The congenital hydronephrosis due to lower ureteral obstruction is not common. In case of congenital obstruction of the lower ureter. the aberrant blood vessels. obliterated vessels or fibrous tissue bands can be the cause of it infrequently. We observed a case of lower ureteral congenital obstruction by obliterated umbilical artery in a 12-yr-old boy. A retrograde pyelogram showed left hydroureteronephrosis with evidence of partial obstruction near the ureterovesical junction. At operation a obliterated left umbilical artery was found compressing the ureter 2 cm. proximal to the ureterovesical junction.
Blood Vessels ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Male ; Umbilical Arteries ; Ureter* ; Ureteral Obstruction

To identify the effect of digital rectal examination (DRE) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) on the serum prostate specific antigen (PSA), serum acid phosphatase and prostatic acid phosphatase (SAP/PAP) concentration a clinical trial involving 73 patients was conducted. Of the patients 65 (89 %) had benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 8(11 %) had prostate cancer (stage A1, A2). We detected no clinically significant difference between serum PSA and prostate acid phosphatase (PAP) levels obtained immediately before, at 5 to 30 minutes after rectal examination and post-TURP in 73 men. Patients were divided into four groups based on their initial serum PSA levels. The three groups with the initial PSA values (0.1 through 4 ng/ml and greater than 10 ng/ml) were found to have statistically insignificant changes in the serum PSA levels after DRE and post-TURP. The group with initial PSA levels of 4.1 through 10 ng/ml had statistically increases in serum PSA values after TURP, but the alterations in serum PSA levels in the group with the inter- mediated PSA value was not clinically important. We conclude that digital rectal examination (DRE) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) have no clinically important effects on serum PSA in BPH and occult prostatic cancer (stage A1, A2) patients.
Acid Phosphatase* ; Digital Rectal Examination* ; Humans ; Male ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats*

115 patients with lower ureteral stone for which intervention was considered have been treated by ureteroscopy (URS) or in situ extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL). Of 57 patients treated by URS, successful evacuation of major part of the stone was achieved in 73.7% but 1 patient was required surgery for serious complications. In the ESWL group of 58 patients. stone free rate was recorded in 98.3% and there were no significant complications. We conclude that ESWL should be the primary method of intervention in patients with lower ureteral stone, in view of therapeutic effectiveness such as hospital stay, anesthetic risk, stone free rate and complications.
Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lithotripsy* ; Shock* ; Ureter* ; Ureteroscopy*

Ullrich's disease is a congenital muscular dystrophy clinically characterized by generalized muscle weakness, multiple contractures of the proximal joints, and hyperextensibility of the distal joints. All the patients develop rigidity of spine, often assoicated with scoliosis, failure to thrive, and early and severe respiratory involvement, irrespective of their levels of motor function. Intellectual development is normal. The biopsied muscles show dystrophies including remarkable variation in the fiber size, notably proliferated endomysial connective tissues, and a lot of degenerated and regenerated fibers. The expression of merosin and dytrophin is normal. Recent studies have demonstrated that collagen VI is deficient in the muscles of the patients with Ullrich's disease, and some result from recessive mutations of the collagen VIalpha 2 gene(COL6A2). And a marked reduction of fibronectin receptors in the extracellular matrix of skin and cultured fibroblasts of these patients is also reported. These results suggest that collagen VI deficiency may lead to the reduction of fibronectin receptors and that any abnormalities of cell adhesion may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. A case of Ullrich's disease has not been reported yet in Korea. So, we describe a male patient with Ullrich's disease with a brief review of the literature.
Cell Adhesion ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; Contracture ; Extracellular Matrix ; Failure to Thrive ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Integrin alpha5beta1 ; Joints ; Korea ; Laminin ; Male ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscles ; Muscular Dystrophies ; Receptors, Fibronectin ; Scoliosis ; Skin ; Spine

Vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 13B (VPS13B), also known as COH1, is one of the VPS13 family members which is involved in transmembrane transport, Golgi integrity, and neuritogenesis. Mutations in the VPS13B gene are associated with Cohen syndrome and other cognitive disorders such as intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the patho-physiology of VPS13B-associated cognitive deficits is unclear, in part, due to the lack of animal models. Here, we generated a Vps13b exon 2 deletion mutant mouse and analyzed the behavioral phenotypes. We found that Vps13b mutant mice showed reduced activity in open field test and significantly shorter latency to fall in the rotarod test, suggesting that the mutants have motor deficits. In addition, we found that Vps13b mutant mice showed deficits in spatial learning in the hidden platform version of the Morris water maze. The Vps13b mutant mice were normal in other behaviors such as anxiety-like behaviors, working memory and social behaviors. Our results suggest that Vps13b mutant mice may recapitulate key clinical symptoms in Cohen syndrome such as intellectual disability and hypotonia. Vps13b mutant mice may serve as a useful model to investigate the pathophysiology of VPS13B-associated disorders.
Animals ; Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Cognition Disorders ; Exons ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Learning Disorders ; Memory, Short-Term ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Phenotype ; Rotarod Performance Test ; Social Behavior ; Spatial Learning ; Water

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lurasidone (160 mg/day) compared to quetiapine XR (QXR; 600 mg/day) in the treatment of acutely psychotic patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with lurasidone 160 mg/day (n=105) or QXR 600 mg/day (n=105). Primary efficacy measure was the change from baseline to week 6 in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score and Clinical Global Impressions severity (CGI-S) score. Adverse events, body measurements, and laboratory parameters were assessed. Results: Lurasidone demonstrated non-inferiority to QXR on the PANSS total score. Adjusted mean±standard error change at week 6 on the PANSS total score was -26.42±2.02 and -27.33±2.01 in the lurasidone and QXR group, respectively. The mean difference score was -0.91 (95% confidence interval -6.35–4.53). The lurasidone group showed a greater reduction in PANSS total and negative subscale on week 1 and a greater reduction in end-point CGI-S score compared to the QXR group. Body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference in the lurasidone group were reduced, with significantly lower mean change compared to QXR. Endpoint changes in glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein levels were also significantly lower. The most common adverse drug reactions with lurasidone were akathisia and nausea. Conclusion Lurasidone 160 mg/day was found to be non-inferior to QXR 600 mg/day in the treatment of schizophrenia with comparable efficacy and tolerability. Adverse effects of lurasidone were generally tolerable, and beneficial effects on metabolic parameters can be expected.