No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Asphyxia* ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Parturition*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Male*

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus infection is an important cause of morbidity and mortality after organ transplantation. Thus, rapid, sensitive and specific laboratory test, such as CMV antigenemia assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is necessary to determine a patient's risk of CMV disease and to monitor the effectiveness of antiviral therapy. We compared the results of CMV-PCR and CMV early antigen immunostaining (CMV-EA) with CMV-specific IgM antibody to evalutate clinical usefulness for the early diagnosis of CMV infection and monitoring of antiviral therapy. METHODS: We analyzed 170 samples submitted for CMV tests between September 1995 and April 1996 in Yonsei University College of Medicine Severance Hospital. CMV-PCR and CMV-EA were performed with buffy coat cells and detection of CMV-specific IgM antibody was performed by enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA). RESULTS: One hundred and seventy samples of 159 patients were tested and analyzed. The concordance rate of CMV-PCR, CMV-EA and CMV-specific IgM in the same blood sample was 75.3%. The total incidence of CMV disease was 2.5%. The sensitivity and specificity based on the patients' clinical status of PCR were 100% and 91.6% respectively. In CMV-EA immunostaining method, they were 75.0% and 100% respectively. And, for CMV-specific IgM antibody ELFA, the sensitivity was only 50.0% and the specificity was 96.4%. CONCLUSIONS: CMV-PCR and CMV-EA immunostaining are reliable methods as rapid early detection of CMV infection. The sensitivity and specificity are very high comparing to CMV- specific IgM antibody. It could also be concluded that they have advantages not only for early diagnosis but also monitoring or follow-up of a therapeutic course as quantitative assays.
Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Organ Transplantation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Transplantation ; Transplants

Ethanol causes mucosal injury to the stomach and which accompanied by back-diffusion of H+. Using several drugs known to modify the gastric acid secretion and to provide cytoprotection the effect of back-diffusion of H+ by ethanol was examined. Following 48 hours of starvation rats were anesthetized with urethane, and their stomachs were filled with 4 ml of 20% ethanol solution containing 1.8 mM HCI (7.2 microEq/4 ml) every 15 min. H+ content of the collected perfusates was determined by back-titration to pH 6.0. The presence of ethanol in the stomach for 1 hour caused a loss of luminal H+ at a rate of 4.8 +/- 0.4 microEq/15 min. Pretreatment of rats with atropine (2 mg/Kg, i.v.), pirenzepine(2 mg/Kg. i.v.), cimetidine (10mg/Kg i.v.), cromolyn sodium (20mg/Kg/hr, i.v.) or domperidone (1 mg/kg. i.v.) did not affect the ethanol-induced H+ back-diffusion. Similarly, no effect was seen in rats treated with prostaglandin E2 (100 microgram/Kg i.v.) or indomethacin (5 mg/Kg, s.c). The addition of procaine (10(-5)~10(-3) M) or propranolol (10(-9)~10(-5) M) to the perfusate did not cause any changes in the ethanolinduced H+ back-diffusion. However, pretreatment of rats with acetazolamide (100 mg/Kg i.v.) or ethoxzolamide(50 mg/Kg/day, p.o. for 6 days), carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, markedly suppressed the ethanol-induced loss of luminal H+. Based on these results, it is suggested that ethanol-induced back-diffusion of H+ is mediated, at least in part, by the activity of carbonic anhydrase, and that cholinergic, histaminergic and dopaminergic mechanisms are not involved. Moreover, the implications of prostaglandins and membrane stability are not suggested.
Absorption ; Animal ; Diffusion ; Ethanol/pharmacology* ; Female ; Gastric Acid/secretion* ; Gastric Mucosa/drug effects* ; Male ; Parasympatholytics/pharmacology ; Protons* ; Rats

Total or mostly total intestinal aganglionosis is rare and invariably fatal. All patients with aganglionosis involving more than half of the small bowel have died with persistent intestinal obstruction and secondary malnutrition and infection. Recently, we experienced two cases of total colon aganglionosis extending to the middle of the jejunum in triplet. We report the cases with brief review of literatures.
Colon* ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Jejunum ; Malnutrition ; Triplets*

This survey of 836 midlife women (51.0 +/- 4.0 yrs) was undertaken by exclusively a face to face interview by well-trained interviewers guarantying data collection of higher quality. This survey data was analyzed using the SPSS program. The main purpose of this study was to describe the factors affecting self-rated health status, including dietary habits and physical . mental . social factors. In the self-rated health status of a 'good' group, age was lower (p < 0.05), monthly income was higher (p < 0.01), dietary habits score (p < 0.001) and appetite (p < 0.001) and the degree of movement (p < 0.001) and life satisfaction (p < 0.001), marital intimacy (p < 0.001) and relationship satisfaction with their children (p < 0.001) were significantly higher than the 'bad' group. The level of depression (p < 0.001) and severe feeling of menopausal symptoms (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the 'poor' group. The results of correlation analysis demonstrated that educational level (r = 0.069, p < 0.05),income (r = 0.157, p < 0.001), eating habits (r = 0.235, p < 0.001), appetite (r = 0.263, p < 0.001), life satisfaction (r = 0.197, p < 0.001), marital intimacy (r = 0.167, p < 0.001), child relationship satisfaction (r = 0.149, p < 0.001), positive attitude toward menopause (r = 0.070, p < 0.05) showed a positive correlation, but depression (r = -0.122, p < 0.001) and menopausal symptoms (r = -0.292, p < 0.001) showed a negative association with self-rated health status. The predictable factors affecting the self-rated health status of middle-aged women were examined by multiple regression analysis. The 'menopausal symptoms - physical discomfort' was the most important variables followed by the 'appetite', 'eating habits', 'menopause symptoms - sensory problems', 'BMI', 'positive attitude toward menopause' and 'high marital intimacy'. These results showed that the 'appetite' and 'eating habits' are important factors affecting the self-rated health status. Therefore, a program of dietary education must be considered for the effective health education and counseling of middle-aged women.
Appetite ; Child ; Counseling ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Depression ; Eating ; Female ; Food Habits ; Health Education ; Health Status ; Humans ; Menopause ; Women's Health

Neonatal listeriosis is not uncommon in Western developed countries, and has significant mortality and morbidity. However, its incidence in Asian countries is relatively low and it has rarely been reported in Korea. Once infected, Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) can have high mortality and listeriosis in pregnancy may present serious hazards to the fetus and the newborn as sepsis and death through direct infection of the placenta and chorioamnionitis. Because early detection of L. monocytogenes infection is difficult, only high index of suspicion toward this disease can hopefully prompt treatment of this life-threatening perinatal infection. We experienced a case of L. monocytogenes yielded in cultures of blood and amniotic fluid of the newborn and the mother who delivered at 25+1 weeks of gestation because of preterm labor that developed without any specific evidence of infection. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Amniotic Fluid ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Chorioamnionitis ; Developed Countries ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Listeria monocytogenes ; Listeriosis ; Mothers ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Sepsis

Intraabdominal cystic lymphangioma is an uncommon lesion. It is usually found incidentally in patients presenting with an acute abdomen. Laparoscopic excision of intraabdominal cystic lymphangioma is an easy and safe procedure in children. We report one case of cystic lymphangioma in a 6-year-old female. The lesion was located on the left side of the transverse mesocolon. Laparocopic excision of the cyst was performed without complications.
Abdomen, Acute ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Mesocolon

OBJECTIVE: After classifing the twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) according to clinical stage by Quintero, we reviewed effectiveness and usefulness of clinical stage by Quintero in diagnosis and treatment of TTTS. METHODS: Twelve cases (16%) were diagnosed as TTTS among 75 examples (31.3%) of monochorionic twin pregnancy out of 240 cases of twin pregnancy born in our hospital between Mach 2000 and June 2004. For TTTS, the clinical stage was decided at the time of initial diagnosis, and any changes of it were observed according to the developments of pregnancy. Neonate was regarded as alive when 5 minutes Apgar score was above 7 after birth. Also we observed the vascular anastomosis of placenta, and classified the method of treatments and its results according to each clinical stage. RESULTS: Two cases were classified into the clinical stage 1 through 4 each, and 4 cases in the clinical stage 5. The higher the clinical stage, the shorter the duration between diagnosis and delivery (p<0.05). In cases of both survivors, compared to no survivors, the interval between diagnosis and delivery were long (p<0.05). In the clinical stage 4 and 5, we found many cases that didn't have placental vascular anastomosis between artery and artery, and in this case, there revealed poor perinatal outcomes. For 4 cases that fell in the clinical stage 1 and 2 and 4, we performed amnioreduction and for one case in the clinical stage 2, we did amnioseptostomy at the same time. In 4 cases with amnioreduction or amnioseptostomy, survival rate was 38%. CONCLUSION: The clinical classification system of TTTS by ultrasound would be helpful for planning treatments and also for predicting the outcomes.
Apgar Score ; Arteries ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Survival Rate ; Survivors ; Ultrasonography*