BACKGROUND: The aging process may be induced, at least in part, by reactive oxygen species(ROS). It has been though that the lung could be a good source of ROS because it has a high oxygen tension. In the present study, we invetigated the inducibility of the first and last lines against oxidative stress, superoxide dismutases (Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD) as a scavenger of O2- and metallothionein(MT) as a scavenger of OH·, respectively, in mouse lungs with age. METHODS: Oxidative stress was induced by paraquat, an intracellular superoxide generator, at 1, 4, 8, and 12 months of age and then SODs and MT mRNAs were determined by RT-PCR method. RESULTS: The steady-state level of Mn-SOD mRNA increased from 1 to 8 months but decreased thereafter. However, Mn-SOD mRNA was not induced by paraquat after 1 month. On the other hand, there was no change in the steady-state level of Cu/Zn/-SOD mRNA, which decrease abruptly at 12 months of age. Additionally, Cu/Zn/-SOD mRNA was not induced by paraquat at any age. There was no change in the steady-state level of MT mRNA with age whereas its inducibility by paraquat was intact at all ages. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that lack of induction of SODs with age may be one of the causative factors in the aging process while induction of MT may play an important role in the defense against oxidative stress. It is therefore implicated that the tissue antioxidant/proxidant balance could be one determinants of meal life span.
Aging* ; Animals ; Hand ; Lung* ; Meals ; Metallothionein* ; Mice* ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxygen ; Paraquat* ; RNA, Messenger ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Superoxides*

Although percutaneous abscess drainage has become and accepted alternative from of therapy for selected patients with abscess, it is well known that there are several factors in the failure of adequate drainage such as pre-and post- procedural management, technique itself, various features of abscess, and selection and application of catheters. Among these factors, we made an experiment about drain efficacy of commonly used various catheters with different viscosities of water-glycerin solution under the two different pressure gradients. The experimental values of flow rate were lower than than the calculated values. An efficacy of experimental value was 4-14%. Because the inner diameter of fittings and stopcocks was usually smaller than the inner diameter of catheters, these factors also affected the drain efficacy. Finally, we though that it will be very helpful to the treatment of patients as well as to study about the catheter drainage, if the drain efficacy of individual catheters has been notified.
Abscess ; Catheters* ; Drainage ; Humans ; Viscosity

PURPOSE:To identify the main toxic gas released from salted radish in rice bran(Dan-Mu-Ji) and to introduce the radiological findings of the patient who was exposed to the gas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chest radiographs and CT scans of one survivor among three men who were exposed to the gas from Dan-Mu-Ji were reviewed. Gas obtained from the closed bottle containing Dan-Mu-Ji was analized by using the gas chromatography. RESULTS: The radiographic examinations of the survivor were suggestive of pulmonary edema with it's rapidly improving consolidations in both lung. The headspace gas within the bottle containing Dan-Mu-Ji was mainly composed with carbon dioxide, ethyl alcohol and hydrogen sulfide, of which hydrogen sulfide was considered the main toxic gas released. CONCLUSION: Under the anaerobic condition, Dan-Mu-Ji released toxic hydrogen sulfide. Inhalation of hydrogen sulfide might produce non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema.
Anoxia* ; Carbon Dioxide ; Chromatography, Gas ; Ethanol ; Humans ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; Inhalation ; Lung ; Male ; Pulmonary Edema ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Raphanus* ; Survivors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Child* ; Edema* ; Gallbladder* ; Humans

Authors analyzed the findings of findings of chest radiographs and high-resolution CT(HRCT) of chronic mercury vapor poisoning in 12 patients who were diagnosed by previous working history for mercury-thermometer and high level of mercury in blood and urine. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the HRCT findings of chronic mercury vapor poisoning. Duration of mercury exposure was ranged from 10 to 41 months(mean, 21.8 months). Estimated value of serum mercury was ranged from 3.6 to 8.7µg/dl(mean, 5.3 µg/dl: normal value is less than 0.5µg/dl). Estimated value of mercury in urine was ranged from 104 to 482µg/1(mean, 291.4µg/1: normal value is less than 20µg/1). Chest radiographs showed positive findings such as ground-glass opacities and peribronchial cuffings in only 2 out of 12 patients, but HRCT showed positive findings such as ground-glass opacities in 8 patients, peribronchial cuffings in 7 patients, centrilobular abnormalities in 5 patients, interface sign in 4 patients, interlobular septal thickening with intralobular lines in 2 patients and lobular consolidation in one patient. In conclusion, chest HRCT is superior to chest radiograph to show the pulmonary manifestation of chronic mercury vapor poisoning. In patients with chronic mercury vapor poisoning, HRCT findings of centrilobular distributed ground-glass opacities and peribronchial cuffinges are characteristic.
Humans ; Lung* ; Poisoning* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Reference Values ; Thorax

