PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiologic findings of alimentary anthrax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 19 patients with alimentary anthrax, which was caused by ingestion of contaminated beef, were included in this study. The diagnosis was made .b.y demonstration of Bacillus anthracis in smear and culture of the contaminated meat. We evaluated the clinical manifestations and the findings of thoracic, abdominal radiographs, cervical, abdominal ultrasonograms and abdominal CT scans. RESULTS: Out of the 19 patients with the alimentary infection, 9 had oropharyngeal form, 18 had abdominal form and 8 had combination of oropharyngeal and abdominal form. The patients had general symptoms and signs such as fever, chill, myalgia. Clinical symptoms and signs were sore throat, throat injection, throat ulcer and patch in oropharyngeal form, and nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and gross GI bleeding in abdominal form. Radiologic findings included enlarged cervical lymph nodes(36%) in oropharyngeal form, and paralytic ileus(26%), ascites(26%), hepatomegaly(21%), enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes(26%), small bowel wall thickening(5%) in abdominal form. In two patients, late complications occurred as intestinal obstruction due to ileal stricture with perforation, and inflammatory changes of pelvic cavity due to ileovesical fistula. CONCLUSION: Radiologic findings of alimentary anthrax are difficult in differentiation from those of other inflammatory bowel disease, but those radiologic findings with clinical manifestations may be helpful in diagnosis and evaluation of disease process in patients with alimentary anthrax.
Abdominal Pain ; Anthrax* ; Bacillus anthracis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Fever ; Fistula ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Meat ; Myalgia ; Nausea ; Pharyngitis ; Pharynx ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ulcer ; Ultrasonography ; Vomiting

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: To evaluate CT findings of internal hernia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three patients with internal hernia had abdominal CT scans and two of them had small bowel follow through examinations. The CT features of two patients with retroanastomotic and one patient with left paraduodenal hernia were evaluated and correlated with small bowel follow through examinations, and surgical findings. Two patients with retroanastomotic hernia had a history of subtotal gastrectomy with antecolic gastrojejunostomy. The diagnosis of internal hernia was made on the basis of surgical find ings in two patients of retroanastomotic hernia, and characteristic barium study findings in one patient of left paraduodenal hernia. RESULTS: The small bowel follow through examination showed small bowel loops gathered in a circumscribed mass in the left mid abdomen, and delay in passage through these loops. In case of left paraduodenal hernia, abrupt narrowing of the distal duodenum could be identified. The characteristic CT findings of all three patients were whorling of the mesentery and mesenteric vessels in the left mid-abdomen. In the patient with left paraduodenal hernia, after resolution of the gastrointestinal symptoms, a follow-up CT scan showed spontaneous disappearance of whorling of the mesentery and mesenteric vessels suggesting spontaneous resolution of the hernia. In the other two cases, upon exploration of the abdomen, dilatation of afferent duodenum caused by adhesion between ligament of Treitz and adjacent bowel walls, and retro- anastomotic herniation of the efferent loops were found. CONCLUSION: The usual diagnosis of internal hernia is based on the appearance of the small bowel follow through examination. However, we consider that the whorling appearance(we call it whorling sign) of the mesentery and mesenteric vessels on CT scan is also suggestive of internal hernia in patients under clinical suspicion.
Abdomen ; Barium ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Duodenum ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Bypass ; Hernia ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Mesentery* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The study was designed to investigate the changes in the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) according to time after being exposed to noise trauma and find out the effect of HIF-1 alpha in the prevention of noiseinduced hearing loss by pre-treatment with cobalt chloride (CoCl2). SUBJECTS AND METHOD: BALB/c hybrid mice with 25 dB HL or less ABR were used in this study. In the study group, subjects were exposed to 120 dB SPL broad white band noise for 3 hours per day for 3 days. The changes in their hearing were documented before and after 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 days of the first noise exposure. CoCl2 was injected into the peritoneum 2 hours prior to each noise exposure to see the effect of induced HIF-1alpha on noise-induced hearing loss. For the control, injection with distilled water was performed and hearing thresholds were measured in the same manner. Cochlea from each group was obtained in order to observe the morphological changes in the inner ear and the expression of the HIF-1alpha using immunohistochemial staining and immuno-fluorescein staining along with quantification of the hair cell loss. RESULTS: Mice exposed to the noise for 3 days, showed permanent threshold shift and the expression of HIF-1alpha was increased. When HIF-1alpha was induced by pre-treatment of CoCl2 prior to the noise exposure, however, hearing recovery was observed to some degree. And hair cell survival rate was also higher when treated with CoCl2 compared to the distilled water treated group. CONCLUSION: When pre-treated with CoCl2, inducing HIF-1alpha before the noise trauma, it allowed for a less stereocilia loss in the hair cells in the organ of Corti. HIF-1alpha may play an important role in the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Cell Survival ; Cobalt ; Cochlea ; Ear, Inner ; Hair ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 ; Mice ; Noise ; Organ of Corti ; Peritoneum ; Stereocilia ; Water

