No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Membranes* ; Pregnancy* ; Rupture*

BACKGROUND: There is controversy regarding whether COX-2 specific inhibitors are associated with elevation of blood pressure. We compared the effects of aspirin, indomethacin, and celecoxib for vascular reactivity induced by phenylephrine. We also tested the effects of indomethacin and NO donor on COX-1 and COX-2 protein expression, as well as nitrite production in culture medium of vascular smooth muscle cells. MATERILAS AND METHODS: In this experiment, we used the isometric tension study for vascular reactivity. After 45 minutes of pretreatment with aspirin, indomethacin, celecoxib, and phenylephrine induced contractions were tested. COX-1 and COX-2 protein expressions were analyzed by Western blot and nitrite production by the Griess reaction. RESULTS: Although celecoxib pretreatment caused enhanced arterial contraction, aspirin pretreatment induced more potent arterial contraction than celecoxib in the isometric tension study of rabbit femoral artery. COX-1 protein expression was unchanged by indomethacin, SNP and NOR-3; COX-2 protein expression was increased by the addition of indomethacin, SNP, and NOR-3. Especially, NOR-3, a NO donor, significantly increased COX-2 protein expression with unstimulated conditions as well as LPS stimulation. Induction of nitrite production was higher with NOR-3 treatment than SNP treatment with LPS stimulation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that aspirin caused more potent vascular contraction than celecoxib and indomethacin. COX-2 expression in VSMC depended on the types of NO donor and LPS stimulation.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Aspirin ; Blood Pressure ; Blotting, Western ; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors* ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Indomethacin ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Phenylephrine ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases* ; Tissue Donors ; Celecoxib

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between uterine size and surgical outcomes in women undergoing total vaginal hysterectomy. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of the 170 patients who underwent total vaginal hysterectomy from February 2001 to November 2003. These patients were stratified into two groups; Group I, patients with uterine weight of between 300 gm to 1000 gm; Group II, patients with uterine weight of <300 gm. The two groups were compared for ages, parity, uterine weight, previous abdominal operations, concurrent surgical procedures, postoperative discharge day, bleeding amount, perioperative hemoglobin concentration change and operative time. RESULTS: 1. There were no significant difference between the two groups with respect to postoperative discharge day, concurrent surgical procedures, bleeding amount and perioperative hemoglobin concentration change. 2. The rate of surgical complications were similar in the two groups (Group I 12.5%; Group II 13.1%) (P=.660). 3. Operative time for vaginal hysterectomy was slightly longer for women in Group I than Group II (Group I 78.4 +/- 27.1 minutes; Group II 62.9 +/- 22.7 minutes) (P=.176), but the difference between the two groups in operative time was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The vaginal hysterectomy is as safe and effective for the woman with enlarged uterus (300-1000 gm) as for the woman with uterine weight of <300 gm. Uterine enlargement (uterine weight > 300 gm) is not an absolute contraindication to vaginal hysterectomy.
Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy, Vaginal* ; Medical Records ; Operative Time ; Parity ; Postoperative Care ; Uterus

No abstract available.
beta 2-Microglobulin* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic*

A 58-year-old man had been diagnosed with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCMP) according to echocardiography findings 16 years ago. Echocardiography showed ischemic cardiomyopathy (CMP)-like features with decreased systolic function but a non-dilated chamber. Coronary angiography was performed but showed a normal coronary artery. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multifocal transmural and subepicardial delayed-enhancing areas at the anteroseptal, septal, and inferoseptal left ventricular (LV) wall, and wall thinning and decreased motion of the anteroseptal LV wall. Findings of ischemic CMP-like features by echocardiography suggested microvascular dysfunction. This late stage of HCMP carries a high risk of sudden death. Cardiac MRI evaluation may be necessary in cases of ischemic CMP-like features in HCMP. In this case, the diagnosis of end-stage HCMP with microvascular dysfunction was confirmed by using cardiac MRI after a follow-up period of more than 16 years.
Cardiomyopathies ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Death, Sudden ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and low dose leucovorin (LV) combination in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with unresectable or recurrent colorectal carcinomas were prospectively accrued. Up to one prior chemotherapy regimen was allowed. Patients received oxaliplatin, 85 mg/m2, administered as a 2-hour infusion on day 1, followed by LV, 20 mg/m2, as a bolus and 5-FU, 1, 500 mg/m2, via continuous infusion for 24 hours on days 1 and 2. Treatment was repeated every 2 weeks until disease progression or adverse effects prohibited further therapy. RESULTS: Between August 1999 and May 2004, 31 patients were enrolled in this study. Of the patients enrolled, 24 and 31 were evaluable for tumor response and survival analysis, respectively. The patients' characteristics included a median age of 59, with 6 (19%) having had prior chemotherapy. No patient achieved a complete response, but nine (38%) attained a partial response. Seven (29%) patients maintained a stable disease and 8 (33%) experienced increasing disease. The median duration of the response was 6 months. After a median follow-up of 9.6 months, the median time to progression was 3.8 months, with a median survival of 10.7 months. The hematological toxicities were mild to moderate, with no treatment-related mortality or infection. The major non-hematological toxicity was gastrointestinal toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: The combination chemotherapy of oxaliplatin, low dose LV and continuous infusion of 5-FU is safe and has a cost-benefit, but is a moderately effective regimen in advanced colorectal cancer. A randomized trial comparing low and high dosages of leucovorin in the FOLFOX regimen is warranted.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Disease Progression ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Fluorouracil* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leucovorin* ; Mortality ; Prospective Studies

