A novel hinged ankle foot orthosis for gait performance in chronic hemiplegic stroke survivors: a feasibility study

Stroke survivors with gait disturbances may use ankle foot orthoses (AFOs). However, most AFOs come in one-piece styles, which make it difficult for spasticity-affected stroke survivors to don. AFOs are also limited since they do not properly prevent ankle joint for foot drop by itself. Therefore, the present study developed a novel hinged AFO by adding a locking device to a hinged joint. We then tested its feasibility in 9 hemiplegic stroke survivors by investigating temporal–spatial gait parameters using the GAITRite in the following 3 conditions: no AFO, traditional AFO, and novel hinged AFO. There was no significant difference in spatiotemporal gait parameters among the different conditions. There were greater decreases in gait velocity, cadence, step length, and stride length in the novel hinged AFO group than in the no AFO and traditional AFO groups. This novel hinged AFO was developed to prevent foot drop. However, the AFO did not show significant differences in gait parameters because it consists of metal with extra weight and volume. Functionally, it prevented foot drop. It also improved convenience by its releasable design. Thus, further studies are needed to develop an AFO that improves gait and is convenient to use for hemiplegic stroke survivors.

A Case of Peritonitis Due to Achromobacter xylosoxidans subsp. xylosoxidans in a Patient Undergoing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) / 대한신장학회지

Bacterial peritonitis is a well-recognized complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in patients with end-stage renal failure. Achromobacter xylosoxidans subsp. xylosoxidans is a catalase and oxidase positive, motile, nonfermentative and gram-negative rod bacterium that is a rare pathogen in humans and has rarely been reported as an opportunistic human pathogen. We present a case of peritonitis due to unusual pathogens, Achromobacter xylosoxidans subsp. xylosoxidans. A 49-year-old diabetic man undergoing CAPD for 90 days developed the first peritonitis due to Achromobacter xylosoxidans subsp. xylosoxidans. A. xylosoxidans was detected from a culture of peritoneal fluid. Susceptible antibiotic treatment was provided.

Causes and clinical characteristics of syncope in combat and auxiliary police in Korea / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The most common type of syncope in young adults is neurocardiogenic in origin, which is not related to organic problems and has a benign nature. Therefore, there have been few reports regarding syncope in young Korean adults. Here, we examined the causes of syncope and its clinical characteristics in young combat and auxiliary police in Korea. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of the medical records of 193 combat and auxiliary police in Korea admitted to the National Police Hospital for syncope or presyncope between January 2004 and December 2007. RESULTS: The subjects' mean age was 21+/-1.2 years, and there were 2.8+/-2.9 episodes of syncope (mean+/-SEM). The first syncope occurred after enlistment in the police in 102 patients (52.8%). Basic diagnostic studies showed two cases of elevated creatine phosphokinase and one case of anemia to be related to syncope. Syncope-related traumatic injuries occurred in 38 patients (19.7%), and syncope was more prevalent in the summer. Head-up tilt test was performed in 175 of the 193 patients, and 123 showed a positive response. Other evaluations, including brain magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, and echocardiography, were not helpful for diagnosis. Syncope was neurocardiogenic in origin in the majority of cases. Other causes of syncope were exhaustion (n=2), hyperventilation syndrome (n=2), Meniere's disease (n=1), anemia (n=1), and psychiatric problems (n=5). The causes of syncope could not be identified in 59 patients (30.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Neurocardiogenic syncope was the most common type in our study population. More than half of our patients experienced their first episode after enlisting with the police. Further studies in these groups are necessary.

Two Cases of Peritoneal Tuberculosis Mimicking Peritoneal Carcinomatosis on F-18 FDG PET/CT / 핵의학분자영상

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) plays an important role in diagnosis of malignant tumors and adds to conventional imaging in the staging of pertoneal carcinomatosis. However, false positive cases resulting from benign disease such as tuberculosis may occur. We report two cases of peritoneal tuberculosis on F-18 FDG PET/CT which showed multiple hypermetabolic foci in the mesentery and peritoneum with increased serum cancer antigen 125 (CA 125). Subsequent F-18 FDG PET/CT showed a disappearance of pathologic uptake following treatment with anti-tuberculosis drugs.

