There is increasing need for network connecting personal computers(PC) together. Thus Local Area Network(LAN) emerged, which was designed to allow multiple computers to access and share multiple files and programs and expensive peripheral devices and to communicate with each user. We built PC-LAN in our department that consisted of 1) hardware-9 sets of personal computers(IBM compatible 80386 DX, 1 set:80286 AT, 8sets) and cables and network interface cards (Ethernet compatible, 16bits) that connected PC and peripheral devices 2) software - network operating system and database management system. We managed this network for 6 months. The benefits of PC-LAN were 1) multiuser (share multiple files and programs, peripheral devices) 2) real time data processing 3) excellent expandibility and flexibility, compatibility, easy connectivity 4) single cable for networking ) rapid data transmission 6) simple and easy installation and management 7) using conventional PC's software running under DOS(Disk Operating System) without transformation 8) low networking cost. In conclusion, PC-LAN provides an easier and more effective way to manage multiuser database system needed at hospital departments instead of more expensive and complex network of minicomputer or mainframe.
Database Management Systems ; Hospital Departments ; Humans ; Microcomputers* ; Minicomputers ; Pliability ; Running

BACKGROUND: Recent blood gas analyzers offer electrolytes, Hb-derivatives (O2 Hb, HHb, COHb, MetHb and SulfHb), content of total hemoglobin (ctHb), and metabolites (glucose and lactate) as well as conventional blood gas parameters. Evaluation and efficient control of these instruments affect greatly monitoring and therapy of patients. The authors evaluated a recently introduced blood gas analyzer, the Roche OMNI 9 (Roche Diagnostics) for precision, analytic speed, function, features and comparability with other instruments according to NCCLS guidelines to see if it was suitable for the stat analyzer. METHODS: Commercial control materials, AUTO-trol PLUS Level 1, 2, 3 (Roche Diagnostics) were analyzed to evaluate the within-day precision, the between-day precision, and patient samples were used to evaluate comparability with other instruments. RESULTS: The within-day and the between-day precisions of the Roche OMNI 9 showed a very low CV of 0- 3.93% and 0- 3.99%, respectively, in all parameters except the lactate, which had moderate CV values of 7.74% and 5.93% in Level 3 QC material (low concentration). In compari-son with the Bayer instrument, correlation was high in all parameters with the r(2) value ranging from 0.9441 to 0.9901 except for COHb (r(2)=0.4239) and MetHb (r(2)=0.0034) whose concentrations were in the lower level. Glucose (r(2)=0.991), lactate (r(2)=0.9824), and hemoglobin (r(2)=0.9961) showed a rather high correlation. The Roche OMNI 9 could analyze 40 samples of blood gas and 27 samples of full parameter per hour, which was comparable to the Bayer M855. CONCLUSIONS: The Roche OMNI 9 showed high precision and rapid turnaround time for blood gas and in a selection of glucose, lactate and hemoglobin.
Blood Gas Analysis ; Electrolytes ; Glucose ; Humans ; Lactic Acid

BACKGROUND: Sensitive skin has been described as a skin type showing higher reactivity than normal skin and developing exaggerated reactions when exposed to internal stimulants and external irritants. The lactic acid sting test is widely accepted as a marker of skin sensitivity and employed for the selection of subjects experiencing invisible sensory irritation. OBJECTIVE: To carry out an epidemiological study to assess the prevalence and possible related factors of sensitive skin in a regional population, and to examine the relationship between sensitive skin and subjective irritation using the lactic acid sting test. METHODS: A total of 514 people responded to self-assessment questionnaires composed of questions about the self-perception, related factors, symptoms and signs of sensitive skin. We assessed subjective irritation using the lactic acid sting test in 54 volunteers. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows: 1. The incidences of self-reported sensitive skin were 55.7% for women, 38.9% for men and 51.0% for all responders. 2. The family history and seasonal variation of sensitive skin were significantly more common in sensitive skin group. 3. The face especially the cheek area was the most sensitive portion of body, cosmetics were common irritants. 4. The lactic acid stinging scores were significantly higher in the sensitive skin group. CONCLUSION: Our survey indicated that sensitive skin is a common problem for people and a complex problem with genetic, individual, environmental implications and the lactic acid sting test is a valuable method to define skin sensitivity.
Bites and Stings* ; Cheek ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Irritants ; Lactic Acid* ; Male ; Patient Selection ; Prevalence ; Seasons ; Self Concept ; Self-Assessment ; Skin* ; Volunteers ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Anaphylaxis is an acute and fatal systemic allergic reaction to an allergen, and it can be an unpredictable and life-threatening cause during anesthesia. Latex is the second most common cause of anaphylaxis following the use of neuromuscular blocking agents during general anesthesia or surgery. We report on a 67-year-old male who had undergone surgery under general anesthesia without any problem but who presented with severe intraoperative anaphylaxis to latex surgical gloves. This case emphasizes the need for anesthesiologists to quickly diagnose and properly manage an allergic reaction in patients under general anesthesia.
Aged ; Anaphylaxis ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Gloves, Surgical ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Latex ; Male ; Neuromuscular Blocking Agents

