A 28-yr-old woman, weighing 61 kg with bleeding myoma of uterus was scheduled for total abdominal hysterectomy. There was no history of cardiac arrhythmia or syncope. She was not premedicated. The heart rate was 115 beats/min and arterial pressure was 155/95 mmHg, immediately before the induction of anesthesia. Under the preoxygenation, anesthesia was induced with IV injection of thiopental sodium 250 mg followed by succinylcholine 75 mg. About 20 seconds after the succinylcholine bolus, the ECG showed an abrupt change from sinus rhythm to asystole without any stimulus including laryngoscopy. After a precordial thump and atropine 0.5 mg IV, tracheal intubation and ventilation with 100% O2 were quickly accomplished. Normal sinus rhythm with heart rate of 87 beats/min returned during laryngoscopy and intubation. The interval from the sinus arrest to the reestablishment of normal sinus rhythm was only 15 seconds. Surgery proceeded uneventfully and the patient recovered without any complication.
Anesthesia ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Arterial Pressure ; Atropine ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Arrest* ; Heart Rate ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Intubation ; Laryngoscopy ; Myoma ; Succinylcholine* ; Syncope ; Thiopental ; Uterus ; Ventilation

Since the book "Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying" was published in 1991, there has been a worldwide increase in the number of cases of suicidal asphyxiation using helium gas. However, no domestic reports have been published thus far. Recently, we encountered a case of asphyxial suicide by inhalation of helium from inside a plastic bag. Subsequently, we reviewed the records of the Scientific Crime Analysis System of National Police Agency of Korea. There were 17 cases of helium-associated asphyxial suicides between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2012. The average age of the deceased was 30.6 years with a male to female ratio of approximately 5:1. Thirteen of 17 such deaths occurred in the victims'houses. In all cases, the method of death involved placing a plastic bag over the head with a hose attached to helium tanks. In 6 of 17 cases, the decedents had psychiatric disorders such as depression. As neither characteristic signs of death nor conventional methods for detecting helium gas exist, a thorough investigation of the death scene and the decedents'environment is extremely vital for confirming death due to helium asphyxiation.
Crime ; Depression ; Female ; Head ; Helium ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Male ; Plastics ; Police ; Suicide ; Suicide, Assisted

No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Development* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Mice* ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Humans* ; Mice* ; Quality Control*

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical outcomes of single frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer cycles according to the hatching status of frozen-thawed blastocysts. METHODS: Frozen-thawed blastocysts were divided into three groups according to their hatching status as follows: less-than-expanded blastocyst (≤EdB), hatching blastocyst (HgB), and hatched blastocyst (HdB). The female age and infertility factors of each group were evaluated. The quality of the single frozen-thawed blastocyst was also graded as grade A, tightly packed inner cell mass (ICM) and many cells organized in the trophectoderm epithelium (TE); grade B, several and loose ICM and TE; and grade C, very few ICM and a few cells in the TE. The clinical pregnancy and implantation rate were compared between each group. The data were analyzed by either t-test or chi-square analysis. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in average female ages, infertility factors, or the distribution of blastocyst grades A, B, and C in each group. There was no significant difference in the clinical pregnancy and implantation rate of each group according to their blastocyst grade. However, there was a significant difference in the clinical pregnancy and implantation rate between each group. In the HdB group, the clinical pregnancy and implantation rate were similar regardless of the blastocyst quality. CONCLUSION: There was an effect on the clinical outcomes depending on whether the blastocyst hatched during single frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer. When performing single frozen-thawed blastocyst transfer, the hatching status of the frozen-thawed blastocyst may be a more important parameter for clinical outcomes than the quality of the frozen-thawed blastocyst.
Blastocyst* ; Embryo Transfer* ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies* ; Single Embryo Transfer ; Vitrification

We must be assured that sympathetic ganglion block interrupts a vicious cycle of nerve impulses. Therefore, it prevents vasospasm and improves local circulation. The sympathetic ganglion block is effective in acute stage of herpes zoster and reduces the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia. Herpes zoster is more often involved in an immunosuppressive imbalance. Three cases of herpes zoster were treated by repeated sympathetic ganglion block with 1% proved. Duration from onset of pain was 1 week, 1 month and 2 months, respectively. The block decreased the degree of pain markedly and dried up the vesicle in the early stage. Two of these three cases had suffering from diabetes melitus.
Action Potentials ; Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Herpes Zoster* ; Incidence ; Neuralgia

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the relationship of occupational stress, emotional labor, and general characteristics to somatization, and to identify factors affecting somatization in nurses. METHODS: A quantitative, descriptive research design was used to study 227 nurses. Nurses completed a 52-item self-questionnaire that included 3 concepts assessing somatization, occupational stress, emotional labor. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression. RESULTS: Mean scales for somatization, occupational stress, and emotional labor were 22.96+/-7.87, 78.73+/-12.29, 29.63+/-3.97 respectively. The explained variance for somatization was 35.5%. Among the variables, frequency of emotional display (beta=.136, p=.042), one of the sub-domains of emotional labor, and role overload (beta=.178, p=.023), one of the sub-domains of occupational stress and working in the ICU, OR, or ER (beta=.296, p<.001) and education level of diploma graduation (beta=.143, p=.028) significantly predicted degree of somatization. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of somatization and related factors for nurses in Korea.
Korea ; Research Design ; Stress, Psychological ; Weights and Measures

Spirochetes were isolated from the midgut of Ixodes persulcatus ticks captured at Chungju, Korea and identified as Borrelia afzelii strains by polymerase chain reaction. To determine the pathogenicity of the B. afzelii strains isolated in Korea, the microbiological and pathological features of Lyme disease were observed in C3H/He mice after intraperitoneal inoculation of the fresh isolate of B. afzelii strain. The results are summarized as follows 1) The Borrelia were detected in the tissues of heart, spleen, kidney, urinary bladder and knee joint within 7 days after inoculation of infection by dark field microscopic examination. The isolation rate from heart, urinary bladder and joint was significantly higher than the rate from spleen, kidney, and blood samples. 2) The Borrelia was detected in heart muscle by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. 3) Antibody to the Borrelia was detected as early as one week after inoculation. 4) The marked tropism of the Borrelia was observed in myocardial, urinary tract and joint tissue. The main pathological features are inflammation in tissues of heart, kidney, joint and urinary bladder. From these results, the Borrelia afzelii strain isolated in Korea were determined as pathogenic strain.
Animals ; Borrelia burgdorferi Group* ; Borrelia burgdorferi* ; Borrelia* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Heart ; Inflammation ; Ixodes ; Joints ; Kidney ; Knee Joint ; Korea* ; Lyme Disease ; Mice ; Myocardium ; Pathology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spirochaetales ; Spleen ; Ticks ; Tropism ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract ; Virulence*

BACKGROUND: Malpositioning of the endotracheal tube within airway after intubation may results in serious complications, such as accidental extubation and inadvertent endobronchial intubation. Therefore, early detection of malposioning of the endotracheal tube is very impotant for deciding patient's prognosis. METHODS: We assessed the distance from the tip of the endotracheal tube to the carina according to the patient's age, sex, and the time, the location, and the route of intubation. The chest x-ray was taken for 333 patients (men, 226: women, 107) who were admitted to the intensive care unit of Wonju Christian Hospital from march 1, 1995 to February 28, 1996. Chest x-ray was obtained after intubation to verify endotracheal tube position. Appropriate endotracheal tube position on chest x-ray was defined as between 2 and 6 cm above the carina. RESULTS: Of the 333 intubations, 106 (31.8%) endotracheal tubes were inappropriately placed according to the chest x-ray. The percentage of malpositioned endotracheal tubes (<2 cm) was higher in women than in men (11.2% vs. 5.3%, p<0.05), with higher in night (7 PM to 7 AM) than in day (7 AM to 7 PM) (42% vs. 24%, p<0.05). Distance from the carina to the tip of endotracheal tube is 4.34 +/- 1.77cm in women and 5.23 +/- 1.64cm in men. Thus, position of the endotracheal tube in women is deeper than men (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the chest x-ray for confirmation of endotracheal tube position after endotracheal intubation may remain the standard of practice. And endotracheal tube position should be carefully assessed immediately after tracheal intubation, particularly in women and at night.
Female ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Thorax*