A study of effect of local hypothermia upon the paravertebral muscles which also become sensitized during spinal cord cooling was performed using cats. With a cuff, a cooler, to which was attached tubes connected to a refrigerator, the experimental technique was deviced to cool the paravertebral muscles locally at cervical and lumbar level. Cold, liquid saline at a temperature of 2.8+/-0.6 degrees C was circulated in closed system through the tube into the cuff which was snugly rested on the surface of paravertebral muscles as a heat exchanger. The temperature was measured at intervals of ten minutes with thermocouples before and during cooling for thirty minutes. In the muscle surface underneath the cuff, the mean precooling temperature of 30.1 degrees C in the normal muscle was lowered to 15.4 degrees C at the end of the first 10 minutes of cooling. After this initial rapid drop in temperature, there was a further gradual decrease of temperature to 13.6 degrees C at the end of 20 minutes of cooling. In the muscle 1cm beneath the cuff, the mean precooling temperature of 31.4 degrees C in the normal muscle was lowered to 17.3 degrees C at the end of first 10 minutes of cooling. After this initial rapid drop in temperature, there was a further gradual decrease of temperature to 16.2 degrees C at the end of 20 minutes of cooling. For comparison, the temperature in the clipped muscle and nonclipped muscle were also measured. The temperature in the clipped muscle surface was lower than that of non-clipped. Topical ice application resulted in rapid drop of temperature from 31.2 degrees C to 13.9 degrees C in skin, 32.3 degrees C to 13.1 degrees C in subcutaneous layer and 32.5 degrees C to 13.9 degrees C in muscle, simultaneously. Another aspect of this experiment was an evaluation of the protective effect of local hypothermia with respect to muscle injury associated with clipping, of muscles. The injured(clipped) muscles with or without local hypothermia was biopsied and stained with Hematoxylin Eosin and Hematoxylin Basic Funchsin Picric acid and sectioned specimens were observed under the light microscope. The clipped muscle examined thirty minutes after release of clipping showed 20~30% of red stain in HBFP stain. The normal muscle showed less than 5% of red stain in the field. In intermittent hypothermia, 2 minute cooling group showed 20% of red stain in the field. The clipped muscle with local hypothermia showed less red stain than that of non-hypothermia. The results of this study confirmed the belief that the cold liquid and ice of physiologic saline can be used in clinical neurosurgery for extravascular local cooling of scalp and paravertebral muscles and for irrigating or perfusing operative field.
Animals ; Cats ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hematoxylin ; Hot Temperature ; Hypothermia ; Ice ; Muscles ; Neurosurgery ; Scalp ; Skin ; Spinal Cord

Pulmonary blastoma is a rare type of malignant lung tumor comprised of epithelial and mesenchymal elements reminiscent of fetal lung. Mesenchymal element may show various patterns of differentiation toward mature tissue, such as cartilage, smooth muscle, and bone. Rhabdomyoblastic differentiation in pulmonary blastoma is quite rare. Our case of pulmonary blastoma with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation documented by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Usually it has been treated with surgery, but both chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been used against the metastatic disease, and as the adjuvant setting. A 28/12-year-old girl is described who was presented with pulmonary blastoma. She underwent surgical excision of the tumor, followed by the T2protocol, a 8 cycles of combination chemotherapy consisting of actinomycin-D, adriamycin, vincristine and cyclophosphamide with the radiation therapy to the left chest cage(180cGyx11 times). The patient has been off therapy without any evidence of relapse for 24 months. We report a case of pulmonary blastoma with brief review of related literatures.
Cartilage ; Cyclophosphamide ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; Microscopy, Electron ; Muscle, Smooth ; Pulmonary Blastoma* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Thorax ; Vincristine

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency and status of mentally ill patients who registered in a community health center (CHC) but they could not be accessed. METHODS: A total of 233 mentally ill individuals who were registered to a CHC in B Metropolitan City participated in this survey. Data were collected from December 1 to 31, 2010 and analyzed. RESULTS: There were 140 (60.1%) community dwelling mentally ill patients who had been registered to that CHC but were not accessible. The major reasons of this inaccessibility were patients' rejection to be accessed (27.1%) and the wrong or missing address in hospital's discharge note (22.9%). The nursing problems of the subjects were rejection of medication (93.4%); poor personal hygiene (85.8%); violence including harassment of family member(s), assault, property destruction, threat with weapon (38.7%); and so on. Among 159 cases of referrals and requests for help immediate action with patient's compliance were only 8.8%. CONCLUSION: The findings show that mentally ill patients who had registered to the CHC but were not able to be accessed failed to be managed properly. This would become risk factors of social problems which threat to the community as well as individuals. Thus, we need to prepare programs for this population to make them take medicine at a minimum.
Community Health Centers ; Compliance ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Mentally Ill Persons ; Referral and Consultation ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Risk Factors ; Social Problems ; Violence ; Weapons

