The effects of embryo number and incubation volume on the development of mouse embryos were evaluated. The growth rate of two-cell mouse embryos to attached blastocyst stage and the growth rate of blastocysts to early somite stage were assessed after culture in different incubation volumes and embryo densities. Embryos were collected from ICR female mice superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin and mated by ICR males. In experiment 1, groups of one, five, ten, twenty 2-cell embryos were cultured in 10-, 50-, 500-, 1000-microliter drops of BWW media under mineral oil at 37 degrees C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air. As the incubation volume decreased, significantly (p<0.05) higher rates of embryos reached morular and blastocyst stage on day 3 and 4 culture, respectively In experiment 2, groups of one, five, ten, twenty blastocysts were cultured in 1- and 2-ml volumes of CMRL 1066 media under same condition as in experiment 1. However the reverse was the result. Decreasing the number of embryos incubated per volume from 1 to 20 significantly (p<0.05) increased the number of blastocysts reaching the late egg cylinde. (LEC) and early somite (ES) stage on day 6 and 8 culture, respectively, regardless of incubation volume. Blastocysts cultured in 2ml had higher (p<0.05) development rates to LEC and ES stage on day 6 and 8 culture, respectively, than embryos cultured in 1ml. Our results suggest that the effects of embryo number and incubation volume on the development of mouse embryos are stage specific and the shifting point was between hatching and EEC stage.
Animals ; Atmosphere ; Blastocyst ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Embryonic Structures* ; European Union ; Female ; Gonadotropins ; Humans ; Male ; Mice* ; Mineral Oil ; Ovum ; Somites

OBJECTIVE: To assess the visualization rate and size of the cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) by transabdominal sonography in normal fetuses in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. METHODS: The CSP was prospectively researched and measured using an axial transventricular plane in 308 consecutive uncomplicated singleton pregnancies between 15 and 41 weeks of gestation. RESULTS: The CSP was seen in 42.5% of cases at 15 weeks, 84.78% at 16-17 weeks, 100% at 18-37 weeks and 81.25% at 38-41 weeks. Compared to biparietal diameter (BPD), the visualization rate was 35.29% between 31 and 32 mm, 47.8% between 33 and 34 mm, 84% between 35 and 43 mm, 100% between 44 and 88 mm and 87.5% between 89 and 101 mm. Mean CSP width was 5.5+/-1.7 mm (range 2-9 mm). The CSP width was increased with gestational age and BPD, but with a slight decrease around term. CONCLUSION: In normal fetuses the CSP should always be visualized between 18 and 37 weeks, or with a BPD of 44-88 mm. Failure to observe the CSP in this interval, or possibly the presence of a large CSP, may indicate abnormal cerebral development and warrant further investigation. Conversely, absence of the CSP prior to 18 weeks, or later than 37 weeks, is a normal finding.
Female ; Fetus* ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third* ; Pregnancy* ; Prospective Studies ; Septum Pellucidum*

In the treatment of chronic adult periodontitis, scaling and root planing have been generally performed prior to periodontal flap surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of non-surgical periodontal therapy prior to periodontal flap surgery in patients with chronic adult periodontitis. Fifty six molars showing bilateral bony defects and 4-6mm periodontal pocket in twelve patients with chronic adult periodontitis were selected. By randomized split-mouth design, in one side, flap operation was performed 4 weeks after scaling and root planing, in the other group, flap operation was only performed without scaling and root planing. Probing pocket depth, gingival recession, clinical attachment level, gingival index, plaque index, and tooth mobility were measured at baseline, before flap operation and post-operation 12 weeks. The difference of clinical parameters between groups and between each measuring time was statistically analyzed. The results were as follows; 1. At 12 weeks after flap operation, there was no significant difference in probing pocket depth, gingival recession, clinical attachment level, gingival index, plaque index and tooth mobility between groups(p<0.05). 2. In both groups, probing pocket depth, gingival recession, clinical attachment level, gingival index, plaque index and tooth mobility were significantly improved at 12 weeks after flap operation compared to baseline(p<0.05). Within the limitation of short period, the results failed to demonstrate that the non-surgical periodontal therapy prior to periodontal flap surgery could have clinical significance in improvement of clinical parameters compared to periodontal surgery without non-surgical periodontal therapy.
Chronic Periodontitis ; Gingival Recession ; Humans ; Molar ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontal Pocket ; Root Planing ; Tooth Mobility

The aim of this study was to recommend the optimal age for prevention of periodontal disease and to investigate the trend of treatment modality according to different period. From the chart recordings of the patients who had been treated periodontally from Jan. 1981 to Dec. 1995 in the dept .of periodontics, Chosun University Dental Hospital, those of the periodontally treated patients on more than 4 sixtants were selected for the present study. The distribution of the patients was counted according to the age group and the gender. And they were divided into 3 groups(group 1: 1981-1985, group 2: 1985-1990, group 3: 1991-1995) by 5 year interval according to the treated year. The periodontal treatment modalities were classified into non-surgical therapy, pocket elimination surgery, regenerative periodontal surgery, mucoginigival surgery, clinical crown lengthening, and others. The results were as follows; 1.In the distribution of the periodontally treated patients according to the age group, 40's age group was the highest, and 30's, 40's, and 50's age groups occupied more than two thirds(73%). 2.The sexual distribution of the periodontally treated patients showed that males(53.4%) were a little more than females(46.6%). Within 20's group female was higher, but within 40's male was higher. 3.Regardless of the age group and the gender, pocket elimination surgery was the most frequent treatment modality. 4.In group 1 and 2(1981-1990) the main treatment modality was pocket elimination surgery and non-surgical therapy, but in group 3(1991-1995) it was regenerative periodontal surgery and pocket elimination surgery. The above results suggest that the prevention of periodontal disease should be initiated from early twenties, and the most frequent treatment modality may be closely related with development of new material and method.
Crown Lengthening ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Periodontal Diseases ; Periodontics

Splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) are the third most common intra-abdominal aneurysm and most common splanchnic artery aneurysm. They remain the subject of continued interest since the first case reported by Beaussier in 1770. The cause and indications for surgical treatment are controversial. In most cases, SAAs are detected as incidental findings. Their importance lies in their potentially fatal consequence due to rupture. We reviewed clinical features and treatment results of patients with splenic artery aneurysm experienced in Seoul National University Hospital from January, 1987 to June, 1997. Six patients of SAAs were treated during this period. Male to female ratio was 3:3, and median age was 56 years. The mean parity of all women was 3.7 and there were no pregnant women. Common symptoms were abdominal pain, hematemesis, and abdominal mass. Two patients(33.3%) were asymptomatic. The associated diseases that might cause the aneurysms were pancreatitis in 2 patients, portal hypertension in 1, operative trauma in 1, and mycotic aneurysm in 1 patient. Rupture occurred in 2 patients. One patients presented repeated hematemesis due to formation of gastro-aneurysmal fistula. Except one patient diagnosed as SAA incidentally during gastrectomy, all aneurysms were confirmed by angiography. Abdominal sonography was performed in 4 patients, and CT scan in 3. The size of the aneurysms ranged from 1 cm to 8 cm in diameter, with larger than 3 cm in 66%, smaller than 2 cm in 33% of aneurysms. About location, 33% located at proximal vessels, 17% at mid-third and 50% at distal. Five patients underwent surgical treatment. Splenectomy was performed in 3 patients, and exclusion of aneurysm in 2. We could preserve spleen in 1 case of distally located aneurysm by aneurysmal exclusion and end-to-end anastomosis of splenic artery. One patient underwent percutaneous embolization of the lesion and successfully treated. Two postoperative complications developed in ruptured cases and were managed conservatively. There was no postoperative mortality. In conclusion, complication and mortality in elective operation of SAA decreased due to recent improvement of radiologic tools and operative techniques. Considering severe fatality and morbidity of rupture of aneurysm, prompt and aggressive treatment is required in patients with high risk of rupture.
Abdominal Pain ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Female ; Fistula ; Gastrectomy ; Hematemesis ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Incidental Findings ; Male ; Mortality ; Pancreatitis ; Parity ; Postoperative Complications ; Pregnant Women ; Rupture ; Seoul ; Spleen ; Splenectomy ; Splenic Artery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Renal atery reconstuction (RAR) for renal artery stenosis has been preferred selective method to correct hypertension and to preserve renal function. But evaluation of renal artery reconstruction with use of angiography has demonstrated not only postoperative graft occlusion due to technical problem but also long term graft failure in 7~20%. This is thought to be due to intimal hyperplasia of anastomotic, midgraft or primary disease progression or extensive fibrosis on the surface of the graft compresssing the lumen. From August 1983 to Februrary 1997, we reviewed 7 patients with 12 grafts who were undertaken aortorenal bypass and performed angiographic study following at least 2 years after operation among 32 patients during these periods. The follow-up period ranged from 24 months to 124 months (average : 76 month)with studies of CT angiography in 6, conventional angiography in 1. There were 4 male and 3 female patients, and their age ranged from 17 to 50 (median age : 31). The causes of the renal artery stenosis in renovascular hypertension were athersclerosis in 2, Takayasu's arteritis in 4, fibromuscular dysplasia in 1. Postoperative blood pressure response showed cure in 2, improvement in 5 according to previously published criteria. The long term angiographic finding showed occlusion in 2, stenosis in 1, dilatation in 1 among vein grafts and stenosis in 1, occlusion in 1 among PTFE grafts. There was no change of renal function during perioperative period. Despite short term good results of renovascular reconstructions, many graft abnormalities were observed. We conclude that regular morphologic follow-up study is required as a postoperative surveillance after renovascular reconstruction.
Angiography ; Blood Pressure ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dilatation ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fibromuscular Dysplasia ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; Male ; Perioperative Period ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Renal Artery Obstruction ; Renal Artery ; Takayasu Arteritis ; Transplants ; Veins

PURPOSE: The prognosis for patients with stage IV gastric cancer is very poor. However, recently, some studies have reported benefits from a gastric resection for metastatic gastric cancer. This clinical study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of a noncurative gastrectomy in treating stage IV gastric cancer with hepatic metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 98 gastric cancer patients who had undergone gastric resection, in spite of hepatic metastasis, between January 1990 and December 1996 at the Department of Surgery in 11 General Hospitals in Korea. RESULTS: The average age was 58 years old, and the male-to-female ratio was 69: 29. The laboratory tests were unable to predict hepatic metastasis. In 54 cases, hepatic metastasis was not identified before the surgery. The most common location of gastric cancer was antrum (72 cases). The most common gross type was Bonmann type III (78 cases). The serosa-exposed cases were 80. The peritoneal seeding was combined in 17 cases. A total gastrectomy was performed in 18 cases and a distal gastrectomy in 80. Lymph-node dissection was performed in 23 Dl, and 51 D2 cases. Hepatic resection was performed in 36 cases, The frequent histologic types were moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was done in 70 cases. The complication rate (7%) was low. The median survival time was 15 months, with mean survival time of 18 months. The 2-year and 3-year survival rates were 23%, and 7%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, good survival was closely related to limitation of hepatic metastasis to one lobe, a few metastases to both lobes, negativity of peritoneal seeding and lymph node dissection more than D2 (p<0.05), CONCLUSIONS: An aggressive gastric resection for stage IV gastric cancer with hepatic metastasis might be beneficial in lengthening the survival period. A prospective study is needed, especiaUy one with an exact evaluation and analysis of the quality of life between the gastrectomy and nonresection groups.
Adenocarcinoma ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Gastrectomy* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Node Excision ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical applicability of the repeatability criteria recommended by the American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) spirometry guidelines and to determine which factors affect the repeatability of spirometry in Korean adults. METHODS: We reviewed the spirometry data of 4,663 Korean adults from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Cohort (COPD cohort) and the Community-based Cohort Study VI-Fishing village/Islands (community cohort). We measured the anthropometric factors and differences between the highest and second-highest FVC (dFVC) and FEV1 (dFEV1) from prebronchodilator spirometry. Analyses included the distribution of dFVC and dFEV1, comparison of the values meeting the 1994 ATS repeatability criteria with the values meeting the 2005 ATS/ERS repeatability criteria, and the performance of linear regression for evaluating the influence of subject characteristics and the change of criteria on the spirometric variability. RESULTS: About 95% of subjects were able to reproduce FVC and FEV1 within 150 ml. The KNHANES based on the 1994 ATS guidelines showed poorer repeatability than the COPD cohort and community cohort based on the 2005 ATS/ERS guidelines. Demographic and anthropometric factors had little effect on repeatability, explaining only 0.5 to 3%. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the new spirometry repeatability criteria recommended by the 2005 ATS/ERS guidelines is also applicable to Korean adults. The repeatability of spirometry depends little on individual characteristics when an experienced technician performs testing. Therefore, we suggest that sustained efforts for public awareness of new repeatability criteria, quality control of spirograms, and education of personnel are needed for reliable spirometric results.
Adult* ; Cohort Studies ; Education ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Quality Control ; Spirometry*

PURPOSE: We report our early experience of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EAVR) performed by vascular surgeon. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed based on the medical records of 9 cases operated for EVAR due to abdominal aortic aneurysm at the Eulji University Hospital from Jan. 2007 to Apr. 2008. RESULTS: 9 subjects consisted of 7 males and 2 female and their mean age was 70.0 years. The surgical indications of EVAR were 5 cases of abdominal pain, 3 asymptomatic cases, and 1 of pulsating abdominal mass. The mean diameter of aneurysm, mean diameter of the aortic neck, mean length of the neck and mean aortic neck angle was 56.0 mm, 23.4 mm, 32.0 mm and 46.8o respectively. The mean time for stent-grafting was 241.8 minutes and the mean contrast amount was 301.4 ml. Adjunctive procedures were performed in 3 cases. One case had the type II endoleak from the right internal iliac artery. And all cases showed to be technical and clinical success. Deployment-related complications occurred in 2 cases (access site hematoma and lymphorrhea). Mean length of hospitalization and ICU stay were 10.5, 1.2 days. The mean follow up period was 2.4 months (1~12). There was no newly developed complication such as endoleak and so on. CONCLUSION: In this study, it was shown that vascular surgeon could successfully perform EVAR. In this era of minimal invasive surgery, vascular surgeon should play an important role even in intervention such as EVAR. And it suggests that it requires more effort and the experience of a vascular surgeon.
Abdominal Pain ; Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; Endoleak ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Male ; Medical Records ; Neck ; Retrospective Studies

This study was performed to investigate prevalence of clonorchiasis among the inhabitants living in villages along the 4 major rivers, Nakdong-gang (= river), Seomjin-gang, Youngsan-gang, and Guem-gang in southern Korea. From January to December 2006, a total of 24,075 stool samples (1 sample per an inhabitant) were collected in 23 localities and examined by the formalin-ether sedimentation technique. Of the inhabitants examined, 3,441 (14.3%) were found to harbor various types of intestinal parasite eggs, cysts or larvae. Numbers of infected people were 2,661 (11.1%) for Clonorchis sinensis, 431 (1.8%) for heterophyids, 226 (0.9%) for Entamoeba spp., 57 (0.2%) for Giardia lamblia, 30 (0.1%) for Trichuris trichiura, and 18 (0.07%) for echinostomes. Prevalence rates of clonorchiasis according to the river basin were 17.1% in Nakdong-gang, 11.2% in Seomjin-gang, 5.5% in Youngsan-gang and 4.6% in Guem-gang. Of the 2,661 C. sinensis egg-positive cases, 57.7% was male. The present findings suggest that clonorchiasis is still highly prevalent among inhabitants in the riverside areas of southern Korea, and it is necessary to implement a systematic control program in the endemic areas.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Clonorchiasis/*epidemiology ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Endemic Diseases ; Feces/parasitology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parasite Egg Count ; Prevalence ; Rivers