STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: To report a case of simultaneous pulmonary and renal embolisms after balloon kyphoplasty and review relevant literature. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Pulmonary or renal embolism caused by cement leakage during balloon kyphoplasty is a rare complication but can be fatal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An 84-year-old female patient was treated with balloon kyphoplasty for an osteoporotic compression fracture. Pulmonary and renal embolisms were detected after the procedure and the patient was treated conservatively. RESULTS: After conservative treatment, embolism-related symptoms were not found during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: We encountered a case of simultaneous pulmonary and renal cement embolisms which occurred during kyphoplasty. This is a very rare but potentially serious complication. However, the patient had no long-term sequelae after conservative treatment.
Aged, 80 and over ; Embolism* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Kyphoplasty* ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Spine

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Apgar Score* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Psychology*

No abstract available.
Apgar Score* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Psychology*

C-reactive protein(CRP), a normal constituent of the serum in healthy individuals, increases in response to various bacterial infections and cellular necrosis. To find out if the C-reactive protein concentration is of any value in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, ninety consecutive patients suspected to have acute appendicitis were studied prospectively. Of these, 54 patients(group A) had acute appendicitis and 6 patients(group B) underwent surgery with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis; however, histopathology disclosed a normal appendix. Seventeen patients(group C) had no identifiable cause for their illness and 13 patients(group D) had an identifiable cause for their illness, though not appendicitis. The mean serum CRP value was 49.00mg/L in group A, 18.92mg/L in group B, 20.31mg/L in group C, and 63.22mg/L in group D. Within group A, the mean CRP value in the 36 patients with the inflammed appendix was 33.56mg/L. The mean value in the 7 patients with the gangrenous appendix was 73.16mg/L, and 97.61mg/L in 11 patients with the perforative appendix. Serum CRP levels were normal in two patients with acute appendicitis. Besides these 2 patients, all patients with normal CRP had a normal appendix found at the time of operation or their symptoms resolved spontaneously. It is concluded that an increase in CRP levels to more than 5 mg/L is not a definitive indicator of acute appendicitis. However, when there is doubt about the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, a normal serum CRP level should be used as a basis for the decision to defer surgery.
Appendicitis* ; Appendix ; Bacterial Infections ; C-Reactive Protein* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Although the pathophysiology of pulmonary vascular injury has been reported, exact its mechanism has not yet been elucidated. Recent studies have reported that reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide(H2O2) and superoxide, formed in association with a variety of oxidative stress-related diseases, may play an important role in cell injury and apoptosis. In this study, we investigated whether H2O2 induces apoptosis, a possible mechanism of pulmonary vascular injury. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The calf pulmonary artery endothelial cell line(CPAE) was used in the experiment. For the measurement of cytotoxicity of H2O2, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay was performed. To find out whether H2O2 affects cell morphology, cells were examined by phase-contrast microscopy. To confirm the induction of apoptosis, H2O2-treated cells were analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL) assay, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole(DAPI) staining and flow cytometric analysis. RESULT: Compared to the untreated control(100%), viabilities of cells treated with H2O2 of concentrations of 10 microM, 50 microM, 100 microM and 500 microM for 3 hours were about 70%, 33%, 26% and 28%, respectively. Morphologically, H2O2-treated cells(50 microM) showed retraction of processes, cell shrinkage, cytoplasm condensation and irregularity of shape. Both TUNEL assay and DAPI staining also showed typical apoptotic features of nuclear condensation and nuclear fragmentation in some nuclei of H2O2-treated cells. Through flow cytometric analysis, it was determined that there was an increased number of cells in the sub-G1 phase and a decreased number of cells in the G1 phase among the H2O2-treated cells, compared to those of the control. CONCLUSION: Through morphological and biochemical analyses, it was first demonstrated that cell death induced by H2O2 in CPAE showed classic apoptotic features. These results suggest the possibility that H2O2-induced apoptosis may, in part, be involved in the molecular mechanism of pulmonary vascular injury.
Apoptosis* ; Cell Death ; Cytoplasm ; Endothelial Cells* ; G1 Phase ; Hydrogen ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Superoxides ; Vascular System Injuries

We performed this study to analyse the morbidity and mortality of stoma formation in infants and children over a 17-year period. Thirty-seven stoma formations were performed in 37 patients: 21 for anorectal malformation, 9 for Hirschsprung's disease, 3 for necrotizing enterocolitis, 2 for multiple ileal atresia, 1 for volvulus neonatorum with perforation, and 1 for diaphragmatic hernia with colon perforation. There were 26 boys and 11 girls with a mean age of 0.4 years. Complications after stoma formation were encountered in 12 patients(32.4%) and included stomal prolapse, stenosis, retraction, dysfunction, skin excoriation and parastomal hernia. Four patients(10.8%) required stomal revision. The incidence of complications was neither related to the age nor to the primary indication for the stoma formation, but sigmoid colostomy was associated with a lower complication rate compared to transverse colostomy(22.1% versus 42.1%, P<0.05). Five patients died, but only one(2.7%) was dead, which was directly related to stoma formation. Eighteen of these children subsequently underwent stoma closure which was associated with complications in six patients(33.3%). The most common complication after stoma closure was wound sepsis in 4 children. In conclusion, because the significant morbidity of stoma formation still exists the refinements in surgical technique may help in reducing the incidence of complications and a sigmoid loop colostomy should be used whenever possible.
Child* ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Colostomy ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Female ; Hernia ; Hernia, Diaphragmatic ; Hirschsprung Disease ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Intestinal Volvulus ; Mortality ; Prolapse ; Sepsis ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

The criteria for evaluating permanent impairments resulting from principal dysfunction of the ear, nose, throat, and related structures are uncertain in our country. However, our government is now striving to build up a welfare state with upgrading the law of industrial accident insurance. The author assess permanent impairment ratings of these structures by evaluating losses in structures or the following functions: hearing; equilibrium; respiration; mastication; olfaction, and taste; speech and voice; and the effect of these losses on the ability to perform activities of daily living. Impairment criteria were adapted from the literature, law and ordinances in our country.
Accidents, Occupational ; Activities of Daily Living ; Ear ; Hearing ; Insurance ; Jurisprudence ; Mastication ; Nose ; Otolaryngology* ; Pharynx ; Respiration ; Smell ; Voice

No abstract available.
Choanal Atresia*

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans