Because the postmortem changes rapidly distort values of many constituents in the body fluids, the determination of postmortem chemical changes and relation among body fluids is very important in medicolegal community. A laboratory result is not useful if appropriate data for comparison are lacking. The aim of this paper is to determine the reference ranges and the postmortem changes for chemical constituents in postmortem specimen. We examined 17 clinical laboratory parameters in cadaveric blood and vitreous humor obtained from 51 autopsy cases. The mean, standard error, standard deviation and confidence interval of all measured constituents were shown in Table 2 & Figure 1. The postmortem blood level of amylase, phosporus, LDH, ALT, AST and CPK are very higher than those of antemortem blood. The postmortem vitreous level of total bilirubin, triglyceride, GGT, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total protein and cholesterol are very low and is not reliable. The ratio of vitreous/blood in calcium, BUN, creatine and uric acid are 0.74, 0.68, 0.29 and 0.23 in decreasing orders(Table 3,4). For the medical examiner or pathologist, routine chemical examinations of the vitreous humor can provide evidence of abnormality not apparent in gross or microscopic examination of the tissue. A more extensive study will be required, using a larger number of subjects, to establish the full range of variability.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Amylases ; Autopsy ; Bilirubin ; Body Fluids ; Cadaver ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Confidence Intervals ; Coroners and Medical Examiners ; Creatine ; Humans ; Postmortem Changes ; Reference Values ; Triglycerides ; Uric Acid ; Vitreous Body

A mesenteric cyst is considered one of the rarest type of abdominal tumor. We have experienced unusual case of large mesenteric cyst arising from jejunum in a 10-year-old boy. CT disclosed cystic intrabdominal mesenteric mass with attenuated coefficiency +3-+11 Hounsfield units (HU). Pathologically it was confiremed to be benign mesenteric cyst.
Child ; Humans ; Jejunum ; Male ; Mesenteric Cyst

This case report describes a patient with semipedunclated granuylar cell tumor(granular cell myoblastoma) of the proximal ascending colon removed by endoscopic polypectomy. A 39-year old femalie was visited to our hospital for intermittent abdominal pain and loose stool. Colonoscopic examination showed a semipedunclated lesion covered with yellowish white smooth mucosa in the proximal ascending colon. The tumor was removed by endoscopic polypectomy. The collected specimen was 0.9x0.8 cm in size. The cut surface of the specimen showed a white round firm tumor covered with mormal epithelium of the colon. Using immunohistochemical study, the tumor cells were to be positively stained by S-100 protein and negatively stained by desmin, which supports the concept of the Schwann cell origin of granular cell tumor. In Korea, 2 cases of granular cell tumor of the colon and rectum, which were treated by surgical removal, have been reported. This case in the first endoscopic polypectomy of granular cell tumor of the colon and retum in Korea. The endoscopic polypectomy is thought to be useful for the therapy of small pedunclated or semipedunclated granular cell tumor, intracolonic type.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending* ; Desmin ; Epithelium ; Granular Cell Tumor* ; Humans ; Korea ; Mucous Membrane ; Rectum ; S100 Proteins

The authors developed a computerized documentation system to record and store all the data pertaining to an endoscopic examination of the upper digestive tract. The system was programmed using the database management system Clipper Version 5.01. It is easy and convenient to use due to advanced deaign of input screen using menu bars and pull down menu and windows. The system was designed to permit the easy storage and retrieval of data by personnel who lack computer skills and who may only have limited typing ability. Today this system has been in daily use for 1 year at the endoscopic units of 8 different branch hospitals of Catholic university,medical college. Overall the experience in these centers has been positive, with excelient or good participation. Characteristics of this system are a menu-driven system, data input by predefined list, instantaneous report generation, on line access to previous examination, late entry of yathologic regerts. and record retrieval, listing according to different criteria. For the description of endoscopic findings and diagnosis, structured input is maintained. All of the findings are chosen from predefined list using pop-up screen and also free text typing is allowed. Therefore time effort was not increased compared to conventional documentation. Structured input and the resulting categorical data affer several advantages.
Database Management Systems ; Diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hospitals, Satellite ; Information Systems

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Branchial Region*

PURPOSE: To compare the detectability and conspicuity of focal hepatic lesions among conventional spin echo techniqueniques and fast scanning techniqueniques in MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHOD: 36 patients (24 men and 12 women, mean age of 54 years) with suspected liver mass on CT scan and US underwent MR imaging at 1.5 T system. Conventional spin echo T1, T2 weighted imaging, T2 weighted fast spin echo, T1 weighted fast multiplanar spoiled gradient recalled(FMPSPGR) imaging and Gd-enhanced FMPSPGR(Gd-FMPSPGR) were performed. 16 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, 13 cases of hemangioma, 3 cases of metastasis, 3 cases of cholangiocarcinoma, and 1 case of lymphoma were included. Lesion conspicuity and number of detected hepatic masses were compared among the MR sequences. RESULTS: Overall 63 hepatic lesions were detected in 36 patients. Lesion detection' was 63(100%) with Gd-FMPSPGR, 62(98%) with non-enhanced FMPSPGR, 58(92%) with SE T2WI, 56(89%) with SE T1WI and 54 (86%)with FSE. For solid tumors, the contrast to noise ratio was greatest on Gd-FMPSPGR which was significantly higher than any other sequences. For hemangiomas it was greatest on SE T2WI and was significantly higher than SE T1WI. In the qualitative assessment, Gd-FMPSPGR was preferred for both solid mass lesion and hemangioma. FSE was inferior to SE T2WI for lesion detection and conspicuity without statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: For the evaluation of focal hepatic lesions, breath-hold FMPSPGR with and without contrast enhancement may replace the conventional SE T1WI. Because FSE was inferior to SE T2WI when the later is used with respiratory compensation in some cases, it is difficult to replace the SE T2WI with FSE. But FSE, FMPSPGR and Gd-FMPSPGR images, when combined, may replace SE T1WI and SE T2WI.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Compensation and Redress ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymphoma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Noise ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Atropine is the classic antimuscarinic anticholinergic drug that bas been used to block cholinergic neurotransmission in basic research and received recent interest clinically in the intracavernous pharmacotherapy of erectile dysfunction. It has been suggested that at low dose(0.00000001M), atropine blocks muscarinic receptors, thereby reducing both cholinergic of the adrenergic and cholinergic excitation of the NANC neuroeffector systems, on the other hand, at large pharmacological dose(0.001M),induces the release of EDRF which recently has been identified as nitric oxide(NO) or NO like substance. Therefore, we tried to confirm the action of atropine in the cavernosal tissue and define its mechanism. Strip of rabbit corpus cavernosum were isolated and mounted in 10 ml organ chambers to measure isometric tension. Muscle strips submaximally precontracted with phenylephrine(5x0.000001M) and treated with increasing concentrations of atropine(0.00000000001M to 0.00lM) showed tension increase upto 0.00000001M of atropine, and thereafter, relaxed concentration dependently(0.0000001M: 43.7%, 0. 000001M: 63.0%,0.00001M:86.2%,0.0001M:93.6%,0.001M:100%). Relaxations to atropine(5x0.000001M) were not inhibited even partially by endothelial disruption or by pretreatment with methylene blue or pyrogallol. Pretreatment of muscle strips with atropine(5x0.00000lM) caused concentration- related inhibition of a phenylephrine induced contraction, and in calcium-free high potassium depolarizing solution, decreased basal tension as well as inhibited contraction induced by CaC12. However, atropine did not produce reduction of responses to depolarizing medium(20, 40, 80mM KCl). With these results we can confirm the relaxation effect of atropine at a larger dose(>0.0000001M)on the cavernosal smooth muscle and suggest that its action is mediated by increasing intracellular calcium sequestration,not by hyperpolarization or EDRF.
Atropine* ; Calcium ; Drug Therapy ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Hand ; Male ; Methylene Blue ; Muscle, Smooth ; Phenylephrine ; Potassium ; Pyrogallol ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; Relaxation* ; Synaptic Transmission

Esophageal ulcers induced by doxycycline is a rare complication. These patients usually complain of sudden onset of symptoms, ie acute substernal or chest pain and odynophagia without prior hietory of esophageal syraptoms. On esophagoscopic examination, there are upper or midesophageal ulcers, which heal after diseontinuation of the drug within 2 weeks. A history of ingestion of the doxycycline,with liquid jost before bedtime can be elicited. The exact eause of the xaucosal ulceration is not clear, but a direct irritant effeet on esophageal mucosa seems most likely. We report 5 cases of esophageal uleeration secondary to the ingestion of doxycydine. Esophagoscopy revealed esophageal ulcers in all patients and the patients hecame asymptomatic following stopping of tbe drugs and taking antacids.
Antacids ; Chest Pain ; Doxycycline* ; Eating ; Esophagoscopy ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Ulcer*

PURPOSE: Androgen was thought to be linked to sexual activity in man but its peripheral action have not been identified precisely. Recently, androgens dependent nature of nitric oxide synthase(NOS), the enzyme system producing nitric oxide(NO) as the principal mediator in penile erection, has been studied. The present study was designed to determine if NO within the penis is regulated by androgen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Effect of testosterone on the penile NO was investigated from three groups of rabbit; control(a sham operation), castration group (four sub-groups: 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after castration) and testosterone replacement group (four sub-groups: testosterone propionate(10mg/day) was given subcutaneously from 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after castration for 7 days respectively). Strips of rabbit corpus cavernosum were isolated and mounted in organ chambers. The relaxation effects were assessed with electrical field stimulation(EFS) in the precontracted cavernosal muscle strips with phenylephrine. Penile NOS activity was measured by the rate of 14C-L-arginine-citrulline conversion. Penile tissue was subsequently stained for the presence of NOS, using a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry. RESULTS: EFS evoked a relaxation of rabbit corpus cavernosum. A gradual decrease in the EFS evoked relaxation was recorded, proportional to the duration of being castrated, which was restored to the level of control by testosterone replacement. After castration, penile NOS activity was significantly reduced to 51.3%, 43.7%, 37.5%, and 32.7% of the level of control at 1, 2, 3, 4weeks. This decrease in penile NOS activity after castration was also restored by testosterone replacement. Diffusely scattered delicate nerve fibers showing blue color reaction after NADPH-d histochemical staining were reduced in castrated cavernosum in comparison with control. CONCLUSIONS: Based on presented data we conclude that testosterone plays a direct role in penile erection by regulating the activity of NOS within the penis.
Androgens ; Castration ; Male ; NADP ; Nerve Fibers ; Nitric Oxide Synthase* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Penile Erection ; Penis* ; Phenylephrine ; Relaxation ; Sexual Behavior ; Testosterone*