PURPOSE: There are few reports from Asian countries about the long-term results of aromatase inhibitor adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. This observational study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of letrozole in postmenopausal Korean women with operable breast cancer. METHODS: Self-reported quality of life (QoL) scores were serially assessed for 3 years during adjuvant letrozole treatment using the Korean version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast questionnaires (version 3). Changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and serum cholesterol levels were also examined. RESULTS: All 897 patients received the documented informed consent form and completed a baseline questionnaire before treatment. Adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 684 (76.3%) subjects, and 410 (45.7%) and 396 (44.1%) patients had stage I and II breast cancer, respectively. Each patient completed questionnaires at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months after enrollment. Of 897 patients, 749 (83.5%) completed the study. The dropout rate was 16.5%. The serial trial outcome index, the sum of the physical and functional well-being subscales, increased gradually and significantly from baseline during letrozole treatment (p<0.001). The mean serum cholesterol level increased significantly from 199 to 205 after 36 months (p=0.042). The mean BMD significantly decreased from −0.39 at baseline to −0.87 after 36 months (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: QoL gradually improved during letrozole treatment. BMD and serum cholesterol level changes were similar to those in Western countries, indicating that adjuvant letrozole treatment is well tolerated in Korean women, with minimal ethnic variation.
Aromatase ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Density ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cholesterol ; Consent Forms ; Female ; Humans ; Observational Study ; Quality of Life*

Duodenal variceal bleeding in patients with portal hypertension due to cirrhosis or other causes is uncommon. We report on a case of a 55-year-old male with an ectopic variceal rupture at the distal fourth part of the duodenum who presented with massive hematochezia and shock. Shortly after achievement of hemodynamic stability, due to the limitation of an endoscopic procedure, we initially attempted to find the bleeding focus by abdominal computed tomography, which showed tortuous duodenal varices that drained into the left gonadal vein. He was treated with first-line balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO), resulting in a favorable long-term outcome without rebleeding three years later. This case suggests that BRTO may be a first-line therapeutic option for control of ruptured duodenal varices, especially at a distal location.
Balloon Occlusion ; Duodenal Diseases/*diagnosis/radiography/therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The annual incidence of a first episode of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (PE) in the general population is 120 per 100,000. Cancer is associated with an approximately 4- to 7-fold higher risk of thrombosis. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare type of malignancy, accounting for 0.02% of all cancers reported annually. Approximately 40% of ACCs are nonsecretory. Most patients with nonsecreting tumors have clinical manifestations related to tumor growth (e.g., abdominal or flank pain). Often the adrenal mass is detected by chance via radiographic imaging. As a result, most ACC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and have a poor prognosis. Herein, we report a case of a 54-year-old woman who was admitted to our emergency department complaining of dyspnea. She was diagnosed with ACC accompanied by thrombi in the pulmonary artery and inferior vena cava. We performed a left adrenalectomy and administered adjuvant radiotherapy. The patient is currently receiving warfarin and adjuvant mitotane therapy. She was incidentally diagnosed with ACC, with PE as the initial manifestation.
Accounting ; Adrenalectomy ; Adrenocortical Carcinoma ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Mitotane ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Thrombosis ; Vena Cava, Inferior ; Venous Thrombosis ; Warfarin

We analyzed the direct medical costs for Korean patients with type 2 diabetes according to the type of complications and the number of microvascular complications. We analyzed costs for type 2 diabetes and associated complications in 3,125 patients. These data were obtained from the Korean National Diabetes Program (KNDP), a large, ongoing, prospective cohort study that began in 2005. The cost data were prospectively collected, using an electronic database, for the KNDP cohort at six hospitals. The costs were analyzed according to complications for 1 yr from enrollment in the study. Among 3,125 patients, 918 patients had no vascular complications; 1,883 had microvascular complications only; 51 had macrovascular complications only; and 273 had both complications. The annual direct medical costs for a patient with only macrovascular, only microvascular, or both macrovascular and microvascular complications were 2.7, 1.5, and 2.0 times higher than the medical costs of patients without complications. Annual direct medical costs per patient increased with the number of microvascular complications in patients without macrovascular complications. The economic costs for type 2 diabetes are attributable largely to the management of microvascular and macrovascular complications. Proper management of diabetes and prevention of related complications are important for reducing medical costs.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Databases, Factual ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/complications/*economics ; Female ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Vascular Diseases/complications ; Young Adult

Small bowel obstruction due to congenital band is not only rare in children, but also difficult to diagnose, because common symptoms such as vomiting and abdominal pain are observed in patients. In order to prevent a fatal result, an anomalous congenital band should be considered in the discriminative diagnosis of intestinal obstruction in children who have no previous experience of operation or intraperitoneal inflammation. This report presents a 4-year-old boy who was admitted with abdominal pain and nonbilious vomiting for a day. The initial suspicion was for acute gastroenteritis. However, after further investigation and performance of surgery, the intestinal obstruction associated with a congenital band was confirmed. No recurrence was observed during the 8-month follow-up period. Thus early confirmation based on radiologic study is a crucial factor for the diagnosis of small bowel obstruction caused by a congenital band.
Abdominal Pain ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Preschool Child ; Recurrence ; Vomiting

The Solid variant of the aneurysmal bone cyst is clinically important, because its solid composition is comparable to that observed in osteosarcoma or osteoblastoma, presenting difficulty for the correct diagnosis. The fluid-fluid level, which is a common sign of the conventional aneurismal bone cyst, is not apparent in radiographs of the solid type. These cysts were localized, equally within the whole spine as compared to most conventional aneurysmal bone cysts in which are localized to the posterior neural arch of the cervical spine. In this particular patient case, a young male aged 11.5 years presented with lower back pain and radiating pain which was misdiagnosed as a malignant bone tumor. Surgical intervention was considered and the incisional biopsy and laminectomy were conducted due to the low possibility of malignancy. We present this case and literature reviews with radiological and pathological findings as an example of the differential diagnosis of malignant tumors.
Aged ; Aneurysm ; Biopsy ; Bone Cysts ; Bone Cysts, Aneurysmal ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Low Back Pain ; Male ; Osteoblastoma ; Osteosarcoma ; Spine

BACKGROUND: The mechanism by which mutant cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) induces a pseudoachondroplasia phenotype remains unknown, and the reason why a mutation of a minor protein of the growth plate cartilage causes total disruption of endochondral bone formation has not yet been determined. The current study was performed to investigate the effects of mutated COMP on the synthesis of the cartilage-specific major matrix proteins of Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes. METHODS: The Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes transfected with a chimeric construct, which consisted of a mutant gene of human COMP and an amino acid FLAG tag sequence, were cultured in agarose gel. Formation of extracellular proteoglycan and type-II collagen by the cells was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining and measuring the (35)S-sulfate incorporation. RESULTS: No difference was observed for the detection of type-II collagen among the cell lines expressing mutant COMP and the control cell lines. Histochemical staining of sulfated proteoglycans with safranin-O showed that lesser amounts of proteoglycans were incorporated into the extracellular matrix of the chondrocytes transfected with the mutant gene. (35)S-sulfate incorporation into the cell/matrix fractions demonstrated markedly lower radiolabel incorporation, as compared to that of the control cells. CONCLUSIONS: Mutation of COMP has an important impact on the processing of proteoglycans, rather than type-II collagen, in the three-dimensional culture of Swarm rat chondrosarcoma chondrocytes.
Aggrecans/analysis/*biosynthesis ; Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Chondrocytes/*metabolism ; Chondrosarcoma/metabolism ; Collagen Type II/*biosynthesis ; Extracellular Matrix/*metabolism ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins/*genetics ; Glycoproteins/*genetics ; Humans ; Mutation ; Rats ; Transfection

PURPOSE: Patients with planovalgus show various abnormal gaits and these are affected by the different length and velocity of the muscles around knee and ankle. The purpose of study is to compare the length and velocity of gastrocnemius in cerebral palsy with planovalgus by ankle plantarflexion-knee extension couple. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 22 patients with spastic diplegia who have planovalgus were included. The mean age was 12 years (5 years~18 years). Group I consisted of 7 patients with knee flexion more than 30 degrees and Group II consisted of 15 patients with knee flexion less than 15 degrees during mid-stance phase. Normal groups were consisted of 15 normal children. RESULTS: In patients with planovalgus, ankle dorsiflexion during stance was decreased but ankle plantarflexion was not different compared to normal. There is no difference in the percent length of gastrocnemius compared to normal, but the velocity was decreased. The percent length of gastrocnemius was decreased in group I, but there were no difference in the velocity. CONCLUSION: The decreased velocity of gastrocnemius is the cause of disability of ankle plantarflexion-knee extension couple and the variable length of gastrocnemius is the cause of variability of abnormal gait.
Animals ; Ankle ; Cerebral Palsy ; Child ; Foot ; Foot Deformities ; Gait ; Humans ; Knee ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles

Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement and posture that arises from a congenital or acquired lesion of the immature brain. While the underlying cause is static, the musculoskeletal manifestations are progressive overtime. A variety of gait abnormalities are common, and orthopedic surgery typically is indicated when contractures or deformities decrease functions, cause pain, or interfere with activities of daily life. Surgical procedures should be scheduled to minimize the number of hospitalizations and interference with school and social activities. They can be divided into several groups of procedures; (1) to correct static or dynamic deformity, (2) balance muscle power across a joint, (3) reduce spasticity, and (4) stabilize uncontrollable joints. The clinical decision-making paradigm, consisting of clinical history, physical examination, diagnostic imaging, quantitative gait analysis, and examination under anesthesia makes it possible for single stage multi-level surgeries to reduce the long-term morbidity.
Anesthesia ; Brain ; Cerebral Palsy ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Contracture ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Gait ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Joints ; Muscle Spasticity ; Muscles ; Orthopedics ; Paralysis ; Physical Examination ; Posture ; Walking

PURPOSE: Using proteomic analysis, this study was performed to see the characteristics of proteins expression in the muscles of spastic cerebral palsy patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied twelve specimens from six patients with spastic cerebral palsy, three patients with myelomeningocele, and three normal people who underwent orthopaedic surgeries due to trauma. We studied the extracted proteins showing differences in the two-dimensional electrophoresis, and the prominent thirteen proteins were re-evaluated by proteomics and the reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction, which was to clarify the relationship between gene and protein expression. RESULTS: Among fifteen proteins, six proteins were found to be higher in normal people, and nine were found to be higher in the groups of patients by spot histogram. The results of proteomic analysis with MALDI-TOF for fifteen proteins showed that the expression of DJ-1 was related to cerebral palsy. CONCLUSION: This study shows that strong expression of DJ-1 is related to spasticity and cerebral palsy. We showed for the first time the possibility of any relationship between spastic condition and DJ-1 expression.
Cerebral Palsy ; Electrophoresis ; Humans ; Meningomyelocele ; Muscle Spasticity ; Muscles ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proteins ; Proteomics