OBJECT: In order to estimate the frequency and risk factors for adenomyosis. METHOD: The clinical records of 1127 women undergoing hysterectomy were retrieved in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Incheon Christian Hospital, during 7 years, from Jan. 1st 1991 to Dec. 31st 1997. RESULT: The following results were obtained. 1. Adenomyosis was found in 206 of 1127 patients(18.3%). 2. The highest incidence was 41-50 years of age group, an incidence of 55% and mean age group was 46.9 years. 3. Adenomyosis was more frequently observed in parous woman than non-parous woman, such as 8.3% and 91.7%, respectively. 4. Grossly, the size of uterus was enlarged more than 10 weeks gestational size in adenomyosis, an incidence of 62.4%. 5. Pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea and metrorrhagia were common symptom of adenomyosis, an incidence of 26.7%, 25.2% and 19.4%, respectively. 6. Myoma was the most combined disease in adenomyosis, showing the incidence of 53.4%. 7. Combined pelvic endometriosis was not observed in this study. 8. Endometrial findings of adenomyosis showed proliferative phase of normal endometrial cycle in the highest incidence, giving 72.3% of all cases. 9. Preoperative diagnostic accurracy of adenomyosis was 8.2%. CONCLUSION: This results show that deeply understanding of the common symptom and epidemiology of adenomyosis improve the preoperative diagnostic accuracy.
Adenomyosis* ; Dysmenorrhea ; Endometriosis ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Incheon ; Incidence ; Menstrual Cycle ; Metrorrhagia ; Myoma ; Obstetrics ; Pelvic Pain ; Risk Factors ; Uterus

Panner's disease, osteonecrosis of the capitellum of the elbow, was first reported by Panner in 1927. The disease occurs mainly in boys between 6 and 15 years old and shows unilateral distribution. Pain, stiffness, localized tenderness over the lateral condyle of the elbow, and decreased range of motion are the typical clinical symptoms. Conservative treatment is generally recommended for patients in the early stage of this disease. A few cases of Panner's disease have been reported and few are related to long-term follow-up results. To the best of our knowledge, all reported cases were over six years. Therefore, we report on a five-year-old boy diagnosed as Panner's disease that showed resorption and regeneration of the humeral capitellum with no limitation of motion over three years. The current study was exempted from review by the institutional review board because it was a single retrospective case report. Informed consent was obtained from the patient's guardian.
Child* ; Elbow ; Ethics Committees, Research ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Male ; Osteochondrosis ; Osteonecrosis ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Regeneration ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-4 is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the allergic inflammation and asthma. Upon IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) engagement, a variety of signaling mediators, such as JAK kinases and STAT-6 are activated, leading to induction of IL-4 target gene expression including CD23 and germline C epsilon transcription. The function of a membrane-proximal domain of IL-4Ra, termed ID-1, remains to be characterized to date. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the ID-1 domain mediates the induction of IL-4 target gene expression in a STAT-6-dependent manner. METHODS: The intracellular region of IL-4Ralpha was translationally fused to the extracellular region of IL-2Rbeta to provide ligand specificity to IL-2. Acidic amino acids and serine residues in the ID-1 domain of the chimeric receptor were substituted by site-directed mutagenesis. These receptor cDNAs were stably transfected to M12.4.1 murine B lymphoma cells. Following IL-2 stimulation, wild type and mutant clones for the ID-1 motif were subjected to FACS. RNA blotting and elecroporetic mobility shift assays to address the levels of CD23, germline C epsilon and STAT-6 inductions, respectively. RESULTS: ID-1 mutant clones were defective in gene induction of CD23 and germline C epsilon in response to IL-2 stimulation, as compared with wildtype clones. Moreover, IL-2-mediated STAT-6 activation was abolished in ID-1 mutant clones. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the ID-1 domain of IL-4Ra is essential to induce IL-4 target gene expression through a STAT-6-dependent pathway.
Amino Acids, Acidic ; Asthma ; Clone Cells ; DNA, Complementary ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Gene Expression ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit* ; Interleukin-4* ; Interleukins ; Janus Kinases ; Lymphoma ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Receptors, Interleukin-4 ; RNA ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serine

A 59-year-old woman was scheduled to undergo a robot-assisted distal gastrectomy under general anesthesia. During the operation, the vital signs were maintained in normal range. After 7 hours of surgery, the pulse oxymeter graph became flat and the end tidal CO2 concentration suddenly decreased. Palpation of the carotid artery revealed no heart beat but the EKG continued to show sinus rhythm. Pulseless electrical activity (PEA) was diagnosed. An advanced cardiopulmonary life support protocol for PEA was immediately initiated, which included chest compressions and doses of IV cardiovascular drugs. However, in spite of continuous CPR, the heart wasn't recovered from the arrest. We experienced cardiac arrest for pulseless electrical activity during robot-assisted distal gastrectomy.
Anesthesia, General ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Cardiovascular Agents ; Carotid Arteries ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Heart ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hypovolemia ; Middle Aged ; Palpation ; Peas ; Reference Values ; Thorax ; Vital Signs

BACKGROUND: Genes for ABO and Rh phenotypes were recently identified. Although ABO genotyping don't find wide application in hospital transfusion services, it can play an important role in paternity and forensic investigation. In case of Rh system, however, DNA typing may find several practical applications such as prenatal determination of fetal Rho(D) genotype. METHODS: 64 blood samples for ABO genotyping were collected from blood donors (34 A, 30 B) and 18 samples for D genotyping (10 D+, 8 D-). To distinguish A, B and O alleles, we analyzed nucleotide positions 261 and 803 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). PCR products containing nucleotide position 261 were restricted with KpnI and BstEII. Rh genotyping was done by two sets of primers, one set for both RhD and RhCcEe gene amplification, and the other set for RhD only. RESULTS: The frequencies of ABO genotypes found in Korean blood donors were as follows: in the phenotype A group, AO=79% and AA= 21%; and in the phenotype B group, BO=93% and BB=7%. Of 18 blood samples for D genotytping, 10 were typed as RhD positive and 8 as RhD negative, showing full agreement with serological typing. CONCLUSION: ABO and D genotyping can be used when RBCs suitable for serological phenotyping are not available. Futhermore, these will be useful as a supplemental test to solve the problem of blood group typing caused by weak ABO and Rh phenotype.
Alleles ; Blood Donors ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Gene Amplification ; Genotype ; Humans ; Paternity ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

BACKGROUND: All donated bloods collected by the Korean Red Cross Blood Centers are tested for anti-HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) antibody by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) kits made in Korea. EIA test has sustaining problem of false positivity in spite of great progress in manufacturing kits. So, many healthy donors have been reported as being infected with HCV and excluded from next donation. METHODS: Among blood samples of 2,040,151 donors which were tested by two kinds of EIA kits (DONG-A HCV 3.0 and LG HCD 3.0) from 16 blood centers during 12 months, repeatably reactive samples, total 6,851 samples, were supplementally tested by LG HCD CONFIRM immunoblot test. RESULTS: Positive, indeterminate and negative rate in immunoblot tests were 39%, 9%, and 12% respectively among 6,851 repeatably reactive samples. Estimated true positive rate of anti-HCV antibody in Korean blood donors was 0.13%, showing geographical difference between 0.03% and 0.46%. Of EIA repeatably reactive samples, 28% showed greater than 5 signal to cutoff (S/C) ratio and most of them (94%) was revealed to be positive. CONCLUSION: True positive rate of EIA test results is so low that it would be necessary to increase the confidence of such results by immunoblot tests.
Blood Donors* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Korea ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Serologic assay for the detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) have been used routinely in the screening of blood donors in Korea since 1973. However some investigators have reported the presence of HBV DNA in HBsAg negative blood. So this study is designed to determine the detection rate of HBV DNA according to various patterns of HBV markers in Korean blood donors. METHODS: The presence of HBV DNA in plasma from 469 donors was determined by polymerase chain reaction using commercial kit (Bioneer HBV Detection Kit, Bioneer Corp., Chungbuk, Korea). 289 donors showing all negative results by donor screening tests and 120 donors showing positive results only in HBsAg test and 60 donors showing abnormal result only in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) test (> or =65 IU/L) were included in this study. Other markers for HBV infection such as anti-HBsAb, anti-HBcAb, HBeAg were also tested. RESULTS: 65 (54%) of 120 donors with positive for HBsAg and 5 (1.7%) of 289 donors without abnormal results in screening tests and 3 (5.0%) of 60 donors with elevated ALT were found to have HBV DNA in their plasma. Among 54 cases showing HBsAg-positive/HBeAg-positive, 52 cases (96%) were found to have HBV DNA. HBV markers in 5 cases showing HBsAg-negative/HBV DNA-positive were as follows: 2 (1.3%) among 159 cases showing anti-HBs-positive/anti-HBc-negative and 1 (20%) among 5 cases showing anti-HBs-negative/anti-HBc-positive and 1 (1.8%) among 55 cases showing anti-HBs-positive/anti-HBc-positive and 1 (1.5%) among 65 cases showing no viral markers. 3 cases with HBV DNA among elevated ALT groups were positive only in anti-HBs test. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that serological markers for HBV infection are insufficient to guarantee the safety of donated blood. To improve the safety, it may be suggested that (1) donors with history of viral hepatitis or with history of HBsAg positivity shoud be indefinitely deferred from donation, (2) blood collected from donors who have showed HBsAg positive result at previous donation shoud be discarded, (3) HBsAg-negative /anti-HBs-negative /anti-HBc-positive blood should be discarded, (4) ALT screening should be continuously done because it could screen out HBsAg-negative /HBV DNA-positive blood irrespective of anti-HBc result, (5) HBV detction kit that can also detect HBV mutant shoud be developed, (6) governmental support for HBV vaccination program shoud be done especially for recruits.
Alanine Transaminase ; Antigens, Surface ; Biomarkers* ; Blood Donors* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; DNA ; Donor Selection ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Plasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Research Personnel ; Tissue Donors ; Vaccination

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a degenerative disorder of motor neuron system of the spinal cord and the cortical neuron. Patients with ALS present a unique challenge to the anesthesiologist. Respiratory muscle weakness, for instance, can result in trouble with proper breathing after general anesthesia. We report a case of spinal anesthesia for discectomy in a patient with ALS.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Diskectomy ; Humans ; Motor Neurons ; Neurons ; Respiration ; Respiratory Muscles ; Spinal Cord

Regarding to preserve the cadaver, formaldehyde has been used as a major preservative. However, the usage of formaldehyde has been considered by its harmful effects such as the disturbing ordor, toxicities and limitations to use. Therefore we studied the effect of decomposition-inhibition which is a natural product, grapefruit seed extract (GSE). Concerning the preservative activity, we sacrificed 8 week old male SD rat and collected liver. Using liver tissues, we treated GSE as a time dependant manner under 37degrees, 80+/-5% humidity conditions. To confirm GSE effects, we applied light and electron microscopic analysis. In results, we observed GSE attenuated the morphological changes and putrefaction of liver tissues more than 3 days. Herein, we introduced the potential substitute of formaldehyde to preserve the cadaver as well as animal tissues.
Animals ; Cadaver ; Citrus paradisi ; Electrons ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Humidity ; Light ; Liver ; Male ; Rats ; Seeds

No abstract available.
Female ; Ovary* ; Teratoma*