Male genital tract inflammatory conditions may be associated with unexplained infertility. The presence of cytokine such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was reported in the semen of infertile men. However, the effect of these cytokines on human sperm function is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in-vitro effects of TNF-alpha on human sperm motility with computer assisted sperm analysis. Washed sperm from 16 normal men were incubated without and with TNF-alpha(0.1, 10, 1000 ng/ml). The changes of parameters of sperm motility were recorded at different time intervals (0, 5, 24 hour). There was no significant change of parameters of sperm motility in the incubation with TNF-alpha. It is suggested that TNF-alpha alone does not interfere with the sperm motility and more studies are needed.
Cytokines ; Humans ; Infertility ; Male ; Semen ; Sperm Motility* ; Spermatozoa* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

To evaluate factors related to success rate of dacryocystorhinostomy, we retrospectively surveyed 131 eyes about age, sex, symptom duration, etiology, obstruction site, sac size, silicone tube insertion and surgeons learning curve. Patients age, sex, obstruction site and sac size were not related to surgical results, but longer duration of epiphora, trauma, silicone intubation and poor surgical skill had relationship with poor surgical results. Surgical skill was the most important factor in multiple logistic regression. We believe that surgical technique for making a mucosal flap with bone removal etc., was very important to surgical success.
Dacryocystorhinostomy* ; Humans ; Intubation ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Learning Curve ; Logistic Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Silicones

It is the purpose of this study to compare the postoperative results of 168 patients with exotropia of basic and simulated divergence excess type over 40 prism diopters; 86 patients had bilateral rectus muscle recessions and 82 patients underwent lateral rectus muscle recession and medial rectus muscle resection. The patients in the former group had averaged 13.7 years of age and 8.2 months of postoperative follow-up period. Those in the latter group averaged 22.9 years and had been followed up for 7.1 months. The postoperative success rates are as follows: 66.7%(57/86) in the bilateral rectus muscle recession group and 68.1%(58/82) in the lateral rectus muscle recession and medial rectus muscle resection group(P>0.05). And the success rates of those older than 16 years without amblyopia are 60.0%(18/30) in the former group and 75.0%(24/32) in the latter group(P>0.05). The lateral rectus muscle recession and medial rectus muscle resection group showed somewhat higher rates of success even though it proved statistically insignificant.
Amblyopia ; Exotropia* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans

We reviewed 92 eyes(65 patients) of diffuse diabetic macular edema which were treated with grid laser photocoagulation and followed up for more than 4 months from March 1992 to March 1997. There were improvements of visual acuity in 24 eyes(26.1%)and non changes in 50 eyes(54.3%), and 18 eyes(19.6%) showed worsened visual acuity. Initial visual acuity, presence of clinically significant macular edema and severity of retinopathy had not significant effects on visual outcome(P>0.05). Patients with grid photocoahulation without panretinal photocoagulation showed significantly good results than panretinal photocoagulation before or after grid photocoagulation(p<0.05).
Humans ; Light Coagulation* ; Macular Edema* ; Visual Acuity

The present study was carried out to clarify the anatomical changes of lumbar intervertebral discs by aging. Anterior height, posterior height, anteroposterior diameter of intervertebral discs were measured on 512 normal plain lateral radiographs of lumbosacral spine. And the indices of disc wedging and relative disc height were calculated. There was a cephalocaudal gradient of increase in the indices of disc wedging in all age groups. The indices of relative disc height were constant at all lumbar levels. These suggest that the lower disc is more wedge shaped and the height of discs changes in the constant ratio with that of vertebral body.
Aging* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc* ; Spine

Xeroderma pigmentosurn is a photosensitive hereditary disorder and especially rare in Korea. A 30-year old male patient had been suffered from walnut sized tumor and several ulcerated papules on the face, and scattered brownish macules on the sun-exposed area. Clinical features and histopathologic findings were consistent with malignant malanoma and basal cell epithelioma developing in a xeroderma pigmentosum respectively. Malignant melanoma was surgically excised.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Humans ; Ichthyosis* ; Juglans ; Korea ; Male ; Melanoma* ; Ulcer ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum*

We performed pars plana vitrectomy combined with anterior capsule-sparing lensectomy on forty three eyes WJth coexisting cataract and vitreoretinal disease and followed up more than 6 months. Preoperative vitreoretinal diseases consisted of nondiabetic vitreous hemorrhage (thirteen eyes), retained metallic intraocular foreign bodies (nine eyes), posterior uveitis (nine eyes), proliferative diabetic retinopathy (seven eyes) and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (five eyes) . Thirty six eyes (84%) revealed the visual acuity of 0.1 or less before operation. Thirty eight eyes (88%) could get a better visual acuity after operation than before operation. Posterior chamber intraocular lenses were implanted to thirty eight eyes. The severity of anterior capsular opacity showed a statistically significant difference between the eyes with injection of intraocular gas or silicone oil and them without injection of that (p=0.004). In this study, we can find that the technique of pars plana vitrectomy combined with anterior capsule-sparing lensectomy would be recommendable and the anterior capsular opacity may have relation with intraocular gas or silicone oil.
Cataract ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Foreign Bodies ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Retinal Detachment ; Silicone Oils ; Uveitis, Posterior ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy* ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

No abstract available.
Cough* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration*

We reviewed the records of seven patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy and intravitreal phacofragmentation for removal of posteriorly dislocated lenses from September 26, 1994. to January 12, 1995. More than half volumes of crystalline lenses were dislocated during cataract extraction in four eyes, and all three eyes of dislocated lenses with intact capsules had a history of blunt trauma. Five eyes had visual acuity of 15/20 or better at 3 months after removal of intravitreal crystalline lenses. But two eyes, undergone excessive manipulation for removing intravitreal nuclear fragments via the limbus during cataract operation, had 4/20 vision with complication of retinal or choroidal detachment. These results suggest that the overall prognosis for visual recovery after pars plana vitrectomy and phacofragmentation for removal of intravitreal crystalline lens, is quite good if there were no excessive attempts to remove intravitreal lens fragment during cataract extraction.
Capsules ; Cataract ; Cataract Extraction ; Choroid ; Humans ; Lens, Crystalline ; Prognosis ; Retinaldehyde ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

No abstract available.
Animals ; Burns* ; Lymphocyte Subsets* ; Lymphocytes* ; Mice* ; Spleen* ; Thymus Gland*