Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2014
Subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head in elderly people.
We evaluated the clinical course of subchondral insufficiency fracture of the femoral head (SIFFH) and its characteristic findings with special regard to joint space narrowing (JSN). Thirty-one cases of SIFFH of mean age 68.9 yr initially underwent limited weight-bearing conservative treatment. During the follow-up period, the patients with intractable pain underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA). ⋯ The risk factor significantly associated with failed conservative treatment was JSN (P=0.038; OR, 11.8; 95% CI, 1.15-122.26). Clinical results of conservative treatment for SIFFH in elderly patients are relatively poor. The patients with JSN are at higher risk of failed conservative treatment.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2014
Digital thermography of the fingers and toes in Raynaud's phenomenon.
The aim of this study was to determine whether skin temperature measurement by digital thermography on hands and feet is useful for diagnosis of Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). Fifty-seven patients with RP (primary RP, n = 33; secondary RP, n = 24) and 146 healthy volunteers were recruited. After acclimation to room temperature for 30 min, thermal imaging of palmar aspect of hands and dorsal aspect of feet were taken. ⋯ A combination of thermographic assessment of the coolest finger and first toe was highly effective in men (sensitivity/specificity : about 88/60%, respectively) while thermographic assessment of first toe was solely sufficient for women (sensitivity/specificity: about 74/68%, respectively). Thermographic assessment of the coolest finger and first toe is useful for diagnosing RP. In women, thermography of first toe is highly recommended.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2014
The effect of preceding biopsy on complete endoscopic resection in rectal carcinoid tumor.
Biopsy of rectal carcinoid tumor is commonly taken before endoscopic resection. However the preceding biopsy can inhibit complete resection by causing blurred tumor border and fibrosis of the tissue. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of preceding biopsy on complete endoscopic resection in rectal carcinoid tumor. ⋯ The preceding biopsy may disturb complete resection of rectal carcinoid tumor. In most cases, the carcinoid tumor could be suspected by macroscopic appearance. Therefore the preceding biopsy is not essential, and it may be avoided for the complete resection.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2014
Assessment of hepatic fibrosis regression by transient elastography in patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with oral antiviral agents.
Transient elastography (TE) has been used as a non-invasive method for liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in patients with chronic liver disease. This study was performed to assess the change of LSM by TE and to assess its clinical usefulness during long-term oral antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We retrospectively reviewed 83 CHB patients. ⋯ LSM significantly decreased in both baseline high (> upper limit of normal [ULN] × 2) and low (≤ ULN × 2) alanine aminotransferase groups during antiviral therapy (P < 0.001; P = 0.001, respectively). Long-term oral antiviral therapy resulted in the improvement of liver stiffness in a substantial portion of patients with CHB. TE may be used a useful clinical tool to assess disease progression in CHB patients.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2014
Safety and immunogenicity assessment of an oral cholera vaccine through phase I clinical trial in Korea.
The safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of an oral cholera vaccine (OCV) was assessed in adult Korean male through an open-label, non-comparative clinical study. Two doses of vaccine with an interval of 2 weeks were given to 20 healthy subjects. A total of 7 adverse events occurred in 6 subjects. ⋯ In addition, the fold increase in antibody titers ranged from 1-4,096 for O1 Inaba, 1-8,192 for O1 Ogawa, and 1-384 for O139. The seroconversion rate was 95% and 45% for O1 and O139 antibodies, respectively. Our study clearly shows that administration of two doses of OCV at a 2 week-interval increases an appropriate level of antibody titer in the serum of healthy Korean adult males (Clinical Trial Number, NCT01707537).