No abstract available.
Ascites* ; Hydronephrosis*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

Newborns with ileal atresia frequently present with abdominal distension, bilious vomiting, and failure to pass meconium. Diagnosis is usually established on plain x-ray of the abdomen by the findings of distended small bowel loops and air-fluid levels. In the period of October 1988 to February 1994, 8 patients with congenital ileal atresia were operated and the following results were obtained. 1. Eight patients were comprise of 4 males and 4 females, the ratio of male and female was 1 : 1. 2. Six patients(75%) had been admitted to our hospital during three days of life. 3. Congenital ileal atresia was in 8 cases : Type I in two(25%), Type II in two(25%), Type III a in three(37.5%), Type III b in one(12.5%). 4. There was one premature patient who was small for gestational age. 5. Overall, abdominal distension and bilious vomiting occurring in seven patients, were frequent presenting complaints. 6. Diagnosis was possible with clinical symptom and simple abdomen. 7. Operative treatment was undertaken as soon as the diagnosis was made. In seven cases a primary end-to-end anastomosis was performed after resection of dilated proximal loop. 8. A total of four associated congenital anomalies were found in one patient. 9. Postoperative complications occurred in three cases(37.5%).
Abdomen ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Male ; Meconium ; Postoperative Complications ; Vomiting

This study was conducted to evaluate the postnatal changes of serum creatine kinase (CK) and its isoenzymes in normal and asphyxiated newborns. In normal newborns total CK, CK-MM and CK-MB reached a plateau between 2 and 24 hr after birth whereas the serum CK-BB remained stable after birth. CK-MM, CK-MB and CK-BB respectivily composed 90~94%, 5~7% and 1~5% of total CK during study period. In asphyxiated newborns total CK, CK-MM and CK-MB reached maximal value at 12 hr after birth whereas CK-BB decreased after birth. There were no significant differences between normal and asphyxiated newborns in total CK, CK-MM and CK-MB during study period (up to 24 hrs after birth). But CK-BB of asphyxiated newborn was elevated significantly (p<0.05) within 6 hrs after birth compared to normal newborns. There were no significant differences of CK and its isoenzymes between patients evaluated by 5 min Apgar scores(0~3, 4~6 and 7~10) or degree of HIE (HIE stage 0~I, II and III). According to these results, the serum CK-BB is elevated in asphyxiated newborns during 1st 6hrs after birth but has no predictive values of the extent of cerebral damage.
Creatine Kinase* ; Creatine* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Isoenzymes ; Parturition

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: While patient-centered outcomes are usually not reported, these may represent major aspects of the implant success for the patient. Use of a well-designed patient survey form can be an invaluable asset to the implant practitioners. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate patient satisfaction after implant therapy by means of a questionnaire. MATERIAL AND METHODS: South Korean patients (n = 100), who visited the dental examination center of Soon Chun Hyang university hospital, were asked to fill out the satisfaction questionnaire regarding aspects of cost, comfort, esthetics, chewing, gingival health, food impaction, phonetic aspect, screw loosening, and general satisfaction. Responses to statements were given on the Likert response scale. Four experimental groups of patients were distinguished with various location (A1, A2, A3), year (B1, B2, B3), number of implant replacements (C1, C2, C3), and treatment cost (D1, D2, D3). The reliability of the response scales was measured by calculation of its internal consistency, expressed as Cronbach's alpha. The scales were distinguished by means of factor analysis method. Possible differences in scale scores among the groups were assessed by One-way ANOVA (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: Patients responded to most of the statements with high satisfaction. But the mean scale score of statement about cost was low. After the verification of internal consistency and factor analysis, five components, e.g. general satisfaction, comfort, chewing efficiency, esthetics, and phonetic aspect were grouped together. These components could be explained with common meaning and the first factor was named as 'general satisfaction' . Differences in patient satisfaction on the scale with esthetics were present between patients who have been wearing the implant prosthesis less than three years and those more than seven years (B1 < B3). CONCLUSION: The patients were generally satisfied with the outcome of implant treatment. But the patients' major complaint was high cost and while the statistically significant difference was not shown, the satisfaction scale about food impaction and esthetics was low. So the continuing efforts to make improvements about these problems are needed for the implant practitioners.
Dental Implants ; Esthetics ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Mastication ; Patient Satisfaction ; Prostheses and Implants ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The aim of this study was to study the effects of various surface treatments to a titanium surface on the expression of Runx2 in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Human Osteosarcoma TE-85 cells were cultured on machined, sandblasted, or anodic oxidized cpTi discs. At various times of incubation, the cells were collected and then processed for the analysis of mRNA expression of Runx2 using reverse transcription-PCR. RESULTS: The expression pattern of Runx2 mRNA was differed according to the types of surface treatment. When the cells were cultured on the untreated control culture plates, the gene expression of Runx2 was not increased during the experiments. In the case of that the cells were cultured on the machined cpTI discs, the expression level was intermediate at the first day, but increased constitutively to day 5. In cells on sandblasted cpTi discs, the expression level was highest in the first day sample and the level was maintained to 5 days. In cells on anodized cpTi discs, the expression level increased rapidly to 3 days, but decreased slightly in the 5-th day sample. CONCLUSION: Different surface treatments may contribute to the regulation of osteoblast function by influencing the level of gene expression of key osteogenic factors.
Durapatite ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Osteoblasts ; Osteogenesis ; Osteosarcoma ; RNA, Messenger ; Titanium

Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes and is associated with several other medical and psychological disorders. Weight loss is known to reduce these risks and to improve or resolve these cormorbid disorders and it is generally assumed that weight loss will improve the health of large people. But there is little research to support this. And no randomized controlled trials have been published to demonstrate that intentional weight loss in the obese actually reduces morbidity or increases longevity. In fact, the large majority of published epidemiological studies show that persons who experience a net loss of weight over time have shorter life spans than those whose body weights remain relatively stable. In addition, many persons who have intentionally lost weight report that they ultimately gain back some or all of the weight they originally lost. For some persons, this pattern of weight loss followed by regain will be repeated over many years of dieting and be exposed to the risk for eating disorders. These findings suggest that our current attitude or assume about weight loss should be challenged or reevaluated. With a culturally determined esthetical ideal and well-documented salutary effects of intentional weight loss on physiological risk factors, dichotomous thinking pattern about weight loss that weight loss is good one but weight gain even weight maintenance above normal is bad one has been prevailing. Therefore, intentional weight loss has been prevalent and intentional weight loss and it's related physical and psychosocial problems may become one of the most common health related issue in Korea. However, the efforts for weight control have been mainly focused on the weight loss rather than weight maintenance without serious consideration about long-term consequences of weight loss. To provide more balanced informations for weight loss and weight control, the authors reviewed the literatures concerning physical and psychosocial effects of weight loss, and effects of weight loss on morbidity and mortality. And we also reviewed the literatures about possible problems that may be resulted by various methods of weight control and discussed what is more appropriate approaches to the weight control.
Body Weight ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diet ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intention ; Korea ; Longevity ; Mortality ; Obesity ; Risk Factors ; Thinking ; Weight Gain ; Weight Loss*

SMAS(Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome) is a disease caused by a chronic obstruction of the duodenum(transverse portion), which is hardly detectable. However, it is known that when the superior mesenteric artery and abdominal aorta form a narrow angle, that the transverse portion of the duodenum is pressed down between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta, and that this can lead to obstruction of the duodenum. Measuring this angle is a complicated job using conventional angiography, and results often turns out to be inaccurate. In addition, no attempt has been made to determine the value of this angle in Koreans. In this study, we conducted abdominal CT angiography using MIP(maximum intensity projection) on patients with no clinical evidence of SMAS in order to determine the angle at which the superior mesenteric artery branches from the abdominal aorta by using PC based software(Rapidia ver. 1.2) for the image reconstruction. Accordingly, we found that the mean angle between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery was 50.05+/-15.87 degrees on average, and that the angle in men(53.64+/-16.57 degrees) is higher than in women(46.46+/-14.98 degrees). We hope that the angles determined by our study will serve as an important indicator for detecting SMAS.
Angiography ; Aorta, Abdominal* ; Duodenum ; Hope ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted* ; Mesenteric Arteries ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior* ; Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

SMAS(Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome) is a disease caused by a chronic obstruction of the duodenum(transverse portion), which is hardly detectable. However, it is known that when the superior mesenteric artery and abdominal aorta form a narrow angle, that the transverse portion of the duodenum is pressed down between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta, and that this can lead to obstruction of the duodenum. Measuring this angle is a complicated job using conventional angiography, and results often turns out to be inaccurate. In addition, no attempt has been made to determine the value of this angle in Koreans. In this study, we conducted abdominal CT angiography using MIP(maximum intensity projection) on patients with no clinical evidence of SMAS in order to determine the angle at which the superior mesenteric artery branches from the abdominal aorta by using PC based software(Rapidia ver. 1.2) for the image reconstruction. Accordingly, we found that the mean angle between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery was 50.05+/-15.87 degrees on average, and that the angle in men(53.64+/-16.57 degrees) is higher than in women(46.46+/-14.98 degrees). We hope that the angles determined by our study will serve as an important indicator for detecting SMAS.
Angiography ; Aorta, Abdominal* ; Duodenum ; Hope ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted* ; Mesenteric Arteries ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior* ; Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed