The chest radiographs and angiograms were retrospectively evaluated in 47 patients with pulmonary atresia (PA) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) to determine the characteristic findings of major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCSs) on the chest radiographs. Of 47 patients, 23 had MAPCAs and 24 had only PDA for blood supply of whole right and left lung. Chest radiographs enabled identification of 16 of 23 patients with MAPCAs. The most common finding of MAPCAs was inappropriately large peripheral pulmonary vasculature (n=16, 69.6%). The other findings were tortuosity of pulmonary vasculature (n=12, 52.2%), focal unevendistribution of pulmonary vasculature (n=12, 52.2%), and two descending pulmonary arteries (n=4, 17.4%). When chest radiographs showed two or more findings of MAPCAs, MAPCAs could be differentiated from PDA with statistical significance (p<0.005). It is concluded that chest radiographs may help to identify MAPCAs before angiography if two-dimensional echo ardiography suggests PA with VSD.
Angiography ; Arteries* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Humans ; Lung ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Atresia* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Intracranial Hemorrhages* ; Vitamin K* ; Vitamins*

Chronic bronchiolitis is a condition associated with cigarette smoking, and later associated with pulmonary parenchymal alteration and progressive deterioration of lung function. Early respiratory bronchiolitis was produced in Sprague-Dawley rats by indirect inhalation of cigarette smoke daily in a smoke exposure chamber designed by authors for 1 month. Experimental group A (n=5) was sacrificed after having smoked 30 cigarettes, group B (n=5) after 80 cigarette, and group C (n=7) after 140 cigarettes, respectively. Examination of morphologic changes in the lungs was done on light microscope, transmission and scanning electron microscopes. Light microscopically, increase in number of goblet cells in the bronchial mucosa, brown-pigmented macrophages in the alveoli, multifocal alveolar collapse adjacent to the bronchioles, dilatation of alveolar ducts and alveolar spaces were observed. Transmission electron microscopically, irregularly shaped Clara cells, alveolar wall collapse, and focally type I epithelial cell injury were seen. Scanning electron microscopically, scattered alveolar collapse, irregular dilatation of alveolar ducts, alveolar spaces and interalveolar pores (pores of Kohn) were seen. The terminal and respiratory bronchioles showed morphological alteration of Clara cells, but no evidence of cellular bronchiolitis or bronchiolar obstruction. We conclude that sidestream smoke induces an early respiratory bronchiolitis including aggregates of brown pigmented macrophages and varying degrees of structural alteration of adjacent pulmonary parenchyma.
Bronchioles ; Bronchiolitis ; Dilatation ; Epithelial Cells ; Goblet Cells ; Inhalation ; Lung ; Macrophages ; Mucous Membrane ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Smoke* ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products*

Radiation from natural sources is one of causes of the environmental diseases. Radon is the leading environmental cause of lung cancer next to smoking. To investigate the relationship between indoor radon concentrations and lung cancer, researchers must be able to estimate an individual’s cumulative level of indoor radon exposure and to do so, one must first be able to assess indoor radon concentrations. In this article, we outline factors affecting indoor radon concentrations and review related mathematical models based on the mass balance equation and the differential equations. Furthermore, we suggest the necessities of applying time-dependent functions for indoor radon concentrations and developing stochastic models.
Lung Neoplasms ; Models, Theoretical* ; Radon* ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Protein kinase C (PKC) has been known to play a central role in mediating ischemic preconditioning. The isoform of the PKC changes during the development of the heart in rats. Therefore, the protective effects of PKC activation may vary between neonatal and adult hearts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To test this hypothesis, primary cultures of neonatal and adult rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM and ARVM, respectively) were subjected to ischemic condition, which consisted of a deoxygenated air supply and glucose deprivation in the media. The survival was evaluated by counting trypan blue excluding cells. The effect of PKC activation was analyzed by the addition of a PKC agonist (12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, TPA), or an antagonist (staurosporin) to cultured myocytes. RESULTS: Under ischemic condition, ARVMs were more susceptible than NRVM. The survival of the ARVMs were 63.1+/-8.3%, 42.8+/-6.1%, 10.1+/-5.8% after 3, 6, 12 hours of ischemia, respectively, while those of the NRVMs were 68.9+/-6.4%, 60.3+/-7.3%, 34.3+/-7.5%, and 8.2+/-6.6% after 6, 12, 24, 36 hours of ischemia, respectively (p=0.031). However, the activation of the PKC following the addition of 100 nM TPA to the media significantly enhanced the survival of the ARVM, from 38.5+/-8.3% to 62.1+/-7.3%, after 6 hours of ischemia, which was similar to that of the controls (65.4+/-6.2%). In contrast, the activation of the PKC by the addition of TPA did not change the survival of the NRVM, from 31.8+/-5.8% to 28.5+/-7.3%, after less than 24 hours of ischemia. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that the protective effect of PKC activation in adult hearts differs from that in neonatal hearts, indicating that PKC isoform variance between two tissues may affect the biologic consequence of its activation.
Adult* ; Animals ; Glucose ; Heart* ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; Muscle Cells ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Cardiac* ; Negotiating ; Protein Kinase C ; Rats* ; Trypan Blue

