To provide the information necessary for the insurance medicine management plan, price discount rates among the insurance medicines were studied. A total of 2,107 items of insurance medicine of which prices were discounted via government inspections of real transactional process of insurance medicine were analysed. The conclusions are as follows; 1. Among the variables relevant to the characteristics of manufacturers, price discount rates of insurance medicines were statistically significant with production rankings of manufacturers, incorporation year, existence of investments by foreign corporation, existence of a research institute, and enrollment in the exchange. And among the variables relevant to the properties of medicines, the number of enrolled items which have the same components, classification, the date of new enrollment, the sales of items, and the number of raw materials in the items were statistically significant. 2. Stepwide multiple regression was done to identify the factors which affect the price discount rates of insurance medicines. The number of enrolled items which have the same components, production rankings of manufactures, classification number (medicines for function of tissue cells), incorporation year (1940-1949), existence of investments by foreign corporations, classification number (anti-germ medicines), number of raw materials in the items, the sales of items, and medicines whose major objective is not treatment were significant variables and the R2-value for these variables was 21.2%. Considering all of the above results, for management of insurance medicines, it seems important that the real transactional prices of insurance medicines should be identified systematically, focusing on the properties which affect the price discount rates of insurance medicines.
Academies and Institutes ; Classification ; Commerce ; Insurance* ; Investments

No abstract available.
Arteriovenous Fistula*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiologic results of using Acutrak screws for treating ankle medial malleolar fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 38 cases of ankle medial malleolar fracture treated with Acutrak screws from February 2005 to May 2008. RESULTS: In clinical result, there were 30 exellent cases, 7 good cases, 1 fair case. In radiologic result, there is no case with reduction loss. Average union time is 10.5 weeks. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Acutrak screw fixation is a useful method for ankle medial malleolar fracture, there are many advantages in accurate anatomical reduction, small incision, short operative time.
Animals ; Ankle ; Operative Time

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to evaluate correlation between the levels of hippuric acid in blood plasma (HAP) and those of toluene concentration in the workplace air. METHODS: Study subjects were composed of two groups; 21 workers who were occupationally exposed to toluene and 25 rural-area residents who were not exposed to any known occupational toluene source, as an exposed group and a reference group, respectively. Mean age and work duration of the exposed was 42 years and five years, respectively. Mean age of the reference was 42 years. To determine toluene concentrations in the workplace air, air sampling has been conducted for more than six hours using a personal sampler, and analyzed by a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector. Concentrations of hippuric acid in biological samples were determined by a high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector. RESULTS: Geometric mean(geometric standard deviation) of HAP and hippuric acid in urine(HAU) for the exposed was 1.39(2.21) mg/L and 2.77(1.46) g/L, respectively, which were significantly different from those of the reference [HAP, 0.45(2.94); HAU, 0.37(0.45)]. Toluene concentration in the workplace air was 86.92(range: 45.18~151.23) ppm. The level of HAP or HAU was significantly correlated (r=0.70 and r=0.63, respectively) with that of toluene in the workplace air. The estimated regression equation was logHAP(mg/L)=-3.60+1.93 log(toluene, ppm) or logHAU(g/L)=-0.85+0.67 log(toluene, ppm). The magnitude of correlation was further enhanced when analyzing relationship between toluene concentrations lower than 100 ppm and its corresponding HAP levels. CONCLUSION: Overall, plasma hippuric acid levels were well correlated with toluene concentrations in the workplace air, and a statistically significant correlation was observed for the samples with toluene concentration lower than 100 ppm.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Humans ; Occupations ; Plasma* ; Toluene*

We report a cases of solid and papillary neoplasm of the pancreas, which is a rare pancreatic tumor. we described clinical characteristics, sonographic, computed tomographic and pathologic finding. The tumors had a smooth, enhanced capsule and variable architecture. The tumor was distributed tail of pancreas without local invasion. the origin of the tumor is probably from a multipotential stem cell of the pancreas. Neoplasm usually behave like a very low grade malignancy, so that complete removal is the treatment of choice for the tumor arising anywhere in the pancrease. This unusual tumor should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a young female with pancreatic mass.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Pancreas* ; Pancrelipase ; Stem Cells ; Ultrasonography

The endometrial osseous metaplasia is one of a very rare conditions which gynecologists experience clinically. The characteristics of this disease are history of irregular menstruation, recurrent abortion, infertility with histopathologic evidence of chronic inflammation, and bone formation. This is one of heterotopia(the presence of mature tissue in abnormal location) histopathologically and it is important clinically that infertility can be brought about in the reproductive age women, but the etiology and treatment about this disease are unclear. A case of endometrial osseous metaplasia diagnosed by endometrial biopsy is presented with a brief review of the literatures.
Abortion, Habitual ; Biopsy ; Endometrium ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; Inflammation ; Menstruation ; Metaplasia* ; Osteogenesis ; Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Although a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is highly sensitive for changes associated with ischemic stroke, the detection of an acute ischemic lesion is usually impossible within 6 hours of the stroke onset on a conventional MRI. The perfusion MRI is a new imaging technique for diagnosing acute ischemic stroke. We evaluate the clinical usefulness of the perfusion MRI in predicting the final infarct extent in 18 patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory ischemic stroke. METHOD: The perfusion MRI was performed within 6 hours after the stroke onset in all patients with a single-section dynamic contrast-enhanced T2*-weighted imaging in conjunction with a conventional routine MRI and MR angiography. Time-concentration curves and cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps were calculated from the dynamic MR imaging data by using numerical integration techniques. We compared findings of CBV maps with infarction on a follow-up CT or MRI. RESULTS: In 14 of 18 patients, the CBV in the occluded MCA territory were decreased. In the remaining 4 patients with a reversible ischemic neurologic deficit (RIND) or transient ischemic attack (TIA), the CBV were increased in 3 and normal in 1. Out of 14 patients with a decreased CBV, two had focal regions of increased CBV within the affected territory, indicating reperfusion hyperemia. The regions of increased or decreased CBV were eventually converted to infarction on follow-up images in all 14 patients. Out of 4 patients with RIND or TIA, one showed focal infarction in centrum semiovale on a follow-up image. CONCLUSIONS: The perfusion MRI was useful for the assessment of hemodynamic change about cerebral perfusion and may predict the extent of final infarction in acute MCA territory ischemic stroke. These results suggest that the perfusion MRI may play an important role in the diagnosis and management of acute ischemic stroke.
Angiography ; Blood Volume ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Infarction ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Perfusion* ; Reperfusion ; Stroke*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify ultrasonographic features that can be used to differentiate between thyroglossal duct cysts (TGDCs) and dermoid cysts (DCs). METHODS: We searched surgical pathology reports completed between January 2004 and October 2015 and identified 66 patients with TGDCs or DCs who had undergone preoperative ultrasonography. The ultrasound images were reviewed by two radiologists who were blinded to the pathological diagnosis. They evaluated the following parameters: dimensions, shape, margin, location in relation to the midline, level in relation to the hyoid bone, attachment to the hyoid bone, the depth of the lesion in relation to the strap muscles, internal echogenicity, internal echogenic dots, multilocularity, the presence of a longitudinal extension into the tongue base, posterior acoustic enhancement, the presence of internal septae, and intralesional vascularity. RESULTS: There were 50 TGDCs and 16 DCs. TGDCs were significantly more likely than DCs to have an irregular shape, an ill-defined margin, attachment to the hyoid bone, an intramuscular location, heterogeneous internal echogenicity, multilocularity, and longitudinal extension into the tongue base. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound findings may inform the differential diagnosis between TGDCs and DCs.
Acoustics ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone ; Muscles ; Pathology, Surgical ; Pediatrics ; Thyroglossal Cyst* ; Tongue ; Ultrasonography

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques that measure cerebral perfusion have become increasingly important. It is due to the limitation of other imaging modalities (single photon emission computed tomography, SPECT ; positron emission tomography, PET etc.) and conventional MR imaging to detect cerebral perfusion, and its ability to identify and quantitate changes in cerebral perfusion may have a substantial effect on both the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular disease. We evaluated the cerebral perfusion and arterial recanalization of large territorial infarction in acute, subacute and chronic stage by MR image and MR angiography and tried to correlate with motor improvement. Twenty six patients with large territorial infarction of middle cerebral artery (MCA, n=23) or posterior cerebral artery (PCA, n=3) were included in this study. In conjunction with conventional brain MR imagings, thirty-four dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced MR imagings (DSC-MRI) and MR angiography were performed in acute (< lweek, n=22), subacute (1-3 weeks, n=7), and chronic (3-5weeks, n=5) stages of cerebral infarction. Regional cerebral blood volumes (rCBVs) were calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis and rCBV images were generated. Perfusion of infarcted areas were compared to contralateral normal regions by rCBV ratio (rCBV of infarcted area/that of contralateral), and arterial recanalization of infarcted area were investigated by MR angiographies. Motor power of the hemiparetic side of the patients was observed during the first 5 weeks after the stroke onset. The rCBVs of ischemic regions increased in subacute period than acute period and decreased again in chronic period (p<0.01, Kruskal Wallis one-way ANOVA), and these patterns were also correlated with visual findings of rCBV images. Recanalization of occluded arteries was found on MR angiagraphy in 3 patients (13.69.1) in acute, 6 patients (85.7%) in subacute and 4 patients (80.0%) in chronic infarction. The increase of "rCBV ratio" was more frequently seen in recanalization than no recanalization cases but we could not statistically analyze the difference due to small size of sample. In MCA infarctions, there is no significant relationship between rCBV with motor improvement during first 5 weeks after the onset. DSC-MRI is noninvasive, more widely available than other functional images (SPECT and PET) and easier to perform in an emergency setting. By providing information about hemodynamics, which is not available with conventional T1 or T2-weighted images, DSC-MRI will be helpful in describing the pathaphysiologic characteristics of stroke.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Blood Volume ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Infarction ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Perfusion* ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Posterior Cerebral Artery ; Stroke ; Tomography, Emission-Computed ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Parkinson's disease is known to exhibit progressive degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra via inhibition of glutathione metabolism. It is well known that 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induces Parkinson's disease-like symptoms, while resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In the present study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in grapes and various plants, on 6-OHDA-induced cell damage to the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line. Resveratrol (5 and 10 microM) inhibited 6-OHDA (60 microM)-induced cytotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells and induced a reduction of the number of apoptotic nuclei caused by 6-OHDA treatment. Additionally, the total apoptotic rate of cells treated with both resveratrol (10 microM) and 6-OHDA (60 microM) was less than that of 6-OHDA treated cells. Resveratrol also dose-dependently (1, 5 and 10 microM) scavenged reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by 6-OHDA in SH-SY5Y cells and prevented depletion of glutathione in response to the 6-OHDA-induced cytotoxicity in the glutathione assay. Overall, these results indicate that resveratrol exerts a neuroprotective effect against 6-OHDA-induced cytotoxicity of SH-SY5Y cells by scavenging ROS and preserving glutathione.
Antioxidants ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line* ; Dopaminergic Neurons ; Glutathione ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Neuroblastoma ; Neuroprotective Agents* ; Oxidopamine ; Parkinson Disease ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Substantia Nigra ; Vitis