BACKGROUND: Tracheal intubation commonly results in sympathetic stimulation manifested by increased heart rate and arterial blood pressure. This study was carried out to determine whether lightwand would result in less hemodynamic changes than direct laryngoscopy. METHODS: With informed consent, fourty healthy female patients scheduled of elective surgical procedures were randomly allocated into two groups; lightwand (LW) or direct laryngoscopy (DL) group. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded upon arrival. Under a standardized anesthetic technique, the patients were intubated either with no. 3 curved blade direct laryngoscopy (DL group) or with lightwand (LW group). The MAP and HR were recorded before intubation and every 1 minutes following intubaion. Time to intubation (TTI) was also recorded. All patients were intubated by a same fourth grade resident. RESULTS: Fourty patients were studied. Every intubation was successed in first attempt. The TTI was significantly shorter in LW group. Even while there was no significant difference in HR changes, there was significant difference in the increase of MAP following intubation. The increase of MAP was significantly greater with DL than with LW. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that lightwand intubation requires shorter TTI and may give rise to less blood pressure change than direct laryngoscopy. So we found no difference in disadvantage and may offers advantage in terms of hemodynamic stability.
Arterial Pressure* ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Laryngoscopy* ; Surgical Procedures, Elective

We presented here a case of an 80-year-old male patient who was, confirmed in the typical tumor stage of Mycosis fungoide by skin biopay. Relatively well-defined, brown-colored, round patches were found about 3 years ago on the chest, abdomen and inguinal area. He had received some treatment at several private clinics uder the impression of seborrheic dermatitis, paoriaais and eczematoid dermatitis. However, the skin manifestations were not improved t.ut rarther increased in eize, similarly to tinea corporis. Two months ago, firm nodules and tumors developecl a new on the lesinn sites, assoviated with intense pruritus and ulcerative tendency. We tried radiation therapy, but due to old age the patient chose to discontinurue.
Abdomen ; Aged, 80 and over ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Humans ; Male ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Skin Manifestations ; Thorax ; Tinea ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Central Nervous System*

OBJECTIVE: The goal of study is the evaluation of clinicofunctional outcomes and fusion success rates of unilateral posterior lumbar interbody fusion(PLIF) using cages. METHODS: The authors conducted retrospective study of 81 patients who underwent unilateral PLIF using cages. The outpatient notes, standard hospital charts, and pre-and postoperative imaging studies were analyzed. In this study pre-and postoperative back pain, radiating pain, fusion success rates, pseudoarthrosis, clinicofunctional outcome, and complications were evaluated. Follow-up duration ranged from 3 to 8 years. RESULTS: Eighty-one patients underwent unilateral PLIF using 98 cages(TFC:37, CH cage:25, Novus cage 36). Two-level fusion was performed in 17 patients. There were 48 men(59%) and 33 women(41%). Seventh decade was most common(47%). The most common site of PLIF was at L4-5 space(69.4%) and left side(58%) was prevalent. Fusion was successful in 91 out of 98 levels(92.8%) and pseudoarthrosis was observed in five patients(7 level, 7%). The clinicofunctional results by Prolo scale were as follows:good(score 8-10):80.3%, moderate(score 6-7):14.8%, poor(score 5 or less 5):4.9%. Device migration was observed in six cases:5(20%) of 25 CH cages and 1(2.8%) of 36 Novus cages. CONCLUSION: Unilateral PLIF using cage is one of method to decrease the rates of iatrogenic complications in patient of unilateral symptomatic spinal instability while preserving normal anatomic structures with good fusion success rates and clinicofunctional results after surgery.
Back Pain ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Pseudarthrosis ; Retrospective Studies

Monoclonal gammopathy occurs in one-third of the patients with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma (MALT lymphoma). However, monoclonal gammopathy has been rarely reported in Korea. Paraprotenemia accompanying MALT lymphoma is strongly correlated with involvement of the bone marrow, and this involvement leads to the progression of the disease. Here, we present a case of a 66-yr-old man diagnosed with IgM monoclonal gammopathy and stage IV extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of the small intestine, with the involvement of the bone marrow.
Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Bone Marrow/pathology ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M/analysis ; Intestinal Neoplasms/complications/drug therapy/*pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/complications/drug therapy/*pathology ; Male ; Neoplasm Staging ; Paraproteinemias/blood/complications/*pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Background: Impaired diastolic heart function has been observed in persons with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and/or with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, it is unclear whether NAFLD fibrotic progression, i.e., non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, poses an independent risk for diastolic dysfunction in T2DM. We investigated the association between liver fibrosis and left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in T2DM. Methods: We analyzed 606 patients with T2DM, aged ≥50 years, who had undergone liver ultrasonography and pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography. Insulin sensitivity was measured by short insulin tolerance test. Presence of NAFLD and/or advanced liver fibrosis was determined by abdominal ultrasonography and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS). LV diastolic dysfunction was defined according to transmitral peak early to late ventricular filling (E/A) ratio and deceleration time, using echocardiography. Results: LV diastolic dysfunction was significantly more prevalent in the NAFLD versus non-NAFLD group (59.7% vs. 49.0%, P=0.011). When NAFLD was stratified by NFS, subjects with advanced liver fibrosis exhibited a higher prevalence of diastolic dysfunction (49.0%, 50.7%, 61.8%; none, simple steatosis, advanced fibrosis, respectively; P for trend=0.003). In multivariable logistic regression, liver fibrosis was independently associated with diastolic dysfunction (odds ratio [OR], 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07 to 2.34; P=0.022) after adjusting for insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors. This association remained significant in patients without insulin resistance (OR, 4.32; 95% CI, 1.73 to 11.51; P=0.002). Conclusions Liver fibrosis was associated with LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with T2DM and may be an independent risk factor for diastolic dysfunction, especially in patients without systemic insulin resistance.

