PURPOSE: The most common complication of Kawasaki disease(KD) is the development of coronary artery aneurysm. Other cardiac complication include myocarditis, pericarditis, mitral or aortic insufficiency, congestive failure, and arrhythmia. These non- coronary cardiac problems have important role on clinical course in acute phase of KD. Extensive researches have been performed about the pathogenesis, natural course and treatment of coronary artery lesion. But the studies about non-coronary cardiac complication have been limited, so we aimed to study the manifestation, incidence, and clinical predictor of carditis. METHODS: The retrospective studies was performed to the 48 KD patients diagnosed in Chungnam National University Hospital from May 1998 to September 2004. The patients were divided into two groups. Patients with carditis(11 patients) and without carditis(37 patients) before receiving the IVGG infusion were analyzed. RESULTS: There were no differences in age and sex between two groups. Patients with long duration of fever and high Harada score had the significant increase in the incidence of carditis before the initial IVGG infusion. No significant differences were not shown between the two groups in terms of WBC count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet count, total protein, AST/ALT, LDH, CPK, troponin I, total cholesterol, and triglyceride before the initiL IVGG infusion. The incidence of carditis was high in patient with high CRP, low albumin, and high cholesterol and triglyceride. CONCLUSION: The possibility of significant carditis should be considered before the infusion of high dose IVIG, which may worse the caridac dysfunction. Some predictors of significant carditis such as long duration of fever, high Harada score, high levels of CRP, and low levels of albumin can be suggested.
Aneurysm ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Child* ; Cholesterol ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Coronary Vessels ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Fever ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Incidence ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Myocarditis* ; Pericarditis ; Platelet Count ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Triglycerides ; Troponin I

Juxtaductal coarctation is usually distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery, occasionally the orifice of the subclavian artery is involved in the coarctation and partially obstructed. An anomalous origin of the right subclavian artery from the descending aorta below the coarcted segment is also occasionally encountered. Reversed vertebral artery flow to a subclavian artery arising at or below a coarctation may produce the subclavian steal syndrome. Rarely both subclavian arteries arise beyond the coarctation. These abnormal subclavian arteries are important in clinical diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of Turner syndrome with coarctation, which present as juxtaductal type and the left subclavian artery from the descending aorta below the coarcted segment with reversed vertebral artery flow to a subclavian artery producing the subclavian steal syndrome. Resecton of coarctation segment and end-to-end anastomosis was successfully performed after transfer of left subclavian artery to distal segment of descending aorta.
Aorta, Thoracic* ; Aortic Coarctation ; Diagnosis ; Subclavian Artery* ; Subclavian Steal Syndrome* ; Turner Syndrome* ; Vertebral Artery

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on stress response and power in psychiatric inpatients in a closed ward. METHODS: For this study a quasi-experiment design was used to examine the effects of the intervention. The MBSR program conducted in this study was a six-session program, in which participants were asked to meditate for 45 minutes twice a week for 3 weeks. Homogeneity between the experimental and control group was assessed using χ² test, t-test, and Fisher's exact test. The results of the assessment showed that the variances of the two groups were equal. Demographic variables of the study participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study hypotheses were verified using t-test. Cronbach's α was measured to assess the reliability of each test. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, patients in the experimental group showed significant improvement in scores for stress response (t=3.62, p=.001) and power (t=-3.42, p=.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the mindfulness meditation program can be used as a psychosocial rehabilitation intervention for psychiatric inpatients by capitalizing on its positive effects on emotional reactivity and behavioral regulation.
Humans ; Inpatients* ; Meditation ; Mindfulness ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Psychiatric Rehabilitation

No abstract available.
Apgar Score* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Psychology*

No abstract available.
Apgar Score* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Psychology*

Acute mobile thrombus of the abdominal aorta after chemotherapy is a very unusual finding, which can be a potential source of arterial embolism. We report here on a case of an acute mobile aortic thrombus with renal infarction. We successfully treated the patient with hybrid operation-open surgical and endovascular approach. Our case shows that hybrid treatment using wire-directed balloon catheter thrombectomy is a feasible, minimally-invasive treatment for a mobile aortic thrombus.
Angioplasty ; Aorta ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Catheters ; Chimera ; Embolism ; Humans ; Infarction ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Homocystine ; Homocystinuria*

Objective To investigate the effect of TGFβ1 siRNA on hepatic satellite cells (HSCs) activation, proliferation and extracellular matrix production. Methods The TGFβ1, siRNA plasmid was transfected into HSCs with Lipofectamine 2000. The supernatant and HSCs were collected after incubation for 72h. The expression of TGFβ1, and a-SMA protein in HSCs was detected by. Western blotting. The expression of type Ⅰ and Ⅲ collagen mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The cell proliferation was assayed by MTT method. Contents of typeⅣ collagen and hyaluronic acid in supernatant were determined by radioimmuno-assay.Results Compared with scrambled control group, the TGFβ1, and a-SMA protein expression,the activity of HSCs proliferation,the expression of typeⅠ and Ⅲ collagen mRNA,and the contents of type Ⅳ collagen and hyaluronic acid in supernatant were reduced in TGFβ1, siRNA group by (79±5)%,(55±4)%, (25±4)% ,(63±6)% ,(57±4)% ,(53±8)% ,(46±8)% ( P<0.01),respectively.Conclusion TGFβ1, siRNA could significantly reduce the expression of TGFβ1,inhibited HSC activation,proliferation and extracellular matrix production.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research was to evaluate physiological significances of expression of immediate early gene proteins in the vestibular nuclear complex by change of arterial pressure (AP) in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Record AP and inject either sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or phenylnephrine to change AP. Either fast or slow removal of blood from the femoral artery was made to induce different rapidity in reduction of AP. Blood supply to the inner ear was temporally blocked by clamping anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA). Immunohistochemical staining and image analysis for cFos, FosB, Krox, and JunB proteins were performed 2, 6, 12 hours after change of AP. RESULTS: The selective expression of cFos protein was observed in the medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) following reduction of AP. The number of cFos positive neurons peaked at 2 hours and then rapidly reduced, returning to the normal value 24 hours after SNP injection. And cFos protein expression was also well correlated with that of AP reduction at 2 hours of SNP injection. The rapid falling of AP caused a significant expression of cFos protein but slow withdrawal of blood did a minimal change of cFos protein expression. In addition, there was a significant expression of cFos protein following the increase of AP by single injection of phenylnephrine. Unilateral occlusion of AICA resulted in the significant expression of cFos protein in bilateral MVN. Furthermore, bilateral ablation of vestibular endorgans resulted in significant reduction of cFos expression by AICA occlusion in MVN. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that cFos protein is a marker for neuronal excitation in vestibular complex in response to rapid changes in the arterial blood pressure and that medial vestibular nuclei plays an important role in signaling the process of cardiovascular information coming from the peripheral vestibular apparatus.
Adult* ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure* ; Arteries ; Blood Pressure ; Constriction ; Ear, Inner ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Neurons ; Nitroprusside ; Proteins ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reference Values ; Vestibular Nuclei ; Vestibule, Labyrinth