No abstract available.
Classification* ; Humans ; Spinal Cord* ; Urodynamics*

We investigated population densities of mosquitoes infected with sporozoites in three highly epidemic areas of Josan-ri and Jangpa-ri (Paju City) and Dongjung-ri (Yeoncheon County) in Korea. Anopheline mosquitoes were collected from both indoors and outdoors by human baiting collection method during the period of the first week of June to the second week of September 1999. Total 13,296 female mosquitoes were collected and 8,650 (65.1%) were Anophelines. Thirty seven percent (3,199) of the Anopheline mosquitoes were captured outdoors and 63.9% (5,531) indoors. Employing a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we analyzed a total of 7,820 Anopheline mosquitoes and found that 7 Anopheline mosquitoes were infected with sporozoites. The positive rate in Josan-ri was 0.14% (5/3,500) and 0.15% (2/1,370) in Jangpa-ri. The total positive rate in all three surveyed areas was 0.09% (7/7,820). The mosquitoes infected with the sporozoites were detected on June 28th (n=2), July 5th (n=1), July 19th (n=1), August 9th (n=1), September 6th (n=1), and the last one on September 13th (n=1). They were all classified as Anopheles sinensis, which showed positive reaction in ELISA test. Therefore it might be concluded that A. sinensis plays an important role in re-emerging malaria transmission in Korea.
Animals ; Culicidae/*parasitology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Human ; Korea/epidemiology ; Malaria, Vivax/epidemiology/parasitology/transmission ; Plasmodium vivax/*isolation & purification ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

OBJECTIVES: This study measures serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in tire-manufacturing workers, and attempts to find occupational or non-occupational factors that related to their PSA levels. METHODS: A total of 1,958 healthy male workers (1,699 were production workers and 259 were office workers) took PSA measurement for analysis. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, body mass index, hypertension, regular exercise, alcohol drinking and smoking, which were significantly related to serum PSA levels or known related factors of serum PSA levels, the geometric mean PSA levels were significantly high in the office workers (p = 0.017), the older age group (p < 0.001), the group with hypertension (p = 0.046) and the group of individuals that do not exercise regularly (p = 0.015) and the office workers were more likely to have a serum PSA level of > or =4.0 (OR 7.73, 95% CI: 2.78-21.46) or 2.5 ng/mL (OR 2.74, 95% CI: 1.49-5.08). After stratifying by age and adjusting aforementioned covariates, office workers 50 years of age and older had the significantly higher geometric mean PSA levels (p = 0.017) and were more likely to have a serum PSA level of > or =4.0 ng/mL (OR 12.90, 95% CI: 3.65-45.64) or 2.5 ng/mL (OR 3.90, 95% CI: 1.64-9.25) than production workers 50 years of age and older. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that serum PSA levels were significantly higher among the group with hypertension or the group of individuals that did not exercise regularly or group of office workers who were considered to have lesser physical activities.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Occupations ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Sedentary Lifestyle ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: To avoid complications of homologous transfusion, many methods are used in patients who undergo an operation, but the autologous transfusion is most popular. This retrospective study was done to evaluate the applicability of an autologous transfusion in an orthopedic spinal surgery. METHODS: The cases of 239 autologous transfusion and 85 homologous transfusions in patients who had spinal surgery due to spinal stenosis were reviewed, and the differences in homologous transfusion, postoperative drainage and complications in both groups were compared. Both groups were analysed and compared by the T-test and Mann-Whitmann rank sum test. RESULTS: In the homologous transfusion group, 4.6 +/- 2.7 units of RBC products were used in 85 patients. In the autologous transfusion group more than 2 techniques of preoperative deposit, intraoperative autotansfusion by cell saver, acute normovolemic hemodilution, and postoperative autotransfusion were used, and 3.6 +/- 2.4 units of RBC products were infused to 49 out of 239 patients (P < 0.001). A postoperative hematoma occured in 2 patients after a homologous transfusion but there were no cases in autologous transfusions. CONCLUSION: Consequently much of the homologous transfusion could be saved by using an autologous transfusion, and smaller amounts of postoperative drainge occured, so the author could confirm the benefit of autologous transfusion.
Blood Transfusion, Autologous* ; Drainage ; Hematoma ; Hemodilution ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Retrospective Studies* ; Spinal Stenosis

