PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether T1-201 reinjection distinguishes viable from non-viable myocardium in patients with reverse redistribution after acute myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 42 patients with acute myocardial infarction (age, 55+/-12 years). Eighteen (43%) out of 42 showed reverse redistribution on dipyridamole stress-4 hour redistribution T1-201 single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). T1-201 reinjection was performed at 24 hours. Reverse redistribution was defined as worsening of perfusion defect at 4 hour delayed scan. All patients underwent follow-up echocardiography in 4 months to assess regional wall motion improvement. T1-201 uptake on reinjection images were analyzed for the prediction of myocardial wall motion improvement. RESULTS: Of 36 segments with reverse redistribution, 17 segments showed normal wall motion on echocardiography, while 19 segments showed all motion abnormalities. Of 19 the segments with reverse redistribution, 11 (58%) showed enhanced uptake after 24 hour reinjection. Myocardial wall motion was improved in 10 of 11 segments (90%) with enhanced uptake on reinjection. Wall motion improvement was not seen in 5 of 8 segments (63%) without enhanced thallium uptake. When myocardial viability was assessed by the uptake on reinjection image, nine of 10 segments (90%) with normal or mildly decreased uptake showed improved wall motion. Wall motion was not improved in 5 of 9 segments (56%) with severely decreased uptake. CONCLUSION: In patients with acute myocardial ifarction, T1-201 reinjection imaging on myocardial segments with reverse redistribution has a high positive predictive value in the assessment of myocardial viability.
Dipyridamole ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium* ; Perfusion ; Thallium* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

No abstract available.
Toluene* ; Xylenes*

PURPOSE: We evaluated the importance of redistribution and 24 hour reinjection images in Tl-201 SPECT assessment of myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed dipyridamole stress-4 hour redistribution-24 hour reinjection Tl-201 SPECT in 43 patients with recent AMI (4-16 days). The myocardium was divided into 16 segments and perfusion grade was measured visually with 4 point score from 0 to 3 (absent uptake to normal uptake). A perfusion defect with stress score 2 was considered moderate. A defect was considered severe if the stress score was 0 or l (absent uptake or severe perfusion decrease). Moderate defect on stress image were considered viable and segments with severe defect were considered viable if they showed improvement of 1 score or more on redistribution or reinjection images. We compared the results of viability assess-ment in stress-redistribution and stress-reinjection images. RESULTS: On visual analysis, 344 of 688 segments (50%) had abnormal perfusion. Fifty two (15%) had moderate perfusion defects and 292 (85%) had severe perfusion defects on stress image. Of 292 severe stress defects, 53 were irreversible on redistribution and reversible on reinjection images, and 15 were reversible on redistribution and irreversible on reinjection images. Two hundred twenty four of 292 segments (76.7%) showed concordant results on stress-redistribution and stress-reinjection images. Therefore 24 hour reinjection image changed viability status from necrotic to viable in 53 segments of 292 severe stress defect (18%). However, myocardial viability was underestimated in only 5% (15/292) of severe defects by 24 hour reinjection. CONCLUSION: The 24 hour reinjection imaging is useful in the assessment of rnyocardial viability. It is more sensitive than 4 hour redistribution imaging. However, both redistribution and reinjection images are needed since they complement each other.
Complement System Proteins ; Dipyridamole ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium ; Perfusion ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

PURPOSE: ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is a potent coronary vasodilator with a rapid onset of action and a very short half-life. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with intravenous ATP has not yet been sufficiently proven in the diagnosis, follow-up, and risk stratification of coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of pharmacologic stress thallium-201 myocardial SPECT using an intravenous ATP infusion in patients with suspected coronary artery disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thalliurn-201 myocardial SPECT in 319 patients with suspected coronary artery disease were performed after the infusion of ATP (0.08 mg/kg/min for 6 rnin). The adverse effects were carefully monitored. Coronary angiography was also performed within 3 weeks. RESULTS: Although 76.5% of the patients had sorne adverse effects, they were transient, mild, and well tolerated. In all patients, the ATP infusion protocol was completed and only 2 patients required aminophylline. The adverse effects were dyspnea in 63%, headache in 31%, flushing in 21%, chest pain in 14% and abdominal discomfort in 5% of the patients. The sensitivity and specificity were 80% and 90% respectively. CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 myocardial SPECT after 6 min-infusion of ATP at a rate of 0.08 mg/kg/min is safe and has a diagnostic value in detecting coronary artery disease.
Adenosine Triphosphate* ; Aminophylline ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis* ; Dyspnea ; Flushing ; Follow-Up Studies ; Half-Life ; Headache ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous* ; Perfusion Imaging ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

Background & Objective: Hiccups is a disabling condition of lateral medullary infarction (LMI). Unlike other symptoms of LMI, the anatomical lesions of hiccups are not well known. Few studies have evaluated the relationship between the lesional location of LMI and hiccups. We performed this study to correlate hiccups and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based lesional location in pure LMI. Methods: Between January 1997 and February 2013, we identified 24 patients with pure LMI who presented with hiccups in addition to typical lateral medullary syndrome. Sixty six pure LMI patients without hiccups were included as a control group. Clinical and radiologic findings were compared between the two groups. MRI-identified lesions were classified rostrocaudally as rostral, middle and caudal, and horizontally as typical, ventral, large, lateral and dorsal. Results: The pure LMI patients with hiccups had significantly more frequent aspiration pneumonia (P = 0.001) and longer hospital stay (P = 0.03). The patients with hiccups significantly more often had dorsal rather than ventral lesion at horizontal levels (P = 0.012). But, there were no rostro-caudal differences at vertical levels (P = 0.162). Conclusions: We suggest that pure LMI associated with hiccups often locates in the dorsal medulla at horizontal correlation. This MRI-based comparative study has advanced the understanding of the neural substrate for hiccups in LMI, and indicates that hiccups become predictable when specific lesional locations in the lateral medulla are considered.

