A prospective study was initiated to compare maternal serum concentration of CA-125 during the first trimester of normal and abnormal pregnancies. Serum specimens were obtained from 87 women with a normal intrauterine pregnancy and 47 women with abnormal pregnancies which were ended in spontaneo abortion or pathologically confirmed to be missed abortion. In normal pregnancies, the mean serum CA-125 concentrations were increased significantly from amenorhea 6 weeks (139.838.7 IU/ml), and were higher statistically than the values tested in the same weeks of abnormal pregnancies. In abnormal pregnancies serum CA-125 concentations were relatively lower than those of normal pregnancies. But these differences were not statistically significant except the values tested in amenorhea 6weeks. So serum levels of CA-125 may not be proved useful in monitoring of early pregnancies outcome.
Abortion, Missed ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First* ; Pregnancy* ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and thin glomerular basement membrane nephropathy (TBMN) are the most common causes of persistent hematuria during childhood. The objective of this study is to determine the difference in clinicl features and laboratory findings between pediatric patients with IgA deposited TBMN and IgAN alone. METHODS: Between January 2000 and March 2009, 95 children were diagnosed with IgAN by renal biopsy. Clinical features and laboratory findings of patients with isolated IgAN and with IgAN plus TBMN were compared; the children diagnosed with IgAN were compared to 127 children who had been diagnosed with TBMN alone during the same period. RESULTS: There were 71 (74.7%) of a total 95 patients that were diagnosed with isolated IgAN (Group 1); in 24 (25.3%) of the 95 patients IgAN was combined with TBMN (Group 2). There was marked difference in the gender distribution between Group 2 and isolated TBMN patients. The degree of proteinuria and pathologic severity was higher in Group 1 compared with Group 2. Gross hematuria was present in both groups. There were no distinguishing features in the other laboratory parameters. CONCLUSION: Patients with both IgAN and TBMN seem to have similar clinical features to patients with isolated IgAN; however, the latter tend to have better pathologic and laboratory findings, compared to the patients with IgAN alone.
Biopsy ; Child* ; Glomerular Basement Membrane* ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA* ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Proteinuria

A 62-year-old man was transferred to our emergency room because of acute encephalopathy. He was a nondrinker with history of a gastrectomy nineteen years ago. Two weeks before his visit, he had experienced transient poor oral intake due to gastroesophageal reflux (GER). His brain MRI showed definite lesions compatible with Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE). A trivial event like GER can complicate the marginal equilibrium of thiamine and, after a long latent interval following a gastrectomy, may induce delayed-onset WE.
Brain ; Emergencies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Thiamine ; Wernicke Encephalopathy

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: A few studies have been reported on extrahepatic metastasis after curative resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the patterns of extrahepatic recurrence and we identified the risk factors for extrahepatic recurrence after curative resection for HCC. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 587 patients who underwent surgical resection with a curative aim from January 1998 to December 2007 in the Yonsei University Health Care System. Among the 571 patients, 291 (51.0%) patients developed recurrence. Sixty five patients initially presented with extrahaptic recurrence. The patients with extrahepatic recurrence were divided into Group A (peritoneal recurrence) and Group B (non-peritoneal extrahepatic recurrence). RESULTS: Group A had higher rates of intraoperative bleeding>1,500 ml and perioperative transfusion too. On the multivariate analysis, perioperative transfusion, satellite nodule and the tumor size were the independent risk factors for Group A. The Edmondson-Steiner grade, satellite nodule and the tumor size were the independent risk factors for Group B. The 1, 3 and 5-year overall survival rates after curative resection for the patients with extrahepatic recurence were 83.1%, 48.9% and 27.4%, respectively. The recurrence patterns and treatment modalities did not affect the overall survival after treatment for extrahepatic recurrence. CONCLUSION: A perioperative transfusion was found to be a different risk factor for peritoneal recurrence, as compared to those risk factors for non-peritoneal extrahepatic recurrence. Therefore, efforts by physicians to decrease intraoperative bleeding may prevent peritoneal recurrence after performing curative resection for HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Delivery of Health Care ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Although laparoscopic surgery has become more popular, its technical difficulties have limited the applications of this technique to liver surgery. We report here on our experience with liver resection with perfoming laparoscopic assisted and DaVinci robot assisted hepatectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 40 patients who underwent laparoscopic assisted and DaVinci robotic assisted hepatectomy at the Yonsei University Health System from January 2002 to January 2008. RESULTS: Thirty patients (75%) had malignancy and ten patients (15%) had benign disease. We performed Lt. hepatectomy (7.5%), wedge resection (17.5%), segmentectomy (30%) and Lt. lateral segmentectomy (45%). The rate of conversion to laparotomy was due to intraoperative bleeding was 10%. The complication and mortality rates were 7.5% and 0%, respectively CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic and DaVinci robot hepatectomy showed a reduced time to oral intake, a shortened hospital stay and a smaller incisional scar compared to open surgery. So, laparoscopic and DaVinci robot hepatectomy should be performed in selected patients as the postoperative status of the patients is better than that with performing open hepatectomy.
Cicatrix ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Length of Stay ; Liver ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Retrospective Studies

Cryptococcosis commonly affects patients with immune dysfunction, as in the case of immunosuppression in organ transplant patients or as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in patients afflicted with human immunodeficiency virus. The varied appearance of cryptococcal skin lesion makes clinical diagnosis of cutaneous cryptococcosis difficult. Cryptococcosis proves to be a fatal fungal infection in the immunocompromised patient. Therefore, diagnosis and early treatment of cryptococcosis become vital. A 56-year-old renal transplant recipient, with an ongoing immunosuppression regimen of cyclosporine, prednisolone, and mycophenolate mofetil, was admitted with a 2-week history of pain and edema of right arm without respiratory symptoms. Despite empiric antibiotic therapy, the patient continued to complain of severe tenderness of the involved arm and fever persisted as well. On the third day of hospital stay, a biopsy of the erythematous skin lesion was acquired. On the eighth day of hospital stay, results of both skin biopsy and blood cultures showed the presence of Cryptococcus neoformans. The treatment was begun with intravenous fluconazole (400 mg/day). After 4 days of antifungal treatment, the patient developed fever along with cough with purulent sputum. As the new developing symptoms were suggestive of pneumonia, especially of pulmonary cryptococcosis, the antifungal agent was changed from fluconazole to amphotericin B treatment (0.8 mg/kg, 50 mg/day). Chest computer tomography showed improvement in the pneumonic infiltration and consolidation after 4 weeks of amphotericin B treatment. In conclusion, cellulitis in immunocompromised patients should be suspected in case of highly atypical infectious etiology, and skin biopsy should not be delayed if empiric antibiotic therapy does not control the inflammatory response. Additionally, the patient should be treated with intravenous amphotericin B treatment in case of severe cryptococcosis.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Amphotericin B ; Arm ; Biopsy ; Cellulitis ; Cough ; Cryptococcosis ; Cryptococcus neoformans ; Cyclosporine ; Edema ; Fever ; Fluconazole ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney Transplantation ; Length of Stay ; Middle Aged ; Mycophenolic Acid ; Pneumonia ; Prednisolone ; Skin ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: A mummy is a dead body of a human being or an animal that has been preserved artificially or naturally from decaying. Because the natural environment of Korea isn't appropriate for mummification and Korean people haven't artificially made mummies, mummies were rarely studied in Korea. METHODS: On September 6, 2002, a well-preserved female mummy was found in the grave of a family in Kyunggi-do. She was submitted to a thorough autopsy examination along with the review of genealogical documents. RESULTS: The mummy died in winter. She was pregnant and the fetal head was observed at the vaginal orifice. The uterine wall was ruptured, and the peritoneum was discolored, probably by hemorrhage. Histologically, the gastric mucosa was well preserved. On the smear cytology of gastrointestinal material and the fluid from the coffin, pollens and parasitic eggs were observed. The woman seemed to be death from hypovolemic shock due to uterine rupture during the 2nd phase of labor. CONCLUSION: From this case, we concluded the causes of the woman's mummification included the cold and dry circumstance at the time of her death, and the thick mortared wall of the grave that completely isolated the body from the outside.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Eggs ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gyeonggi-do ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Mummies ; Ovum ; Paleopathology ; Peritoneum ; Pollen ; Pregnant Women* ; Shock ; Uterine Rupture

PURPOSE: Ampulla of Vater cancer has a more favorable prognosis and survival than other malignant periampullary tumors. The pathologic staging of ampulla of Vater carcinoma is a key determinant of the patient's prognosis. However, we have often encountered patients in whom the course of their disease differed substantially from what would be predicted based on their clinical staging, which highlights the need to consider additional predictive factors. We applied an immunohistochemical technique to examine the expression of Ki-67 and VEGF in radicallyresected ampulla of Vater carcinomas, and then compared the status of expression with several clinicopathologic factors. METHODS: Sixty-four patients who underwent curative resection for ampulla of Vater cancer between January 1992 and December 2006 at the Yonsei University College of Medicine were reviewed. The relationships between the expression of molecular markers and clinicopathologic factors were determined. RESULTS: There was no relationship between the clinicopathologic characteristics and the expression of molecular markers in patients with ampulla of Vater cancer. Among the clinicopathologic characteristics, lymph node metastasis was identified as an independent factor of survival after curative resection for ampulla of Vater carcinoma. CONCLUSION: Measurement of Ki-67 and VEGF in patients with ampulla of Vater carcinoma may have an important role in identifying the poor prognostic group.
Ampulla of Vater ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

BACKGROUND: There are several reports on outbreaks of V. paraphaemolyticus enteritis, however, these are only complicated cases or microbiologic surveillance in marine environment. We experienced an outbreak associated with eating flavored crabs and investigated the magnitude of the outbreak on a large scale located in Inchon. METHOD: We took medical history and stool cultures from patients with diarrhea, visited the Inha University Hospital from September 14 to September 30, 1998. Pulsed-field gel electrophereis of isolates from stool culture performed to identify the relation. We counted the number of diarrheal patients visited the emergency rooms of 5 other general hospitals and 9 private clinics in Inchon from August 16 to September 30, 1998. We bought 6 crabs and 2 flavored crabs at a nearby market and cooked 6 crabs flavored at our hospital. Cultures from the flavored crabs stored at a refrigerator were done daily for consecutive 5 days. RESULTS: The outbreak began on September 5 and ended on September 29, 1998. The numbers of patients visiting ERs of 6 general hospitals and private clinics during outbreak were estimated 1,033 and 4,530, respectively. All 8 crabs revealed Vibrio spp., but identification up to species level was not possible. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of 12 isolates showed different patterns and suggested different sources. CONCLUSION: In 1998, an outbreak estimated more than 5,000 patients of V. parahaemolyticus enteritis occurred in Inchon, Korea. Because the magnitude of food-associated enteritis is enormous, that surpass the number which we assumed from clinical practice, early report and prompt investigation of such cases are necessary.
Diarrhea ; Disease Outbreaks ; Eating ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Enteritis* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Korea* ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio*