PURPOSE: We evaluated the usefulness of quantitative spiral CT to predict postoperative lung function in patients undergoing pulmonary resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients in whom pneumonectomy or segmentectomy were performed underwent preoperative chest spiral CT and pulmonary function test(PFT). Six patients underwent postoperative follow-up PFT. Ten patients underwent preoperative radioisotope(RI) lung perfusion scan. Preoperative CT data were postprocessed with contiguous pixel method ranged from -9107HU to -500HU to quantify total functional lung volume(TFLV) and regional volume to be resected(RFLV). Postoperative lung function was predicted by following formula;Predicted postoperative PFT value=preoperative PFT x 1-RFLV/TFLV). CT predicted value was compared with postoperative measured PFT value and those value of RI perfusion scan. RESULTS: CT predicted values were very close to postoperative measured value and RI predicted value, and were correlated well with postoperative measured values (FVC: r=0.988, P<0.001 ;FEV1: r=0.994, P<0.001) and RI predicted values (FVC :r=0.976, P<0.001 ;FEVl: r=0.974, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Quantitative spiral CT was useful to predict postoperative lung function and could be an effective alternative to RI perfusion scan.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung* ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Perfusion ; Pneumonectomy ; Thorax ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip*

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the association of job stress and working with video display terminal (VDT) to musculoskeletal symptoms of the neck-shoulder which were most common in white-collar workers. METHODS: From 122 workplaces, 1,790 white-collar workers with no trauma, and no history of musculoskeletal disease were selected for the study. The questionnaire survey included general characteristics, work related characteristics, Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and musculoskeletal symptoms. Multiple logistic regression, adjusted for age, smoking status, drinking habit, housekeeping, work time, job tenure, and work-load change, were used to evaluate the effects of job stress and VDT-work on the symptoms. RESULTS: The prevalence of neck-shoulder symptoms was overall 24.3% overall. The prevalence odds ratio of job demand (high/low) to neck-shoulder symptoms, adjusted for general and work-related factors, was 1.56 (95% confidence interval 1.12~2.17), and that of job strain (high strain/low strain) was 1.72 (1.07~2.79). However, VDT-work was not associated with neck-shoulder symptoms in the multiple logistic regression model. CONCLUSIONS: To prevent musculoskeletal disorders in white-collar workers, it is important to consider psychosocial factors such as job demand and job strain, as well as VDT-work.
Computer Terminals ; Drinking ; Housekeeping ; Logistic Models ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Neck* ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Psychology ; Questionnaires ; Shoulder* ; Smoke ; Smoking

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to evaluate relationship of burdened work and musculoskeletal symptoms in small-to-medium sized enterprises. METHOD: After a questionnaire survey was administered to 9,950 workers in 122 workplace, 7,626 workers(76.6%) were finally selected for the study analysis. Industrial hygienists visited 122 small-to-medium sized enterprises to investigate the presence of burdened works within the workplace. The selection of jobs with significant burden was based on the Ministry of Labor's recent notification in 11 types of job description associated with musculoskeletal disorders. The subjects of this study were then divided into three categories. 1) non-burdened white collar workers, 2) non-burdened blue collar workers, and 3) burdened workers (include some VDT workers). Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the relationship between burdened work and musculoskeletal symptoms. RESULTS: The burdened workers reported significantly more musculoskeletal symptoms than non-burdened white collar workers and non-burdened blue collar workers(OR:1.57, 95% CI: 1.314-1.875). There was no significant difference in reports of musculoskeletal symptoms between non-burdened white and blue collar workers. CONCLUSION: To prevent or diminish musculoskeletal disorders in small-to-medium sized enterprises, we need to better manage burdened works.
Job Description ; Logistic Models ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Even though adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have been spotlighted as a possible alternative for liver transplantation in an experimental setting, the mechanism by which ADSCs improve liver dysfunction remains poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic ability of undifferentiated ADSCs, and find a few clues on how ADSCs alleviate liver damage by comparing the transplantation routes. METHODS: In vitro generated human ADSCs were checked for surface markers and stage-specific genes for characterization. Afterwards, they were transplanted into C57BL/6 mice with CCl4-induced liver injury. The transplantations were made via tail vein, portal vein, and direct liver parenchymal injection. At 1 and 3 post-transplantation days, serum biochemical parameters and/or liver specimens were evaluated. RESULTS: We have shown here that ADSCs have the characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells, and belong to endodermal and/or early hepatic differentiation stage. After transplantation into the mice with acute liver failure, markers of liver injury, such as alanineaminotransferase, aspartateaminotransferase, as well as ammonia, decreased. Of these transplantation routes, transplantation via tail vein rendered the most prominent reduction in the biochemical parameters. CONCLUSION: Undifferentiated ADSCs have the ability to improve hepatic function in mice with acute liver injury. Moreover, our transplantation route study supports the theory that ADSCs in systemic circulation can exert endocrine or paracrine effects to ameliorate the injured liver.
Ammonia ; Animals ; Endoderm ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Failure ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Liver Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Mice ; Portal Vein ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; Transplants ; Veins