Recently, motor evoked potential(MEP) using cortical surface of transcranial stimulation have been used to monitor the integrity of motor pathways and map motor cortex in human and animal. The primary concept using motor evoked potentials(MEPs) for test of motor pathways was based on the assumtion that pyramidal neurons in the motor cortex are activated by electrical stimulation applied on the cerebral cortex and synchronized compound action potentials are conducted mainly along the corticospinal tracts in the spinal cord. However, the origins and the descending pathways of these MEPs in small animals may be different from those of potentials evoked by intracortical microstimulation because of current spread. Our previous study revealed that the origns of the MEPs in rats differed from those previously believed and may be reticular nuclei. To further clarify those results and localize the intraspinal pathways conduction MEPs, consecutive vertical and/or horizontal sections of the spinal cord were performed at T9 cord level in twelve rats. MEPs were recorded at T2/3 and L2/3 before and after each section and sequential alterations of MEPs were observed. In six rats, the stimulation was alternated between the right and left cortex and the lateralities of conduction pathways were compared. All six cases showed no differences of MEPs and pattern of wave abolition after each section between right and left brain stimulation. The alteration of MEPs after each consecutive section was categorized by analyzing latency shift, amplitude change, and disappearance of waves. We divided a cross section of T9 spinal cord into forty-six squares. If one of the categorized changes occurrd after cutting an area, the appropriate score was given for the area since more change of waves meant more significant contribution of the cut area to conduction of MEPs. The score of twelev rats were summed in each forty-six spots and map showing the distribution of MEPs was constructed. The map revealed that MEPs were conducted along the wide area of ventral and lateral funiculus of the spinal cord but mainly along the medial portion of the ventral funiculus of the spinal cord but mainly along the medial portion of the ventral funiculus and ventral portion of the larteral funiculus through which reticulospinal and vestibulospinal tracts pass. No conduction of MEPs along the corticospinal tracts was confirmed. This finding supports the result of our previous study. However, this extrapyramidal MEP conducted along ventral spinal cord in addition to somatosensory evoked potential(SSEP) which is conducted along posterior funiculus can be useful to monitor the integrity of the whole spinal cord. Moreover, the extrapyramidal MEP can be more useful than pyramidal MEP in rats because the reticular formation plays a more important role in motor function and pyramidal tract is located in posterior funiculus.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex ; Efferent Pathways ; Electric Stimulation ; Evoked Potentials, Motor* ; Extrapyramidal Tracts ; Humans ; Motor Cortex ; Neurons ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Rats* ; Reticular Formation ; Spinal Cord

Motor evoked potential(MEP) produced by cortical surface or transcranial stimulation has evolved as a new clinical and experimental tool to monitor the integrity of motor pathways and to map motor cortex. Clinical assessment of motor system using MEP has further advanced with recent development of the magnetic stimulator. The primary concept using MEPs for test of motor pathways was based on the assumption that pyramidal neurons in the motor cortex are activated by electrical stimulation applied on the cerebral cortex and synchronized compound action potentials are conducted mainly along the corticospinal tracts in the spinal cord. However,recent studies indicated that the origins of the Meps in non primates may differ from those previously believed. In order to use MEPs as a clinical or experimental tool, it is essential to clarify the origin of MEPs. Therefore, goals of this study were : (1) to investigate the origin of MEPs, and (2) to design the most reliable but simple method to evoke and monitor MEPs. In a total of fifteen rats, MEPs were produced by cortex to cortex stimulation and were monitored using a pair of epidural electrodes. Using varying stimulus intensities, the amplitudes and latencies of MEPs were statistically analyzed. The latencies and amplitudes of the MEPs in these animals showed surprisingly large standard deviations, which were partially resulted in these animals showed surprisingly large standard deviations, which were partially resulted from convergence of neighboring waves during high stimulation intensities. Wave forms of MEPs were also varied greatly depending on the position of recording electordes. At low stimulus intensities, most consisten MEPs were obtained when the stimulating electrodes were placed on the hard palate and the temporal muscle, not on the motor cortex. This observation indicates that the primary source of MEPs is not the motor cortex in the rat. When the potentials generated by direct stimulation of motor cortex and those generated by reticular nuclei were monitored epidurally in the same preparation using the same electrodes, these potentials generated by different sources actually identical in their latencies and wave forms. However, the threshold stimulus intensities evoking these potentials were quite different in the two metholds. The threshold was much lower to evoke potentails by reticular nuclei stimulation. It suggests that MEPs are geneated by the reticular nuclei or brain structure located in the brain stem. The observation that the motor cortex play no major roles in generating MEPs was confirmed by sequential sections of neural axis from the motor cortex to brain stem in three rats. All these findings suggested that neither direct motor cortex stimulation not transcranial stimulation did evoke MEPs originating from the motor cortex in rat. These stimulating methods activate reticular nuclei by stimulus current spread to the brain stem. Since the reticular formation plays an important role in motor function in rats, MEP originated from reticular nucleus can be an important testing of the motor function in rats. Moreover, transcranial stimulation of the brain is technically easy. This technique producing MEPs originated from reticular nucleus can be useful to monitor the integrity of motor pathways.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Brain ; Brain Stem ; Cerebral Cortex ; Efferent Pathways ; Electric Stimulation ; Electrodes ; Evoked Potentials, Motor* ; Extrapyramidal Tracts ; Motor Cortex ; Neurons ; Palate, Hard ; Primates ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Rats* ; Reticular Formation ; Spinal Cord ; Temporal Muscle

Acute gastric mucosal lesions (AGM lesions) is a general term applied to conditions characterized by the acute development of mucosal lesions in the form of erythema, mucosal hemorrhage, erosions and ulcerations in the mucosa of the stomach and duodenum. Although the pathopphysiological events leading to the formation of these lesions remain unknown, we do know that they are after preceded by one of many situations. It has become traditional to use the term stress ulcer to describe AGM lesions proceded by a major stress such as that of an operation or of severe thermal burns or hemorrhagic shock. The silent clinical manifestation of acute gastric mucosal lesions, regardless of their cause, is bleeding. AGM lesions were experimentally produced by brain injury and administration of steroid. This experimental study was conducted in order to study the so called AGM lesions, especially on production and pathology of them. This experimental animals, normal adult rate, were divided into 4 groups the first group of brain injury, the second group of brain injury and administration of steroid, the third group of administration of steroid only, and the fourth group of normal control with administration of normal saline and normal rats. The frequency of AGM lesions was studied in relation to each experimental group, experimental period and grade of lesions. The AGM lesions were divided into 3 grades depending on the macroscopic and microscopic findings. 1. AGM lesions were observed in 34 out of 63 all experimental animals except for control group of animal. Majority of the lesions were found in the glandular portion of the stomach. 2. In the brain injured group, the lesions that was erythematous and superficial mucosal erosion were found in 3 out of 21(14.3%), which were observed only in experimental period of 3-5 days. 3. In the group with brain injury and steroid administration, the lesions were found in 16 out of 21 animals(76.2%) among them grade 1 was in 2 out of 16, grade 2 in 10 and grade 3 in 4, which observed in the period of 2-7 days. 4. In the group with administration of steroid, the lesions were found in 15 out of 21 animals(71.4%), among them grade 1 was 2 out of 15, grade 2 in 11 and grade 3 in 2, which started to be observed form 2nd day through out the experimental period. 5. No lesions were investigated in the control group. No correlation between the variety of brain injury and production of AGM lesion was studied.
Adult ; Animals ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Burns ; Duodenum ; Erythema ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Pathology ; Rats ; Shock, Hemorrhagic ; Stomach ; Ulcer

By the expansion of stalk of laminaria inserted into the right epidural space of the rabbit head, cerebral compression and edema were produced. The studies of the occurrence and changes of experimental brain edema have been observed by weighing the wet and dry brain tissue, and by calculating the percentage of water content and that of swelling, with rate of per cent water content to that of control group. The percentage of water content and swelling of cerebral gray and white matters in the compressed site showed higher values than those in control and in non-compressed groups. As compared with normal group, the rate of per cent water content of cerebral gray matter at the site of compression showed gradually increasing tendency as time elapsed by 12 hours, while that of white matter demonstrated a increase of it by 24 hours and decreased gradually thereafter. Cerebral edema induced by laminaria compression was more evident and severe in the white matter than in the gray. Oxygen and glucose that are utilized the brain are two of the most important substances and play very important roles in the brain to form high energy bond and nucleic acid. Authors have attempted to measure oxygen consumption in normal rabbit brain and diseased brain that are produced by the expansion of stalk of laminaria in the intracranial epidural space. The value of oxygen consumption of cerebral gray and white matters in the compressed hemispheres showed higher values than those in control group, and they revealed a tendency of rather rapid increases at early experimental stages, an of gradual decrease thereafter.
Brain Edema* ; Brain* ; Edema ; Epidural Space ; Glucose ; Head ; Laminaria ; Oxygen ; Oxygen Consumption

Since Maisonneuve mentioned osteomyelitis by typhoid fever for the first time in 1835, numerous investigators had reported salmonella osteomyelitis. But these are very rare in its incidence ; only 0.82% of patients with typhoid infections have skeletal involvement. The authors recently experienced a case of salmonella osteomyelitis in lumbar spine respectively caused by salmonella typhi D group. A 48 year-old female was admitted to our Dept. of Neurosurgery with 4 months history of severe lumbago. On hospitalization her emperature raised upto 39 degrees C once and widal test showed salmonella typhosa OH 640x. Lumbar spine X-ray films demonstrated irregular bony destruction of L2 and L3 with mild degree of narrowing of intervertebral space of L2-3. Pus evacuation and currettage of involved vertebrae surgically were performed. Salmonella osteomyelitis involving intervertebral space was confirmed by culture of pus obtained from pathologic lesion and by biochemical test. Satisfactory result is obtained by surgical and antibiotic therapy.
Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Low Back Pain ; Middle Aged ; Neurosurgery ; Osteomyelitis* ; Research Personnel ; Salmonella typhi ; Salmonella* ; Spine* ; Suppuration ; Typhoid Fever ; X-Ray Film

PURPOSE: The Mammotome(R) biopsy is a relatively new surgical technique that is a minimally invasive image-guided procedure, requiring a small incision that produces a barely noticeable scar. The technique is a useful method for the surgical biopsy of properly selected patients. We reviewed the pathology of the biopsies for the proper selection of a mammotome biopsy in patients with re-excised breast tumors. METHODS: During a 24-month period, we performed vacuumassisted breast biopsies for 277 likely benign breast lesions using ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration cytology or a core needle biopsy, in 203 patients. The age of the patients ranged from 15 to 67 yr (average age 36.6 yr), and the average size of the lesions was 2.39+/-1.06 cm (minimum size 0.5 cm, maximum size 5.0 cm). We retrospectively analyzed the pathological findings of the re-excised breast lesions. RESULTS: The pathology of ultrasound-guided vacuum biopsies of the benign-appearing breast lesions were fibroadenomas (69.7%), intraductal papillomas (6.1%), fibrocystic disease (7.9%), phyllodes tumors (2.9%), malignant tumors (1.4%), ductal hyperplasia (2.9%), and other benign diseases (9.1%). Re-excision by a conventional method was performed for nine patients. Reasons for re-excision were the presence of five proven malignancies (a malignant phyllodes tumor in 2 cases, a tubular carcinoma in 1 case, a papillary carcinoma in 1 case and a ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS] in 1 case), a possible atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) malignancy, two marginal involvement in phyllodes tumors and the possible extension of a lesion as an atypical papilloma. In the re-excised specimens, residual tissues were noticed in eight cases. An ADH lesion was proven as a DCIS. CONCLUSION: A case of suggested marginal involvements and/or a possible malignancy should be re-excised because of the high possibility of remnant lesions being present after the mammotome biopsy. The cytological and pathological review must be performed precisely before performing the mammotome procedures with considering of the clinical and radiological findings.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy* ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Cicatrix ; Fibroadenoma ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Papilloma ; Papilloma, Intraductal ; Pathology ; Phyllodes Tumor ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography ; Vacuum

This study was conducted to identify the attributes constituting Korean social support and to validate the results of the previous study 'Search for the meaning of social support in Korean Society.' The informants were 41 Korean middle-aged women in three cities : Seoul, Dagjun and Daeku. The data were collected through indepth interviews using the interview guide from Jun. 1994 to Jun. 1995. The interview guide was developed in the simulated situations of 'Stroke attack' which expected to be in need of social support. The women were asked to answer what they felt and the appropriated terms representing the situations. Data analysis were conducted by content analysis. consequently, the Koran social support pyramid was modified as follows ; Support is the apex of the pyramid. The four sides of the pyramid are made up of 'Jung'(Bound by ties of affection, regard or shared common experience, Connectedness), Do-oom(both emotional and material help), Mi-dum(Faith or belief in) and Sa-Rang(Love). The base of the pyramid is 'yun'(the basic network of relationships in Korean culture) that connote the meaning of Eunhae(Benevolence), Euimu(duty, responsibility) and Dori(obligation).
Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged* ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic