The antiarrhythmic effect of oral Mexiletine was evaluated by Holter monitoring on 10 subjects with chronic high-frequency ventricular premature complexes and ventricular tachycardia referred to our cardiology clinic of Severance Hospital from June, 1982 through September, 1983. The frequency of the ventricular premature complexes and the ventricular tachycardia was measured by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography on each patient before and during the administration of Mexiletine(450-600 mg/day). The results were as follows : 1) In 10 patients with ventricular tachycardia total suppression of ventricular tachycardial was demonstrated in 8 patients during the administration of oral Mexilletine. 2) The number of the ventricular premature complexes was reduced markedly in 6 out of the 10 patients. 3) Side effects occurred in 5 out of 10 patients. These include tremor, weakness, dry mouth, indigestion, anorexia, chest discomfort, and dizziness but were tolerated except in one.
Anorexia ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Cardiology ; Dizziness ; Dyspepsia ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory* ; Humans ; Mexiletine* ; Mouth ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Thorax ; Tremor ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are weakly expressed in normal glomerular cells and vascular endothelial cells, but not in tubules. Granzyme B is a cytotoxic granule present in activated cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells. To determine the effect of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression and granzyme B-positive cells on histologic grade of rejection, we performed the immunohistochemical study on 19 renal biopsy specimens and one nephrectomy specimen from 14 patients with acute renal allograft rejection using monoclonal antibodies against theses proteins. According to severity of rejection based on Banff classification, three biopsies were classified as borderline, 4 grade I, 12 grade II, and 1 grade III. In all the cases with acute rejection, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were expressed in the tubular epithelial cells. The numerical score of ICAM-1 in the tubular epithelial cells was 1.0 in borderline cases, 1.3 0.4 in grade I cases, 2.2 0.8 in grade II cases, and 3.0 in grade III case. The staining intensity of ICAM-1 in the tubular epithelial cells was increased in accordance with histologic rejection grade (P<0.05). The staining intensity of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in the renal tubular epithelial cells was increased in accordance with the number of T lymphocytes in the renal parenchyme (r=0.46; P<0.05, r=0.61; P<0.01). The number of granzyme B-positive cells was 6.4 1.6/HPF in borderline cases, 8.1 2.5 in grade I cases, 19.6 11.7 in grade II cases, and 53 in grade III case. The number of T lymphocytes and granzyme B-positive cells was also increased in accordance with histologic rejection grade (P<0.05). These results suggest that ICAM-1 and granzyme B-positive cells may play an important role in the induction of renal allograft rejection and that the grading of severity of these parameters may be useful to predict the prognosis of renal allograft.
Allografts* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Biopsy ; Classification ; Endothelial Cells ; Epithelial Cells ; Granzymes* ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Nephrectomy ; Prognosis ; T-Lymphocytes ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

No abstract available.
Apoptosis* ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc*

No abstract available.

Renal blood flow was measured by single injection technique of HippuranI13 in 13 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis and 11 control subjects. There was a significant decrease in renal blood flow in chronic glomerulonephritis particulary in those with elevated blood urea nitrogen. Renal blood flow was inversely proportionate to renal vascular resistance but no correlation was noted between renal blood flow and creatinine clearance.
Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; Glomerulonephritis* ; Humans ; Renal Circulation* ; Vascular Resistance

BACKGROUND: Aprotinin, which is a nonspecific serine protease inhibitor, has an antiinflammatory and thrombogenic effect. However, it has an antithrombogenic effect during the cardiopulmonary bypass. This study was performed to evaluated the effects of aprotinin on the activated clotting time(ACT) and the total amount of the heparin used during the cardiopulmonary bypass. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From December 1998 to November 1999, 82 consecutive patients electively underwent open heart surgery at Gachon medical school. The patients were older than 18 years. Eighty two patients were classified into a control group(group C, n=36) and a aprotinin-treated group(group A, n=46). Body weight, height, body surface area(BSA), pump time(PT), aortic cross clamping time(ACCT), and body temperature(BT) were determined. Total amount of heparin and protamine during the CPB were also measured. ACT was determined before heparin administration, at 20, 40 and 60 minutes after heparin administration, and after protamine administration. RESULT: No significant differences were noted in either group in body weight, height, BSA, BT, and the total amoun of heparin and protamine. Group A demonstrated a significant(p<0.05) increase in age, PT, ACCT, and ACT at 20, 40, and 60 minutes after heparin administration. CONCLUSION: In summary, the use of aprotinin prime resulted in an increase in ACT. The total amount of heparin in aproinin-treated patient was similar to that of the control group in spite of having the prolonged pump time. Therefore aprotinin may reduce the requirement of heparin.
Aprotinin* ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Constriction ; Heart* ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Schools, Medical ; Serine Proteases ; Thoracic Surgery*

No abstract available.
Borrelia burgdorferi* ; Borrelia* ; Ixodes* ; Korea* ; Lyme Disease* ; Ticks*

Focal inflammatory lesions are benign lesions of various etiology reported in numerous anatomic sites. Because of the development of imaging study, most of focal inflammatory lesions were noted incidentally without symptom and sign. Among them, eosinophilic liver disease and inflammatory pseudotumor are relatively important diseases and are associated with a variety of other disease such as parasitic infestations, bacterial and viral infection, allergic conditions, autoimmune disease, and internal malignancies. These are largely self-limiting entities and have favorable prognosis. The terminology of eosinophilic liver disease is not strictly defined and a variety of terms, including focal eosinophilic infiltration, eosinophilic abscess, and eosinophilic granuloma exist histologically. Inflammatory pseudotumor was composed of diffuse infiltration of spindle-shaped cells, myofibroblasts, and mixed inflammatory cells (plasma cells, lymphocytes, and histiocytes), microscopically. Focal inflammatory lesions are difficult to differentiate clinically from malignant tumors, because these show variable imaging findings. Thus, it is important to preoperatively distinguish these lesions from malignancy. Meticulous liver biopsy is frequently needed to make differential diagnosis from malignant tumors and to avoid unnecessary resection.
Abscess ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eosinophilic Granuloma ; Eosinophils ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Myofibroblasts ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: In patients with traumatic hyphema, we investigated the changes of corneal endothelium and the associated ocular complications that might attribute to endothelial damage. MATERIALS & METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 67 patients(67 eyes) who had been admitted and treated for blunt ocular trauma with hyphema between February 1997 and June 2000. One month after injury, endothelial photographs of both eyes of each patient were taken with specular microscope to compare the endothelium of the injured eyes with that of the normal fellow eyes. The endothelial parameters were studied in relationship to various complications to see the relationship between the complications and the endothelial damage. RESULTS: Compared with the fellow uninjured eyes, the injured eyes had a mean decrease in endothelial cell density (ECD) of 5.6% (P=0.015). Nine patients had significant corneal edema with epithelial defect on initial admission, which was defined as corneal impact lesion. In the group with the corneal impact lesion, the mean ECD decrease was 23.1% (P=0.016) and the mean coefficient of variation (COV) increase was 24.8% (P=0.01). With other variables such as the amount of hyphema and the degree of angle recession, statistically significant results could not be obtained. In 20 patients on long-term follow-up examination (mean 36.7 months after the injury), the injured eyes had a mean increase in ECD of 2.5% compared to the result on initial examination. This change was minimal and statistically not significant. CONCLUSION: In patients with traumatic hyphema, this study showed reduced endothelial cell densities in the injured eyes compared to the normal fellow eyes. In particular, statistically significant decrease in ECD was noted to be associated with corneal impact lesion.
Corneal Edema ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Endothelium, Corneal ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyphema* ; Medical Records

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to know differences of characteristics between presenile and senile patients who were consulted to the department of psychiatry during medical-surgical admission. METHODS: The demographic and clinical data obtained from the medical records of psychiatric consultation in the presenile inpatients with age 50 to 64 years(N=162) and those of the senile inpatients with age over 65 years(N=171) were reviewed and compared. RESULTS: 1) The most common chief complaints for psychiatric consultation in presenile patients were somatic symptoms, anxiety and sleep disturbance in order, while cognitive decline, clouded consciousness and depressed mood were most common in senile patients with statistical significance. 2) The most frequent psychiatric diagnoses after consultation in presenile patients were delirium, mood disorder and substance use disorder in order, while delirium, mood disorder and major neurocognitive disorder were most frequent in senile patients with statistical significance. 3) There were no significant difference in numbers of physical illnesses, while numbers of therapeutic drugs for them were more in senile patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found significant differences between presenile and senile patients on psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses in geropsychiatric consultation. Therefore, more subdivided age-specific approach seems to be needed for the geropsychiatric consultation activities.
Anxiety ; Consciousness ; Delirium ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Medical Records ; Mood Disorders ; Substance-Related Disorders