Brevibacterium spp. are Gram-positive, irregularly rod-shaped, strictly aerobic bacteria that resemble corynebacteria. Since they are a part of normal skin flora, they have been regarded as apathogenic, and human infections related to them are very rare. A 46-year-old man previously diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presented with fever without a definitive infectious source. Blood cultures from both peripheral blood and a central venous catheter showed that only aerobic bottles grew contaminants, while anaerobic bottles did not. Although the automated microbial identification system indicated Propionibacterium acnes, the isolated species was identified as B. casei by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. Our case emphasizes the utilization of 16S rRNA sequence analysis when the result from an automated system does not correspond with other laboratory findings. This is the first case of catheter-related blood stream infection due to B. casei identified by 16S rRNA sequence analysis.
Bacteria, Aerobic ; Brevibacterium* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Fever ; Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Middle Aged ; Propionibacterium acnes* ; Rivers ; Sequence Analysis ; Skin

The epidermoid cyst is formed as the result of inclusion of epithelial elements at the time of closure of the neural tube. The incidence of this tumor is less than 3% of all spinal canal tumors in children, The authors have experienced a 6-year old child with intraspinal epidermoid cyst which presented with symptom of back and abdominal pain. The magnetic resonance imaging study showed intraspinal mass lesion from level of T12 to S1. The patient had no history of previous lumbar puncture. We have removed totally the pearly-like intradural mass with laminoplastic laminotomy from T12 to L5. The pathological findings were compatible with epidermoid cyst. The postoperative course was uneventful without any neurologic deficit. Characteristics of this lesion with a pertinent literature is reviewed.
Abdominal Pain ; Child ; Epidermal Cyst* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Laminectomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neural Tube ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Puncture

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the positive rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to estimate the risk of developing HCC in association with HBsAg or anti- HCV positivity. METHODS: HBsAg and anti-HCV (anti-c22-3 and anti-c200) were tested by enzyme immunoassay in 892 patients with HCC from 1991 to 1994. Data regarding the prevalence of these hepatitis markers in 4,269 healthy blood donors were obtained from the Central Blood Center of the Korea Red Cross and used for case-control study. RESULTS: The positive rate of HBsAg was 72.3% (645/892) in patients with HCC and 2.7% (117/ 4,269) in blood donors, while that of anti-HCV was 7.6% (68/892) in patients with HCC and 0.3% (11/4,269) in blood donors. Six hundreds and thirty-six among 892 patients with HCC (71.3%) were only positive for HBsAg, 59 (6.6%) were only anti-HCV positive, and 9 (1.0%) were positive for both HBsAg and anti-HCV. The odds ratio (with 95% confidence interval: CI) comparing patients with HCC to healthy blood donors were 17.8 (CI: 4.7-61.5) for HBsAg positive, 11.9 (CI: 2.8-52.2) for anti-HCV positive, and 208.9 (CI: 18.6-2,345.7) for both HBsAg and anti-HCV positive. The risk estimates for both HBsAg and anti-HCV positve were not different from those for HBsAg positive or anti-HCV positive because the confidence interval of patients with both HBsAg and anti-HCV positive overlapped that of patients with HBsAg positive, or that of patients with anti-HCV positive. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that HBsAg was more important risk factor of HCC than anti-HCV and there was no interaction between HBsAg and anti-HCV in the development of HCC.
Blood Donors* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Case-Control Studies ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Korea ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence* ; Red Cross ; Risk Factors

Clinical manifestations of hypothyroidism are very various and these degree are related to the severity and duration of the disease. Pericardial effusions, one of the manifestations of hypothy-roidism, were relatively common in the past. However, recently they may not be so frequent representative of hypothyroid subjects. The higher frequency of Hashimotos thyroiditis in Turners syndrome, especially those with an X-isochromosome, compared with the general population is well known. The pathophysiological process of autoimmunity is thought to be linked with the presence of an abnormal X-chromosome. Recently we experienced a case of X-isochromosome Turners syndrome with hypothyroidism and pericardial effusion and report it with reviews of the literatures.
Autoimmunity ; Hypothyroidism* ; Pericardial Effusion* ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Turner Syndrome*