No abstract available.
Bandages* ; Gentian Violet* ; Gentiana* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Wounds and Injuries*

Autogenous costal cartilage graft has been commonly used for reconstruction of auricular deformity. However, the risk of complication and discomfort at the donor site, as well as distortion of the graft due to morphological change in the cartilage have been serious drawbacks to this procedure. Previous studies examining the chondrogenic potential of perichondrium have suggested that perichondrium may be used as graft for cartilage reconstruction. When a perichondrial flap or a free perichondrium was used as graft, new cartilage formed appositional to the grafted perichondrium. However, the neocartilage was often irregular in shape and varied considerably in quantity. In this study, the feasibility of controlling the shape and the mass of neocartilage was investigated using coral, a porous biomaterial, as a template. A coral a template was wrapped with perichondrial flap from the ears of New Zealand white rabbits and placed into a subcutaneous pocket in the rabbits and placed into a subcutaneous pocket in the rabbit's back by incision. A total of 12 animals were used. Formation of new cartilage was later evaluated by gross and histological examination of the perichondrial flap and the coral template. New cartilage was formed in 11 animals. Immature chondrocytes were visible by 3 weeks after the surgery, and by 8 weeks the immature chondrocytes had formed a cartilage. New cartilage was formed only on the surface of the coral template. These results indicated that the shape and the mass of new cartilage may be controlled by using coral template. Therefore, the desired shape of cartilage may be achieved using a coral template of corresponding shape, and this may help in correcting subtle auricular contour defect and in correcting other structural defects that also require new cartilage formation.
Animals ; Anthozoa* ; Cartilage ; Chondrocytes ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Ear ; Humans ; Rabbits ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

Fournier's gangrene is a rare infection with high mortality rate. it consists of a mixed bacterial infectin of the skin, subcutaneous tissues and superficial fascia of the perinium and genitalia. Old patients especially with diabetes mellitus, alcoholism and maligancy are more affected. This disease requires prompt treatment: early diagnosis, broad spectrum antibiotic therapy, nutritional support and immediate extensive surgial debridement are necessary We report one case of Fournier's gangrene associated with diabetes mellitus.
Alcoholism ; Debridement ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Early Diagnosis ; Fournier Gangrene* ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Mortality ; Nutritional Support ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is hardly controllable organism among the pathogen of nosocomial infection, because it is resistant to most antibiotics except vancomycin and local treatment with most antiseptics are not effective to eradicate MRSA from the infected wounds. There is increasing fear that MRSA infection can be spread widely in the hospitals. The effectiveness of Gentian Violet against MRSA was reported by Saji et al in 1992 for the first time. We tried Gentian Violet dressing on MRSA infected wounds to evaluate whether at not the Gentian Violet is effective to eradicate 11RSA which existed in the open wound. METHODS: 24 patients were treated by wet dressing with 0.1%Gentian Violet soaked gauze twice daily. They included 10 cases of sacral and trochanteric pressure sore, 6 cases of postoperative wound infectious, 3 cases of posttraumatic skin defects, 2 cases of DM foot, 1 case of post infectious skin defect and 2 cases of electrical burn, The wound culture was evaluated for elimination of MRSA infection twice weekly. RESULTS: The clinical results revealed that MRSA was not detected in all cases within 34days (average 13.5 days) after topical administration 0.1% Gentian Violet. CONCLUSION: There is no evidence of tissue irritation with Gentian Violet dressing on open wound or wound margin. After negative conversion of MRSA with Gentian Violet dressing, gram (-) organism was isolated in a half of the cases. 0.1% Gentian Violet topical administration is a useful treatment method of wound infection with MRSA.
Administration, Topical ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local ; Bandages* ; Burns ; Cross Infection ; Femur ; Foot ; Gentian Violet* ; Gentiana* ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Pressure Ulcer ; Skin ; Vancomycin ; Viola ; Wound Infection* ; Wounds and Injuries*