BACKGROUND: In order to evaluate the prevalence of enterovirus and cytomegalovirus infections to terminally failing hearts, the presence of enteroviral RNA and cytomegaloviral DNA was screened in the explanted hearts of transplantation recipients. METHODS: RNA and DNA extractions were performed from explanted failing hearts (N=22) and normal hearts (N=5). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of enterovirus and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of cytomegalovirus were performed. In situ RT-PCR and in situ PCR were performed with positive nucleic acids of viruses. RESULTS: The positivity of enterovirus in failing hearts was 4.4% (1/22) and 0% (0/5) in normal hearts in nested RT-PCR. There was no significant difference in positivity of enteroviral RNA between failing and normal hearts. Nuclei of myocardium was stained in dark-violet color with in situ RT-PCR. The positivity of cytomegalovirus in failing hearts was 45% (10/22) and 40% (2/5) in nested PCR. There was no significant difference in positivity of cytomegaloviral DNA between failing and normal hearts. Nuclei of myocardium was stained in dark-violet color with in situ PCR. Positive chambers of cytomegalovirus were in decreasing tendency according to increasing patient's age. CONCLUSION: Enterovirus was very rarely observed in explanted terminally failing hearts and cytomegalovirus was frequently found both in explanted failing hearts and normal. These viruses have little direct causal relationship with the development of heart failure.
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; DNA ; Enterovirus* ; Heart Failure ; Heart* ; Humans* ; Mass Screening* ; Myocardium ; Nucleic Acids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; RNA

PURPOSE: We evaluated the therapeutic effects of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) with or without amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) in patients who had symptomatic bullous keratopathy with poor visual potential. METHODS: Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients with bullous keratopathy were reviewed retrospectively. Ten eyes (group A) were treated with PTK, and the other 15 eyes (group B) were treated with combined PTK and AMT. Changes of vision and symptoms, re-epithelization time, recurrence of bulla, central corneal thickness measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography, and postoperative complications were analyzed. RESULTS: At post-operative 3 months, visual acuity improved in 2 patients in both A and B groups. Nine patients in group A (90%) and 13 patients in group B (86.7%) showed symptom improvement. Mean re-epithelization time was 12.40 +/- 4.33 days in group A and 8.13 +/- 1.19 days in group B (p > 0.05). In both groups, central corneal thickness decreased postoperatively without statistically significant difference between groups. At the final follow-up visit, epithelial bulla had not recurred in 7 eyes (70.0%) in group A and 12 eyes (80.0%) in group B. No postoperative complication was detected. CONCLUSIONS: PTK alone appears comparable to the combined treatment of PTK and AMT in terms of symptom improvement, re-epithelization time and recurrence rate.
Amnion ; Blister ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Transplants ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVE: To compare tongue thickness, the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation (distance between the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage), and the time interval between the initiation of tongue movement and the time of the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation, by using ultrasonography in healthy controls and patients with Parkinson disease (PD). METHODS: Healthy controls and PD patients with dysphagia were compared. Ultrasonography was performed 3 times for the evaluation of tongue thickness, the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation, and the time between the initiation of tongue movement and the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation. RESULTS: A total of 24 healthy controls and 24 PD patients with dysphagia were enrolled. No significant differences were demonstrated between the two groups for the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation (controls, 1.19±0.34 cm; PD patients, 1.37±0.5 cm; p=0.15) and tongue thickness (controls, 4.42±0.46 cm; PD patients, 4.27±0.51 cm; p=0.3). In contrast, the time to the shortest hyoid-thyroid approximation was significantly different between the two groups (controls, 1.53±0.87 ms; PD patients, 2.4±1.4 ms, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography can be useful in evaluating dysphagia in patients with PD by direct visualization and measurement of the hyoid bone. Moreover, ultrasonography might contribute to a greater understanding of the pathophysiology of dysphagia in PD.
Deglutition Disorders* ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone ; Parkinson Disease* ; Thyroid Gland ; Tongue ; Ultrasonography*

Although blood contamination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after an intracranial operation can occur, the development of a symptomatic spinal hematoma after craniotomy has been anecdotally reported and it is uncommon reported after a supratentorial meningioma removal operation. We report a case of spinal subdural hematoma following a supratentorial meningioma removal operation and discuss the mechanism of spinal subdural hematoma (SSDH) development. A 54-year-old woman presented with lumbago and radicular pain on both legs 4 days after a right parietooccipital craniotomy for meningioma removal. Only the straight leg raising sign was positive on neurologic examination but the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a lumbosacral spinal subdural hematoma. The patient received serial lumbar tapping, after which her symptoms showed improvement.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Craniotomy ; Female ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Spinal* ; Humans ; Leg ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningioma* ; Middle Aged ; Neurologic Examination

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of scaphoid nonunion patients who had treated by open reduction and internal fixation with Herbert screw through dorsal approach. METHODS: We reviewed prospectively a series of 102 consecutive patients with scaphoid nonunion (Mack-Lichtman stage I, II, III). All patients were managed with open reduction with dorsal approach and internal fixation with a Herbert screw and additional K-wires. Exclusion criteria included conservative treatment, percutaneous fixation, scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse wrist. There were 94 male and 8 female with an average age of 28 years (range, 13-65 years). The mean follow period was 35 months (range, 12-96 months). Postoperative radiographs were reviewed to assess the fracture union, carpal alignment, and screw position. Functional results were evaluated by modified Mayo wrist score. RESULTS: Ninety-eight of 102 patients (96.1%) showed radiographic union at an average time of 12.7 weeks. Modified Mayo wrist score was 87.5 points in an average. Ninety-two of 102 patinets (91.3%) showed more than good results. There was no major complications. There was no statistically significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative radiolunate angle, scapholunate angle, or height to length scaphoid ratio. CONCLUSION: Herbert screw fixation through dorsal approach was a reliable method for patients of scaphoid nonuinion to achieve bony union with high functional scores and without major complications.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Wrist

A 77-year-old man visited our department because of dizziness from one month ago. Dizziness was continuous and non-whirling and this type of dizziness was the first time. He also complained of tinnitus and hearing impairment of the right ear. On physical examination, he showed spontaneous left-beating horizontal and torsional nystagmus and rightward head thrust was positive. He was admitted under the first impression of right vestibular neuritis. On inner ear MRI, there was a well-demarcated 2.5x2.3 cm sized mass of right cerebellopontine angle. This mass showed somewhat low signal intensity in both T1 and T2-weighted image and modest enhancement with Gadolinum. And approximately 4.5x3 cm sized mass could be seen in the simple chest roentgenogram. On chest CT, there was a poorly demarcated 3x2.5 cm sized mass in left lower lobe of lung. The patient was diagnosed as small cell lung cancer with brain metastasis by Per-Cutaneous Needle Aspiration of lung. In spite of radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy, he expired after 5 months.
Aged ; Brain ; Cerebellopontine Angle ; Dizziness ; Drug Therapy ; Ear ; Ear, Inner ; Head ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Lung ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Needles ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Physical Examination ; Radiotherapy ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma* ; Thorax ; Tinnitus ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vestibular Neuronitis*

Due to its efficacy and tolerability, low dose oral methotrexate(MTX) therapy has been widely used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis(RA). However, it can rarely cause serious, life-threatening hematologic toxicities, such as pancytopenia. We report here on two patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD), who developed severe pancytopenia after 5 years (cumulative dose 1,240mg) and 4 years(cumulative dose 1,320mg) of low dose MTX therapy for treatment of RA, respectively. Both patients presented with renal insufficiency, hypoalbuminemia, concurrent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and elevated mean corpuscular volume of red blood cells(RBCs), all of which are known as risk factors of MTX-induced pancytopenia. Despite receiving treatment, which included RBC and platelet transfusions, antibiotic therapy, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, and leucovorin rescue, one patient died of sepsis. Based on our case study, prompt investigation of risk factors associated with MTX toxicity is required for all patients receiving MTX therapy. MTX treatment, even at a low dose, should be discontinued in patients with advanced CKD.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Colony-Stimulating Factors ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Granulocytes ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Kidney ; Leucovorin ; Methotrexate ; Pancytopenia ; Platelet Transfusion ; Renal Insufficiency ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the aluminum level in hemodialysis patients and to find a correlation between aluminum level and bone specific alkaline phosphatase level. METHODS: Eighty five randomly selected patients with end-stage renal disease, undergoing maintenance hemodialysis treatment over 1 year were studied. Serum aluminum and bone specific alkaline phosphatase concentration were measured. Low dose desferrioxamine test (5 mg/kg) was done. RESULTS: The serum aluminum concentration before and after low dose desferrioxamine test were 4.21+/-2.13 microgram/L and 8.89+/-4.48 microgram/L (p<0.01) respectively. Bone-specific alkaline phosphates and parathyroid hormone concentration were 39.08+/-39.90 mg/dL and 98.27+/-112.92 pg/mL. The aluminum level after desferrioxamine test was correlated with duration of hemodialysis (r=0.238, p=0.03). Aluminum level was not correlated with bone specific alkaline phosphatase level. CONCLUSION: Aluminum level was lower than that of previous studies. Aluminum level was not increased in patients with low bone specific alkaline phosphatase. Thus, it seems that serum aluminum level is not a major problem in hemodialysis patients with lower turnover bone disease. However, confirm diagnosis of aluminum related bone disease in hemodialysis patients needs combined study of bone histology with a large number of cases.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Aluminum* ; Bone Diseases ; Deferoxamine ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Phosphates ; Renal Dialysis* ; Renal Osteodystrophy

