No abstract available.
Crowns*

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain can be a manifestation of lumbar degenerative disease, herniation of intervertebral discs, arthritis, or lumbar stenosis. When nerve roots are compromised, low back pain, with or without lower extremity involvement, may occur. Local inflammatory processes play an important role in patients with acute lumbosciatic pain. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurements in patients with chronic low back pain or radiculopathy. METHODS: ESR and hsCRP were measured in 273 blood samples from male and female subjects with low back pain and/or radiculopathy due to herniated lumbar disc, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, and other diseases. The hsCRP and ESR were measured prior to lumbar epidural steroid injection. RESULTS: The mean ESR was 18.8 mm/h and mean hsCRP was 1.1 mg/L. ESR had a correlation with age. CONCLUSIONS: A significant systemic inflammatory reaction did not appear to arise in patients with chronic low back pain.
Arthritis ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Low Back Pain ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Radiculopathy ; Spinal Stenosis

1. Present study was made to observe the plasma renin activity in the patients of benign essential hypertension, malignant hypertension, acute or chronic glomerulonephritis, liver cirrhosis with or without ascites, congestive heart failure, and massive bleeding due to various causes. 2. It was found that the substance with constrictive action on the rat colon had the hypertensive action. 3. The normotensive group showed the renin activity of 1.81+/-1.18ng/ml. 4. Benign hypertension group showed the level of 3.14+/-3.27 ng/ml which was the significantly elevated level compared to the normal group. 5. Malignant hypertensive group showed 8.47+/-9.48 ng/ml, which was not only the apparently elevated value than that of normal group, but also showed significant difference from that of benign essential hypertension. 6. The levels of 5.6+/-2.88 ng/ml and 27.5+/-12.36 ng/ml in chronic and acute glomerulonephritis respectively showed the significantly elevated level than the normal group, and the difference between the acute and chronic glomerulonephritis was also found to be significant. 7. The hepatic cirrhosis with or without ascites showed the level of 3.77+/-2.83 ng/ml and 0.80+/-0. ng/ml respectively. The value of the former was the significantly elevated compared with the normal group, and the later was lowered. 8. The level of 11.11+/-4.12 ng/ml was significantly elevated compared to that of normal group in congestive heart failure. 9. It is suggested that the renin activity assumes to be changed to the kind and the phase of the diseases and according to present data of elevated renin activity in essential hypertension, renin may play a secondary role in essential hypertension rather than to be a primary.
Animals ; Ascites ; Colon ; Glomerulonephritis ; Heart Failure ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Malignant ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Plasma* ; Rats ; Renin*

BACKGROUND: Various surgical techniques are used for the cure of hemorrhoid according to the extent of disease and severity of symptom. Purpose : We compared the postoperative clinical course after submucosal hemorrhoidectomy and ligation and excision of hemorrhoids. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between February 1995 and May 1997, 221 patients underwent submucosal hemorrhoidectomy and 111 patients underwent ligation and excision of hemorrhoids at the Department of Surgery, Eulji General Hospital. We compared the hospital course and postoperative complications in two group. RESULTS: For submucosal hemorrhoidectomy group, mean operation time was 38 minutes, the improvement of postoperative pain, is based on no needs of analgesics after 48 hours of postoperation, was seen in 115 patients(52.0%), wound healing took 19.5 days in average, and mean hospital stay was 6.4 days. For ligation and excision group, these findings were mean operation time 21 minutes, the improvement of postoperative pain in 47 patients(42.3%), wound healing 25.4 days, and hospital stay 7.2 days. Postoperative complications such as skin tag, edema, and were more common in submucosal hemorrhoidectomy group. But anal fissure, stenosis were more frequent in ligation and excision group, although they did not occur later. CONCLUSION: We think that submucosal hemorrhoidectomy is a better method than ligation and excision in respect of postoperative course and complications.
Analgesics ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Edema ; Fissure in Ano ; Hemorrhoidectomy ; Hemorrhoids* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Ligation ; Pain, Postoperative ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Wound Healing

No abstract available.
Arteries* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy* ; Umbilical Arteries*

Botulium toxin A has been used therapeutically in humans for over 20 years for a variety of medical indications. Some wrinkle and unsightly facial expressions are due to hyperkinetic muscle. For the past year, the author has injected it for variant purpose, so we describe the our experience with the variant extended use of the toxin including correction for just dynamic wrinkle, used with subperiosteal face lifting or peeling, post-traumatic twitching, and facial paralysis and relevant anatomy are discussed. Also we have another concept about muscle anatomy which have superficial and deep portion. The superficial portion is for harmonious action with SMAS during facial expression, which is also related to fine wrinkle, and the deep portion play role gross movement. Botulium toxin is safe and effective in varient field without complication. Its use is associated with a high degree of patient and physician satisfaction.
Exotoxins* ; Facial Expression ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Rhytidoplasty

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Tubal* ; Sterilization, Tubal*

BACKGROUND: The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) requires instrument interfacing for good efficiency. However, most instrument interfacing cannot be used easily because instruments have different interface protocols and database systems are different in each hospital LIMS. Therefore, it is necessary to establish flexible interface software that would be useful for various instrument interfacing and can be handled by laboratory workers. METHODS: We categorized the raw data acquisition format of instruments into 7 classification according to the field delimiter, the field position and the test ID, and created software so that anyone could make the interface protocols for any instrument that supports the unidirectional or ASTM interface protocol, according to classification. The software also provides various functions, such as host communications and printing. RESULTS: With this software, we have interfaced 23 instruments without program languages (C, C++, Basic, Pascal, etc.) coding. It took about 1-4 hours for each instrument interface. The software supports a maximum of 8 simultaneous instrument connections with one personal computer. Also, it is possible to retrieve acquisition data from instruments with Microsoft Excel without LIMS. CONCLUSTIONS: The advantages of this software are as follows; 1. Markedly shortens the input time for data generated from automated instruments and reduces errors of manual data entry, 2. Effective increase in host computer performance, 3. Significantly saves time and cost for instrument interfacing. Therefore, this software was considered to be very useful for laboratory instrument interfacing.
Classification ; Clinical Coding ; Information Management ; Microcomputers

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Ovary*

We report a rescently experienced case with atypical radiologic manifestation of solid and papillary epithelial neoplasm of the pancreas in a 37 years old female patient. The tumor had heavy calcification on its capsule wall and septa. Instead of the usual encapsulated lesion with partly solid and partly cystic-hemorrhagic components, the lesion consisted of numerous fine cavitations containing air without fluid component except focal abscess fluid.
Abscess ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial* ; Pancreas* ; Pancrelipase*