For the evaluation of the 51Cr labelled in-vivo crossmatching test as a transfusion safety test, We examined the viability of the thransfused autologous and heterologous 51Cr labelled red cell at 1 hour and 24 hour in 6 normal volunteers and 4 patients whose RBC had been stored in CPDA-1 media from 1 day to 30 day. In both autologous transfusion control group(n=3) and allogeneic transfusion control group(n=3), the in-vivo RBC survival rate were more than 70% at 1 hour and 24 hour compared to that of basal 3 minute result(percent counted as 100%), and the eluted free radioisotope activity was less than 5% compared to that of whole blood. The crossmatch incompatible patient group also satisfied the safe transfusion criteria. The mean labelling efficiency which was tested in three patients was more than 95% and also satisfactory to reliable test. We concluded that in-vivo crossmatching test using 51Cr radioisotope would give us valuable informations about transfusion safety, especially in serologically incompatible patients.
Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Survival Rate

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

It is reported that patients with primary hyperparathyroidism(PHPT) have disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism: in particular, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance are characteristic early metabolic aberrations of this disease. However, it is not clear whether changes of insulin secretion or insulin sensitivity are observed in all patients with PHPT, including those with normal glucose tolerance. Also, it is not clear whether these changes are reversible after surgical correction of PHPT. In the present study, glucose tolerance and insulin secretion were evaluated in 2 symptomatic patients with PHPT during 100g oral glucose tolerance test before and after parathyroid adenoma removal. Comparing these patients before and after surgery, glucose tolerance was not significantly different. However, C-peptide and insulin secretion was low after surgical correction of PHPT compared to the preoperative situation. This observation suggests that insulin hypersecretion in patients with PHPT precedes glucose intolerance and this early disturbance is reversible after surgery.
C-Peptide ; Carbohydrate Metabolism ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hyperparathyroidism, Primary ; Insulin Resistance ; Insulin ; Parathyroid Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Despite known advantages of laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) over open surgery, including less blood loss, less pain, faster recovery, and shorter hospital stays, many surgeons still hesitate to perform LADG in overweight patients due to concerns about increased perioperative morbidity. We investigated whether surgical outcomes in LADG differ in overweight patients and normal patients, as well as the influence of surgical experience. METHODS: Between April 2004 and December 2006, 331 consecutive patients underwent LADG for preoperatively diagnosed early gastric cancer. Using the definition of overweight by western criteria, patients were classified into a low (n = 187, BMI < 25 kg/m(2)) and a high (n=144, BMI > 25 kg/m(2)) group. We retrospectively analyzed surgical outcomes, including operation time, retrieved lymph nodes, hospital courses, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The only differences in overweight and normal patients were longer operation time, incision length, and fewer retrieved lymph nodes. As our surgical team accumulated experience (after 250 cases in our study), there were no differences at all between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Technical difficulty in overweight patients could hamper some surgical outcomes but didn't worsen the post- operative courses or complications. Moreover, those difficulties can be overcome as the surgical team accumulates experience.
Body Mass Index ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Nodes ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms

Even though cerebral fat embolism develops rarely after long bone fracture, it may be very important complication because it can be fatal and the early detection is not easy. Neurologic symptoms include confusion, restlessness, disorientation, seizure, and stroke with focal deficits. High intensive T2 signal MRI of the brain is most sensitive for diagnosis of cerebral fat embolism. We report a case of cerebral fat embolism diagnosed after external fixation of ankle open fracture in a 46 year old woman patient with multiple fracture.
Ankle Fractures* ; Ankle* ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Embolism, Fat* ; Female ; Fractures, Bone ; Fractures, Open ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Seizures ; Stroke

PURPOSE: The only curative treatment for gastric carcinoma is surgery and it is still under debate which reconstruction method is better after performing gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma. The typical reconstruction methods after distal gastrectomy are Billroth I, Billroth II and Roux-en Y reconstruction. Yet it is difficult to compare these methods and not so much is known about which reconstruction is better in terms of the physiologic and nutritional function. With this background, we compared two reconstruction methods after distal gastrectomy (Billroth I versus Roux-en Y reconstruction) in terms of the long term physiologic function and nutritional status to create a reference for selecting reconstruction methods after distal gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1999 and 2002, 663 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy for early gastric carcinoma filled out questionnaires every six months after operation, and these questionnaires evaluated the physiologic function. To evaluate their nutritional status, blood tests were performed every six months to check their albumin, protein and hemoglobin levels, and we checked the body weight every 6 months as well. RESULTS: The total score of the 15 questions on the questionnaire concerned with the physiologic function showed no difference between the two groups at every evaluation time, and both groups showed very low total scores, indicating tolerable physiologic function after operation. When comparing each question between two the groups, only symptoms of regurgitation and food passage showed a difference between the two groups, showing that the Roux-en Y group had better function in terms of these two symptoms. The Billroth I group showed a better nutrition status, indicating that the level of albumin, protein and hemoglobin were higher in the Billroth I group, with statistical significance. Body weight loss was severe in the Roux-en Y group. CONCLUSION: The physiologic function is slightly better in the Roux-en Y group in terms of some symptoms such as regurgitation and food passage. However, the nutritional status is better in the Billroth I group. In conclusion, because we cannot definitely ascertain which reconstruction is better when we consider both the physiologic and nutritional functions, it is reasonable that surgeon should choose reconstruction methods according to their experience and preference.
Body Weight ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Bypass* ; Gastroenterostomy* ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Nutritional Status* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the particle mass size distribution and chemical properties of air pollution particulate matter (PM) in the urban area and its capacity to induce cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells. METHODS: To characterize the mass size distributions and chemical concentrations associated with urban PM, PM samples were collected by a 10-stage Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor close to nearby traffic in an urban area from December 2007 to December 2009. PM samples for in vitro cytotoxicity testing were collected by a mini-volume air sampler with PM10 and PM2.5 inlets. RESULTS: The PM size distributions were bi-modal, peaking at 0.18 to 0.32 and 1.8 to 3.2 microm. The mass concentrations of the metals in fine particles (0.1 to 1.8 microm) accounted for 45.6 to 80.4% of the mass concentrations of metals in PM10. The mass proportions of fine particles of the pollutants related to traffic emission, lead (80.4%), cadmium (69.0%), and chromium (63.8%) were higher than those of other metals. Iron was the dominant transition metal in the particles, accounting for 64.3% of the PM10 mass in all the samples. We observed PM concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects on BEAS-2B cells. CONCLUSIONS: We found that exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 from a nearby traffic area induced significant increases in protein expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8). The cell death rate and release of cytokines in response to the PM2.5 treatment were higher than those with PM10. The combined results support the hypothesis that ultrafine particles from vehicular sources can induce inflammatory responses related to environmental respiratory injury.
Air Pollution ; Bays ; Cadmium ; Cell Death ; Chromium ; Cytokines ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea* ; Metals ; Particulate Matter ; Seoul*

PURPOSE: Many recent studies have reported on the feasibility and usefulness of laparoscopy assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) for treating early gastric cancer. On the other hand, there has been few reports about laparoscopy assisted total gastrectomy (LATG) because upper located gastric cancer is relatively rare and the surgical technique is more difficult than that for LADG, We now present our procedure and results of performingLATG for the gastric cancer located in the upper or middle portion of the stomach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From Jan 2005 to Sep 2007, 96 patients underwent LATG by four surgeons at the Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Among them, 48 consecutive patients who were operated on by asingle surgeon were analyzed with respect to the clinicopathological features, the surgical results and the postoperative courses with using the prospectively collected laparoscopy surgery data. RESULTS: There was no conversion to open surgery during LATG. For all the reconstructions, Roux-en Y esophago- jejunostomy and D1+beta lymphadenectomy were the standard procedures. The mean operation time was 212+/-67 minutes. The mean total number of retrieved lymph nodes was 28.9+/-10.54 (range: 12~64) and all the patients had a clear proximal resection margin in their final pathologic reports. The mean time to passing gas, first oral feeding and discharge from the hospital was 2.98, 3.67 and 7.08 days, respectively. There were 5 surgical complications and 2 non-surgical complications for 5 (10.4%) patients, and there was no mortality. None of the patients needed operation because of complications and they recovered with conservative treatments. The mean operation time remained constant after 20 cases and so a learning curve was present. The morbidity rate was not different between the two periods, but the postoperative course was significantly better after the learning curve. Analysis of the factors contributing to the postoperative morbidity, with using logistic regression analysis, showed that the BMI is the only contributing factor forpostoperative complications (P=0.029, HR=2.513, 95% CI=1.097-5.755). Conclusions: LATG with regional lymph node dissection for upper and middle early gastric cancer is considered to be a safe, feasible method that showed an excellent postoperative course and acceptable morbidity. BMI should be considered in the patient selection at the beginning period because of the impact of the BMI on the postoperative morbidity.
Body Mass Index ; Conversion to Open Surgery ; Gastrectomy ; Hand ; Humans ; Jejunostomy ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Learning Curve ; Logistic Models ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Patient Selection ; Prospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: In elderly asthmatics, underdiagnosis is one of the important features. The main reason for underdiagnosis is thought to be a low frequency in complaining of symptoms due to the reduction of intellectual recognition and physical activity. Among the various symptoms, wheezing is the principal clue in diagnosing bronchial asthma, and decreased complaints for wheezing are also noted in elderly asthmatics. The objective of this study is to determine if less complaints of wheezing in elderly asthmatic is due to a decrease in the development of wheezing. METHODS: 61 young (20-39 years old), 68 middle-aged (40-59 years old) and 65 elderly (older than 60 years old) stable asthmatic subjects were studied (each group shall be called, hereafter, Young Group, Middle-aged Group and Old Group, respectively). During the methacholine induced airway narrowing, lung auscultation and questionnaire survey about presence and perception of wheezing were conducted in 194 asthmatics. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-nine patients (87%) developed wheezing during the methacholine induced airway obstruction. The frequency of wheezing during the methacholine challenge was found to be comparable among the groups. The methacholine concentration, % fall in FEV1, and FEV1 levels of the initial detection of wheezing were not different among the groups. Among the patients who developed wheezing, 47 patients (77%), 42 patients (61.8 %) and 26 patients (40%) complained of wheezing in Young, Middle and Old Group, respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the decreased perception of wheezing is a main factor for the low frequency of complaints of wheezing in elderly asthmatics.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; Asthma/*complications/diagnosis ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Comparative Study ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Perception ; Respiratory Sounds/*etiology