This report describes clinical cases of a palato-gingival groove on a maxillary lateral incisor with associated localized periodontal disease and pulp necrosis. The tooth of the first case was extracted because of severe bone destruction. The palato-gingival groove of the second case was eliminated using a round bur, and the resulting defect was filled with synthetic graft and covered by an absorbable membrane. Both diagnosis and treatment of palato-gingival groove were very difficult and usually extraction of the involved tooth is the treatment of choice, but combined endodontic-periodontic treatment allowed the tooth to be saved.
Dental Pulp Necrosis ; Diagnosis ; Incisor* ; Membranes ; Periodontal Diseases ; Tooth ; Transplants

OBJECTIVE: Although anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is the standard treatment for degenerative cervical disc disease, concerns regarding adjacent level degeneration and loss of motion have suggested that arthroplasty may be a better alternative. We have compared clinical and radiological results in patients with cervical disc herniations treated with arthroplasty and ACDF. METHODS: We evaluated 53 patients treated for cervical disc herniations with radiculopathy, 21 of whom underwent arthroplasty and 32 of whom underwent ACDF. Clinical results included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score for upper extremity radiculopathy, neck disability index (NDI), duration of hospital stay and convalescence time. All patients were assessed radiologically by measuring cervical lordosis, segmental lordosis and segmental range-of-movement (ROM) of operated and adjacent disc levels. RESULTS: Mean hospital stay (5.62 vs. 6.26 days, p<0.05) and interval between surgery and return to work (1.10 vs. 2.92 weeks, p<0.05) were significantly shorter in the arthroplasty than in the fusion group. Mean NDI and extremity VAS score improved after 12 months in both groups. Although it was not significant, segmental ROM of adjacent levels was higher in the fusion group than in the arthroplasty group. And, segmental motion of operated levels in arthroplasty group maintained more than preoperative value at last follow up. CONCLUSION: Although clinical results were similar in the two groups, postoperative recovery was significantly shorter in the arthroplasty group. Although it was not significant, ROM of adjacent segments was less in the arthroplasty group. Motion of operated levels in arthroplasty group was preserved at last follow up.
Animals ; Arthroplasty ; Convalescence ; Diskectomy ; Extremities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lordosis ; Neck ; Radiculopathy ; Return to Work ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND: This study investigated factors related to awareness of cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCVD) in a large Korean general population. METHODS: Data for 228,781 subjects older than 19 years in 253 cities, counties, and districts were collected from the 2013 Community Health Survey in Korea. Associations between socio-demographics, health behaviors, comorbidities, and awareness of CCVD were examined using the chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression analysis. A total of 219,461 subjects were included in the final analysis after excluding subjects with null responses to any questions. RESULTS: The awareness of CCVD was 26.7% in the total population (27.8% in males, 25.8% in females). Of the significant associating factors, the odds ratios for awareness of CCVD were two-fold higher in people aged 40-49 years , 50-59 years, and 60-69 years (ref. 19-29 years), living in Chungbuk provinces (ref. Seoul), higher education (ref. non-formal education), and diagnosed with angina pectoris (ref. non-diagnosed), as compared to their individual reference groups. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-demographics, health behaviors, and comorbidities have significant impact on awareness of CCVD. To improve the public's awareness of CCVD and to reduce health inequalities, effective and specialized interventions should be developed that take these factors into account.
Adult* ; Angina Pectoris ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Comorbidity ; Education ; Health Behavior ; Health Surveys* ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Socioeconomic Factors

Priapism is a relatively rare condition of prolonged painful penile erection, unrelated to sexual activity. It is caused by idiopathic, leukemia, sickle cell disease, oral medication, intracavernosal injection therapy, spinal cord injury and malignant cell infiltration. Malignant lymphoma involving the genitourinary system is uncommon and when it occurs the testes is the most common site. However malignant lymphoma involving the penis is even more rare, with only 20 cases reported in literature. To our knowledge, priapism caused by penile lymphoma has not been reported previously in literature. We report a case with a brief review of literature.
Anemia, Sickle Cell ; Leukemia ; Lymphoma* ; Male ; Penile Erection ; Penis ; Priapism* ; Sexual Behavior ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Testis ; Urogenital System

