No abstract available.
Hand*

There are some controversies on the mechanism of the lumbar disc degeneration and disc prolapse. But,it is clear that many factors are related to the disc degeneration. Configurations of the lower lumbar and lumbosacral spine have long been proposed as one of the important factors of disc degeneration in these areas. To look for the configurational risk factors and the probability of disc degeneration by the combinations of these factors, we analyzed simple radiographs and MRI of 73 patients who complaints of low back pain and are between 20 years and 39 years of age. We performed chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression analysis: L4-5 disc degeneration and L5-Sl disc degeneration as dependent variables and lumbar lordosis, sacral inclination, height of intercrest line, transitional vertebra and facet joint asymmetry as independent variables. We could not find any of these variables significantly related to the L4-5 intervertebral disc degeneration. For L5-S1 disc degeneration, only the presence of transitional vertebra was signicantly related. When there is no transitional vertebra, the probability of disc degeneration is 9 times(8.889) as large as that of presence of transitional vertebra. The probability of L4-5 disc degeneration without the degeneration of L5-S1 is 3 times as large as that of degeneration of both of L4-5 and L5-S1 disc in case of the presence of transitional vertebra.
Animals ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration* ; Logistic Models ; Lordosis ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prolapse ; Risk Factors ; Spine* ; Zygapophyseal Joint

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We aimed to make a preliminary assessment of the prevalence of cochlear dead regions (DRs) and the factors affecting the results of the threshold-equalizing noise (TEN) test in patients with hearing loss of various etiologies. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between May and July 2014, 109 patients (191 ears) with hearing loss who visited our outpatient clinic were prospectively enrolled. Pure tone audiometry and TEN (HL) test were performed for all the patients. DR at each frequency was indicated by masked thresholds of > or =10 dB above the TEN level and > or =10 dB above the absolute threshold. RESULTS: DR was present in 15.7% (n=30) of the 191 ears. According to disease entity, 16.6% of patients with sensorineural hearing loss had a DR. However, DR was absent in patients with chronic otitis media. According to audiometric configurations, DR was most common in moderately severe, flat hearing loss. Significantly worse hearing thresholds for both mean hearing level and hearing threshold at each frequency were found in the presence of DR (p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that only the mean hearing level (odds ratio: 1.053, 95% confidence interval: 1.021-1.085) affected the presence of DR. CONCLUSIONS: Although performance of the TEN test is limited by frequencies and hearing levels, it provides additional information regarding DRs and may therefore have the potential to be used as a prognostic tool for diverse diseases causing hearing loss.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Audiometry ; Ear ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Masks ; Noise* ; Otitis Media ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies

Pseudomyxoma peritonei is a rare condition characterized by mucinous ascites associated with peritoneal and omental implants. This is most commonly originated from mucinous tumor of the ovary or appendix. We have experienced a case of pseudomyxoma peritonei associated with borderline mucinous tumor of both ovaries and appendix. We concluded that the appendix is the primary lesion of pseudomyxoma peritonei by various immunohistochemical stains and therefore reporting this case with the brief review of literatures.
Appendix* ; Ascites ; Coloring Agents ; Female ; Mucins* ; Ovary* ; Pseudomyxoma Peritonei*

No abstract available.
Cryopreservation* ; Embryonic Stem Cells* ; Humans* ; Vitrification

OBJECTIVE: This study was to establish the human embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from frozenthawed blastocyst stage embryo that were destined to be discarded after five years in routine human IVF-ET program. METHODS: Frozen-thawed and survived human blastocysts were treated by immunosurgery, and recovered ICM cells were cultured onto STO feeder cell layer and ICM colony was subcultured by mechanical dissociation into clumps. To identify ES cell, alkaline phosphatase staining and expression of Oct4 in replated ICM colonies were examined. Also, to examine the possibility of ES cell differentiation, retinoic acid (RA), basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), nerve growth factor (NGF) were added in culture medium. In addition, to classify the specific cell type, differentiated cells were stained by indirect immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: One ICM colony recovered from frozen-thawed six blastocysts was subcultured, continuously replated during 40 passage culture duration without differentiation. Subcultured colonies were strong positively stained by alkaline phophatase. When the expression of Oct4 in cultured ES colony was examined, Oct4b type is more clearly indicated than Oct4a one although there was not detected in embryoid body or differentiated cells. In differentiated cardiomyocytes from ES colony, cells were beaten regularly (60 times/min). In differentiated neural cells from ES colony, neurofilament (NF) 200 kDa protein, microtubule associated protein (MAP) 2 and beta-tubulin of specific marker in neurons, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) of specific marker in astrocytes and galactocelebrocide (GalC) of specific marker in oligodendrocytes were confirmed by indirect immunocytochemistry. Also, muscle cells were detected by indirect immunocytochemistry. In addition, ES colonies can be successfully cryopreserved. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that establishment of human ES cells can be successfully derived from frozen-thawed blastocysts that were destined to be discarded, and obtained specific cell types (cardiomyocytes, neurons and muscle cells) through the in vitro differentiation procedures of ES cells.
Humans

Pylephlebitis, a septic thrombophlebitis of the portal vein or one of its tributaries, is a life-threatening complication of intra-abdominal infection. The causes of pylephlebitis include acute diverticulitis, appendicitis, acute cholecystitis, necrotizing pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and bowel perforation. Although pylephlebitis is an unusual complication of diverticulitis, its morbidity and mortality remain high. Therefore, early diagnosis and initiation of adequate antibiotic therapy is important for improving the long-term prognosis of patients suffering from this rare disease. We report a case of pylephlebitis with Streptococcus viridans and Bacteroides fragilis bacteremia secondary to diverticulitis with a review of the literature.
Appendicitis ; Bacteremia ; Bacteroides ; Bacteroides fragilis ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Diverticulitis ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Intraabdominal Infections ; Pancreatitis ; Portal Vein ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Streptococcus ; Stress, Psychological ; Thrombophlebitis ; Viridans Streptococci

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: ALA is a precursor of heme and converted to protoporphyrin IX used as effective photosensitizer. The aim of this study was to find the ideal concentration and incubation time of ALA for PDT on in vitro and in vivo experiments and to assess the anti-tumor effect of PDT using ALA on CT-26 colon cancer cell line. MATERIALS AND METHOD: CT-26 cell was cultured with serum free media including ALA in the dark room to show the intracellular accumulation of PpIX. The fluorescence of PpIX in the cell was detected under confocal laser scanning microscope. Also CT-26 cell was incubated with various concentration of ALA (1.0-0.001 mg/ml) and was irradiated with LED at 0 hr, 3 hr, 6 hr, 9 hr, 12 hr and 24 hr after application of ALA. The cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. in vivo PDT was done with optimal treatment condition and the anti-tumor effect of PDT using ALA was measured by tumor volume change. RESULTS: The fluorescence of PpIX was saturated at 6 hour after the ALA application to CT-26 cell and the optimal incubation time with ALA for PDT was 6 hours. For in vivo Study, 632 nm laser irradiation was done around the tumor 6 hours after ALA injection. The PDT using ALA on transplanted CT-26 tumors shows 40% cure rate and 40% partial remission and significant decrease of tumor volume. CONCLUSION: The peak accumulation of PpIX in the cell and in the tumor was reached 6 hours after the application of ALA. The PDT using ALA for CT-26 cells was very effective and this findings suggest that ALA is one of candidate for photosensitizer in head and neck solid tumors.
Aminolevulinic Acid ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Culture Media, Serum-Free ; Fluorescence ; Head ; Heme ; Neck ; Photochemotherapy* ; Tumor Burden