Diagnostic Approach to a Patient with a Pleural Effusion Including Ultrasound-guided Paracentesis Performed by a Medical Resident / 결핵및호흡기질환

BACKGROUND: A patient with a pleural effusion that is difficult to safely drain by a "blind" thoracentesis procedure is generally referred to a radiologist for ultrasound-guided thoracentesis. But such a referral increases the cost and the patient's inconvenience, and it causes delay in the diagnostic procedures. If ultrasound-guided thoracentesis is performed as a bedside procedure by a medical resident, then this will reduce the previously mentioned problems. So these patients with pleural effusions were treated by medical residents at our medical center, and the procedures included bedside ultrasound-guided thoracenteses. METHODS: We studied 89 cases of pleural effusions from March 2003 to June 2005. A "blind" thoracentesis was performed if the amount of pleural effusion was moderate or large. Bedside ultrasound-guided thoracentesis was performed for small or loculated effusions or for the cases that failed with performing a "blind" thoracentesis. RESULTS: "Blind" thoracenteses were performed in 79 cases that had a moderate or large amount of uncomplicated pleural effusions and the success rate was 93.7% (74/79 cases). Ultrasound-guided thoracentesis by the medical residents was performed in 15 cases and the success rate was 66.7% (10/15 cases). The 5 failedcases included all 3 cases with loculated effusions and 2 cases with a small amount of pleural effusion. All the failed cases were referred to one radiologist and they were then successfully treated. If we exclude the 3 cases with loculated pleural effusions, the success rate of ultrasound-guided thoracentesis by the medical residents increased up to 83% (10/12 cases). Two cases of complications (1 pneumothorax, 1 hydrohemothorax) occurred during ultrasound-guided thoracentesis. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound-guided thoracentesis performed as a bedside procedure by a medical resident may be relatively effective and safe. If a patient has a loculated effusion, then it would be better to first refer the patient to a radiologist.

Clinical Outcomes of Gram-negative Bacterial Peritonitis / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Peritonitis which is still the most important cause of morbidity and technical failure in peritoneal dialysis even though it has decreased significantly, has been known to lead to different outcomes by the type of causative pathogens. METHODS: To analyze clinical outcomes with trends of peritonitis rates by the type of causative pathogens, we retrospectively reviewed peritoneal dialysis patients in Seoul National University Hospital from 1995 to 2001. RESULTS: Three hundred fifty-seven cases of peritonitis occurred in 163 patients among total 307 peritoneal dialysis patients and the rate of peritonitis was 0.44 episodes/patient-year. There are 130 (38.1 %) episodes of Gram-positive bacterial peritonitis, 59 (17.3%) episodes of Gram-negative bacterial peritonitis and 25 (7.3%) episodes of mixed bacterial peritonitis. E.coli, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas were main Gram-negative isolates, in the order named. The rate of total peritonitis and the rate of Gram- positive peritonitis decreased significantly during the study period. But, the rate of Gram-negative peritonitis remained constant, and therefore its relative proportion tended to increase. Among Gram-negative bacteria, the proportion of Pseudomonas species declined persistently. Gram-negative peritonitis was a significant risk factor of hospitalization, independent of soft tissue infection and serum albumin, like S.aureus peritonitis. In Gram-negative peritonitis or Pseudomonas peritonitis, more catheters were removed regardless of soft tissue infection or peritoneal dialysis duration. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we confirmed Gram- negative peritonitis and Pseudomonas peritonitis have poor prognosis. Therefore, Cautious evaluation of abdominal lesions and aggressive treatment are necessary for patients with Gram-negative peritonitis whose relative proportion increased.

Sclerotherapy of Renal Cysts in Korean ADPKD Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease(ADPKD) is the most common hereditary renal disease in adults, and its major complaints include pain and abdominal fullness due to cyst expansion. So far, for the control of these symptoms, cyst ablation with ethanol or tetracycline, laparoscopic manipulations and surgical marsupialization have been used. METHODS: We used conventional ethanol(n=9) or n-butyl cyanoacrylate(NBCA) plus lipiodol solution (n=18) or both(n=3) for separate cysts as the sclerosing agent in 24 adult Korean ADPKD patients. And their clinical courses after treatment were evaluated. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 8 : 16 and the mean age at the treatment was 50 yrs(S.D. 13.1). Causes for aspiration were pain in 14 and abdominal fullness in 7 patients and the range for the cyst diameters aspirated were 5-16 cm. Flank pain or discomfort were decreased subjectively in most cases except two. Mean arterial pressures(S.D.) (mmHg) before and after procedure were as follows 112(11.1)(basal), 96(9.6)(1 month) and 98(9.7)(6 month)(p < 0.05, paired-t test). Blood urea nitrogen levels(mg/dL) were not changed 6 month later[24 (12.1) vs. 22(14.6)]. There was no major complication such as bleeding or infection and no death and associated with procedure. There was no difference of therapeutic effect according to sclerosing agent. CONCLUSION: NBCA was as effective as conventional ethanol for sclerotherapy in ADPKD and cyst ablation therapy showed a BP-lowering effect in short-term period.

Unilateral Renal Lymphangiectasia with Renal Vein Thrombosis / 대한신장학회잡지

Renal lymphangiectasia is a rare cystic kidney disorder. This disorder has been termed renal lymphangioma, renal lymphangiomatosis, pararenal lymphatic cyst. We report on a 32-year-old man admitted with complaints of abdominal discomfort, in whom unilateral renal lymphangiectasia with renal vein thrombosis was diagnosed. Abdominal computed tomography revealed left perirenal fluid collection with multiloculation. Left renal vein was completely obliterated due to thrombosis and inferior vena cava (IVC) was partially obliterated. Perirenal fluid collection and renal vein thrombosis were treated initially with percutaneous drainage and anticoagulation therapy. The biochemical features of the drained fluid were compatible with lymphatic fluid. Since there was no decrease in the amount of daily drainage, left nephrectomy and IVC thrombectomy was performed on the 34th day of hospitalization. Left kidney was enlarged (15x10x18 cm, 750 g) and composed of numerous smooth, thin-walled cysts. Pathologic diagnosis was renal lymphangiectasia.

No Association of TGF-beta Gene Polymorphism with the Progression of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease(ADPKD) in Korean Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

BACKGROUND: Two genetic loci, PKD1 and PKD2, have been identified as being responsible for ADPKD, and PKD1 is known to be associated with poor prognosis. However, the presence of intrafamilial clinical diversity suggests the presence of disease-modifying loci. Because the mechanism of renal failure in ADPKD includes cystic growth and tubulointerstitial atrophy and fibrosis, we studied the associations between two cytokine gene polymorphisms in the TGF-beta gene, which are known to be related with chronic tubulointerstitial inflammation, and ADPKD progression in Korean patients. METHODS: 47 normal controls and 114 individuals with ADPKD were genotyped by PCR-RFLP, and the TGF-beta gene leader sequence of T869C(Leu10Pro) variant was compared with MspA1I and G915C (Arg25Pro) with BglI. Statistic significances were determined using the Chi-square test. RESULTS: The distribution of alleles for the TGF-beta Leu10Pro polymorphism in ADPKD was : T 52%, C 48%, which was similar to the Korean(56 : 44, p= 0.670) and Western controls(65 : 35), and in addition, no differences were found between the CRF and the non-CRF groups(p=0.571) or the early hypertension and the normotension groups(p=0.252). The distribution of alleles for the TGF-beta Arg25Pro polymorphism was all GG type, which was different from Western controls(90 : 10, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the polymorphism at Arg25Pro of TGF-beta in Korean population has different allele distribution from Western, and the polymorphism at Leu10Pro of TGF-beta has no association with the renal progression of Korean ADPKD patients.

The Clinical Profiles and Risk Factors and Outcome of CAPD Peritonitis : A Single Center Study / 대한신장학회잡지

Peritonitis remains the leading cause of the patient dropout in CAPD in many developing countries. In Korea, 71% of CAPD patients dropout is caused by peritonitis. To elucidate an adequate guideline for treating peritonitis in our country, we analyzed clinical and bacteriologic profiles of peritonitis(1995. 1. 1- 1999. 12. 31). Two hundred and twenty eight episodes of peritonitis were developed in 127/247 patients. The incidence of peritonitis was 0.41/patient-year in general, which was decreased to 0.24/patient-year in 1999. The incidence of causative organisms were as follows; 82(36.0%) by Gram positive organisms, 38 (16.2%) by gram negative organisms, 16 cases(7.0%) by mixed organsisms, and 5 cases(2.2%) by fungus. During study period, the incidence of peritonitis by gram positive organsism was decreased while the incidence of peritonitis by gram negative organism was not changed. Recurrent infection/relapse was noted in 58 patients(45%). Peritonitis were eradicated only in 66% of the cases by initial antibiotics(cefazolin+aminoglycoside); and another 17% responded by second line antibiotics. Peritoneal catheters were removed in 38 episodes(16.7%). Patients with exit infection were more frequent in removal of catheter. Risk factor analysis was performed in 146 patients, who were newly started CAPD. There were 60 initial episodes of peritonitis(mean duration of follow up was 16.7 patient months). Sixty-five percent were free of peritonitis at the end of first year, 54% at the end of second year and 45% at the end of third year (Kaplan-Meier). Factors such as age, sex, underlying DM, were not risk factor for CAPD peritonitis. In conclusion, we observed that the incidence of peritonitis decreased every year. It was revealed however that only 66% of peritonitis can be successfully treated by first line antibiotics. Second line antibiotics such as ceftazidime may need to be introduced in early phase of CAPD peritonitis. Up to one third of patients had recurrent infection/relapse, which raised the incidence of peritonitis. Continuing education as well as better exit care is needed to improve technical survival of CAPD patients in Korea.