No abstract available.
Alcoholism*

No abstract available.
Hemosiderosis* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Seizures*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the serum levels of IL-10 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are different from those of normal controls and SLE patients and to find out any correlation with disease activity parameters of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Sera from 20 healthy normal persons, 16 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 16 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were collected and measured for IL-10 and IL-6. Various disease activity parameters were measured in RA patients. RESULTS: The serum level of IL-10 in RA patients was significantly elevated compared to normal controls but lower than those of SLE patients. In RA patients there was no definite correlation between the disease activity parameters and serum IL-10 levels. Despite significant improvements in terms of various disease activity parameters, there was no significant change of serum IL-10 levels after treatment in RA patients. In seropositive RA patients, positive correlation was found between serun IL-10 and rheumatoid factor levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that the serum IL-10 levels in patietns with RA are elevated compared to normal controls but lower than those of SLE patients. There was no correlation between serum IL-10 levels and disease acivity parameters of RA.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Humans ; Interleukin-10* ; Interleukin-6 ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Rheumatoid Factor

To evaluate the results and clinical impact of defecography in patients with anorectal diseases, 304 defecographic examinations from 304 patients were reviewed. The defecographic results were screened for the anorectal angle and perineal descent at rest, squeezing and during straining. Changes of rectal configuration and canal width during straining were reviewed. 304 patients had defecation problems such as terminal constipation, defecation defficulty, blood or mucus discharge, tenesmus, obstruction sensation etc. They were performed anorectal physical examination and anal manometry etc., and were later treated by operation and conservative management. Normal anorectal angle were measured to be 101°, 91°, 131°at rest, during squeezing and straining respectively. In the spastic pelvic floor syndrome, increase of anorectal angle less than 10 ° from rest to straining was observed. Incontinent patients had a larger anorectal angle (mean: 128°) at rest. 7.8cm of perineal descent was found in descending perineal syndrome in comparison to 4.0cm in normal. Normal anal canal width was measured 1.4cm only during straining but identified in incontinent patients at rest (mean:1.2cm). Abnormal rectal configuration was found in 254 defecographic examinations: rectoceles were observed in 235 cases and were associated with rectal prolapse in 115 cases, and rectal prolapses were found in 134 cases. In conclusion, the anorectal angle was valuable in evaluation of spastic pelvic floor syndrome and fecal incontinence. Degree of perineal descent was abnormally increased in descending perineal syndrome. In the cases of the rectoceles and rectal prolapses, defecography is helpful in preoperative evaluation of rectal wall change and postoperative follow up.
Anal Canal ; Constipation ; Defecation ; Defecography* ; Fecal Incontinence ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Manometry ; Mucus ; Muscle Spasticity ; Pelvic Floor ; Physical Examination ; Rectal Prolapse ; Rectocele ; Sensation

Authors analysed 36 cases(33 patients) of Peroneal Buoy Flap to investigate branching pattern, course, length of vascular pedicle, and perforating level of the perforating cutaneous branches from Oct. 1985 to July 1988. The results were as follows. 1. The perforating cutaneous branchea were classified into four types, the Straight Branch (18 cases), the Proximal Oblique Branch (8 cases), the Branch from Muscular Artery (8 cases), the Distal Oblique Branch(2 cases) respectively. The most common patten was Straight Branch. 2. There were 3 pathways of these branches, the most common one passed between the Soleus and Peroneus muscles(23 cases, 64%), and second one passed through the snterior part of Soleus muscle(8 cases, 22%), the third one passed through the posterior part of Peroneus muscle(5 cases, 14%). 3. The length of vascular pedicle in Buoy Flap was variable from 3cm to 15cm, but 27 cases(75%) were distributed between 4cm and 6cm. 4. The perforating level of branches were 6.3cm in average from Fibular Neck, 88% of them were distributed within 10cm. 5. Peroneal Buoy Flap in possible to reconstruct both seperated bone and skin defect in some distance by One-Stage Operation.
Arteries ; Neck ; Skin

No abstract available.
Adenoma*

To investigate the retinal hemodynamics in chronic primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), high-quality video fluorescein angiograms using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope(SL0 101, Rodenstock, Munich, Germany) were obtained from 22 eyes of 16 patients with POAG and 14 eyes of 14 healthy subjects. From these angiograms, the arm to retinal time (ART), arteriovenous passage time (AvFT), venous fulling time(VFT) and arteriovenous fulling time (AvFT) were quantified. And these parameters of retinal circulation of the group of patients with POAG were compared with those of the age-matched group of healthy subjects. There were no significant differences in the ART between two groups (p=0.09). But significant prolongations of the AvPT, VFT and AvFT of the group of patients with POAG(2.5 +/- 1.1, 8.4 +/- 1.8 and 10.9 +/- 2. sec, respectively) were observed compared to the values (1.8 +/- 0.7, 6.4 +/- 2.2 and 8.1 +/- 2. 4 sec, respectively) obtained among the healthy subjects (p=0.04, p=0.007 and p=0.0008, respectively). These results indicate that a significant retinal microcirculatory deficit exists in the eyes of POAG, and the VFT and AvFT may be good indices of retinal microcirculatory deficit in the eyes of POAG.
Arm ; Fluorescein ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Retinaldehyde

The study aims to identify the mechanism (s) underlying the altered vasodilatory responses of the pial artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) under a hypothesis that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) exerts a modulator role in the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF). The animals were divided into four groups: 1) Sprague-Dawley rats (SDR), 2) Wistar rats (WR), 3) SHR with high blood pressure (BP gtoreq 150 mmHg), and 4) SHR with normotensive BP (ltoreq 150 mmHg). The lower limit of CBF autoregulation in SHR shifted to a higher BP (82.8 +/- 9.3 mmHg, P < 0.05) than that in SDR (58.9 +/- 5.7 mmHg). In SHR, whether the BP levels were high or normotensive, the vasodilator responses to a stepwise hypotension were significantly attenuated unlike with SDR and WR. When artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) containing capsaicin (3 X 10-7 M) was suffused over the cortical surface, a transient increase in pial arterial diameter was observed in the SHR with high or normotensive BP. In contrast, SDR and WR showed a large increase in diameter, and the increase was sustained for over 10 minutes. In line with these results, the basal releases of CGRP-like immunoreactivity (CGRP-LI) in the isolated pial arteries from SHR with high and normotensive BP were 12.5 +/- 1.4 and 9.8 +/- 2.8 fmole/mm2/60 min (P < 0.05), while those from SDR and WR were 25.5 +/- 3.1 and 24.6 +/- 3.1 fmole/mm2/60 min, respectively. The isolated basilar arteries showed similar results to those of the pial arteries in SHR. Thus, it is summarized that, in the SHR, the reduced autoregulatory vasodilator responses to stepwise hypotension and capsaicin may be, in part, ascribed to the decreased release of CGRP from the perivascular sensory nerve fibers of the pial arteries, and that altered vasomotor activity in SHR may not be related with the hypertensive tone.
Animals ; Arteries* ; Basilar Artery ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide ; Capsaicin ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Homeostasis ; Hypertension ; Hypotension ; Nerve Fibers ; Rats, Inbred SHR* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats, Wistar

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Tetracycline* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*