The nature of renal tubular cell injury in ischemic acute renal failure includes not only cell death (necrosis or apoptosis) but also sublethal injury causing cell dysfunction. The role of intracellu- lar calcium, calcium - dependent enzymes calpain, nitric oxide, phospholipase A2, loss of tubule cell polarity and tubular obstruction in the pathophysiology of the renal tubular cell injury during hypoxia/ischemia is described. The effects of vascular factors, infiltrating activited leukocytes, apoptosis and growth factors on renal tubular cell injury are discussed. Potential mechanisms that tubular injury leads to a profound fall in glomerular filtration rate are proposed.

Postoperative incontinence is one of the most feared complications of radical prostatectomy with a major impact on patients’ quality of life. There are several ways to treat with the incontinence including pelvic lfoor muscle training and medication as the conservative treatment, nerve-sparing approach during the operation and the urethral sling and the artificial urinary sphincter placement as the operative treatment. The aim of this article is to evaluate the treatment stated above to provide some guidance to deal with post-prostatectomy incontinence.

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Graves Disease* ; Korea*

No abstract available.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a newly recognized disease entity. IgG4-RD is characterized by a single or multiple masses in one or more organs; a lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate with a high percentage of plasma cells within the lesion staining for IgG4; a peculiar pattern of fibrosis known as "storiform" fibrosis; and elevated serum IgG4 concentrations. IgG4-RD can occur in various organs, including pancreas, kidneys, lungs, retroperitoneum, and prostate gland. The head and neck involvements of IgG4-RD have been chiefly described in Mikulicz disease (MD), Küttner's tumor, orbital? inflammatory pseudotumor, and idiopathic hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IHP) previously. Recent studies reported that IgG4-RD could also involve ear, nose and throat. Here we reviewed the literatures about ear, nose and throat involvement by IgG4-RD, in order to provide some theoretical bases for the diagnosis and treatment of IgG4-RD.
Autoimmune Diseases ; physiopathology ; Ear ; physiopathology ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Nose ; physiopathology ; Pharynx ; physiopathology ; Plasma Cells ; pathology

No abstract available.
Compliance* ; Humans ; Psychopathology*

PURPOSE: We report clinical charateristics of percutaneous central venous catheteriza- tion(PCVC) that is performed commonly as a vascular access procedure in the neonatal intensive care unit(NICU) including comparision between the success rate and com- plication rate of groups performed by a doctor and by nurses who were accustomed to the IV procedure. METHODS: We evaluated a total of 158 PCVC cases performed in the NICU of Soonchunhyang Chunan hospital over 2 years 5 rnonths from May, 1995 to September, 1997. The 24 cases of PCVC were performed by doctors and 134 cases of this proce- dures were performed by well trained nurses. We have compared success rates, clinical characteristics, insertion sites, indwelling time, causes of removal of the catheters, and associated complication of both doctor performed group (D) and nurse performed group (N) retrospectively. RESULTS: The mean gestational age, birth weight, weight at the time of insertion were significantly lower in the doctor performed group than in the nurse group(P<0.001). There were significant differences in postnatal age and mean duration per catheter in both groups. The overall success rate of insertions was 89.9%(142/158), the success rate of doctor performed group was 54.2%(13/24) and nurse group was 96.3%(129/134) and there was significant difference(P<0.001). In the doctor performed group, 100% were axillary however in the nurse group 43.4% were axillary, 38.8% were antecubital, 9.4% were temporal, and 5.4% were hand. The most common cause of the removal of the catheter was elective in both groups but there was also substantial spontaneous removal by the patients and mechanical complication. Cultures of catheter tips were done after removal in 110 cases, among then were positive in 36 cases(33.6%), the most common causes were Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. CONCLUSION: In this report, the authors emphasize that percutanous central venous catheterization performed by well trained nurses has a higher success rates than the doctor performed group and can be considered safe. We would also like to emphasize that more attention should be paid to the maintanace of PCVC.
Birth Weight ; Candida albicans ; Catheterization, Central Venous ; Catheters ; Central Venous Catheters ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Gestational Age ; Hand ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between amniotic fluid interleukin-8 and the presence, severity and pattern of acute inflammatory lesions in the placenta delivered after preterm labor with intact membranes. METHODS: The relationship between placental histologic finding and amniotic fluid interleukin-8 was examined in 46 consecutive patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of preterm labor with intact membranes and who delivered singleton gestations within 5 days. RESULTS: The prevalence of acute histologic chorioamnionitis was 63.0%(29/46) and that of positive amniotic fluid culture was 17.4%(8/46). The most frequent site of histologic inflammation was chorion-decidua(56.5%, 26/46). The median amniotic fluid interleukin-8 increased significantly according to the presence and higher severity of inflammation in each type of placental section (p<0.05 for each). Three patterns of inflammation were identified in chorion-decidua: non-marginating, marginating, and mixed. Median amniotic fluid interleukin-8 and the rate of severe histologic chorioamnionitis (grade> or = 4) increased significantly in the order of non-marginating, marginating, and mixed (p<0.05 for each). CONCLUSION: Both the presence and greater severity of acute histologic chorioamnionitis are associated with an elevated amniotic fluid interleukin-8. A marginating and mixed pattern of inflammation are associated with a higher amniotic fluid interleukin-8. Amniotic fluid interleukin-8 is a reliable prenatal marker of histologic chorioamnionitis.
Amniotic Fluid* ; Chorioamnionitis ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation* ; Interleukin-8* ; Membranes ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence

Bacterial infection has been implicated in premature labor in human. But it is impossible to undergo human study of bacteria-induced preterm delivery. If we carry out animal experiment which simulate human preterm delivery induced by bacteria, studies for mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of preterm delivery will be progressed rapidly. To elucidate mechanisms and potential intervention strategies in preterm pregnancy loss, we observed bacteria-induced preterm labor and the protecting effect of administration of antibiotics with hysteroscopy-guided intracervical inoculation of Escherichia coli. Sterile saline solution(group I, n=5) or 2x10(7)cfu (colony-forming units) of E. coli bilaterally in the cervix of pregnant New Zealand White rabbits on day 20 or 21(70% of gestation) by hysteroscopy was inoculated and rabbits were assinged to ampicillin-sulbactam therapy beginning at 0hr(group II, n=4), 2 hr(group III, n=4), 4 hr(group IV, n=2), and 16 hr(group V, n=2) after inoculation with E. coli, or to no antibiotic therapy(group VI, n=3). Unasyn(ampicillin-sulbactam) was used and its daily dosage was 100 mg/kg/day. The occurrence of vaginal bleeding or preterm birth was observed every two hours. If one rabbit fetus was found to be delivered, exploratory laparotomy was done. Amniotic fluid culture on each sac, decidual culture on each uterine cavity, and pathologic examinations on each placenta were done. The results of experiments are as follows. In control group(0.2cc sterile saline inoculation only), there was no preterm labor and no bacterial growth in culture. In all three rabbits in group VI, preterm delivery occurred and the culture results were all positive in maternal blood, decidua, and amniotic sacs. Preterm delivery also occurred in group V, but results of maternal blood culture were all negative. Increased trend in the occurrence of preterm delivery was statistically significant in the order(p < 0.05) : group I(0/5), group II(0/4), group III(0/4), group IV(0/2), group V(2/2), and group VI(3/3). Pregnancy outcomes on the basis of the number of living fetus, dead fetus, and macerated fetus, have significant trend in the above order. Amniotic fluid culture results also had significant relationship(p < 0.05) : group I(0.20), group II(20/26), group III(18/30), group IV(10/11), and group VI(7/7). In group V, amniotic fluid fail to be obtained due to severe oligohydramnios. Decidual culture results also had an increased trend; group I(0/32), group II(21/29), group III(20/30), gorup IV(16/16), gorup V(11/11), and group VI(25/25). It is statistically significant(p < 0.05) Incidence of histologic chorioamnionitis was also significantly increased from group I to VI. These results indicate that E. coli inoculation has induced preterm delivery and antibiotic therapy has somewhat prevented preterm birth, amniotic fluid infection, decidual infection, and histologic chorioamnionits. Antibiotic effects were attenuated in cases of delayed antibiotic administration.
Amniotic Fluid ; Animal Experimentation ; Anti-Bacterial Agents* ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Infections ; Cervix Uteri ; Chorioamnionitis ; Decidua ; Diagnosis ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Incidence ; Laparotomy ; Models, Animal ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Oligohydramnios ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Premature Birth ; Prognosis* ; Rabbits ; Uterine Hemorrhage

Objective To determine the clinical features of childhood vitiligo in Han nationality.Methods A standardized questionnaire was used to clinically investigate 396 cases of vitiligo in patients aged less than 12 years;825 adult patients with vitiligo served as controls.Data analysis was done by SPSS 10.0.Results In child patients with vitiligo,46.2% were males,and 53.8%females;there was no statistically significant difference in gender ratio between the childhood and adult groups(P＜0.05).The incidence of segmental vitiligo was 33.3%in children,significantly higher than that in adult patients(13.5%).On the contrary,the incidence of generalized vitiligo was significantly lower in children han in adult patients(4.3%vs 11.6%).A family history of vitiligo was observed in 12.4%of children,and in 12.7% of adults,withoutsignificant difference between the two groups.For both childhood and adult vitiligo patients,the incidence of vitiligo was significantly higher in firSt-degree relatives than in second-degree relatives.The most common precipitating factor of childhood vitiligo was trauma.The incidence of halo nevi was higher in patients with childhood vitiligo compared to patients with adult vitiligo,while thyroid disease was seen more frequently in adult patients.Conclusion There are some differences in clinical characteristics of vitiligo between children and adults.