No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Embolism*

Purpose: This study evaluated the effectiveness of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) treatments using multiple pharmaceutical agents that could simultaneously preserve or enhance fertility capability. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center-based, randomized controlled study, whereas the final analysis evaluated a total 350 CP/CPPS patients (age range, 28–40 years) and 50 patients were randomly allocated to each therapeutic group, with a 1:1 ratio. The therapeutic groups consist of tadalafil (group 1, 5 mg daily), L-carnitine (group 2, 2 g daily), Serenoa repens extract (group 3, 320 mg daily), group 4 (tadalafil+L-carnitine), group 5 (tadalafil+S. repens), group 6 (L-carnitine+S. repens), and group 7 (tadalafil+L-carnitine+S. repens). The treatment outcomes at 3 months post-therapy were analyzed. Results: At 3 months post-therapy, the mean total sperm motility was significantly improved in all groups. A normal morphology improvement was observed in L-carnitine receiving groups. The mean total score on the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) and the mean International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) showed the greatest reduction in intensity in group 7. Logistic regression analyses showed that group 5 and group 7 were significantly associated with improvements in total IPSS and total NIH-CPSI scores at 3 months post-therapy. Group 7 was a significant predictor for improving total sperm motility, leukocytospermia and normal form of sperm. Conclusions Tadalafil, carnitine, and S. repens combination therapy could be considered a feasible treatment option for CP/CPPS males with subfertility.

Ureteroscopic lithotripsy using Swiss Lithoclast was performed in 411 cases from January 1996 to September 2007 in a single hospital. Medical records of 341 cases, in which Swiss Lithoclast was successfully applied, were available for this retrospective study. We used 9.5Fr and 10Fr Storz rigid ureteroscopes. A success was defined as being free of stone-related symptoms and residual stones larger than 2 mm. Sixty one stones were located in the upper ureter, 49 stones were in the mid ureter, and 231 stones were in the lower ureter. The overall success rate was 93.5%. The success rate of upper ureter stone (80.3%) was significantly lower compared with those of mid (93.8%) and lower (96.9%) ureter stones (P=0.001). The higher the calculi was located within the ureter, the more chance of upward migration there was (P<0.001). The success rate in male patients was lower than in female patients without a statistical significance (P=0.068). The success rate decreased as the size of the stone increased (P<0.001), and as the degree of hydronephrosis increased (P=0.03). Perforation rates were 4.9%, 4.1%, and 2.6% from upper to lower ureter stone group. Ureteroscopic lithotripsy using Swiss Lithoclast is a safe and useful treatment modality for ureteral calculi.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; *Lithotripsy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Ureteral Calculi/complications/*therapy ; Ureteroscopy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of maternal age with occurrence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities in Korean pregnant women of advanced maternal age (AMA). METHODS: A retrospective review of the amniocentesis or chorionic villous sampling (CVS) database at Gangnam and Bundang CHA Medical Centers, between January 2001 and February 2012, was conducted. This study analyzed the incidence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities according to maternal age and the correlation between maternal age and fetal chromosomal abnormalities in Korean pregnant women > or =35 years of age. In addition, we compared the prevalence of fetal chromosomal abnormalities between women of AMA only and the others as the indication for amniocentesis or CVS. RESULTS: A total of 15,381 pregnant women were selected for this study. The incidence of aneuploidies increased exponentially with maternal age (P<0.0001). In particular, the risk of trisomy 21 (standard error [SE], 0.0378; odds ratio, 1.177; P<0.001) and trisomy 18 (SE, 0.0583; odds ratio, 1.182; P=0.0040) showed significant correlation with maternal age. Comparison between women of AMA only and the others as the indication for amniocentesis or CVS showed a significantly lower rate of fetal chromosomal abnormalities only in the AMA group, compared with the others (P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that AMA is no longer used as a threshold for determination of who is offered prenatal diagnosis, but is a common risk factor for fetal chromosomal abnormalities.
Amniocentesis ; Aneuploidy ; Chorion ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Maternal Age ; Odds Ratio ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Trisomy

No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Mice*

The aim of the present study was to determine whether oncologic outcomes and adverse events associated with active on/off intermittent antiandrogen monotherapy (daily bicalutamide, 50 mg per day) are comparable with those of standard external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or combined androgen blockade (CAB) therapy in prostate cancers with positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy. Two hundred twenty-three patients with positive surgical margins post-radical prostatectomy who underwent active surveillance (AS, n = 32), EBRT without hormone therapy (n = 55), intermittent antiandrogen monotherapy without EBRT (IAAM, n = 50), or CAB without EBRT (n = 86), between 2007 and 2014, were reviewed retrospectively. Pathologic outcomes, biochemical recurrence rates, radiological disease progression, and adverse events were collected from medical records. Biochemical recurrence rates, biochemical recurrence-free survival rates, and radiological recurrence were not different between the groups (P = 0.225, 0.896, and 0.284, respectively). Adverse event rates and severities were lower for IAAM compared with EBRT or CAB (both P < 0.05), but were comparable to those for AS (P = 0.591 and 0.990, respectively). Grade ≥3 adverse events were not reported in the IAAM or AS groups. Erectile dysfunction and loss of libido rates were lower in the IAAM group compared with the EBRT and CAB groups (P = 0.032). Gastrointestinal complications were more frequently reported in the EBRT group (P = 0.008). Active on/off IAAM treatment might be an appropriate treatment option for patients with positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy. Furthermore, regarding oncologic outcomes, IAAM was comparable to standard EBRT but had a milder adverse event profile.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Androgen Antagonists/adverse effects* ; Anilides/adverse effects* ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/blood* ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Nitriles/adverse effects* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood* ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tosyl Compounds/adverse effects*