Cicatrix ; Humans ; Maxilla ; Maxillary Sinus ; Osteotomy ; Skeleton ; Visual Fields

Rhino-orbito-cerebral muconnycosis is an uncommon fatal fringal infection, almost exclusively seen in diabetic or other itnmunocompromised patients. Recurrent transient ischemic attacks(TIAs) as initial presenting sign of rhino-orbito-cerebral mycormycosis has not been reported to our knowledge. We report a patient with muconnycosis unusually presenting with recurrent TIAs, followed by central retinal artery occlusion, multiple cranial nerve palsies, and then cerebral infarction in the territory of middle cerebral artery.
Cerebral Infarction ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Humans ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Mucormycosis* ; Retinal Artery Occlusion

Sexual violence crime causes severe trauma to victim's family as well as the victim, and its aftereffect which is hard to be healed can last for the entire lifetime. And thus plenty of social cost is incurred due to the crime. It has long been reported that paraphilia is associated with sexual offenders and sexual violence. In this study, the previous foreign data on the psychiatric medication used for sexual offender or paraphilia were summarized for the first time in Korea, and the possibility of medication in Korea was examined. As for the drugs used for sexual offender or paraphilia, SSRI was most frequently reported and besides that, tricyclic antidepressant, antipsychotics, antiepileptic drugs, mirtazapine, and naltrexone were reported.
Anticonvulsants ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Crime ; Criminals ; Humans ; Korea ; Mianserin ; Naltrexone ; Paraphilic Disorders ; Sex Offenses

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of TLICS classification in the thoracolumbar injuries, which had been evaluated in our hospital. It was compared with that of the older, McAfee classification and discussed for clinical validation. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Among the numerous literatures regarding the thoracolumbar injury, there is no consensus on the most useful classification, and there is nothing comparing the McAfee classification with the TLICS classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among the 230 patients that were treated with conservative care or operation from January 1, 2005 to January 1, 2010 in our hospital, 185 patients with initial CT and MRI images were assessed. Five orthopedic surgeons reviewed histories, plain film, CT and MRI of the 185 thoracolumbar injury cases, respectively. Each case was classified and scored according to the McAfee classification and the TLICS classification. The case assessment was recorded and the orthopedic surgeons repeated the assessment 1 month later. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability were assessed by statistical analysis. The actual management of each case was compared with the treatment recommended by TLICS classification to calculate the validity of the indexes. RESULTS: Intraobserver and interobserver reliability in TLICS were higher than those in the McAfee classification. Agreement of the TLICS classification for treatment recommendation was 81.7%, comparing with the actual management of previous McAfee classification. Validity indexes were satisfactory in therapeutic decision making, especially specificity. CONCLUSIONS: TLICS classification has a relative high K-value, when compared with that of the McAfee classification for intraobserver and interobserver reliability. Through clinical studies, including prospective observational analysis, TLICS classification can be applied and adjusted more adequately.
Consensus ; Decision Making ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Injuries

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the radiological characteristics of the degenerative arthritis of the ankle using the standing radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2001 to May 2005, 36 patients (56 ankles) who were treated for osteoarthritis of ankle were analysed. Angle of tibial shaft and tibial joint surface on AP view (TSA), angle of tibial joint surface on lateral view (TLS), tibial and medial malleolus angle (TMM) and talo-1st metatarsal angle were checked on standing radiograph. The patients with medial joint and total joint involvement were categorized into three stages according to the location of involvement. The degree of joint space narrowing was categorized into two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in TSA, TLS, TMM and talo-1st metatarsal angle with regard to the stage of arthritis. However, the difference between the less severe group and the severe group existed. CONCLUSION: Angular deformity was not correlated with stage, but correlated with severity. The deformity of distal tibial articular surface does not seem to be a cause of primary osteoartiritis, but rather a result from it.
Ankle* ; Arthritis ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Joints ; Metatarsal Bones ; Osteoarthritis*