Annuloaortic ectasia, cystic medial degeneration of the afflicted aortic wall leading to progressive dilatation, is often accompanied by Marfan's syndrome. Some portions of intimal flap is commonly demonstrated along the aorta in the noninvasive diagnosis of aortic dissection. We report the first case of circumscribed aortic dissection developed in a 28 year old obese non-Marfanoid patient. He was transferred after thrombolytic therapy at a community hospital because of severe chest pain and ST segment elevation. Transthoracic echocardiography showed markedly dilated aortic root, moderate amount of pericardial effusion, mild aortic regurgitation in spite of normal regional wall motion of left ventricle. Intimal flap, characteristic of aortic dissection, was not seen with computed tomography. Intimal tear was demonstrated just above aortic valve only by transesophageal echocardiography. Two parallel intimal tear and small circumscribed dissection was demonstrated by autopsy.
Adult ; Aorta ; Aortic Valve ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Autopsy ; Chest Pain ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Dilatation, Pathologic* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Heart Ventricles ; Hospitals, Community ; Humans ; Marfan Syndrome ; Pericardial Effusion ; Thrombolytic Therapy

Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. We experienced a case of sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis with extremely aggressive clinical behavior. An 81-year-old woman underwent a laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy to remove a 4.5x3.1 cm sized localized left renal pelvis mass. The mass was pathologically confirmed as a sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma. Although the operation was successful, the patient died 2 months postoperatively with widely metastatic disease.
Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Pelvis ; Prognosis

This study is an attempt to investigate the effect of total Ginseng saponin (GTS) on the blood pressure of the rat and to elucidate its mechanism of action. GTS, when injeced into a femoral vein of the rat, caused dose-related fall in blood pressure with secondarily elevation of the blood pressure. The depressor effect of GTS was blocked by treatment of atropine and prazosin, but not affected by pretreatment with chlorisondamine or cyproheptadine. GTS inhibited significantly the pressor response evoked by norepinephrine. The pressor effect of GTS was not affected by treatment with atropine or cyproheptadine, but was attenuated markedly by pretreatment with chlorisondamine. From the above mentioned results, it is thought that GTS produces the pressor and the depressor actions in the rat, and that its depressor response is exerted partly through the stimulation of cholinergic muscaric receptors with the blockade of adrenergic alpha-receptors, and that its pressor response is revealed by stimulation of nicotinic receptors in autonomic ganglia.
Animals ; Atropine ; Blood Pressure* ; Chlorisondamine ; Cyproheptadine ; Femoral Vein ; Ganglia, Autonomic ; Norepinephrine ; Panax* ; Prazosin ; Rats* ; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha ; Receptors, Nicotinic ; Saponins*

No abstract available.
Administration, Intravesical* ; Humans ; Reflex, Abnormal*

Hyperphosphatemia develops when there is impaired renal phosphate excretion or massive extracellular fluid phosphate load. For example, renal insufficiency, hypoparathyroidism, exogenous phosphate administration, and extensive cellular injury induce a hyperphosphatemic state. In patients with multiple myeloma, renal insufficiency occurs as a result of hypercalcemia, light chain tubulopathy, urate nephropathy or infection, and hyperphosphatemia usually results from renal failure. We report here a case of a patient with multiple myeloma who had an elevated serum phosphate level measured by the phosphomolybdate UV method without significant renal insufficiency and was finally diagnosed with pseudohyperphosphatemia.
Extracellular Fluid ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Hyperphosphatemia ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Light ; Molybdenum ; Multiple Myeloma ; Phosphoric Acids ; Renal Insufficiency ; Uric Acid