Gastric cancer imposes a global health burden. Although multimodal therapies have proven to benefit patients with advanced diseases after curative surgery, the prognosis of most advanced cancer patients still needs to be improved. Surgical extirpation is the mainstay of gastric cancer treatment. Indeed, without curative surgery, variations and combinations of chemotherapy and/or radiation cannot bring clinically meaningful success. Centered around D2 surgery, adjuvant and peri-operative multimodal therapies have improved survival in a certain group of gastric cancer patients. Moving toward a personalized cancer therapy era, molecular targeted strategies have been tested in clinical trials for gastric cancer. With some success and failures, we have learned valuable lessons regarding the biology of gastric cancer and the clinical relevance of biological therapies in addition to conventional treatments. Future treatment of gastric cancer will be shifted to molecularly tailored and genome information-based personalized therapy. Collaboration across disciplines and actively adopting emerging anti-cancer strategies, along with in-depth understanding of molecular and genetic underpinnings of tumor development and progression, are imperative to realizing personalized therapy for gastric cancer. Although many challenges remain to be overcome, we envision that the era of precision cancer medicine for gastric cancer has already arrived and anticipate that current knowledge and discoveries will be transformed into near-future clinical practice for managing gastric cancer patients.
Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; *Precision Medicine ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms/*surgery

Gastric cancer is a global health burden and has the highest incidence in East Asia. This disease is complex in nature because it arises from multiple interactions of genetic, local environmental, and host factors, resulting in biological heterogeneity. This genetic intricacy converges on molecular characteristics reflecting the pathophysiology, tumor biology, and clinical outcome. Therefore, understanding the molecular characteristics at a genomic level is pivotal to improving the clinical care of patients with gastric cancer. A recent landmark study, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, showed the molecular landscape of gastric cancer through a comprehensive molecular evaluation of 295 primary gastric cancers. The proposed molecular classification divided gastric cancer into four subtypes: Epstein-Barr virus-positive, microsatellite unstable, genomic stable, and chromosomal instability. This information will be taken into account in future clinical trials and will be translated into clinical therapeutic decisions. To fully realize the clinical benefit, many challenges must be overcome. Rapid growth of high-throughput biology and functional validation of molecular targets will further deepen our knowledge of molecular dimensions of this cancer, allowing for personalized precision medicine.
Biology ; Chromosomal Instability ; Classification ; Far East ; Genome ; Humans ; Incidence ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Population Characteristics ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Translational Medical Research

The aims of this study were to determine whether sonographically measured cervical length is of value in the identification of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and to compare its performance with maternal blood C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and amniotic fluid (AF) WBC. This prospective observational study enrolled 50 singleton pregnancies with PPROM. Transvaginal ultrasound for measurement of cervical length was performed and maternal blood was collected for the determination of CRP and WBC at the time of amniocentesis. AF obtained by amniocentesis was cultured and WBC determined. The prevalence of a positive amniotic fluid culture was 26% (13/50). Patients with positive amniotic fluid cultures had a significantly shorter median cervical length and higher median CRP, WBC, and AF WBC than did those with negative cultures. Multiple logistic regression indicated that only cervical length had a significant relationship with the log odds of a positive AF culture. Transvaginal sonographic measurement of cervical length is valuable in the identification of microbial invasion of amniotic cavity in women with PPROM. Cervical length performs better than AF WBC, maternal blood CRP, and WBC in the identification of a positive amniotic fluid culture.
Adult ; Amniocentesis/methods ; Amniotic Fluid/*microbiology ; Bacterial Infections/*complications ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Cervix Uteri/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture/etiology/*ultrasonography ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Logistic Models ; Maternal Age ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/blood/etiology/ultrasonography ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography/methods

