There are many kinds of instrumentation systems for posterior operation in the treatment of scoliosis. Cotrel-Dubousset (C-D) system is most widly used for its excellent correction potential and stability. However there were some problems in C-D hook system such as hook dislodgement and correction loss. So, in order to reduce these problems we use transpedicular screw system and compare the results between two systems. We studied 44 cases of scoliosis ( hook 19 cases, screw 25 cases) who were operated with C-D instrumentation from February 1988 to August 1995. The average follow-up period was 54 months in hook group and 23 months in screw group. 1. Operation time was 241 minutes in hook group and 223 minutes in screw group. Average amount of transfusion was 5.0 pints in hook group and 4.6 pints in screw group. 2. Involved segments of main curvature were 7.0 in hook group and 6.6 in screw group. 3. Scoliotic curve was changed from 49degrees to 13degrees (73%) in hook group and from 47degrees to 12degrees (74%) in screw group. Loss of correction during follow up period was 7degrees in hook group and 3 in screw group. 4. Thoracic kyphosis was changed from 24degrees to 26degrees in hook group and from 27degrees to 30degrees in screw group. Lumbar lordosis was changed from 26degrees to 29degrees in hook group and from 26degrees to 31degrees in screw group. 5. Correction rate of rotation of apex vertebrae by Pedriolle method was 43% (from 20degrees to 12degrees) in hook group and 50% (from 22degrees to 11degrees) in screw group. 6. Complications were two cases of hook dislodgement, one delayed deep infection and four cases of progression of curvature in hook group and one case of malinsertion of screw and two cases of progression of curvature in screw group. In conclusion, these results suggested that screw system is more effective than hook system on rotational correction of apex vertebra and prevention of loss of correction.
Animals ; Follow-Up Studies ; Kyphosis ; Lordosis ; Scoliosis* ; Spine

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hysterectomy*

No abstract available.
Colorectal Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Meconium* ; Peritonitis*

CD44 is a cell adhesion molecule with numerous isoforms created by mRNA alternative splicing. Expression of CD44 variants has been suggested to play a potential role in tumor progression and metastasis. We designed primers CD44V, CD44V6/7, CD44R1 and CD44V6-10 to analyze and compare the roles of each CD44 variants. Expressions of CD44 variants were investigated in normal colonic mucosa, the lymph nodes which was histopathologically free of cancer cell, and cancer tissues of 44 human colorectal cancer patients by RT-PCR method. The expression of CD44V was observed in 28 out of 39 (71.8%) tumors and 7 out of 11 (63.6%) N1 normal regional lymph nodes, and CD44V6/7 was observed in 28 out of 39 (71.8%) tumors and 9 out of 11 (81.8%) N1 normal regional lymph nodes. The expressions of CD44V and CD44V6/7 were most frequently observed compared with any other CD44 variants. In normal colonic mucosa, the expression of CD44 variants are low but in cancer tissue and its regional lymph node, the expression of CD44V and CD44V6/7 were significantly higher and more frequent than any other CD44 variants (p<0.05). These results suggest that CD44V and CD44V6/7 can be a molecular marker for colorectal cancer and its micrometastasis to the regional normal lymph node.
Alternative Splicing ; Antigens, CD44/genetics* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology ; Colorectal Neoplasms/immunology* ; Gene Expression ; Human ; Lymph Nodes/pathology ; Lymph Nodes/immunology* ; Protein Isoforms/genetics

PURPOSE: Protein tyrosine kinase(PTK), protein kinase C(PKC), oxidase, as a mediator, have been known to take a role in signal transduction pathway of angiogenesis. The authors confirmed that PKC is the most noticeable mediator for abnormal proliferation of vascular endothelial cells through in vitro study model using the inhibitors, targeting the formation of three co-enzymes. In this study, we would investigate which isoform of PKC play an important role in abnormal angiogenesis of vascular endothelial cell. METHODS: In 96 well plates, 10(4) HUVECs(human umbilical vein endothelial cells) were evenly distributed. Two groups were established; the control group without administration of DMH(1,2-dimethylhydrazine) and the DMH group with administration of 7.5x10(-9)M DMH. RNA was extracted from vascular endothelial cell of each group and expression of the PKC isoform was analyzed by RT-PCR(reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) method. RESULTS: RT-PCR analysis showed that PKCalpha, -betaI, -betaII, -eta, -micron and -zeta were expressed in vascular endothelial cells of each group. DMH incresed the expression of PKCalpha and PKCmicron, and decreased PKCbetaI, PKCbetaII expression dominantly. CONCLUSION: Based on the result of this study, it was suggested that PKCalpha and PKCmicron may have significant role in abnormal proliferation of vascular endothelial cell.
1,2-Dimethylhydrazine* ; Cell Proliferation ; Dimenhydrinate ; Endothelial Cells* ; Oxidoreductases ; Protein Kinase C* ; Protein Kinases* ; RNA ; Signal Transduction ; Tyrosine ; Umbilical Veins

Only a few years following its original development by the English Physicist G.N. Hounsfield at 1971, cranial computed tomography has proved to be of revolutionary importance for the diagnosis of brain disorders. This is reflected not least by the almost immediate and worldwide acceptance of the diagnostic method. First in Korea, The EMI Scanner(CT 5005/7, 160(160 matrix) was introduced at Kyung Hee University Hospital on October 1977. Since then, we reviewed 444 CT scans for 1 year. 216 representative examples of abnormal CT findings among these have been chosen from this group of cases for more detailed discussion and illustration. The results were as follows; 1) 216 abnormal CT findings were subdivided into brain neoplasm 50, orbital tumor 6, AVM 1, intracerebral hemorrhage 44, occlusive CVD 30, craniocerebral trauma 46, cerebral abscess 3, meningoencephalitis 8, hydrocephalus 13, atrophy 16, parasite 4. 2) In most brain tumor cases the tissue undergoes a change of density. Vascularized tumors were enhanced after contrast infusion. Solid tumor area are well differentiated against cystic area and necrosis, and hemorrhage in tumor is also well visualized. Tumor type is often surmised, exact classification is not possible. Thus a glioblastoma multiforme of the ring type cannot be differentiated from a metastatic tumor with central necrosis. But tumor density, appearance of contrast enhancement, predilection site of tumor, relation to adjacent structure, a degree of perifocal edema and clinical data are aid to identify the tumor type. 3) Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage can be identified with certainty because of high absorption values. Extent of hemorrhage and invasion of the ventricle are usually exactly visualized. Blood filling of basal cisterns and interhemispheric fissure is also well demonstrated. As opposed to spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction shows as a region of low absorption values as early as 6 to 8 hours after ictus, which is often poorly defined with irregular borders and having mass effect during the 1st week thereafter. Sharper margins and more homogenous low density are developed 1 to 2 weeks after ictus and surrounding edema subsides with shrinking of hypodense area. Ipsilateral ventricular dilatation, homogenous low density area and sharp margins are usually found in older infarcts. 4) CT is the best method of assessing craniocerebral injuries. Since extravascular blood is set off by its high density and edematous tissue by its lower density from normal brain tissue, sequelae from injuries whose existence could only be suspected on account of the clinical symptoms but escaped detection regardless of the method used, can now be visualized directly in the CT. 5) Brain abscess has a characteristics but non specific appearance as CT, consisting of a ring configuration of the abscess capsule which shows marked enhancement after injection of contrast material. In acute stage of the meningoencephalitis, routine CT scan may be normal. During the couse of illness, diffuse enhancement of the basal cisterns and varying degree of ventricular dilatation may be found. 6) Brain atrophy is diagnosed by an enlargement of internal and external CSF spaces. Using standard sections a classification of the grade and form of the atrophy is made. The diagnosis of cysticercosis is made primarily calcification and multiple solid dense mass or cystic lesion surrounded by edema which may become enhanced following infusion of contrast media.
Abscess ; Absorption ; Atrophy ; Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Brain Diseases ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cerebral Infarction ; Classification ; Contrast Media ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Cysticercosis ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Edema ; Glioblastoma ; Hemorrhage ; Hydrocephalus ; Korea ; Meningoencephalitis ; Necrosis ; Orbit ; Parasites ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; United Nations

OBJECTIVES: To compare the quality improvement of the abstracts of original articles, according to the revised manuscript format, of the Korean Journal of Preventive Medicine (Korean J Pre Med) was adopted in 1999. METHODS: A total 63 abstracts for 1997, and 49 for 2001, were selected as the original articles from the Kor J Pre Med. This study was carried out by the separate-sample pretest-posttest design. The quality of the abstracts was measured by a checklist of Narine' evaluation criteria, and the other information related to the articles were also surveyed by e-mail and fax or telephone using a self-made questionnaire. From the response rate, a total of 62 abstracts for 1997 and 49 for 2001 were finally analyzed. RESULTS: The mean number of words in an abstract decreased from 285 in 1997, to 250 by 2001. The mean number of key words per abstract decreased from 3.9 in 1997, to 3.6 by 2001. The mean number of inappropriate usage of key words per abstract, by the MeSH standard, decreased from 1.9 in 1997, to 0.4 by 2001. Also, the overall mean score of abstract quality increased from 0.54 in 1997 to 0.61 by 2001. The range of scores for the abstract quality was better in 2001 (0.40~0.77) than in 1997 (0.20~0.81). From the multiple regression analyses of the 1997 and 2001 databases, the intervention of the manuscript format's revision, and the number of English words to the quality score of the abstract, were the only statistically significant factors. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the quality of abstracts in the Kor J Pre Med has improved since the revised manuscript format was adopted in 1999. The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine will continuously recommend proposals for more informative abstracts in their journal, and will evaluate the abstracts' content with quality criteria. Future studies should address these issues, and compare the quality of abstracts between different international and domestic journals.
Checklist ; Electronic Mail ; Preventive Medicine* ; Quality Improvement* ; Telephone

OBJECTIVES: To integrate the results of studies which assess an association between blood lead and blood pressure. METHODS: We surveyed the existing literature using a MEDLINE search with blood lead and blood pressure as key words, including reports published from January 1980 to December 2000. The criteria for quality evaluation were as follows: 1) the study subjects must have been workers exposed to lead, and 2) both blood pressure and blood lead must have been measured and presented with sufficient details so as to estimate or calculate the size of the association as a continuous variable. Among the 129 articles retrieved, 13 studies were selected for quantitative meta-analysis. Before the integration of each regression coefficient for the association between blood pressure and blood lead, a homogeneity test was conducted. RESULTS: As the homogeneity of studies was rejected in a fixed effect model, we used the results in a random effect model. Our quantitative meta-analysis yielded weighted regression coefficients of blood lead associated with systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure results of 0.0047 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.0061, 0.0155) and 0.0004 (95% CI: -0.0031, 0.0039), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The published evidence suggested that there may be a weak positive association between blood lead and blood pressure, but the association is not significant.
Blood Pressure*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: QT dispersion (QTd) is defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum QT interval in any of the 12 leads of the surface ECG. QTd has been shown to reflect regional variations in ventricular repolarization. Ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) may lead to more spatial and temporal dispersion in ventricular repolarization than idiopathic DCM. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference of QTd between patients who had ischemic and idiopathic DCM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population included 30 patients with ischemic DCM and 30 with idiopathic DCM. All standard 12-lead ECGs were examined prospectively by two observers who were unware of the patient's details. RESULTS: QTd in ischemic DCM was significantly higher than that in idiopathic DCM (63+/-32 vs. 44+/-26 msec, p=0.012) and JTd in ischemic DCM was significantly higher than that in idiopathic DCM (48+/-21 vs. 36+/-22 msec, p=0.036). Results did not change when Bazett's QTc and JTc was substituted for QT (QTcd:69+/-33 vs. 52+/-28 p=0.039) and JT (JTcd:56+/-21 vs. 41+/-25 p=0.043). CONCLUSION: Ischemic DCM has increased spatial inhomogeneity of repolarization probably due to more regional myocardial damages compared with idiopathic DCM. The value of QT dispersion as an easily accessible, non-invasive method in predicting the risk of life threatening arrhythmia and overall mortality in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy must be confirmed in prospective trials.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Mortality ; Prospective Studies