BACKGROUND:With the application of early reperfusion by thrombolysis after acute MI, the importance of nontransmural infarction is increasing. We evaluated 1) the changes of LV dimension, LV fibrosis and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) mRNA expression in a rat model of nontransmural infarction and 2) effects of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and angiotensin II receptor blocker (ATRB) treatment after nontransmural infarction. METHOD AND RESULTS: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 45 minutes of coronary occlusion followed by reperfusion, and at 5 days after the operation, animals were randomized to untreated (MI-vehicle, n=19), captopril-treated (MI-captopril, n=15) and losartan-treated (MI-losartan, n=14) groups. LV dimension, measured by transthoracic echocardiography, was significantly increased at 26 days after MI, and both captopril and losartan treatment inhibited LV cavity dilatation (LV end-diastolic dimension (mm): MI-vehicle, MI-captopril, MI-losartan; 8.6 +/- 0.2, 7.8 +/- 0.2, 8.0 +/- 0.2, p<0.05 vs. MI-vehicle each). Interstitial fibrosis was reduced with both captopril and losartan treatment (p<0.05 vs. MI-vehicle). TGF-beta1 mRNA increased 2.6 fold at 10 days (p<0.05 vs. pre-MI), and normalized at 26 days after nontransmural MI. Captopril and losartan treatment blocked the induction of TGF-beta1 expression after nontransmural MI (p=S vs. pre-MI). CONCLUSION: After large nontransmural MI, ACEI and ATRB treatments attenuate LV remodeling and decrease interstitial fibrosis, at least partly by blocking the acute induction of TGF-beta1 mRNA expression.
Angiotensins* ; Animals ; Captopril ; Coronary Occlusion ; Dilatation ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Infarction ; Losartan ; Models, Animal ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Angiotensin ; Reperfusion ; RNA, Messenger ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Transforming Growth Factors ; Ventricular Remodeling*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The vestibuloautonomic reflex controls respiration and blood pressure during locomotion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the peripheral vestibular receptor in the control of blood pressure in sinoaortic denervated (SAD) rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The baroreceptor reflex was removed by SAD in labyrinthectomized rats. The expression of c-Fos protein in the vestibular nuclear complex, and other nuclei related to control of blood pressure, was measured following the induction of acute hypotension using sodium nitroprusside (SNP). RESULTS: The SNP induced acute hypotension, in intact labyrinthine rats, increased the expression of c-Fos protein in the supraoptic nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, rostral ventrolateral medulla, solitary nucleus, and vestibular nuclear complex. The expression of c-Fos protein, following the SNP induced acute hypotension in the SAD rats, increased the expression of c-Fos protein in the paraventricular nucleus, rostral ventrolateral medulla, and medial and inferior vestibular nuclei. The acute hypotension induced by SNP in a unilateral labyrinthectomy, with SAD, increased the expression of c-Fos protein in the contralesional vestibular nuclear complex, but decreased its expression in the ipsilesional vestibular nuclear complex. The acute hypotension induced by SNP in a bilateral labyrinthectomy, with SAD, showed only slight expression of c-Fos protein in the bilateral vestibular nuclear complex. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the acute hypotension induced by SNP activates the vestibular nuclear neurons by decreasing the blood flow in the peripheral vestibular receptors, and that these in turn modulate blood pressure through activation of the catecholaminergic nervous system and neuroendocrine reflex.
Animals ; Baroreflex ; Blood Pressure* ; Hypotension ; Locomotion ; Nervous System ; Neurons ; Nitroprusside ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Pressoreceptors ; Rats* ; Reflex ; Respiration ; Solitary Nucleus ; Supraoptic Nucleus ; Vestibular Nuclei