As a technique mainly hiring in forensic investigation field to identify the descents, craniofacial reconstruction (CFR) is also used in archaeology to create the faces from ancient or medieval human remains, when there is little information about his/her appearance. Eung-Cheok Ko (1531–1605) was a writer and scholar in the mid Joseon period. In January of 2019, His mummified body was found at Gumi, Kyeonsangbuk-do, Korea. The remains were anthropologically examined, and archaeological CFR was also requested for this case. This report reveals the case’s facial reconstruction process and his portrait that is drawn based on the 3-dimensional CFR result.

BACKGROUND: Despite the wide use of knee radiography in children and adolescent patients visiting the outpatient clinic, there has been no analysis about the prevalence and type of incidental findings yet. This study was performed to investigate the incidental findings on knee radiographs in children and adolescents according to age. METHODS: A total of 1,562 consecutive patients younger than 18 years of age were included. They who visited Seoul National University Bundang Hospital's outpatient clinic with a chief complaint of knee pain or malalignment between 2010 and 2011. We reviewed the knee radiographs and analyzed the prevalence and type of incidental findings, such as metaphyseal lucent area, epiphyseal cortical irregularity, osteochondroma and Harris growth arrest line. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 10.2 years (range, 1 month to 18 years). We identified 355 incidental findings in 335 patients (21.4%) and 98 abnormal findings (6.3%). The most common incidental finding was metaphyseal lucent area (131, 8.4%), followed by epiphyseal cortical irregularity (105, 6.7%), Harris growth arrest line (75, 4.8%), and osteochondroma (44, 2.8%). An epiphyseal cortical irregularity tended to have a higher prevalence at younger age (p < 0.001) and the prevalences of metaphyseal lucent area and Harris growth arrest line were also higher at a younger age (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, the osteochondroma tended to have a higher prevalence at an older age (p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the incidental findings on knee radiographs in children and adolescents and provides effective information from a viewpoint of an orthopedic doctor. The authors recommend considering those incidental findings if unfamiliar findings appear on a knee radiograph in the pediatric outpatient clinic.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; *Incidental Findings ; Infant ; Knee/*radiography ; Knee Joint/*radiography ; Retrospective Studies

Many aging male suffer various andropause symptoms including loss of physical and mental activities. This study evaluated the putative alleviative effects of CRS-10 dandelion and rooibos extract complex (CRS-10) on the symptoms of andropause. The survival rate of TM3 Leydig cells (TM3 cells) treated with CRS-10 was measured based on typical physiological stress. After daily intake of CRS-10 for 4 weeks, the level of testosterone, physical activity and both the number and activity of sperm in older rats (18 weeks) were measured. Furthermore, thirty males were surveyed with AMS (Aging Males' Symptoms) questionnaire after intake of 400 mg of CRS-10. Overall, CRS-10 protected TM3 cells from serum restriction and oxidative stress via activation of ERK and Akt pathways. The level of testosterone and activation of spermatogenesis in rats were significantly enhanced. In addition, physical locomotion was markedly improved. Daily intake of 400 mg of CRS-10 improved the quality of life among agingmale respondents, according to a clinical survey using the AMS. The results indicate the potential of CRS-10 as a safe and efficacious natural substance for reducing or alleviating andropause symptoms.
Aging ; Andropause ; Animals ; Aspalathus ; Humans ; Leydig Cells ; Locomotion ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Oxidative Stress ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rats ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatozoa ; Stress, Physiological ; Survival Rate ; Taraxacum ; Testosterone

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To compare the effect of levofloxacin and moxifloxacin on treatment outcomes among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 171 patients with MDR-TB receiving either levofloxacin or moxifloxacin was performed. Treatment responses were categorized into treatment success (cured and treatment completed) or adverse treatment outcome (death, failure, and relapsed). RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 42.0 years. Approximately 56% of the patients were male. Seventeen patients had extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, and 20 had a surgical resection. A total of 123 patients (71.9%) received levofloxacin for a median 594 days, and 48 patients (28.1%) received moxifloxacin for a median 673 days. Other baseline demographic, clinical, and radiographic characteristics were similar between the two groups. The moxifloxacin group had a significantly higher number of resistant drugs (p < 0.001) and a higher incidence of resistance to ofloxacin (p = 0.005) in the drug sensitivity test. The treatment success rate was 78.9% in the levofloxacin group and 83.3% in the moxifloxacin group (p = 0.42). Adverse reactions occurred at similar rates in the groups (p = 0.44). Patients in the moxifloxacin group were not more likely to have treatment success than those in the levofloxacin group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.24 to 2.43; p = 0.65). CONCLUSIONS: Both levofloxacin and moxifloxacin showed equivalent efficacy for treating MDR-TB.
Adult ; Antitubercular Agents/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Aza Compounds/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Case-Control Studies ; Chi-Square Distribution ; *Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis/*drug therapy/microbiology/mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*drug effects/pathogenicity ; Odds Ratio ; Ofloxacin/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Quinolines/adverse effects/*therapeutic use ; Recurrence ; Remission Induction ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant/*drug therapy/microbiology/mortality

