Single-port laparoscopic debulking surgery of variant benign metastatic leiomyomatosis with simultaneous lymphatic spreading and intraperitoneal seeding.

Benign metastatic leiomyomatosis (BML) is a rare disease characterized by smooth muscle cell proliferation in extrauterine sites including the lung, abdomen, pelvis, and retroperitoneum. Depending on location, BML is classified as intravenous leiomyomatosis and diffuse peritoneal leiomyomatosis. Pathogenesis of BML can be iatrogenic after previous myomectomy or hysterectomy, hormonal, or coelomic metaplasia.

Normative Study of the Literacy Independent Cognitive Assessment in Illiterate and Literate Elderly Koreans.

Objective: The aim of this study was to provide normative data on the Literacy Independent Cognitive Assessment (LICA) and to explore the effects of age, education/literacy, and gender on the performance of this test.

Methods: Eight hundred and eighty-eight healthy elderly subjects, including 164 healthy illiterate subjects, participated in this study. None of the participants had serious medical, psychiatric, or neurological disorders including dementia.

Is the Internet gaming-addicted brain close to be in a pathological state?

Internet gaming addiction (IGA) is becoming a common and widespread mental health concern. Although IGA induces a variety of negative psychosocial consequences, it is yet ambiguous whether the brain addicted to Internet gaming is considered to be in a pathological state. We investigated IGA-induced abnormalities of the brain specifically from the network perspective and qualitatively assessed whether the Internet gaming-addicted brain is in a state similar to the pathological brain.

Early Outcomes of Endoscopic Vein Harvesting during the Initial Learning Period.

Background: The endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) method has been used in coronary artery bypass surgery in many countries. We started using the EVH method recently, and investigated the results during the early learning period.

Methods: Between March 2012 and June 2014, 75 patients (31 patients in the EVH method group, and 44 patients in the open method group) who underwent isolated first-time coronary artery bypass grafting using vein grafts were retrospectively analyzed with respect to the early outcomes including graft patency and risk factors for leg wound complications.

Inpatient stroke rehabilitation outcomes in Korea derived from the Korean Brain Rehabilitation Centers' online database system for the years 2007 to 2011.

The purpose of this report was to provide information for patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation after stroke and to identify the possible factors influencing functional outcome after inpatient rehabilitation. Stroke patients (n = 5,212) who were discharged from the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine (RM) of university hospitals and rehabilitation hospitals from 2007 through 2011 were participants. Prevalence, age, transfer time after onset, length of stay (LOS), functional status at admission and discharge were analyzed.

Prevention of venous thromboembolism in medical intensive care unit: a multicenter observational study in Korea.

Patients admitted to medical intensive care unit (MICU) are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE); and prophylaxis is recommended. However, the actual range and frequency of VTE prophylaxis administered to MICU patients are not well defined. Patients over 40 yr of age and expected MICU stay of more than 48 hr were eligible for this observational cohort study of 23 MICUs in Korea.

Validation of the Korean version Moorehead-Ardelt quality of life questionnaire II.

Purpose: To investigate the weight loss effects with higher sensitivity, disease specific quality of life (QoL) instruments were important. The Moorehead-Ardelt quality of life questionnaire II (MA-II) is widely used, because it was simple and validated the several languages. The aims of present study was performed the translation of MA-II Korean version and the validation compared with EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D), obesity-related problems scale (OP-scale), and impact of weight quality of life-lite (IWQoL-Lite).

Outcome and current status of therapeutic hypothermia after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Korea using data from the Korea Hypothermia Network registry.

Objective: Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has become the standard strategy for reducing brain damage in the postresuscitation period. The aim of this study was to investigate current TH performance and outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors using data from the Korean Hypothermia Network (KORHN) registry.

Methods: We used the KORHN registry, a web-based multicenter registry that includes 24 participating hospitals throughout the Republic of Korea.

Internal iliac artery embolization during an endovascular aneurysm repair with detachable interlock microcoils.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of detachable interlock microcoils for an embolization of the internal iliac artery during an endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on 40 patients with aortic aneurysms, who had undergone an EVAR between January 2010 and March 2012. Among them, 16 patients were referred for embolization of the internal iliac artery for the prevention of type II endoleaks.

Influence of the timing of administration of crystalloid on maternal hypotension during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery: preload versus coload.

Background: Prophylactic fluid preloading before spinal anesthesia has been a routine procedure to prevent maternal hypotension during cesarean delivery. Unlike colloid, timing of infusion of crystalloid may be important because of its short stay in intravascular space. We hypothesized that crystalloid loading just after intrathecal injection compared to preload would be more effective in preventing maternal hypotension.

Establishment of endogenous human tympanic membrane-derived somatic stem cells for stem cell therapy.

We examined whether somatic stem cells (SSCs) exist in human tympanis membrane (hTM) and whether they could be differentiated into neural lineage cells. The hTM-SSCs could generate neurospheres, which could differentiate into specific neural linage cells under specific differentiation conditions. Also, we conducted another experiment that led to differentiation into neurospheres and neuronal lineage cells, which occurred independent of each other.

Relining technique for continuous sac enlargement and modular disconnection secondary to endotension after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.

Endotension is an unpredictable late complication of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). This case report will discuss the successful treatment of enlarged aneurysmal sac due to endotension using the relining technique. An 81-year-old male complained of nondecreasing huge aneurysm sac.

Low molecular-weight heparin for thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery: an experience from one Korean institute.

Purpose: This study evaluated the efficacy for preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE) and adverse effects of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in order to launch a prospective clinical trial in Korea.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 108 consecutive patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery. These patients were divided into 2 groups according to the type of thromboprophylaxis: group A, LMWH combined with intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC); group B, IPC alone.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of acute hepatitis a in Korea: a nationwide multicenter study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of acute hepatitis A during a recent outbreak in Korea. Data of patients diagnosed with acute hepatitis A from 2007 to 2009 were collected from 21 tertiary hospitals retrospectively. Their demographic, clinical, and serological characteristics and their clinical outcomes were analyzed.

Osteogenic potential of adult stem cells from human maxillary sinus membrane by Simvastatin in vitro: preliminary report.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the adequate concentration and to evaluate the osteogenic potential of simvastatin in human maxillary sinus membrane-derived stem cells (hSMSC).

Materials And Methods: Mesenchymal stem cells derived from the human maxillary sinus membrane were treated with various concentrations of simvastatin. The adequate concentration of simvastatin for osteogenic induction was determined using bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2).

Effect of gum chewing on the recovery from laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

Purpose: We aimed to examine the effect of gum chewing after laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery in Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine.

Correction of anemia with continuous erythropoietin receptor activator in Korean patients on long-term hemodialysis.

Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) is an erythropoietin with a long-half life. This study investigated the efficacy of CERA for correcting anemia in Korean patients on dialysis. Patients (≥ 18 yr) who were not receiving any ESAs for more than 8 weeks were randomly assigned to either intravenous CERA once every 2 weeks (n=39) or epoetin beta thrice-weekly (n=41) during a 24-week correction phase.

Role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by abnormal proliferation of synoviocytes, leukocyte infiltration, and angiogenesis. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the site of biosynthesis for all secreted and membrane proteins. The accumulation of unfolded proteins in the ER leads to a condition known as ER stress.

Efficacy and safety of 120-W GreenLight High-Performance System laser photo vaporization of the prostate: 3-year results with specific considerations.

Purpose: High-Performance System (HPS) laser photo vaporization of the prostate (PVP) is a widely used procedure nowadays. The safety and efficacy of the procedure has been affirmed in general patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), but data on the safety and efficacy in specific situations, such as in patients with a large prostate, patients taking anticoagulant or 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) medication, and patients with a history of acute urinary retention (AUR) or previous transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), is lacking. We investigated the safety and efficacy of HPS laser PVP in these unique patient groups.

Affective state-dependent changes in the brain functional network in major depressive disorder.

In major depressive disorder (MDD), as a network-level disease, the pathophysiology would be displayed to a wide extent over the brain. Moreover, the network-wide changes could be dependent on the context of affective processing. In this study, we sought affective state-dependent changes of the brain functional network by applying a graph-theoretical approach to functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired in 13 patients with MDD and 12 healthy controls who were exposed to video clips inducing the negative, neutral or positive affective state.

Patients with Crohn's disease on anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy are at significant risk of inadequate response to the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.

Background/aims: The effect of immunosuppressants on the efficacy of a variety of vaccines is a controversial issue in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this study we determined whether specific immunosuppressants impair the serological response to the standard 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) in a large cohort of patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

Methods: This was a multi-center, prospective observational study of adult patients with CD at 15 academic teaching hospitals in Korea.