PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of single dose imipramine on nocturnal urine output in patients with nocturnal enuresis. METHODS:A total of 6 monosymptomatic enuretic patients of more than 5 years of age were enrolled in this study. We measured nocturnal urine output, urine osrnolality, creatinine clearance, osmolal clearance, excretion rate of solutes, fractional excretion of sodium and potassium, and plasma vasopressin with and without a single oral dose of imipramine(lmg/kg of body weight) at 8 p.m. RESULTS: The administration of imipramine was followed by a significant decrease in noctumal urine output(P=0.02). Urine osmolality was not significantly increased(P>0.05), but osmolal clearance was significantly decreased during imipramine medication(P=0.03). Urinary excretion rate of sodium and potassium showed a statistically insignificant trend toward lower values during imipramine administration in nocturnal enuretics. Fractional urinary excretion of sodium and potassium was significantly decreased during imipramine medication(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in plasma vasopressin level and creatinine clearance in nocturnal enuretics after imipramine. CONCLUSION: Imipramine has a vasopressin independent antidiuretic effect in patients with nocturnal enuresis. The antidiuretic effect of imipramine can be attributed prirnarily to increased a-adrenergic stimulation in the proximal tubules with secondary increased urea and water reabsorption more distally in the nephron. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 2000;43:792 - 797)
Antidiuretic Agents ; Creatinine ; Enuresis ; Humans ; Imipramine* ; Nephrons ; Nocturnal Enuresis* ; Osmolar Concentration ; Plasma ; Potassium ; Sodium ; Urea ; Vasopressins

PURPOSE: There were many studies on the distributions of the retinal ganglion cells(RGC) in the experimental model of the retinal ischemia. RGC was known to be more sensitive to the ischemic injury than the other types of the retinal cells. So, we would identify the changes of the retinal ganglion cell morphologies and distribution after the iatrogenic retinal ischemia induced by intraocular pressure(IOP) elevation. METHODS: Eight pigmented and six white rabbits were used and retinal ischemia was induced by increasing IOP higher than 120 mmHg for 60 minutes. Electroretinogram were recorded at 6 days or 13 days, and histologic findings were observed at 7 or 14 days. RESULTS: After 7 days, RGC densities decreased, cytoplasmic staining disappeared, and the intranuclear hyperpigmentation was noted. RGC densities decreased significantly at 14 days. In the vertical retinal section, some flattening of retinal ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer was observed. Changes in the cellular morphologies were prominent. CONCLUSIONS: It may be more appropriate to examine both the retinal whole-mount and the vertical tissue section for the estimatation of the changes of retinal ganglion cell layer in the pressure-induced retinal ischemia.
Cytoplasm ; Ganglion Cysts* ; Hyperpigmentation ; Ischemia ; Models, Theoretical ; Rabbits ; Retina* ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; Retinaldehyde*

A clinical observation was performed on 2,122 cases of premature infants who were admitted to Ilsin Christian during the past 5 years from Jan. 1986 to Dec. 1990. The results were as follows; 1) The incidence of prematurity was 5.7%, overall mortality rate was 15.8%, and the sex ratio of male to female was 1.5:1. 2) Concomitant maternal diseases were premature rupture of membrane 457 cases (21.5%), preeclampsia & eclampsia 424 cases (19.9%), multiple pregnancy 250 cases (11.7%) etc, in the order of frequency. 3) Prematurity was most prevalent among multipara over 3. 4) Incidence of prematurity according to maternal age was frequent in woman more than 35 years old. 5) Mortality of prematurity was higher inversely propotional to birth weight & gestational age. 6) Main causes of death were IRDS 45 cases (43%), congenital anomaly 72 cases (21.6%), sepsis 31 cases (9.3%), and unknown 84 cases (25.0%). 7) Clinical problems were hyperbilirubinemia 38.9%, hypoglycemia 28.6%, IRDS 18%, sepsis & other infections 8.1% etc, in the order of frequency. 8) Most deaths were seen within first 24hr (74.5%).
Adult ; Birth Weight ; Cause of Death ; Eclampsia ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Hypoglycemia ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Membranes ; Mortality ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Rupture ; Sepsis ; Sex Ratio

Obesity has been implicated as a significant risk factor for multiple medical condition including hypertention, glucose intolerance, hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia and fatty liver. Furthermore, obesity in childhood is believed to be a reliable predictor of a similar condition in adulthood. During the recent years, there has been a rapid rise in the incidence of childhood obesity in Korea due to increased dietary intake rich in caloric content. This study was undertaken to investigate the epidemiology and potential health complications of obesity observed in elmentary school students. A total of 3,103 children (1630 boys and 1,473 girls), ages ranging from 6 to 12, were studied with personal interview, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation. The results were as follows: 1) The prevalence of obesity was 13.44% with approximately equal distribution among boys (14.42%) and girls (12.36%). 2) The prevalence of childhood obesity in Seoul was significantly higher (18.62%) than that in Suwon (7.85%) and in Hongchon (6.02%). 3) A higher incidence of hypertension was dectected in obese subjects and this was more obvious in girls. 4) Hyperlipidemia and elevated Atherogenic Index were more frequently observed in obese group. 5) although fasting blood glucose levels were similar in both groups. AST and ALT abnormalities were much more prevalent in obese group. It is concluded that hypertension and other metabolic abnormalities are much more frequently observed in obese children and that our effects should be focused on the earliest dection, prevention and management of childhood obesity.
Blood Glucose ; Child* ; Epidemiology ; Fasting ; Fatty Liver ; Female ; Glucose Intolerance ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Obesity* ; Pediatric Obesity ; Physical Examination ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Seoul

PURPOSE: A febrile convulsion is a common event during childhood, its pathogenesis is not clear. But there are some hypotheses including electrolyte imbalance, neurotransmitter and metabolic change. Hyponatremia has been thought to decrease the threshold for febrile convulsion and low cerebrospinal zinc level induced by fever or infections causes low cerebrospinal gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA) which is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. We therefore carried out a prospective study to investigate whether there is an association with serum sodium levels, CSF zinc concentration and febrile convulsions. METHODS: Blood and CSF samples for sodium and zinc were taken from 37 children at Pusan Saint Benedict Hospital due to febrile illness from March 1998 to December 1998. They were divided into three groups: 11 with fever but without convulsions(Group I), 15 with aseptic(viral) meningitis(Group II), and 11 with febrile convulsions(Group III). The results were analyzed by Wilcoxon 2 Sample Test. RESULTS: The means of serum sodium, Zn level and CSF Na, Zn level in the febrile convulsion group were not significantly lower than in other groups(for serum Na : group I 143.09+/-2.84mmol/L, group II 141.60+/-2.49mmol/L, group III 142.54+/-1.80mmol/L; for CSF Na : group I 138.72+/-5.53mmol/L, group II 139.64+/-4.64mmol/L, group III 138.82+/-2.25mmol/L; for serum Zn : group I 90.38+/-9.09micro gram/L, group II 90.28+/-13.64micro gram/L, group III 97.16+/-14.54micro gram/L; for CSF Zn : group I 41.61+/-13.30micro gram/L, group II 45.80+/-12.66micro gram/L, group III 41.04+/-11.17micro gram/L). There was no statistically significant difference in serum sodium and CSF zinc between the three groups of children. CONCLUSION: There is no evidence in this study, that hyponatremia may increase the susceptability to febrile convulsion or that zinc deprivation may play a role in the pathogenesis of febrile convulsion in previous study. So, more study of pathophysiology of febrile convulsion is needed.
Busan ; Child ; Fever ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Prospective Studies ; Saints ; Seizures, Febrile* ; Sodium* ; Zinc*

PURPOSE: The authors sought to determine the neuroprotective effect of melatonin in a model of ischemic injury in rabbit retina. METHODS: Ischemia was induced by high intraocualr pressure. A dose of 100 microgram of melatonin or dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) alone was injected intravitreally just after the induction of ischemia. After 7 and 14 days, the neuroprotective effect of melatonin on ischemic retina was examined with light microscope and transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: The authors found reduction of cytoplasm of retinal ganglion cell(RGC), vacuole formation, chromatin condensation and rupture of nuclear membrane in ischemia-injured eyes treated with DMSO alone. But in melatonin treated eyes, we found that RGC layer's thickness and number of RGC reduced and destruction of cytoplasmic organells and nuclear damage were minimal. The partial recovery of wave is noted in melatonin-treated eyes after ischemia induction. CONCLUSIONS: The melatonin(100 microgram) protected the rabbit retina from high intraocular pressure-induced ischemic injury when administered intravitreally. Melatonin may be useful to decrease neuronal damage in the retina as a result of ischemic injury. But further investigations are neccesary to decide effective concentration, route and time of administration.
Chromatin ; Cytoplasm ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Ganglion Cysts ; Ischemia* ; Melatonin* ; Neurons ; Neuroprotective Agents* ; Nuclear Envelope ; Retina ; Retinaldehyde* ; Rupture ; Vacuoles

No abstract available.
Alprostadil* ; Ductus Arteriosus ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Screw loosening has been a common complication and still reported frequently. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate abrasion of the implant fixture and TiN coated abutment screw after repeated delivery and removal with universal measuring microscope. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Implant systems used for this study were Osstem and 3i. Seven pairs of implant fixtures, abutments and abutment screws for each system were selected and all the fixtures were perpendicularly mounted in liquid unsaturated polyesther with dental surveyor. After 20 times of repeated closing and opening test, the evaluation for the change of inner surface of implant and TiN-coated abutment screw, and weight loss were measured. Mann-Whitney test with SPSS statistical software for Window was applied to analyze the measurement of weight loss. RESULTS: TiN-coated abutment screws of Osstem and 3i showed lesser loss of weight than non-coated those of Osstem and 3i (P < .05, Mann-Whitney test). CONCLUSION: Conclusively, TiN coating of abutment screw showed better resistance to abrasion than titanium abutment screw. It was concluded that TiN coating of abutment screw would reduce the loss of preload with good abrasion resistance and low coefficient of friction, and help to maintain screw joint stability.
Collodion ; Friction ; Joints ; Tin ; Titanium ; Weight Loss

Diclofenac sodium is a widely used drug for reducing inflammation and pain after cataract, surgery or excirner laser photorefractive keratectomy. However,we could find epithelial defect while using this drug postoperatively. To investigate the toxic effects of diclofenac sodium, we cultured corneal epithelial cells and tissues, then exposed them to various concentratiotration of drugs and measured the cell number and expanding area from. the original corneal tissue. In cases of cell culture, the cell number was counted at 24, 48, and 72 hours` exposure to l2.5, 25, 50, and 100 ug/ml solution of diclofenac sodium and at. 5 days after two minute exposure to 0. I and 0.2% solution. The cell number was reduced significantly at 50ug/ml (72 hrs later) , 100ug/ml(48 or 72 hrs later) and 0.1, 0.2% of solution than that of the control group. In tissue culture, we exposed the epithelial tissue to the same condition of cell culture. In long duration exposure conditions, the size of the epithelium grown from the tissues was smaller than that in the control group, especially at the dosage of 50 and 100ug/ml. In short duratio(2 minutes) exposure conditions, no significant difference from the control group was found. In conclusion, diclofenac sodium has some suppressive effects on the growth and migration of the rabbit corneal epithelium and its postoperative high dose or frequent instillation might injure the corneal epithelial cells.
Cataract ; Cell Count ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Diclofenac* ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Epithelium, Corneal* ; Inflammation ; Photorefractive Keratectomy

PURPOSE: Nocturnal Enuresis, an involuntary discharge of urine after bladder control, is frequent in children. It brings patients and family many psychogenic problems. So we investigated its clinical characteristics and drug effects. METHODS: The study subjects enrolled were 36 children with nocturnal enuresis. We evaluated family history, accompanying urinary symptoms and clinical characteristics through questionnaries. We evaluated the effect of imipramine and desmopressin in 26 children among the 36 cases. RESULTS: The ratio of boys to girls was 1.6 to 1. The age range in 15 cases(41.7%) was 4-5 years, in 14 cases(38.9%) 6-7 years, in 4 cases(11.1%) 8-9 years, and in 3 cases(9.3%) it was above 10 years. Twenty four(67%) were primary enuresis and 12(33%) were secondary enuresis. In eighteen cases(50%), these was a family history of enuresis. Seven of these cases had a parental enuresis history. The accompanying urinary symptoms were urgency(47.2%), frequency (38.9%), and dysuria(13.9%). The responses to imipramine were as follows : an excellent response in 2 cases(20%), a good response in 4(40%), a transient response in 2(20%), and no response in 2(20%). The responses to desmopressin were as follows : an excellent response in 7(43.8%), a good response in 4(25%), a transient response in 3(18.7%), and no response in 2(12.5%). CONCLUSION: Enuresis is more frequent in boys and primary type. Half of 36 enuresis children had a family history of enuresis. We recommend continuous drug medication to control nocturnal enuresis along with encouragement.
Child* ; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin ; Enuresis ; Female ; Humans ; Imipramine ; Nocturnal Enuresis ; Parents ; Urinary Bladder