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the association between job stress and occupational injury among Korean employees. METHODS: The data was obtained from a work-stress survey that was administered to employees of small and medium-sized companies in Incheon, Korea. A four-month prospective follow-up study was conducted (the baseline study was conducted from September 2006 to October 2006, and the follow-up study was done from March 2007 to April 2007). A total of 1,241 participants (774 males and 467 females) were included in the analysis. A structured self-reported questionnaire was used to assess each respondent's sociodemographics, work related factors, job stress, and occupational injury. Job stress was measured using 24 items (7 sub-scales) of the Short Form of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS-SF). Occupational injuries were assessed by self-report during the follow-up period. We estimated the relation of job stress to occupational injury using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 199 employees (16.0%) had suffered at least one occupational injury during the previous 4-months. After adjustment for confounding variables, the logistic regression analyses indicated that the groups with high stress as related to 'Job demand' (OR=2.23, 95% CI=1.61-3.08), 'Organizational system' (OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.19-2.23), 'Lack of reward' (OR=1.42, 95% CI=1.03-1.95) and 'Occupational climate' (OR=1.55, 95% CI=1.13-2.13) were more likely to experience occupational injury than the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results tend to suggest that job stress is associated with occupational injury. The importance of job stress should be acknowledged and stress management programs need to be started to minimize the occupational injury caused by job stress.
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Occupational Injuries ; Prospective Studies ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors

Angiolipoma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor, an unusual variant of lipoma,consisting of fatty and vascular components and located in the subcutis, usually in the trunk and extremities. We report a case of posterior mediastinal angiolipo-ma extending into the spinal canal and showing both fat and angiomatous fea-tures on CT scan.
Aged ; Angiolipoma/pathology/*radiography ; Case Report ; Female ; Human ; Mediastinal Neoplasms/pathology/*radiography ; Spinal Canal/*pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Anticonvulsant hypersensitivity syndrome (AHS) is a rare and potentially life-threatening drug reaction, which has been associated with aromatic anticonvulsants such as phenytoin, carbamazepine, and phenobarbital. It is characterized by the triad of fever, rash and internal organ involvement, which mostly includes hepatitis. Histopathological findings usually show characteristic erythema multiforme. Lamotrigine is a new antiepileptic drug, chemically distinct from other anticonvulsant medication, however, AHS has recently been documented in patients treated with lamotrigine. We report a case of AHS in a 29-year-old man, thought to have been caused by the use of lamotrigine.
Adult ; Anticonvulsants ; Carbamazepine ; Erythema Multiforme ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Phenobarbital ; Phenytoin

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to describe the clinical and radiological mani-festations of tuberculosis in patients with end-stage renal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records, chest radiographs, and CT scans of 42 patients with tuberculosis among 871 consecutive patients with end-stage renal disease were reviewed. Patterns of initial chest radiographs were categorized as primary, postprimary, miliary, or atypical, according to the predominant radiologic findings. RESULTS: Chest radiographs and CT scans revealed pulmonary tuberculosis in 28 patients and extrapulmonary tuberculosis in 15. The pattern of chest radiographs indicative of pulmonary tuberculosis was primary in 12 cases, postprimary in 11, miliary in one, demonstrated atypical infiltrates in three, and was normal in one. Tuberculosis involved the extrathoracic lymph nodes in six cases, the peritoneum in four, the spine in three, and the bone marrow in two. The primary pattern, seen in 12 patients, manifested as pleural effusion or segmental consolidation, and in ten of the twelve the former was dominant. CONCLUSION: The radiological pattern of pulmonary tuberculosis in end-stage renal disease is often primary, and extrapulmonary involvement is frequent.
Bone Marrow ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Peritoneum ; Pleural Effusion ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Spine ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The residual tense false lumen following surgical repair of aortic dissection remains one of the most difficult and challenging postsurgical problems. Percutaneous fenestration of the dissecting membrane under the guidance of intravascular ultrasound has been recently introduced to depressurize the tense false lumen. A 63-year-old woman who underwent repair of acute type I dissection was readmitted because of claudication and numbness of the left lower extremity. Angiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging clearly showed a dissection flap starting from the thoracic aorta distal to the left subclavian artery. Compressed true lumen by the markedly enlarged tense false lumen was also noted in the double-channeled descending thoracoabdominal aorta. Under intravascular ultrasound guidance, the intimal flap was punctured with a Brockenbrough needle advanced to the true lumen through a femoral artery, and then, a balloon catheter was introduced over the guidewire which was placed across the dissection flap. Desired fenestration was obtained successfully by inflation of the balloon without complications. After procedure, symptoms resolved promptly and she is currently(clinical follow-up of 12 months postfenestration) ambulating without claudication. In conclusion, percutaneous fenestration of the intimal flap is a technically feasible and an effective alternative procedure to surgical repair for restoration of perfusion to an ischemic extremity in selected patients complicated with aortic dissection.
Angiography ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Catheters ; Extremities* ; Female ; Femoral Artery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Inflation, Economic ; Ischemia* ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Membranes ; Middle Aged ; Needles ; Perfusion ; Subclavian Artery ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Ultrasonography