To evaluate the character, management and clinical results of the posterior capsular rupture during cataract surgery, we retrospectively studied the cataract surgeries that were performed between May 1989 and April 1998. We discovered 194 eyes in which the posterior capsule was torn. The overall incidence of this complication was 3.15%. Our chart review of these surgical procedure revealed that the tear occurred most frequently during the nucleus removal(63.9%), occurred more frequently at the periphery than the center and the extent was mostly below one-third of the whole posterior capsular surface(75.8%). We performed vitrectomy(58.8%) and peripheral iridectomy(8.8%). Posterior capsular lenses were implanted in 183 cases. The predicted power of lens calculated with SRK-II formula and manufacturer`s A-constant was approximately 0.46 diopter less than actual postoperative refraction. Final visual acuity of 20/40 or better was achieved in 76.8% of the 194 cases. Our results revealed that when properly managed, a torn posterior capsule is compatible with an excellent visual outcome.
Cataract* ; Incidence ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture* ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Anesthesia* ; Emergencies*

Lymphadenopathy in the thoracic cavity is frequently caused by inflammatory diseases. In very rare cases, the node-bronchial fistula has been reported to be the cause of complications of pulmonary tuberculosis. A male patient with necrotizing pneumonia and mediastinal lymph node enlargements identified by chest computed tomography was also found to have a node-bronchial fistula caused by lung cancer. The patient was treated for tuberculosis with pneumonia for one week before a definitive diagnosis was made. A further investigation revealed him to have non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC, adenocarcinoma) and multiple mediastinal lymphadenopathies accompanied with the node-bronchial fistula. We report this specific case that had been previously treated for tuberculosis but was later revealed to be NSCLC accompanied with a node-bronchial fistula.
Bronchial Fistula ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Fistula ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male ; Pneumonia ; Thoracic Cavity ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

OBJECTIVES: The conversion of medical colleges into medical schools has been attempted by the Korean government since 2005. The aim of this study was to compare psychological characteristics of undergraduate and graduate medical students before and after changes in the medical educational system. METHODS: Four hundred-and-twenty-eight medical students participated in this study; 247 were undergraduates and 181 were graduate students. The participants completed psychological assessments including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Alexithymia Scale. RESULTS: Overall, undergraduate medical students demonstrated significantly higher scores than the graduate medical student on three of MMPI subscales (F, depression, and social introversion) and two of SCL-90-R subscales (somatization and obsessive-compulsive). When comparing the four groups (male undergraduate, female undergraduate, male graduate, female graduate) using analysis of covariance and controlling for age as a covariate, there were significant differences between male graduate and male undergraduate medical students in the same subscales except somatization, whereas there were no significant differences between female groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that male graduate medical students may have better mental health states and less psychological problems than undergraduate medical students even after controlling for age. However, these differences were not found between female groups. Although every score of all items was within normal range regardless of group, distinctive differences between male graduate and undergraduate students were revealed for some psychological profiles such as depression, social introversion, and obsessive-compulsive traits.
Affective Symptoms ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Introversion (Psychology) ; Male ; Mental Health ; MMPI ; Reference Values ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical

OBJECTIVES: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has been identified as a positional and functional candidate gene of schizophrenia. Although specific mechanism of increasing schizophrenia susceptibility by this gene has not been well described yet, recent studies suggest that the valine allele of COMT Val158Met polymorphism may contribute to cognitive decline in schizophrenia. The present study investigated the association between this polymorphism of COMT gene and cognitive markers related to schizophrenia in both schizophrenia patients and normal controls. METHODS: The subjects were 78 patients with schizophrenia diagnosed by DSM-IV and 97 normal controls. Comprehensive neurocognitive tests for which performance deficits have been reported in schizophrenia were administered. Genotyping for COMT Val158Met polymorphism was done with SNapShot method. Association analyses between genotype and cognitive functions were performed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA. RESULTS: In the comparison of allele frequencies between patient and control groups, no significant association between the polymorphism and schizophrenia was observed. Significant differences of cognitive performance among genotype groups were not identified in control group. This trend was also observed in the patient group. In the combined analysis of both patient and control groups, there was no significant genotype or genotype-by group effect on any cognitive function measure. CONCLUSION: These findings do not support a major role of COMT gene in the regulation of the cognitive processes of schizophrenia.
Alleles ; Catechol O-Methyltransferase ; Cognition ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Schizophrenia ; Valine

BACKGROUND: Preterm labor is a leading risk factor for neonatal death and long-term impairment and linked closely with inflammation. Non-obstetric surgery is occasionally needed during pregnancy and the anesthetic drugs or surgery itself can give rise to inflammation. Here, we examined the influence of propofol pretreatment on the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. In addition, we evaluated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). METHODS: Human amnion-derived WISH cells were used to investigate the effect of propofol on the LPS-induced expression of inflammatory substances involved in preterm labor. For the experiment, WISH cells were pretreated with various concentrations propofol (0.01–10 µg/ml) for 1 h and then treated with LPS (1 µg/ml) for 24 h. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using MTT assay. PGE2 concentration was assessed by ELISA. Protein expressions of COX-2, PGE2 and NF-κB were analyzed by western blotting analysis. RT-PCR was used for analysis of mRNA expression of COX-2, PGE2, interlukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. RESULTS: Propofol showed no cytotoxicity on the WISH cells. LPS-induced PGE2 production and COX-2 and PGE2 expression were decreased after propofol pretreatment. Propofol also attenuated the LPS-induced mRNA expression of IL-1β and TNF-α. Moreover, the activation of NF-jB was inhibited by propofol pretreatment on LPS-stimulated WISH cells. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that propofol suppresses the expression of inflammatory substances enhanced by LPS stimulation. Furthermore, this inhibitory effect of propofol on the inflammatory substance expression is mediated by suppression of NF-κB activation.
Amnion ; Anesthetics ; Blotting, Western ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Cytokines ; Dinoprostone ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; NF-kappa B ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Perinatal Death ; Pregnancy ; Propofol ; Risk Factors ; RNA, Messenger ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

BACKGROUND: Our previous study showed that purified protein derivative (PPD)- stimulated pleural mononuclear cells (PMC) from tuberculous pleurisy (Tbp) produced significantly more IFN-gamma (10- to 70-fold) after in vitro PPD stimulation than freshly isolated pleural cells from malignant pleurisy. The present study was designed to determine whether blocking the CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) interaction decreases IFN-gamma production by altering IL-12 levels. METHODS: IL-12 and IFN-gamma production after neutralizing anti-CD40L antibody treatment was compared to the efficacy of anti-CD80, anti-CD86, and a combination of anti-CD80 and CD86 (CD80+86) monoclonal antibodies (mAb). These activities were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), after in vitro stimulation with PPD antigen (Ag). RESULTS: Neutralization of CD80, CD86 and CD80+86 did not decrease IFN-gamma and IL-12 production in Tbp-PMC, whereas neutralization of CD40L significantly depressed IL-12 p40 and IFN-gamma. In addition, neutralization of CD40L completely inhibited IL-12 p40 and IFN-gamma mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: The CD40-CD40L interaction might play a major role in IL-12 and IFN-gamma production in Tbp-PMC, thus contributing to protective immunity in human tuberculosis.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; CD40 Ligand ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-12* ; Pleurisy ; RNA, Messenger ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pleural

BACKGROUND: Our previous study showed that purified protein derivative (PPD)- stimulated pleural mononuclear cells (PMC) from tuberculous pleurisy (Tbp) produced significantly more IFN-gamma (10- to 70-fold) after in vitro PPD stimulation than freshly isolated pleural cells from malignant pleurisy. The present study was designed to determine whether blocking the CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) interaction decreases IFN-gamma production by altering IL-12 levels. METHODS: IL-12 and IFN-gamma production after neutralizing anti-CD40L antibody treatment was compared to the efficacy of anti-CD80, anti-CD86, and a combination of anti-CD80 and CD86 (CD80+86) monoclonal antibodies (mAb). These activities were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), after in vitro stimulation with PPD antigen (Ag). RESULTS: Neutralization of CD80, CD86 and CD80+86 did not decrease IFN-gamma and IL-12 production in Tbp-PMC, whereas neutralization of CD40L significantly depressed IL-12 p40 and IFN-gamma. In addition, neutralization of CD40L completely inhibited IL-12 p40 and IFN-gamma mRNA expression. CONCLUSION: The CD40-CD40L interaction might play a major role in IL-12 and IFN-gamma production in Tbp-PMC, thus contributing to protective immunity in human tuberculosis.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; CD40 Ligand ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-12* ; Pleurisy ; RNA, Messenger ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pleural

OBJECTIVES: Chromosome 6p24-22 has been identified as a disease locus with a high probability for schizophrenia based on several genomewide linkage scans with Caucasian families. The recent association studies suggest that the dysbindin gene located at chromosome 6p22.3 may be a candidate gene of schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the linkage of chromosome 6p24.3-22.3 locus to schizophrenia in Korean families. METHODS: We recruited one hundred fifty-seven family members from forty-six multiplex schizophrenia families. One hundred three of them were affected individuals. four microsatellite markers with 4.8 cM intervals on 6p24.3-22.3 were genotyped. Nonparametric linkage analysis was performed by evaluating the levels of allele sharing between the affected relative pairs. RESULTS: In the single point analysis, no markers on chromosome 6p24.3-22.3 locus showed statistical evidence for linkage. Significant evidence for linkage was not found in the multi-point analysis. CONCLUSION: These results do not support the previous evidence from Caucasian families for a locus predisposing to schizophrenia at 6p24.3-22.3, the locus of dysbindin gene. We conclude that if there is a susceptibility locus for schizophrenia in this region then its effect size is so small as to render our study insufficiently powerful to detect it and schizophrenia susceptibility loci in Korean families likey have different ethnicity-specific effects from Caucasian families.
Alleles ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Schizophrenia*