A case of giant hydronephrosis containing 9,500 cc, simulating ascites due to 'cirrhotic liver in a twenty. three year old male, is presented. The differential diagnosis and the important clinical, laboratory and X-ray features are discussed with brief literatual review.
Ascites ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Liver ; Male

OBJECTIVES: In order to standardize the CRP, ESR and WBC count after three types of spinal surgery and get clinical usefulness from these laboratory dadas after spinal surgery and clincal usefulness of laboratory datas. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three groups of patients(microdisectomy, anterior and posterior fusion) were chosen for the study. CRP, ESR and WBC levels were prospectively determined before surgery and at days 1-5, 10, 14,21 and 42 after surgery. RESULTS: In all patients, preoperative normal CRP level(<10mg/L) increased, reaching peak levels on the second day after anterior fusion(84.6mg/L), and at the third day after microdiscectomy(54.5mg/L) and posterolateral intercorporal fusion(152.2mg/L), with normalization in 5-10 days. Preoperative normal ESR level increased to peak level on the forth day after microdiscectomy(33.0mm/hr), and increased double peak levels after anterior(postoperative days 2&5) and posterolateral intercorporal fusion(postoperative days 3&5). ESR followed by a slow and irregular decrease, and at 42 days after surgery often remained elevated. WBC increased to variable peak level within normal limit in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The rapid decline in CRP will probably be interrupted by a second rise or persisting elevation if infection occurs. CRP is presumably a better test than ESR for early detection of postoperative infection.
Blood Sedimentation* ; C-Reactive Protein* ; Erythrocytes* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies

No abstract available.
Polymerase Chain Reaction*

In a series of 20 young rats, three cortical lesions were made in each hemisphere. Two of these lesions were filled with avitene and gelfoam, while the third was left empty as a control. The animals were killed successively on weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8 after the operation. The results were as follows : 1) Although there was no difference in the type of tissue reactions, avitene was more rapid and profound than gelfoam in the process and degree of inflammatory reaction at the same periods. 2) Avitene biodegradaded more rapidly than gelfoam. 3) The extent of fibrosis and adhesion to the surrounding brain tissues were not grossly different between these two agents but more profound histopathologically in avitene at the same periods. With these results, we could conclude that the avitene was superior to the gelfoam as the hemostatic agent in neurosurgical area.
Animals ; Brain* ; Collagen ; Fibrosis ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Rats

No abstract available.
Bacteria, Anaerobic*

No abstract available.
Bacteria, Anaerobic*

Arytenoid subluxation or recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis may result from injury to the larynx following endotracheal intubation or blunt laryngeal trauma. Early diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment and better prognosis. A 62-years-old man was admitted for cholecystectomy. He was intubated without any difficulty and nasogastric tube was inserted with the help of laryngoscope and Magill forcep before surgery. He had a weak voice and hoarseness after atraumatic extubation and those symptoms did not improve even 2 days after. Indirect laryngoscopy, videolaryngotelescopy, electromyography(EMG) and computed tomographic findings revealed anterior, inferior subluxation of left cricoarytenoid cartilage associated with left thyroarytenoid muscle denervation and resultant unilateral vocal cord palsy. Conservative treatment for 40 days after the operation and follow-up examination was done. The voice quality was improved and indirect laryngoscopy examination showed that right vocal cord crossed midline in a attempt to meet its paralyzed counterpart on phonation.
Anesthesia, General* ; Cartilage ; Cholecystectomy ; Denervation ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hoarseness ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngeal Muscles ; Laryngoscopes ; Laryngoscopy ; Larynx ; Paralysis* ; Phonation ; Prognosis ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve* ; Surgical Instruments ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Vocal Cords ; Voice ; Voice Quality

Dental practice can produce and spread some infetious diseases from patients to dentist, dental assistant, and dental labors. One possible method for preventing these cross-contamination is to immerse dental impression in chemical disinfectants. So far many investigators studied on the dimensional changes of dental impressions and on the surface qualities of stone casts made from impression following immersion in disinfectants. This study was proposed to evaluate some popular impression/disinfectant combination from the point of dimensional stability. Impression was taken from dental arch-shaped metal model. Irreversible hydrocolloid and 3 elastomers(polyvinyl siloxane, polysulfide, polyether) were immersed in 3 disinfectants (2% glutaraldehyde, 1% povidone-iodine, 0.5% sodium hypochlorite) for 10 minutes and measured both cross-arch and anterior-posterior distance under stereo microscope to evaluate dimensional change. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Dimensional changes of irreversible hydrocolloid impression was statistically different in crossarch and anterior-posterior distance when immersed in 2% glutaraldehyde solution and in anterior-posterior distance when immersed in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution from control group(p<0.05). 2. Dimensional changes of polyvinyl siloxane and polysulfide impression were not statistically different from control group (p>0.05). 3. Dimensional changes of polyether impression was statistically different in cross-arch distance when immersed in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite solution and in anterior-posterior distance when immersed in 1% povidone-iodine solution from control group (p<0.05). 4. In all cases, dimensional changes were less than 0.1% from the original dimension and concluded clinically acceptable
Colloids ; Dental Assistants ; Dentists ; Disinfectants ; Disinfection* ; Glutaral ; Humans ; Immersion* ; Polyvinyls ; Povidone-Iodine ; Research Personnel ; Siloxanes ; Sodium ; Sodium Hypochlorite

Agar ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Appendicitis ; Cephalothin ; Child ; Cholangitis ; Ciprofloxacin ; Classification ; Clindamycin ; Diffusion ; Endocarditis ; Erythromycin ; Gentamicins ; Hematologic Diseases ; Humans ; Imipenem ; Meningitis ; Mouth ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasopharynx ; Oxacillin ; Penicillins ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Streptococcus ; Vancomycin ; Viridans Streptococci

PURPOSE: Leptin is an adipocyte-derived blood-borne satiety factor that acts on its cognate leptin receptor in the hypothalamus, thereby regulating food intake and energy expenditure. We measured the leptin concentrations in serum of normal and obese children with human leptin ELISA kit, unlike previous study with leptin RIA kit and investigated the relationship between leptin concentrations and body mass index, gender, and age. METHODS: We measured serum concentrations of leptin in 67 children who were visited to the Department of Pediatrics, Chungnam National University Hospital during the period of 5 months from February, 1999 to June, 1999. Height, weight, obesity index, and body mass index were measured in 67 subjects. Leptin values in serum were measured by sandwich ELISA method. Data analysis was done according to the obesity, body mass index, gender and age. RESULTS: The mean concentration of leptin was 7.69±8.83 ng/ml in normal children group and 36.34±18.57 ng/ml in obese group. Serum leptin concentrations were significant correlation with the body mass index (p < 0.01). Serum leptin concentration was significant higher in the group of over 10 years of age (p < 0.01). Leptin levels showed no significant difference by gender. CONCLUSION: Serum leptin levels were significantly higher in obesity group than in control one, and they were correlated with body mass index and age. Measurements of leptin value by sandwich ELISA method are very useful and easily applicable to determine obesity.
Body Mass Index ; Child ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Eating ; Energy Metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Hypothalamus ; Leptin ; Methods ; Obesity ; Pediatrics ; Receptors, Leptin ; Statistics as Topic