PURPOSE: To compare the results of anterior segment biometry including white-to-white (WTW) between scanning-slit topography (ORBscan IIz(R), Bausch & Lomb), optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR) biometry (Lenstar(R), Haag-Streit), and Castroviejo calipers. METHODS: Measurements on 72 eyes of 36 patients that underwent refractive surgery were measured using ORBscan(R), Lenstar(R), and calipers and compared. Ocular biometry parameters used in this study included the WTW, central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometry, and pupil size. RESULTS: The WTW measurements using ORBscan(R) and calipers (11.57 +/- 0.35 mm and 11.58 +/- 0.34 mm, respectively) were statistically similar. However, the measurement using Lenstar(R) (12.05 +/- 0.40 mm) was significantly greater than with the other methods (p < 0.001). Central corneal thickness and keratometry measurements using ORBscan(R) were greater than when using Lenstar(R) (p = 0.01 for both). ACD and pupil size measurement using Lenstar(R) were greater than when using ORBscan(R) (p < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Because WTW and ACD measurements using Lenstar(R) were greater than when using ORBscan(R) and calipers, unexpected high-vaulting may be observed due to the selection of a larger-sized posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens. Therefore, the differences in measurements obtained when using these methods should be considered.
Anterior Chamber ; Biometry* ; Humans ; Phakic Intraocular Lenses ; Pupil ; Refractive Surgical Procedures

PURPOSE: To compare the results of anterior segment biometry including white-to-white (WTW) between scanning-slit topography (ORBscan IIz(R), Bausch & Lomb), optical low-coherence reflectometry (OLCR) biometry (Lenstar(R), Haag-Streit), and Castroviejo calipers. METHODS: Measurements on 72 eyes of 36 patients that underwent refractive surgery were measured using ORBscan(R), Lenstar(R), and calipers and compared. Ocular biometry parameters used in this study included the WTW, central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometry, and pupil size. RESULTS: The WTW measurements using ORBscan(R) and calipers (11.57 +/- 0.35 mm and 11.58 +/- 0.34 mm, respectively) were statistically similar. However, the measurement using Lenstar(R) (12.05 +/- 0.40 mm) was significantly greater than with the other methods (p < 0.001). Central corneal thickness and keratometry measurements using ORBscan(R) were greater than when using Lenstar(R) (p = 0.01 for both). ACD and pupil size measurement using Lenstar(R) were greater than when using ORBscan(R) (p < 0.001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: Because WTW and ACD measurements using Lenstar(R) were greater than when using ORBscan(R) and calipers, unexpected high-vaulting may be observed due to the selection of a larger-sized posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens. Therefore, the differences in measurements obtained when using these methods should be considered.
Anterior Chamber ; Biometry* ; Humans ; Phakic Intraocular Lenses ; Pupil ; Refractive Surgical Procedures

Dengue fever is a viral disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes and affects humans. In rare cases, dengue fever can cause visual impairment, which usually occurs within 1 month after contracting dengue fever and ranges from mild blurring of vision to severe blindness. Visual impairment due to dengue fever can be detected through angiography, retinography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, electroretinography, event electroencephalography (visually evoked potentials), and visual field analysis. The purpose of this study is to report changes in the eye captured using fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green, and OCT in 3 cases of dengue fever visual impairment associated with consistent visual symptoms and similar retinochoroidopathic changes. The OCT results of the three patients with dengue fever showed thinning of the outer retinal layer and disruption of the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction. While thinning of the retina outer layer is an irreversible process, disruption of IS/OS junction is reported to be reversible. Follow-up examination of individuals with dengue fever and associated visual impairment should involve the use of OCT to evaluate visual acuity and visual field changes in patients with acute choroidal ischemia.
Adult ; Dengue/*complications/diagnosis/physiopathology ; Electroretinography ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods ; Vision Disorders/*diagnosis/etiology/physiopathology ; *Visual Acuity ; *Visual Fields

Dengue fever is a viral disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes and affects humans. In rare cases, dengue fever can cause visual impairment, which usually occurs within 1 month after contracting dengue fever and ranges from mild blurring of vision to severe blindness. Visual impairment due to dengue fever can be detected through angiography, retinography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, electroretinography, event electroencephalography (visually evoked potentials), and visual field analysis. The purpose of this study is to report changes in the eye captured using fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green, and OCT in 3 cases of dengue fever visual impairment associated with consistent visual symptoms and similar retinochoroidopathic changes. The OCT results of the three patients with dengue fever showed thinning of the outer retinal layer and disruption of the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction. While thinning of the retina outer layer is an irreversible process, disruption of IS/OS junction is reported to be reversible. Follow-up examination of individuals with dengue fever and associated visual impairment should involve the use of OCT to evaluate visual acuity and visual field changes in patients with acute choroidal ischemia.
Adult ; Dengue/*complications/diagnosis/physiopathology ; Electroretinography ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods ; Vision Disorders/*diagnosis/etiology/physiopathology ; *Visual Acuity ; *Visual Fields

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: The Korean National Diabetes Program (KNDP) cohort study is performing an ongoing large-scale prospective multicenter investigation to discover the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes in Korean patients. This study was performed to examine the prevalence of chronic complications in patients with type 2 diabetes among those registered in the KNDP cohort within the past 4 years. METHODS: This study was performed between June 2006 and September 2009 at 13 university hospitals and included 4,265 KNDP cohort participants. Among the participants, the crude prevalence of microvascular and macrovascular diseases of those checked for diabetes-related complications was determined, and the adjusted standard prevalence and standardization of the general population prevalence ratio (SPR) was estimated based on the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) population demographics. RESULTS: Among the KNDP registrants, 43.2% had hypertension, 34.8% had dyslipidemia, 10.8% had macrovascular disease, and 16.7% had microvascular disease. The SPR of the KNDP registrants was significantly higher than that of the KNHANES subjects after adjusting for demographics in the KNHANES 2005 population. However, with the exception of cardiovascular disease in females, the standardized prevalence for the most complicated items in the survey was significantly higher than that in the KNHANES subjects. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of macrovascular disease and peripheral vascular disease were significantly higher in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes than in the normal population. However, no significant difference was noted in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in females.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Cohort Studies ; Coronary Disease ; Demography ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Dyslipidemias ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Difficult-to-treat asthma afflicts a small percentage of the asthma population. However, these patients remain refractory to treat, and account for 40% to 50% of the health costs of asthma treatment, incurring significant morbidity. We conducted a multi-center cross-sectional study to characterize difficult-to-treat asthma in Korea. METHODS: Subjects with difficult-to-treat asthma and subjects with controlled asthma were recruited from 5 outpatient clinics of referral hospitals. We reviewed medical records of previous 6 months and obtained patient-reported questionnaires composed of treatment compliance, asthma control, and instruments for stress, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS: We recruited 21 subjects with difficult-to-treat asthma and 110 subjects with controlled asthma into the study. The subjects with difficult-to-treat asthma were associated with longer treatment periods, more increased health care utilization, more medication (oral corticosteroids, number of medication), and more anxiety disorder compared to those of well-controlled asthmatics. There was no difference in age, gender, history of allergy, serum IgE, blood eosinophil count, or body mass index between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Difficult-to-treat asthma is characterized by increased health care utilization and more co-morbidity of anxiety.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Asthma ; Body Mass Index ; Comorbidity ; Compliance ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Eosinophils ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Referral and Consultation

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of present study is to investigate the influence of a spinal gamma-aminobutyric acid B (GABAB) receptor on a central regulation of blood pressure(BP) and heart rate(HR), and to define its mechanism in the spinal cord. METHODS: In urethane-anesthetized, d-tubocurarine- paralyzed and artificially ventilated male Sprague-Dawley rats, intrathecal administration of drugs were carried out using injecton cannula(33-gauge stainless steel) through the guide cannula(PE 10) which was inserted intrathecally at lower thoracic level through the puncture of a atlantooccipital membrane. RESULTS: Intrathecal injection of an GABAB receptor agonist baclofen(30, 60, 100 nmol) decreased both blood pressure and heart rate dose-dependently. Pretreatment with 8-bromo-cAMP(50 nmol), a cAMP analog or glipizide(50 nmol), a ATP-sensitive K+ channel blocker attenuated the depressor and bradycardic effects of baclofen (100 nmol) but not with 8-bromo-cGMP(50 nmol) a cGMP analog. CONCLUSIONS: The GABAB receptor in the spinal cord plays an inhibitory role in central cardiovascular regulation and that this depressor and bradycardic actions are mediated by the decrease of cAMP via the inhibition of adenylate cyclase and the opening of K+ channel.
Adenylyl Cyclases ; Animals ; Baclofen ; Blood Pressure ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Injections, Spinal ; Male ; Membranes ; Punctures ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord*

OBJECTIVES: Acute cholangitis is a serious complication secondary to obstruction of the extrahepatic biliary tract, due mainly to common bile duct stones, but also to malignant tumoral obstruction. The prevalence of bacterial species in the bile of patients with cholangitis have been reported widely. In recent years, increased attention has been focused on the Enterococcus due to increasing in incidence of nosocomial infection and resistance to broad range of antimicrobial agents of this organism. The purpose of this study was to analyse the bacteriologic features of bile in patients with cholangitis. METHODS: Bacteriological examination was made of bile from 356 patients with cholangitis due to biliary tract obstruction, 105 of them with common bile duct stone and 251 of them with malignant disease. Bile specimens were taken during percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage of endoscopic nasobiliary drainage. The specimens were cultured aerobically and anaerobically and then the antibiotic sensitivity test was done. RESULTS: The overall positive culture rates was 81.4%. There was significant difference in positive culture rates between the patients with common bile duct stone and the patients with malignant disease.(88.5% vs 78.4%, P<0.05) But there was no significant difference in bacteriological features between the patients with common bile duct stone and the patients with malignant disease. The commonly isolated organisms were Enterococcus (21.6%), E.coli(19.7%), and Klebsiella(17.2%) respectively. The isolation rate of anaerobes were only 2%. The rate of polymicrobial infection was 78.1%. The rates of 3rd cephalosporins-resistant Klebsiella were over 30%. The rate of ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus was 35%. The rate of gentamicin-resistant Enterococcus was 28%. CONCLUSION: This study shows that 1) many microorganisms have resistance to a broad range of antimicrobial agents, and 2) the antibiotic coverage against Enterococcus should be considered for the treatment of cholangitis due to the increasing tendency to Enterococcus infection.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Bacteria ; Bile* ; Biliary Tract* ; Cholangitis* ; Coinfection ; Common Bile Duct ; Cross Infection ; Drainage ; Enterococcus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Klebsiella ; Prevalence

Mesenteric vein thrombosis (MVT) is an infrequent but old form of acute mesenteric ischemia, various forms of which have been recognized through imaging techniques. Pre- viously, diagnosis was made only by a laparotomy or autopsy. MVT is an abdominal emergency that is rarely diagnosed early. Review of the literature has shown that most cases have been treated by intestinal resection, and a few by thrombectomy with or with- out resection. Most are primary thromboses, but some are related to thromboembolic dise- ases, sepsis, cirrhosis, coagulopathy, abdominal neoplasms, traurna, or use of oral contra- ceptives. We report a case of superior mesenteric vein thrombosis with acute ischemic bowel disease, diagnosed early through a duodenoscopy and definitively assessed by superior mesenteric angiography and computed tomography. The predisposing factor for this case was a pelvic abscess post placenta previa operation. The first symptoms were hematemesis and abdominal pain. An intestinal mucosal lesion and clinical symptoms were improved by only heparinization and symptomatic treatment without resection.
Abdominal Neoplasms ; Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Angiography ; Autopsy ; Causality ; Diagnosis ; Duodenoscopy ; Emergencies ; Enteritis* ; Fibrosis ; Hematemesis ; Heparin ; Ischemia ; Laparotomy ; Mesenteric Veins ; Placenta Previa ; Sepsis ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombosis ; Venous Thrombosis*