No abstract available.

The report of the M. pyramidalis was studied in 51 cadavers of Korean adults (male 33, female 18). Origin, insertion and number of this muscle were observed, and the length and breadth were also measured. The results were as follows : 1. The right pyramidal muscle was absent in one male cadaver, and the left pyramidal muscle was absent in two male cadavers. 2. In one male cadaver, pyramidal muscles of both sides had bifurcated origin. 3. In Korean adults, the average length of this muscle was 6.72cm in right, 7.05cm in left, and the breadth was about 2.0cm in both sides. The morphological index was 31.10 in right, and 29.55 in left. 4. In Korean male, the average length of this muscle was 1.93cm in right, 7.42cm in left, and the breadth was 1.93cm in right and 1.92cm in left. The morphological index was 28.70 in right and 26.58 in left. 5. In Korean female, the average length was 6.26cm in right, 6.38cm in left. and the breadth was 2.13cm in right and 2.12cm in left. The morphological index was 35.57 in right and 34.63 in left. 6. Compared with other human races, the pyramidal muscle was less frequently wanting in Asians (3.9%), including the Korean adults, than wanting in European (19.9%), American Whites (20.4%) and Negroes (15.1%). 7. The morphological index of this muscle was little differences existing in male of the human races, but this index was higher in Korean female (35.0) than in Japanese female (24.4) and in American female Whites (25.8). The morphological index was 32.3 in American female Negroes.
Adult* ; African Continental Ancestry Group ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cadaver ; Continental Population Groups ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Muscles

OBJECTIVES: Although ambulance-based telemedicine has been reported to be safe and feasible, its clinical usefulness has not been well documented, and different prehospital management systems would yield different results. The authors evaluated the feasibility and usefulness of telemedicine-assisted direct medical control in the Korean emergency medical service system. METHODS: Twenty ambulances in the Busan area were equipped with a telemedicine system. Three-lead electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and pulse oximetry data from the patient and audiovisual input from the scene were transferred to a server. Consulting physicians used desktop computers and the internet to connect to the server. Both requesting emergency medical service (EMS) providers and consulting physicians were asked to fill out report forms and submit them for analysis. RESULTS: In the 41 cases in which telemedicine equipment was used, cellular phones were concomitantly used in 28 cases (68.35%) to compensate for the poor audio quality provided by the equipment. The EMS providers rated the video transmission quality with a 4-point average score (interquartile range [IQR] 2-5) on a 5-point scale, and they rated the biosignal transmission quality as 4 (IQR 3-5). The consulting physicians rated the video quality as 4 (IQR 2.5-4) and the biosignal quality as 4 (IQR 3-4). The physicians' ratings for usefulness for making diagnosis or treatment decisions did not differ significantly in relation to the method of communication used. CONCLUSIONS: Our study did not find any significant advantage of implementing telemedicine over the use of voice calls in delivering on-line medical control. More user-friendly, smaller devices with clear advantages over voice communication would be required before telemedicine can be successfully implemented in prehospital patient care.
Ambulances ; Blood Pressure ; Busan ; Cellular Phone ; Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Internet ; Oximetry ; Patient Care ; Remote Consultation ; Telemedicine* ; Telemetry ; Voice

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Arteries* ; Humans

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the effects of the alpha1A adrenoceptor antagonist on the urethral perfusion pressure (UPP), and also to assess its therapeutic potentials for female bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Materials and Methods: A cannula was placed in the femoral artery for drug administration and systemic blood pressure monitoring in each female rat. The UPP and vesical pressure (Pves) were monitored using a triple-lumen catheter. Tamsulosin (group I), doxazosin (group II) and phentolamin (group III) were injected into female rats via the femoral cannula. Tamsulosin was also injected to male rats (group IV) for comparison with Group I. Results: After administration of tamsulosin in group I, the frequency was significantly decreased and the duration of minimal urethral relaxation with high frequency oscillations (Dhfo) was significantly prolonged. None of the parameters were significantly different compared with groups II and III, with the exception of the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP). The changes of MAP after tamsulosin were significantly lower than those after doxazosin and phentolamin. In the male rats (group IV), prior to the administration of tamsulosin, the UPP and Pves curves were similar to those of the female rats, but the maximal Pves was significantly higher than in group I. After the administration of tamsulosin to group IV, the prolongation of the frequency and Dhfo were significant. Conclusions: In the female rat urethra, the alpha1A adrenergic receptor may be a functional subtype. The alpha1A adrenoceptor antagonist was found to prolong the Dhfo and decrease the frequency of involuntary bladder contraction. It might be possible that the alpha1A adrenoceptor antagonist improves not only the obstructive symptoms, but the bladder irritative symptoms also, by prolonging the Dhfo and frequency of an involuntary bladder contraction.
Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitors ; Catheters ; Doxazosin ; Female* ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Male ; Perfusion* ; Rats* ; Receptors, Adrenergic ; Relaxation ; Urethra ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) is a rare malignancy, which has a predilection for the upper aerodigestive tract. A 78-year-old man presented with solitary erythematous nodule on the right neck. The tumor mass was rapidly enlarged for last 5 months and firmly attached to deep soft tissue. Neck computed tomography showed enhanced density in vallecular region and enlarged cervical lymph nodes. Wide excision of the tongue base with modified lymph node dissection, including the solitary erythematous nodule, was performed. Histopathologically, the tongue base and cutaneous lesion displayed closely packed basaloid cells with comedonecrosis and squamous eddy formation. The cells demonstrate a high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio and abundant mitotic figures. Staining for p63, cytokeratin 5 (CK5) demonstrated diffuse uptake within the tumor and CD56 stain was negative. We diagnosed this case as the first Korean case of metastatic cutaneous BSCC.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Keratin-5 ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck ; Tongue

