The demineralized bone matrix (DBM) as the bone graft material to increase the fusion rate was widely used in spinal fusion. The current study aimed to compare the fusion rate of DBM to the fusion rate of autograft in lumbar spine fusion via meta-analysis of published literature. After systematic search, comparative studies were selected according to eligibility criteria. Checklist (risk of bias assessment tool for non-randomized study) was used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included nonrandomized controlled studies. The corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. We also used subgroup analysis to analyze the fusion rate of posterolateral lumbar fusion and lumbar interbody fusion. Eight studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. These eight studies included 581 patients. Among them, 337 patients underwent spinal fusion surgery using DBM (DBM group) and 204 patients underwent spinal fusion surgery with mainly autologous bone and without using DBM (control group). There was no significant differences of fusion rate between the two groups in posterolateral fusion analysis (risk ratio [RR], 1.03; 95% CI, 0.90–1.17; p=0.66) and interbody fusion analysis (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.91–1.39; p=0.27). Based on the available evidence, the use of DBM with autograft in posterolateral lumbar spine fusion and lumbar interbody fusion showed a slightly higher fusion rate than that of autograft alone; however, there was no statistically different between two groups.

BACKGROUND: Cancer risk and epidemiology in pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) warrant further investigation in a large-scale cohort. METHODS: We performed a nationwide population-based study using the national health insurance database of Korea. We screened records from 18,936,885 individuals who received a national health examination ≥ 2 times from 2009 to 2016. Pre-dialysis CKD was identified based on serum creatinine and dipstick albuminuria results. Individuals with preexisting cancer history, renal replacement therapy, or transient CKD were excluded. A control group without evidence of kidney function impairment and matched for age, sex, low-income status, and smoking history was included. Risk of cancers, as identified in the claims database, was investigated using a multivariable Cox regression model including matched variables and other unmatched clinical characteristics as covariates. RESULTS: A total of 471,758 people with pre-dialysis CKD and the same number of matched controls were included. Urinary (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.97; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.82–2.13) and hematopoietic (adjusted HR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.38–1.68) malignancy risk was increased in pre-dialysis CKD and all CKD stages. However, the risk of digestive cancer was lower in the pre-dialysis CKD group (adjusted HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.87–0.92). The risk of digestive, respiratory, thyroid, and prostate malignancy demonstrated a non-linear association with CKD stage, with stage 1 or stage 4/5 CKD without dialysis demonstrating relatively lower risk. CONCLUSION: Cancer risk varied in pre-dialysis CKD compared to controls, and the association between cancer risk and CKD stage varied depending on the cancer type.
Albuminuria ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Epidemiology ; Kidney ; Korea ; National Health Programs ; Prostate ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thyroid Gland

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory activity of ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) extract (IPE) in vitro and in vivo. Raji (a human B cell line) and Jurkat (a human T cell line) cells were treated with various doses of IPE and cell proliferation was measured by WST assay. Results showed that IPE promoted the proliferation of both Raji and Jurkat cells in a dose-dependent manner. IPE also enhanced IL-6 and TNF-α production in macrophages in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), although IPE alone did not induce cytokine production. Moreover, IPE treatment upregulated iNOS gene expression in macrophages in a time- and dose-dependent manner and led to the production of nitric oxide in macrophages in the presence of IFNγ. In vivo studies revealed that oral administration of IPE for 2 weeks increased the differentiation of CD4+, CD8+, and CD19+ cells in splenocytes. These findings suggested that IPE has immunomodulatory effects and could be developed as an immunomodulatory supplement.
Administration, Oral ; Cell Proliferation ; Cytokines ; Ethanol* ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Ice* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin-6 ; Jurkat Cells ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Mesembryanthemum* ; Nitric Oxide

PURPOSE: The impact of obesity on the surgical outcomes of Asian patients undergoing laparoscopic colon surgery is not clear. The purpose was to evaluate the outcome of laparoscopic surgery in obese Asian patients with colon cancer.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the prospectively collected data of 1,740 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer between January 2008 and December 2010. Patients were classified according to the categories proposed by the International Obesity Task Force, Non-obese (body mass index [BMI]<25.0 kg/m2), Obese-I (BMI, 25.0–29.9 kg/m2), and Obese-II (BMI≥30 kg/m2). Surgical outcomes, including open conversion, operative time, and postoperative hospital stay, were compared in the Non-obese, Obese-I, and Obese-II patients.RESULTS: Of the 1,192 patients in the study, 812 (68.1%), 360 (30.2%), and 20 (1.7%), were classified as Non-obese, Obese-I, and Obese-II, respectively. The Obese-II group had higher conversion rates (10.0% vs. 3.6% and 1.6%, P=0.008) and, longer operative times (180.35 vs. 162.54 and 147.84 minutes, P<0.001) than the Obese-I and Non-obese group. However, the other postoperative outcomes were not significantly different. The overall survival and disease-free survival were not significantly different between groups (P=0.952). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent risk factor for conversion were BMI, total operative time, previous operative history, and cancer perforation.CONCLUSION: The outcomes of laparoscopic colon surgery in obese patients are similar to those of non-obese patients, offering all the benefits of a minimally invasive approach. However, the conversion rate was higher in obese patients. It is therefore very important for surgeons to be aware of these risks during laparoscopic colon surgery in obese patients.
Advisory Committees ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Colectomy ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Multivariate Analysis ; Obesity ; Observational Study ; Operative Time ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Surgeons

