Lamotrigine is an antiepileptic drug widely used to treat epileptic seizures. Using whole-cell voltage clamp recordings in combination with a fast drug application approach, we investigated the effects of lamotrigine on 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)₃ receptors in NCB-20 neuroblastoma cells. Co-application of lamotrigine (1~300 µM) resulted in a concentration-dependent reduction in peak amplitude of currents induced by 3 µM of 5-HT for an IC₅₀ value of 28.2±3.6 µM with a Hill coefficient of 1.2±0.1. These peak amplitude decreases were accompanied by the rise slope reduction. In addition, 5-HT₃-mediated currents evoked by 1 mM dopamine, a partial 5-HT₃ receptor agonist, were inhibited by lamotrigine co-application. The EC₅₀ of 5-HT for 5-HT₃ receptor currents were shifted to the right by co-application of lamotrigine without a significant change of maximal effect. Currents activated by 5-HT and lamotrigine co-application in the presence of 1 min pretreatment of lamotrigine were similar to those activated by 5-HT and lamotrigine co-application alone. Moreover, subsequent application of lamotrigine in the presence of 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindole, known to attenuate 5-HT₃ receptor desensitization, inhibited 5-HT₃ receptor currents in a concentration-dependent manner. The deactivation of 5-HT₃ receptor was delayed by washing with an external solution containing lamotrigine. Lamotrigine accelerated the desensitization process of 5-HT₃ receptors. There was no voltage-dependency in the inhibitory effects of lamotrigine on the 5-HT3 receptor currents. These results indicate that lamotrigine inhibits 5-HT₃-activated currents in a competitive manner by binding to the open state of the channels and blocking channel activation or accelerating receptor desensitization.
Dopamine ; Epilepsy ; Neuroblastoma* ; Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT3 ; Serotonin

Background: Globally, YouTube is one of the most popular websites, and the content is not restricted to entertainment. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of information in YouTube videos pertaining to hysterectomy. Methods: We explored YouTube using the search terms “hysterectomy” and “remove uterus.” The videos that appeared were sorted using the filter “sort by view count.” Of the initial 100 videos, the top 50 videos for each search term were included for review, as determined by the “relevance” filter based on YouTube's algorithm. After excluding 34 videos for various reasons, 66 were included in the final analysis. Each video rated as “useful” was further analyzed for reliability and completeness of information; a set of pre-determined criteria were modified from a previous study and used to grade the quality of videos. Results: The top 66 videos on hysterectomy had a total of 4,679,118 views. Based on authorship, the videos were categorized as follows: videos uploaded by patients, 37%; academic videos, 35%; videos uploaded by physicians, 13%; commercial videos, 4%; and videos uploaded by non-physicians, 2%. The type of content was also categorized: 50% of the videos recorded personal experiences, 23% recorded surgical techniques, 21% involved explanations of the surgery, and 4% were commercial videos. The majority of the videos made by patients were negatively biased toward hysterectomy surgery (71.72%), while the majority of those made by academics or physicians were surgical educational videos for doctors, not patients. Conclusion YouTube is currently not an appropriate source for patients to gain information on hysterectomy. Physicians should be aware of the limitations and provide up-to-date and peer-reviewed content on the website.

PURPOSE: With the increasing use of antenatal sonography, fetal hydronephrosis has been reported more frequently. But, despite extensive clinical and scientific research much controversy still exists about the assessment and management of hydronephrosis. We performed a retrospective study to determine the frequency of associated malformations and chromosomal defects in prenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis. METHODS: The records of 297 neonates who were diagnosed with hydronephrosis through antenatal ultrasonographic screening, were retrospectively analyzed. They were confirmed at 3 days to 1 month after birth with postnatal ultrasonography in Busan Paik Hospital, between January 2000 and December 2008. We karyotyped 297 neonates after ultrasonographic examination revealed hydronephrosis and malformations. RESULTS: Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 31 (11%) cases of 297 cases and more common in female than male. The commonest chromosomal abnormality was trisomy 21, followed by Turner syndrome, deletion of autosome, unbalanced translocation. 127 cases in 109 infants had associated malformations such as urogenital and cardiovascular and gastrointestinal anomalies. The associated malformations were more common in moderate to severe hydronephrosis than mild and the number of additional abnormalities increased with the chromosomal defects. CONCLUSION: Particular attention should be paid for the cases in congenital hydronephrosis with any associated malformation such as urogenital and cardiac malformation, to investigate chromosomal abnormalities. This will enable clinicians to establish appropriate management and postnatal care.
Chromosome Aberrations ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Parturition ; Postnatal Care ; Retrospective Studies ; Turner Syndrome

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the therapeutic effect of plasmapheresis in various pediatric diseases. METHODS: Therapeutic plasmapheresis was performed by COBE Spectra centrifugation. Nine cases were included in this study. The number and method of plasmapheresis, together with the progress and prognosis of each case were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The patients' ages ranged from 26 months to 16 years of age, and the mean age was 9.9 years. There were 5 males and 4 females. The underlying diseases requiring plasmapheresis included 2 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome(HUS), 1 case of lupus nephritis, 2 cases of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis(RPGN), 1 case of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS), 1 case of systemic vasculitis after pulmonary hemorrhage, 1 case of acute renal failure associated with pulmonary hemorrhage, and 1 case of acute rejection after renal transplantation. The average number of plasmapheresis performed was 6.2 times with a range of 3 to 13 times. The patients with HUS, lupus nephritis, ANCA positive systemic vasculitis induced by pulmonary hemorrhage and ARF-associated pulmonary hemorrhage showed a good response to therapeutic plasmapheresis, but the patients with RPGN, refractory FSGS, and acute rejection after renal transplantation were not responsive to treatment. The most common side effect was hypocalcemia which was rarely symptomatic. Vital signs were not compromised. CONCLUSION: Although it is presumptuous to generalize the therapeutic effects of plasmapheresis in different diseases due to the small number of study subjects, this study shows that plasmapheresis may be an effective therapeutic modality in various pediatrics diseases and should be considered as a therapeutic option.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Centrifugation ; Child ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Kidney Transplantation ; Lupus Nephritis ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Plasma Exchange* ; Plasma* ; Plasmapheresis ; Prognosis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Vital Signs

BACKGROUND: Continuity is very important in primary care, and in most studies continuous care has been reported to have a good effect on the result of care. So we studied the factors influencing the continuity of patient care by physician in charge, especially in case of out-patient department in a university hospital. METHODS: We posed questionnaires to 55 persons who had visited continually to Paik Hospital in Pusan for at least 6 months. We classified them into three groups according to the degree of continuity using 'Modified Continuity Index', and compared the lower group (18 patients) with the higher group(18 patients). RESULTS: The incame of the higher continuity group was significantly less than that of the lower continuity group(P=0.042). But there were no significant differences between the two groups according to sex, age, the type of family, marital status, job and the level of education. The higher continuity group agreed more significantly than the lower continuity group with the question whether it is important to be treated continually from physician in charge(P=0.005). About the reasons for visiting to other doctors instead of the physician in charge, most of them in both group replied that they could not keep appointment. And there were no significant differences in the care pattern of disease between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the continuity of patient care by physician in charge, it is necessary to instruct the importance of continuous care to the patients and to motivate them through various methods.
Busan ; Continuity of Patient Care* ; Education ; Family Practice* ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Outpatients ; Primary Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

A teratoma is the most common germ cell tumor in children; however, a gastric teratoma is very rare. An immature gastric teratoma has malignant potential; therefore, it should be removed surgically and followed up routinely to assess for recurrence by performing imaging studies and estimating serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level. We describe the case of a 2-day-old male neonate with abdominal distension and a palpable mass. He underwent surgical resection of a tumor that was diagnosed as an immature gastric teratoma.
alpha-Fetoproteins ; Child ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Male ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Teratoma*

No abstract available.
Lip* ; Xanthomatosis*

This study was performed to examine 1) Whether hypothermic cardiac arrest produces myocardial HSP72 expression; 2) And if, whether it serves to protect the heart against the subsequent hypothermic arrest. In the present study, neonatal rats were placed in an icebath to induce hypothermia. To determine whether hypothermic cardiac arrest produces myocardial HSP72, experimental animals were subjected to 10-min hypothermic insult before the extraction of the heart. The intervals between the insult and extraction were 1 (1 HR), 4 (4 HR), 8 (8 HR), 24 (24 HR) or 72 (72HR) hours. A minimal amount of HSP72 was detected in control, 1 HR and 72 HR groups. In contrast, 8 HR and 24 HR groups showed a significant level of HSP72 expressions. To assess the cardioprotective effect of HSP72 against hypothermic cardiac arrest, we compared the proportion of recovery from the arrest between control and preconditioned (PREC) animals. Control animals were subjected to 20-min hypothermic insult, while PREC group was preconditioned by 10-min hypothermic insult 8 hours before the 20-min test hypothermic insult. Resuscitation rate from cardiac arrest induced by the 20-min hypothermic insult in PREC group was significantly higher than that in controls. These results suggest that the cardioprotective effect of hypothermic preconditioning is associated with an increase in HSP72 expression.
Animals ; Heart ; Heart Arrest ; Hypothermia ; Incidence* ; Rats* ; Resuscitation

Recent beauty trends have caused an increase in the number of bialveolar protrusion patients seeking treatment of lip protrusion. But studies of these patients are not common. Studies using their dental models are especially rare. Dental models have been measured manually or through a computer by digitizing two dimensional images of models. Nowadays, we are able to study dental models more easily and accurately by utilizing the three-dimensional (3-D) laser scanner in dentistry. An investigation was carried out to evaluate the characteristics of the dental arch in a bialveolar protrusion group in comparison with a normal group using 3-D digital models. The normal group was composed of 20 subjects who were selected from students of the School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University. The bialveolar protrusion group was composed of 20 subjects who visited for treatment at the Department of Orthodontics, Kyungpook National University Hospital. Tooth size, arch width and arch length were measured digitally, and arch shape and the shape of the palate were drawn. Based on the results of this study, the differences of the arch characteristics in the bialveolar protrusion group were that the size of the teeth was larger, mandibular canine width and 1st premolar width were wider, and arch length was longer than in the normal group. And there were differences in the arch shape and the shape of palate between the bialveolar protrusion and normal groups.
Beauty ; Bicuspid ; Dental Arch* ; Dental Models ; Dentistry ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Lip ; Orthodontics ; Palate ; Tooth

No abstract available.
Giant Cells ; Granuloma, Giant Cell ; Hot Temperature