Morphea is an autoimmune condition characterized by excessive accumulation of collagen in the skin and underlying tissues. Lichen sclerosus (LS) is another connective tissue disease for which an autoimmune cause has been proposed, given the high association with other autoimmune diseases. The coexistence of morphea and lichen sclerosus has been sometimes reported in the literature, and is suggestive of a common pathogenic background between the two diseases. Among various types of morphea, generalized morphea has been associated with an increased rate of autoimmune disease, including LS. We report a case of extragenital LS during the progression of linear morphea into generalized morphea.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus* ; Lichens* ; Scleroderma, Localized* ; Skin

BACKGROUND: The most important acute complication of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is abrupt closure by dissection and thrombus, which account for the majority of deaths and emergency coronary artery bypass procedures associated with PTCA. We sought to determine the relationship between clinical, angiographic characteristics and abrupt thrombotic closure related to coronary intervention. METHODS: One hundred thirty two patients (61.6+/-8.0 year, 98 male) underwent PTCA or stenting under the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction were analyzed at Chonnam University Hospital between Jan '97 and Jun '98. Patients were divided into two groups, one, 14 patients (Group A, 61.7+/-8.0 year, 9 male), who developed thrombotic occlusion, and the other, 118 patients (Group B, 61.5+/-8.0 year, 89 male) who did not develop abrupt closure related to the coronary intervention. RESULT: There were no significant differences in age, sex, risk factors, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, location of lesion, branch involvement, lesion severity, AHA/ACC morphology between two groups. The incidence of intra-coronary thrombus was greater in Group A than in Group B (44% vs. 2%, p=0.025). Acute thrombotic occlusion related to the coronary interventions developed more frequently in the lesions within two days after the symptomatic onset (55% vs. 19%, p=0.035) and in the right coronary artery (RCA) lesions (55% vs. 24%, p=0.041). CONCLUSION: Predictors of abrupt thrombotic occlusion during coronary intervention in patients with acute myocardial infarction are intracoronary thrombus, earlier intervenion within 2 days after onset of aucte myocardial infarction and RCA lesion.
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Fibrinogen ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Risk Factors ; Stents ; Thrombosis

Signet ring cell carcinoma has been previously described in many organs, most frequently in the stomach, and rarely in the colon, rectum, gallbladder, pancreas, breast, nadsal cavity, prostate, urinary bladder and ureter. Signet ring cell carcinomas in the lung, especially, when examined by small biopsies, are generally believed to be metastatic. This case was diagnosed by bronchoscopic biopsy. We also examined various organs by noninvasive method, including UGI series, barium enema and abdomen CT scarf, but all studies were nomal. Patient received cisplatin and etoposide combination chemotherapy followed by local radiotherapy ai a primary non-small cell lung cancer. Patient died of his disease 6 months after diagnosis. Now we report a case of primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the lung.
Abdomen ; Barium ; Biopsy ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell* ; Cisplatin ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Enema ; Etoposide ; Gallbladder ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Pancreas ; Prostate ; Radiotherapy ; Rectum ; Stomach ; Ureter ; Urinary Bladder

BACKGROUND: Losartan potassium, one of an orally active, selective type 1 angiotensin II receptor blocker, has been introduced recently as an antihypertensive agent. METHOD: Losartan, angiotensin II receptor blocker, was administrated as an initial antihypertensive agent over 12 weeks in 30 patients (11 male, 19 female, 60.1+/-7.2 years) with stage 1 to 3 hypertension in order to observe the clinical effects. Changes in quality of life, side effects, electrocardiogram and left ventricular function were also evaluated before and after losartan therapy. RESULTS: 1) After 12 weeks treatment with 50 to 100 mg of losartan, blood pressure was lowered markedly in 18 (60%), moderately in 9 (30%) and mildly in 1 (3%) out of 30 patients studied. The average of blood pressures of the 30 subjects were systolic 159.0+/-13.2 mmHg and diastolic 100.7+/-9.4 mmHg before treatment, which were lowered to 130.7+/-15.6 and 85.9+/-9.1 mmHg respectively after 12 weeks (p<0.005). 2) Heart rates were not changed with losartan. 3) Quality of life including general well-being, physical symptom, sleep and sexual dysfunction improved markedly in 2 (7%) and slightly in 17 (57%) out of 30 subjects. 4) Laboratory findings revealed no significant changes. 5) In electrocardiographic and echocardiographic follow-up 1 patient with ST-T abnormality and 2 patients with mild LV systolic dysfunction improved to normal. 6) Undesirable side effects were observed in 2 cases with dizziness, 1 dry cough, 1 skin rash, 1 leg edema and 1 epigastric discomfort, among whom one with dizziness stopped losartan. 7) In the final clinical assessment according to the scores of hypotensive effect, quality of life, LV function and side effect, losartan was very useful in 3 (10%), useful in 18 (60%) and slightly useful in 3 (10%) out of 30 hypertensive patients. CONCLUSION: Losartan can be used as an effective initial agent for the treatment of hypertension of various severities with the improvement of quality of life and low side effects.
Blood Pressure ; Cough ; Dizziness ; Echocardiography ; Edema ; Electrocardiography ; Exanthema ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Leg ; Losartan* ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; Ventricular Function, Left