High levels of carcinoembryonic antigen and smoking might be markers of colorectal adenoma in Korean males aged 40-49 years / 영남의대학술지

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of adenoma in males aged 40-49 years in Korea was higher than expected. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of colorectal adenoma in males aged 40-49 years. METHODS: Total 1,902 asymptomatic subjects with a mean age of 47.9±6.7 years, who underwent a screening colonoscopy in a health promotion center of Myongji Hospital from 2010 to 2013 were enrolled in this study. We conducted a case-control study to determine the risk factors for adenoma. The subjects were classified into two groups (adenoma vs. controls). To validate the diagnostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for adenoma, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated. RESULTS: At least one colorectal adenoma was identified in 385 subjects (20.2%). Among these 385 subjects, 372 subjects were found to have a non-advanced adenoma, 13 subjects had an invasive adenoma. One subject had cancer. Male sex, age, smoking, metabolic syndrome, and elevated CEA level were significantly associated with a colorectal adenoma in univariate analysis. However, metabolic syndrome was not significant in multivariate analysis. In the male group, the AUROC of CEA for colorectal adenoma was 0.600 (0.543 to 0.656) in non-smokers under 50 years of age, and 0.615 (0.540 to 0.690) in smokers under 50 years of age. CONCLUSION: Male sex, smoking, and high levels of CEA seem to be associated with colorectal adenoma. High levels of CEA and smoking may be diagnostic markers for any colorectal adenoma in Korean males aged 40-49 years.

A Case of Behcet's Disease Associated with Schizophrenia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Trisomy 8 and 9

Behcet's disease (BD) is a multi-systemic inflammatory disease of unknown origin that affects nearly all organs. Recent reports of BD with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) often note an association with gastrointestinal involvement and trisomy 8. We herein report on a case of a 51-year-old man who had refractory schizophrenia and developed gastrointestinal BD and MDS with trisomy 8 and 9. He visited our hospital due to fever and abdominal pain. Multiple ulcerations in the colorectum were observed on colonoscopy, and he was diagnosed with intestinal BD. During the treatment of intestinal BD, anemia and thrombocytopenia developed. His bone marrow study revealed myelodysplastic syndrome (refractory anemia with ringed sideroblast) with trisomy 8 and trisomy 9. We report a rare case of intestinal BD accompanied by schizophrenia and myelodysplastic syndrome with trisomy 8 and 9.

An Unusual Cause of Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage: Gastrocolic Fistula Caused by Colon Cancer Invasion / 영남의대학술지

Gastrocolic fistula is a fistulous communication between the stomach and the colon. It is a passage between the gastric epithelium and the colonic epithelium. This uncommon complication is caused by benign and malignant diseases of the stomach or the colon. Its clinical manifestations include weight loss, diarrhea and fecal vomiting; occasionally, anemia, poor oral intake, fatigue and dizziness; and very rarely, gastrointestinal bleeding. In this paper, an unusual case of gastrocolic fistula accompanied by hematochezia, which was revealed to have been caused by colon cancer invasion, is described.

A Case of Successful Recovery from High Dose Intravenous Nicorandil Infusion in Refractory Coronary Vasospasm with Hemodynamic Collapse / 영남의대학술지

A 70-year-old male came to the emergency room of the authors' hospital because of sudden cardiac arrest due to inferior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction. His coronary angiography revealed multiple severe coronary spasms in his very long left anterior descending artery. After an injection of intracoronary nitroglycerine, his stenosis improved. The cardiac arrest relapsed, however, accompanied by ST elevation of the inferior leads, while the patient was on diltiazem and nitrate medication to prevent coronary spasm. Recovery was not achieved even with cardiac massage, intravenous injection of epinephrine and atropine, and intravenous infusion of nitroglycerine. The patient eventually recovered through high-dose nicorandil intravenous infusion without ST elevation of his inferior leads. Therefore, intravenous infusion of a high dose of nicorandil must be considered a treatment option for cardiac arrest caused by refractory coronary vasospasm.

Osteochondroma of the Rib Mimicking a Mediastinal Mass: Unexpected Menifestation in Hereditary Multiple Exostoses / 영남의대학술지

Osteochondroma is a common bone tumor but a rare tumor in the rib. It is often asymptomatic and observed incidentally. This is a case report of a 49-year-old woman with an osteochondroma mimicking a mediastinal mass in hereditary multiple exostoses. The chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans revealed the bony density feature of the mass. Surgical excision confirmed that the lesion was an osteochondroma.

A finite element analysis of the center of resistance of a maxillary first molar / 대한치과교정학회지

The purpose of this study was to analyse the center of resistance of the maxillary first molar using the 3-dimension finite element method. An extracted maxillary first molar of normal shape and average root length was selected and sectioned every 1.5mm parallel to the cementoenamel junction. Each section was traced and digitized to construct 3-D finite element model of the maxillary first molar. After a certain magnitude of counterbalancing moment(M) was applied to the tooth, a varying single force(F) of distomesial direction was applied to a certain point of the tooth until the tooth was translated. The force producing translation(Ft) was substituted to the equation deltad = M/Ft to calculate the center of resistance of the maxillary first molar. And reducing the alveolar bone level 1.68mm, and 3.36mm below to the cementoenamel junction, the tooth movement was analysed to see the effect of reducing the alveolar bone level to the location of the center of resistance. The results were as follows; 1. The center of resistance of the maxillary first molar was 3.72mm apical, 1.10mm buccal, and 0.71mm mesial to the geometric center of the horizontally sectioned surface at the cementoenamel junction. This point was 0.36mm apical, 1.20mm buccal, and 0.71mm mesial to the trifurcation point, indicating that it was not on the tooth root. 2. As the alveolar bone level was reduced, the center of resistance of the maxillary first molar was moved to the apical direction.