Two cases of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection(TAPVC) were diagnosed in 18 years old female and 20 years old male. Both of them complained frequent URI and exertional dyspnea from childhood. The chest films of the two cases showed cardiomegaly and increased pulmonary vascularity. Particulary, the film of female case showed a typical snowman appearance. In both cases, the diagnosis of TAPVC was made preoperately by 2-D echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, and cardiac angiography. The postoperative diagnosis was also TAPVC. The correvtive surgery was performed without complications and postoperative course was uneventful. We report two cases of TAPVC which is very rare in adult.
Adolescent ; Adult* ; Angiography ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cardiomegaly ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Thorax ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss is a disease that is developed within several hours to several days, but its etiology is not verified yet. Therefore, no specific regimen is available for the treatment of this disease. The purpose of this study is to seek the therapeutic effect of the corticosteroid on the sudden sensorineural hearing loss patients through many variables known as prognostic factors. The author also tried to find a relationship between the hearing recovery patterns and the prognostic factors that were not established yet. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Clinical analysis was performed in 173 patients with sudden hearing loss admitted in Chonnam National University Hospital from January 1996 to July 2001. RESULTS: Recovery was seen in 104 cases out of 173 cases, with the total recovery rate of 60.1%. Patients who had been treated within a week after the symptoms had a better recovery rate than those treated after a week (p< OR =0.05). The recovery rate was better for the moderate-severe, and severe hearing loss (p< OR =0.05). Patients of all audiograms except the profound one had a better recovery rate (p< OR =0.05). Among the patients who had been treated within a week, the dizzy patients had the lower recovery rate than the non-dizzy patients (p< OR =0.05). Other factors such as age and sex, tinnitus and ear fullness as accompanying symptoms, the site of disease, and the presence of underlying disease were not related with prognosis. CONCLUSION: The recovery rate was better in patients who had been treated within a week, and for those whose hearing was moderate-severe and severe, and their audiogram upsloping, V-shape, flat, and downsloping, and who were not dizzy.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Ear ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Hearing Loss, Sudden ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Prognosis ; Tinnitus

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid molecule that mediates cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and angiogenesis in vivo. However, the roles of S1P on pathogenesis of arthritis have been not completely understood. This study was designed to determine the effects of S1P modulation on collageninduced arthritis (CIA) model. DBA/1J mice were injected with collagen into the tail for induction of CIA model. S1P was administered into the peritoneal cavity every other days from day 1 to day 42 after collagen injection. To determine the degree of damage in CIA, we examined macroscopic findings of CIA. The inflammation and bone destruction of CIA mice were evaluated by histo-patholigy and radiography (CT and microradiography). The expressions of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and RANKL which have important roles in pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and bone destruction were observed by immuno-histochemical staining. After injection with collagen in the DBA/1J mice, CIA was induced by swelling in the knee and ankle joint. Administration of S1P suppressed damages and incidence of arthritis elicited by collagen. In histologic and radiographic studies, S1P strongly suppressed the infiltration of inflammatory cells, the swelling of synovial membrane, erosion, and the destruction of bone on CIA mice. Injection of S1P resulted in down-regulation of the expression of the pro-inflammatory and bone destruction mediators such as TNF-alpha, IL-6, and RANKL on CIA mice. Furthermore, S1P suppressed the differentiation of bone marrow cells into osteoclasts by RANKL. In conclusion, this study suggest that S1P has protective effects on inflammation and bone destruction during pathogenesis of CIA, which indicates S1P can be a new possible therapeutic strategy for rheumatoid arthritis
Animals ; Ankle Joint ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen ; Down-Regulation ; Incidence ; Inflammation* ; Interleukin-6 ; Knee ; Mice* ; Osteoclasts ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Radiography ; Sphingosine ; Synovial Membrane ; Tail ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha