BACKGROUND: To access the accuracy and clinical usefulness of microplate identification (ID) system for the identification of Enterobacteriaceae, we compared microplate ID system with API 20E(bioMerieux, Etoile, France). METHODS: Ninety-two cultures of Enterobacteriaceae and one isolate of Aeromonas species were simultaneously identified by microplate ID system and the API 20E. Twenty biochemical tests used in microplate ID system were lactose, sucrose, and H2S in Kligler's iron agar media; indole, sucrose, raffinose, arabinose, trehalose, adonitol, dulcitol, sorbitol, cellibiose, methy-red, phenylalanine deaminase, ornithine decarboxylase, lysine decarboxylase, arginine dihydrolase, urease, and citrate in microplate; and oxidase test. The identification was obtained by considering percent likelihood(% ID), modal frequency and ID score method. RESULTS: Among the 92 cultures of Enterobacteriaceae and one isolate of Aeromonas species, agreement rate of identification according to the % ID between microplate ID system and API 20E were 90.3% to the species level and 97.8% to the genus level. CONCLUSIONS: For the identification of clinical Enterobacteriaceae isolates, the microplate ID system compares favorably with API 20E in identification accuracy and have the advantage of costsaving and easy to use.
Aeromonas ; Agar ; Arabinose ; Arginine ; Citric Acid ; Enterobacteriaceae* ; Galactitol ; Iron ; Lactose ; Lysine ; Ornithine Decarboxylase ; Oxidoreductases ; Phenylalanine ; Raffinose ; Ribitol ; Sorbitol ; Sucrose ; Trehalose ; Urease

Microvascular tissue transfers have facilitated primary closure of various complex defects after radical ablation of head and neck cancers. From Oct 1991 to Feb 1992, we used forearm free flap in two patients and delto-pectoral flap in one patient who had preoperative irradiation for pharyngoesophageal reconstruction. The stricture and fistula formation were most troublesome complication in forearm free flap, so we designed as lazy S shape in distal flap margin to prevent circular contraction and longitudinal margin was deepithelialized (5 mm) and sutured double layer to withstand fistular formation and this can be considered useful in place of a free jejuna transfer.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Fistula ; Forearm ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Head ; Humans ; Neck

Tuberculous spondylitis is not rare disease. Today the posterior instrumentation and posterior or posterolateral fusion concomitant with the anterior decompression and anterior interbody fusion have been used for the treatment of spinal tuberculosis. The authors experienced a case of tuberculous spondylitis complicated with descending aortic pseudoaneurysm. An aneurysm is defined as a localized dilatation of an artery that is at least one-half the size greater than is expected for that artery. Pseudoaneurysm occurring after previous operation, trauma, and infection. Erosion of the thoracic aorta with the development of an fistula in the presence of infection is an unusual and difficult problem to manage. We report a case and review related articles briefly.
Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, False* ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Arteries ; Decompression ; Dilatation ; Fistula ; Rare Diseases ; Spondylitis* ; Tuberculosis, Spinal

No abstract available.
Bacteremia* ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnant Women*

BACKGROUND: Under certain conditions, exertional headaches may reflect coronary ischemia. CASE REPORT: A 44-year-old woman developed intermittent exercise-induced headaches with chest tightness over a period of 10 months. Cardiac catheterization followed by acetylcholine provocation demonstrated a right coronary artery spasm with chest tightness, headache, and ischemic effect of continuous electrocardiography changes. The patient's headache disappeared following intra-arterial nitroglycerine injection. CONCLUSIONS: A coronary angiogram with provocation study revealed variant angina and cardiac cephalalgia, as per the International Classification of Headache Disorders (code 10.6). We report herein a patient with cardiac cephalalgia that manifested as reversible coronary vasospasm following an acetylcholine provocation test.
Acetylcholine ; Adult ; Angina Pectoris ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Coronary Vasospasm ; Coronary Vessels ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Headache ; Headache Disorders ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Nitroglycerin ; Spasm ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets*

Although rapid diagnosis of human babesiosis usually can be made by microscopic examination of thin and thick blood smears, differentiation between Babesia microti and Plasmodium falciparum can be quite difficult. The parasite is often not visualized in the early course of infection or in a partially treated case and the young trophozoites of these two organisms are similar. Recently, we experienced a case, which was thought as human babesiosis initially by microscopic examination of the Giemsa-stained thin blood smears, but was finally diagno-sed as P. falcifarum infection by indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay and polymerase chain reaction. The patient was treated successfully with quinine and clindamycin, which are effective in both infections. When differential diagnosis is difficult, we suggest combination therapy of quinine and clindamycin as an empirical regimen.
Animals ; Babesia microti ; Babesiosis ; Clindamycin* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Parasites ; Plasmodium falciparum ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Quinine* ; Trophozoites

OBJECTIVE: To assess long term outcomes of aggressive rehabilitative treatment on canalicular sequestered lumbar disc herniations METHOD: Clinical outcomes of twenty four patients with sequestered disc herniation with symptomatic radicular pain were evaluated prospectively and longitudinally for one year. All patients received aggressive rehabilitative treatment including transforaminal epidural steroid injection, pelvic stabilization exercise, physical therapy, and back school. Clinical outcomes were measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) for back and radicular pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for back pain before treatment, posttreatment one, three, six, and twelve months. After twelve months, we categorized patients' satisfaction. Four patients were dropp RESULTS: The averages of VAS for lower extremity and back pain reduced significantly from 6.6 and 5.8 at pretreatment to 0.7 and 0.9 at 12 months posttreatment, respectively (p<0.001). The averages of ODI reduced significantly from 73.5% at pretreatment to 22.3% at posttreatment 12 months (p<0.001). Sixteen of twenty patients (80.0%) were satisfied with their current status posttreatment 12 months. CONCLUSION: Sequestered disc herniations could be treated successfully by aggressive rehabilitative treatment. Clinical improvement was achieved from posttreatment one month and persisted for twelve months. Operation might be delayed until aggressive rehabilitation treatment fail to treat sequestered disc herniations.
Back Pain ; Exercise ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Prospective Studies ; Rehabilitation

BACKGROUND: For effective postoperative antiemetic management in pediatric moyamoya disease patients receiving fentanyl based postoperative analgesia, a multimodal approach has been recommended. The uncertain efficacy of ondansetron for pediatric neurosurgical patients or the possible antiemetic effect of small dose of propofol motivated us to evaluate the preventive effect of a subhypnotic dose of propofol combined with dexamethasone on postoperative vomiting (POV), especially during immediate postoperative periods. METHODS: In a prospective observer-blind randomized controlled study, we compared dexamethasone 0.15 mg/kg alone (Group D) with dexamethasone combined with propofol of 0.5 mg/kg (Group DP) in 60 pediatric patients, aged 4-17 years, who underwent indirect bypass surgery and received fentanyl-based postoperative analgesia. Occurrence of vomiting and pain score (Wong-Baker facial score) and requirement of rescue analgesic and antiemetic were continually measured (0-2, 2-6, 6-12 and 12-24 postoperative hours). For statistical analysis, in addition to the Fisher's exact test, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) and the linear mixed model (LMM) for repeated measures were used for vomiting and pain scores, respectively. RESULTS: There was no statistical significance of POV incidence, requirement of rescue analgesic and pain score between the two groups at any measured intervals. The incidence of POV was 53.3% during 24 hours in both groups, and was especially 6.7% and 13.3% (P = 0.671) during 0-2 hr and 16.7% and 23.3% (P = 0.748) during 2-6 hr in group D and group DP, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A small dose of propofol combined with dexamethasone appears ineffective to preventing POV in pediatric moyamoya patients receiving continuous fentanyl infusion.
Aged ; Analgesia ; Antiemetics ; Dexamethasone ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Incidence ; Moyamoya Disease ; Ondansetron ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting ; Propofol ; Prospective Studies ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate how the location of cerebral infarct influences cortical recovery pattern in hemiparetic stroke patients. METHOD: Forty-three chronic stroke patients and 21 control subjects were recruited for the study. The patients were classified into 4 groups according to infarct locations: cortex (CO), corona radiata (CR), posterior limb of the internal capsule (PL), and brainstem (BS). Functional MRI was performed using the blood oxygen level-dependent technique at 1.5 T with the motor task of hand grasp-release movements. RESULTS: The activation pattern of the primary sensori-motor cortex (SM1) was found to be significantly influenced by the lesion locations, but that of the secondary motor area was not (Pearson's chi-square test, p<0.05). The contralateral' SM1 activation was the major response in the control group (85.7%) and in the BS group (75.0%). On the other hand, the major activation pattern was `peri-lesional' in the CO group (peri-lesional 57.1%, peri-lesional and ipsilateral 42.9%), `bilateral activation' in the CR (85.7%) and the PL group (100.0%). CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that motor recovery mechanisms could be different according to location of cerebral infarct.
Brain Stem ; Extremities ; Hand ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Internal Capsule ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Oxygen ; Stroke*