Papillary carcinomas account for 85~90% of all thyroid cancers, with the tumor size considered an important prognostic factor. As the use of high-resolution ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration biopsy have increased, the diagnosis of papillary microcarcinomas of the thyroid gland; defined by the World Health Organization as being less than 1 cm in diameter, has increased. They are generally associated with an excellent prognosis, with distant metastasis being extremely rare. They usually remain clinically silent until their incidental histological diagnosis by autopsy or surgical material. The incidence discovered at autopsy varies between 3 and 36%. Cervical lymph node metastases from papillary microcarcinomas have often been discovered, which may be the first and sole manifestation of the disease, without clinical suspicion of a thyroid tumor. Herein, the case of a papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, diagnosed after a total thyroidectomy due to its first presentation as a contralateral cervical lymph node metastasis, without evidence of a clinical thyroid tumor, is described.
Autopsy ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroidectomy ; Ultrasonography ; World Health Organization

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study is to find out the therapeutic effectiveness, reproductive outcome, and the diagnostic pathologic findings of the patients treated with resectoscopy. METHODS: We examined 110 patients who complained infertility, abnormal uterine bleeding and menorrhagia from May. 1995 to Dec. 2000 via office. Among the infertility and abnormal uterine bleeding patients with abnormal endometrial lesion, resectoscopy was performed and then the resected tissues was sended for pathologic examination, except IUA, uterine septum, and double uterus. After resectoscopy, we inserted Lippes loop and medicated premarin 2.5 mg, 54 days and medroxyprogesterone acetate 10 mg, 10 days to the IUA patients. In AUB patients, we only injected methergin for bleeding control. They visited office after 1 month, and the follow up for endometrial state was done through TVS, HSG, or hysteroscopy. RESULTS: Among the 44 infertility, 41 (93%) had normal endometrium findings. Of twenty pregnancy (48.8%), seven (35%) ended in a second trimester abortion, thirteen (65%) in a full-term infant. Among the 66 with abnormal uterine bleeding, the 62 (93%) had normal endometrial finding and normal menstruation pattern. But 2 patients recurred their symptom, then hysterectomy was done 3, 5 years later respectively. Most of the patients who performed histopathologic study were diagnosed as leiomyoma (59.4%), and then endometrial or endocervical polyp (25.3%) and residual placenta tissue (3.8%) respectively. CONCLUSION: The 101 patients (91.8%) improved their symptoms and intrauterine lesion. we suggest this technique which of diagnostic accuracy, cost safety, convenience, operation time, and patient's satisfaction.
Endometrium ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gynecology* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Hysteroscopy ; Infant ; Infertility ; Leiomyoma ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate ; Menorrhagia ; Menstruation ; Methylergonovine ; Placenta ; Polyps ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Uterus

The civilization has given us a great comfort and convenience but also it has been threatening our life at the same time. Recently among these causes of death the traffic accident is the most dangerous thing to threat our life. Most traffic accidents happen on the road but are increasing on the sea and river recently. Accordingly this paper presents an accident example for a boat collision accident which was anlalyzed from the evidences drawn by forensic medical and scientific methods for a passenger death accident by a collision between two boats. The forensic medical accident interpretation was made up by autopsy and drug toxicology inspection. A person who has met an unnatural death at the accident time was drunken condition. The cause of death was judged by the multiple viscera injury, and presumed to be killed by applying an high external force. In order to perform a forensic scientific analysis, we investigated the passenger's life jacket that a person killed in the accident was wearing and also investigated the external appearance of two boats which have 150h.p and 130h.p. Through comparing the position of two boats with the direction of impact on the surface of the water, we could assume that the 130h.p boat impacted the tail on the right side of 150h.p boat with constant acceleration or constant velocity.
Acceleration ; Accidents, Traffic ; Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Civilization ; Humans ; Rivers ; Ships* ; Toxicology ; Viscera ; Water