The antihypertensive effect of verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, was studied in 12 cases of essential hypertension (mean age 49, range 24-64). After 6 weeks administration (80-160mg t.i.d.), the following results were obtained : 1) Before medication, average systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 176.3/108.6mmHg. After completion of therapy, blood presure fell significantly down to 154.8/94.2mmHg (p<0.01). 2) Heart rate decreased slightly from average 74.3 per minute prior to medication to 69.3 per minute at the end of study (p<0.01). 3) Side effects, among which constipation was most common, were mild and did not compel any patient to diacontinue therapy. In conclusion, verapamil seems to be a safe and effective first-line drug for hypertension along with diuretics or beta blockers.
Blood Pressure ; Calcium Channels ; Constipation ; Diuretics ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Verapamil*

Korean Ginseng (Panax C.A. Meyer) has survived empirical efficacy as tonic and geriatric agents for several thousands of years in oriental herbal medicine. But there has been numerous controversial reports about its use in aged hypertensive men due to its allegedly hypertensive effects. Therefore, the author conducted the pharmacological studies of Korean Ginseng extracts on the blood pressure and blood lipid metabolism, during development of hypertension, using SHR(Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat), counterpart model of human essential hypertension. The results obtained were as follows: 1. SHR could be grouped, according to their age, as prehypertensive stage(<6th week after birth), labile hypertensive stage(6th 14th week), early established hypertensive stage(14th-20th week), and late established hypertensive stage(>20th week). 2. Plasma renin activity tended to rise steadily, until established hypertensive stage was reached. Thereafter, plasma renin activity tended to decline. 3. The changes of blood pressure due to Ginseng extract, depended on the amount, route and duration of its administration. Low dose of Ginseng tended to increase blood pressure but high dose of Ginseng tended to decrease blood pressure, until 1 week of intraperitonal administration. But prolonged administration of Ginseng extract beyond 1 week, showed delayed hypertensive effect in the intraperitoneal administration but not in oral administration. 4. SHR seemed to have abnormalities in the lipid metabolism. SHR showed lowered level of serum cholesterol and phospholipid, whereas slightly higher level of triglyceride, and showed lower alpha-lipoprotin fraction but higher pre beta-lipoprotein fraction, as compared with NCR.(=Normal Control Rat). 5. When high fat cholesterol salt diet was fed on, it was possible to indece hyperlidemia and increment of hypertension in SHR. but when high fat cholesterol salt diet and Ginseng extract were fed on concomitantly, Ginseng showed significant inhibiting effect on the development of hyperlidemia and hypertension.
Administration, Oral ; Blood Pressure* ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Lipid Metabolism* ; Male ; Panax* ; Plasma ; Rats, Inbred SHR* ; Renin ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Life Style* ; Prostatism*

Mass screening of cardiomegaly by chest X-ray in 144,021 (male 55,491, female 88,530) students of primary, middle and high school (6~17 years of age) in Seoul was performed and electrocardiograms of 217 cases of cardiomegaly were studied. The results were as follows; 1) Cardiomegaly (cardiothoracic ratio over 0.5) was seen in 0.19% of each sex and it was higher in middle and high school ages (12~17 years) than primary school ages (6~11 years). 2) Incidences of abnormal electrocardiogram in cardiomegaly were 59.5% in male and 54.7% of female students. Major abnormal electrocardiograms in cardiomegaly were right ventricular hypertrophy (24.8%), left ventricular hypertrophy (11.6%), biventricular hypertrophy(4.8%), complete right bundle branch block (7.7%), incomplete right bundle branch block (8.7%), first degree A-V block (5.8%) and premature beat (4.3%). 3) Left ventficular hypertrophy was seen most frequently in high school ages (15~17 years) and decreased with decreasing age. Right ventricular hypertropy was seen most frequently in primary school ages (9~11 years) and decreased with increasing age. Biventricular hypertrophy was seen most frequently in primary school ages (6~8 years) and decreased with increasing age. 4) Complete and incomplete right vundle branch block were seen commonly in 12~17 years of age and first degree A-V block in 9~11 years of age.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Incidence

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic* ; Aortic Coarctation*

This investigation evaluated the fracture toughness (KIC) of eight currently available core materials, and relate the fracture toughness value to fractography analysis and surface characteristics using a atomic force microscope (AFM). Single-edge notched (SEN) test specimens (n=10) and compact tension (CT) test specimens (n=10) were prepared conforming to the ASTM Standard E-399 for a high copper amalgam, three composite core materials (Core-Max II, Core Paste, Bisfil Core), two reinforced composite core materials (Ti-Core, Ti-Core Natural), a resin-modified glass ionomer core material (Vitremer), and a conventional glass ionomer core material (Ketac-Molar). The specimens were tested with an Instron Universal Testing Machine. The maximum loads were measured to calculate the fracture toughness (KIC). Thereafter, fracture surfaces of SEN specimens of each material were investigated for fractography analysis using scanning electron microscope. And, disc-shaped specimens with 1mm thickness were fabricated for each material and were investigated under AFM for surface morphology analysis. The results were as follows : 1. Bisfil Core showed the highest mean fracture toughness regardless of test methods. 2. For the tooth-colored materials, Ti-Core Natural exhibited the highest fracture toughness. 3. Ketac Molar showed a significantly low fracture toughness when compared with the amalgam and the composite resin core materials (p<0.05). 4. The fracture toughness values obtained with the single-edge notched test, except Ketac Molar, were higher than those obtained in the compact tension test. 5. SEM revealed that the fracture surface of high fracture toughness material was rougher than that of low fracture toughness material. 6. AFM revealed that the surface particles of the composite resins were smaller in size, with a lower surface roughness than the glass ionomer core materials.
Composite Resins ; Copper ; Glass ; Molar

Primary cutaneous CD30+ large cell lymphoma(LCL) is a rare cutaneous peripheral T cell lymphoma with a favorable prognosis. This lymphoma characteristically presents itself as a solitary or localized skin tumor with frequent cutaneous relapses and partial or complete spontaneous remission. Recently we saw a sixty-three year old male who had developed primary cutaneous CD30+ large cell lymphoma that waxed and waned. He presented with localized multiple nodules that had shown repetitive spontaneous regression and recurrences with the same morphology in the same area for several years. There was no evidence of nodal and visceral involvement. The immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that most neoplastic cells in the tumor were positive for CD30 and pan-T cells and negative for pan-B cells, S-100 proteins, EMA and monocyte-macrophage related antigen(CD68).
Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Male ; Prognosis ; Recurrence* ; Remission, Spontaneous ; S100 Proteins ; Skin

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hysterectomy*

Ultrasongraphy is a safe, noninvasive examination which should be the first procedure in the workup of apatient with a definite or suspected pelvic masses. The diagnostic schemes were derived from correlating the sonographic features with histomorphology in 230 surgically proven pelvic masses. Besides separating pelvic masses into the conventional categories of cystic, complex and solid, grayscale sonographic features of a pelvic mass canbe used to subcategorized these masses into a more useful differential diagnosis. The results are as follows; 1.The most characteristic finding of uterine myoma was midly to mederately echogenic uterine enlargement (90.7%)with a lobulated uterine margin (62.8%), and often less echogenic than the normal uterine echoes. 2. The typical ultrasonographic finding of H-mole was uterine enlargement with multiple small vesicular patterns of intrauterincontents(93%). 3. The most frequent finding of cystic teratoma was cystic mass with echogenic foci(48%), but the echogenic appearance of the lesions was extremely variable. 4. The ultrasonographic findings of ectopic pregnancywere adnexal mass(comlex or cystic), decidual proliferation of the uterus, enlargement of uterine size, fluid incul-de-sac, deveiation of uterus by adnexal mass, and psuedointrauterine appearance. 5. Ultrasound provided information leading to the correct diagnosis in 57% of cases, contributory data in 21.3%, and non-specific information in 10.4%. Errors occured in 3.9% and false-negative in 7.4%.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Leiomyoma ; Teratoma ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus