The Teller acuity card procedure, which is a form of the preferential looking test, is a way of assessing visual acuity in preverbal patients. It has been shown to be rapid and easy test to perform. Teller acuity cards were used to detect amblyopia in 100 patients(from 2 months to 9 years) and the result was compared to the clinical judgement of amblyopia. The sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of Teller acuity card procedure compared to the clinical judgement of amblyopia were 71.43%, 94.94% and 90.00%, respectively. The authors found that the acuity cards could be used to detect amblyopia. However, the clinical judgement of amblyopia of the ophthalmologist was more sensitive in diagnosing amblyopia than the Teller acuity cards in the presence of various ocular disorders.
Amblyopia* ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity* ; Visual Acuity

The Teller acuity card procedure, which is a form of the preferential looking test, is a way of assessing visual acuity in preverbal patients. It has been shown to be rapid and easy test to perform. Teller acuity cards were used to detect amblyopia in 100 patients(from 2 months to 9 years) and the result was compared to the clinical judgement of amblyopia. The sensitivity, specificity and efficiency of Teller acuity card procedure compared to the clinical judgement of amblyopia were 71.43%, 94.94% and 90.00%, respectively. The authors found that the acuity cards could be used to detect amblyopia. However, the clinical judgement of amblyopia of the ophthalmologist was more sensitive in diagnosing amblyopia than the Teller acuity cards in the presence of various ocular disorders.
Amblyopia* ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity* ; Visual Acuity

urpose: Misonidazole is a radiosensitizer that binds in hypoxic cells. The purpose of this study was to find out the feasibility of I-131-Iodomisonidazole (IMISO) for imaging of tumor hypoxia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tosyl precursor was dissolved in acetonitrile and I-131-NaI was added to synthesize IMISO. Balb/c mice inoculated with CT-26 adenocarcinoma were injected with IMISO. Mice were sacrificed at 1,2,4,24 hr and % of injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) was determined. For scintigraphy and MRI, mouse bearing CT-26 adenocarcinoma was administered with IMISO and imaging was performed 4 hr after. Then, mouse body was fixed and microtomized slice was placed on radiographic film for autoradiography. RESULTS: %ID/g of tumor was 1.64 (1h), 0.98 (2h), 0.85 (4h) and 0.20 (24h), respectively. At 24h, %ID/g of tumor was higher than that of all other tissues except thyroid. Tumor to muscle ratio increased with time and tumor to blood ratio also increased with time and reached 1.53 at 24 hr. On autoradiogram, tumor was well visualized as an increased activity in central hypoxic area of the tumor which corresponds to the area of high signal intensity on T2-weighted MR image. On scintigraphy, tumor uptake was visualized. CONCLUSION:: This RESULTS suggest that IMISO may have a potential for tumor hypoxia imaging in mouse model. However, further study is needed to improve it's localization in tumor tissue and to achieve acceptable images of tumor hypoxia.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Animals ; Anoxia* ; Autoradiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mice* ; Misonidazole ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Thyroid Gland ; X-Ray Film

PURPOSE: I-131 labeled (2'-deoxy-2-iodo-p-D-arabinofuranosyl) adenine (IAD) may be involved in DNA synthesis during active proliferation of tumor cells. We conducted this study to find out the biodistribution of IAD and its feasibility for scintigraphic tumor imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tosyl acetyl-adenosine was dissolved in acetonitrile, and I-131-NaI was added and heated to synthesize IAD. Female Fisher 344 rats innoculated with breast tumor cells were injected witb 0.27 MBq of IAD. Rats were sacrificed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 24h and the % of injected dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g) was determined. For scintigraphy, rats bearing breast cancer were administered with 1.11 MBq of IAD and imaging was perforrned after 2 and 24h. Then, rat body was fixed and rnicrotomized slice was placed on radiographic film for autoradiography, RESULTS: %ID/g of tumor wa.' 0.74 (0.5h), 0.73 (1h), 0.55 (2h), 0.38 (4h), and 0.05 (24h), respectively. At 1h after injection, %ID/g of tumor was higher than that of heart (0.34), liver (0.42), spleen (0.47), kidney (0,69), muscle (0.14), bone (0.33) and intestine (0.51). However, %1D/g of tumor was lower than blood (1.06), lung (0.77), and thyroid (177.71). At 4h, %ID/g of tumor in comparison with other tissue did not change. Tumor contrast expressed by tumor to blood ratio was 0.69 and tumor to muscle ratio was 5.11 at 1h. However, these ratios did not improve through 24h. On autoradiogram and scintigraphy at 2 and 24 hour, the tumor was well visualized. CONCLUSION: This results suggest that Ial) may have a potential for tumor scintigraphy. However, further work is needed to improve localization in tumor tissue.
Adenine ; Animals ; Autoradiography ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; DNA ; Female ; Heart ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Intestines ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Rats* ; Spleen ; Thyroid Gland ; X-Ray Film