We retrospectively surveyed total 628 outpatients(1,256 eyes) of age of 60 or over who visited our department of ophthalmology with review of diagnosis, visiual acuity and associated systemic diseases during 3 years from 1988 to 1990 at the Inha University Hospital. The most prevalent ocular disease was cataract, which was diagnosed in 30.7% of total patients. The other disorders comprised conjunctival diseases(21.5%), retinal disease(18.8%), refractive errors(6.5%), lid and lacrimal diseases(5.7%), corneal diseases(5.1%), vitreous diseases(4.6%), glaucoma(4.0%), optic nerve diseases(0.79%) and uveal diseases(0.79%). The blindess was definded as 0.1 or worse of corrected visual acuity and 28% of examined eyes were conuted as the blindness. Proportion of blindness by causes were as follwed: cataract(56%), corneal diseases(10%), diabetic retinopathy(8%), glaucoma(6%), hypertensive retinopathy(5%) and vitreous diseases(3%). Various systemic diseases were associated with ocular disorders in 24% of total cases. Among them, the most prevalent systemic disease was hypertension, 36%, and diabetes mellitus 30% in next, with the following of respiratory diseases 13%, heart diseases 6%, neurologic diseases 5%, hepatobiliary diseases 5%.
Aged* ; Blindness ; Cataract ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Eye Diseases* ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ophthalmology ; Optic Nerve ; Prevalence* ; Retinaldehyde ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND: A number of theories have been proposed to explain the nature of aging process. Unfortunately, there is so far no theory that can completely explain all aging processes. In the present study, to investigate roles of inducibility of defense mechanisms by oxidative stress, cellular mRNA level of superoxide dismutases (SODs) and metallothionein (MT) as well as their inducibility by paraquat, an intracellular superoxide generator, was examined in the liver and kidney of the mice of aging process. METHODS: The steady-state levels of SODs and MT mRNA and their induction by paraquat were determined by the RT-PCR assay in male mice of 4 ages, 1, 4, 8, and 12 months. RESULTS: In the liver, the steady-state levels of Mn-SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD and MT mRNA increased until 8 months with age and decreased significantly at 12 months. Cu/Zn-SOD and MT mRNA were induced well by paraquat at all ages but Mn-SOD mRNA not at 12 months. In the kidney, their mRNA levels of Mn-SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD and MT increased with age. Mn-SOD mRNA was induced by paraquat only at 1 month but Cu/Zn-SOD mRNA not at all ages. On the other hand, MT mRNA was significantly induced by paraquat at all ages. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that SODs and MT are differentially expressed and induced according to the age and organs. In addition, it is thought that the lack of induction of Mn-SOD by oxidative stress in both the liver and kidney may be one of causative factors in the aging process while Cu/Zn-SOD and MT in the liver and MT in the kidney may play protective roles in the aging process. It is therefore implicated that the tissue antioxidant/prooxidant balance could be one of determinants of mean life span.
Aging ; Animals ; Defense Mechanisms ; Hand ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Liver* ; Male ; Metallothionein* ; Mice* ; Oxidative Stress ; Paraquat* ; RNA, Messenger ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Superoxides*

A 29 years old woman had suffered from posterior neck and right shoulder pain for one year. She was given a spinal manipulation that was by a non-licentiate at a non-hospital. Posterior neck and shoulder pains were worsened and headache was developed after the spinal manipulation. She was recommended to be kept on the manipulation. Although physical finding was non-specific, radiologic findings of CT and MRI revealed atlantoaxial subluxation. After cervical immobilization and anti-inflammatory drug medication for three months, she recovered and did return to her work. We expect that atlantoaxial subluxation after spinal manipulation is not rare even in healthy young person without underlying pathology and can progress to serious complications unless detailed examination and management are undertaken.
Adult ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Manipulation, Spinal* ; Neck ; Pathology ; Shoulder Pain

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between ST segment elevation during exercise testing and coronary artery disease. METHODS: Treadmill exercise electrocardiography and coronary angiography were performed in 137 patients with angina with no Q waves. The J point elevation of > 0.03mV(0.3mm) measured from baseline, the elevation of ST segment at 80msec. from J point(ST80) measured larger in lead V1than in aV1, or both the elevation of ST segment at J point and at ST80 developed earlier than or concomitantly with ST depression were considered as abnormal responses. RESULTS: 1) There was no clinical significance of ST elevation in lead aV1. 2) Exercise-induced ST elevation in lead V1occurred in 29 of 137 patients with angina. 3) Abnormal St elevation in V1was detected in 26 of 86 patients with coronary artery disease, for a specificity of 98%. The patients with left anterior descending coronary artery or left main coronary artery stenosis were observed in 3 of 5(60%) patients with single-vessel disease, in 7 of 9(79%) with two-vessel disease, and in 9 of 10(90%) with three-vessel disease. 4) The standard ST depression yielded a specificity of 55% in the patients with isolated or predominant ST depression in inferior leads(II. III, and aVF) and of 81% in the patients with isolated or predominat ST depressin in precordial leads(p<0.001). 5) Abnormal exercise-induced ST elevation in V1was detected in 13 of 39(33%) patients with isolated or predominat ST depression in inferior leads and yielded a specificity of 94% for coronary artery disease. CONCLUSION: Abnormal ST segment elevation in V1may increase the specificity in isolated or predominat ST segment depression in inferior leads and may predict left anterior descending or left main coronary artery disease.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Depression ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test* ; Hexamethonium ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity

We describe the case of a 58-year-old woman affected by Sjogren's syndrome characterized by dry eye, dry mouth, positive Schirmer test, and postitive ANA and anti-Ro antibody. After eight years, the patient presented muscle weakness and skin rash on upper eyelid, the dorsum of hands, upper chest, and neck diagnosed as dermatomyositis. Dermatomyositis is well controlled by a high-dose steroid, methotrexate, and hydroxychloroquine.
Dermatomyositis* ; Exanthema ; Eyelids ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; Methotrexate ; Middle Aged ; Mouth ; Muscle Weakness ; Neck ; Sjogren's Syndrome* ; Thorax