This study was done to evaluate transvaginal ultrasonographic measurement of cervical length at 20 to 24 weeks and 37 weeks as a predictor of prolonged pregnancy (defined as a pregnancy that extended beyond 41+2 weeks of gestation [289 days]) in nulliparous women. This prospective observational study enrolled 149 consecutive nulliparous women with singleton gestation at 37 weeks. Cervical length was measured by transvaginal ultrasonography at 20 to 24 weeks and 37 weeks. Cervical length at 37 weeks, but not at 20 to 24 weeks, was significantly longer in women delivered at >41+2 weeks than in those delivered at < or =41+2 weeks (p<0.005). There was a significant correlation between cervical length at 37 weeks and gestational age at delivery (Pearson correlation coefficient, r=0.387, p<0.0001). In the receiver operating curve, the best cut-off value of cervical length at 37 weeks for the prediction of prolonged pregnancy was 30 mm, with a sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 62%. Cervical length assessed by transvaginal ultrasonography at 37 weeks can predict the likelihood of prolonged pregnancy in nulliparous women. However, there is no association between cervical length at 20 to 24 weeks and the occurrence of prolonged pregnancy.
Vagina ; ROC Curve ; Prospective Studies ; Pregnancy, Prolonged/*diagnosis ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Gestational Age ; Female ; Cervix Uteri/*anatomy & histology/*ultrasonography ; Adult

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to verify the hypothesis that the suppression of lipid peroxidation with the antioxidant, U-74389G, could improve the survivability of paraquat intoxicated rats. METHODS: First, we obtained the 24-h mortality by using several paraquat dosages and calculated the 24-h LD50 in 24 male Wistar rats(250~350g). To examine the effect of U-74389G, we divided the rats in 4 groups: a control group and U-74389G only group, a paraquat only group, and a paraquat plus U-74389G group(n=10 each). Paraquat, 35mg/kg, was injected intraperitoneally at 0 h. U-74389G, 10mg/kg, was administered intraperitoneally at 0, 12 h or at 1, 12 h in the respective groups. The rats were observed for 24 hours. At 24 h, plasma and lung, liver, and kidney tissues were obtained after sacrificing the surviving rats to determine the degree of lipid peroxidation by using a thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS) quantitative analysis. RESULTS: The 24-h LD50 of paraquat was calculated as 40mg/kg in our rats. The 24-h mortality was as follows: control group and U-74389G group 0%, paraquat group 30%, and paraquat plus U-74389G group 10%. The TBARS analysis showed no differences between the U-74389G and the control groups. The paraquat group showed significantly increased TBARS levels in the serum and in the kidney and lung tissue compared to the control group(p<0.05). With U-74389G, the increased TBARS levels were significantly decreased in the plasma, kidney, and lung tissues compared to the paraquat group(p<0.05). However, in the liver tissue, there were no significant differences among the groups. CONCLUSION: A 21-aminosteroid antioxidant, U-74389G, improved the survivablity of paraquat-intoxicated rats through the suppression of lipid peroxidation. Our result suggests the possibility of clinical application of this drug as an antidote for paraquat poisoning.
Animals ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lethal Dose 50 ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Mortality ; Paraquat ; Plasma ; Poisoning ; Rats* ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances

PURPOSE: Chronic prostatitis (CP) does not yet have a universally successful therapy. Alternative treatments including thermotherapy have been adopted in the multimodal management of pain and voiding dysfunction. We retrospectively analyzed the therapeutic efficacy of bipolar radiofrequency thermotherapy for patients who were unsatisfied with conventional medication for CP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study between October 2009 and September 2010 of 26 patients who were under 50 years old and diagnosed with CP (National Institutes of Health [NIH]-category III) was performed. Twenty patients were diagnosed with inflammatory CP (NIH-category IIIa) and the rest with noninflammatory CP (NIH-category IIIb). We used the Tempro system at an intraprostatic temperature of 55degrees C for 50 minutes with a medium heating rate. All patients also completed the NIH-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (CPSI) before and after treatment. RESULTS: In the patients diagnosed with CP, the mean serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 0.9+/-0.3 ng/ml, the prostate volume was 27.1+/-5.5 g, and the average score for all 3 domains on the NIH-CPSI significantly decreased. The total scores decreased from 19.8+/-7.1 to 11.1+/-7.0, the pain domain decreased from 8.6+/-3.1 to 4.8+/-3.1, the voiding symptom domain decreased from 5.1+/-1.8 to 2.9+/-1.8, and the effect on the quality of life decreased from 6.1+/-2.2 to 3.4+/-2.2 (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Bipolar radiofrequency thermotherapy for patients with CP intractable to conventional medication can provide significant improvement in the NIH-CPSI. Large, randomized controlled trials will also be required to confirm the efficacy of this therapy.
Academies and Institutes ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatitis ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies