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

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

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

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

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

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

Hormone replacement therapy combined with progestogens induces changes in effect of estrogen on serum lipid levels and it has been known that the changes depend on a type and dosage of progestogen. It is also known that progestational agent induces positive ch-ange in bone mineral density. To study the effects of progestogen on lipoprotein and bone metabolism, we administ- ered conjugated equine estrogen 0.625 mg alone to 50 postmenopausal women, in combinat- ion with medroxy- progesterone acetate 5 mg to 40 postmenopausal women. The data demonstrated a beneficial effect in lipoprotein profiles in both groups. Total cholesterol in two groups decreased from the baseline values, LDL-cholesterol decreased significantly by 4.8 % in group I and 16.2 % in group II(p < 0.05), HDL-cholesterol increa- sed significantly by 11.3 % in group I and 14.7 % in group II(p < 0.05), triglyceride incre- ased slightly in both groups. Bone mineral density of femur was maintained and BMD of vertebrae increased by 1.1 % in group I and 2.0 % in group II, but it is not statistically significant. The differences of changes between two groups were not statistically significa- nt. Our results suggest that medroxyprogesterone acetate have no adverse effect on HDL -cholesterol and have no additive effect on bone mineral density in hormone replacement therapy.
Bone Density* ; Cholesterol ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Femur ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate ; Metabolism ; Progesterone ; Progestins ; Spine ; Triglycerides

Identification of patients with combined valvular prolapse has important clinical imlications, because such patients appear to be early surgical candidates. Detection of combined valvular prolapse became more feasible with development of 2-dimentional echocardiography and the incidence of combained mitral and valve prolapse is reported to be variable from 3% to 24%. The authors found a case of combined mitral and aortic valve prolapse detected by 2-dimensional echocardiography. This 30-years-old male patient who admitted because of peptic ulcer bleeding revealed a prolapse of anterior mitral leaflet with regurgitation and also a prolapse of the right coronary cusp into the left ventricular outflow tract but without evidence of aortic regurgutation by Doppler echocardiogram. he discharged without surgical intervention and needs further observation.
Aortic Valve Prolapse* ; Aortic Valve* ; Echocardiography ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mitral Valve ; Peptic Ulcer ; Prolapse

OBJECTIVE: Multiple birth implicates the important health and social problems such as preterm birth, low birth weight, high perinatal mortality, and increased medical cost. This study was performed to investigate the multiple birth rate in Korea using the birth certificate data. METHODS: Retrospective review and analysis of data from Korean birth certificate in 1996. RESULTS: Multiple birth rate was 1.4% of total births(683,043 cases). Mean birth weight was 3.29+/-0.47kg for singleton birth and 2.57+/-0.58kg for multiple birth. Mean gestational age was 39.56+/-1.32 weeks for singleton birth and 37.47+/-2.41 weeks for multiple birth. Rate of low birth weight (< 2.5kg) was 14 times higher for multiple birth compared with that of singleton birth, and rate of preterm birth(< 37 weeks) was 10 times higher. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between multiple birth and selected variables including maternal age, job and birth order. As the odds ratio(OR) was 2.47(95% CI: 2.34 - 2.59, p<0.001) for the second birth, and 5.31(95% CI: 4.99 - 5.65, p<0.001) for the third and over birth compared with the first birth, there was a significant correlation between multiple birth and birth order. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the birth certificate data in 1996, the incidence of twin and higher order multiple birth was 1.7%, and a significant correlation between multiple birth and birth order was revealed. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the etiology and prognosis of multiple birth and the developmental problems from birth to adolescence.
Adolescent ; Birth Certificates* ; Birth Order ; Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Maternal Age ; Multiple Birth Offspring* ; Parturition* ; Perinatal Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Problems ; Twins