No abstract available.
Female ; Ovary*

We studied 73 patients with ischemic stroke (56 patients) and transient ischemic attacks (17 patients) to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the two techniques, tansthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). For detecting potential intracardiac sources of cerebral emboli. Group I (40 cases) patients had no clinical cardiac abnorrnality. And group II (33 cases) patients had cardiac abnormality upon clinical examination. In group I. Intracardiac abnormalities were detected in 5%(2 to 40) with TTE and 37.5%(15 to 40) with TEE, and 34.2%(13 to 38) with TEE among the patients with normal finding with TTE which was statistically significant difference. In group II. Intracardiac abnormalities were detected in 21.1%(7 to 33) with TTE and 75.8%(25 to 33) with TEE, and 69.2% (18 to 26) with TEE arnong the patients with normal finding with TTE In comparison of 40 patients uith intracardiac source of embolism by echocardiogram (group A) and 33 patients without cardiac source of embolism(group B), atrial fibrillation was observed in 12 patients in group A versus 2 in group B (p<0.01), mean atrial size was 41.5mm in group A versus 35.3mm in group B. and left ventricular hypertrophy was in lQ in group A versus 6 in group B. Territories of cerebral arteries in cerebral infarction or TlAs of 40 patients with intracardiac source of embolism showed middle cerebral artery in 32.5%, posterior cerebral artery in 25% and bilateral or multiple in l2.5%. We concluded that TEE is superior to TTE for detecting potential cardiac sources of embolism.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Cerebral Arteries ; Cerebral Infarction ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Embolism ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Intracranial Embolism* ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Posterior Cerebral Artery ; Stroke

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are no reported studies of olfactory function of Korean children, and the existing tests of olfactory function for Korean adults may not be suitable for very young children. This study assessed the applicability of the Butanol Threshold Test (BTT) and Cross-Cultural Smell Identification Test (CC-SIT) to children. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A total of 79 children were included in the study: they were between 6-12 years of age, and had visited University Hospital Health Care Center between January 2012 and December 2013. All children were administered the BTT and CC-SIT. RESULTS: Using BTT, 69.62% of the sample was classified as moderate hyposmia. On the other hand, when CC-SIT was used, 45.57% of the sample was classified as moderate and 43.04% as mild hyposmia. CC-SIT and BTT scores were not correlated. Although gender and age were not taken into account in the test results, the CC-SIT could measure age-specific olfactory development. CONCLUSION: Our study provides fundamental data on the clinical use of the CC-SIT and BTT in healthy Korean children.
Adult ; Child* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Hand ; Humans ; Smell*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the short-term clinical outcomes of total ankle arthroplasty for the post-traumatic osteoarthritis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients who had undergone total ankle arthroplasty from February 2005 to June 2006 were reviewed. Eleven patients were male and three patients were female. The mean age was 52.8 years (range, 33 to 69 years). The mean follow-up duration was 15.9 months (range, 12 to 24 months). Primary injuries were pilon fractures in eight cases, malleolar fractures in three, ankle syndesmotic injury in one, talus fracture and dislocation in one, and distal tibial physeal injury in one. Visual analogue scale (VAS), Range of motion (ROM), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score and complications were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean VAS improved from 8.6 preoperatively to 2.6 at last follow-up. The mean ROM improved from 24.6 degrees preoperatively to 33.1 degrees postoperatively. The mean AOFAS score improved from 44.5 points preoperatively to 75.1 points postoperatively. Radiographically, all components were stable, but there were component malpositions in two cases, including one varus malposition of tibial component and one increased anterior translation of talar component. Complications were deep infection in one case, intraoperative malleolar fracture in three, marginal wound necrosis in two, and heterotopic ossification in one. One prosthesis was revised because of deep infection. CONCLUSION: Total ankle arthroplasty for the post-traumatic osteoarthritis is believed to be an useful method for preservation of the motion, relief of the pain and high satisfaction of patients in short-term results.
Ankle Injuries ; Ankle* ; Arthroplasty* ; Dislocations ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Ossification, Heterotopic ; Osteoarthritis* ; Prostheses and Implants ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Talus ; Wounds and Injuries

Pancreatoblastoma is a rarely occurring malignant tumor in childhood, which has been reported less 60cases in the world. which is a kind of adenocarcinoma exhibiting solid encapsulating tumor. Its prognosis is better favorable than typical pancreatic cancer. We were experienced one case of pancreatoblastoma, the patient was a 8 years-old boy who was incidentally found by his parent because of left upper quadrant mass during having a bath without any previous medical history. His preoperative AFP level was elevated and his preoperative diagnosis was pancreatoblastoma by abdominal computed tomography. During laparotomy, the tumor was located between body and tail of pancreas, adhered to hilum of spleen and also surrounded by transverse mesocolon, displacing the arcade of mesocolic vessels. When dissecting the mesocolon from pancreatic tumor, superior mesenteric artery and gastroduodenal artery were embeded in the tumor. The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy after ligature and dividing of mid-colic vessel. After surgery, he was received six-cycle of combined chemotherapy. There is no evidence of recurrence and metastasis for nineteen months after surgery.
Adenocarcinoma ; Arteries ; Baths ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Ligation ; Male ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Mesocolon ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Parents ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Spleen ; Splenectomy

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical? results and stability of acute and chronic reconstruction of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had ACL reconstruction with a quadruple hamstring tendon and ligament anchor (LA) screw with a minimum 2-year follow-up were included in this study. Acute (within 4 weeks) reconstruction group was composed of 27 knees and chronic (over 3 months) group was 44 knees. We compared the two groups with regard to Lysholm knee score, range of motion, thigh circumference, Lachman test, Tegner activity scale, associated meniscal injuries, and anterior laxity difference by Telos stress arthrometer. RESULTS: At last follow-up, no significant differences were found between the acute and chronic groups for Lysholm score, range of motion, Lachman test, Tegner activity scale, and instrumental laxity. 16 cases (59%) of acute and 33 cases (75%) of chronic patients had a meniscal injuries of which were reparable in 5 cases (28%) and 7 cases (17%). CONCLUSIONS: Acute reconstruction of ACL had excellent clinical and radiologic results as good as the chronic group without motion problem.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Ligaments ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Tendons ; Thigh

PURPOSE: To Investigate the patterns and to document the clinical and technical significances of the leg injuries of drivers of short-fronted vehicles in frontal collision accidents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve cases of jammed leg injury were chosen from hospitals in the Chungcheong Province area and investigated in terms of nature of the accident, distribution of injuries, methods and duration of treatment and final sequelae. RESULTS: The patients had multiple injuries on the lower extremities, such as, fractures of the femoral shaft, tibial shaft, foot and ankle and soft tissue injuries, requiring an average 8.3 surgical procedures and 7 months admission, and from which permanent sequlae resulted, though associated injuries of the head, chest, abdomen were not significant. CONCLUSION: "Jammed leg injury" seemed to be related with the design of short-fronted vehicles. As these injuries can cause considerable functional and socioeconomic loss with long treatment periods and permanent residual sequelae. Preventive measures appear to be necessary, possibly involving vehicle design modification.
Abdomen ; Ankle ; Foot ; Head ; Humans ; Leg ; Leg Injuries ; Lower Extremity ; Multiple Trauma ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Thorax

Pancreatic abscess is a highly lethal infectious complication of acute pancreatitis despite a wide variety of operative approaches and percutaneous drainage for the treatment. Surgical drainage has its limitation because of high postoperative mortality, recurrence, operative hemorrhage and/or gastrointestinal fistula. Percutaneous drainage has been used only as a temporizing measure prior to operation in critically ill patient or as additional modality for a postoperative recurrent abscess. Endoscopic drainage can be indicated as a primary therapy for the well-localized paraintestinal pancreatic abscess bulging into the duodenal or gastric lumen, as it has been proven successful in patients with pancreatic pseudocyst compressing duodenum or stomach. However, the report is rare. We report a case of pancreatic abscess successfully treated with endoscopic drainage without any complications.
Abscess* ; Critical Illness ; Drainage* ; Duodenum ; Fistula ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; Pancreatitis ; Recurrence ; Stents* ; Stomach

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Organized inpatient stroke care is one of the most effective therapies for improving patient outcomes. Many stroke centers have been established to meet this need, however, there are limited data on the effectiveness of these organized comprehensive stroke center (CSC) in the real-world setting. Our aim is to determine whether inpatient care following the establishment of CSC lowers mortality of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: Based on a prospective stroke registry, we identified AIS patients hospitalized before and after the establishment of a CSC. We observed all-cause mortality within 30 days from time of admission. Logistic regression was used to determine whether the establishment of the CSC affects independently the 30-day all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 3,117 consecutive patients with AIS were admitted within seven days after the onset of the symptoms. Unadjusted 30-day mortality was lower for patients admitted to our hospital after the establishment of the CSC than before (5.9% vs. 8.2%, P=0.012). Advanced age, female gender, previous coronary artery disease, non-smoking, stroke subtype, admission on a holiday, referral from other hospitals, high NIHSS on admission, and admission before the establishment of CSC were associated with increased 30-day stroke case fatality. After adjustment for these factors, stroke inpatient care subsequent to the establishment of the CSC was independently associated with lower 30-day mortality (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.412-0.795). CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated after the establishment of a CSC had lower 30-mortality rates than ever before, even adjusting for the differences in the baseline characteristics. The present study reveals that organized stroke care in a CSC might improve the outcome after AIS.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Female ; Holidays ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Logistic Models ; Prospective Studies ; Referral and Consultation ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: The analysis of ACE gene expression in vital to study the role of angiotensin conveting enzyme(ACE) in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Traditionally, levels of individual mRNA expression have been analyzed by semiquantitative Northern blotting, which requires a large quantity of tissue. Therefore, gene expression of a little biopsy specimen from the human heart or atherectomy specimen from the blood vessel cannot be measured easily. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) is very effective, sensitive and rapid method of detecting the method of quantitative RT-PCR(QRT-PCR) using recombinant RNA template as internal standard to measure the expression of ACE. METHOD: Recombinant RNA(rcRNA) was designed to yield PCR product which differs in size by about 200bp from that of the target RNA. Initially, spacer gene, which was composed of ACE sense primer, antisense primer, T7 promotor and poly(dT) tail with glutathione transferase(GSTM) gene of 180bp in the middle, was constructed. Then, standard rcRNA was obtained by in vitro transcription. Target RNA was mixed with rcRNA and amplified by PCR, togather with P-dCTP. PCR products were analyzed by gel electrophoresis. For quantitation, either gel was cut and radioactivity was counted or gel was dried and exposed to X-ray film and density was measured using image densitometer. We carried out semiquantitative RT-PCR to study the modulation of ACE expression in vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC) by dexamethasone and basis FGF(bFGF). RESULT: The size difference of PCR products from the standard RNA and the extracted target RNA was matched as designed. By using QRT-PCR, there was 1.7*10(8) ACE mRNA molecules in 1 ng of rat lung total RNA. bFGF and dexamethasone upregulated ACE mRNA expression in cultured VSMC. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that RT-PCR using rcRNA as internal standard is a very useful method for quantitation or semiquantitation of ACE mRNA from a small amount of tissue or cultured cells. Expression of ACE in VSMC can be modulated by various stimuli such as basic FGF and dexamethasone. QRT-PCR could be widely used in the studies of expression of specific human genes.
Angiotensins* ; Animals ; Atherectomy ; Biopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Blotting, Northern ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cells, Cultured ; Dexamethasone ; Electrophoresis ; Gene Expression ; Glutathione ; Heart ; Humans ; Lung ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Radioactivity ; Rats ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger* ; X-Ray Film