BACKGROUND: Flecainide is an antiarrhythmic agent that is used primarily in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Some evidences also suggest that flecainide can participate in alveolar fluid clearance and inflammatory responses. This experiment was aimed to evaluate the effects of flecainide on sepsis induced acute lung injury in a rat model. METHODS: Rats were treated with subcutaneous infusion of saline or flecainide (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg/hr) by a mini-osmotic pump. Subcutaneous infusion was started 3 hours before and continued until 8 hours after intraperitoneal injection of saline or endotoxin. Animals were sacrificed for analyses of severity of acute lung injury with wet to dry (W/D) ratio and lung injury score (LIS) in lung and inflammatory responses with level of leukocyte, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and inteleukin-8 (IL-8) in bronchoalveolar lavages fluid (BALF). RESULTS: Flecainide markedly improved dose dependently sepsis induced acute lung injury as analysed by W/D ratio (from 2.24 ± 0.11 to 1.76 ± 0.09, p < 0.05) and LIS (from 3 to 1, p < 0.05), and inflammatory response as determined by leukocyte (from 443 ± 127 to 229 ± 95, p < 0.05), PMNs (from 41.43 ± 17.63 to 2.43 ± 2.61, p < 0.05) and IL-8 (from 95.00 ± 15.28 to 40.00 ± 10.21, p < 0.05) in BALF. CONCLUSIONS: Flecanide improve sepsis induced acute lung injury in rats by controlling inflammatory responses.
Acute Lung Injury* ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Flecainide* ; Infusions, Subcutaneous ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interleukin-8 ; Leukocytes ; Lung ; Lung Injury ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Rats ; Sepsis*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether 7 radiographic angles make a useful method for analysing foot deformities in children with cerebral palsy, and to assess with changes in angles after 2 years with orthoses or operations. METHOD: The talocalcaneal, talus-first metatarsal, and calcaneus-fifth metatarsal angles on the AP radiographs and the talocalcaneal, tibiotalar, talus-first metatarsal, and talohorizontal angles on the lateral radiographs were measured in 183 cerebral palsied. Seven angles were analyzed according to the clinical types, spasticity, ambulation, and age. One hundred three feet were followed up for 2 years with application of orthoses or operations. RESULTS: The frequencies of higher range in AP talocalcaneal angle were 24.4% in spastic diplegia. The increased frequencies for abnormal range increased as the grade of spasticity. Non-ambulator group had many frequencies of lower range in AP talocalcaneal angle. The age of 8~9 years showed high peak in the frequency of abnormal range. After 2 years, the frequencies of normal range were increased in groups with orthoses or operations. CONCLUSION: The radiographic angles were a useful method for observing feet of the children with cerebral palsy. If the appropriate interventions for feet were applied, the normal frequencies of radiographic angles were increased after 2 years.
Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Foot Deformities* ; Foot* ; Humans ; Metatarsal Bones ; Muscle Spasticity ; Orthotic Devices ; Radiography ; Reference Values ; Walking

To achieve optimal decalcification in tissue and tissue preservation, we have tried magnetic field method and made some promising results. We used pulsed unipolar magnetic field obtained by rectification of 250 V-60 cycle, A.C. As a new method of bony decalcification, using 5% nitric acid, 10% formic acid and 10% formic acid+3% hydrochloric acid solutions, experimental groups were decalcified in the center of the magnetic field. The concentration of calcium ion in the decalcifying solution was measured by calcium-oxalate turbidity test by photometry method, and direct visualization of calcium radiopacity was obtained by soft X-ray view during the decalcification process. The pH change during decalcification was continuously checked and needle penetration method was also used. All the decalcification solution used in this study showed accelerated effect of bony decalcification in the strong magnetic field. Among them 5% nitric acid produced complete decalcification for the medium size bony specimen (less than 10x10x10 mm) within 24 hours, and the histologic feature was almost free of acid-chemical degeneration. The pH of all the decalcification solutions decreased in the strong magnetic field, maximum within 4~6 hours, and kept strong acidity throughout the decalcification procedure. After removal of the magnetic field the pH of all the decalcification solution returned to their original values after 24 hours. It was presumed that the cause of the accelerated decalcification in the magnetic field was due to combined effects of the rapid increase of acidity and the increased molecular resonance to stimulate the ionization of mineral elements.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate usefulness of the current withdrawal threshold (CWT) on evaluation of the neuropathic pain in animal model. METHOD: Surgical neuropathy was induced in 40 Sprague-Dawley rats. Fourteen days after the surgery, neuropathic rats were evaluated by von Frey hair. The CWT was determined by various stimulus intensities which induce the tail-withdrawal response or vocalization of rats. The experimental group was compared with the control group by CWT. Then the experimental group was subdevided to two groups. The experimental group 1 was injected with beta-methasone 0.1 mg/kg, intra-peritoneally and experimental group 2 was injected with normal saline with the same amount as steroid. The CWT of two experimental subgroups were measured before and 30 minutes after injections. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant decrease of the CWT compared with the control group after the neuropathic pain was induced. The CWT of experimental group 1 was increased after steroid administration (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that the measurement of CWT would be an useful tool to study the neuropathic pain in experimental animal model.
Animals* ; Hair ; Models, Animal* ; Neuralgia* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the prognostic value of multi-sensory evoked potentials (MSEPs) in neonatal period for the early diagnosis of delayed motor development, especially cerebral palsy. METHOD: The MSEPs studies composed of auditory brainstem evoked potentials (AEPs), visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and somatosensory evoked potentials were taken on 237 neonates, 136 boys and 101 girls, using Viking IV machine. Follow up MSEPs were repeated in every 4 or more weeks for those who showed abnormal responses in any of the MSEPs. Each neonate was also evaluated for motor development as an outpatient or by telephone interview. RESULTS: Among 237 neonates, 6.4% showed delayed development, and 4.6% were cerebral palsy: 3.8%, spastic type; 0.8%, athetoid type, and the others revealed normal motor development. AEP was useful method to predict motor development when this was done at 39.7 0.4 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA). VEPs failed to show the validity, but there was the typical waveform change in accordance with increase of the postmenstrual age. Median nerve SEPs were valuable for prediction of motor development which were taken at PMA 40.7 0.6 weeks. After 45.3 1.5 weeks of PMA, median nerve SEPs did not reflect motor development outcome significantly. However, posterior tibial SEPs significantly reflect motor outcome regardless of the time of examination. CONCLUSION: Median and posterior tibial SEPs done before 40weeks of PMA are useful tool to predict motor development outcome. When any of these tests showed abnormal findings, follow up study is recommended and posterior tibial SEP study is thought to be the most useful for its predictability. It is necessary to correlate the AEPs and VEPs with hearing and vision whenever abnormal findings are found.
Brain Stem ; Cerebral Palsy ; Early Diagnosis ; Evoked Potentials* ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hearing ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Interviews as Topic ; Median Nerve ; Muscle Spasticity ; Outpatients

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the change of peak latency, interpeak latency and amplitude of auditory brainstem evoked potentials (AEPs) in normal preterm infants in accordance with the age, and to find out the correlation between reproducibility of AEPs and high risk of premature infants. METHOD: AEP studies were performed on 266 premature infants (male 143, female 123) within a month of the birth. Acquired potentials were grouped by the reproducibility of waveforms, and latency, interpeak latency and amplitude were measured in each group of potentials to interpret age appropriate changes of AEPs. RESULTS: 1) Peak latency of peak I, III and V were shortened in accordance with the age, especially latency of peak V was significantly decreased from 7.42 msec to 6.84 msec. 2) There was no significant change in interpeak latency or amplitude of AEPs according to the postmenstrual age. 3) Reproducibility of AEPs was worse in premature infants with history of asphyxia. CONCLUSION: Considering the results, the latency of peak V can be used as one of the useful parameter to investigate and follow up the premature infants. Significant negative correlation between low grade reproducibility and history of neonatal asphyxia was found.
Asphyxia ; Brain Stem* ; Evoked Potentials* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Parturition

Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) are predisposed to developing embryonal tumors, with hepatoblastoma being the most common type. Our patient showed hemihypertrophy, macroglossia, and paternal uniparental disomy in chromosome 11 and was diagnosed with BWS. When the patient was 9 months old, a 2.5×1.5 cm oval hypoechoic exophytic mass was detected in the inferior tip of his right liver. Preoperative imaging identified it as hepatoblastoma; however, histologic, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopic findings were compatible with adrenal cortical neoplasm with uncertain malignant potential. The origin of the adrenal tissue seemed to be heterotopic. Here, we describe for the first time an adrenal cortical neoplasm with uncertain malignant potential arising in the heterotopic adrenal cortex located in the liver of a patient with BWS.
Adrenal Cortex ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; Hepatoblastoma ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liver ; Macroglossia ; Uniparental Disomy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of sonoelastography in infants with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT). METHODS: The medical records of 215 infants clinically diagnosed with CMT were retrospectively reviewed. Fifty-three infants met the inclusion criteria as follows: 1) infants diagnosed as CMT with a palpable neck mass before 3 months of age, 2) infants who were evaluated initially by both B-mode ultrasonography and sonoelastography, and 3) infants who had received physical therapy after being diagnosed with CMT. We checked the thickness of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles in B-mode ultrasonography, strain ratio of the SCM muscles in sonoelastography, and treatment duration. We evaluated the correlation between the treatment duration and the following factors: SCM muscle thickness, ratio of SCM muscle thickness on the affected to unaffected side (A/U ratio), and strain ratio. RESULTS: Both the thickness of the affected SCM muscle and the A/U ratio did not show significant correlation with the treatment duration (p=0.66, p=0.90). The strain ratio of the affected SCM muscle was significantly greater than that of the unaffected SCM muscle (p<0.001), and the strain ratio showed significant correlation with the treatment duration (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Sonoelastography may be a useful adjunctive tool to B-mode ultrasonography for evaluating infants with CMT, especially when predicting their rehabilitation outcomes.
Elasticity Imaging Techniques* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Medical Records ; Muscles ; Neck ; Prognosis ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Torticollis* ; Ultrasonography

Most regional anesthesia in breast surgeries is performed as postoperative pain management under general anesthesia, and not as the primary anesthesia. Regional anesthesia has very few cardiovascular or pulmonary side-effects, as compared with general anesthesia. Pectoral nerve block is a relatively new technique, with fewer complications than other regional anesthesia. We performed Pecs I and Pec II block simultaneously as primary anesthesia under moderate sedation with dexmedetomidine for breast conserving surgery in a 49-year-old female patient with invasive ductal carcinoma. Block was uneventful and showed no complications. Thus, Pecs block with sedation could be an alternative to general anesthesia for breast surgeries.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Conduction ; Anesthesia, General* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Conscious Sedation ; Dexmedetomidine ; Female ; Humans ; Mastectomy, Segmental* ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Block ; Pain, Postoperative

BACKGROUND: Recently, many studies have reported that university students have been suffering from stress because of their the uncertainty of their future and employment. Eating habits have often been considered as one of health-related behaviors that may be affected by life stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between stress and eating habits in university students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed. The subjects were 282 university students which assessed their eating habits and stresses. The total numbs of students in the study 263. Eating habits were scored using a questionnaire consisting of three categories-regularity, balance, and preference. The stress was assessed by modified Korean version of BEPSI. RESULTS: The stress score was 2.4 and the total score of eating habits was 44.2. The regularity among the domains of eating habits was 14.1, the balance score was 16.1, and the preference was 14.0. In multiple regression after adjustment with confounding variables, stress had a negative relationship with eating habits. CONCLUSION: The relationship between stress and eating habits was statistically significant, especially in regularity and balance. It is important to know not only the health status, but also the factors associated with health such as stresses and eating habits in order to improve the health status of the university students. Further research needs to uncover causality and make a generalization.
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eating* ; Employment ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Humans ; Stress, Psychological ; Uncertainty ; Surveys and Questionnaires