An epidemiological study on brugian filariasis was carried out in endemic areas including Cheju Island in Korea, with a brief review of literatures.The results showed that the incidence among residents has remarkably decreased in Cheju Island, which was the main endemic area. Reviewing available informations on the prevalence of filariasis reported in recent years and also judging from the present socio-economic conditions which enable people to practice personal protection against mosquitos, it can be said with confidence that filariasis has almost disappeared from Cheju Island and inland areas. The disease is considered to remain at a low level of endemicity in Hugsan Islands. Certainly mass diethylcarbamazine (DEC) treatment carried out in Cheju Island in the 1960s and 1970s and remarkable economic growth followed by improved living standard and altered life-style of inhabitants could all have combined effects on the disappearance of this mosquito-borne diseae in this island. If the present trends go on, the possibility of resurgence of filariasis in Cheju Island is hardly postulated.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Brugia malayi ; filariasis ; epidemiology

Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas is a rare tumor that affects young females with low malignant potential and good prognosis with more than 90% survival at 5 years. Metastasis is very rare. We report the case of a 74-year-old female who had pancreatic solid-pseudopapillary tumor and synchronous hepatic metastasis.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Prognosis

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening for fetal aneuploidies is clinically available and exhibits better performance than conventional serum screening tests. However, data on the clinical performance of cfDNA screening in twin pregnancies are limited. In this review, we summarized the clinical performance and evaluated the feasibility of cfDNA screening in twin pregnancies based on recent studies and recommendations. The performance of cfDNA screening for trisomy 21 in twin pregnancies is similar to that in singleton pregnancies. Specifically, cfDNA screening has a higher detection rate and lower false-positive rate compared with conventional serum screening. Consequently, recent international guidelines from several academic communities have recommended that cfDNA screening for aneuploidy in twin pregnancies could be considered. Moreover, twin pregnancies can present with specific conditions, such as different zygosities and vanishing twins; therefore, individualized counseling and management are required. Further clinical studies with more twin pregnancies are required for a more accurate analysis.

It is possible to create a diastasis in the hip by traction. The space thus created between articular surfaces can be visualized radiographically and is known as “a vacuum phenomenon”. Twenty one cases of unilateral hip joint disease were studied with vacuum arthrography from Oct. 1983 to July 1984 in Catholic Medical College and Center. The patients ages ranged from a month to 53 years of age but most of them(18 out of 21 patients) were below 10. There were 5 female patient's and 16 male patients in this series. The results were as follows: 1. In the absence of an effusion in all normal hip joints the vacuum phenomenon was demonstrated. 2. In the absence of an effusion in the hips of a transient synovitis, 4 Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and 3 sprain the size of vacuum was normal. 3. The size of vacuum of 3 transient synovitis and a pyohip of healing stage which had only mild effusion was smaller than those of normal hips. 4. In the presence of large amount of effusion in the hips of 5 transient synovitis, 2 pyogenic arthritis and 2 tuberculous arthritis it has not been possible to produce the vacuum phenomenon. 5. This study, in summary, shows that the size of vacuum represents the amount of effusion. 6. Non-ossified femoral head in the new born, articular surface of acetabulum and thickness & local changes in the cartilage of the femoral head could be demonstrated using the vacuum arthrography. 7. It has not been possible to demonstrate the articular surface lateral to the limbus, ligamentum teres and limbus in the vacuum arthrogram.
Acetabulum ; Arthritis ; Arthrography ; Cartilage ; Female ; Head ; Hip Joint ; Hip ; Humans ; Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease ; Male ; Round Ligaments ; Sprains and Strains ; Synovitis ; Traction ; Vacuum

This study was conducted to compare the delivery management including laboratory tests, medication and surgical procedures for the delivery in various medical facilities. Two university hospitals, two general hospitals, three hospitals, two private obstetric clinics, and two midwifery clinics in a large city were selected as they permitted the investigators to abstract the required data from the medical and accounting records. The total number of deliveries occurred at these 11 facilities between 15 January and 15 February, 1989 was 789 among which 606(76.8%) were vaginal deliveries and 183(23.3%) were C-sections. For the normal vaginal deliveries, CBC, Hb/Hct level, blood typing, VDRL, hepatitis B antigen and antibody, and urinalysis were routinely done except the private clinics and midwifery clinics which did not test for hepatitis B and Hb/Hct level at all. In one university hospital ultrasonography was performed in 71.4% of the mothers and in one general hospital liver function test was done in 76.7% of the mothers. For the C-section, chest X-ray, bleeding / clotting time and liver function test were routinely done in addition to the routine tests for the normal vaginal deliveries. Episiotomy was performed in 97.2% of the vaginal deliveries. The type and duration of fluid infused and antibiotics administered showed a wide variation among the medical facilities. In one university hospital antibiotics was not administered after C-section at all while in the general hospitals and hospitals one or two antibiotics were administered for one week on the average. In one private clinic one pint of whole blood was transfused routinely. A wide variation was observed among the medical facilities in the use of vitamin, hemostatics, oxytocics, antipyreptics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, sedatives, digestives, stool softeners, antihistamines, and diuretics. Mean hospital day for the norma vaginal deliveries of primipara was 2.6 days with little variation except one hospital with 3.5 days. Mean hospital day for the C-section of primipara was 7.5 days and that of multipara was 7.6 days and it ranged between 6.5 days and 9.4 days. Average hospital fee for a normal vaginal delivery without the medical insurance coverage was 182,100 Won for the primipara and 167,300 Won for the multipara. In case of the primipara covered by the medical insurance a mother paid 82,400 Won and a multiparous mother paid 75,600 Won. Average hospital fee for a C-section without the medical insurance was 946,500 Won for the primipara and 753,800 Won for the multipara. In case of the primipara covered by the medical insurance a mother paid 256,200 Won and a multiparous mother paid 253,700 Won. Average hospital fee for a normal vaginal delivery in the university hospitals showed a remarkable difference, 268,000 Won vs 350,000 Won, as well as for the C-section. A wide variation in the laboratory tests performed for a normal vaginal delivery and a C-section as well as in the medication and hospital days brought about a big difference in the hospital fee and some hospitals were practicing the case payment system. Thus, standardization of the medical care to a certain level is warranted for the provision of adequate medical care for delivery.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; Diuretics ; Episiotomy ; Fees and Charges ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostatics ; Hepatitis B ; Histamine Antagonists ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Insurance ; Insurance Coverage ; Liver Function Tests ; Midwifery ; Mothers ; Oxytocics ; Research Personnel ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography ; Urinalysis ; Vitamins

