BACKGROUND: The use of anesthesia during assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as TEST (Tubal Embryo Stage Transfer) may expose early embryo to anesthetics in tubal fluid. The effects of anesthetic agents on the development of early embryo in ART are yet unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of narcotics on mouse two-cell embryo development using in vitro growth model of mouse embryo. METHODS: Mouse two-cell embryos were exposed to narcotics, fentanyl (6.0 nM; 30.0 nM) and meperidine (1.0 M; 3.6 M) respectively. Mouse two-cell embryos unexposed to any drugs were served as controls. In vitro developmental patterns were observed on the third and fifth day of culture. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the rates of embryos arrested at 2~8 cell stage on the third day after culture and blastocysts development and their hatching on the fifth day after culture among three groups. CONCLUSION: We conclude that fentanyl and meperidine in clinical therapeutic concentration have no detrimental effects on the in vitro two-cell mouse embryo development. But further investigations are required to determine whether narcotics have any adverse toxic effects in human reproductive medicine.
Anesthesia ; Anesthetics ; Animals ; Blastocyst ; Embryonic Development* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Meperidine ; Mice* ; Narcotics* ; Pregnancy ; Reproductive Medicine ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted

Antihypertensive and beta-adrenoceptor blocking effect of long-acting propranolol were observed in the outpatient department, Department of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center during the period between December, 1981 and May, 1982. The clinical effects of long-acting propranolol were compared with those of conventional propranolol and following results were obtained. 1) Direct cross-over from conventional propranolol 20mg three times a day for several days to long-acting propranolol 160mg once daily was not accompanied by appreciable side effect and there was fairly good antihypertensive effect either in systolic or diastolic pressure. 2) Antihypertensive and bata-adrenoceptor blocking effect of long-acting propranolol 160mg once daily were comparable to those of conventional propranolol 40mg three or four times a day. The compliance of the patients to long-acting propranolol once daily was naturally better than that to conventional propranolol which must be taken three to four times daily. 3) In several cases of trial, the patients who tolerated the long-acting propranolol 160mg per day also well tolerated the regimen of long-acting propranolol 320mg per day, 4) The regimen of long-acting propranolol once daily was recommendable to those patients who were on beta-blocking agents for prolonged period of time for their indications such as hypertension and other chronic cardiovascular diseases, in view of the aspects of good patient compliance, good antihypertensive and beta-blocking effect.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Compliance ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Internal Medicine ; Outpatients ; Patient Compliance ; Propranolol*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Estrous Cycle* ; Mice* ; Pituitary Gland, Anterior* ; Prolactin*

No abstract available.
Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans* ; Immunohistochemistry* ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Ovary* ; RNA, Messenger*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Twins* ; Umbilical Cord*

Hypertensive encephalopathy is an acute clinical syndrome that shows central nerve dysfunction with sudden and marked elevation in blood pressure. But its pathophysiologic mechanisms, clinical courses and prognosis are still not clear. In order to study clinical manifestations and response to treatment in patients with hypertensive encephalopathy, we reviewed 45 patients with hypertensive encephalopathy who were admitted in Dept. of Internal Medicine, National Medical Center, from January 1975 to December 1984. The following results were obtained: 1) The ratio of male to female was 1.1:1. The peak age of incidence was in the 6th and 7th decade with mean age of 57.5 years. 2) Among 45 patients, only 29 had known history of hypertension and the average duration of hypertension was 8.1+/-3.6 years. 3) The most common sympotm was severe headache (68.9%). And altered consciousness, nausea and/or vomiting, focal neurologic signs and visual disturbance were also common symptoms in decreasing order of frequency. 4) Funduscopic examination showed hypertensive retinopathy in 20 of 24 (91.7%) patients and lumbar puncture revealed increased CSF pressure in 12 of 20 (60%) patients. 5) In most patients, the mean interval to symptomatic improvement was 2.1 days after administration of anti hypertensive agents, but in 6 patients with initial mean arterial blood pressure above 170mmHg, 4 patients showed delayed response and 2 patients were expired.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Consciousness ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertensive Encephalopathy* ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Incidence ; Internal Medicine ; Male ; Nausea ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prognosis ; Spinal Puncture ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Abdominal Wall* ; Diagnosis* ; Fetus*

A modern development of ambulatory ECG monitoring gave great advances in the diagnosis and evaluation of various cardiac conditions. Fifteen cases of ischemic heart disease, 11 cases of nonischemic heart disease, 5 cases of noncardiac disease and 9 cases of normal healthy subjects were studied from January 1980 to July 1981 in national Medical Center, with the following results: 1) The heart rate was decreased during night time, with less decreasing tendency in patients with ischemic heart disease. 2) Among 30 cases, including 12 patients with ischemic heart disease, who didn't show arrhythmia on routine 12 lead ECG, 12 cases, including 6 patients with ischemic heart disease, showed arrhythmia on Holter monitoring. 3) Among 5 cases with ischemic heart disease who showed premature ventricular contraction on day time monitoring, 2 cases didn't show premature ventricular contraction on nigh time monitoring. 4) The S-T segment and T wave were changed during night time in 2 cases with ischemic heart disease and in 2 normal subjects. From these results, we could assert that Holter monioring or ambulatory ECG tracing would be a good method for diagnosis and evaluation of ischemic heart disease, and other cardiac conditions. Several another studies with this equipment have to be performed and would give more distinctive outcomes.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory* ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

The authors studied depression in 5,869 college students (male: 3,893, female: 1,976) using Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). The results are as follows: 1) Female college students showed significantly higher total depression scores than male college students (p<0.001). 2) The items of confusion, indecisiveness, and psychomotor retardation were scored higher in both groups and the items of suicidal rumination, psychomotor agitation, constipation and tachycardia were scored lower in both groups. 3) 18.2% of male college students showed rather serious depression level of score 50 or higher, while 33.1% of female college students showed the same scores. 4) The psychosocial factors relating to pessimistic views to past, present & future self-images showed significantly high depression scores. 5) The depression items of fatigue, anxiousness, tachycardia, apprehension, fear, and body aches & pain were correlated significantly over 0.40 of correlation coefficient.
Constipation ; Depression* ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Psychology ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Tachycardia

The authors studied anxiety, using Zung's SelfRating Anxiety Scale (SAS), in the subjects of 3,893 male and 1,976 female college students of Yeungnam University. The authors collected the reports of SAS during the periods from October to November, 1984, and applied ANOVA and ttest on the anxiety scores in order to compare them between various psychosocial factors, and sexes. The results could be summarized as follows: There was significant difference in the mean averages of total anxiety scores between male and female students; male students scored 36.92±7.07, female students scored 39.63±7.51, p<0.001. The anxiety scores relating to the items of sweating, apprehension, restlessness, insomnia, dyspnea were relatively higher in both groups. The anxiety scores in the items of paresthesias, mental disintegration, tremors, faintness, dizziness were lower in both groups. Two hundred and one male students (5.2%) showed seriously high anxiety scores of 50 or higher, while 201 female students (10.2%) showed the same scores. So the authors inferred that the features of anxiety symptoms were much the same in our country, but females showed more various symptoms and higher level of anxiety than males. In a comparison between male students in different school grades, freshmen showed the highest level of anxiety scores and as the grades of the students became higher, the levels of anxiety scores were lower. The female students who resided in dormitory or other residences, and whose educational fees were paid by brothers or sisters, showed higher level of anxiety scores. There was s strong tendency toward higher anxiety scores in the students who were dissatisfied with their colleges or departments, and who had pessimistic views of self-image in the past, present, or future, in both groups.
Anxiety* ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Fees and Charges ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Paresthesia ; Psychology ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Siblings ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Tremor