No abstract available.
Mitral Valve*

The thoracic and lumbar spine fractures were usually combined with neurological deficit. But the prognostic factors in degree of neurological damage and process of the recovery are controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the factors affected neurological injury and the recovery. The 31 cases who had been performed surgical interventions due to traumatic thoracic or lumbar spine fractures with the neurological deficits were studied according to the radiographic findings of the spinal columns and neurological changes of the injured cord and/or the roots. The duration of mean follow-up was 32.6 months, and all cases were evaluated by motor index score and Frankel grade. Total cases were divided into complete paralytic (N=8) and partial paralytic(N=23) group. In incomplete paraplegia group, the neurological recovery rate was better than complete group(P < 0.001) and neurological recovery period was shorter than complete group (P=0.005). The neurologic deficits according to the Frankel grade were higher in Chance fracture, flexion-distraction and translation (complete paraplegia: 4/7 cases, 57.1%) than unstable bursting fracture (complete paraplegia: 4/24 cases, 16.7%)(P=0.031). The recovery rate of Chance fracture, flexion-distraction and translation were worse than unstable bursting fracture (0.001). The fracture which occurred in T5-11 showed higher incidence of complete paraplegia(75%) compared with that of the T12-L1(30.8%) & L2-4(7.1%)(p=0.021). The neurological recovery in motor index score in L2-4 was higher than T5-11 or T12-L1(P=0.0017). There was no correlation in kyphotic deformity and anterior body height loss between complete and incomplete paraplegia groups. But the A-P diameter of compromised neural canal showed significant difference between complete and incomplete paraplegia group(P=0.027)
Body Height ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Incidence ; Neural Tube ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paraplegia ; Spine

No abstract available.
Hemangioma, Cavernous*

LPS and IFN-r induce nitric oxide synthase in macrophages and the resultant NO causes apoptotic cell death in the activated macrophages. NO production and apoptosis were inhibited by N-monomethyl L-arginine (NMMA), a competitive inhibitor of NO synthase. To study the role of BCL-X proteins, RAW 264.7 cells were transfected with the expression vectors with human bcl-Xl or bcl-Xs cDNAs, respectively. Stable transfectants were selected and confirmed by RT-PCR. NO production in response to LPS and IFN-r caused apoptosis in RAW 264.7 cells and vector transfected control cells within 24 hr. Both NO production and apoptosis were inhibited by N(G)-monomethyl L-arginine (NMMA). In contrast, bcl-Xs transfectant appeared slightly susceptible and bcl-X(L)< transfectant appeared slightly resistant, although NO production was similar to control cells. These results suggest that bcl-X proteins play roles in both positive and negative regulation of apoptosis induced by NO.
Apoptosis* ; Arginine ; bcl-X Protein* ; Cell Death ; DNA, Complementary ; Humans ; Macrophages* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the smoking status and its associated factors in military life among young Korean men to provide date for smoking prevention in military areas as a part of the health promotion program for soldiers. METHODS: 1,033 infantrymen serving in 17 military units, which are located in suburbs of K city, were enrolled in this study. A questionnaire on the soldiers smoking status and other various characteristics was obtained from October 2nd to 12th, 2000. Logistic regression analysis was performed on the various variables in order to determine the factors related to smoking. RESULTS: 1) 830(80.3%) out of 1033 subjects had smoked cigarettes and 759 persons(73.4%) were regular smokers. 2) Among the 734 soldiers who started smoking before their military service, 714 soldiers(97.2%) continued to smoke after, while 45 soldiers(15.0%) among the 299 non-smokers started smoking after joining the army. 3) Through the logistic regression analysis, the education level, specialty in the army, smoking amongst the friends they met before military service, smoking amongst soldiers in the army, dating girl friends, drinking, satisfaction with their army lives and the presence of convenient smoking places at the barracks were significant factors related to the prevalence of smoking in soldiers. CONCLUSION: the factors related with incidence of smoking in the army are the complicated interactions among the individuals personal background, general charcterisitcs of the solider and the special environment in the barracks. Therefore, to improve national soldiers' health, an active non-smoking campaign and education should be pushed to discourage smoking in the barracks.
Drinking ; Education ; Female ; Friends ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Military Personnel* ; Prevalence ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Products

The investigation of systolic time intervals and hemodynamics was performed in 42 patients with liver cirrhosis by noninvascive methods. The patients were divided into four groups according to the presence or absence of anemia and/or ascites: i.e. group I; cirrhosis without anemia and ascites, group II; cirrhosis with ascites only, group III; cirrhosis with anemia only, and group IV; cirrhosis with ascites and anemia. In the resting state of the patients, the systolic time intervals and hemodynamic data were measured by the high speed simultaneous recordings of electrocardiogram, phonocardiogram, carotid and femoral arterial pulse tracings, and compared with those obtained from 155 normal adult subjects. 1. The pulse were increased considerably in group IV, and diastolic blood pressure was elevated in group II with significance. 2. The stroke volume and cardiac output were increased significantly in group III. 3. The peripheral resistance was reduced particularly in group III, and the volume elasticit coefficient was decreased in group IV. 4. The QS1 interval was prolonged significantly in group II and IV, but QS1 interval corrected by multiple regression equation proposed by our laboratory (illustrated in the text) did not show significant difference compared with that of normal subjects. 5. The left ventricular ejection time(LVET) and total electromechanical systole(QS 2) appeared to be shortened in group II and IV, but the corrected LVET and QS 2 were not different significantly from those of the normal subjects
Adult ; Anemia ; Ascites ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Electrocardiography ; Fibrosis ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Stroke Volume ; Systole ; Vascular Resistance

The investigation of systolic time intervals and hemodynamics was performed in 42 patients with liver cirrhosis by noninvascive methods. The patients were divided into four groups according to the presence or absence of anemia and/or ascites: i.e. group I; cirrhosis without anemia and ascites, group II; cirrhosis with ascites only, group III; cirrhosis with anemia only, and group IV; cirrhosis with ascites and anemia. In the resting state of the patients, the systolic time intervals and hemodynamic data were measured by the high speed simultaneous recordings of electrocardiogram, phonocardiogram, carotid and femoral arterial pulse tracings, and compared with those obtained from 155 normal adult subjects. 1. The pulse were increased considerably in group IV, and diastolic blood pressure was elevated in group II with significance. 2. The stroke volume and cardiac output were increased significantly in group III. 3. The peripheral resistance was reduced particularly in group III, and the volume elasticit coefficient was decreased in group IV. 4. The QS1 interval was prolonged significantly in group II and IV, but QS1 interval corrected by multiple regression equation proposed by our laboratory (illustrated in the text) did not show significant difference compared with that of normal subjects. 5. The left ventricular ejection time(LVET) and total electromechanical systole(QS 2) appeared to be shortened in group II and IV, but the corrected LVET and QS 2 were not different significantly from those of the normal subjects
Adult ; Anemia ; Ascites ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Electrocardiography ; Fibrosis ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Stroke Volume ; Systole ; Vascular Resistance

PURPOSE: Either gated myocardial perfusion SPECT or attenuation corrected SPECT can be used to improve specificity in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. We investigated in this study whether gating or attenuation correction improved diagnostic performance of rest/stress perfusion SPECT in patients having intermediate pre-test likelihood of coronary artery disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight patients underwent rest attenuation-corrected T1-20l/dipyridamole stress gated attenuation-corrected Tc-99m-MIBI SPECT using an ADAC vertex camera (M:F=29:39, aged 59+/-12 years, coronary artery stenosis> or =70%. one vessel: 13, two vessel: 18, three vessel: 8, normal: 29). Using a five-point scale, three physicians graded the post-test likelihood of coronary artery disease for each arterial territory (1 normal, 2: possibly normal 3:equivocal, 4: possibly abnormal, 5: abnormal). Sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver-operating-characteristic curves were compared for each operator between three METHODS: (A) non-attenuation-corrected SPECT; (B) gated SPECT added to (A); and (C) attenuation-corrected SPECT added to (B). RESULTS: When grade 3 was used as the criteria for coronary artery disease, no differences in sensitivity and specificity were found between the three methods for each operator Areas under receiver- operating-characteristic curves for diagnosis of coronary artery disease revealed no differences between each modality (p>005). CONCLUSION: In patients at intermediate risk of coronary artery disease, gated SPECT and attenuation-corrected SPECT did not improve diagnostic performance.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Perfusion* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Gaucher Disease* ; Humans ; Siblings*

Grave's disease is an autoimmune disorder and affects thyroid gland and orbit. Ocular manifestations of this disease, referred to as Grave's ophthalmopathy are caused by deposition of antithyroglobulin immune complexes into extraocular muscles and orbital fats. Consequent increase in volume of orbital contents results in exopthalmos. Severe exopthalmos results in several significant visual consequences as follows: exposure keratitis, diplopia and optic neuropathy. Orbital decompression for Grave's ophthalmopathy has traditionally been performed through either an external or a transantral approach. The advent of intranasal endoscopes allowed for the development of a transnasal approach for medial and inferior orbital wall decompression. Recently, the authors experienced a case of Grave's ophthalmopathy complicated with exposure keratitis and performed endoscopic transnasal orbital decompression, so report this case with a review of literature.
Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Decompression* ; Diplopia ; Endoscopes ; Fats ; Keratitis ; Muscles ; Optic Nerve Diseases ; Orbit* ; Thyroid Gland