Pseudomonas stutzeri is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, motile, single polar-flagellated, soil bacterium that was first isolated from human spinal fluid and is widely distributed in the environment. It was isolated as an uncommon opportunistic pathogen from humans, and a few cases of P. stutzeri-induced peritonitis have been reported in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Catheter removal with antibiotic treatment is generally recommended because peritonitis by Pseudomonas species is commonly associated with catheter-related infection. Here, we describe the first case of P. stutzeri-induced peritonitis in an 82-year-old woman in Korea. She had received two antipseudomonal antibiotics, an aminoglycoside (isepamicin, Yuhan corporation, Seoul, Korea) and a fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin), and was successfully treated without removal of the CAPD catheter.
Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Catheter-Related Infections ; Catheters ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis ; Pseudomonas ; Pseudomonas stutzeri ; Soil

Endovascular treatment of ethmoidal dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) has not been widely performed because of the technical difficulty of the procedure and the potential risk of central retinal artery occlusion. We report the case of a patient who underwent Onyx embolization through the ophthalmic artery in bilateral ethmoidal DAVF; to our best knowledge this is the first report.
Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations ; Humans ; Ophthalmic Artery ; Retinal Artery Occlusion

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to estimate the success rate of vaginal delivery after trial of labor (TOL) and to analyze the neonatal outcome of vertex-vertex (V-V) and vertex-nonvertex (V-NV) second twin according to the mode of delivery. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively the medical records of V-V and V-NV twin delivered between December 1996 and February 2006. The patients were classified as TOL group and elective cesarean delivery (ECD) group to compare of the neonatal morbidity and mortality in second twin. Neonatal morbidity included intraventricular hemorrhage, respiratory distress syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, and birth trauma. Student t-test, Mann-Whtiney U test, Pearson's chi-square, and Fisher's exact were performed for the comparison of the neonatal outcome in second twin according to the groups. RESULTS: There are 349 eligible cases within given period. The proportions of TOL and ECD were 49% (n=170) and 51% (n=179), respectively. The success rates of vaginal delivery after TOL were 75% (n=93) in V-V twin and 70% (n=32) in V-NV twin. There were no significant differences in the neonatal outcome between TOL and ECD group. Additionally there were no significant differences in the neonatal outcome between cesarean delivery after the failure of TOL (n=45) and ECD group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TOL in V-V and V-NV twin may be a safe method and can reduce the rate of ECD without adverse effect on neonatal outcome of second twin unless there are other obstetrical indications for cesarean delivery.
Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Parturition ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Trial of Labor ; Twins*

A system to non-invasively fix and monitor eye by a head mounted display (HMD) with a CCD camera for stereotactic radiotherapy (SRS) of uveal melanoma has been developed and implemented clinically. The eye fixing and monitoring system consists of a HMD showing patient a screen for fixing eyeball, a CCD camera monitoring patient' s eyeball, and an immobilization mask. At first, patient' s head was immobilized with a mask. Then, patient was instructed to wear HMD, to which CCD camera was attached, on the mask and see the given reference point on its screen. While patient stared at the given point in order to fix eyeball, the camera monitored its motion. Four volunteers and one patient of uveal melanoma for SRS came into this study. For the volunteers, setup errors and the motion of eyeball were analyzed. For the patient, CT scans were performed, with patient' s wearing HMD and fixing the eye to the given point. To treat patient under the same condition, daily CT scans were also performed before every treatment and the motion of lens was compared to the planning CT. Setup errors for four volunteers were within 1 mm and the motion of eyeball was fixed within the clinically acceptable ranges. For the patient with uveal melanoma, the motion of lens was fixed within 2 mm from daily CT scans. An eye fixing and monitoring system allowed immobilizing patient as well as monitoring eyeball and was successfully implemented in the treatment of uveal melanoma for SRS.
Head* ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Masks ; Melanoma ; Radiotherapy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Volunteers

Liposarcoma accounts for at least 20% of all soft tissue sarcoma in adults and occur anywhere in the body, although about 14% of cases arise from retroperitoneum. Liposarcoma usually presents as a painless, enlarging mass that can slowly grow over many years. We here report a case of retroperitoneal liposarcoma in a 52 years old female patient undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Retroperitoneal liposarcoma was incidentally found by computed tomography which was performed due to ventral hernia and confirmed by ultrasonography guided-biopsy. She was treated successfully by wide surgical resection and transferred to hemodialysis.
Adult ; Female ; Hernia, Ventral ; Humans ; Liposarcoma* ; Middle Aged ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Renal Dialysis ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms ; Sarcoma ; Ultrasonography

A 39-year-old man with a history of hypertension for 10 years and 10 pack-years smoking, was admitted with dyspnea and generalized edema. On admission, renal insufficiency accompanied with nephrotic syndrome was diagnosed. Even on careful examination including history, blood chemistry test, and fundoscopic examination, no clinical evidence of diabetes was found. Renal biopsy findings, which strongly resembled that of diabetic nodular glomerulosclerosis in microscopic features, showed glomerular hypertrophy and nodular mesangeal sclerosis. Additional immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural investigations excluded other possible diseases that should be differentiated; membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, thrombotic microangiopathy, amyloidosis, monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, fibrillary glomerulonephritis, and immunotactoid glomerulopathy. Idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis is histopathologically similar to nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis but is unusually developed in persons with hypertension and smoking history. Though there were three reports about cases of nodular glomerulosclerosis in the Korean literature, the cases were related to hepatitis B virus or diabetic retinopathy without overt diabetes. We report a rare case of idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis that was related to hypertension and smoking without other medical history.
Adult ; Amyloidosis ; Biopsy ; Chemistry ; Diabetic Nephropathies* ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Dyspnea ; Edema ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertrophy ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunohistochemistry ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Renal Insufficiency ; Sclerosis ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies