The authors examined the induntivity of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in peripheral lum-phocytes on the personnel working in the operating room and analyzed the factors associated with it to obtain data for their monitoring health status. The results obtained were as follows; 1) Average inductivity of SCE in peripheral lymphocytes of operating room perssonnel exposed to anesthetic gases was 7.85 per cell; it was significantly higher than in those who were not exposed (p< 0.05). 2) The inductivity of SCE in peripheral lymphocytes by age group and exposure duration was not statically significant (p<0.05). 3) The inductivity of SCE in the subjects with a smoking habit was significantly higher than those without a smoking habit (p<0.05). 4) There was no significant difference in the inductivity of SCE between the subjects with a drinking habit and those without it (p>0.05). 5) It is possible that the high inductivity of SCE in operating room personnel who both with drink and smoke was due to more the influence of their smoking than their drinking.
Anesthetics, Inhalation ; Drinking ; Gases* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes* ; Operating Rooms* ; Siblings* ; Sister Chromatid Exchange* ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND : Borame hospital nuns geriatric wards with 120 beds (40 beds for patients in Dept. of Internal Medicine, 40 for patients in Dept. of Orthopedics 40 for patients in Dept. of Neurology) from December 1996. We studied clinical characteristics of admissions to acute geriatric wards in Borame hospital in order to assess current status of geriatric wards in Korea. METHODS : 334 patients admitted from December 1996 to May 1997 were studied. By reviewing clinical records of these patients, we studied clinical characteristics of patients in geriatric wards retrospectively. RESULTS : 1) Age distribution: 8.6% of patients were over 85 years old. 16.4% of patients were between age of 80-84. 20.0% between 75-79, 31.3% between 70-74, 26.3% between 65-69, respectively. 2) Disease: 43% of patients have single disease, 67% of patients have multiple disease(23% of patients with 2 disease, 25% with 3 disease, 6% with 4 disease, 3% with over 5 disease respectively). 3) Mortality rate :Total mortality rates were 4.3% with 6.1% of patients in Internal medicine, 3.2% of patients in Neurology. These rates were much higher compared with mortality rates of 2.4% in general wards but similar to those (6.7%) in general wards in Internal medicine. 4) Causes of admission: Malignancies were most common causes of admissions in males, and then cerebrovascular diseases, infectious diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, in order. Musculoskeletal diseases were most common causes, and then diabetes mellitus, infectious diseases, cerebrovascular diseases. CONCLUSION : The elderly patients tend to have multiple diseases, longer hospital stays and higher mortality rates compared with younger patients in general wards. but differences of hospital stays and mortality rates are less than be expected.
Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Communicable Diseases ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Mortality ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Neurology ; Orthopedics ; Patients' Rooms ; Retrospective Studies

Chronic hepatitis associated with the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome has been very rarely reported worldwide. Recently, we experienced a case of chronic hepatitis with piecemeal necrosis as the clinical feature of the idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome. The patient was a 49-year-old woman who complained of a mild fever, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the right upper quadrant. The eosinophil count of peripheral blood increased up to 14,020/microliter (64% of WBC). Liver biopsy specimen showed severe porto-periportal inflammation with marked eosinophilic infiltration and ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes. Corticosteroid therapy significantly normalized the eosinophil count of peripheral blood.
Biopsy ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Fever ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome* ; Inflammation ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Necrosis ; Vomiting

We managed three cases of anesthesia for living related liver transplantation from December 1994 to July 1995. Donors were recipient's parents and two of them were 35-year old man, the other was 25-year-old woman. The recipients were suffered from congenital liver diseases (two of them were diagnosed as biliary atresia and the other Byler's disease). They had presented severe jaundice and cholangitis and their mean age & body weight were 15 +/- 4.9 months and 8.6 +/- 1.22 kg, respectively. Average duration of anesthesia was about 15 hours, and anhepatic time was 140 minutes, 80 m inutes and 50 minutes, respectively. Careful attention was paid to body temperature, serum potassium, ionized calcium, blood coagulation function, as well as to general condition and respiratory function. Hemodynamic value was relatively stable through out the operation and postoperative mechanical ventilatory support was required for about 3 days.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Biliary Atresia ; Blood Coagulation ; Body Temperature ; Body Weight ; Calcium ; Child* ; Cholangitis ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Parents ; Potassium ; Tissue Donors*

A case report of desmoid tumor(musculo-aponeurotic fibromatosis) arising from sternum and upper part of anterior sheath of rectus abdominis muscle in a one and half years old male child is reported. The patient's parent noticed a protruding hard mass on the lower end of sternal portion two weeks previous to surgery. The mass had dense, grayish white and glistering character invading the upper part of rectus abdominis muscle and cartilagenous portion of sternum including xyphoid process. Wide excision of mass including myo-fascial tissue of the rectus abdominal apponeurosis was performed. The excised mass was 4×4×2cm in size and the microscopic findings were typical desmoid tumor. The operative wound had partial skin necrosis due to poor circulation of skin because of the mass extended up to subcutaneous tissue and biopsy scar but eventually healed. There is no any signs of recurrence of tumor on 7 months postoperative follow up but may need more observation to define it.
Biopsy ; Child ; Cicatrix ; Fibromatosis, Aggressive ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis ; Parents ; Rectus Abdominis ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Sternum ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Wounds and Injuries

Ultrasound studies of sixty five patients with thyroid mass histologically proven at KyungPook NationalUniversity Hospital from June 1983 to May were retrospectively analized. No specific sonographic characteristicsof thyroid mass lesions was found on the basis of histological diagnosis. Authors consider that ultrasound studymight be mere useful for detection and localization of a lesion, and guide to needle aspiration, monitoring thesize of a mass following therapy as well.
Diagnosis ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Needles ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Leptin, a product of the ob gene, is a 16-KDa protein that is mainly expressed in the adipose tissue and involved in the regulation of body weight. Elevated levels of serum leptin is noted in pregnant woman and the placenta is the site of nonadipose tissue production of leptin. In this study, we investigated the effect of serum leptin concentrations on fetal growth to estimate the effect of leptin on fetal growth. METHOD: Leptin concentrations were measured in venous and arterial cord blood and maternal serum at birth using a specific radioimmunoassay employing human recombinant leptin(Human Leptin RIA kit; Linco research, St. Louis, Mo). Thirty two full term pregnant women(n=32) had no medical complications and delivered the healthy babies(male=14, female=18). RESULTS: Serum leptin levels were 1.51 - 19,36 ng/ml(mean 7.16, SD 3.76) in arterial cord blood and 1.59 - 16.18(mean 7.47, SD 4.08) in venous cord blood and there was no difference between arterial and venous cord blood. Serum concentrations in arterial and venous cord blood were positively correlated with birth weight(r=0.7181, 0.6970; p<0.0001). There was no correlation in maternal BMI, maternal serum leptin and cord blood leptin concentrations. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that cord blood leptin independently contributes to fetal body weight regardless of maternal serum leptin and body weight.
Adipose Tissue ; Birth Weight* ; Body Weight ; Female ; Fetal Blood* ; Fetal Development ; Fetal Weight ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced* ; Leptin* ; Parturition* ; Placenta ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Radioimmunoassay

The aim of this study was to determine the guideline of usage of antibiotics for anonectal suppurative disease. This study was conducted in consecutive 96 patients, who were taken surgical treatments for the anorectal abscess at the department of general surgery of Ewha Womans University Hospital, from January 1990 to December 1994. All subjects were classified in terms of age, gender, duration, history, associated disease, classification, location, and isolation of organism. The incidence of the anorectal abscess was highest in the 3rd and 4th decade of age and male in terms of gender. 80.3% of all patients were admitted within 10 days after onset. The most common past history of anorectal disease was the anorectal abscess(15 cases, 15.6%) and the associated systemic disease was tuberculosis(9 cases, 9.4%). The main type of anoreclal abscess was the perianal abscess(87.5%) and the most frequent location was posterior area(39.6%). In the pus culture and isolation test, 90.6% of all patients had colony formation and the most frequently cultured organism was E.coli(55 cases,57.3%), followed by Klebsiella species(15 cases,15.6%) and anaerobic Bacteroid species(14 cases,14.6%). In antibiotic sensitivity test, the 3rd generation of aminoglycoside was sensitive in 89 cases and resistant in 3 cases, and the 3rd generation of cephalosporin was sensitive in 87 cases and resistant in 5 cases. These results suggest that the 3rd generation of aminoglycoside or the 3rd generation of cephalosporin could be selected to treat the anorectal suppurative disease.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Classification ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Klebsiella ; Male ; Suppuration

Supernumerary kidney is one of the very rare anomalies of the urinary tract. Only about 75 cases have been reported since it was first described in 1656. Herein we present a case of supernumerary kidney which was diagnosed by ultrasonography, intravenous urography and CT scanning.
Kidney* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract ; Urography

There had been total 20 patients with early onset(4 months~2 years) primary nephrotic syndrome in the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, during the period from March 1987 to February 1993. We analysed clinical courses, response to treatment, pathological findings and prognosis of the patients And the results were as follows; 1) The initial responders to steroid treatment were 10(50%), of whom 3 became late nonresponders. Of the 10 initial nonresponders, 8 revealed continuing nonresponsiveness. 2) Incidence of hypertension was significantly higher in the intial nonresponders than in the initial responders. 3) Renal biopsies were performed in 9 initial nonresponders and 2 late nonresponders. And the results were 6 with minimal change lesion, 4 with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and 1 with mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis. 4) Six continuing or late nonresponders received methylprednisolone pulse therapy or cyclophosphamide. And partial remission was induced in 4 of them. 5) The overall 3 year maintenance rate of normal renal function was 81%(100% in the initial responders and 64% in the initial nonresponders). In conclusion, the initial steroid responsiveness and prognosis were poorer in patients with early onset nephrotic syndrome than in patients with usual childhood nephrotic syndrome.
Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Methylprednisolone ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Pediatrics ; Prognosis ; Seoul