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate uterine and ovarian cancer mortality trends in East Asian countries. METHODS: For three Asian countries and one region (Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong), we extracted number of deaths for each year from the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database, focusing on women > or =20 years old. The WHO population data were used to estimate person-years at risk for women. The annual age-standardized, truncated rates were evaluated for four age groups. We also compared age-specific mortality rates during three calendar periods (1979 to 1988, 1989 to 1998, and 1999 to 2010). Joinpoint regression was used to determine secular trends in mortality. To obtain cervical and uterine corpus cancer mortality rates in Korea, we re-allocated the cases with uterine cancer of unspecified subsite according to the proportion in the National Cancer Incidence Databases. RESULTS: Overall, uterine cancer mortality has decreased in each of the Asian regions. In Korea, corrected cervical cancer mortality has declined since 1993, at an annual percentage change (APC) of -4.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], -5.3 to -4.4). On the other hand, corrected uterine corpus cancer mortality has abruptly increased since 1995 (APC, 6.7; 95% CI, 5.4 to 8.0). Ovarian cancer mortality was stable, except in Korea, where mortality rates steadily increased at an APC of 6.2% (95% CI, 3.4 to 9.0) during 1995 to 2000, and subsequently stabilized. CONCLUSION: Although uterine cancer mortality rates are declining in East Asia, additional effort is warranted to reduce the burden of gynecologic cancer in the future, through the implementation of early detection programs and the use of optimal therapeutic strategies.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Databases, Factual ; Far East/epidemiology ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female/*mortality ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mortality/trends ; Ovarian Neoplasms/mortality ; Uterine Neoplasms/mortality ; Young Adult

The predictive role of lactate in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) has been suggested. This study evaluated several lactate parameters in terms of predicting outcomes of bleeding patients and sought to establish a new scoring model by combining lactate parameters and the AIMS65 score. A total of 114 patients with NVUGIB who underwent serum lactate level testing at least twice and endoscopic hemostasis within 24 hours after admission were retrospectively analyzed. The associations between five lactate parameters and clinical outcomes were evaluated and the predictive power of lactate parameter combined AIMS65s (L-AIMS65s) and AIMS56 scoring was compared. The most common cause of bleeding was gastric ulcer (48.2%). Lactate clearance rate (LCR) was associated with 30-day rebleeding (odds ratio [OR], 0.931; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.872–0.994; P = 0.033). Initial lactate (OR, 1.313; 95% CI, 1.050–1.643; P = 0.017), maximal lactate (OR, 1.277; 95% CI, 1.037–1.573; P = 0.021), and average lactate (OR, 1.535; 95% CI, 1.137–2.072; P = 0.005) levels were associated with 30-day mortality. Initial lactate (OR, 1.213; 95% CI, 1.027–1.432; P = 0.023), maximal lactate (OR, 1.271; 95% CI, 1.074–1.504; P = 0.005), and average lactate (OR, 1.501; 95% CI, 1.150–1.959; P = 0.003) levels were associated with admission over 7 days. Although L-AIMS65s showed the highest area under the curve for prediction of each outcome, differences between L-AIMS65s and AIMS65 did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, lactate parameters have a prognostic role in patients with NVUGIB. However, they do not increase the predictive power of AIMS65 when combined.
Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis, Endoscopic ; Humans ; Lactic Acid* ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Ulcer

