BACKGROUND: Paraquat, a widely used herbicide, is extremely toxic, causing multiple organ failure in humans. Paraquat especially leads to irreversible progressive pulmonary fibrosis, which is related to oxygen free radicals. However, its biochemical mechanism is not clear. Natural mechanisms that prevent damage from oxygen free radicals include changes in glutathione level, G6PDH, superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. The authors think catalase is closely related to paraquat toxicity in the lungs METHOD: The effects of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole(aminotriazole), a catalase inhibitor, on mice administered with paraquat were investigated. We studied the effects of aminotriazole on the survival of mice administered with paraquat, by comparing life spans between the group to which paraquat had been administered and the group to which a combination of paraquat and aminotriazole had been administered. We measured glutathion level, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PDH), superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) in the lung tissue of 4 groups of mice: the control grouts, group A(aminouiazole injected), group B(paraquat administered), group C(Paraquat and aminotriazole administered). RESULTS: The mortality of mice administered with paraquat which were treated with aminotriazole was significantly increased compared with those of mice not treated with aminotriazole. Glutathione level in group B was decreased by 20%, a significant decrease compared with the control group. However, this level was not changed by the administration of aminotriazole(group C). The activity of G6PDH in all groups was not significantly changed compared with the control group. The activities of SOD, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) in the lung tissue were significantly decreased by paraquat administration(group B); catalase showed the largest decrease. Catalase and GPX were significantly decreased by aminotriazole treatment in mice administered with paraquat but change in SOD activity was not significant.(group C). CONCLUSION: Decrease in catalase activity by paraquat suggests that paraquat toxicity in the lungs is closely related to catalase activity. Paraquat toxicity in mice is enhanced by aminotriazole administration, and its result is related to the decrease of catalase activity rather than glutathione level in the lungs. Production of hydroxyl radicals, the most reactive oxygen metabolite, is accelerated due to increased hydrogen peroxide by catalase inhibition and the lung damage probably results from nonspecific tissue injury of hydroxyl radicals.
Amitrole* ; Animals ; Catalase ; Free Radicals ; Glucose ; Glutathione ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Lung* ; Mice* ; Mortality ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Oxygen ; Paraquat* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Superoxides

No abstract available.
Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Pneumothorax, Artificial*

No abstract available.

Fat containing masses, except mediastinal lipomatosis, of the thorax are uncommon. In spite of uncommonoccurences, as CT can detect not only the fat content but also the presence and character of the non-fattycomponent of the mass, accurate preoperative diagnosis can usually be made in most cases of fat containingmediastinal masses. Authors report 6 cases of fat containing mediastinal masses, that were diagnosedpreoperatively by CT scan, comprising 2 cases of limpoma(combined with plexiform neurofibroma in a case), 1liposarcoma, 1 thymolipoma, and 2 cases of omental hernia through Morgagni foramen.
Diagnosis ; Hernia ; Lipomatosis ; Neurofibroma, Plexiform ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The Dandy-Walker syndrome is a developmental disorders of the brain characterized by cystic deformity of the 4th ventricle and agensis of the cerebellar vermis. Other systemic anomalies and chromosomal abnormalities are associated with this syndrome. We are experienced a case in a 9 months old male infant who presented initially with frequent vomiting, low birth weight, On the physical examination, a prominent occiput, palpable mass below the right upper quadrant, pulmonary valve stenosis, congenital dislocation of the hips, ventral flexion of fingers, clubfoots and the rocker-bottom deformities of feet were present. On the chromosomal study, there were chromosomal polymorphisms in a thickened C-band of chromosome No. 1 by C-banding method. The brain CT revealed a large, thin-walled, low density mass of CSF without enhancement in the posterior fossa, showing upward displacement of cerebellar hemisphere with absent inferior vermis(or associated with dysplastic cerebellar hemisphere). A brief review of the related literatures were included in this report.
Brain ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Clubfoot ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dandy-Walker Syndrome* ; Dislocations ; Fingers ; Foot ; Hip ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Physical Examination ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Vomiting

Spinal reflex activity that remains after insult to the spinal cord brings with it significant functional impairment. Our patient had suffered from general spasticity and hyperreflexic neurogenic bladder caused by sixth cervical cord injury. Unfortunately, the use of oral medication (baclofen) was limited by an inadequate effect. So we performed two times of subarachnoid block with 0.5% heavy bupivacaine, the patient experienced improvement in bladder and sphincter function. We concluded that subarachnoid block with 0.5% heavy bupivacaine is an effective and safe modality for spasticity control in patients who are refractory to oral medication before neurolytic block.
Bupivacaine ; Humans ; Muscle Spasticity ; Reflex ; Spinal Cord ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic*

No abstract available.
Aorta, Thoracic* ; Blood Flow Velocity* ; Female ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced* ; Pregnancy ; Umbilical Arteries*

PURPOSE: We investigated reproducibility of the quantification of left ventricular volume and ejection fraction, and grading of myocardial wall motion and systolic thickening when we used gated myocardial SPECT and Cedars quantification software. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed gated myocardial SPECT in 33 consecutive patients twice in the same position after Tc-99m-MIBI SPECT. We used 16 frames per cycle for the gatingof sequential Tc-99m-MTBI SPECT. After reconstruction, we used Cedars quantitative gated SPECT and calculated ventricular volume and ejection fraction (EF), Wall motion was graded using 5 point score. Wall thickening was graded using 4 point score. Coefficient of variation for re-examination of volume and fraction were calculated. Kappa values (k-value) for assessing reproducibility of wall motion or wall thickening were calculated. RESULTS: Enddiastolic volumes (EDV) ranged from 58 mi to 248 ml (122 ml +/- 42 ml), endsystolic volumes (ESV) from 20 mi to 174 mi (65 ml +1- 39 ml), and EF from 20% to 68% (51% +/- 14%). Geometric mean of standard deviations of 33 patients was 5.0 ml for EDV, 3.9 ml for ESV and 1.9% for EF. Their average differences were not different from zero (p>0.05). k-value for wall motion using 2 consecutive images was 0.76 (confidence interval: 0.71-0.81). k-value was 0.87 (confidence interval:0.83-0.90) for assessment of wall thickening. CONCLUSION: We concluded that quantification of functional indices, assessment of wall motion and wall thickening using gated Tc-99m-MIBI SPECT was reproducible and we could use this method for the evaluation of short-acting drug effect.
Heart ; Humans ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

The importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing because of climate change, with a lack of long-term studies on tick-borne pathogens in South Korea. To understand the epidemiological characteristics of tick-borne diseases, the monthly distribution of field ticks throughout the year was studied in South Korea between May 2014 and April 2018 in a cross sectional study.

No abstract available.
Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*