No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Heart Atria*

A 51-yr-old man presented with an enlarged right testis for two months. The radically resected testis showed a relatively well-circumscribed ovoid mass, nearly replacing the normal architecture with central cystic changes. Microscopically, the mass was composed of ovoid shaped tumor cells of a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The central portion of the mass was filled with well-formed laminated keratinous materials and the remnant cavity lined by dysplastic squamous epithelium, indicated SCC may be derived from an epidermal cyst. SCC is among the most common types of neoplasm afflicting human beings, but it is rare in the testis. To our knowledge, this is the second report of the testicular squamous cell carcinoma occurring in a patient without other primary tumors, and the firstly reported case in Korea.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/diagnosis/*pathology ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Testicular Neoplasms/diagnosis/*pathology

Pulmonary artery aneurysms are extremely rate and are seldom diagnosed during life. In true aneurysms, dilatation tends to be confined to the main trunk of the artery and degenerative changes in the wall are found. In 1971, Williams et al reported the first successful excision and replacement of the main pulmonary artery, including the bifurcation, with a dacron graft. Since then there have been few cases of main pulmonary artery aneurysm treated surgically. However, aneurysm of the main pulmonary artery treated surgically was not reported in our country till now. Recently we have experienced a case of the mainpulmonary artery aneurysm in a 10 years old boy and it was confirmed by echocardiogram, ultrasonogram of the chest, computed tomogram of the chest, radioisotope heart scan, cardiac catheterization and cine-angiogram of main pulmonary artery, aorta & right ventricle etc and patent ductus arteriosus was noted at the indifferent site from aneurysmal sac. Thereafter he underwent surgical correction at our hospital with the aid of total cardiopulmonary by-pass.
Aneurysm* ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Child ; Dilatation ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Heart ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Polyethylene Terephthalates ; Pulmonary Artery ; Thorax ; Transplants ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: The study investigated in detail the current status of the consultations requested in a pain clinic. We evaluated the characteristics of the consultations to determine the kind of contents requested, referring departments and factors including demographics, co-morbidities, previous medical problems, and the descriptions of the reasons for the consultation to the pain clinic. METHODS: Clinical data were collected in the authors' institution between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013. The medical records were reviewed and compared. Characteristics of both outpatients and inpatients were analysed. RESULTS: Data from 1,140 patients was available for this study. Seven hundred thirteen individuals belonged to the outpatient group and 427 individuals belonged to the inpatient group. Orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, and otolaryngology were the main departments that requested consultations to the pain clinic. The most frequent requested lesion and diagnostic term were low back and lumbar spinal stenosis, respectively, and the most common reason for consulting was for "control of pain not controlled by medications." Factors that were significantly different between the two groups were gender, questions about other illnesses apart from the main diagnoses, history of specific diseases, acute onset, cancer, operation within 3 months, and physical system abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: The medical problems addressed by a pain clinic consultation service were diverse. It is rational to develop standardized guidelines for pain consultations, and treatment strategies aimed at alleviating pain per se as well as caring for comorbid conditions.
Acute Disease ; Demography ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Medical Records ; Neurosurgery ; Orthopedics ; Otolaryngology ; Outpatients ; Pain Clinics* ; Referral and Consultation* ; Spinal Stenosis

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic procedures and ultrasonography are now commonly used in the obstetric field, and more non-obstetric procedures are being performed. However, little domestic data has been published on the topic. This present retrospective study investigated the clinical information and the effect on perinatal outcomes of non-obstetric surgery during pregnancy. METHODS: This retrospective study was performed using data of all adult pregnant women that underwent non-obstetric surgery at our institute between from July 2009 to December 2016. Data was collected from the institutional computerized database. The causes, types, and the gestational ages at surgery were collected as our primary outcomes. Basic characteristics of patients, operation times, anesthesia times, anesthetic methods, anesthetic agents, and adverse perinatal outcomes such as abortion or preterm delivery were evaluated as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 2,421 deliveries and 60 cases of non-obstetric surgery, an operation rate of 2.48%. The most common cause of non-obstetric surgery was abdominal surgery, followed by orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery. Most of abdominal surgeries were performed laparoscopically during the first trimester. The incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes was increased in the first trimester, was not related with anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of non-obstetric surgery was found to be 2.48%, which was higher than those reported in previous domestic studies. This increase seems to have resulted from early diagnosis by ultrasonography and non-invasive surgery using laparoscopy. Adverse perinatal outcomes are not related with age, surgery and anesthetic-related factors but seem to be associated with surgery exposure stage, especially the first trimester.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Obstetrical ; Anesthetics ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Laparoscopy ; Neurosurgery ; Orthopedics ; Patient Outcome Assessment ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Retrospective Studies* ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between three major allergic diseases, asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), and atopic dermatitis (AD), and psychological and behavioural problems in preschoolers based on a community survey. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire to determine the prevalence of symptoms and diagnosed allergic diseases, and a Korean version of the Child Behaviour Checklist to assess internalizing, externalizing, and sleep problems among 780 preschoolers. Five-hundred and seventy-five preschoolers with valid data were included in this study. RESULTS: The prevalence of lifetime diagnosis and treatment in the past 12 months was 8.7% and 4.4% for asthma, 24.4% and 19.2% for AR, and 35.1% and 16.6% for AD, respectively. Scores for internalizing and sleep problems were significantly higher in those diagnosed with AR. Preschoolers who had been treated for AD in the past 12 months had higher attention problem and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder scores. Sleep problems were more severe in moderate to severe AD compared to control and mild AD groups, categorised according to SCOring index of AD. The severity of sleep problems correlated positively with the percentage of eosinophils in peripheral blood. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological and behavioural problems differed among the three major allergic diseases, weaker association for asthma and stronger association for AR and AD. The results of this study may lead to the identification of potential underlying shared mechanisms common to allergic diseases and psychological and behavioural problems.
Asthma ; Checklist ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Prevalence ; Psychometrics ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Arterial stiffness has been known as an independent contributory factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is widely used as a simple noninvasive measure of arterial stiffness. The aim of our study was to test whether baPWV had predictive value for CAD in the subset of patients with high pretest probability. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We enrolled 174 consecutive patients who were referred for evaluation of suspected CAD, and who underwent both baPWV measurement and computed tomography (CT) for coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) as part of a diagnostic work-up. Subsequently, 160 of those patients underwent invasive coronary angiography. The CAD indices consisted of 1) CACS, 2) modified Gensini scoring system, and 3) presence of obstructive CAD and 4) multi-vessel obstructive CAD. RESULTS: baPWV correlated with CACS (r=0.25, p=0.001), but not with modified Gensini scoring (r=0.10, p=0.19). However, after adjustment for factors influencing PWV, baPWV no longer correlated with CACS (r=0.14, p=0.14). By receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, baPWV was neither a sensitive nor specific index for predicting the presence of obstructive CAD or multi-vessel obstructive CAD (sensitivity: 53% and 59%; specificity: 50% and 55%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that baPWV is associated with CACS, however, this may be primarily attributed to common risk factors, such as age. Furthermore, baPWV may be of limited value in identifying patients at risk for CAD.
Calcium ; Compliance ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Risk Factors ; ROC Curve ; Vascular Stiffness

BACKGROUND: Osteoprotegerin(OPG) is a soluble member of the tumor necrosis factor(TNF) receptor family and inhibits osteoclastogenesis by interrupting the cell-to-cell interaction between osteoblastic/stromal cells and osteoclast progenitors. OPG is expressed in many tissues including osteoblasts and may act on bone tissues in a paracrine and/or autocrine fashion. Futhermore, many cytokines and growth factors are known to influence the regulation of OPG expression in osteoblastic/stromal cells. The aims of the present study were to examine whether or not OPG was expressed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and to investigate the effects of IL-1beta, which were known as potent osteotropic agents, on the regulation of OPG mRNA in PBMCs. METHODS: PBMCs were isolated by centrifugation over Ficoll-Hypaque density gradients from postmenopausal women and cultured in 6-well plates containing alpha-MEM supplemented with 5% FBS. The expression of OPG mRNA in PBMCs was observed by RT-PCR in adherent and nonadherent cells on culture plates. To observe the effect of OPG expression by IL-1beta, we measured the concentration of OPG mRNA by altering the concentration and incubation time of IL-1beta. The measurement of OPG mRNA was done by semi-quantitative PCR and indicated as OPG/GAPDH. RESULTS: OPG was expressed both in cells attached to the surface of culture plates and in non-adherent cells for the incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The effect of OPG mRNA by IL-1beta tend to increase in accordance with the length of incubation time and maximizes at 12 hours of incubation time and shows 1.2-3.5 times higher than the standard level at the concentration of 0.5ng/ml. However, the increased quantity in concentration varies according to individuals.] CONCLUSION: OPG mRNA is expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and known to be increased by IL-1beta.
Bone and Bones ; Cell Communication ; Centrifugation ; Cytokines ; Female ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Necrosis ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Osteoprotegerin ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger*

Background: Pyomyositis (PM) is a serious soft tissue infection and despite its clinical importance, previous studies have not been able to fully determine the clinical characteristics and microbial epidemiology of PM in Korea, which we therefore aimed to investigate. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively identified 140 adult patients diagnosed with PM from 13 general hospitals between January 2012 and December 2015. We analyzed the clinical and microbial characteristics of community-onset PM and compared them with communityacquired (CA) and healthcare-associated (HCA) PM. Results: One hundred eleven organisms were isolated from 96 (68.6%) patients with PM.Staphylococcus aureus (38 patients) was the most common pathogen, followed by streptococci (24 patients), and enteric Gram-negative organisms (27 patients). Methicillin-resistant S.aureus (MRSA) was identified in four (2.9%) patients and in-hospital mortality reached 8.6% (12/140). Enterococci isolates were identified in the HCA PM subgroup only The proportion of MRSA isolates was not comparable between CA and HCA PM subgroups. In the 83 patients with PM infected by monomicrobial pathogens, isolates of Gram-negative organisms were more commonly found in HCA PM subgroup than in CA PM subgroup (47.6% [10/21] of patients with HCA PM vs. 20.7% [12/58] of patients with CA PM; P = 0.01). Conclusion Gram-positive cocci such as S. aureus and streptococci were dominant etiologies in community-onset PM, whereas MRSA appears to an uncommon causative organism of PM in Korea. Enteric Gram-negative organisms should also be considered as major etiologies, especially in HCA PM patient population in Korea.