The endoscopic variceal ligation(EVL) has been adopted as a new treatment for acute hemorrhage from esophageal varices that ranks the highest mortality rate in upper gastrointestinal tract bleedings. This treatment method has good effects for the urgent treatment and eradication of varices from acute variceal bleeding in repeated sessions. We enrolled 34 patients with an acute or chronic variceal bleeding episode at the time of admission in this study from Apr. 8, 1992 to June. 2, 1994. Among 34 patients, there were 31 males and 3 females, at ages between 45-66(mean: 52 years). The incidence of symptoms on admission was 10 in tarry stool, 9 in hematemesis 8 in ascites, 4 in hepatic encephalopathy and 3 in nonspecific symptoms. Varices were eradicated or reduced to grade I in 30(88.2%) of the 34 patients by 4-25 bands (mean: 10.8 bands) in 1-7 EVL sessions(mean: 3.1 sessions). After EVL, there are complicated by active bleeding in 3 patients, dysphagia in 3 patienta and transient chest discomfort in 5 patients but subsided during 24 hours. These results indicated that EVL is a safe method for treatment of bleeding from esophageal varices.
Ascites ; Deglutition Disorders ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Female ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage* ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ligation* ; Male ; Mortality ; Thorax ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract ; Varicose Veins

Pseudocyst of the auricle presents as a non-inflammatory, fluctuant swelling on the upper half or third section of the ear, due to intracartilaginous accumulation of fluid. Histological examination shows an intracartilaginous cavity without an epithelial lining. The etilogy and pathogenesis of this disorder remains unknown, but the lesion is likely to be due to localized de-generation of cartilage. The degenerated cartilage is replaced by a vascular fibrous tissue from which there is serious exudation, and a clinical cystic swelling is formed. We describe in this report three cases of pseudocyst of the auricle, of which one was treated successfully by surgical excision and a pressure dressing, and the others by aspiration and steroid injection therapy. In all cases, the skin lesions had not recurred, and the patients were left with an excellent cosmetic result.
Bandages ; Cartilage ; Ear ; Humans ; Skin

Generalized plane xanthoma is less common and usually involves the eyelids, lateral side of the neck, upper trunk, and extremities. Lesions, however, may appear on any portion of the body. Cutaneous xanthomas may occur in hyperlipidemic and in normolipidemic states. Generalized normolipidemic plane xanthoma is often associated with multiple myeloma, other reticulo-endothelial malignancies and monoclonal gammopathy with unknown significance(MGUS). We wish to report two eases of generalized plane xanthoma associated with IgG monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance.
Extremities ; Eyelids ; Immunoglobulin G ; Multiple Myeloma ; Neck ; Paraproteinemias* ; Xanthomatosis*

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of the remnants after lens extraction on posterior capsular opacification with lens epithelial cell culture through in vitro capsular bag model. METHODS: After isolating porcine lens capsules, sterile non-toxic PMMA (polymethyl- mathacrylate) tension ring was inserted into the capsule. These were placed in organ culture medium up to 6 weeks. The grade of cell coverage of the posterior lens capsule was recorded to check the proliferative activity. RESULTS: In the process of cell culture, outgrowth of the epithelial cells was observed across the posterior capsule after a lag period. The rate of cell coverage was dependent upon the added factors. The proliferative activity was the greatest in the group where lens cortical and nuclear materials were added, and other groups showed no difference from a control group. CONCLUSIONS: To reduce posterior capsular opacification, it is important that we should not leave the lens cortical material behind during cataract surgery.
Capsules ; Cataract Extraction* ; Cataract* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Epithelial Cells* ; Organ Culture Techniques ; Polymethyl Methacrylate

BACKGROUND: Much of the recent understanding of hypertensive has focused on the importance of concomitant atherosclerotic risk factors in addition to the blood pressure itself and has created new therapeutic challenges. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence rates of hyperlipidemia, smoking, diabetes, obesity and left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) in 185 hypertensive subjects. Serum levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol were measured by enzymatic method. 1) Mean values of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index were not significantly different between sex and resident area. 2) The most frequent risk factor in hypertensive subjects was overweight, followed by M-mode echocardiographic LVH, hypertriglyceridemia, high LDL-cholesterol levels, low HDL-cholesterol levels, hypertriglyceridemia, electrocardiographic LVH, and diabetes. 3) The prevalence rates of both total cholesterol levels over 240mg/dl and LDL-cholesterol over 160mg/dl were about 20%, regardless of sex and resident area. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that hypertensive subjects have many concomitant risk factors of atherosclerosis. Hypercholesterolemia(> or =200 mg/dl), M-mode echocardiographic LVH and overweight among the selected risk factors were observed in more than a half of the hypertensive subjects, regardless of sex and resident area. These findings suggest that for the effective management of hypertensive subjects, physician should not only treat hypertension itself, but also control the concomitant risk factors.
Atherosclerosis* ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Renal Artery*

BACGROUND: The accuracy and efficiency of a job performed by hospital employee can be linked directly with patients' health and life. It is considered that their irregular work and stress are relatively high as compared with other workplaces. In this article we tried to look into how job stress, working environment and factors of life-style influence sleep problems in hospital employees. METHODS: This research was conducted among 248 workers of a hospital in Busan on April, 2002. Sleep problems were categorized into insomnia, sleep deprivation, daytime sleepiness and snoring on the basis of the factor analysis of 11-item questions. The job stress was proposed by Karasek, etc., and measured by 14-item modified questions. The statistical analysis was conducted using Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Statistically insomnia, sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness showed a significant increase in women (OR:2.1/2.69/3.16) and shift workers (OR:4.67/3.28/1.98) and snoring showed a significant increase in obesity (OR:5.0) and smokers (OR:2.34). CONCLUSION: This research showed that many hospital employees perceive sleep disorders as critical. Especially, work shift seemed to be an important risk factor for sleep disorders.
Busan ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Obesity ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors ; Sleep Deprivation ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Snoring

No abstract available.
Hemorrhage*

Mid-arm circumference and mid-arm circumference/head circumference ratio(MAC/HC) were measured in 207 AGA(appropriate for gestational age) infants delivered at 26 to 42 weeks of gestation from January 1990 to December 1993 in Yeungnam University Hospital, Taegu, Korea. There were linear relationships between MACs and MAC/HC ratios and gestational age(MAC : y=03181x -2.2069, r=0.81, p<0.001 ; MAC/HC ratio : y=0.049x+0.1128, r=0.62, ; < 0.001). Using standard curves of MAC and MAC/HC ratio according to the gestational age, measurement of MAC or MAC/HC ratio can be a noninvasive, simple method to evaluate the intrauterine growth of newborn infants and the nutritional status of growing premature infants.
Daegu ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Korea ; Methods ; Nutritional Status* ; Pregnancy