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatic nerve innervation plays important roles in hepatic metabolism and hemodynamic mechanisms. We compared the distribution patterns of hepatic nerves between normal livers and two liver diseases to elucidate the effects of liver disease on the distribution of hepatic nerves. METHODS: Tissue specimens were obtained by ultrasonography-guided needle biopsies from 10 normal controls, 74 patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), and 35 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). The obtained specimens were immunohistochemically stained using antibodies for S-100 protein and alpha-smooth-muscle actin (alpha-SMA). The degree of the expression in liver tissues was quantified by manual counting of positively stained nerve fibers under light microscopy. The serum hyaluronic acid level was assayed in all subjects to evaluate hepatic fibrosis. Electron microscopy examinations were also performed. RESULTS: The hepatic nerve innervation was significantly lower in LC than in normal controls, as indicated by S-100 protein staining. alpha-SMA and hyaluronic acid levels were higher in LC and CH than in normal controls. Electron microscopy revealed that unmyelinated nerve fiber bundles in the intralobar connective tissue coursed in the vicinity of hepatic triads. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that hepatic nerve innervation can be decreased by hepatic inflammatory responses and/or fibrotic changes in LC patients. Further study is needed to clarify this observation.
Actins ; Antibodies ; Biopsy, Needle ; Connective Tissue ; Fibrosis ; Hemodynamics ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Metabolism ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron ; Nerve Fibers* ; Nerve Fibers, Unmyelinated ; S100 Proteins

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) has recently become one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in Korea. However, not much epidemiologic and demographic data has yet been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features as well as the prognostic factors of patients with CAD. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 1,665 consecutive patients with CAD who had been admitted to the Catholic University Hospitals from December 1999 to April 2003. RESULTS: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was the most common cause of admission (n=715, 42.9%). Dyslipidemia, hypertension and smoking were the most common risk factors. More than 70% of the patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) received stent implantation. A total of 965 (612 males) patients were followed at least for 6 months (the mean follow-up duration was 23.8+/-12.2 months). The incidence rates of major adverse cardiac events (MACE: cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization) and cardiac death were 15.1% (n=146) and 2.2% (n=21), respectively. There was no difference in overall survival between the patients treated with medical therapy and those treated with PCI. By Cox regression analysis, the independent prognostic factors for MACE were PCI (95% CI: 1.75-4.85; p<0.01) and multivessel disease (95% CI: 1.03-2.04; p<0.05), and the independent prognostic factors for cardiac death were medical therapy (95% CI: 1.08-14.41; p<0.05) and old age (95% CI: 1.13-16.13; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in overall survival between the patients treated with medical therapy and those treated with PCI. However, PCI was superior to medical therapy for preventing death of the patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Death ; Dyslipidemias ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prognosis ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stents

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has evolved as a central treatment modality for the management of various hematologic malignancies. Despite adequate posttransplantation immunosuppressive therapy, acute GVHD remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, even for the patients who have received HLA identical sibling grafts. Once established, acute GVHD is difficult to treat, and the best primary treatments such as corticosteroid have shown responses of approximately 50%. Once GVHD becomes steroid-refractory, the chances of survival are slim at best, and the possibility of long-term complications from chronic GVHD is almost always the rule. Many agents are currently being evaluated to treat this malady, including ATG, monoclonal antibodies, pentostatin, denileukin diftitox, etc. We reported here on a case of steroid refractory acute GVHD that was treated with IL-2 and TNF-alpha blocker in myelodysplastic syndrome patient who underwent unrelated allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Interleukin-2* ; Mortality ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Pentostatin ; Siblings ; Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Stem Cells* ; Transplants ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

OBJECTIVE: Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived hormone with profound insulin sensitizing, anti-inflammatory, and antiatherogenic effects. Apart from its obvious potential as a mediator of adult metabolic syndrome, in pregnancy, adiponectin could have a significant role in regulating energy homeostasis. However, correlations between umbilical cord and maternal serum adiponectin levels and neonatal birthweights are far from understood. The purpose of the present study was to clarify correlations between umbilical cord and maternal serum adiponectin levels and neonatal birthweights. METHODS: The study included 30 healthy mothers who had given birth to healthy neonates. Adiponectin levels in maternal serum and umbilical cord serum were determined by ELISA and analysed. RESULTS: The ranges of adiponectin levels for umbilical cord and maternal serum were 7.12-24.93 microgram/mL and 1.76-8.20 microgram/mL, respectively. Umbilical cord adiponectin levels (14.82+/-3.66 microgram/mL) were significantly higher than maternal serum levels (4.73+/-1.87)(p<0.001). Umbilical cord adiponectin levels were correlated positively with neonatal birthweights (r=0.459, p=0.011). No significant differences in adiponectin levels were found between female and male neonates. In addition, there was no correlation between umbilical cord adiponectin levels and maternal serum adiponectin levels, maternal body mass index, umbilical leptin, or insulin levels. CONCLUSION: The levels of adiponectin were higher in umbilical cord than in maternal serum. The adiponectin levels in umbilical cord were found to correlate positively with neonatal birthweights. Therefore, adiponectin may be involved in fetal energy metabolism in pregnancy.
Adiponectin* ; Adult ; Body Mass Index ; Energy Metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Insulin ; Leptin ; Male ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Umbilical Cord

PURPOSE OF STUDY: Peripheral nerve regeneration depends on neurotrophism of distal nerve stump, recovery potential of neuron, supporting cell like Schwann cell and neurotrophic factors such as BDNF. Peripheral nerve regeneration can be enhanced by the conduit which connects the both sides of transected nerve. The conduit maintains the effects of neurotrophism and BDNF produced by Schwann cells which can be made by gene therapy. In this study, we tried to enhance the peripheral nerve regeneration by using calcium phosphate coated porous conduit and BDNF-Adenovirus infected Schwann cells in sciatic nerve of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Microporous filter which permits the tissue fluid essential for nerve regeneration and does not permit infiltration of fibroblasts, was made into 2mm diameter and 17mm length conduit. Then it was coated with calcium phosphate to improve the Schwann cell adhesion and survival. The coated filter was evaluated by SEM examination and MTT assay. For effective allogenic Schwann cell culture, dorsal root ganglia of 1-day old rat were extracted and treated with enzyme and antimitotic Ara-C. Human BDNF cDNA was obtained from cDNA library and amplified using PCR. BDNF gene was inserted into adenovirus shuttle vector pAACCMVpARS in which E1 was deleted. We infected the BDNF-Ad into 293 human mammary kidney cell-line and obtained the virus plaque 2 days later. RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the secretion of BDNF in infected Schwann cells. To determine the most optimal m.o.i of BDNF-Ad, we infected the Schwann cells with LacZ adenovirus in 1, 20, 50, 75, 100, 250 m.o.i for 2 hours and stained with beta-galactosidase. Rats(n=24) weighing around 300g were used. Total 14mm sciatic nerve defect was made and connected with calcium phosphate coated conduits. Schwann cells(1x10(6)) or BDNF-Ad infected Schwann cells(1x10(6)) were injected in conduit and only media(MEM) was injected in control group. Twelve weeks after surgery, degree of nerve regeneration was evaluated with gait analysis, electrophysiologic measurements and histomorphometric analysis. RESULTS: 1. Microporous Millipore filter was effective conduit which permitted the adhesion of Schwann cells and inhibited the adhesion of fibroblast. We could enhance the Schwann cell adhesion and survival by coating Millipore filter with calcium phosphate. 2. Schwann cell culture technique using repeated treatment of Ara-C and GDNF was established. The mean number of Schwann cells obtained 1 and 2 weeks after the culture were 1.54+/-4.0*10(6) and 9.66+/-9.6*10(6). 3. The mRNA of BDNF in BDNF-Ad infected Schwann cells was detected using RT-PCR. In Schwann cell 0.69 microgram/microliter of DNA was detected and in BDNF-Adenovirus transfected Schwann cell 0.795 microgram/microliter of DNA was detected. The most effective infection concentration was determined by LacZ Adenovirus and 75 m.o.i was found the most optimal. CONCLUSION: BDNF-Ad transfected Schwann cells successfully regenerated the 14mm nerve gap which was connected with calcium phosphate coated Millipore filter. The BDNF-Ad group showed better results compared with Schwann cells only group and control group in aspect to sciatic function index, electrophysiologic measurements and histomorphometric analysis.
Adenoviridae ; Animals ; beta-Galactosidase ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor* ; Calcium* ; Cell Adhesion ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cytarabine ; DNA ; DNA, Complementary ; Fibroblasts ; Gait ; Ganglia, Spinal ; Gene Library ; Genetic Therapy ; Genetic Vectors ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Humans ; Kidney ; Micropore Filters ; Nerve Growth Factors ; Nerve Regeneration ; Neurons ; Peripheral Nerves ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rats* ; Regeneration* ; RNA, Messenger ; Schwann Cells ; Sciatic Nerve*

Adenoviridae ; Cell Line ; Cells, Cultured ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; HEK293 Cells ; Mass Screening ; Nerve Growth Factor ; Neurons ; Peripheral Nerves ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Regeneration ; RNA, Messenger ; Schwann Cells ; Transfection