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a benign self-limiting disease characterized by fever and lymphadenitis. The etiology and pathogenesis of KFD is unclear. However, two hypotheses have been suggested: a viral infection hypothesis and an autoimmune hypothesis. Several KFD patients with various types of autoimmune diseases have been reported, and these reports support the hypothesis for autoimmune pathogenesis of KFD. Here, we report the case of a 17-year-old female patient diagnosed with KFD and autoimmune thyroiditis. This case serves as additional evidence that the etiology of KFD is autoimmune origin.
Adolescent ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Female ; Fever ; Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis ; Humans ; Lymphadenitis ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune

Acute gastric dilatation leading to gastric necrosis is rare but potentially fatal condition that can occur in patients with bulimia. It usually develops after a bulimic episode and it is not diagnosed with sufficient rapidity it may lead to gastric perforation followed by peritonitis, sepsis, shock, and death. Because of the rarity of this condition and the patients in whom it occurs, the clinician must maintain a high degree of suspicion when treating patients with eating disorders who present with abdominal pain after a binge. This case report describes a 24-year old woman with acute gastric dilatation due to binge eating, who had the gastrotomy and died of complications such as gastric necrosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
Abdominal Pain ; Bulimia ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Female ; Gastric Dilatation ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Peritonitis ; Sepsis ; Shock

No abstract available.
Sparganosis*

PURPOSE: Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) are important for staging of patients with node-positive breast cancer. However, these can be avoided in select micrometastatic diseases, preventing postoperative complications. The present study evaluated the ability of axillary lymph node maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) on positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) to predict axillary metastasis of breast cancer.METHODS: The records of invasive breast cancer patients who underwent pretreatment (surgery and/or chemotherapy) PET-CT between January 2006 and December 2014 were reviewed. ALNs were preoperatively evaluated by PET-CT. Lymph nodes were dissected by SLNB or ALND. SUVmax was measured in both the axillary lymph node and primary tumor. Student t-test and chi-square test were used to analyze sensitivity and specificity. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) analyses were performed.RESULTS: SUV-tumor (SUV-T) and SUV-lymph node (SUV-LN) were significantly higher in the triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) group than in other groups (SUV-T: 5.99, P < 0.01; SUV-LN: 1.29, P=0.014). The sensitivity (0.881) and accuracy (0.804) for initial ALN staging were higher in fine needle aspiration+PET-CT than in other methods. For PET-CT alone, the subtype with the highest sensitivity (0.870) and negative predictive value (0.917) was TNBC. The AUC for SUV-LN was greatest in TNBC (0.797).CONCLUSION: The characteristics of SUV-T and SUV-LN differed according to immunohistochemistry subtype. Compared to other subtypes, the true positivity of axillary metastasis on PET-CT was highest in TNBC. These findings could help tailor management for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.
Area Under Curve ; Breast Neoplasms ; Electrons ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Needles ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Postoperative Complications ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women, which is characterized by the oligo/ anovulation, hyperandrogenism (HA) and polycystic ovarian morphology which are diagnostic criteria. PCOS has diverse clinical aspects in addition to those diagnostic criteria including increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and impaired fertility. Because of the heterogeneity of the disease, the pathogenesis of the disease has not been elucidated yet. Therefore, there is no cure for the endocrinopathy. HA and insulin resistance (IR) has been considered two major pillars of the pathogenesis of PCOS. Recent advances in animal studies revealed the critical role of neuroendocrine abnormalities in developing PCOS. Several pathways related to neuroendocrine origin have been investigated such as hypothalamus pituitary ovarian axis, hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis and hypothalamus pituitary adipose axis. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the role of HA and IR in developing PCOS. In addition, we review the results of recent genome wide association studies for PCOS. This new perspective improves our understanding of the role of neuroendocrine origins in PCOS and suggest a novel potential therapeutic target for the treatment of PCOS.