No abstract available.
Gonadal Dysgenesis, 46,XY*

No abstract available.
Cytarabine* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute*

PURPOSE: It is important that the internal pressure of a cuff be sustained at a constant level (18~25 mmHg). If not, complications may result. Because the space for the intrusion of the cuff is limited, the pressure should be determined by the amount of air in the cuff and the tracheal luminal diameter. Since very limited studies of the tracheal luminal diameter in Korea exist, in this study, we report the relationships between the tracheal luminal diameter and other variables such as age, gender, pulmonary disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This study was based on chest CT cases at HanGang Sacred Heart Hospital in 2002. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of the 102 patients included in this study. The mean luminal diameter of the anterior-posterior(AP) and the transverse diameters were our dependent variables, and those diameters were checked by two investigators in each case. RESULTS: The average mean luminal diameter was 17.0mm, and the range of the mean luminal diameter was from 9.0 mm to 27.5 mm. The mean value for men was 18.3mm, and that for women was 15.1 mm, and the difference proved to be statistically different from zero (p<0.01). The luminal diameter is significantly different between COPD (m=19.0 mm) and non-COPD (m=17.0 mm) cases and the difference was statistically different from zero for all the statistics adopted in this study. CONCLUSION: This study found that the size of the luminal diameter was significantly different between two groups: men and women, and COPD and non-COPD cases. Despite the seminal findings of the present study, this study has several limitations.
Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Intubation ; Korea ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Phenobarbital* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Research Personnel ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Trachea

PURPOSE: After intubation, it is recommended that, to sustain airway patency, about 10ml of air be infused to seal the airway and to prevent complications. At this step, sustaining a proper pressure level (18~24 mmHg) is most important because excessive pressure can cause diverse complications. We carried out a series of investigations to find a way to sustain a constant pressure level. METHODS: We gathered the cases of intubated patients for 6 randomly selected days during 2003 at HanGang Sacred Heart Hospital. Included were cases from emergency room, the intensive care unit, and the operating rooms; 30 cases were enrolled for this investigation. We used a cuff pressure control REF 701 (Tracoe(r), Mainz, Germany) to trace the cuff pressure. First, we measured the amount of air that was infused into the cuff and the cuff pressure. Then, we measured the amount of air after a proper level of cuff pressure had been achieved. RESULTS: We have found that out of the 30 cases investigated the recommended pressure level was maintained in 4 cases. The average cuff pressure was 40.9 mmHg with 10.2 cc of air and 69.0 mmHg, the largest value, was reported in one case. However, when recommended pressure level was maintained (18 mmHg), the average amount of air was reduced to 7.9 cc. CONCLUSION: The results reveal that it may not be possible to sustain the recommended pressure level by "infusing about 10 ml of air,"and that may cause complications.
Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Operating Rooms

The abnormalities of left ventricular ejection patterns have been studied using echocardiography, contrast angiography, radionuclide angiography, and apex cardiography in patients with various heart disease. Recently it has been recognized that diastolic impairment may occur in the absence of abnormal systolic performance in hypertension, valvular heart disease, ischemic heart diseases, and cardiomyopathies. In order to identify whether diastolic dysfunction can develop without systolic dysfunction, we evaluated patterns of left ventricular filling and ejection by echocardiography in 10 chronic mitral regurgitations without pulmonary congestion symptom, who were confirmed by cardiac catheterization. Indices of left ventricular systolic function, including ejection fraction, fractional shortening, ejection rate, mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening, and preejection period/left ventricular ejection time revealed no significant difference in mitral regurgitation patients compared with normal control group. Diastolic parameters, including atrial emptying index,mean velocity of circumferential fiber lengthening, rapid filling period, and rapid filling velocity were changed significantly in mitral regurgitation. There were no significant alterations in blood pressure and heart rate between two groups. It is concluded that impaired diastolic performance may be frequently encountered in patients with chronic mitral regurgitation and intact systolic function.
Angiography ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cardiomyopathies ; Echocardiography ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Rate ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kinetocardiography ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Radionuclide Angiography ; Ventricular Function, Left*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate effect of alpha-lipoic acid on apoptotic cell death in rat hippocampal neuron following transient forebrain ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. METHODS: The four-vessel occlusion method was used to induce transient I/R injury in the forebrain of Sprague-Dawley rats. In the treatment group, alpha-Lipoic acid (LA) was administered subcutaneously at 50 mg/kg/day for 7 days before induction of I/R injury. RESULTS: Pretreatment with LA significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive neurons in the pyramidal cells layer of the hipocampal CA1 region 5 days after the ischemia, suggesting a marked reduction of apoptotic cell death. Pretreatment with LA also resulted in marked suppression at the transcript level of mRNA for caspase-3 at 24 hours, and decreased concentration of the active form of caspase-3 protein in the hippocampus at 1, 3, and 5 days after I/R injury. Furthermore, as indicated by western blot analysis, the concentration of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) in the hippocampus was reduced at 1 and 3 days after a transient I/R injury by pretreatment with LA. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that LA has the potential to prevent neuronal cell death in the hippocampus by inhibiting intracellular signaling pathways responsible for apoptosis following transient I/R injury.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Apoptosis Inducing Factor ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death* ; Hippocampus* ; Ischemia ; Neurons ; Prosencephalon* ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury* ; RNA, Messenger ; Thioctic Acid*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate spatiotemporal evaluation of pERK1/2 protein expression in the forebrain following hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: HI injury was induced by occlusion of the bilateral common carotid artery (CCA) and respiration with 5% O2 hypoxic gas for 8 minutes, followed by unilateral release of CCA. RESULTS: Immunoreactivity for pERK1/2 protein in the bilateral cortex began to increase at 2 hours, reached peak levels at 6 hours, and then decreased by 24 hours after HI injury. In a cortical neuron, the expression of pERK1/2 protein was observed in all cellular components and processes including dendrites, cell body and nuclei at 6 hours, but persisted only in the cell body by 24 hours after HI injury. Temporal changes in the immunoreactivity for pERK1/2 protein in the hippocampus was very similar to that of the cortex following HI injury. In contrast, the temporal changes in the cellular distribution of pERK12 protein in hippocampal neurons was largely different from that of the cortex following HI injury. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that HI injury causes an early activation of ERK1/2 signaling with a differential cellular distribution of pERK1/2 protein among different forebrain structures. Further study needs to be done in order to elucidate a possible role of ERK1/2 signaling for neural damage in the adult rodent HI model.
Adult ; Brain ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Dendrites ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Neurons ; Prosencephalon ; Respiration ; Rodentia

PURPOSE: Recently, a new animal model for permanent focal brain ischemia using macrospheres was developed wherein the hypothalamic area was free from ischemic injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate spatiotemporal changes in the expressions of cFos, pERK, and pAkt proteins in the macrosphere model. METHOD: Three or four macrospheres were injected into the internal carotid artery after ligation of the external carotid artery to induce permanent focal brain ischemic injury. RESULT: Twenty-four hours after macrosphere injection, 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazlium (TTC) staining showed a marked ischemic injury in the blood supply territory of the middle cerebral artery, for example, the cerebral cortex and striatum. Furthermore, TUNEL staining revealed apoptotic cell death in the ischemic injury region of the cerebral cortex and striatum. Expression of the cFos protein was significant in the penumbral zone, but not in the ischemic core of the cortex and striatum, two and six hours after ischemic insult. A transient prominent expression of the pERK1/2 protein was noted in the penumbral zone of the cortex and striatum two hours after injection of macrospheres. In contrast, there was a strong immunoreactivity for the pAkt protein in the ischemic core, but not in the penumbral zone of the cortex and striatum, six hours after ischemic injury. CONCLUSION: The above results suggest that early expressions of cFos, pERK1/2, and pAkt proteins take part in different signaling cascades for cell survival or death in macrosphere animal model of permanent focal brain ischemic injury.
Animals* ; Brain Ischemia ; Brain* ; Carotid Artery, External ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cerebral Cortex ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Ligation ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Models, Animal*

PURPOSE: Paraquat (Gramoxone;1,1'dimethyl 4,4'-dipyridilium) is a toxic herbicide. It is ingested accidently or for the purpose of suicide in rural community. Having experienced four patients receiving donor corneas from the victims of Gramoxone poisoning, we report these cases with the review of the literature. METHODS: Four corneas donated by two males who died of Gramoxone intoxication were used in corneal transplantation of 4 patients. RESULTS: At postoperative 12 months, uncorrected visual acuity in each of the 3 patients was 0.1, 0.3 and 0.04, and each cornea maintained transparency. One patient had a retransplantation due to corneal epithelial cell defect and at postoperative 12 months, uncorrected visual acuity was 0.9.
Cornea ; Corneal Transplantation ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Male ; Paraquat* ; Poisoning* ; Rural Population ; Suicide ; Tissue Donors* ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: This study analyzed the correlation between grade point average (GPA) of medical school and the score of Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE). METHODS: This study based on the results of 67th KMLE applicants who graduated from a college of medicine in 2003. We also gathered data of these applicants from the college of medicine: gender, age, type of entrance, GPA of basic medicine, clinical medicine, clinical clerkships and final test scores. We analyzed whether there was discrimination between achievement of KMLE passed and that of KMLE failed, which of variables affected the results of KMLE. RESULTS: 173 applicants passed KMLE among 189. There were significant correlations between basic medicine, clinical medicine, final test score and the score of KMLE (respective p-value; < 0.0001). There were also significant differences of GPA between KMLE passed applicants and failed. Final test scores were the most correlated with those of KMLE. If the GPA of 2nd grade was below 2.5 and the GPA of 3rd year grade was below 2.3, they was a high-risk group for failing KMLE (sensitivity 100%, specificity 90%). CONCLUSION: There were significant correlations between the GPA of medical school and the score of KMLE, and significant differences between KMLE passed applicants and failed. A high-risk group of failing KMLE was the students that the GPA of 2nd grade was below 2.5 and the GPA of 3rd grade was below 2.3.
Clinical Medicine ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Licensure* ; Schools, Medical* ; Sensitivity and Specificity