchial tumor during the follow-up period of 12 months.
Bronchi ; Bronchoscopy ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid* ; Child* ; Cough ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Recurrence

The incidence of fetal cardiac arrhythmia is approximately 1-3%. Sustatined fetal tachyarrhythmia may cause fetal hydrops and rnay lead to fetal death. We experienced a case of fetal atrial flutter without fetal hydrops at 34 weeks of gestation, which was diagnosed by fetal echocardiography. Transplacental fetal therapy with maternal digoxin administration resulted in restoration of normal fetal sinus rhythm. At birth, the infant showed normal electrocardiographic finding with normal Apgar scores.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Flutter* ; Digoxin ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Fetal Death ; Fetal Therapies ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis ; Incidence ; Infant ; Mothers* ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Tachycardia

PURPOSE: We conducted the immunoassay of pertussis according to ages, in order to evaluate protective immunity against pertussis in Korean populations. METHODS: Healthy subjects were enrolled at four university hospitals in Korea. The subjects were grouped as seven age groups (every 10 years). Antibodies against pertussis toxin (PT) in sera were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Geometric mean concentrations (GMC) of antibodies and the ratios of the subjects with seroprotective antibody levels were determined. The subjects with antibody titers > or =24.0 EU/mL were considered to seroprotective as the manufacturer's protocol. RESULTS: Total 1,605 subjects (age: 2 months-65 years) participated in this study, and their GMC was 56.16+/-50.54 EU/mL. Among seven age groups, age group <11 year showed the highest GMC (64.78+/-53.24 EU/mL) (P<0.001). In the analysis of the ratios of the subjects with seroprotective antibody titers, 68.2% of the subjects were proven to seroprotective, and age group <11 year also showed the highest ratio (76.5%) (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that adolescences or adults (age group > or =11 year) showed lower levels of antibody against pertussis and lower ratio of the subjects with seroprotective antibody titers than children (age group <11 year).
Adult ; Antibodies ; Child ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Immunization ; Immunoassay ; Korea ; Pertussis Toxin ; Whooping Cough

BACKGROUND: Some of elective surgical procedures may be postponed or cancelled due to inadequate preoperative assessment and preparation. To minimize this problem, our preadmission anesthesia consultation clinic had been designed and managed at the outpatient department. The case referral pattern and efficacy of the clinic were evaluated for 1 year. METHODS: The study was done collected prospectively on 881 patients referred to the clinic from January to December 1997, 1 year. The age, sex, departmental distribution of consultation, ASA physical status of patients, the clinical department and reasons of consultation, and satisfaction of the patients or their parents were analized prospectively. The preoperative hospital stay periods before and after the opening of the clinic were compared. RESULTS: The sex ratio(M/F) were 6/4. Thirty-seven percent of the patients were under 10 years old and 11.8% were twenties. ENT(48.4%), ophthalmology(15.6%), general surgery(12.6%) were mainly referral departments. Reasons for consultation were related to chest X-ray abnormality(28.9% of the cases) and EKG abnormality(17.9%). The majority of consultation had pediatric(30%) and cardiologic problem(26%). URI(54.2%) and liver disease(12.6%) were major disease entities to postpone their surgery. In 2.7% of the patients, their admission or operation were postponed by the anesthesiologists in the clinic. Ninety-one percent of the patients were satisfied to visit the clinic. CONCLUSION: We conclude that reduction in preoperative hospital stay and shortening in delay of surgery are provided, and most patients are satisfied to the preadmission anesthesia consultation clinic.
Anesthesia* ; Child ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Liver ; Outpatients ; Parents ; Prospective Studies ; Referral and Consultation ; Surgical Procedures, Elective ; Thorax

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Lamivudine is highly effective in suppressing hepatitis B virus replication and hepatitis B induced necroinflammatory activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the virological and biochemical responses to lamivudine by patients with HBV associated chronic liver disease. In particular we stressed the importance of lamivudine therapy by patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. METHODS: We conducted a one-year trial of lamivudine in 80 patients with HBV associated chronic liver disease (chronic hepatitis 44, cirrhosis 36). We classified these patients according to the severity of hepatic dysfunction as chronic B hepatitis (Group A) or liver cirrhosis (Group B). These patients were treated for 12 months with 100 mg daily doses of lamivudine. RESULTS: The seroconversion rate of HBeAg was 23.5% in group A patients and 26.7% in group B patients. The negative conversion of HBV-DNA was sustained for one year in 79.5% of patients in group A and 86.1% in group B. The normalization rates of serum ALT were 90.9% in group A and 88.9% in group B patients. No serious side effect after discontinuance of the treatment was found. There were 12 ALT breakthrough cases and all of them showed mutation of YMDD motif. However, they did not deteriorate clinically in spite of ALT elevation and HBV-DNA reappearance. The Child-Pugh scores improved even in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: One-year lamivudine treatment resulted in excellent virological and biochemical improvements and was well tolerated in the patients with HBV associated chronic liver disease, even in decompensated cirrhosis. We conclude that lamivudine is relatively safe in chronic hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis treatment.
Fibrosis ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Lamivudine* ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver Diseases ; Liver*

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is defined as a syndrome of cardiac failure occurring in tbe latter part of pregnancy or in the puerperium, without obvious cause and without prior evidence of heart disease. Despite its infrequency, this clinical problem may have devastating consequences upon maternal and fetal outcome. It is important to recognize the association of cardiac failure and pregnancy as a separate syndrome so that, once identified, peripartum cardiomyopathy can be treated promptly and aggressively. We experienced two cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy, and report these cases with a brief review of the literatures.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Peripartum Period* ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy

Purpose: This study aimed to confirm the joint association of hard of hearing and handgrip strength with falls among Koreans aged 65 years and above. Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on the 2020 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging data and included 4,372 participants who completed a falls-related questionnaire. Grip strength was measured, and hearing status was self-reported. Multivariate logistic regression assessed associations between hearing status, handgrip strength, and falls. Analyses were adjusted for variables such as age, sex, body mass index, education level, and medical history. Results: The study found a significant association between being hard of hearing and increased odds of falls (odds ratio [OR], 2.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.56–4.78). Additionally, individuals with low handgrip strength had higher odds of falls (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 0.88–3.31) than those with normal handgrip strength. Among individualswho were hard of hearing, the group with normal handgrip strength showed 28% lower odds of falls (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.18–2.87), although this result did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion These findings highlight the high fall odds associated with being hard of hearing and suggest that handgrip strength may have a potential protective effect in individuals aged 65 years and older. Our study contributes to an increased understanding of risk factors for falls in older adults and emphasizes the need to address sensory impairment and muscle strength in prevention efforts. Future studies must validate and extend these findings to improve quality of life and reduce fall-related injuries in older adults.

No abstract available.
Autoantibodies* ; Humans*