BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy & safety of a new HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, atorvastatin, to improve serum lipid profiles in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three hundred and six patients from 21 hospitals, all with total cholesterol level over 240 mg/dl and triglyceride level below 400 mg/dl were enrolled in the study. Following diet therapy for 2 weeks, atorvastatin 10 mg was taken for 6 weeks if the total cholesterol level remained higher than 240 mg/dl. The percent change of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol from baseline to 6 weeks of treatment were evaluated. Patients were monitored for safety through careful history talking, physical examination, serum sampling for liver and muscle enzyme. RESULTS: 1) The study was completed in a total of 166 patients. The mean age of patients the was 58 1/2 years and the percent of male and female patients was 37%, 37% and 63%, respectively. 2) The baseline mean values of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol following diet therapy for 2 weeks were 280+/-34 mg/dl, 172+/-77 mg/dl, 190+/-35 mg/dl, 56+/-13 mg/dl, respectively. 3) After 6 weeks treatment, the level of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol were 195+/-34 mg/d, 150+/-67 mg/dl, 110+/-33 mg/dl, 55+/-12 mg/dl, respectively, and the rates of change were -30%, -7%, -42%, -0.2%, respectively. 4) The level of LDL-cholesterol at the end of treatment was below 100 mg/dl in 44%, 100-130 mg/dl in 33%, 130-160 mg/dl in 14%, over 160 mg/dl in 9% of patients. 5) 77% of total patients achieved the target goal of LDL cholesterol (below 130 mg/dl) according to the NCEP guideline. 6) The reduction rate of LDL-cholesterol was different among the patients. At the end of treatment, the patients with initial LDL-cholesterol below 100 mg/dl achieved a higher reduction rate (52%) as compared with those patient's inithal LDL-cholesterol level were higher. 7) There are was only 1 patient (0.6%) who showed 3 times a three-fold increase of liver enzyme and no patient showed an increase of creatine kinase. CONCLUSION: Atorvastatin is effective and safe in improving the lipid profiles in of patients with hypercholesterolemia without serious side effects. (Korean Circulation J 2001;31 (4):434-441)
Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Creatine Kinase ; Diet Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia* ; Liver ; Male ; Oxidoreductases ; Physical Examination ; Triglycerides ; Atorvastatin Calcium

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy

No Abstract Available.
Patellar Ligament*

Atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) is regarded as a precancerous lesion in the multistep process for carcinogenesis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma. AAH is found in up to 25% of the lung tissue adjacent to cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma and also in 2-4% of autopsy cases. Until now, its main clinical significance is that some tumor recurrences are the lesions that have progressed from undetected AAH or they are newly developed cancers arising from AAH during the follow-up after the resection of adenocarcinoma. We present here the case of a 58-year-old woman having a large main adenocarcinoma with multiple small AAHs that mimicked lung-to-lung metastasis. AAH should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multiple small nodules during the preoperative evaluation and also during the follow-up of lung cancer patients.
Adenocarcinoma ; Autopsy ; Carcinogenesis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Recurrence

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a disease characterized by prolongation of ventricle repolarization and by the occurrence, usually during emotional or physical stress, of life-threatening arrhythmias that lead to sudden death in most symptomatic and untreated patients. Two variants have been initially identified:the original Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome of congenital deafness and autosomal recessive inheritance, and the more frequent Romano-Ward syndrome of autosomal dominant inheritance. Evidence also shows that approximately 25 to 30% of the cases are sporadic with syncope and a prolonged QT interval but without showing evidence for familial involvement. Familial and sporadic cases have been grouped under the definition of congenital long QT syndrome. We experienced a case of congenital long QT syndrome in a 13-year-old female girl. She had episodes of recurrent syncope and QT interval prolongation(QTc=0.46sec) in electrocardiogram(ECG). The ECG of her mother showed QT interval prologation(QTc=0.46sec). After applying atenolol, the QT interval returned to normal range and syncope has not occurred. We report a case of congenital long QT syndrome with a brief review of related literatures.
Adolescent ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atenolol ; Deafness ; Death, Sudden ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Jervell-Lange Nielsen Syndrome ; Long QT Syndrome* ; Mothers ; Reference Values ; Romano-Ward Syndrome ; Syncope* ; Wills

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Trichomonas*

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effectiveness of isolation measures using cohorting rooms and antimicrobial use in reducing the isolation rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB). METHODS: Four cohorting rooms (16 beds) for patients colonized or infected with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) have been created in the general wards of our 894-bed hospital since October 2003. We prospectively evaluated the isolation rates of MRSA and MDR-AB, and amount of antimicrobial use during the 8-year study period. We also investigated the relationship between antimicrobial use density (AUD) and the isolation rates of MRSA and MDR-AB. RESULTS: After creating cohorting rooms, the isolation rates of MRSA decreased from 1.56 cases per 1,000 patient-days from 2004-2005 to 1.24 from 2006-2007 (P=0.57). The isolation rates of MDR-AB also decreased from 0.72 from 2004-2005 to 0.36 from 2010-2011 (P<0.01). The mean quarterly AUDs of glycopeptides and carbapenems were 30.17+/-6.80 and 19.5+/-7.10, respectively. There were no significant correlations between AUD values and the isolation rate of MRSA or MDR-AB. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that isolation measures using cohorting rooms to help limit the transmission of MDRO infection and colonization, especially MDR-AB, in resource-limited settings is feasible and efficacious.
Acinetobacter ; Acinetobacter baumannii ; Carbapenems ; Cohort Studies ; Colon ; Drug Resistance ; Glycopeptides ; Humans ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Patient Isolation ; Patients' Rooms ; Prospective Studies

The results of alpha-acetyldigoxin(Dioxanin(R)) administration in 21 patients with congestive heart failure were as follows. Alpha-acetyldigoxin is a new oral preparation of cardiac glycoside derived from lanatosid C. 1. For rapid digitalization in 2-3 days, the initial dose was 1.2 to 2.6mg (average 1.96mg). For medium-fast digitalization in 4 days, the loading dose was 2.0 to 3.2mg (average 2.7mg). For slow digitalization 0.1 to 0.4mg was required for 5 to 6 days without loading dose. The maintenance dose was 0.1 to 0.4mg (average 0.33mg) daily. 2. The therapeutic effect of acetyldigoxin was excellent in 15 cases (71%), good in 4 cases (20%) and stationary in 2 cases (9%). 3. Side effects were observed in 2 cases with usual dosage regimen. One accidental case who took single dose of 4mg(20 tablests) developed supraventricular tachycardia with varying degree of atrioventricular block, ventricular bigeminy and premature beat but recovered completely after 6 days.
Acetyldigoxins* ; Atrioventricular Block ; Cardiac Complexes, Premature ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Tachycardia, Supraventricular