No abstract available.
Alcoholics* ; Humans ; Marchiafava-Bignami Disease*

BACKGROUND: There has been a change in the causes of aortic stenosis when comparence of rheumatioc aortic stenosis in recent year. Therefore, we studied the etiology factor of pure aortic stenosis. METHODS: The gross surgical pathologic features of the aortic valves were reviewed in 92 patients with pure aotic stenosis whom underwent aortic valve replacement at Yonsei University, Cardiovascular center between July 1989 and June 1994. RESULTS: The three most frequent causes were 1) calcification of congenital bicuspid valve in 30%, 2) degenerative calcification of aortic valve in 22%, 3) rheumatioc valvular change in 48%. The mean age at the time of aortic valve replacement for the entire series of patients was 54.4 years. The range of age was from 18 years to 77 years. Males predominated for degenerative disease and congenital bicuspid valves, but there were reversed rheumatic origin. One or more complications occured in 17% of patients undergoing operation. The surgical mortality was 3.3%. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that more common cause of aortic stenosis is non-rheumatic disease rather than rheumatinc origin.
Adult* ; Aortic Valve ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve ; Mortality

No abstract available.
Gonadal Dysgenesis, Mixed*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Spinal Stenosis*

No abstract available.
Retrospective Studies ; Surgery, Oral ; Tracheostomy

This study was designed to examine the effects of two antidepressant drugs on the expression of c-fos mRNA in cultured embryonic rat hippocampal neurons. The drugs used were imipramine and amitriptyline. On the fourth day of culture, hippocampal neurons were treated with variable concentrations of each drug. Competitive RT-PCR(Reverse Transcriptase-PCR) analysis was used to quantify the c-fos mRNA expression induced by each drug. Experimental results showed that acute and direct treatment with imipramine and amitriptyline with relatively low concentrations(imipramine < or =10micrometer, amitriptyline < or =10micrometer) had no inductive effect on the expression of c-fos mRNA in the rat hippocampal neurons. However, after treatment with relatively high concentrations(imipramine > or =100micrometer, amitriptyline > or =100micrometer) c-fos mRNA was not detected. These findings suggest the followings. Firstly, the action mechanisms of these drugs on the hippocampal neurons might not be mediated by c-fos but by other immediate-early genes(IEGs). Secondly, their actions may be mediated indirectly via other areas of the brain. Thirdly, the expression of c-fos might be inhibited by high concentrations of these drugs, or the high concentrations could induce cell death. Finally, though cell death remains to be confirmed, the inhibition of c-fos induction or cell death could play a role in the cognitive impairments known to be adverse effects of some antidepressants. This study is believed to be a first step toward understanding the mechanisms of learning and memory. Further studies are needed to investigate the expression of various IEGs and changes in the hippocampal neurons of rat resulting from chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs.
Amitriptyline ; Animals ; Antidepressive Agents* ; Brain ; Cell Death ; Imipramine ; Learning ; Memory ; Neurons* ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger*

Moyamoya disease is defined as the development of collateral pathways, associated with bilateral chronic progressive stenosis of the carotid fork. Persistent trigeminal artery is the vessel most frequently observed to persist into adult life among persistent carotid-basilar and carotid-vertebral anastomotic vessels. The authors present a man who had a sudden, severe headache and brain CT showed subarachnoid hemorrhage in left interpeduncular and prepontine cistern. Four-vessel angiogram revealed moyamoya disease associated with aneurysm arising from the junction of persistent trigeminal artery aneurysm and basilar artery. As a treatment, coil embolization was tried but it was failed because of anatomical difficulty of aneurysm. The aneurysm was successfully treated with clipping surgery 10 days later. To our knowledge, this is the first case being reported.
Adult ; Aneurysm* ; Arteries* ; Basilar Artery ; Brain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Headache ; Humans ; Moyamoya Disease* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate MR signal intensity(SI) of calcification and to assess the capability of MRI in detection of various intracranial calcifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MR findings and ROI value of experimental model of calcium carbonate suspension according to each concentration (20, 35, 50%) and diameter (1-10 mm) and hydroxyapatite suspension according to each concentration (10, 20, 30, 40, 50%) were analyzed. A specimen of calcification in cranio-pharyngioma was analyzed for its composition by XRD(X-ray diffractometer) and ICP(inductively coupled plasma) methods. MRI of 34 patients with intracranial calcifications were retrospectively analyzed for signal intensity of the calcification and its capability to detect calcifications according to size, location, and contrast with adjacent lesion. RESULTS: The calcium carbonate phantom with larger diameter and low concentration showed lower signal intensity on T2 than TlWl. Hydroxyapatite phantom showed high signal intensity in 10-30% concentration and low signal intensity in 40-50% concentration on T1 weighted image. The 5 cases of 34 intracranial calcifications showed high signal intensity on T1 weighted image. The capability of MRI in the detection of intracranial calcifications decreased in the circumstances such as small size(<2.5mm) and intraventricular location. Although the size of calcification was small, the detection was easy in the good contrast with adjacent lesion. However, the detection of the small sized calcification was easy if the contrast with adjacent lesion was good. CONCLUSION: lntracranial calcification shows generally low signal intensity on T1 and T2 weighted image with the exception of occasional high SI on TlWl. Detection of intracranial calcification in MRI is affected by its composition, size, location, and contrast with adjcent lesion.
Calcium Carbonate ; Durapatite ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Models, Theoretical ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: The measurement of carbon monoxide concentration in expired air is used as an objective method to analyze the smoking status. This method has been proven to be reliable and is used throughout the world but it has been only recently accepted in Korea. Therefore the purpose of this study was to examine if measuring the concentration in expired air accurately reflects the Korean's smoking status. METHODS: The subjects were from ages of 19 through 75 healthy people including smokers and nonsmokers. The smokers had their carbon monoxide measured after answering a questionnaire. This questionnaire was formed to obtain information concerning smoking status, smoking habit and factors that influence carbon monoxide measurement. Micro II smokerlyzer (Bedfont Instruments Ltd., England) was used to analyze CO concentration in expired air. The method used for measuring CO concentration was to deeply inhale and hold one's breath for 15 seconds and measure CO concentration while exhaling. RESULTS: The total number of subjects was 148(143 males, 5 females) consisting of 114 smokers, 34 non smokers(never smokers 23, ex smokers 11). The average CO concentration in exhaled air in smokers was 17.247.30 ppm, in nonsmokers 6.031.06 ppm(in ex smokers 6.361.29 ppm, in never smokers 5.870.92 ppm). A significant difference was evident between smokers and non smokers(P<0.0001). The CO concentration values compared among the groups divided in terms of daily smoking rate were as the following 11.885.57 ppm in subjects smoking less than 10 cigarettes/day, 17.356.48 ppm in those smoking 11 20 cigarettes/day, 20.006.35 ppm in the 21 30 cigarettes/day group, and 24.889.70 ppm in the 31 cigarettes/day group (p<0.0001). In addition, the CO concentration was influenced by the change of the degree of inhalation and the elapsed time since last smoking. CONCLUSION: The measurement of CO concentration in exhaled air among the Koreans proved to be an accurate and reliable method reflecting the present smoking status.
Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Exhalation ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Male ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Surveys and Questionnaires