The present study assessed the effects of Rapid Maxillary Expansion on head posture and hyoid bone position. For this study, 32 Angle's class III patients - hellman 3c ~ adult stage, mean age 12y9m ? were selected divided into two group, A,B according to craniocervical angulation. Craniocervical angulation Increased in Group A and decreased in Group B after the therapy. And 23 Angle's class I persons ~ same hellman stage, mean age 12y7m ~ were selected for the control group. Cephalometric analysis of skeletal pattern, pharyngeal space, head posture, hyoid bone position was performed. The result were as follows, 1. Comparison of skeletal pattern and pharyngeal space 1) All two group(A,B) had Mandibular plane inclined inferiorly and no pharyngeal space change was observed after RME therapy. 2) Skeletal pattern and pharyngeal space of Group A, B were normal before and after treatment. 2. Comparison of head posture 1) Craniocervical angulation of Group A was increased after treatment. That of Group B was decreased and mandibular plane was inclined inferiorly after treatment. 2) Before treatment, craniocervical inclination was normal in Group A but larger than normal in Group B. After treatment, all two groups(A, B) had normal craniocervical angulation. 3. Comparison of hyoid bone position 1) After treatment, long axis of hyoid in Group A, B was not changed. Antero- posteriorly, hyoid position was changed posteriorly in Group A but no change was founded in Group B after treatment. Vertically, hyoid bone position were not changed in two group except increase in APHFH in Group A after treatment. 2) Long axis of hyoid bone was normal in Group A, B before and after treatment. Anteroposteriorly, hyoid bone position was more anterior than Group B, C before treatment but all the position of two groups had normal position after treatment. Vertical position of hyoid bone was normal in all two groups before and after treatment.
Adult ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Head* ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone* ; Palatal Expansion Technique ; Posture*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Isoproterenol* ; Plasma* ; Rats* ; Renin*

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that tobacco exposure is associated with elevated blood pressure (EBP) in Korean adolescents, and that the association is dose dependent. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2011-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). Subjects were eligible if they were 13-18 years at the time of participation in KNHANES. Tobacco exposure was defined by urine cotinine level. The main outcomes were EBP and hypertension. Statistical analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4 with appropriate sampling weights to account for the complex survey design, stratification, and cluster variable. RESULTS: A total of 2,518 adolescents was included in the analysis, representing 2.5 million Korean adolescents. The mean± standard deviation participant age was 15.3±1.7 years, and 55.3% were male. The number of participants with active tobacco smoke exposure was 283 (11.2%), passive tobacco smoke exposure was 145 (5.8%), and no smoke exposure was 2,090 (83.0%). Analysis of the 2,518 urine-cotinine-verified participants showed that tobacco smoke exposure had a significant effect on EBP: with an odds of elevated blood pressure of 3.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14 to 7.89). The odds of hypertension were 3.61 (95% CI, 1.13 to 11.49) in the active smoking group compared with the no tobacco exposure group after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS It is necessary to present a range of public health plans to reduce tobacco exposure that affects adolescents’ blood pressure, and further research with a larger number of participants using urine cotinine as a biomarker is needed.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Spontaneous progression of severe congestive heart failure is structurally characterized by cellular degeneration and multiple foci of myocardial cell death. The cardiac troponin I (cTnI), one of the subunits of the troponin regulatory complex, binds to actin and inhibits interaction between actin and myosin. cTnI is uniquely expressed in the adult human myocardium, and an increase in its circulating levels is highly indicative of myocardial injury. In this study, we addressed the usefulness of cTnI as a sensitive and specific molecular marker for severity in patients with congestive heart failure. MethodscTnI, creatinin kinase-MB (CK-MB), and myoglobin were assessed in 59 patients with severe congestive heart failure diagnosed by the echo-cardiography and gated equilibrium blood pool heart scan. Also we assesed cTnI, creatinin kinase-MB (CK-MB), and myoglobin in 25 persons without cardiac disease in echocardiography. RESULTS: 1) The cTnI con-centration was 89.6+/-69.3 pg/mL in patients with congestive heart failure and its level was greater than that of the control group (22.4+/-17.1, p=0.001). 2) The cTnI level differed significantly according to left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), 117.3+/-73.8 pg/mL in patients with EF\<40% (28 patients), 66.3+/-44.5 pg/mL in patients with EF> or =40% (31 patients), 22.4+/-17.1 pg/mL in the control group (25 persons) (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: cTnI was useful as a specific and sensitive serum molecular marker in patients of congestive heart failure. And its level reflected the severity of congestive heart failure.
Actins ; Adult ; Cell Death ; Echocardiography ; Equidae ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Myocardium ; Myoglobin ; Myosins ; Stroke Volume ; Troponin I* ; Troponin*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: he patients with atrial septal defect generally have no symptoms in the childhood, and have nonspecific symptoms such as dyspnea on exertion, fatigue, and palpitation even in the late period of adult. Thus delayed diagnosis for whom surgical correction was undoubtedly needed remains to be resolved. Accordingly, the simple and noninvasive method such as electrocardiography in patients with atrial septal defect having the nonspecific symptoms or having no symptoms warrants to be developed. This study was performed to see whether the crochetage pattern on R wave in inferior limb leads is effective for the electrocardiographic diagnosis of atrial septal defect and relates to the magnitude of left to right shunt. METHODS: Our subjects were 129 patients diagnosed as the atrial septal defect by the echocardiography and cardiac catheterization from January 1992 to June 1998. We selected 57 persons, as control group, who showed the normal findings under the echocardiography and also showed the incomplete right bundle branch block on the electrocardiography. We compared the frequency of the crochetage pattern in inferior limb leads between the two groups. Also we compared the frequency of the crochetage pattern before operation and after operation according to the quantity of the left to right shunt in the operated 40 patients with atrial septal defect. RESULTS: ) The crochetage pattern was observed in 61.2% in patients with atrial septal defect and its frequency was greater than that of the control group (38.6%, p=0.005). 2) The crochetage pattern was disappeared by the operation in 16/29 patients (55.2%, p=0.001). 3) The frequency of disappearance of the crochetage pattern after operation differed significantly according to shunt severity: 72.2% for a Qp/Qs> or =3.0 group, 18.2% for a Qp/Qs<3.0 group (p=0.015). CONCLUSION: The crochetage pattern on R wave in inferior limb leads was helpful to the electrocardiographic diagnosis of the atrial septal defect. The disappearance of the crochetage pattern after operation was correlated with shunt severity.
Adult ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography* ; Extremities* ; Fatigue ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the clinical and radiologic features of posterior apophyseal ring separation (PARS) with lumbar disc herniation and suggest the proper management options according to the PARS characteristics. METHODS: We reviewed case series of patients with PARS who underwent surgery of lumbar disc herniation. Preoperative symptoms, neurologic status, Body Mass Index, preoperative and postoperative Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Korean-Oswestry Disability Index (K-ODI) scores, operation types were obtained. PARS size, locations, the degree of resection were assessed. RESULTS: PARS was diagnosed in 109 (7.5%) patients among 1448 patients given surgical treatment for single level lumbar disc herniation. There were 55 (50.5%) small PARS and 54 (49.5%) large PARS. Among the large PARS group, 15 (27.8%) had lower endplate PARS of upper vertebra at the level of disc herniation. Thirty-nine (72.2%) were upper endplate PARS of lower vertebra. Among the group with upper endplate PARS of lower vertebra, unresected PARS was diagnosed in 12 (30.8%) cases and resected PARS was diagnosed in 27 (69.2%) cases. VAS and K-ODI scores changes were 3.6+/-2.9 and 5.4+/-6.4 in the unresected PARS group, 5.8+/-2.1 and 11.3+/-7.1 in the resected PARS group. The group with upper endplate PARS of lower vertebra showed significant difference of VAS (p=0.01) and K-ODI (p=0.013) score changes between unresected and resected PARS groups. CONCLUSION: The large PARS of upper endplate in lower vertebra should be removed during the surgery of lumbar disc herniation. High level or bilateral side of PARS should be widely decompressed and arthrodesis procedures are necessary if there is a possibility of secondary instability.
Arthrodesis ; Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Spine

Early gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as a carcinoma confined to the mucosa or submucosa of the stomach, with or without lymph-node metastasis. Synchronous liver metastasis is 5~12.8% in advanced gastric cancer, but is very low in EGC. A 64-year-old woman was admitted to St. Vincent's Hospital with a complaint of epigastric pain. Gastrofiberscopic examination showed a polypoid mass on the gastric antrum. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated an intraluminal polypoid mass in the gastric antrum, but no tumor mass in the liver. A laparotomy revealed a solitary liver metastasis, we performed a distal partial gastrectomy with a group-2 lymph-node dissection and resection of metastatic liver tumor. Histologic examination showed a tubular adenoma with a focal carcinomatous change, which was confined to the gastric mucosa and to the metastatic adenocarcinoma in the liver. We present a case of early gastric mucosal cancer associated with synchronous liver metastasis, along with a review of the literature.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenoma ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Mucosa ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Liver* ; Middle Aged ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pyloric Antrum ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Axons* ; Leukocytosis* ; Myelitis*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence and characteristic findings of pineal cyst incidentally detected on magnetic resonance(MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brain MR images obtained in 2432 patients were retrospectively reviewed to determine the incidence and MR findings of pineal cysts, which were evaluated according to their size, shape, location, signal intensity, interval change, contrast enhancement and mass effect on adjacent structures. RESULTS: Cysts were encountered in 107(4.4 %) of 2432 patients evaluated. Their size ranged from 1 x 1 x 1 to 15 x 8 x 9(mean, 5.97 x 3.87 x 4.82)mm. All were spherical(n=53) or oval(n=54) in shape. Their margin was smooth and they were homogeneous in nature. On T1-weighted images, the cysts were seen to be hyperintense(n=57) or isointense(n=50) to cerebrospinal fluid, but less so than brain parenchyma. T2-weighted images showed them to be isointense(n=51) or hyperintense(n=56) to cerebrospinal fluid. The cysts were centrally located in 65 cases and eccentrically in 42. Compression of the superior colliculi of the tectum was demonstrated in 17 cases(15.9 %). No patients presented clinical symptoms or signs related to either pineal or tectal lesions. Peripheral enhancement around the cyst after Gd-DTPA injection was demonstrated in 51 cases ( 1 00 %). Follow-up examinations in 19 cases demonstrated no interval change. CONCLUSION: The incidence of pineal cysts was 4.4%. The MR characteristics of simple pineal cysts include: (1) an oval or spherical shape, (2) a smooth outer margin and homogeneous nature, (3) isosignal or slightly high signal intensity to cerebrospinal fluid on whole pulse sequences, (4) ring enhancement after contrast injection,(5) an absence of interval change, as seen during follow up MR study. These MR appearances of pineal cysts might be helpful for differentiating them from pineal tumors.
Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Humans ; Incidence ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pinealoma ; Retrospective Studies ; Superior Colliculi

A neonate born at 38 gestational weeks was admitted due to generalized tonic-clonic seizure and cyanosis. The neonate was born six days previously at home through normal delivery and the umbilical cord was cut using scissors sterilized in boiling water. The neonate weighed 3,180 g at admission. Physical examination revealed cyanosis, opisthotonus, trismus and reactive muscle spasms. Laboratory exam, brain sonogram and EEG showed no significant abnormal findings. Based on her history and physical examination, the neonate was diagnosed with tetanus and put in an incubator isolated in a quiet, dark room. Treatment with tetanus human immunoglobulin along with antibiotics (penicillin G) were started immediately, and mechanical ventilation, administration of neuromuscular blocking agent and muscle relaxant were also started off. The frequency of seizure episode decreased gradually, and on the 32nd hospital day, mechanical ventilatory support was stopped along with extubation two days later. Thereafter, the neonate was in continuous generalized hypertonic state and showed feeding difficulty, but there was gradual improvement. She was dismissed on the 49th hospital day and is currently under OPD follow-up, doing well with no special problems. Respiratory management is critical to neonatal tetanus. We report here a case of tetanus treated with inhibition of self-respiration, neuromuscular blocker and application of ventilator, and present this method as a useful direction for future treatment of neonatal tetanus.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain ; Cyanosis ; Electroencephalography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Incubators ; Infant, Newborn ; Neuromuscular Blockade* ; Physical Examination ; Respiration, Artificial ; Seizures ; Spasm ; Tetanus* ; Trismus ; Umbilical Cord ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Water