Background: Ablative fractional CO2 laser treatment is popular for improving atrophic acne scars; however, complications after laser treatment are unavoidable. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of a moisturizer containing Centella asiatica extract when applied after ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing. Methods: A split-face study was conducted between September 2020 and December 2020 on 34 patients (16 females and 18 males) who were treated with ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing. After laser treatment, C. asiatica extract was applied to the right side of the face and purified water was applied to the left side. We compared the right and left sides of the face at various time points after laser treatment using an automatic skin analysis device to investigate the degree of moisture and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Results: No significant difference in the degree of moisture was found between the two sides of the face immediately after laser treatment (P=0.059), but there was a significant difference at 1 and 4 hours after post-laser treatment care (P<0.001). Regarding post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, there was no significant difference between the two sides of the face before laser treatment (P=0.184), but a significant difference was found at 6 weeks after laser treatment (P<0.001). Conclusions Our results show that applying C. asiatica extract is a novel post-laser treatment modality that can provide satisfactory results without complications after ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing.

Background: Ablative fractional CO2 laser treatment is popular for improving atrophic acne scars; however, complications after laser treatment are unavoidable. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of a moisturizer containing Centella asiatica extract when applied after ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing. Methods: A split-face study was conducted between September 2020 and December 2020 on 34 patients (16 females and 18 males) who were treated with ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing. After laser treatment, C. asiatica extract was applied to the right side of the face and purified water was applied to the left side. We compared the right and left sides of the face at various time points after laser treatment using an automatic skin analysis device to investigate the degree of moisture and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Results: No significant difference in the degree of moisture was found between the two sides of the face immediately after laser treatment (P=0.059), but there was a significant difference at 1 and 4 hours after post-laser treatment care (P<0.001). Regarding post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, there was no significant difference between the two sides of the face before laser treatment (P=0.184), but a significant difference was found at 6 weeks after laser treatment (P<0.001). Conclusions Our results show that applying C. asiatica extract is a novel post-laser treatment modality that can provide satisfactory results without complications after ablative fractional CO2 laser resurfacing.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this review was to estimate the lethal and exposure doses of a representative symptom (blindness) of methanol exposure in humans by reviewing data from previous articles. METHODS: Available articles published from 1970 to 2016 that investigated the dose-response relationship for methanol exposure (i.e., the exposure concentration and the biological markers/clinical symptoms) were evaluated; the MEDLINE and RISS (Korean search engine) databases were searched. The available data from these articles were carefully selected to estimate the range and median of a lethal human dose. The regression equation and correlation coefficient (between the exposure level and urinary methanol concentration as a biological exposure marker) were assumed from the previous data. RESULTS: The lethal human dose of pure methanol was estimated at 15.8–474 g/person as a range and as 56.2 g/person as the median. The dose-response relationship between methanol vapor in ambient air and urinary methanol concentrations was thought to be correlated. An oral intake of 3.16–11.85 g/person of pure methanol could cause blindness. The lethal dose from respiratory intake was reported to be 4000–13,000 mg/l. The initial concentration of optic neuritis and blindness were shown to be 228.5 and 1103 mg/l, respectively, for a 12-h exposure. CONCLUSION: The concentration of biological exposure indices and clinical symptoms for methanol exposure might have a dose-response relationship according to previous articles. Even a low dose of pure methanol through oral or respiratory exposure might be lethal or result in blindness as a clinical symptom.
Blindness ; Humans* ; Methanol* ; Optic Neuritis

We found an error in this article. The author's name should be corrected as following: from "Younsuk Koh" to "Younsuck Koh".

BACKGROUND: Critical care physician staffing is a crucial element of the intensive care unit (ICU) organization, and is associated with better outcomes in ICUs. Adult ICUs in Korea have been suffering from inadequate full-time intensivists and nurses because of insufficient reimbursement rates (<50% of the original critical care cost) from the National Health Insurance System. Recently, full-time intensivists have been introduced as a prerequisite for adult ICUs of tertiary hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of intensivist staffing among critical care program directors regarding the barriers and solutions when implementing an intensivist model of critical care in Korea. METHODS: An email survey of critical care program directors in designated teaching hospitals for critical care subspecialty training by the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine was performed. The survey domains included vision, culture, resources, barriers, and potential solutions to implementing intensivist physician staffing (IPS). RESULTS: Forty-two critical care program directors were surveyed. A total of 28 directors (66.7%) responded to email queries. Of these, 27 directors (96.4%) agreed that IPS would improve the quality of care in the ICU, although half of them reported a negative perception of relevant clinical colleagues for the role of full-time intensivists and poor resources for IPS in their hospitals. Increased financial burden due to hiring full-time intensivists and concerns regarding exclusion from the management of their critically ill patients in the ICU, together with loss of income for primary attending physicians were stated by the respondents to be major barriers to implementing IPS. Financial incentives for the required cost from the health insurance system and enhancement of medical law relevant to critical care were regarded as solutions to these issues. CONCLUSIONS: Critical care program directors believe that intensivist-led critical care can improve the outcome of ICUs. They indicated the financial burden due to IPS and underestimation of a full-time intensivist's role to be major barriers. The program directors agreed that a partnership between hospital leaders and the Ministry of Health and Welfare was needed to overcome these barriers.
Adult* ; Critical Care ; Critical Illness ; Electronic Mail ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Intensive Care Units ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Motivation ; National Health Programs ; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tertiary Care Centers