BACKGROUND: The development of androgenetic alopecia is thought to be caused by increased androgen action on the hair follicles in the genetically predisposed person. Although most reports about dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate(DHEA-S) and total testosterone in female androgenetic patients are within normal limits, there are some controversies about comparing the mean values of the patients with those of the normal control group. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the mean value of plasma DHEA-S and total testosterone of the patients with those of normal controls according to their ages, and evaluate relations between hormone levels and clinical type and hyperandrogenic symptoms(HAS). METHOD: We examined 60 female patients with androgenetic alopecia for clinical types, symptoms, family histories, and other systemic diseases. The mean value of the patients were compared with those of 42 normal controls according to ages, clinical types, and HAS. RESULTS: 1. Forty two cases(70.0%) were Ludwig type I, 16 cases(26.7%) were type II, 2 cases(3.3%) were type III. 26 cases(43.3%) were between 20-29 years, 19 cases(31.7%) were between 30-39 years. 2. Common age of onset was between 20-29years(23 cases, 38.3%) and below 19 years old(21 cases, 35.0%). 3. There were 32 cases(53.3%) who showed HAS and seborrhea was the most common symptom (20 cases). 4. There were 33 cases(55.0%) who showed a family history and the father was the most common relative(19 cases). Family history of first degree relative was 31 cases(51.7%). 5. Plasma DHEA-S levels of both patients and control group were all within normal limits, and there were no significant differences in the mean values between the patients ( 1633.03+/-736.31 ng/ml) and normal controls(1764.72+/-690.94 ng/ml). There were also no difference between the patients and controls according to their ages. 6. In total testosterone, 7 out of 60 patients and 3 out of 42 normal controls were beyond the normal limit and there were no significant differences in the mean values between the patients(0.548+/-0.386 ng/ml) and normal controls(0.563+/-0.501 ng/ml). There were also no differences between the patients and controls according to their ages. 7. There was no significant difference in the mean value of DHEA-S and total testosterone among type I, types II & III, and normal controls. 8. There was no significant difference in the mean value of DHEA-S and total testosterone among patients with HAS, without HAS, and normal controls. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in the mean values of plasma DHEA-S and total testosterone between the patients and normal controls and no significant differences in the mean values of hormone levels according to clinical type and HAS.
Age of Onset ; Alopecia* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone* ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Fathers ; Female* ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Plasma ; Testosterone*

Choriocarcinoma is a HCG-producing epithelial neoplasm derived from either trophoblastic or totipotential germ cells. It is a highly malignant tumor, which is rapidly invasive and widely metastatic, and in most cases develops within the uterus after a normal or abnormal gestation, including ectopic pregnancy. Non-gestational choriocarcinoma rarely occur as a primary neoplasm in the gonads or in the extragonadal midline locations such as mediastinum, retroperitoneum, and pineal gland. It also has been reported very rarely to arise in parenchymal organs such as the prostate, lung, breast, brain, liver, kidney, bladder, vagina, and gastrointestinal tract. A 58-year old man was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of tarry stool and epigastric discomfort. The endoscopic biopsy specimen initially revealed pooly differentiated carcinoma of stomach with regional lymph node metastasis. Patient underwent distal gastrectomy with Billroth II anastomosis. Choriocarcinoma of stomach with well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma was diagnosed by the surgical biopsy specimen, and the serum level of beta-HCG was 2,775 mIU/mL.In three months after operation, the patient presented with pain on right upper quadrant abdomen, and the CT scan revealed multiple liver metastasis. Bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) combination chemotherapy were administered, but he died three months after the initial diagnosis.
Abdomen ; Adenocarcinoma* ; Biopsy ; Bleomycin ; Brain ; Breast ; Choriocarcinoma* ; Choriocarcinoma, Non-gestational ; Cisplatin ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Etoposide ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroenterostomy ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Germ Cells ; Gonads ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial ; Pineal Gland ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Prostate ; Stomach ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Trophoblasts ; Urinary Bladder ; Uterus ; Vagina

No abstract available.
Catheters* ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory*

BACKGROUND: Using rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) analysis, we investigated the difference in blood hemostasis, based on the primary anesthetic agents used during general anesthesia. METHODS: Sixty-six adult patients scheduled for elective ophthalmic surgery under general anesthesia were evaluated with regard to changes in each parameter in INTEM, EXTEM, and FIBTEM analyses. The patients received intravenous anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil (TIVA group) or inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane (SEVO group). The ROTEM tests were performed 10 min before starting anesthesia and 1 h after finishing anesthesia. The INTEM and EXTEM analyses included the clotting time (CT), clot firmness time (CFT), alpha angle (alpha), and maximum clot firmness (MCF). The FIBTEM analyzed only MCF. Maximum clot elasticity (MCE) was calculated by (MCF x 100) / (100 - MCF). The platelet component of clot strength was calculated as follows: MCE(platelet) = MCE(EXTEM) - MCE(FIBTEM). RESULTS: The preoperative and postoperative parameters (CT, CFT, alpha, and MCF) in the INTEM, EXTEM, and FIBTEM analyses were not significantly different between the two groups. The MCE(platelet) also did not show a significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Presuming that the ophthalmic surgery had a minimal traumatic effect, we conclude that both anesthetic agents cause negligible changes in ROTEM analyses postoperatively.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Inhalation ; Anesthesia, Intravenous ; Anesthetics ; Blood Platelets ; Elasticity ; Hemostasis* ; Humans ; Propofol* ; Thrombelastography

Malignant melanoma is known to metastasize to all organs of human body and accounted for the third most frequent primary neoplasm in the intracranial metastases. In a series of melanomas, cerebral symptoms have developed clinically only in 6% although the metastatic cerebral lesions were found by autopsy as high as 39%. The authors have experienced a case of metastatic melanoma on the Rt. Frontoparietal lobe with Jacksonian epilepsy as its presenting symptom.
Autopsy ; Epilepsy ; Human Body ; Melanoma* ; Neoplasm Metastasis

BACKGROUND: Magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) is the first-line therapy for managing preeclampsia in obstetrics. Its perioperative administration has been proved to be an effective analgesic adjuvant, which we investigated in parturients undergoing Cesarean section (C-sec). METHODS: A retrospective chart review examined 504 parturients who underwent C-secs between June 2006 and August 2010, including normal parturients (group N, n = 401) and those diagnosed with preeclampsia (group P, n = 103). A postoperative numeric rating scale (NRS) was used to assess pain, and the number of rescue analgesic administrations and frequency of transfusions were investigated. Perioperative magnesium concentrations were recorded for patients in group P. RESULTS: Patients in group P had longer operation and anesthesia times, and more postoperative admission days than those in group N. The NRS of pain was significantly lower in group P at postoperative day (POD) 1 (4 vs. 5, P < 0.001), and the frequency of rescue drug administration was lower in group P at POD 1 (36.0% vs. 80.3%, P < 0.001) and POD 2 (9.7% vs. 21.1%, P = 0.005) than in group N. Red blood cell transfusions were given more frequently in group P (21.4% vs. 2%, P < 0.001). Pre- and postoperative serum magnesium concentrations in group P were 2.2 (0.5) and 2.1 (0.6) mmol/L, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pain after C-sec was less severe and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia was more efficacious in the preeclampsia group than in the non-preeclampsia group. These findings likely resulted from peripartum intravenous MgSO4 administration in the preeclampsia group.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Anesthesia ; Cesarean Section ; Erythrocyte Transfusion ; Female ; Humans ; Magnesium ; Magnesium Sulfate ; Obstetrics ; Pain, Postoperative ; Peripartum Period ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies