The purpose of this study was to identifu the preventive and the preventive and the progressive inhibitory effects of enamel demineralization with fluoride releasing light-and self-cured orthodontic sealants(FluoroBond), in vitro, under the polarizing light microscope and the scanning electon microscope. The polarizing light microscopic group was subdivided into seven groups(Group A-Group G). The scanning electron microscopic group was also subdivided into seven groups(Group A'-Group G'). For polarzing light microscopic evaluation, longitudinal sections were made longitudinally by Maruto cutter(Maruto Co., Japan) and Maruto grinding machine(Maruto Co., Japan). Sections were examined and photographed by the polarizing light microscope(Olympus Optical Co., Japan) using crossed polars and with the enamel rod longitudinal axis oriented at 45degrees to the extinction position. For scanning electron microscopic evaluation, the specimens were coated with a highly conducting layer of gold palladium in a model Hus-4 high0vacuum evaporator* and examined in an ISI-100B scanning electron microcpe** operated at 20kV. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The mean deoths of artificial carious lesions under a polarized light microscope were Group A(5.08microgram), Group B(47.82microgram), Group C(8.42microgram), Group D(7.20microgram), Group E(85.41microgram), Group F(60.38microgram), Group G(60.13microgram). 2. There were statistically significant differences in Group B compared with Group A, C, and D(p<0.05), and also, in Group E compared with Group F and Group G(p<0.05). 3. Light-and self-cured orthodontic sealants had the preventive effects of enamel demineralization. 4. Light-and self-cured orthodontic sealants had the progressive inhibitory effects enamel demineralization. 5. The time progress of demineralizing agent no ingluecse on the samples of light-and self-cured orthodontic sealants under the scanning electron microscope. 6. There was no difference between the specimens of light-and self-cured orthodontic edalants both in the polarized light microscopic group and in the scanning electron microscopic group. *Hitachi Ltd, Tokyo, Japan **International Scientific Instruments, Santa Clara, Calif.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Dental Enamel* ; Fluorides* ; Japan ; Palladium

This article has been retracted by the author. This article involves in conflicts in authorship. We apologize to the readership of Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society.

Several different diseases may have an associated exudative pleural effusion. In a patient with a pleural effusion of unknown origin, a possibility of intra-abdominal abscess should always be considered, especially in a patient who has the past history of abdominal surgery or procedure. We describe a 5-year-old male patient who had been operated for congenital hydrocephalus with ventriculo-peritoneal shunt insertion at 15 months old, admitted to our hospital with complaints of headache and edema of valvular area. Brain CT scan revealed shunt disconnection, and he was operated for insertion of new shunt catheter. Seven days after first operation, he presented fever, abdominal pain and distension. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed bowel adhesion and peritonitis. Staphylococcus epidermidis was isolated by aspiration of shunt valve and reservior, repeatedly. He should have had another 2 operations of peritoneal lavage and catheter change for shunt infection associated peritonitis. Eight days after the 3rd operation, he complained newly developed left shoulder, left chest pain and fever up to 39 degrees C. His chest x-ray revealed pleural effusion on the left side. Though antibiotic therapy was already being conducted, the left pleural effusion and fever aggravated. Repeated ultrasonography disclosed an occult left subphrenic abscess, explaining the fever and left pleural effusion on the radiograph. Fourth operation of abscess drainage and infected shunt removal with extraventricular drainage was done. After the operation, his fever and pleural effision were rapidly disappered, and postoperative CSF culture was negative. A review of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection associated with subphrenic abscess and pleural effusion was discussed.
Abdominal Abscess ; Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Brain ; Catheters ; Chest Pain ; Child, Preschool ; Drainage ; Edema ; Fever ; Headache ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Male ; Peritoneal Lavage ; Peritonitis ; Pleural Effusion* ; Shoulder ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; Subphrenic Abscess* ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt*

OBJECTIVES: Copper and Zinc, the trace elements of a living body, take a part in immunologic mechanism and induce the pulmonary fibrosis which is the pathologic progress of pneumoconiosis. This study was performed to assist the identification of the pathologic process of pulmonary fibrosis in pneumoconiosis. METHODS: The subjects of this study was 200 diagnosed persons as pneumoconiosis, of whom 100 persons was the visitors in the outpatients departments of pneumoconiosis and 100 admissive pneumoconiosis patients. The serum copper and zinc are measured and com pared. RESULTS: The mean serum copper concentration of visitor group was significantly higher than that of control group, and that of stage V3 subgroup of visitor group was highest because of their advanced fibrosis. But, there was not the difference of serum copper concentration between patient and control group. We thought that the reason was poor nutritional and health status of the patient. The mean of serum zinc concentration of visitor and patient control was lower than that of control group. As the degree of pulmonary fibrosis was more severe from stage Vl, V2, V3 of visitor to stage Pl, P2, P3 of patient, the mean of serum zinc concentration was lower. The ratio of serum copper/zinc of visitor and patient was higher than that of control, and that of patient was higher than that of visitor. Those results showed that the ratio of serum copper/zinc ratio more greatly expressed the degree of progression of pneumoconiosis than only copper or zinc concentration by adjustment of nutritional and health status of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: As above study results, the degree of pulmonary fibrosis of pneumoconiosis could be estimated by means of serum copper/zinc ratio.
Copper* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Trace Elements ; Zinc*

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to elucidate the natural course of unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) at a single institution. METHODS: Data from patients diagnosed with UIA from March 2000 to May 2008 at our hospital were subjected to a retrospective analysis. The cumulative and annual aneurysm rupture rates were calculated. Additionally, risk factors associated with aneurysmal rupture were identified. RESULTS: A total of 1339 aneurysms in 1006 patients met the inclusion criteria. During the follow-up period, 685 aneurysms were treated before rupture via either an open surgical or endovascular procedure. Six hundred fifty-four UIAs were identified and not repaired during the follow-up period. The mean UIA size was 4.5+/-3.2 mm, and 86.5% of the total UIAs had a largest dimension <7 mm. Among these UIAs, 18 ruptured at a median of 1.6 years (range : 27 days to 9.8 years) after day 0. The annual rupture risk during a 9-year follow-up was 1.00%. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that the aneurysm size and a history of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) were statistically significant risk factors for rupture. For an aneurysms smaller than 7 mm in the absence of a history of SAH, the annual rupture risk was 0.79%. CONCLUSION: In our study, the annual rupture risk for UIAs smaller than 7 mm in the absence of a history of SAH was higher than that of Western populations but similar to that of the Japanese population.
Aneurysm ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Endovascular Procedures ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Natural History* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Risk Factors ; Rupture ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Accurate assessment of nutrient adequacy of a population should be based on usual intake distribution of that population. This study was conducted to adjust usual nutrient intake distributions of a single 24-hour recall in 2001 Korean National Health and Nutrition Surveys (KNHNS) in order to determine the magnitude of limitations inherent to a single 24-hour recall in assessing nutrient intakes of a population. Of 9,960 individuals who provided one 24-hour recall in 2001 KNHNS, 3,976 subjects provided an additional one-day 24-hour recall in 2002 Korean National Nutrition Survey by Season (KNNSS). To adjust for usual intake distribution, we estimated within-individual variations derived from 2001 KNHNS and 2002 KNNSS using the Iowa State University method. Nutritionally at risk population was assessed in reference to the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs). The Korean Estimated Average Requirement (Korean EAR) cut-point was applied to estimate the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes except for iron intakes, which were assessed using the probability approach. The estimated proportions below Korean EAR for calcium, riboflavin, and iron were 73%, 41%, and 24% from usual intake distribution and 70%, 51%, and 39% from one-day intake distribution, respectively. The estimated proportion of sodium intakes over the Intake Goal of 2,000 mg/day was 100% of the population after adjustment. The energy proportion from protein was within Korean Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (Korean AMDR), whereas that of carbohydrate was higher than the upper limit and that of fat was below the lower limit in the subjects aged 30 years or older. According to these results, the prevalence of nutritional inadequacy and excess intake is over-estimated in Korea unless usual intake distributions are adjusted for one-day intakes of most nutrients.
Aged ; Calcium ; Ear ; Humans ; Iowa ; Iron ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Riboflavin ; Seasons ; Sodium

The epidemiological study to evaluate the prevalence rate and the morphological classification was performed in Do Bong-Gu, Seoul from May 9, 1989 to May 25, 1989. However, this report was a part of preliminary data to make a further population based epidemiological study to evaluate the prevalence rate and morphological classification of the age-related cataract in Korea. The results of this study are as follow: 1. The total examinees were 100;39 male and 61 female, and they were over 40 years of age who complained of recent visual acuity decrement. 2. 91 persons had lens opacity in different decement. 3. The prevalence rate of cataract was 89.7% in male and 93.4% in female and the sexual difference shows that the female had more higher frequency of lens opacity. 4. The classification of lens opacity according to the stage showed that the immature cataract was the most frequent type. The cortical cataract was the most frequent type and the mixed type was second in order by the morphological classification. 5. The prevalence rate of cataract in age had strong tendency to increase in older age and in 80s the rate was in 100%.
Cataract* ; Classification* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Seoul* ; Visual Acuity

The epidemiological study to evaluate the prevalence rate and the morphological classification was performed in Do Bong-Gu, Seoul from May 9, 1989 to May 25, 1989. However, this report was a part of preliminary data to make a further population based epidemiological study to evaluate the prevalence rate and morphological classification of the age-related cataract in Korea. The results of this study are as follow: 1. The total examinees were 100;39 male and 61 female, and they were over 40 years of age who complained of recent visual acuity decrement. 2. 91 persons had lens opacity in different decement. 3. The prevalence rate of cataract was 89.7% in male and 93.4% in female and the sexual difference shows that the female had more higher frequency of lens opacity. 4. The classification of lens opacity according to the stage showed that the immature cataract was the most frequent type. The cortical cataract was the most frequent type and the mixed type was second in order by the morphological classification. 5. The prevalence rate of cataract in age had strong tendency to increase in older age and in 80s the rate was in 100%.
Cataract* ; Classification* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Seoul* ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVE: Several surgical methods have been reported for treatment of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in the thoracic spine. Despite rapid innovation of instruments and techniques for spinal surgery, the postoperative outcomes are not always favorable. This article reports a minimally invasive anterior decompression technique without instrumented fusion, which was modified from the conventional procedure. The authors present 2 cases of huge beak-type OPLL. Patients underwent minimally invasive anterior decompression without fusion. This method created a space on the ventral side of the OPLL without violating global thoracic spinal stability. Via this space, the OPLL and anterior lateral side of the dural sac can be seen and manipulated directly. Then, total removal of the OPLL was accomplished. No orthosis was needed. In this article, we share our key technique and concepts for treatment of huge thoracic OPLL. METHODS: Case 1. 51-year-old female was referred to our hospital with right lower limb radiating pain and paresis. Thoracic OPLL at T6–7 had been identified at our hospital, and conservative treatment had been tried without success. Case 2. This 54-year-old female with a 6-month history of progressive gait disturbance and bilateral lower extremity radiating pain (right>left) was admitted to our institute. She also had hypoesthesia in both lower legs. Her symptoms had been gradually progressing. Computed tomography scans showed massive OPLL at the T9–10 level. Magnetic resonance imaging of the thoracolumbar spine demonstrated ventral bony masses with severe anterior compression of the spinal cord at the same level. RESULTS: We used this surgical method in 2 patients with a huge beaked-type OPLL in the thoracic level. Complete removal of the OPLL via anterior decompression without instrumented fusion was accomplished. The 1st case had no intraoperative or postoperative complications, and the 2nd case had 1 intraoperative complication (dural tear) and no postoperative complications. There were no residual symptoms of the lower extremities. CONCLUSION: This surgical technique allows the surgeon to safely and effectively perform minimally invasive anterior decompression without instrumented fusion via a transthoracic approach for thoracic OPLL. It can be applied at the mid and lower level of the thoracic spine and could become a standard procedure for treatment of huge beak-type thoracic OPLL.
Decompression* ; Female ; Gait ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Intraoperative Complications ; Leg ; Longitudinal Ligaments* ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methods ; Middle Aged ; Orthotic Devices ; Paresis ; Postoperative Complications ; Spinal Cord ; Spine* ; Thoracic Vertebrae

A clinical observation was done on random 42 cases of acute and uncomplicated bacterial pyelonephritis. The following results were obtained: 1. All cases were female. 2. The most common age group was 2nd decade (47.6%). 3. All isolated organisms were Gram negative bacteria and E. coli was most common (90%). 4. On excretory urogram, 3 cases (7%)were abnormal and one of them showed acute segmental pyelonephritis. 5. The right side was affected 3 times more than left and 8 cases were bilateral.
Female ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; Humans ; Pyelonephritis*