No abstract available.
Follow-Up Studies* ; Occupational Diseases*

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was performed in the 86 normal persons using a UM9 of ATL with a 3.5 MHZ transducer in the Heart Center of Dong-A University Hospital during March-September 1990. 1) The transesophageal basal short axis views in the normal were seen in the Fig. 2~6. The Fig. 2 showed 3 aortic valve cusps, Fig. 3 the left coronary artery, Fig. 4 the right pulmonary artery bifurcated from the main pulmonary artery, Fig. 5 3 major vessels of superior vena cava, aorta and pulmonary artery and Fig. 6 the Left atrial appendage. 2) The transesophageal 4-chamber views in the normal were seen in Fig. 7~10. The Fig. 7 showed the left ventricular outflow tract, Fig. 8 right and left atrium and ventricle, Fig. 9 the atrial septum containing the membrane of fossa ovalis and Fig. 10 right atrium and ventricle. 3) The transesophageal transgastric short axis view in the normal was seen in Fig. 11. Fig. 11 showed the transverse image of LV and RV. 4) The transesophageal ascending aorta image was observed in Fig. 3. descending aorta image in Fig. 12 and the transesophageal aortic arch image in Fig. 14. 5) From the transesophageal 4 chamber view the septum-lateral wall dimension of the left ventricle was 5.0cm and the dimension between the apex and the closed mitral valve 6.3cm. The medial-lateral dimension of the left atrial appendage was 3.0cm and the superior-inferior dimension 4.1cm. The dimension of the descending aorta was 2.7cm and the ascending aorta 3.0cm.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Aortic Valve ; Atrial Appendage ; Atrial Septum ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Membranes ; Mitral Valve ; Pulmonary Artery ; Transducers ; Vena Cava, Superior

PURPOSE: Untill now, AMT at the early stage of corneal ulcer has been prohibited by the reasons that measurement of progression of ulcer by active pathogens was difficult through the transplanted amniotic membrane and anxiety about worsening by decreased permeability of antibiotics. This study has investigated the effect of early AMT in the bacterial corneal ulcer. METHODS: We made experimental bacterial corneal ulcer in 10 rabbits with Staphylococcus epidermidis, which typically has a more indolent clinical course. After certification of infection, fresh amniotic membranes, soaked by fortified antibiotics was transplanted to 5 eyes to which we dropped fortified antibiotics. And to another 5 eyes we applied only fortified antibiotics. After observing the progression of corneal ulcer for 4 weeks, we compared the degree of corneal opacity and histopathologic changes between the two groups to measure the effect of early AMP in the bacterial corneal ulcer. RESULTS: Corneal ulcer was healed in the all 5 cases of early AMT-performed group, And compared with the group without AMT, successful decrement of corneal opacity was observed in the 4 cases of early AMT-performed group. Histopathologic observation has revealed only mild inflammation and the maintenance of parallel architecture of stromal collagens. CONCLUSIONS: In the experimental corneal ulcer with Staphylococcus Epidermidis, we observed healing of the ulcer with decrement of corneal opacity, result from early transplantation of amniotic membrane, soaked in fortified antibiotics followed by dropping of fortified antibiotics at an early stage of ulcer.
Amnion* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anxiety ; Certification ; Collagen ; Corneal Opacity ; Corneal Ulcer* ; Inflammation ; Permeability ; Rabbits ; Staphylococcus epidermidis* ; Staphylococcus* ; Ulcer

The human intestinal microbiota is a community of 10(13)-10(14) microorganisms that harbor in the intestine and normally participate in a symbiotic relationship with human. Technical and conceptual advances have enabled rapid progress in characterizing the taxonomic composition, metabolic capacity and immunomodulatory activity of the human intestinal microbiota. Their collective genome, defined as microbiome, is estimated to contain > or =150 times as many genes as 2.85 billion base pair human genome. The intestinal microbiota and its microbiome form a diverse and complex ecological community that profoundly impact intestinal homeostasis and disease states. It is becoming increasingly evident that the large and complex bacterial population of the large intestine plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Numerous studies show that gut immunity and inflammation have impact on the development of colorectal cancer. Additionally, bacteria have been linked to colorectal cancer by the production of toxic and genotoxic bacterial metabolite. In this review, we discuss the multifactorial role of intestinal microbiota in colorectal cancer and role for probiotics in the prevention of colorectal cancer.
Animals ; Bacteroides/metabolism ; Colorectal Neoplasms/immunology/*microbiology ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified/metabolism ; Humans ; Hydrogen Sulfide/metabolism ; Intestinal Mucosa/immunology/microbiology ; Metagenome ; *Probiotics ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism ; Toxins, Biological/metabolism

BACKGROUND: The cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) has been known to increase in response to acute hypoxia. However, how CBFV might respond to exercise in hypoxic conditions and be associated with electroencephalogram (EEG) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise in hypoxic conditions corresponding to altitudes of 4,000 m on CBFV and EEG. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, balanced crossover study, ten healthy volunteers (19.8±0.4 years) were asked to perform the incremental bicycle ergometer exercise twice in hypoxic and control (sea level) conditions with a 1-week interval, respectively. Exercise intensity was set initially at 50 W and increased by 25 W every 2 minutes to 125 W. Acute normobaric hypoxic condition was maintained for 45 minutes using low oxygen gas mixture. CBFV in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and EEG were measured at rest 5 minutes, rest 15 minutes, immediately after exercise, and 15 minutes recovery using transcranial-Doppler sonography and EEG signal was recorded from 6 scalp sites leading to analysis of alpha and beta wave relative activities. All data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: CBFV in the MCA in the hypoxic condition was significantly higher than that in the control condition at rest 5 minutes (83±9 vs. 69±9 cm/s, P<0.01), rest 15 minutes (87±8 vs. 67±7 cm/s, P<0.001), immediately after exercise (112±9 vs. 97±9 cm/s, P<0.01), and 15 minutes recovery (91±11 vs. 74±7 cm/s, P<0.01). However, no significant correlation was found between the changes of CBFV and EEG wave activities. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the drastic change of CBFV observed during exercise with hypoxia might appear independently with EEG wave activities.
Altitude ; Anoxia ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Cross-Over Studies ; Electroencephalography ; Healthy Volunteers ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Oxygen ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: The cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) has been known to increase in response to acute hypoxia. However, how CBFV might respond to exercise in hypoxic conditions and be associated with electroencephalogram (EEG) remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of exercise in hypoxic conditions corresponding to altitudes of 4,000 m on CBFV and EEG. METHODS: In a randomized, double-blind, balanced crossover study, ten healthy volunteers (19.8±0.4 years) were asked to perform the incremental bicycle ergometer exercise twice in hypoxic and control (sea level) conditions with a 1-week interval, respectively. Exercise intensity was set initially at 50 W and increased by 25 W every 2 minutes to 125 W. Acute normobaric hypoxic condition was maintained for 45 minutes using low oxygen gas mixture. CBFV in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and EEG were measured at rest 5 minutes, rest 15 minutes, immediately after exercise, and 15 minutes recovery using transcranial-Doppler sonography and EEG signal was recorded from 6 scalp sites leading to analysis of alpha and beta wave relative activities. All data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: CBFV in the MCA in the hypoxic condition was significantly higher than that in the control condition at rest 5 minutes (83±9 vs. 69±9 cm/s, P<0.01), rest 15 minutes (87±8 vs. 67±7 cm/s, P<0.001), immediately after exercise (112±9 vs. 97±9 cm/s, P<0.01), and 15 minutes recovery (91±11 vs. 74±7 cm/s, P<0.01). However, no significant correlation was found between the changes of CBFV and EEG wave activities. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the drastic change of CBFV observed during exercise with hypoxia might appear independently with EEG wave activities.

BACKGROUND: Epidural and intravenous (IV) administration of opioids are commonly used for postoperative pain management. However, studies that compare the epidural and IV routes of opiate administration show conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to determine the superior route of analgesics by comparing the effect of epidural fentanyl-bupivacaine with IV morphine using patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system in the management of posterior thoracic surgery pain. METHODS: Sixty patients undergoing elective thoracic surgery were randomly assigned to receive either Epiural-PCA (Epi-PCA, n=30) or IV-PCA (n=30) when postoperative pain first increased to 40/100 mm (by visual analogue scale; VAS). Epi-PCA group received epidural bolus of 0.1% bupivacaine 10 ml containing fentanyl 100 microgram and then followed by Epi-PCA with 0.1% bupivacaine 100 ml containing fentanyl 800 microgram (basal infusion 2 ml/hr, PCA dose 1 ml, lock-out interval 30 min), IV-PCA group received repeated IV boluses of 3 mg of morphine until postoperative pain decreased to 40/100 mm and then followed by a IV-PCA with morphine (basal infusion 0.005 mg/kg/hr, PCA dose 0.02 mg/kg, lock-out interval 8 min). Analgesic efficacy, degree of patient satisfaction and pain, analgesics consumptions, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in one second (FEV1) and side effects were evaluated. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in analgesic efficacy and degree of patient satisfaction and pain in both group. But the PHS were significantly lower (p<.05), and FEV1 higher (p<.05) in Epi-PCA group, signifying better analgesia during movement (cough and deep breaths). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that an epidural PCA with mixture of fentanyl and bupivacaine administration is superior to that of intravenous PCA with morphine in the management of pain after thoracic surgery.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Analgesics ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Bupivacaine ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Morphine* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Patient Satisfaction ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Vital Capacity

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the initial fixation strength of press-fit technique compared with titanium and biodegradable interference screws in ACL reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty porcine lower limbs were used. The graft in the press-fit group was harvested with a hollow oscillating saw to obtain a consistent and complete circular shape and that in the interference screw group was obtained with a conventional oscillating saw. With preload of 20 N, the specimens underwent 250 loading cycles between 0-2 mm of displacement. Thereafter, the specimens were loaded to failure after restoration of the preload. RESULTS: During the cyclic loading, none of press-fit or interference screw fixations failed and there was no significant difference in maximum loads between the groups. In groups of press-fit fixation with diameter of bone plug being larger that that of the femoral tunnel by 1.4 mm, the ultimate failure load was comparable with that of the titanium or biodegradable interference screw groups. The complete circular shape and increased diameter of the bone plug seemed to contribute the strong initial fixation. CONCOUSION: Press-fit fixation technique provides a secure and consistent fixation strength comparable with the metal or biodegradable interference screws.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction* ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Grafts ; Knee ; Lower Extremity* ; Titanium ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Anesthesia and surgery commonly cause hypothermia, and this caused by a combination of anesthetic-induced impairment of thermoregulatory control, a cold operation room environment and other factors that promote heat loss. All the general anesthetics markedly impair normal autonomic thermoregulatory control. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of two different types of propofol versus inhalation anesthetic on the body temperature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this randomized controlled study, 36 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic gastrectomy were allocated into three groups; group S (sevoflurane, n=12), group L (lipid-emulsion propofol, n=12) and group M (micro-emulsion propofol, n=12). Anesthesia was maintained with typical doses of the study drugs and all the groups received continuous remifentanil infusion. The body temperature was continuously monitored after the induction of general anesthesia until the end of surgery. RESULTS: The body temperature was decreased in all the groups. The temperature gradient of each group (group S, group L and group M) at 180 minutes from induction of anesthesia was 2.5+/-0.6degrees C, 1.6+/-0.5degrees C and 2.3+/-0.6degrees C, respectively. The body temperature of group L was significantly higher than that of group S and group M at 30 minutes and 75 minute after induction of anesthesia, respectively. There were no temperature differences between group S and group M. CONCLUSION: The body temperature is maintained at a higher level in elderly patients anesthetized with lipid-emulsion propofol.
Aged ; Aging ; Anesthesia, General/*methods ; Anesthetics, Combined/administration & dosage ; Anesthetics, Inhalation/*administration & dosage ; Anesthetics, Intravenous/*administration & dosage ; Body Temperature/*drug effects ; Body Temperature Regulation/drug effects ; Fat Emulsions, Intravenous ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methyl Ethers/*administration & dosage ; Middle Aged ; Propofol/*administration & dosage

A patient, 59 years old male, with paroxysmal AV reentrant tachycardia utilizing a concealed left lateral accessory pathway with long VA conduction time is presented. During tachycardia P waves were negative in leads I, aVL, and V6 and positive in leads aVR and V1. The R-P/P-R ratio was 1.6. Radiofrequency catheter ablation was successful to interrupt the VA conduction through the accessory pathway.
Catheter Ablation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tachycardia*