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many migraine patients develop nausea and/or vomiting (N/V) and are referred to gastroenterologists. This can lead to an inappropriate treatment and a delay of the correct diagnosis. We therefore aimed to identify predictors for migraine in patients presenting with N/V as well as headache. METHODS: A total of 407 patients who were first diagnosed with migraine at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, in 2009 were analyzed. Among them, 261 patients had N/V (migraine with N/V group) and 146 did not (migraine without N/V group). Each patient was evaluated using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Migraine with N/V group was younger, comprised of more females, had more abnormal body mass index, less alcohol intake, more family history of migraine, higher attack severity, more stress association, more aggravation by physical activity, more abdominal pain, and more photophobia/phonophobia than migraine without N/V group. Multivariate analysis revealed that young age (age < 40 years vs. > or = 40 years, odds ratio (OR), 2.128; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.206-3.756; P = 0.009), female (OR, 2.703; 95% CI, 1.492-4.896; P = 0.001), family history of migraine (OR, 2.080; 95% CI, 1.169-3.700; P = 0.013), abdominal pain (OR, 4.452; 95% CI, 1.263-15.693; P = 0.020), and photophobia/phonophobia (OR, 2.296; 95% CI, 1.308-4.030; P = 0.004) were independent predictive factors associated with migraine in patients with N/V. CONCLUSIONS: Because young age, female, family history of migraine, abdominal pain, and photophobia/phonophobia are associated with migraine in patients presenting with N/V as well as headache, physicians should have a high index of suspicion for migraine in N/V patients who belong to these categories.
Abdominal Pain ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Korea ; Migraine Disorders* ; Motor Activity ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nausea* ; Odds Ratio ; Vomiting*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Vaccinations are generally recommended in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, several studies showed low rates of vaccinations in IBD patients. Furthermore, vaccination rate among IBD patients in Korea has never been investigated. We investigated the vaccination rate among IBD patients in Korea and evaluated some factors that might affect the vaccination rate. METHODS: From November 2011 to February 2012, a total of 192 patients with IBD who visited Samsung Medical Center (Seoul, Korea) answered the IRB-approved questionnaire. The questionnaire included their sex, age, residence, past medical history, type of IBD, duration of illness, medications, history of vaccination about measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), varicella, tetanus-diphtheria (Td), influenza, hepatitis A and B, pneumococcus and human papilloma virus (HPV). RESULTS: One hundred twenty one (63.0%) male and 71 (37.0%) female answered the questionnaire. The mean age of the enrolled patients was 39.7 (18-76) years. Eighty four patients (43.8%) had ulcerative colitis and 108 patients (56.3%) had Crohn's disease (CD). The percentage of the patients who had got vaccination was 42.2% for MMR, 34.9% for varicella, 15.6% for Td, 37.5% for influenza, 15.6% for hepatitis A, 52.6% for hepatitis B, 6.3% for pneumococcus and 11.3% for HPV respectively. Not knowing the necessity or the existence were the common reasons for non-vaccination. Age less than 40 years, CD patients and duration of illness less than 10 years were associated with a higher vaccination rate (p=0.002, 0.015 and 0.020, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Immunization rates for recommended vaccinations were very low in patients with IBD. Efforts to improve vaccination rate are needed.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chickenpox/prevention & control ; Colitis, Ulcerative/pathology ; Crohn Disease/pathology ; Diphtheria/prevention & control ; Female ; Hepatitis A/prevention & control ; Hepatitis B/prevention & control ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/*immunology/pathology ; Male ; Measles/prevention & control ; Middle Aged ; Mumps/prevention & control ; Papillomavirus Infections/prevention & control ; Pneumococcal Infections/prevention & control ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Rubella/prevention & control ; Tetanus/prevention & control ; *Vaccination ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of disseminated gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and the role of bone marrow study in the initial staging work-up. METHODS: A total of 194 patients with gastric MALT lymphoma was enrolled. The incidence of disseminated disease was evaluated in the initial staging work-up. The demographic data and tumor characteristics were compared according to Helicobacter pylori infection status. RESULTS: Localized disease of Lugano stage I accounted for 97.4% of the enrolled cases. Abdominal computed tomography revealed abdominal lymph node metastasis in five patients (2.6%). Bone marrow (BM) involvement was found in only one patient without H. pylori infection (0.5%). No patient showed positive findings on chest computed tomography or positron emission tomography. H. pylori-negative cases showed a significantly higher frequency of advanced-stage disease than H. pylori-positive cases (10.0% vs 0.6%). In patients achieving complete remission, no extragastric recurrence occurred during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of disseminated disease, including BM involvement, was very low in Korean gastric MALT lymphoma patients. It might be beneficial to perform BM aspiration and biopsy as a part of staging work-up only in patients with risk factors for advanced disease such as H. pylori negativity.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Aged ; Bone Marrow/*pathology ; Bone Marrow Examination ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/*complications ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes/*radiography ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/complications/*pathology ; Male ; Mediastinum/radiography ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/complications/*pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is known to be associated with lower post-treatment lower esophageal sphincter pressure in patients with achalasia. This study aimed to elucidate whether GERD after pneumatic balloon dilatation (PD) has a prognostic role and to investigate how the clinical course of GERD is. METHODS: A total of 79 consecutive patients who were first diagnosed with primary achalasia and underwent PD as an initial treatment were included in this retrospective study. Single PD was performed using a 3.0 cm balloon. The patients were divided into two groups: 1) who developed GERD after PD (GERD group) and 2) who did not develop GERD after PD (non-GERD group). GERD was defined as pathological acid exposure, reflux esophagitis or typical reflux symptoms. RESULTS: Twenty one patients (26.6%) developed GERD after PD during follow-up. There were no significant differences between the two groups in demographic or clinical factors including pre- and post-treatment manometric results. All patients in GERD group were well responsive to maintenance proton pump inhibitor therapy including on demand therapy or did not require maintenance. During a median follow-up of 17.8 months (interquartile range, 7.1-42.7 months), achalasia recurred in 15 patients (19.0%). However, the incidence of recurrence did not differ according to the occurrence of GERD after PD. CONCLUSIONS: GERD often occurs after even a single PD for achalasia. However, GERD after PD is well responsive to PPI therapy. Our data suggest that GERD after PD during follow-up does not appear to have a prognostic role.
Dilatation* ; Esophageal Achalasia* ; Esophageal Sphincter, Lower ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Prognosis ; Proton Pumps ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies