BACKGROUND: It is known that severe infection and inflammation lead to hemostatic abnormalities. Recently, much attention is focused on the mechanisms of infection or inflammation and on how it plays a central role in effecting the coagulation system. Disseminated intravascular coagulation in particular, is a common phenomenon in patients with sepsis, but the clinical implications of this condition are not clear. Therefore we attempted to evaluate the changes of the coagulation system in patients with sepsis and studied the factors that lead to such changes. METHODS: One hundred one patients diagnosed with sepsis were enrolled in this study. The patients were clinically evaluated for underlying disease and data for inflammatory status and coagulative changes were evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: The WBC count increased in 76% and decreased in 6% of sepsis patients in comparison to the reference interval. The platelet count decreased in 65.3%. Changes in coagulative tests such as prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, antithrombin III, and D-dimer were observed in 70.4%, 52.7%, 87.2% and 100% of the patients, respectively. Correlation between ESR and fibrinogen was the highest in relation to the other coagulation factors. CRP also showed the highest correlation with fibrinogen in contrast to the other coagulation factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the clear activation of coagulation in patients with sepsis. Of the evaluated factors involved in coagulation and fibrinolysis, fibrinogen showed the highest correlation to indices representing the inflammatory state. However further studies on the anticoagulant pathway are necessary in elucidating this matter.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacterial Infections/diagnosis ; Biological Markers/analysis ; *Blood Coagulation ; Blood Coagulation Tests ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation/*diagnosis/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation/diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Count ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis/*blood/complications/diagnosis ; Statistics as Topic

Krukenberg tumor of the primary breast carcinoma is rare and this is almost invasive lobular carcinoma. They are usually bilateral and frequent in premenopausal women. Diagnosis of symptomatic Krukenberg tumor is reported to be 1 or 2 year after the diagnosis of primary neoplasm. But sometimes it is discovered prior to the detection of the primary breast carcinoma. Unexpected ovarian micrometastasis was recognized after oophorectomy of normally appearing ovaries in breast cancer patients. Existence of Krukenberg tumor means advanced primary disease and possible metastasis to other organs, and have a poorer prognosis. We report a case of Krukenberg tumors occurred 3 years after the diagnosis of primary ductal type breast carcinoma.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Krukenberg Tumor* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; Ovariectomy ; Ovary* ; Prognosis

Spontaneous anterior cerebral artery (ACA) dissection, although extremely rare, is often associated with severe morbidity and mortality. It could lead to cerebral hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, or, rarely, combination of hemorrhage and ischemia due to hemodynamic changes. Prompt and accurate diagnosis is essential for determining the appropriate management. However, the optimal treatment for ACA dissection remains controversial. Herein, we report on two rare cases of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) caused by ACA dissection; a case presenting with simultaneous SAH and infarction without aneurysmal formation and another case presenting with SAH with fusiform aneurysmal formation. A review of the related literature is provided, and optimal treatments for each type of dissection are suggested.
Aneurysm* ; Anterior Cerebral Artery* ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Diagnosis ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage* ; Infarction ; Ischemia* ; Mortality ; Stroke ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage*

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the clinical and radiographical results of anatomical reconstruction by Chen method for chronic lateral ankle instability. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with chronic lateral ankle instability who had undergone anatomical reconstruction of anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments by Chen method were evaluated retrospectively. Average age of the patients was 31.3 years, and average follow-up period was 15.5 months. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs including varus stress view and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were analyzed. The clinical evaluation was performed according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scale. RESULTS: Radiographically average talar tilt angle was 15.3degrees preoperatively, and the difference with contralateral normal side was 10.1degrees. At last follow up, talar tile angle and the difference with contralateral side improved to 5.9degrees and 1.3degrees respectively. AOFAS scale was 66.6 preoperatively and 87.3 postoperatively. In MRI findings, four patients had associated intra-articular lesion such as articular cartilage defect, synovitis and osteoarthritis. The talar tilt angle improvement and AOFAS scale of patients without intra-articular lesion was better than those of four patients with intra-articular lesions. Surgical wound pain occurred in six patients and sural neuropathy in three patients. CONCLUSION: The anatomical reconstruction by Chen method was an easy and effective procedure for symptomatic chronic lateral ankle instability. Careful operative technique may prevent the surgical wound pain and sural neuropathy.
Animals ; Ankle ; Cartilage, Articular ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Organic Chemicals ; Osteoarthritis ; Retrospective Studies ; Synovitis

OBJECTIVE: Although burr hole trephination is a safe and effective surgical option to treat patients with chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH), it often results in a small but undesirable scalp depression from burr hole defect. This study is to evaluate the efficacy of titanium burr hole cover (BHC) for reconstruction of skull defects in these patients. METHODS: A hundred and ninety-six cases of burr hole trephinations for CSDHs between January 2009 and December 2013 were assigned into two groups; Gelfoam packing only (GPO) and reconstruction using titanium BHC group, according to the modalities of burr hole reconstructions. The incidences and depths of scalp depressions and incidences of postoperative complications such as infections or instrument failures were analyzed in both groups. We also conducted telephone surveys to evaluate the cosmetic and functional outcomes from patient's aspect. RESULTS: Significantly lower incidence (p<0.0001) and smaller mean depth (p<0.0001) of scalp depressions were observed in BHC than GPO group. No statistical differences were seen in postoperative infection rates (p=0.498) between the two groups. There were no instrument failures in BHC group. According to the telephone surveys, 73.9% of respondents with scalp depressions had cosmetic inferiority complexes and 62.3% experienced functional handicaps during activities of daily life. CONCLUSION: Titanium BHC is highly effective for reconstruction of skull defect after burr hole trephination of CSDH, and provides excellent cosmetic and functional outcomes without significant complications.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Depression ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Postoperative Complications ; Scalp ; Skull* ; Telephone ; Titanium* ; Treatment Outcome ; Trephining*

PURPOSE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been known as psychiatric disorder in childhood associated with dopamine dysregulation. In present study, we investigated changes in dopamine transporter (DAT) density of the basal ganglias using I-123 N- (3-iodopropen-2-yl) -2-carbomethoxy-3beta- (4-chlorophenyl) tropane [I-123 IPT] SPECT in children with ADHD before and after methylphenidate treatment. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Nine drug-naive children with ADHD and seven normal children were included in the study. We performed brain SPECT two hours after the intravenous administration of I-123 IPT and made both quantitative and qualitative analyses using the obtained SPECT data, which were reconstructed for the assessment of specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratios in the basal ganglia. All children with ADHD reperformed [123I]IPT SPECT after treatment with methylphenidate (0.7mg/kg/d) during about 8 weeks. SPECT data reconstructed for the assessment of specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of the basal ganglia were compared between before and after treatment methylphenidate. We investigated correlation between the change of ADHD symptom severity assessed with ADHD rating scale-IV and specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of basal ganglia. RESULTS: Children with ADHD had a significantly greater specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of the basal ganglia comparing to normal children (Right: z = 2.057, p = 0.041; Left: z = 2.096, p = 0.032). Under treatment with methylphenidate in all children with ADHD, specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of both basal ganglia decreased significantly greater than before treatment with methylphenidate (Right: t = 3.239, p = 0.018; Left: t = 3.133, p = 0.020). However, no significant correlation between the change of ADHD symptom severity scores and specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of the basal ganglia were found. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the complex dysregulation of the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system in children with ADHD.
Administration, Intravenous ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Basal Ganglia* ; Brain ; Child* ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Humans ; Methylphenidate ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Malignant lymphoma is the most common type of cancer in the immunologic system. There have been many reports about malignant lymphoma, but etiologies and prognosis of malignant lymphoma remain controversial. This study was designed to carry out an immunohistochemical classification of malignant lymphoma and to define the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and malignant lymphoma by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is known to be more sensitive than than any other methods for detection of EBV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty six cases of cervical nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma tissue and twenty five cases of normal neck node tissue were used. RESULTS: We observed 72.7% (26 cases/36 cases) B-cell lineage expression and 27.8% (10 cases/36 cases) T-cell lineage expression in the cervical nodal of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The detection rate of EBV in the malignant lymphoma tissue was 27.8% (10 cases/36 cases) and 7.1% (2 cases/36 cases) in the normal neck node tissue. Of the B-cell lineage expression, EBV was detected in 6 cases (23.1%) and 4 cases (40.0%) in T-cell league expression. There was no statistical significance between the malignant lymphoma group and the normal group in the detection rate of EBV. However, the detection rate of EBV of the T-cell malignant lymphoma group was significantly higher compared with the normal group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the T-cell expression group of cervical nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may be related to EBV.
B-Lymphocytes ; Classification* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Neck ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prognosis ; T-Lymphocytes

No abstract available.
Humans ; Leiomyoma* ; Pregnancy Rate* ; Pregnancy*

PURPOSE: Tourette's disorder (TD), which is characterized by multiple waxing and waning motor tics and one or more vocal tics, is known to be associated with abnormalities in the dopaminergic system. To testify our hypothesis that risperidone would improve tic symptoms of TD patients through the change of the dopaminergic system, we measured the dopamine transporter (DAT) densities between drug-naive children with TD and normal children, and investigated the DAT density before and after treatment with risperidone in drug-naive children with TD, using iodine-123 labelled N- (3-iodopropen-2-yl) -2beta-carbomethoxy -3beta- (4-chlorophenyl) tropane ([123I]IPT) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: [123I]IPT SPECT imaging and Yale Global Tic Severity Scale-Korean version (YGTSS-K) for assessing the tic symptom severity were carried out before and after treatment with risperidone for 8 weeks in nine drug-naive children with TD. Eleven normal children also underwent SPECT imaging 2 hours after an intravenous administration of [123I]IPT. RESULTS: Drug-naive children with TD had a significantly greater increase in the specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of both basal ganglia compared with the normal children. However, no significant difference in the specific/nonspecific DAT binding ratio of the basal ganglia before and after treatment with risperidone in children with TD was found, although tic symptoms were significantly improved with risperidone. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that DAT densities are directly associated with the pathophysiology of TD, however, that the effect of risperidone on tic symptoms in children with TD is not attributed to the change of dopaminergic system.
Administration, Intravenous ; Basal Ganglia ; Child* ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Humans ; Risperidone* ; Tics ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Tourette Syndrome*

BACKGROUND: Moxifloxacin is a newly developed drug which is more potent and safe compared to previous fluoroquinolones. This drug effectively eradicates organisms such as beta-lactamase-producing or other resistant bacteria. Moxifloxacin is known to be effective in treating respiratory infections such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Legionella spp. and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. METHODS: In a multicenter, randomized, open, comparative study, the efficacy and safety of oral moxifloxacin taken 400 mg once a day and clarithromycin taken 500 mg twice daily for 7 days were compared for the treatment of Korean patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. RESULTS: A total of 170 patients were enrolled, and they were divided into two groups:87 in the moxifloxacin group and 83 in the clarithromycin group. Of those enrolled, 76 (35 for bacteriologic efficacy) in the moxifloxacin group and 77 (31 for bacteriologic efficacy) in the clarithromycin group were included in the efficacy analysis. All were included in the safety analysis. Clinical success was noted in 70 (92.1%) of 76 moxifloxacin-treated patients and 71 (92.2%) of 77 clarithromycin-treated patients. Bacteriologic success rate seemed to be higher in moxifloxacin group (73.5%) than in clarithromycin group (54.8%), but statistically insignificant (p=0.098). Drug susceptibility among organisms initially isolated was higher in moxifloxacin group on Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae(p<0.001). Adverse events were reported by 12.8% of 86 patients receiving moxifloxacin and 21.7% of 83 patients receiveing clarithromycin. Headache (4.7% vs 4.8%, moxiflosacin group vs clarithromycin group, respectively) and indigestion (2.3% vs 6.0%, moxifloxacin group vs clarithromycin group, respectively) were the most frequent side effects in the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis a 7-days course of moxifloxacin 400 mg od was clinically equivalent and microbiologically superior to clarithromycin 500 mg bid.
Bacteria ; Bronchitis, Chronic* ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae ; Clarithromycin* ; Dyspepsia ; Fluoroquinolones ; Haemophilus influenzae ; Headache ; Humans ; Klebsiella ; Legionella ; Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Streptococcus pneumoniae