BACKGROUND: Chronic infections, including Chlamydia pneumoniae, cytomegalovirus and Helicobacter pylori may be one of the risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD). To document whether chronic infection may be associated with coronary artery disease, various inflammatory markers were analyzed in Korean patients with CAD. METHODS: The patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography (CAG) were divided into two groups according to the results of CAG: the patients with significant coronary lesions (Group I: n=126, M:F=99:27, 58.7+/-9.7 years) or the patients without coronary lesions (Group II: n=58, M:F=30:28, 55.5+/-8.9 years). Serologic assays for the immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers to C. pneumoniae, CMV, H. pylori, and for inflammatory markers, including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were performed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the sero-positivity of three infections between two groups, but titer of IgG antibody against H. pylori was significantly higher in Group I than that in Group II (859.3+/-342.2 vs. 474.2+/-113.2 U/mL, p=0.02). After adjustment for age, sex and other cardiovascular risk factors, high titer of IgG antibody aganist H. pylori was independently associated with coronary artery disease (p=0.05). CRP and ESR were significantly elevated in group I (2.7+/-5.1 vs. 0.6+/-0.9 mg/dL, p=0.003, 23.2+/-26.7 vs. 12.7+/-15 mm/hr, p=0.006). Angiographic parameters were not related with the titer of infectious agents or inflammatory markers. The value of CRP was significantly different according to clinical severity (3.8+/-6.0 in acute myocardial infarction, 1.5+/-3.6 in unstable angina pectoris, and 0.4+/-0.3 mg/dL in stable angina pectoris, p<0.01). The value of ESR was also significantly different according to clinical severity (29.0+/-30.2 in acute myocardial infarction, 17.1+/-19.0 in unstable angina pectoris, and 12.1+/-17.6 mm/hr in stable angina pectoris, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that high titer of IgG antibody against H. pylori may be associated with CAD, and inflammation may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Angina, Stable ; Angina, Unstable ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Cytomegalovirus ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Inflammation* ; Myocardial Infarction ; Pneumonia ; Risk Factors

No abstract available.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli*

No abstract available.
Craniocerebral Trauma*

This study was done to examine whether cigarette smoking improved smooth pursuit eye movement(SPEM) abnormalities in chronic schizophrenic inpatients. Fifteen schizophrenic and twelve alcoholic subjects abstained from their usual cigarette smoking for a minimum of nine hours and their baseline performances during the constant velocity smooth pursuit tasks were assessed. Then, the subjects smoked as much as they desired in a 10 minutes period and were retested immediately after smoking and 15 minutes after smoking. Electrooculographic recordings during the eye movements were converted and saved as digitized files. Power spectral density curves and natural logarithm value of signal/noise(Ln S/N) ratios were computed from them. In the schizophrenic patients, Ln S/N ratios increased significantly immediately after smoking compared to baseline. But Ln S/N ratios showed no statistically significant changes after 15 minutes compared to baseline. In alcoholic subjects Ln S/N ratios showed no statistically significant changes immediately after smoking and after 15 minutes compare to baseline. In conclusion, SPEM was improved in schizophrenic patients immediately after smoking and we hypothesized that nicotinic receptor dysfunction maybe a candidate mechanism for smooth pursuit eye movement abnormalities in schizophrenia.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism ; Eye Movements* ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Nicotine ; Pursuit, Smooth* ; Receptors, Nicotinic ; Schizophrenia ; Smoke ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Products*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the patterns of tumor shape and to compare tumor volume derived from simple diameter-based ellipsoid measurement with that derived from tracing the entire tumor contour using region of interest (ROI)-based 3D volumetry with respect to the prediction outcome in cervical cancer patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 98 patients with cervical cancer (stage IB-IIIB). The tumor shape was classified into two categories: ellipsoid and non-ellipsoid shape. ROI-based volumetry was derived from each magnetic resonance slice on the work station. For the diameter-based surrogate "ellipsoid volume," the three orthogonal diameters were measured to calculate volume as an ellipsoid. RESULTS: The more than half of tumor (55.1%) had a non-ellipsoid configuration. The predictions for outcome were consistent between two volume groups, with overall survival of 93.6% and 87.7% for small tumor (<20 mL), 62.9% and 69.1% for intermediate-size tumor (20-39 mL), and 14.5% and 16.7% for large tumors (> or =40 mL) using ROI and diameter based measurement, respectively. Disease-free survival was 93.8% and 90.6% for small tumor, 54.3% and 62.7% for intermediate-size tumor, and 13.7% and 10.3% for large tumor using ROI and diameter based method, respectively. Differences in outcome between size groups were statistically significant, and the differences in outcome predicted by the tumor volume by two different methods. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that large numbers of cervical cancers are not ellipsoid. However, simple diameter-based tumor volume measurement appears to be useful in comparison with ROI-based volumetry for predicting outcome in cervical cancer patients.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Tumor Burden ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Fatty Liver* ; Obesity*

The intestines and hearts of dogs were examined for Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, and Dirofilaria immitis, after necropsy between June 26 and September 29, 2004 in Chuncheon, Korea. Of the 662 dogs examined, 6 were infected with T. canis (0.9%), 86 with T. leonina (13.0%). Fifty dogs were infected with D. immitis among 500 dogs examined (10.0%). Five were co-infected with T. canis and T. leonina, and three were co-infected with T. leonina and D. immitis. The cumulative positive infection rate for three species was 134/662 (20.2%). Considering previously reported seropositive rates of T. canis excretory-secretory antigen, i.e., 5% in the adult population in Korea, the possibility of toxocariasis caused by T. leonina should be reevaluated.
Animals ; Dirofilaria immitis/*isolation & purification ; Dirofilariasis/*epidemiology ; Dog Diseases/*epidemiology ; Dogs ; Feces/parasitology ; Heart/parasitology ; Intestines/parasitology ; Korea/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Toxocara/*isolation & purification ; Toxocara canis/isolation & purification ; Toxocariasis/*epidemiology

No abstract available.
Reference Values*

This report describes a case of 88-year-old women who developed central venous catheter-related bilateral hydrothorax, in which left pleural effusion, while right pleural effusion was being drained. The drainage prevented accumulation of fluid in the right pleural space, indicating that there was neither extravasation of infusion fluid nor connection between the two pleural cavities. The only explanation for bilateral hydrothorax in this case is lymphatic connections. Although vascular injuries by central venous catheter can cause catheter-related hydrothorax, it is most likely that the positioning of the tip of central venous catheter within the lymphatic duct opening in the right subclavian-jugular confluence or superior vena cava causes the catheter-related hydrothorax. Pericardial effusion can also result from retrograde lymphatic flow through the pulmonary lymphatic chains.
Aged, 80 and over ; Central Venous Catheters ; Drainage ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrothorax* ; Lymphatic System ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pleural Cavity ; Pleural Effusion ; Vascular System Injuries ; Vena Cava, Superior

Spinal extradural angiolipoma is a rare benign tumor containing vascular and mature adipose elements. The most common location of this tumor is the thoracic level with a tendency to involve several spinal segments. Almost all spinal extradural angiolipomas develop on the posterior aspect of the dura. The authors report a case of surgically proven spinal extradural angiolipoma involving the thoracic level and describe its CT findings.
Angiolipoma*