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

No abstract available.
Choanal Atresia*

A through knowledge of the anatomy of colonic mesenteric arteries is necessary to accomplish successful, uncomplicated abdominal operations, especially laparoscopic colonic resections in which the mesenteric vessels can't be palpated. Such knowledge is also important when performing a colonic resection for cancer using proximal vascular ligation and wide en bloc resection. Most surgical textbooks depict a "normal pattern" of arterial supply to the right colon as consisting of three arterial branches (the ileocolic, the right colic, and the middle colic arteries) arising independently from the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Based on the literature, there are only two colonic arteries arising independently from the SMA in many cases. We examined the anatomy of these arteries in 50 patients who had had SMA angiographies for various diseases from January 1995 to May 1997. In all of our cases, the ileocolic artery and the middle colicartery emanated directly from the SMA, but the right colic artery originated directly from the SMA in only 54% of the cases. The right colic artery was absent in 8% of the cases. It also arose as a single trunk with the middle colic artery (22% of the cases) and from the ileocolic artery (16% of the cases). Our data, together with published anatomic studies, lead us to conclude that in many cases there are only two independent branches arising from the SMA that supply the large intestine, the ileocolic artery and the middle colic artery. This knowledge may be helpful in laparoscopic colon surgery, radical colon resections for cancer, and colon replacements after operations on the esophagus or the urinary bladder.
Angiography ; Arteries* ; Colic* ; Colon ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Intestine, Large ; Ligation ; Mesenteric Arteries ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Urinary Bladder

PURPOSE: The routine use of postoperative nasogastric decompression after abdominal surgery has been challenged. Furthermore, investigators have recently shown that early postoperative oral feeding is safe and generally well tolerated. This study was aimed to determine whether or not early postoperative feeding is safe after elective colorectal surgery. METHODS: All patients who underwent elective colorectal surgeries between June 1998 and March 1999 were permitted to take oral intake one day after the operations. The patients were compared with other patients, who had underwent elective colorectal surgeries between September 1997 and June 1998 and permitted to have a meal after resolving postoperative ileus. The nasogastric tube was removed from all patients immediately after surgery. The patients were monitored for the time of ileus resolution, nausea/vomiting, abdominal distension, nasogastric tube reinsertion and complications. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were studied, 24 patients in early feeding group and 27 patients in traditional feeding group. Eighteen patients (75.0%) in the early feeding group tolerated the early oral intake. There were no significant differences between two groups in the time for resolution of ileus (3.46 1.38 days vs 3.56 1.80 days), nausea/vomiting (33.3% vs 29.6%), abdominal distension (16.6% vs 14.8%) and nasogastric tube reinsertion (12.5% vs 7.4%). No significant difference was noted in complications such as wound infection, pulmonary problems, intestinal obstruction and anastomotic leak. CONCLUSIONS: Early oral intake after elective colorectal surgery was safe and most of the patients tolerated it. And it may become a kind of managements after elective colorectal surgery.
Anastomotic Leak ; Colorectal Surgery* ; Decompression ; Humans ; Ileus ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Meals ; Research Personnel ; Wound Infection

Angioleiomyomas are relatively uncommon benign tumors originating from smooth cells of a blood vessel. Although curative by surgical excision, they are rarely diagnosed definitely before surgery. We report on a case of calcified angioleiomyoma occurring on the sole, which was treated by surgical excision without recurrence and a review of literature is presented.
Angiomyoma* ; Blood Vessels ; Foot ; Recurrence

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans

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

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

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

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