Delayed Presentation of Renocolic Fistula at 4 Months after Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Causes of previously reported reno-colic fistulas included primary renal and colonic pathologic states involving infectious, malignant or other inflammatory processes. However, reno-colic fistula after renal injury is extremely uncommon. We report an unusual delayed presentation of reno-colic fistula that occurred at 4 months later after blunt abdominal trauma

Laparoscopic Removal of a Broken Sewing Needle in a Patient with Irritative Bladder Symptoms

A foreign body near the bladder is rare. Although foreign bodies in the bladder can be easily found and removed by endoscopic transurethral removal, extravesical foreign bodies may require the use of an open or laparoscopic procedure. Here, we report a case of a patient complaining of frequency and urgency in whom an extravesical sewing needle was successfully removed by a laparoscopic approach. A 4.5 cm rusty sewing needle was found between the bladder and the left external iliac vessels and was removed through a 5 mm trocar port by use of endo forceps with no complications

Analysis of different tumor volume thresholds of insignificant prostate cancer and their implications for active surveillance patient selection and monitoring

PurposeWe compared oncological outcomes according to tumor volume (TV) thresholds defining both classical and updated insignificant prostate cancer (IPC), since the TV threshold can be used as clinical parameter for active surveillance.MethodsBetween 2001 and 2012, we retrospectively analyzed 331 organ-confined prostate cancer patients who had preoperative Gleason score 6, preoperative PSA under 10 ng/mL and pathologic TV less than 1.3 mL. Among them, 81 of 331 (24.5%) had Gleason grade 4/5 disease postoperatively. Patients were stratified into two groups: (1) TV less than 0.5 mL, using the classical definition; and (2) TV between 0.5 mL and 1.3 mL, using the range of updated definition. We compared biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival and identified independent predictors of BCR in each group.ResultsGroup 2 had more Gleason grade 4/5 disease than group 1 (P<0.001). On multivariate analysis, Gleason grade 4/5 disease was not associated with BCR in group 1 (P=0.132). However, it was an independent predictor for BCR in group 2 (P=0.042). BCR-free survival were not significantly different according to the presence of Gleason grade 4/5 disease in group 1 (P=0.115). However, in group 2, it was significantly different according to the presence of Gleason grade 4/5 disease (P=0.041).ConclusionsAlthough the TV thresholds of the two definitions of IPC vary only slightly, this difference was enough to result in different clinical course if Gleason grade 4/5 disease was present. Therefore, the updated IPC TV threshold should be carefully applied as clinical parameter for active surveillance

An Environmental Monitoring System for Managing Spatiotemporal Sensor Data over Sensor Networks

In a wireless sensor network, sensors collect data about natural phenomena and transmit them to a server in real-time. Many studies have been conducted focusing on the processing of continuous queries in an approximate form. However, this approach is difficult to apply to environmental applications which require the correct data to be stored. In this paper, we propose a weather monitoring system for handling and storing the sensor data stream in real-time in order to support continuous spatial and/or temporal queries. In our system, we exploit two time-based insertion methods to store the sensor data stream and reduce the number of managed tuples, without losing any of the raw data which are useful for queries, by using the sensors' temporal attributes. In addition, we offer a method for reducing the cost of the join operations used in processing spatiotemporal queries by filtering out a list of irrelevant sensors from query range before making a join operation. In the results of the performance evaluation, the number of tuples obtained from the data stream is reduced by about 30% in comparison to a naïve approach, thereby decreasing the query execution time

Interaction between GSTM1/GSTT1 Polymorphism and Blood Mercury on Birth Weight

BACKGROUND: Mercury (Hg) is toxic to both the reproductive and nervous systems. In addition, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), which conjugate glutathione to a variety of electrophilic compounds, are involved in the detoxification of Hg. OBJECTIVE: In this study we examined the association between prenatal exposure to Hg and birth weight as well as the influence of GST polymorphisms. METHODS: The total Hg concentration in maternal and cord blood was measured from 417 Korean women and newborns in the Mothers and Children`s Environmental Health study from 2006 to 2008. Information on birth weight was collected from the patients` medical records. The genotyping of glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) polymorphisms was carried out using polymerase chain reaction. Regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the blood Hg concentration and birth weight in mothers with GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms. RESULTS: The geometric mean levels of Hg in the maternal blood during late pregnancy and in cord blood were 3.30 mu g/L and 5.53 mu g/L, respectively. For mothers with the GSTT1 null genotype, elevated Hg levels in maternal blood during late pregnancy were associated with an increased risk of lower birth weight. For mothers with both GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotype, both maternal and cord blood Hg levels were associated with lower birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the interactions of Hg with GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms play a role in reducing birth weight.ENGSTROM K, 2008, GENETIC VARIATION GLDaniels JL, 2007, PAEDIATR PERINAT EP, V21, P448Beyrouty P, 2006, NEUROTOXICOL TERATOL, V28, P49, DOI 10.1016/j.ntt.2005.11.002Custodio HM, 2005, ARCH ENVIRON HEALTH, V60, P17Custodio HM, 2004, ARCH ENVIRON HEALTH, V59, P588Counter SA, 2004, TOXICOL APPL PHARM, V198, P209, DOI 10.1016/j.taap.2003.11.032CASANUEVA E, 2003, J NUTR, V133, P1700Ballatori N, 2002, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V110, P689Dusinska M, 2001, MUTAT RES-FUND MOL M, V482, P47, DOI 10.1016/S0027-5107(01)00209-3Castoldi AF, 2001, BRAIN RES BULL, V55, P197Bjerregaard P, 2000, SCI TOTAL ENVIRON, V245, P195, DOI 10.1016/S0048-9697(99)00444-1Chen CY, 1998, J TOXICOL ENV HEAL A, V54, P37Clarkson TW, 1997, CRIT REV CL LAB SCI, V34, P369CLARKSON TW, 1993, ENVIRON HEALTH PERSP, V100, P31BALLATORI N, 1985, FUND APPL TOXICOL, V5, P816BRODSKY JB, 1985, J AM DENT ASSOC, V111, P779

Magnetic and near-infrared derived heating characteristics of dimercaptosuccinic acid coated uniform Fe@Fe3O4 core–shell nanoparticles

Among the number of hyperthermia materials, magnetic nanoparticles have received much attention. In this work, we studied the heating characteristics of uniform Fe@Fe3O4 core–shell nanoparticle under near-infrared laser irradiation and external AC magnetic field applying. The Fe@Fe3O4 core–shell nanoparticles were prepared by thermal decomposition of iron pentacarbonyl and followed by controlled oxidation. The prepared uniform particles were further coated with dimercaptosuccinic acid to make them well dispersed in water. Near-infrared derived photothermal study of solutions containing a different concentration of the core–shell nanoparticles was made by using 808 nm laser Source. Additionally, magnetic hyperthermia ability of the Fe@Fe3O4 nanoparticle at 150 kHz and various oersted (140–180 Oe) condition was systemically characterized. The Fe@Fe3O4 nanoparticles which exhibited effective photo and magnetic hyperthermia are expected to be used in biomedical application.This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2018R1D1A1B07051249), Nano Material Technology Develop‑ment Program (NRF-2015M3A7B6027970) of MSIP/NRF and Center for Inte‑grated Smart Sensors funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Plan‑ning, Republic of Korea, as Global Frontier Project (CISS-012M3A6A6054186)

Intravenous fluid prescription practices among pediatric residents in Korea

PurposeRecent studies have established the association between hypotonic fluids administration and hospital-acquired hyponatremia in children. The present paper investigated the pattern of current practice in intravenous fluid prescription among Korean pediatric residents, to underscore the need for updated education.MethodsA survey-based analysis was carried out. Pediatric residents at six university hospitals in Korea completed a survey consisting of four questions. Each question proposed a unique scenario in which the respondents had to prescribe either a hypotonic or an isotonic fluid for the patient.ResultsNinety-one responses were collected and analyzed. In three of the four scenarios, a significant majority prescribed the hypotonic fluids (98.9%, 85.7%, and 69.2%, respectively). Notably, 69.2% of the respondents selected the hypotonic fluids for postoperative management. Almost all (96.7%) selected the isotonic fluids for hydration therapy.ConclusionIn the given scenarios, the majority of Korean pediatric residents would prescribe a hypotonic fluid, except for initial hydration. The current state of pediatric fluid management, notably, heightens the risk of hospital-acquired hyponatremia. Updated clinical practice education on intravenous fluid prescription, therefore, is urgently required

Identification of Recently Selected Mutations Driven by Artificial Selection in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)

Hanwoo have been subjected over the last seventy years to intensive artificial selection with the aim of improving meat production traits such as marbling and carcass weight. In this study, we performed a signature of selection analysis to identify recent positive selected regions driven by a long-term artificial selection process called a breeding program using whole genome SNP data. In order to investigate homozygous regions across the genome, we estimated iES (integrated Extended Haplotype Homozygosity SNP) for the each SNPs. As a result, we identified two highly homozygous regions that seem to be strong and/or recent positive selection. Five genes (DPH5, OLFM3, S1PR1, LRRN1 and CRBN) were included in this region. To go further in the interpretation of the observed signatures of selection, we subsequently concentrated on the annotation of differentiated genes defined according to the iES value of SNPs localized close or within them. We also described the detection of the adaptive evolution at the molecular level for the genes of interest. As a result, this analysis also led to the identification of OLFM3 as having a strong signal of selection in bovine lineage. The results of this study indicate that artificial selection which might have targeted most of these genes was mainly oriented towards improvement of meat production