OBJECTIVE: To determine whether cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 are expressed differentially during the whole gestational period in the pregnant human uterine cervix and if they are involved in the process of labor. METHODS: Nine patients were matched for obstetrical history and maternal age were divided into an abortion group who aborted between 13 and 16 weeks(n=3), a preterm group who delivered between 20 and 37 weeks(n=3), and a term group who delivered between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation(n=3). Immediately after vaginal delivery cervical biopsy samples were obtained and immunohistochemically stained for COX-1 and COX-2 and the degree of staining was evaluated by H-scoring system. RESULTS: Expression of COX-1 and COX-2 was found in epithelial and stromal cells of uterine cervical tissues of preterm and term group. The immunohistochemical expression of COX-1 and COX-2 was strongest in the term group compared to the preterm group in stromal cells(HSCORE : 2.0 vs. 4.0 ; 2.0 vs. 3.0), and in epithelial cells(HSCORE : 1.0 vs. 3.0 ; 1.0 vs. 3.0). CONCLUSION: Although small amount of the groups were investigated, in the pregnant human uterine cervix, COX-1 and COX-2 are found to be expressed, and both shows the strongest expression in term cervical tissue. It is suggested that the uterine cervix, under the control of prostaglandins, is actively involved in the process of labor, and it is thought that the role of COX-1 and COX-2 is more important in parturition process with advancing gestational age.
Biopsy ; Cervix Uteri* ; Cyclooxygenase 1* ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans* ; Maternal Age ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Prostaglandins ; Stromal Cells

We conducted a multicenter clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human erythropoietin(Espogen(R), LG Chemical Ltd.) in the anemic patients of chronic renal failure undergoing dialysis. The patients were end-stage renal disease who were undergoing hemodialysis or peritonea1 dialysis for 3 months or longer and they had less than 8g/dL of hemoglobin and more than 100ng/mL of serum ferritin. Hemodialysis patients were administered 150unit/kg/week of recombinant human erythropoietin as initial dose, and peritoneal dialysis patients 50unitAg, twice per week. We examined hemoglobin value every other week and adjusted the dose in order to maintain hemoglobin level as 10-llg/dL. We enrolled 64 patients and analysed 54 cases in the final. 96.3% (52/54) of patients showed increase by more than 1.0g/dL and the others in- crease by more than 0.5g/dL. Baseline hemoglobin, hematocrit were 7.11+/-0.85g/dL, 21.3+/-2.6% and final level were 10.42+/-1.31g/dL, 31.9+/-3.5%(p=0.0001), respectively. Reticulocyte was increased after 2 weeks of administration from 0.90+/-0.74% to 2.45+/-0.84% The adverse effects included hypertension, headache, increased potassium and phosphate level so required regular monitoring. Therefore we showed that Es-pogen was effective in correcting the anemia of chronic renal failure and didn't have any particular adverse effects.
Anemia ; Dialysis* ; Erythropoietin ; Ferritins ; Headache ; Hematocrit ; Humans* ; Hypertension ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Potassium ; Renal Dialysis ; Reticulocytes

BACKGROUND: Immunologic and inflammatory responses of cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) influence postoperative mortality and morbidity with multiple organ injury. It has been reported that ischemia/reperfusion induced-myocardial injury during CPB is causative of release of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). The purpose of this study was to detect the time course of the activated cytokine and troponin-T(TnT), and to examine the correlation between such parameters during CPB. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The serial samples were collected from arterial blood via radial arterial catheter in 23 patients who are underwent open heart surgery (OHS) with CPB, the IL-6, TNF-alpha and TnT were checked. RESULT: (1) IL-6, TNFalpha- and TnT concentration increased significantly during CPB with a peaking level of CPB-off (p 0.05). (2) IL-6 had highly positive correlation with aortic cross clamping time and total bypass time(r=0.80, 0.78; p 0.05, respectively). (3) There was no correlation among IL-6, TNF-alpha and TnT. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these data showed that elevated production of serum IL-6 during CPB was attributable to ischemia/reperfusion induced-myocardial damage. IL-6 will become a new and sensitive biological marker in assessment of myocardial damage during OHS with CPB. However, further studies will be needed to apply IL-6 in more patient population.
Biomarkers ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass* ; Catheters ; Constriction ; Cytokines ; Heart* ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Mortality ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Trinitrotoluene ; Troponin T* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Noncommunicating uterine horns are rare, occasionally presenting with functional endometrial cavities, Surgical removal of the noncommunicating horn is commonly performed to prevent endometriosis and rupture of a pregnancy in these patient. We report a case of rudimentary horn with pelvic and appendicular endometriosis treated by laparoscopic resection of those lesions.
Animals ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Horns* ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Rupture

Community-acquired pneumonia is common and important infectious disease in adults. This work represents an update to 2009 treatment guideline for community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. The present clinical practice guideline provides revised recommendations on the appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of community-acquired pneumonia in adults aged 19 years or older, taking into account the current situation regarding community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. This guideline may help reduce the difference in the level of treatment between medical institutions and medical staff, and enable efficient treatment. It may also reduce antibiotic resistance by preventing antibiotic misuse against acute lower respiratory tract infection in Korea.
Adult* ; Communicable Diseases ; Community-Acquired Infections ; Diagnosis ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Staff ; Pneumonia* ; Respiratory Tract Infections

Community-acquired pneumonia is common and important infectious disease in adults. This work represents an update to 2009 treatment guideline for community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. The present clinical practice guideline provides revised recommendations on the appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of community-acquired pneumonia in adults aged 19 years or older, taking into account the current situation regarding community-acquired pneumonia in Korea. This guideline may help reduce the difference in the level of treatment between medical institutions and medical staff, and enable efficient treatment. It may also reduce antibiotic resistance by preventing antibiotic misuse against acute lower respiratory tract infection in Korea.
Adult* ; Communicable Diseases ; Community-Acquired Infections ; Diagnosis ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Staff ; Pneumonia* ; Respiratory Tract Infections

The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether the molecular defect of acid-base transporters in renal tubules is related to the functional defect of urinary acidification in distal renal tubular acidosis(RTA). We performed NH4Cl, furosemide, or bicarbonate loading test to evaluate renal acidification function, and immunohistochemistry using antibodies to H+- ATPase, Cl-/HCO3- exchanger(band-3 protein), and Na+/K+-ATPase in kidney tissue in 6 patients with RTA and renal cell carcinoma patients as normal controls. Kidney tissue was obtained either by percutaneous needle biopsy(RTA) or nephrectomy(NC). The results were as follows; 1) In all six RTA patients, proton secretory defect of distal acidification was shown by a failure to lower the urine pH after NH4Cl loading or furosemide test or abnormally low urine-blood pCO2 difference during bicarbonate loading. In two patients with RTA, proximal acidification defect was combined, which was demonstrated by increased fractional excretion of bicarbonate. 2) In normal control, intense H+-ATPase and band-3 protein staining was observed in collecting ducts. 3) In distal RTA patients, H+-ATPase and band- 3 protein staining was not demonstrable or markedly decreased in the intercalated cells of distal nephron. 4) In two patients who had both proximal and distal RTA, H+-ATPase staining was markedly decreased in the brush border of proximal tubules as well as the distal nephron. In conclusion, the defect of acid-base transporters in renal tubule was related with the functional defect of urinary acidification in distal RTA.
Acidosis, Renal Tubular* ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Antibodies ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Furosemide ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney ; Microvilli ; Needles ; Nephrons ; Protons

BACKGROUND: From Sept. 1985 to Sept. 1997, 2,000 cases of open heart surgery (OHS) were performed in the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Among the total of 2,000 cases of OHS, 1532 cases were congenital heart disease (CHD) and 468 cases were acquired heart disease (AHD). The age distribution was 9 days (4.0kg) to 68 years in CHD and 11 to 66 years in AHD. In 1532 cases of CHD, there were 1403 acyanotic cases and 129 cyanotic cases. RESULT: The CHD cases consisted of 940 ventricular septal defects (61.4%), 324 atrial septal defects (21.1%), 112 tetralogy of Fallot (7.3%), 46 pulmonary stenosis (3%), 38 endocardial cushion defects (2.5%), 15 valsalva sinus ruptures (1%), 4 transposition of great arteries (0.3%), 4 double outlet right ventricles (0.3%), and etc. Corrective operations were applied for congenital heart disease with a result of 3.1% hospital mortality. Of 468 AHD, 381 cases were valvular heart diseases, 48 ischemic heart diseases, 12 cardiac tumors, 8 annuloaortic ectasias, 16 dissecting aortic aneurysms and etc. In the 381 valvular heart diseases, there were 226 single valve replacements (36 aortic valve replacements (AVR), 188 mitral valve replacements (MVR), and 2 tricuspid valve replacements (TVR), among these were 71 cases of double valve replacements (AVR & MVR), 54 cases of MVR with tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TVA), and 18 cases of AVR, MVR with TVA. The total implanted prosthetic valves were 466. In MVR, 123 St. Jude Medical valves, 90 Carpentier-Edwards valves, 65 CarboMedics valves, 42 Sorin valves and 16 other valves were used. In AVR, 68 St. Jude Medical valves, 36 CarboMedics valves, 14 Carpentier-Edwards valves and 9 other valves were used. Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG) were performed in 48 cases. The patterns of bypass graft were 14 patients of single vessel graft, 21 patients of two vessels graft, 10 patients of three vessels graft and 3 patients of four vessels graft. CONCLUSION: The hospital operation mortality rate of congenital acyanotic, cyanotic and acquired heart diseases were 2.0%, 15.5%, and 5.1% respectively. The overall mortality rate was 3.6% (72/2,000).
Age Distribution ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Valve ; Busan ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Endocardial Cushion Defects ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Neoplasms ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Heart Ventricles ; Heart* ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Mortality ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Rupture ; Sinus of Valsalva ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Transplants ; Transposition of Great Vessels ; Tricuspid Valve

The pneumonia severity index (PSI) and CURB-65 are widely used tools for the prediction of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study was conducted to evaluate validation of severity scoring system including the PSI and CURB-65 scores of Korean CAP patients. In the prospective CAP cohort (participated in by 14 hospitals in Korea from January 2009 to September 2011), 883 patients aged over 18 yr were studied. The 30-day mortalities of all patients were calculated with their PSI index classes and CURB scores. The overall mortality rate was 4.5% (40/883). The mortality rates per CURB-65 score were as follows: score 0, 2.3% (6/260); score 1, 4.0% (12/300); score 2, 6.0% (13/216); score 3, 5.7% (5/88); score 4, 23.5% (4/17); and score 5, 0% (0/2). Mortality rate with PSI risk class were as follows: I, 2.3% (4/174); II, 2.7% (5/182); III, 2.3% (5/213); IV, 4.5% (11/245); and V, 21.7% (15/69). The subgroup mortality rate of Korean CAP patients varies based on the severity scores and CURB-65 is more valid for the lower scores, and PSI, for the higher scores. Thus, these variations must be considered when using PSI and CURB-65 for CAP in Korean patients.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Community-Acquired Infections/*mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia/*mortality ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; *Severity of Illness Index ; Young Adult