BACKGROUND: Malpositioning of the endotracheal tube within airway after intubation may results in serious complications, such as accidental extubation and inadvertent endobronchial intubation. Therefore, early detection of malposioning of the endotracheal tube is very impotant for deciding patient's prognosis. METHODS: We assessed the distance from the tip of the endotracheal tube to the carina according to the patient's age, sex, and the time, the location, and the route of intubation. The chest x-ray was taken for 333 patients (men, 226: women, 107) who were admitted to the intensive care unit of Wonju Christian Hospital from march 1, 1995 to February 28, 1996. Chest x-ray was obtained after intubation to verify endotracheal tube position. Appropriate endotracheal tube position on chest x-ray was defined as between 2 and 6 cm above the carina. RESULTS: Of the 333 intubations, 106 (31.8%) endotracheal tubes were inappropriately placed according to the chest x-ray. The percentage of malpositioned endotracheal tubes (<2 cm) was higher in women than in men (11.2% vs. 5.3%, p<0.05), with higher in night (7 PM to 7 AM) than in day (7 AM to 7 PM) (42% vs. 24%, p<0.05). Distance from the carina to the tip of endotracheal tube is 4.34 +/- 1.77cm in women and 5.23 +/- 1.64cm in men. Thus, position of the endotracheal tube in women is deeper than men (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the chest x-ray for confirmation of endotracheal tube position after endotracheal intubation may remain the standard of practice. And endotracheal tube position should be carefully assessed immediately after tracheal intubation, particularly in women and at night.
Female ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Thorax*

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of wattage and curing time on surface hardness, three-point bending strength and internal porosity of microwave curing denture base resin. Two sizes of resin spicimens were made of Acron MC ; 3.5x10x60mm for surface hardness and three-point bending strength measurement and 5x12x60mm for internal porosity measurement. They were cured by microwave energy at varing wattages(500W, 700W) and curing times(2min., 3min., 4min.) to determine if a certain wattage/curing time combination would improve physical properties. Surface hardness was measured with Vikers hardness tester, three-point bend-ing strength with universal testing machine and internal porosity was calculated by measuring the weight in air and in water. The results obtained were as follows : 1. There was no significant difference in percent porosity among experimental groups(p>0.05). 2. 500W/3min, group showed the higher surface hardness than 700W/2, 3, 4min. groups(p<0.05), and 700W/4 min. group showed the lower surface hardness than 500W/2, 3, 4min. groups(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference among others(p>0.05). 3. 500W/3min. group yielded the higher value of bending strength than 500W/2min., 700W/3, 4min. groups(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference among others(p>0.05).
Denture Bases* ; Dentures* ; Hardness ; Hardness Tests ; Microwaves* ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Porosity ; Water

Idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF), which is characterized by marrow fibrosis, leukoerythroblastic anemia, teardrop poikilocytosis and splenomegaly due to extrumedullary hematopoiesis, has known to have no form of therapy. On the ground of the possibility of reversing collagen deposion in IMF using 1, 25dihydroxycholecalciferol [1, 25(OH)2D3], we report here our observations of 5 patients (M:F=1:4) with IMF before and after treatment with 0.5 microgram/day of alfacalcidol, precursor of 1, 25(OH)2D3. In 3 fo 5 patients the hemoglobin rose and in 4 of 5 the platelet count increased. Follow-up marrow examination revealed that marrow trephine reticulin fibrosis decreased according as the amelioration of clinical and laboratory findings. But these did not persist except one patient in spite of the sustained use of alfacalcidol. Our results suggest that alfacalcidol may have a therapeutic role in some patients with IMF. More extensive studies will be clarify the action of alfacalcidol in IMF.
Anemia, Myelophthisic ; Bone Marrow ; Child* ; Collagen ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematopoiesis ; Humans ; Platelet Count ; Primary Myelofibrosis* ; Reticulin ; Splenomegaly

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ecabet sodium is used for treating gastric ulcers and gastritis. It exhibits a bactericidal effect against Helicobacter pylori by inhibiting bacterial urease activity. Thus, ecabet sodium has been suggested to improve the efficacy of the H. pylori eradication in patients with peptic ulcers. The aim of this study was to compare the H. pylori eradication rate of lansoprazole-based triple therapy versus lansoprazole-based triple therapy plus ecabet sodium. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 363 H. pylori-positive patients who had undergone eradication therapy from February 2007 to February 2010. In total, 363 patients with H. pylori-positive peptic ulcer disease or symptomatic erosive gastritis received LAC (lansprazole 30 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1.0 g b.i.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d.) or LACE (lansoprazole 30 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1.0 g b.i.d., clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d., ecabet sodium 1 g b.i.d.) for 1 week. Successful eradication was defined as a negative 13Curea breath test 4-5 weeks after treatment completion. RESULTS: H. pylori eradication rates were 81.4% (166/204) in the LAC group and 86.2% (137/159) in the LACE group (p = 0.159). No significant difference in eradication was observed. No significant difference was observed in the side effects experienced by the patients in the two treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that adding ecabet sodium did not improve the H. pylori eradication rate significantly in standard lansoprazole-based triple therapy for H. pylori.
Amoxicillin ; Breath Tests ; Clarithromycin ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Peptic Ulcer ; Prospective Studies ; Sodium ; Stomach Ulcer ; Urease

Enterococcus hirae infection is rare in humans. We describe a case of pyelonephritis that was caused by Enterococcus hirae in a 57-year-old woman. E. hirae was isolated from both blood and urine. This is the 2nd case report on bacteremia caused by E. hirae in Korea.
Bacteremia ; Enterococcus ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Pyelonephritis

Enterococcus hirae infection is rare in humans. We describe a case of pyelonephritis that was caused by Enterococcus hirae in a 57-year-old woman. E. hirae was isolated from both blood and urine. This is the 2nd case report on bacteremia caused by E. hirae in Korea.
Bacteremia ; Enterococcus ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Pyelonephritis

PURPOSES: An overactive bladder is highly prevalent in middle-aged woman, especially during the postmenopausal period. We evaluated the relationship between detrusor overactivity and postmenopausal state and the effects of estrogen replacement for detrusor overactivity caused by the ovariectomy in rat. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups: the control, the ovariectomy group and the estrogen replacement group after the ovariectomy. The ovariectomy and estrogen replacement groups had the bilateral ovariectomies at 12 weeks of age. After 2 weeks, the control and ovariectomy groups were injected weekly with saline, while the estrogen replacement group was injected with estradiol benzoate (500 migrogram/kg) weekly. After 12 weeks, the voiding frequency study was recorded and a cystometrogram was performed while awake. The harvested bladders were used in the carbachol-induced detrusor muscle contraction study and the distribution of estrogen, M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors in the rats' bladder. RESULTS: The ovariectomy group voided more frequently than the others (p=0.005). During the awake cystometrogram, the detrusor characteristics of the ovariectomy group were a higher mean intervoiding pressure and smaller bladder capacity than the others (p=0.000). There was no significant statistical difference between the control and estrogen replacement group. The other cystometric parameters were not statistically different either. The detrusor muscle contraction study showed no difference between three groups. There was a significant difference in the distribution of M2 and M3 receptors of bladder mucosa between the control and ovariectomy group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that the detrusor overactivity resulted from increased connective tissue ratio and decreased M2, M3 receptor in the bladder mucosa. Moreover, estrogen replacement in the postmenopausal state had the effect of reversing the physiological and morphological changes caused by an estrogen deficiency in the bladder.
Animals ; Benzoates ; Connective Tissue ; Estradiol ; Estrogen Replacement Therapy* ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Muscle Contraction ; Ovariectomy* ; Physiology* ; Postmenopause ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; Urinary Bladder* ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive

Thrombi within the aortic arch are rare, and are generally detected after cerebral, visceral, or peripheral embolization. Although the indications for treatment remain controversial, there is increasing interest in the etiopathogenesis of this rare clinical entity and the development of appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. We report a case in which a thrombus was detected in the proximal aortic arch on echocardiography and computed tomography angiography as the origin of upperextremity ischemia. This pedunculated thrombus was attached to the atherosclerotic aortic wall and was removed surgically.
Angiography ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Echocardiography ; Ischemia ; Thrombosis

In patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), the BRAF V600E mutation has been reported to be associated with several clinicopathological features and poor survival. However, the prognostic implications of BRAF V600E mutation and the associated clinicopathological characteristics in CRCs remain controversial. Therefore, we reviewed various clinicopathological features, including BRAF status, in 349 primary CRCs and analyzed the relationship between BRAF status and various clinicopathological factors, including overall survival. Similar to previous studies conducted in Eastern countries, the incidence of the BRAF V600E mutation in the current study was relatively low (5.7%). BRAF-mutated CRC exhibits distinct clinicopathological features from wild-type BRAF-expressing cancer independent of the microsatellite instability (MSI) status. This mutation was significantly associated with a proximal tumor location (P = 0.002); mucinous, signet ring cell, and serrated tumor components (P < 0.001, P = 0.003, and P = 0.008, respectively); lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.004); a peritumoral lymphoid reaction (P = 0.009); tumor budding (P = 0.046); and peritoneal seeding (P = 0.012). In conclusion, the incidence of the BRAF V600E mutation was relatively low in this study. BRAF-mutated CRCs exhibited some clinicopathological features which were also frequently observed in MSI-H CRCs, such as a proximal location; mucinous, signet ring cell, and serrated components; and marked peritumoral lymphoid reactions.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Microsatellite Instability* ; Microsatellite Repeats* ; Mucins

Purpose: Syncope is relatively common in children and adolescents. Among the etiologies of syncope, neurocardiogenical syncope is the most common, but it is often confounded with seizure. We investigated the clinical features of patients under the age of 15 with neurocardiogenical syncope, compared to patients with neurologic disorders including epilepsy. Methods: Among the children who visited the Department of Pediatrics at Cheongju St. Mary's Hospital and Chungbuk National University Hospital from March 2005 to February 2007, we retrospectively analyzed 69 patients whose chief complaint was syncope. We classified the patients by syncope etiology and made comparisons between the neurocardiogenical syncope (NCS) group and the neurological disorders (ND) group regarding to age; location; time and season in which syncope occurred; associated symptoms, including seizures, provocation factors; prodromes; duration of syncope; frequency of previous syncope; birth history; associated disease; past medical history; family history; neurological exam; physical exam; laboratory findings; electrocardiography; electroencephalography (EEG); head-up tilt test; brain CT; and MRI. Results: Among 69 syncope patients, 53 (76.8%) were in the NCS group and 11 (15.9%) were in the ND group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two study groups except for the presence of prodromes and EEG abnormalities. The presence of prodromes in the NCS group was more common than in the ND group [46.9% (23/49) vs. 9.1% (1/11), (P=0.038)]. The EEG abnormality in the ND group was more common than in the NCS group [90% (9/10) vs. 5.8% (3/52), (P<0.01)]. Conclusion: Our study suggests that detailed history-taking, including that concerning prodromes, is important for the accurate diagnosis of neurocardiogenical syncope, and EEG should be obtained if neurological disorders are suggested.
Adolescent ; Brain ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Nervous System Diseases ; Parturition ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Seizures ; Syncope ; Syncope, Vasovagal