Ankyloglossia or tongue-tie is a congenital anomaly characterized by an abnormally short lingual frenum. Its prevalence in the newborn population is approximately 4%. Its mode of inheritance has been studied in some articles, but no conclusion has been established. Also, no relevant report has been published in Korea. This study ...

Accurate estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is very important in clinical practice. Although renal inulin clearance (Cin) is the gold standard for measuring GFR, the procedure for Cin measurement is complicated. Use of GFR-estimating equations has been increasing recently due to their simplicity. The objectives of the present ...

Although enhanced cholinergic activity of asthmatics has been established early on, little heart rate variability (HRV) studies were done on asthma patients. Previous HRV studies were based on 24-hour recordings and therefore have not considered the extremely labile activity of bronchial asthma. To evaluate the pattern of autonomic modulations in ...

To investigate the efficacy of near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and an algorithm on the diagnosis of bladder outlet obstruction in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Male patients with LUTS were recruited and underwent uroflowmetry and urodynamic pressure flow study (PFS) with simultaneous transcutaneous NIRS monitoring. Next, the postvoid ...

BACKGROUND: Recently, contrast-enhanced transcranial Doppler (cTCD) studies have shown that right-to-left shunt (RLS) may be a risk factor for migraine in Westerners; however, limited data in the literature describes the prevalence of RLS in Chinese patients with migraine. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of RLS in patients with migraine in ...

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Among cases of difficult biliary cannulation, alternatives include use of a pancreatic duct stent (PDS) or guidewire (PDW) to facilitate access. We compared the effectiveness of a PDS versus a PDW to facilitate common bile duct (CBD) cannulation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a randomized, crossover ...

Disturbances of alternating movement execution are a characteristic clinical sign of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Objectives were to compare instrumentally measured diadochokinetic motion series carrying out before and 1 h after standardised levodopa intake and to correlate the device results with the respective rating scores of the PD patients. Maximum ...

Object The goal of this study was to determine the clinical course of Borden-Shucart Type I cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) and to calculate the annual rate of conversion of these lesions to more aggressive fistulas that have cortical venous drainage (CVD). Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted of ...

It was recently shown that pregabalin decreased pain associated with chronic pancreatitis. It is well known that pancreatitis patients suffer from fat malabsorption with accompanying diarrhoea due to loss of exocrine pancreatic enzyme production. This may lead to changes in the mucosal surface in the small intestine and possibly affect ...

Objective: This pharmacokinetic study of S-1 was conducted in patients in whom glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was directly measured to explore the possibility of adjusting the S-1 dose on the basis of GFR in patients with normal or nearly normal renal function. Methods: S-1 was given to 12 patients twice ...

PURPOSE AND METHODS: The accurate estimation of volume status is a central problem in dialysis patients. Recently, a bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) device (BCM Body Composition Monitor FMC, Germany) has attained growing interest in this regard. By processing the raw data for extracellular water (ECW) and intracellular water (ICW) by means ...

Abstract Pulmonary hypertension (PH) worsens the prognosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The diagnosis of PH is established by right heart catheterisation (RHC), while echocardiography can be used for screening. We aimed to asses the outcome of echocardiographic screening for PH in a group of stable COPD out-patients, and ...

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) pH has been proposed as a useful, non-invasive marker of airway inflammation in pulmonary diseases. In this study we tested whether cystic fibrosis (CF) is associated with acidification of EBC, when pH is assessed by the CO(2) gas standardization method. METHODS: EBC was ...

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the value of a single biomarker, biomarker panels, biomarkers combined with clinical signs of sepsis, and serial determinations of biomarkers in the prediction of bacteremia in patients with sepsis. METHODS: Adult patients visiting the emergency department because of a suspected infection with at least two of the ...

PURPOSE:: To determine the incidence of clinical keratoconus (KCN) in an Iranian population. METHODS:: This prospective surveillance study was conducted in Yazd province in central Iran (population 990,818). During 1 year (July 2008 to June 2009), all new patients with KCN were registered and referred. Diagnosis was based on the ...

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum tau concentrations and 3-month clinical outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. DESIGN AND METHODS: Serum tau concentrations of 176 patients were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The end points were mortality and poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale score>2) after 3months. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: High salt intake in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may cause high blood pressure and increased albuminuria. Although, the estimation of salt intake is essential, there are no easy methods to estimate real salt intake. METHODS: Salt intake was assessed by determining urinary sodium excretion from the ...

To evaluate the outcome of sub-centimeter-sized nodules (SCSNs) detected during surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients at risk. We retrospectively analyzed a total of 142 patients with liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B or C without a prior history of HCC in whom a SCSN was detected during HCC ...

Background: Abnormalities in autonomic control are a feature of neuroendocrine activation in HF and are responsible for dysregulation of biological rhythms. The purpose was to investigate the presence and the prognostic significance of long-period heart rate (HR) rhythms in heart failure (HF) patients. Methods and Results: In the study, 92 HF patients ...

PURPOSE: Intraocular lymphoma is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and early treatment greatly influence the survival prognosis of this disease. This retrospective study aimed to clarify the clinical features of patients diagnosed with intraocular lymphoma, and the diagnostic significance of results from analysis of vitreous samples ...

Eosinophilic esophagitis is an entity characterized by an esophageal inflammatory infiltrate of eosinophils, manifested by dysphagia, intermittent food impactions and symptoms similar to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), that predominantly affects young adults. There may be association of eosinophilic esophagitis with GERD, and motor abnormalities have been described. The main objectives ...

This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Demodex mites in eyelashes of people from different places from Oaxaca. One thousand and ten patients underwent epilation of eight eyelashes from each eye and they were processed to search Demodex which was found in 208 (20%) of the patients ...

The aim of this study was to identify the parameters that could noninvasively predict the presence of esophageal/gastric varices and portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG) in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD), and to determine the accuracy of those parameters. We retrospectively analyzed 232 patients with CLD who underwent both upper ...

Esophageal pH monitoring is considered to be the gold standard for the diagnosis of gastroesophageal acid reflux. However, this method is very troublesome and considerably limits the patient's routine activities. Wireless pH monitoring was developed to avoid these restrictions. To compare the first 24 hours of the conventional and wireless ...

The indocyanine green (ICG) retention test is the most popular liver function test for selecting patients for major hepatectomy. Traditionally, it is done using spectrophotometry with serial blood sampling. The newly-developed pulse spectrophotometry is a faster alternative, but its accuracy on Child-Pugh A cirrhotic patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma ...

Purpose: Following surgery, papillary and follicular thyroid cancers are usually treated with oral administration of NaI-131. In order to estimate subsequent staff, family, and public exposures, it is important to measure both exposure rates as well as the time of clearance of residual activity from these individuals. There is the ...

: Subacute pericardial tamponade can present without signs of cardiogenic shock. Symptoms and signs lack both sensitivity and specificity. : We conducted a case-control study in consecutive hospitalized patients with moderate-to-large pericardial effusion who had no evidence of hemodynamic compromise upon admission. Patients with pericardial effusion drained for diagnostic and/or ...

Purpose: There has been a growing movement to monitor the size-specific dose estimate (SSDE) for patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) examinations. Information on the patient size, however, is not easily accessible in the DICOM headers. Here, we compare three different automated methods to extract the patient size in terms of ...

BACKGROUND: A dilated orifice of the duodenal papilla found during screening endoscopy or ERCP is well-known as one of the specific findings of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). However, its clinical significance is still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic significance of a dilated orifice of the duodenal papilla and ...

AIMS: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) has replaced thrombolysis as treatment-of-choice for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the incidence and prognostic significance of high-degree atrioventricular block (HAVB) in STEMI patients in the pPCI era has been only sparsely investigated. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence, ...

Stroke is a frequent cause of oropharyngeal dysphagia but may also cause alterations in esophageal motility. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of bolus taste on the esophageal transit of patients with stroke and controls. Esophageal transit and clearance were evaluated by scintigraphy in 36 patients ...

AIM: An association between tooth agenesis and taurodontism has been suggested. To verify if tooth agenesis and taurodontism are associated within families and specific patterns of tooth agenesis, this study aims to compare the frequency of taurodontism in patients with nonsyndromic familial tooth agenesis, their first and second-degree relatives with ...

The hepatic vein pressure gradient (HVPG) is the standard used to determine the degree of portal hypertension (PH) and an important prognostic factor for patients with cirrhosis; HVPG values correlate with the presence of esophageal varices (EV). However, HVPG can only be accurately determined at specialized centers; noninvasive methods are ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this case series was to assess the effect of two common causes of inherited thrombophilia, factor V Leiden (FVL) and prothrombin mutation (PTM) on the development of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) following the treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). METHODS: FVL and ...

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Diagnostic tests for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are constrained because measurements are made at a single time point, so the long-term effects on the mucosa cannot be determined. We developed a minimally-invasive system to assess changes in esophageal mucosal impedance (MI), a marker of reflux. We measured ...

To evaluate the accuracy of four equations based on serum creatinine concentration-the original Schwartz equation and the Leger, Bedside Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD), and Counahan-Barratt equations-for determining glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease. Retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study. Single-center, academic, outpatient pediatric nephrology clinic. ...

The risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) remains high in patients with type 1 diabetes and proteinuria; however, little is known about the rate of decline in their renal function. To help determine this, we enrolled patients with type 1 diabetes and proteinuria whose estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was ...

Objectives: To determine the optimal method of ventricular repolarization assessment in predicting torsade de pointes (Tdp) in acquired long QT syndrome (LQTS) within the context of the recommended cutoff levels of concern for QT/corrected QT (QTc) interval prolongation. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with LQTS and Tdp (age 66 ± 11 years) ...

With the introduction of high sensitivity troponin-T (hs-TnT) assay, clinicians face more patients with 'positive' results but without myocardial infarction. Repeated hs-TnT determinations are warranted to improve specificity. The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic accuracy of three different interpretation rules for two hs-TnT results taken 6 h apart. ...

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy fails to achieve cecal intubation in 5-10 % of cases. Many of these cases can be completed using balloon-assisted colonoscopy, either with the single-balloon colonoscopy (SBC) or the double-balloon colonoscopy (DBC) techniques. AIM: To compare the completion rates of SBC and DBC in patients with previous incomplete conventional colonoscopy. ...

Endoscopic findings such as esophageal rings, strictures, narrow-caliber esophagus, linear furrows, white plaques, and pallor or decreased vasculature might indicate the presence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). We aimed to determine the prevalence and diagnostic utility of endoscopic features of EoE. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed, EMBASE, and ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The effect of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein (CFTR) defect in pancreatic insufficient (PI) patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) on the gastrointestinal pH profile is poorly defined. Adequate and efficient neutralization of the gastric acidity in the duodenum is important for nutrient absorption and timely ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the shape differences in the corpus callosum (CC) and cerebellum of female relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients compared with healthy controls. This study was conducted using the magnetic resonance imaging scans of 15 control subjects, 26 ...

OBJECTIVE: We examined whether 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Dermabond) topically applied to the pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) anastomotic site after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) reduces the rate of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). METHODS: Patients who underwent PD with duct-to-mucosa PJ were evaluated (n = 124). Outcome was compared between patients who received Dermabond (n = 75) after PD and historic ...

Our study assessed acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) reproducibility and the factors influencing it. The intra- and interoperator reproducibility were studied in 33 and 58 patients, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess ARFI reproducibility. The overall intraoperator agreement was better than the interoperator one: ICC 0.90 vs. ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of pediatric functional defecation disorders (FDD) using the Rome III criteria and to compare these data with those obtained using Rome II criteria. STUDY DESIGN: A chart review was performed in patients referred to a tertiary outpatient clinic with symptoms of constipation and/or fecal incontinence. ...

To determine the rate of subsequent invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and revascularization in relation to computed tomography coronary angiography (CTA) results. In addition, independent determinants of subsequent ICA and revascularization were evaluated. CTA studies were performed using a 64-row (n = 413) or 320-row (n = 224) multidetector scanner. The presence and severity of ...

Background.The Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire is a tool designed for self assessment of forearm pain and disability in patients with lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET). However, an Italian version of this questionnaire is not yet available.Objective.To translate and cross-culturally adapt the PRTEE questionnaire into Italian, and to evaluate its ...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether leukoaraiosis (LA) predicts hemorrhagic transformation and poor outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated by mechanical thrombectomy. We retrospectively analyzed patients with anterior circulation stroke treated with Merci devices and identified LA in the deep white matter (DWM) and periventricular ...

Previous studies documented a bias against disconfirmatory evidence (BADE) in patients affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorders, with some discrepant findings on its relationship with delusions. In order to further investigate the patterns of evidence integration in schizophrenia and delusion, we recruited 40 deluded and non-deluded patients with schizophrenia and 40 ...