Fat can be prominet around the aortic root and within the right atrioventricular (AV) groove (1). At times, the fat can be globular, suggesting a mass especially on echocardiography. Computed tomography (CT) and masnetic resonance (MR) images are well suited for characterization of fat in and around the heart (1, 2). This report illustrates CT and MR findings of a very unusual case of prominent fat lump in the left AV groove.
Echocardiography ; Heart

BACKGROUNDS: When measuring lung function and response to bronchodilator, MDI(metered-dose inhaler) is commonly used but unfamiliarity of its use and cold sensation by the puffed gas decrease reliability of the result. Spacer can reduce the cold freon effect and undesired oropharyngeal deposition caused by the rapid evaporation of the propellant and there are many studies which showed more effectiveness of spacer on the treatment of children with asthma but no study whether it is effective on the bronchodilator response test in the first medical examination of old age. Therefore, we tested whether the use of spacer can reduce the cold freon effect and improve the bronchodilator response in the first medical examination of old age. METHODS: Two hundred of elderly patients( 65years) who had never used MDI were measured the bronchodilator response. Subjects were randomised to either spacer-user or spacer-nonuser. Twenty minutes after 400 g fenoterol was administered, FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) was measured. Bronchoconstriction was defined as a decrease in FEV1 by 10% or greater after bronchodilator inhalation. We further devided each group into normal or obstructive group, obstructive group was defined as FEV1<80% of predicted and FEV1/FVC<70%. RESULTS: In normal group, spacer-user(n=83) showed greater bronchodilator response than spacer-nonuser(n=66), 6.43% vs 3.81% respectively(p<0.05) and two case of bronchoconstriction occured only in spacer-nonuser. In obstructive group, there is no significant difference in bronchodilator response between spacer-user(n=18) and spacer-nonuser(n=33), 12.32% vs 11.16% respectively(p>0.05) but brochoconstriction(n=1) occured only in spacer-nonuser. CONCLUSION: Spacer improved bronchodilator response and prevented bronchoconstriction, in the first medical examination of old age.
Aged ; Asthma ; Bronchoconstriction ; Child ; Chlorofluorocarbons ; Fenoterol ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Lung ; Sensation

In 1988, a new fascioutaneous flap, the Lateral supramalleolar flap, was introduced by Masquelet and Roman. The flap is designed on the lower third of the aspect of leg, and supplied by a cutaneous branch from the perforating branch of the peroneal artery. This perforating branch continues distally deep to the fascia along the anterior ankle and into the foot. This can be use as either proximally based rotation flap or distally based reversed pedicle island flap giving the flap an arc of rotation that allows coverage of the dorsal, lateral and plantar aspects of the foot, the posterior heel and the lower medial portion of the leg. The authors have recently used this flap for 13 cases of foot and ankle soft tissue defect reconstruction and all the cases, except two partial marginal necrosis, good postoperative course. In our opinion, this flap is useful for reconstruction of foot and ankle soft tissue defect which does not need nerve innervation. The main advantages of the flap are as follows 1. It may be a rather large flap(15× 9cm2 ). 2. The pedicle is long(8cm) and easy to dissect. 3. The pivot of the pedicle is distal(sinus tarsi) and allows great local possibilities of coverage. 4. It does not require the sacrifice of a main artery.
Ankle ; Arteries ; Fascia ; Foot ; Heel ; Leg ; Necrosis

BACKGROUND: Exercise is a very common precipitant of asthma. Broncho-constriction associated with exercise can occur in 75~90% of individuals with asthma. The estimated prevalence ( 30~85% ) of gastroesophageal reflux ( GER ) in patients with asthma is significantly higher than in general population. We performed pH monitoring during the exercise in order to evalute whetherexercise induced asthma EIA ( 6 men, 12 women ) were studied. Monitoring of intraesophageal pH, ECG and spirometry was done for 1 hour before treadmill exercise. After baseline monitoring, subjects underwent symptom-limited treadmill exercise with Bruce protocol and continuous monitoring for 60 min after exercise. Spirometry was done at baseline prior to exercise, and repeated every 10 min after full exercise for 60 min. RESULTS: Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction was noted in 15 patients, who performed MBPT and 12 patients confirmed for bronchial asthma and 3 patients were diagnosed exercise-induced astham. Five 15 EIA patients demonstrated a pathologic degree of GER. CONCLUSION: We suggest that GER may be one of pathophysiologic factors of ELA and evoke further concentration on the GER in the EIA patients.
Asthma ; Asthma, Exercise-Induced* ; Bronchoconstriction ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Male ; Prevalence ; Spirometry

We report a case of Rasmussen aneurysm diagnosed by helical CT that well shows vascular imaging. Coil embolization of Rasmussen aneurysm stopped the bleeding successfully.
Aneurysm* ; Embolization, Therapeutic* ; Hemorrhage ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

Cyclopia is rare congenital craniofacial anomaly, in which the eyes are fused together and located in a single orbit. It is consistently associated with severe holoprosencephaly, which is the failure of cleavage of the prosencephalon with a deficit in the midline facial development. chromosomal study revealed 47, X( ), +13 (Patau syndrome).
Holoprosencephaly ; Orbit ; Prosencephalon ; Trisomy*

BACKGROUND: Extracellular ATP, released from platelets and nerve endings, plays significant roles in the regulation of circulation. The effects of ATP depend on the location of the vessels and the species of experimental animals. Until now, studies were limited to arteries, so we compared the effects of ATP in rat vena cava with those in the aorta and attempted to identify the characteristics of their receptors. METHODS: Vascular rings were isolated from the rat inferior vena cava and descending thoracic aorta. Endothelial cells were preserved or removed by gentle rubbing. The isometric contractions were recorded on polygraph using a force transducer. RESULTS: In the vena cava ring precontracted by 100 nM norepinephrine (NE), ATP elicited relaxations in a dose-dependent manner. These effects were abolished by removal of the endothelium or pretreatment with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Relaxations to ATP in the vena cava (EC50 :9.9 microM) were less potent than those in the aorta (1.7 microM). The relative order of potencies was ADP>ATP>AMP>adenosine, but the maximal relaxation to ADP was smaller than to ATP. ATP-induced vasorelaxation was blocked by suramin, a nonselective antagonist for P2 purinoceptor and reactive blue-2, a P2Y blocker. At basal tension, ATP contracted the vena cava dose-dependently and these effects were potentiated by endothelium-removal. Contractions in the vena cava were also less potent than in the aorta, and the order of potencies was alpha, beta-MeATP>UTP>ATP>ADP>AMP=adenosine. ATP-induced vasoconstriction was blocked by suramin and alpha, beta-MeATP, a desensitizing antagonist of P2X purinoceptor, and potentiated by pretreatment with UTP. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that ADP and ATP acts on P2Y1- and P2Y2-purinoceptor in the endothelium, respectively and induces vasorelaxation of the vena cava, which is mediated by nitric oxide. Since ATP and UTP induced vasoconstriction in endothelium-denuded condition, it may be mediated by the activation of the P2X and P2Y4, 6 purinoceptor on smooth muscles, respectively.
Adenosine Diphosphate ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Animals ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Arteries ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Isometric Contraction ; Muscle, Smooth ; Nerve Endings ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Norepinephrine ; Rats* ; Receptors, Purinergic P2 ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X ; Receptors, Purinergic* ; Relaxation ; Suramin ; Transducers ; Uridine Triphosphate ; Vasoconstriction ; Vasodilation ; Vena Cava, Inferior*

Decreased cardiac contractility occurs in endotoxicosis, but little is known about the ionic mechanism responsible for myocardial dysfunction. In this study, we examined the changes in Ca2+ and K+ currents in cardiac myocytes from endotoxin-treated rat. Ventricular myocytes were isolated from normal and endotoxemic rats (ex vivo), that were treated for 10 hours with Salmonella enteritidis lipopolysaccharides (LPS; 1.5 mg/kg) intravenously. Normal cardiac myocytes were also incubated for 6 hours with 200 ng/ml LPS (in vitro). L-type Ca2+ current (ICa,L) and transient outward K+ current (Ito) were measured using whole cell patch clamp techniques. Peak ICa,L was reduced in endotoxemic myocytes (ex vivo; 6.00.4 pA/pF, P<0.01) compared to normal myocytes (control; 10.90.6 pA/pF). Exposure to endotoxin in vitro also attenuated ICa,L (8.40.4 pA/pF, P<0.01). The amplitude of Ito on depolarization to 60 mV was reduced in endotoxin treated myocytes (16.51.5 pA/pF, P<0.01, ex vivo; 20.00.9 pA/pF, P<0.01, in vitro) compared to normal myocytes (control; 24.71.0 pA/pF). There was no voltage shift in steady-state inactivation of ICa,L and Ito between groups. These results suggest that endotoxin reduces Ca2+ and K+ currents of rat cardiac myocytes, which may lead to cardiac dysfunction.
Animals ; Depression* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Muscle Cells ; Myocytes, Cardiac* ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Rats* ; Salmonella enteritidis

The zinc finger protein ZBTB48 is a telomere-associated factor and renamed it as telomeric zinc finger-associated protein (TZAP). It binds preferentially to long telomeres competing with TRF1 and TRF2. However, its mutation in cancers has not been studied. In the present study, we analyzed TZAP mutation in 134 non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). And its big data analysis was performed using COSMIC and TCGA data analysis. TZAP mutation was not found in 134 NSCLCs. And big data also showed that TZAP mutation was extremely low (0.59%, 15/2548). TCGA survival analysis showed no prognostic value of TZAP expression in lung adenocarcinoma (p = 0.185) and squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.817). When stratified patients sorting as 25:25 (quarter), it has a significance (p = 0.003). This result suggested that genetic change of TZAP did not appear to be a possible molecular marker in lung cancer.

PURPOSE: This study evaluates and compares the surgical outcomes of pediatric intractable epilepsy from various surgical modalities. METHODS: Among the patients who underwent epileptic surgery from March 1996 to February 2001, only the children, who had at least one year follow-up, were included in this study. The mean age with first seizure attacks was 3.5 years. The interval between first seizure attacks and surgical treatment was 4.8 years on average, and the mean age at surgical management was 7.4 years. The possible etiology was observed in 75.4% of total patients. Brain tumor and cortical dysplasia were main causes. The surgical treatment was done with various modalities, including resective surgeries (49.2%), corpus callosotomy of disconnection methods (41.5%), combined surgeries (7.7%), and gamma knife radiosurgery (one case). RESULTS: Surgical outcomes were evaluated based on the Engel's classification. After resective surgery, 90.6% of the patients showed class I. The majority of corpus callosotomy (59.3%) had class III. The outcomes after combined surgeries ranged from class I to III. The result of gamma knife radiosurgery was class III. The pathologic findings from resected tissue showed cortical dysplasia, tumor, nonspecific gliosis, etc. The complications after surgery were transient or permanent hemiparesis, visual field defect, hydrocephalus, subdural effusion, etc. CONCLUSION: We performed the various surgical methods in children with medically intractable epilepsy and obtained different results by surgical modalities. The surgical outcome will be improved if there is an appropriate selection among surgical modalities through the various preoperative assessments.
Brain Neoplasms ; Child ; Classification ; Epilepsy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gliosis ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; Paresis ; Radiosurgery ; Seizures ; Subdural Effusion ; Visual Fields