[Purpose] We evaluated the effects of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and an ankle/foot orthosis (AFO) in hemiplegic patients exhibiting excessive plantar flexion during the stance phase, associated with genu recurvatum. [Participants and Methods] In total, 12 stroke patients were recruited. We measured changes in knee and ankle joint angles, gait speed, and step and stride length during the gait cycle during barefoot walking, walking while wearing an AFO, and walking after FES application; we used a three dimensional gait analysis system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are among the most common of gastrointestinal NETs. Due to recent advances in endoscopy, various methods of complete endoscopic resection have been introduced for small (≤10 mm) rectal NETs. However, there is a debate about the optimal treatment for rectal NETs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may be one of the important causes of cryptogenic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether patients with cryptogenic HCC share clinical features similar to that of NAFLD.
Methods: Cryptogenic HCC was defined as HCC that occurs in patients with the following conditions: HBsAg(-), anti-HCV(-), and alcohol ingestion of less than 20 g/day.
Background/aims: The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in South Korea have been organizing hepatitis B virus (HBV) vertical infection prevention projects since July 2002. In this single-institute study, the results of surveys conducted in target mothers who delivered babies in a tertiary hospital were investigated and analyzed.
Methods: Of the 9,281 mothers and their 9,824 neonates born between July 2002 and December 2012, 308 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers and their 319 neonates were selected for this study, and their records were analyzed retrospectively.
rs1127354, rs7270101) gene cause ITPA deficiency and protect against the hemolytic toxicity of ribavirin. We investigated the clinical significance of ITPA variants in Korean patients treated with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin. Of the 133 patients, 108 were CC and 25 were non-CC at rs1127354 (groups A and B, respectively).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased acid output, accompanied with a defective defense system, is considered a fundamental pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer (DU). However, relapse of DU occurs despite proton pump inhibitors and H2 receptor antagonists, hence imposing the enforcement of the defense system. Dried powder of the yam tuber (Dioscorea spp) has been used in traditional folk medicine as a nutritional fortification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: A combination of peginterferon and ribavirin is the standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). However, the respective study has not been carried out in a large scale in Korea. The purpose of this study was to collect the studies that have been reported in Korea in order to analyze the therapeutic effect of combination therapy and compare to find racial difference.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn 80-year-old woman with hilar cholangiocarcinoma was hospitalized due to sudden-onset abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed hepatic necrosis accompanied with emphysematous change in the superior segment of the right liver (S7/S8), implying spontaneous rupture, based on the presence of perihepatic free air. Although urgent percutaneous drainage was performed, neither pus nor fluids were drained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmoxicillin, an antibiotic that is widely prescribed for various infections, is associated with a very low rate of drug-induced liver injury; hepatitis and cholestasis are rare complications. Here we present a case of a 39-year-old woman who was diagnosed with abdominal actinomycosis and received amoxicillin treatment. The patient displayed hepatocellular and bile-duct injury, in addition to elevated levels of liver enzymes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Periampullary diverticulum (PAD) causes difficulty in the extraction of common bile duct (CBD) stones with conventional endoscopic therapy. Our study was designed to evaluate the effect of PAD on endoscopic large balloon dilation (EPLBD) with/without limited endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) for CBD stone treatment.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of 141 patients treated CBD stones by EPLBD with/without limited EST at Gachon Gil Medical Center from September 2008 to February 2010.
Carotid plaque is a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis that predicts the presence of coronary artery disease and cardiovascular events. The patient complained of chest discomfort accompanied by ECG abnormalities. Treadmill test demonstrated horizontal ST segment depression, however, coronary angiography did not show any significant stenosis.
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