The origin of Paget cells in extramammary Pagets disease is uncertain, however, some ultrastructural surveys revealed differentistion of Paget cells toward sweat gland apparatus. This is supported by recent immunohistochemical studies that Paget cells are irnmunohistochemically shown to react with antikeratin monoclonal antibodies specific to simple epithelia. In this siudy, seven cases of extramammary Pagets disease were immunohistochemically investigated with adenokeratin, carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA), involucrin by peroxidase-antiperoxidase(PAP) techniques. The results were as follow : l. Epidermis, hair follicies and sebaceous glands revealed negative immunoreacativity for adenokeratin in all cases. Sweat glands(6/7), Paget cells(6/7) and underlying adenocarcinoma revealed positive immunoreactivity for adenokeratin. 2. Epidermis, hair follicles and sebaceous glands(6/7) revealed negative immunoreactivity for CEA. Sweat glands, Paget cells and underlying adenocarcinoma revealed positive immunoreactivity for CEA in all cases. 3. Lower epidermis, sweat glands(6/7), Paget cells and underlying adenocarcinorna revealed negative irnmunoreactivity for involucrin. Upper epidermis, hair follicles and sebaceous glands(5/7) revealed positive immunoreactivity far involucrin. Based on these results, Paget cells of extramammary Pagets disease are considered to be derived from the sweat glands.
Adenocarcinoma ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Epidermis ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Sebaceous Glands ; Sweat ; Sweat Glands

PURPOSE: The efficacy of ketogenic diet in intractable childhood epilepsy has been reported in Korea. The aim of this retrospective study is to elicit the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of intractable chilhood epilepsy, who can be successfully treated by ketogenic diet and to determine the favorable outcome group for ketogenic diet in intractable chilhood epilepsy. METHODS: We investigated clinical seizure type, epilepsy classification, underlying etiologies, clinical characteristics, EEG findings, response to treatments, and prognosis were studied in 41 patients with complete seizure remission over 6 months after ketogenic diet as compared with unsuccessful group among 96 patients of trial from July 1995 to October 1999 at the pediatric department of and epilepsy center at Sang-gye Paik Hospital, Inje University. RESULTS: 1) Complete seizure remission over 6 months were obtained in 15 patients of infantile spasms (IS), 6 cases of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), 4 cases of periodic spasms, 3 cases of severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy (SMEI), 1 case of Landau-Kleffner syndrome, 8 cases of other type of partial epilepsies. 2) Ketogenic diet was more effective in infantile spasms and periodic spasms but least effective in Lennox-Gastaut syndome. 3) In same types of epilepsies, ketogenic diet was more effective in patients with less frequent seizures, less severe EEG findings and earlier controlling seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Ketogenic diet was most effective in infantile spasms, patients with less frequent seizure in same type of epilepsy, less severe EEG findings in same seizure type, and patients who seizures stopped sooner after administration of ketogenic diet.
Classification ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic ; Epilepsies, Partial ; Epilepsy* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Ketogenic Diet* ; Korea ; Landau-Kleffner Syndrome ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures* ; Spasm ; Spasms, Infantile

In the present study, we investigated the differences in the levels of expression of virulence factors between blood isolates of Candida albicans and commensal strain isolated from the oral cavities of health volunteers, and correlations between virulence factors. Blood isolates of 33 and commenal isolates of 71 were characterized by putative virulence factors such as proteinase production (PROT), an ability to adhere to epithelial cells (ADH), cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), phospholipase production (PLASE), and hyphal transition (GERM). In PROT, ADH, CSH, and PLASE, the means of expression of blood isolates were higher compared with those of commensal isolates, however statistical significance was only shown in CSH (p=0.036). On the contrary, mean expression of GERM of blood isolates was lower than that of commensal isolates. Of relationships between virulence factors, although a negative correlation of PROT with CSH was obtained, the correlation was relatively low (r=-0.316, p=0.001). These results suggest that higher expression of CSH is a more distinguishing character in virulent blood isolates of C. albicans and that the expression of virulence factors are independent.
Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Epithelial Cells ; Healthy Volunteers* ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Phospholipases ; Virulence Factors ; Virulence* ; Volunteers

PURPOSE: We performed dynamic MR imaging using GdDTPA to find characteristic enhancement pattern of hepatic hemangioma distinguishing from hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS AND MATERIALS: 28 hepatic hemangiomas and 10 hepatocellular carcinomas were evaluated. Serial dynamic scans after Gd-DTPA(0.1mmol/kg) intravenous injection were obtained by using 0.5T machine and analyzed contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR) of the lesion and enhancement pattern on each scan. RESULTS: Hepatic hemangiomas had positive CNR from 1-2 minute images, and revealed typical "fill-in phenomenon" on early phase with prolonged enhancement in 26 cases(92.8%), and early homogeneous enhancement with isointensity on delayed phase in 2 cases(7.2%) of small hemangiome~ Hepatocellular carcinomas revealed inhomogeneous enhancement with hypointensity on delayed phase in 10 cases(100%) and 3 cases (30%) of capsular enhancement. CONCLUSION: Hepatic hemangioma can be easily distinguished from hepatocellular carcinoma by using Gd DTPA enhanced dynamic MR imaging according to its typical enhancement pattern of "fill-in phenomenon" and prolonged enhancement.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Hemangioma* ; Injections, Intravenous ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*