The result of artificial skins made with collagen is poor after grafting over the full thickness wounds due to their rapid degradation by enzymatic cleavage. This study is an in vivo study of an artificial skin made with a biodegradable polymer, which can better address the problem of the collagenous artificial dermis. To investigate the availability of a biodegradable polymer for an artificial dermis and to get an information about the optimal degradation rate of a polymer for an artificial dermis, we made an artificial dermis by seeding of fibroblasts within the vicryl mesh and made a bilayer artificial skin by covering the artificial dermis with cultured keratinocytes. And these artificial dermis and artificial skin were evaluated in a full thickness wound model. The results are as followings: 1. The artificial dermis was available for grafting for 1 week culture of vicryl mesh-fibroblast. 2. The artificial dermis retarded the contraction of full thickness wounds. 3. The artificial dermis generated the granulation tissue and accepted the STSG completely. 4. The generated tissue from the artificial dermis had incorporated into the surrounding tissue by 4 weeks postgrafting. 5. Vicryl in the artificial dermis became to biodegrade from the culture period and absorbed completely by 5 weeks. 6. The epidermal portion was poorly differntiated during in vitro culture period. In conclusion, the polymer-fibroblast graft can retard the wound contraction and generate a new tissue permitting a useful dermal replacement. And to get more optimal results, another polymer which has slower biodegradation rate than vicryl should be used for the artificial dermis and the epidermal portion should be differentiated after in vivo grafting.
Collagen ; Dermis* ; Fibroblasts ; Granulation Tissue ; Keratinocytes ; Polyglactin 910 ; Polymers ; Skin, Artificial ; Transplants ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Fibroblasts* ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Osteotomy*

No abstract available.
Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic*

No abstract available.
Muscle, Smooth* ; Relaxation*

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between age at menopause and mortality in a population-based sample of women in Kangwha, Korea. METHODS: From the Kangwha Cohort, followed-up from 1985 to 1999, the data of the over 55 year old female group(n=3,596) was used in this study to examine the association between age at menopause and mortality. We calculated the all causes mortality risk ratio and the cancer mortality risk ratio by age at menopause grouping using the Cox Proportional Hazards Model with adjustments for age, BMI, smoking, education, chronic disease, self-rated health status, alcohol consumption and age at first birth. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Compared to women who had menopause at 45-49 years, the all causes mortality risk ratio was 1.24 for women with menopause at less than 40 years(95% CI=1.01-1.53) and 1.05 for women with menopause at over 50 years(95% CI=0.92-1.20). Also, compared to women who had menopause at 45-49 years, the cancer mortality risk ratio was 1.53 for women with menopause at less than 40 years(95% CI=0.78-2.98) and 1.17 for women with menopause at over 50 years(95% CI=0.77-1.80).
Alcohol Drinking ; Birth Order ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies* ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Menopause* ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Odds Ratio ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears after intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agent for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective chart review of 13 eyes of 13 patients who developed RPE tears after intravitreal anti-VEGF injection between February 2009 and June 2013. We investigated continuation of the treatment after tear, visual acuity, presence of cystoid macular edema, and central macular thickness (CMT) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) before and after treatment and visual outcomes depending on foveal sparing. RESULTS: After RPE tear, 12 of 13 patients continued injection of an anti-VEGF agent. The average number of injections was 6.08 +/- 5.18. Mean visual acuity immediately after tear was 1.65 +/- 0.8 log MAR, and that at the last visit was 1.82 +/- 0.88 log MAR. Nine eyes with macular edema in OCT continued receiving injection, and improvement of macular edema was observed in four eyes at the final visit. The final visual acuity of patients with foveal involvement was 2.17 +/- 0.49 log MAR, which was worse than the 1.51 +/- 1.06 log MAR in patients without foveal involvement, although the difference was not significant (p = 0.295). CONCLUSIONS: When anti-VEGF injections were continued after RPE tear, no improvement in visual acuity was observed, although better anatomical outcomes did result. Patients with foveal involvement had worse visual acuity than patients without foveal involvement, but the difference was not significant.
Endothelial Growth Factors ; Humans ; Intravitreal Injections ; Macular Degeneration* ; Macular Edema ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity

Suprapubic cystostomy by trocar is a simple, safe and useful method for urinary diversion in acute urinary retention. But rarely, severe complications occur during or after suprapubic cystostomy such as bowel perforation, through and through perforation of the bladder, rectal injury and severe hematuria. We studied the complications of suprapubic cystostomy retrospectively and compared 19 patients who performed ultrasonographic examination with 30 patients without ultrasonographic examination. The complications in 30 patients without preliminary ultrasonographic examination were initial failure in 4 cases (13.3%), extravesical Foley indwelling in 2 cases (6.7%), puncture site closed to the pubic bone in 2 cases (6.7%), spontaneous bladder rupture in 1 case (3.3%) and bowel injury in 1 case (3.3%). But, the complication in 19 patients with preliminary ultrasonographic examination was only 1 retried case (5.3%) because of extravesical Foley indwelling. As above results, the brief preliminary ultrasonographic examination of the bladder is a very useful method with minimal risk during suprapubic cystostomy by trocar.
Cystostomy* ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Pubic Bone ; Punctures ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Surgical Instruments* ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Diversion ; Urinary Retention

Trichloroethylene is a very common chemical used principally as a solvent and a degreasing agent in industry, We have experienced a case of toxic erythema, toxic hepatitis, and subsequent exfoliative dermatitis possibly due to trichloroethylene in a 23-year-old male. He had dealed with a cleaning process with trichloroethylene in a factory of stainless steel materials. We report our case with the review of the toxicity of trichoroethylene.
Dermatitis, Exfoliative ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury* ; Erythema* ; Humans ; Male ; Stainless Steel ; Trichloroethylene* ; Young Adult

Ganglioneruroblastoma and neuroblastoma are among commonest types of childhood malignancy and a number of unique paraneoplastic syndromes have associated with both localized and disseminated neuroblastoma. The coincidence of neuroblastoma and myoclonic encephalopathy or other paraneoplastic syndromes occurs relatively rare, and therefore, failure to recognize this association could result in delays in both diagnosis and treatment, and the result could prove to be unfortunately fatal. The mechanism which underlies the remote damaging effect of neural crest tumor, especially neuroblastoma, on the nervous system resulting in myoclonic encephalopathy is by no means clear. In addition the nature and the extent of the pathologic lesion are inconsistent. We experienced a case of myoclonic encephalopathy associated with an occult mediastinal ganglioneuroblastoma in a 22-month-old girl who was hospitalized for inability to walk without support and tilting of the head to the left side. She became increasingly ataxic, and during the hospitalization myoclonic jerks of upper extremities and head along with chaotic, rapidly flickering, multidirectional spontaneous eye movements, were noted. Laboratory data included normal complete blood count, urinalysis, BUN and creatinine, electrolytes and bone marrow. Chest X-ray and chest CT revealed a relatively well marginated right posterior mediastinal mass. In a 24 hours urine excretion test, VMA and catecholamines were increased. Over the next 2 weeks, a surgical exploration revealed a right posterior mediastinal mass. Microscopically the mass proved to be a ganglioneuroblastoma, extending to right innominate artery and right axillary lymph nodes. Within 2 weeks after the surgery, radiotherapy (2,400 rads) and chemotherapy (CTX, DTIC, VCR) were started, but corticosteroid was not used. She has been free of tumor and abnormal neurological systemic symptoms and signs for 1 1/2 year since the completion of chemotherapy. In the 3 1/2 years follow-up period, her neurologic symptoms has completely resolved by the completion of 2 years chemotherapy. We report a case of mycoclonic encephalopathy associated with hidden ganglioneuroblastoma in 22-month-old girl.
Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow ; Brachiocephalic Trunk ; Catecholamines ; Creatinine ; Dacarbazine ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Electrolytes ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic* ; Eye Movements ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganglioneuroblastoma* ; Head ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant ; Lymph Nodes ; Myoclonus ; Nervous System ; Neural Crest ; Neuroblastoma ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes* ; Radiotherapy ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Upper Extremity ; Urinalysis