No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the difference of outcome variables and demographic features between traumatic and non-traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. METHOD: Medical records of 87 spinal cord injured patients were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into traumatic and non-traumatic groups. The etiology, level and completeness of SCI were investigated. The functional evaluation was performed by Frankel's classification, American spinal cord injury association (ASIA) motor and sensory scores, and modified Barthel scores at the time of admission and discharge. Bladder function and emptying method were also investigated. RESULTS: Spinal cord injury of non-traumatic etiology was more likely to result in a incomplete injury and more prevalent in females. At admission, the ASIA motor and sensory scores and modified Barthel index of non-traumatic spinal cord injury patient were higher than those of traumatic patients. At discharge, same results were observed for ASIA motor and sensory scores, but the modified Barthel scores showed no difference between the two groups. The changes of the scores between time of admission and discharge showed no significant difference in the two groups. There was no significant difference of bladder type and bladder emptying method. CONCLUSION: This study suggest that favorable outcome in non-traumatic spinal cord injury patients might be due to better functional status at the time of admission and not due to the degree of recovery.
Asia ; Classification ; Female ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spinal Cord* ; Urinary Bladder

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow Transplantation* ; Bone Marrow* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive* ; Recurrence*

No abstract available.
Hematoma*

No abstract available.
Gynecology*

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of transplanted neural differentiated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in a guinea pig model of auditory neuropathy. In this study, hMSCs were pretreated with a neural-induction protocol and transplanted into the scala tympani of the guinea pig cochlea 7 days after ouabain injury. A control model was made by injection of Hanks balanced salt solution alone into the scala tympani of the guinea pig cochlea 7 days after ouabain injury. We established the auditory neuropathy guinea pig model using 1 mM ouabain application to the round window niche. After application of ouabain to the round window niche, degeneration of most spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) without the loss of hair cells within the organ of Corti and increasing the auditory brain responses (ABR) threshold were found. After transplantation of neural differentiated hMSCs, the number of SGNs was increased, and some of the SGNs expressed immunoreactivity with human nuclear antibody under confocal laser scanning microscopy. ABR results showed mild hearing recovery after transplantation. Based on an auditory neuropathy animal model, these findings suggest that it may be possible to replace degenerated SGNs by grafting stem cells into the scala tympani.
Animals ; Cardiotonic Agents/toxicity ; Cochlea/drug effects/pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Female ; Guinea Pigs ; Hearing Loss, Central/chemically induced/pathology/*therapy ; Humans ; *Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/*cytology ; Neurogenesis ; Ouabain/toxicity ; Spiral Ganglion/pathology ; Transplantation, Heterologous

Twenty-one patients undergoing aortic valve replacement for pure aoritic regurgitation were studied retrospectively to evaluate the left ventricular function and internal dimension change before, 1-6 weeks(early postoperative) and 2-36 months after(late postoperative) aortic valve replacement by serial echocardiography. Postoperatively, NYHA function class improved remarkably (from 3.3+/-0.6 to 1.4+/-0.7). Early postoperatively, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (EDD), left ventricular end-systolic dimension(ESD), left ventricular fractional shortenting(FS) significantly decreased in all patients(7.6+/-1.2cm vs 5.8+/-1.5cm P<0.001, 5.5+/-1.3cm vs 4.7+/-1.3cm P<0.001, 39+/-12% vs20+/-8% P<0.001 respectively). Interventricular septum thickness(IVS) and posterior wall thickness (PW) were slightly thickened before(1.4+/-0.3cm, 1.3+/-0.3cm respectively) and in the early postoperative period (1.3+/-0.4cm, 1.3+/-0.3cm respectively) without significant interval change. Late postoperatively, EDD and ESD decreased significantly (7.8+/-1.2cm vs 5.1+/-0.8cm P<0.01, 5.1+/-1.1cm vs 3.4+/-0.8cm P<0.001. respectively), and FS increased significantly (25+/-9% vs 34+/-9%, P<0.05). Among 3 patients of so called high risk group mentioned by Henry(22,33), ESD and FS improved to normal range in 2 patients, and ESD decreased to 4.4cm and FS increased to 33% in the other one. EDD and ESD decreased significantly in both group I(preoperative ESD<5.5cm) and group II(preoperative ESD<5.5cm), without no decrement difference between two groups, and there was a significant difference of FS decrement between group I and group II at early postoperative period. Preoperative ESD correlated highly with the early postoperative EDD(r=0.89) and ESD(r=0.87) with statistical significance, and moderately high with late postoperative EDD(r=0.45), ESD(r=0.50) and FS(r=0.42) without statistical signiticance. We concluded that there was significant improvement in left ventricular function in pure aortic regurgitation patients postoperatively. Preoperative left ventricular and systolic dimension above 5.5cm and fractional shortenting below 25% are not so reliabel index of poor postoperative prognosis.
Aortic Valve Insufficiency* ; Aortic Valve* ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; Reference Values ; Retrospective Studies ; Ventricular Function, Left

Vitiligo is a common aquired progressive leukoderma. Various procedures have been employed for those patients not responsive to medical therapy. Split-thickness skin grafting(STSG) has been used for the treatment of vitiligo for over three decades, but it did not gain popularity as it had some postoperative complications. We employed improved methods to three selected stable, nonprogressive vitiligo patients, And we evaluated its effectiveness, complications. All patients showed good attachment and repigmentation. Observed complications were uneven surface and hyperpigmentation of recipient site and milium on donor site. This method can be an the alternative treatment for patients with stable type of vitiligo.
Dermabrasion* ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants* ; Vitiligo*

PURPOSE: To find out the efficacy, safety and early complication of radiofrequency catheter ablation(RFCA) in pediatric patients with paroxysmal tachycardia, we compared short-term results of RFCA in pediatric patients to adult patients. METHODS: We studied 25 patients(11 pediatric patients, 14 adult patients), who underwent RFCA due to paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia(PSVT) or idiopathic ventricular tachycardia(VT) from November 1997 to August 1998. We evaluated PSVT or idiopathic VT mechanism and compared total procedure times, total energy durations and complication rates between pediatric patients and adult patients. RESULTS: Among the 25 patients, the mechanisms of tachycardia were atrioventricular reentrant tachycardias in 14 patients, atrioventricular nodal reentrant in 10 patients and idiopathic left ventricular in 1 patient. Among the 11 pediatric patients, atrioventricular reentrant was found in 9 patients, atrioventricular nodal reentrant in 1 patient and idiopathic left ventricular in 1 patient. while among the 14 adult patients, atrioventricular reentrant was found in 5 patients and atrioventricular nodal reentrant in 9 patients. Total procedure time was 190+/-52 minutes in pediatric patients and 161+/-49 minutes in adult patients(P=0.17). Total energy duration was 244+/-223 seconds in pediatric patients and 187+/-122 seconds in adult patients(P=0.45). There were no major complications related to RFCA except minor hematomas at puncture sites. CONCLUSION: Considering the total procedure time, total energy duration and complication rates, there were no significant differences between pediatric patients and adult patients. RFCA showed relatively high success rate and one recurrence after initial success. Thus, we consider RFCA is as a good therapeutic modality which can cure tachycardia, especially PSVT.
Adult ; Catheter Ablation* ; Catheters ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Punctures ; Recurrence ; Tachycardia ; Tachycardia, Paroxysmal*

No abstract available.