One hundred of clinical isolates of Klebsiella spp. from three hospitals were analyzed by phenotypic and genotypic characteristics for epidemiologic investigation. Almost all isolates of Klebsiella spp. showed highly resistance to ampicillin, and carbenicillin and 4.5-7.9% of K. pneumoniae isolates were also resistant to cefotaxime and ceftazidime, and 10-15% to aminoglycoside antibiotics except amikacin. However, all strains were highly susceptible to imipenem, cefotetan, amikacin and ciprofloxacin. All Koxytoca strains were susceptible to antimicrobials tested except Ap, Am and Cb. Twelve strains of K. pneumoniae hybridized with TEM or SHV probe and extended spectrum B-lactamases from 7 strains were TEM type. Eleven conjugative R plasmids and their parental strains were analyzed. Among them, three couples of plasmids showed identical or nearly identical resistance phenotypes of B-lactams and aminoglycosides, molecular weights, and pI values by isoelectric focusing, and hybridized fragment patterns with TEM probe by Southern hybridization, EcoR1 restriction endonuclease fragment patterns. Their parental strains were isolated from sputum, tissue, and ascites of patients and had similar characteristics. These results indicate that the epidemic strains or epidemic plasmids were present in this hospital and antimicrobial resistance anlysis can be used to discriminate clinical isolates of multi-resistant K. pneumoniae.
Amikacin ; Aminoglycosides ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ascites ; Carbenicillin ; Cefotaxime ; Cefotetan ; Ceftazidime ; Ciprofloxacin ; DNA Restriction Enzymes ; Epidemiology* ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Imipenem ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Klebsiella* ; Molecular Weight ; Parents ; Phenotype ; Plasmids ; Pneumonia ; R Factors ; Sputum

No abstract available.
Angiography ; Catheters* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Spasm*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between the latency and duration of the cutaneous silent period (CuSP) and ultrasonographic findings of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHOD: Subjects included 50 hands of 33 patients with CTS with electrophysiologic evidence of CTS and 50 hands of 39 adults with no evidence of CTS. CuSP was measured on abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and adductor digiti minimi (ADM) by stimulation of digit 3. All subjects were examined with ultrasonography (US). Using US, the cross-sectional area (CSA) and flattening ratio (FR) of the median nerve were calculated under carpal tunnel. Analysis of differences between the control group and the CTS group was performed using ANOVA. RESULTS: Differences of CSA, FR, latency, and duration of CuSP in both APB, ADM muscles were observed between the two groups. Correlations were observed in the patient group in latency and duration of the APB muscle and only in duration of the ADM (p=0.048, r=0.159; p=0.035, r=-0.315; p=0.039, r=-0.293) muscle. Correlations were found only in duration of ADM (p=0.011, r=0.358) in the control group with respect to CSA. However, there was no correlation with FR. CONCLUSION: There seems to be a significant correlation between the CSA of the median nerve and the latency and duration of CuSP in patients with CTS. In addition, there seems to be a significant difference of CSA, FR, and latency in both APB and ADM between the two groups. CuSP and CSA might be useful for study that reflects intact small fibers in patients with CTS.
Adult ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Electromyography ; Hand ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Muscles

PURPOSE: Coiling or infusion of embolic materials into a wide necked aneurysm can be performed with stenting. The purpose of our study is to assess the technical feasibility of aneurysm treatment with glue embolization after stenting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used four Wallstents for surgically repairing eight canine carotid aneurysms. After confirmation of the aneurysms on the angiogram, we introduced a 6-7 F guiding catheter in order to deploy the stents. After stenting, we passed a microcatheter into the aneurysm lumen through the stent mesh. 28% glue was slowly injected until the glue cast completely filled the lumen. We evaluated the passage of a microcatheter through the stent meshwork, formation of the glue cast and the stents' ability to protection for any leakage of glue. The follow-up angiogram was obtained for two dogs, one to three times until 8 weeks, and then we sacrificed the dogs and performed pathologic examinations. RESULTS: Stenting was successful in all cases except one in which the vessel was occluded because the stent was not completely expanded within the lumen. The microcatheter could not pass through the stent mesh in one aneurysm. The two week follow-up angiogram showed complete occlusion of the aneurysm and a patent carotid lumen in a case after successful stenting and glue embolization without distal migration of glue. Tungsten in the glue was noted to migrate out of aneurysm into the soft tissue of the neck. Histopathologic examination showed successful obliteration and stable organization of the aneurysmal lumen with ingrowth of fibroblasts and a foreign body reaction. In contrast, the aneurysms without the glue embolization being performed showed partially thrombosed aneurysmal lumens that became smaller and indistinct on the 8 week follow-up angiograms. Histopathologic examination showed a disorganized thrombus with numerous recanalizations. CONCLUSION: Glue embolization after stenting could be performed for aneurysm without distal migration of the glue or gluing of the catheter. This concept appears to be useful for applications to the further research and the treatment of aneurysm.
Adhesives* ; Aneurysm* ; Animals ; Carotid Arteries* ; Catheters ; Dogs ; Fibroblasts ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Neck ; Stents* ; Thrombosis ; Tungsten

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cilostazol is an antiplatelet drug with antiproliferative properties when administered after coronary bare metal stent implantation. However, its effect on clinical and angiographic outcomes after sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) implantation in native coronary arteries has not been established. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two hundred patients who had undergone successful SES implantation were randomly assigned to receive, in addition to aspirin, 75 mg clopidogrel daily or 100 mg cilostazol twice daily after one month of triple oral therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol). The medications were continued until the follow-up coronary angiography, which was performed after six months. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the minimal luminal diameters before and immediately after the coronary intervention, and at the follow-up angiography. The late loss of minimal luminal diameter was 0.26+/-0.40 mm in the cilostazol group and 0.28+/-0.41 mm in the clopidogrel group (p=0.773). Other quantitative coronary angiography variables were also similar in the two groups. Restenosis, determined by quantitative coronary angiography at six months and defined as > or =30% narrowing, occurred in 11.4% of the clopidogrel group and 8.7% of the cilostazol group (p=0.478). However, in-stent restenosis was focal (100% vs 23.1% in the clopidogrel group, p<0.001), and shorter in the cilostazol group (6.26+/-2.42 vs 14.5+/-6.55 mm, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Cilostazol was not inferior to clopidogrel in terms of clinical anti-coagulation effect, and had an antiproliferative effect in native coronary arteries after SES implantation.
Angiography ; Aspirin ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Restenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Drug-Eluting Stents* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Phenobarbital ; Sirolimus ; Stents

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Triple anti-platelet therapy may produce more potent inhibition of platelet aggregation in patients undergoing coronary stent implantation. We tested whether this effect could be maintained in diabetic patients, where platelet reactivity is increased and the risk of stent thrombosis is higher. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty five type 2 diabetic patients who had undergone drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation and chronic anti-platelet therapy (>1 month) were stratified according to the status of anti-platelet therapy. Platelet aggregation after adenosine diphosphate (ADP; 10 micronmol/L and 20 micronmol/L) stimulation was compared using light transmittance aggregometry between dual (aspirin plus clopidogrel, n=34) and triple therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel plus cilostazol, n=21) groups. RESULTS: The 2 groups had similar clinical and procedural characteristics. Maximal ADP-induced platelet aggregation was significantly lower in the triple therapy group than the dual therapy group (ADP 10 micronmol/L, 37.1+/-15.4 vs. 28.3+/-11.8, p=0.03; ADP 20 micronmol/L, 63.1+/-15.0 vs. 49.1+/-15.1, p=0.01), but there were no differences in diabetic treatment (oral hypoglycemic agent vs. insulin) or diabetic control {hemoglobin Alc (HbA1c)< or =7 vs. HbA1c >7}. CONCLUSION: Triple anti-platelet therapy showed more potent inhibition of maximal ADP induced platelet aggregation in type 2 diabetic patients receiving chronic anti-platelet therapy. This finding suggests that triple antiplatelet therapy may be more effective in preventing thrombotic complications after DES implantation in type 2 diabetic patients.
Adenosine Diphosphate ; Blood Platelets ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Humans ; Light ; Platelet Aggregation ; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors ; Stents ; Tetrazoles ; Thrombosis ; Ticlopidine

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although the impact of ST segment elevation in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) has been studied, little information is available on the impact of ST segment elevation in the patients with acute MI and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics and the in-hospital and 1- year clinical outcomes of 117 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with acute MI and who had a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 40%, and these patients were treated from January 2004 to June 2006 at Busan Paik Hospital. Coronary angiography at the index hospitalization and the major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including cardiac death, non-fatal reinfarction, target vessel revascularization (TVR), and heart failure, were compared between the 77 patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and the 40 patients with non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). RESULTS: Overall, the baseline clinical characteristics were similar between the two groups. On the coronary angiography, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction 0 flow was more common in the STEMI group as compared to the NSTEMI group (p<0.01) and the NSTEMI group had more frequent multivessel disease compared to the STEMI group (p=0.01). However, the in-hospital cardiac deaths and MACEs were not different on comparison between the two groups (p=0.66, p=0.81, respectively). The one-year cardiac deaths and MACEs were not significantly different on comparison between the two groups (p=0.37, p=0.68, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that ST segment elevation had no influence on in-hospital and the long term outcomes of patients with acute MI and left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
Coronary Angiography ; Death ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Heart Failure ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Drug-induced electrocardiographic QT interval prolongation is associated with the occurrence of a potentially lethal form of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, termed 'torsades de pointes' (TdP). Women are at greater risk for the development of drug-induced TdP. To determine whether this may be the result of gender-specific differences in the effect of quinidine on cardiac repolarization, we compared the degree of quinidine-induced QT interval lengthening in young, healthy volunteers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Twelve women and 12 men each received a single intravenous dose of quinidine (4 mg/kg) or placebo in a single-blinded, randomized crossover trial. Total plasma concentrations of quinidine were measured, and QT and corrected QT intervals were analyzed. RESULTS: As expected, the mean QTc interval at baseline was longer for women than for men (443.6+/-26.9 vs 402.1+/-31.3 msec, respectively, p=0.037). The mean value of the maximal DeltaQTc after quinidine infusion was higher in women (134.4+/-46.4 vs 117.5+/-37.7 msec, respectively, p=0.029), and the mean value of the minimal DeltaQTc for 1 hour after quinidine infusion was also higher in the female group (47.6+/-15.7 vs 83.7+/-25.4 msec, p=0.034). However, there were no significant differences in the time courses of the changes in the quinidine-induced QTc and DeltaQTc interval between the two groups (p=0.092, and p=0.305, respectively). CONCLUSION: Quinidine causes greater QT prolongation in women at equivalent serum concentrations. This difference may contribute to the greater incidence of drug-induced TdP observed in women taking quinidine, and has implications for other cardiac and noncardiac drugs that prolong the QTc interval.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Plasma ; Quinidine ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

Infective endarteritis in the pulmonary artery is unusual. However, congenital heart disease such as patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) could be a predisposing factor of infective endarteritis. We report a patient with PDA complicated by infective endarteritis and large pulmonary artery vegetation. After three weeks of antibiotic treatment, the patient underwent surgical closure of the PDA and removal of the vegetation.
Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Endarteritis ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Pulmonary Artery

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms are rare cardiac anomalies. They can be congenital or acquired, and mainly involve the right or non-coronary sinuses. Unruptured aneurysms are usually asymptomatic unless they compress other structures or produce thrombi. A sinus of Valsalva aneurysm can also produce myocardial infarction through thrombus formation secondary to the turbulent flow in the Valsalva aneurysm. We report a case of a huge sinus of Valsalva aneurysm involving the noncoronary sinus, which was diagnosed as the presumed source of acute myocardial infarction.
Aneurysm ; Heart Atria ; Myocardial Infarction ; Sinus of Valsalva ; Thrombosis