No abstract available.

The transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been used for the assessment of right and left ventricular function, valvular structure and function, regional wall motion abnormalities and localization of intravascular catheters, cannular and prosthesis. We inserted the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) under the guidance of intraoperative TEE because of the difficulty of placing PAC with the pressure tracing method in two patients. The PAC was inserted from right atrium to right ventricle with the basal four chamber view and advanced to pulmonary artery through pulmonary valve with the longitudinal view of TEE. We observed typical pulmonary arterial wave form to confirm the correct position. We suggest that the TEE can be used for successful placement of a PAC to facilitate manipulation of the catheter as an alternative method in the patients whose PAC can not be positioned with the pressure tracing method.
Catheters* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Heart Atria ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Prostheses and Implants ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Pulmonary Valve ; Ventricular Function, Left

PURPOSE: Tension-free vaginal tape(TVT) procedure in patient with stress urinary incontinence has become a favorable technique to many urologists because it has many advantages including short duration of admission, low complication and high success rates. We performed TVT folding technique in 2 patients with failed TVT procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the 52 cases who have received TVT procedure in our institute, 2 patients with failed TVT procedure were received TVT folding technique. After midline incision in the anterior vaginal wall under local anesthesia, TVT was dissected from the periurethral tissue. Folding TVT with Z-shape with proper tension was done. RESULT: 2 patients who had received TVT folding technique since march 2001 in our institute became dry day and night after 3 months follow up. CONCLUSION: TVT folding technique shows a new promising technique in case of loosely placed TVT.
Anesthesia, Local ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Urinary Incontinence*

PURPOSE: Multiple parameters were preoperatively examined to determine if any could predict successful voiding after a prostatectomy in male patients presenting with acute urinary retention due to a benign prostatic hyperplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 93 men, between 58 and 87 years old (mean age 72.9 years), who presented with acute urinary retention were investigated pre and post-operatively with an urodynamic study, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and a completed International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS). RESULTS: 3 months postoperatively, 6 patients (15.8%) with detrusor hyporeflexia or detrusor instability required clean intermittent catheterization to empty their bladders. All patients with a prostate volume over 40 gm were able to void without catheterization after the prostatectomy. The IPSS, age, residual urine, cystoscopic findings, preoperative creatinine and resected prostate weight were not predictive of voiding failure after a prostatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The urodynamic study and TRUS findings are important predictors of the improvements in symptoms and flow rates for the acute urinary retention associated with a benign prostatic hyperplasia. (Korean J Urol 2004;45:998-1001)
Aged, 80 and over ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Intermittent Urethral Catheterization ; Male ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Reflex, Abnormal ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Retention* ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: An economic analysis of pharmacological therapy and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was conducted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty six patients had undergone TURP from January to June 2000 were enrolled in this study. The costs associated with this group of patients were compared with those of 7 patients treated with medication (doxazosin, terazosin, tamsulosin, and finasteride only and alpha-blocker with finasteride). RESULTS: The mean cost for TURP was 1,900,000 won. The most expensive medical therapy was finasteride, which was followed by tamsulosin, terazosin, and doxazosin, with an estimated 12-month cost of 817,000won, 695,000won, 396,000won, and 372,000won respectively. The costs associated with doxazosin remained lower than those associated with TURP for approximately 5.3 years (the corresponding break-even point was 2.4 years for finasteride vs. TURP). CONCLUSIONS: Among the pharmacological therapies, doxazosin is the most cost effective. TURP was more cost effective than doxazosin therapy after 5.3 years. In view of the cost-effectiveness, TURP may be considered as the mode of primary therapy for the patients with severe symptoms of BPH.
Doxazosin ; Finasteride ; Humans ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate

The aim of this study is to identify hRad21-binding sites in human chromosome, the core component of cohesin complex that held sister chromatids together. After chromatin immunoprecipitation with an hRad21 antibody, it was cloned the recovered DNA and sequenced 30 independent clones. Among them, 20 clones (67%) contained repetitive elements including short interspersed transposable elements (SINE or Alu elements), long terminal repeat (LTR) and long interspersed transposable elements (LINE), fourteen of these twenty (70%) repeats clones had Alu elements, which could be categorized as the old and the young Alu Subfamily, eleven of the fourteen (73%) Alu elements belonged to the old Alu Subfamily, and only three Alu elements were categorized as young Alu subfamily. There is no CpG island within these selected clones. Association of hRad21 with Alu was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation-PCR using conserved Alu primers. The primers were designed in the flanking region of Alu, and the specific Alu element was shown in the selected clone. From these experiments, it was demonstrated that hRad21 could bind to SINE, LTRs, and LINE as well as Alu.
Alu Elements ; Chromatids ; Chromatin ; Chromatin Immunoprecipitation ; Chromosomes, Human* ; Clone Cells ; CpG Islands ; DNA ; DNA Transposable Elements ; Humans ; Humans* ; Siblings ; Terminal Repeat Sequences

Medicolegal autopsy is a vital tool for obtaining reliable injury mortality data. This study statistically analyzed data obtained from medicolegal autopsies performed in Korea in 2013. The aim of this study was to analyze various aspects of the 4,861 deaths that were categorized as unusual in Korea in 2013. A total of 4,861 deaths were analyzed by gender, age, manner of death, and cause of death. Of the 4,861 deaths, 3,542 (73.3%) were of men and 1,302 (26.7%) were of women. With respect to the manner of death, 54.4% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 38.8% were natural deaths, and 6.9% had unknown causes. Of the 2,642 unnatural deaths, 45.0% were determined to be accidental deaths, 26.3% suicidal, 16.9% homicidal, and 11.8% undetermined. Of the total number of unnatural deaths, 42.1% were trauma-related deaths, for which falling down accounted for 33.8%. Asphyxiation accounted for 16.0% of unnatural deaths, and of these, the predominant cause was hanging (58.8%). In addition, 14.4% of deaths were due to drowning, 12.9% poisoning, 11.0% thermal injuries, 1.8% complications arising from medical procedures, and 0.8% electrocution, starvation, or neglect. Among the 1,886 natural deaths, heart diseases accounted for 52.0% and vascular diseases accounted for 16.9%. Of the 196 deaths among children under the age of 10 years, 41.8% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 45.1% were natural deaths, and 1.5% had unknown causes.
Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Drowning ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality ; Poisoning ; Starvation ; Vascular Diseases

OBJECTIVES: In this study, the possibility of using existing test data provided in Korea and elsewhere for the registration of chemical substances was examined. Data on 510 chemical substances that are among the first subject to registration under the “Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH)” were analyzed. METHODS: The possibility of using existing data from 16 reference databases was examined for 510 chemical substances notified in July 2015 as being subject to registration. RESULTS: Test data with the reliability required for the registration of chemical substances under the K-REACH constituted 48.4% of the required physicochemical characteristics, 6.5% of the required health hazards, and 9.4% of the required environmental hazards. CONCLUSIONS: Some existing test data were not within the scope of this research, including data used for registration in the European Union (EU). Thus, considering that 350 of these 510 species are registered in EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals, more test data may exist that can be utilized in addition to the data identified in this study. Furthermore, the K-REACH states that non-testing data (test results predicted through Read Across, Quantitative Structure- Activity Relationships) and the weight of evidence (test results predicted based on test data with low reliability) can also be utilized for registration data. Therefore, if methods for using such data were actively reviewed, it would be possible to reduce the cost of securing test data required for the registration of chemical substances.
European Union ; Korea

OBJECTIVES: In this study, the possibility of using existing test data provided in Korea and elsewhere for the registration of chemical substances was examined. Data on 510 chemical substances that are among the first subject to registration under the “Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH)” were analyzed. METHODS: The possibility of using existing data from 16 reference databases was examined for 510 chemical substances notified in July 2015 as being subject to registration. RESULTS: Test data with the reliability required for the registration of chemical substances under the K-REACH constituted 48.4% of the required physicochemical characteristics, 6.5% of the required health hazards, and 9.4% of the required environmental hazards. CONCLUSIONS: Some existing test data were not within the scope of this research, including data used for registration in the European Union (EU). Thus, considering that 350 of these 510 species are registered in EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals, more test data may exist that can be utilized in addition to the data identified in this study. Furthermore, the K-REACH states that non-testing data (test results predicted through Read Across, Quantitative Structure- Activity Relationships) and the weight of evidence (test results predicted based on test data with low reliability) can also be utilized for registration data. Therefore, if methods for using such data were actively reviewed, it would be possible to reduce the cost of securing test data required for the registration of chemical substances.
European Union ; Korea

The chronic myelogenous leukemic K562 cell line carrying Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase is considered as pluripotent hematopoietic progenitor cells expressing markers for erythroid, granulocytic, monocytic, and megakaryocytic lineages. Here we investigated the signaling modulations required for induction of erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. When the K562 cells were treated with herbimycin A (an inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase), ras antisense oligonucleotide, and PD98059 (a specific inhibitor of MEK), inhibition of ERK/MAPK activity and cell growth, and induction of erythroid differentiation were observed. The ras mutant, pZIPRas61leu-transfected cells, K562-Ras61leu, have shown a markedly decreased cell proliferation rate with approximately 2-fold doubling time, compared with the parental K562 cells, and about 60% of these cells have shown the phenotype of erythroid differentiation. In addition, herbimycin A inhibited the growth rate and increased the erythroid differentiation, but did not affect the elevated activity of ERK/MAPK in the K562-Ras61leu cells. On the other hand, effects of PD98059 on the growth and differentiation of K562-Ras61leu cells were biphasic. At low concentration of PD98059, which inhibited the elevated activity of ERK/MAPK to the level of parental cells, the growth rate increased and the erythroid differentiation decreased slightly, and at high concentration of PD98059, which inhibited the elevated activity of ERK/MAPK below that of the parental cells, the growth rate turned down and the erythroid differentiation was restored to the untreated control level. Taken together, these results suggest that an appropriate activity of ERK/MAPK is required to maintain the rapid growth and transformed phenotype of K562 cells.
Androstadienes/pharmacology ; Ca(2+)-Calmodulin Dependent Protein Kinase ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects ; Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Erythroid Progenitor Cells/physiology* ; Erythroid Progenitor Cells/cytology ; Erythropoiesis* ; Flavones/pharmacology ; Human ; K562 Cells ; Leukemia, Myeloid/pathology ; Oligonucleotides, Antisense/pharmacology ; Quinones/pharmacology ; ras Proteins/metabolism*