No abstract available.
Movement Disorders* ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
DNA Fingerprinting* ; DNA* ; Humans* ; Papilloma*

BACKGROUND: We performed this study to evaluate the long-term clinical prognosis, the effects of anti-anginal medicines on angina, and the factors on recurrence of angina in patients with angina and insignificant coronary artery stenosis (CAS). METHODS: The study population was consisted of 372 patients with angina and normal or minimal (less than 50 % stenosed) CAS out of 2475 consecutive patients who were performed coronary angiogram for 3.5 years. We reviewed the medical record of the study population. RESULTS: Myocardial infarction was developed in 2 cases (0.5%), recurrence of angina 59 cases (16%), and no death during mean 19 months follow-up period out of 372 patients. Patients with normal coronary artery (n=66) were younger (mean 54 yrs vs 59 yrs, p<0.001), had less incidence of diabetes (5% vs 13%, p<0.01), hypertension (19% vs 29%, p<0.05), recurrent angina (15% vs 18%, not significant), and myocardial infarction (0.4% vs 0.9%, not significant) than patients with minimal lesion (n=06). Anti-anginal medicine did not show benefits in relieving recurrent angina. Furthermore, in case of taking nitrates in patients with normal coronary artery, there was more frequent recurrence of angina (23% vs 13%, p<0.01) than not taking nitrates. There were no affecting factors to the recurrent angina among age, sex, ischemic changes on electrocardiogram, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSION: The long-term clinical outcomes in patients with insignificant CAS were good. Although there were no definite factors for recurrence of chest pain, administration of nitrates may cause more frequent angina in patients with normal coronary angiography.
Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Stenosis* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Myocardial Infarction ; Nitrates ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Smoke ; Smoking

OBJECTIVE: To classify the findings of magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar interspinous ligaments in relation to the lumbar disc herniation, disc degeneration, and lordosis. METHOD: The subjects were 45 herniated intervertebral disc(HIVD) patients and 35 normal subjects on MRI finding. The magnetic resonance features of the interspinous ligament were classified into five categories according to their signal intensities: type 1A (low intensity on T1- and T2- weighted images without hypertrophy of spinal process); type 1B (same signal pattern as in type 1A with hypertrophy of spinal process); type 2 (low intensity on T1- and high intensity on T2-weighted images); type 3 (high intensity on T1-weighted images); type 4 (others). RESULTS: The most common type in both HIVD patients and normal subjects was type 3. The mean age and disc degeneration grade of the type 1B ligaments were significantly higher. Lordosis of type 1B of L5-S1 interspinous ligament was increased with significant difference. CONCLUSION: The classification of the MRI findings of interspinous types didn't show statistical difference between HIVD patients and normal subjects, but was helpful in assessing the degree of the degeneration of the intervertebral disc and age.
Animals ; Classification* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Intervertebral Disc* ; Ligaments* ; Lordosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets*

The 56-kilodalton protein genes of Orientia tsutsugamushi TA678, TA686, TA716, TA763 strains were amplified by PCR. The amplified products were sequenced and cloned into pIH821 vector. The recombinant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins with maltose binding protein. The recombinant proteins were purified and used for the sensitization of sheep RBCs and the reactivity of the recombinant 56-kDa proteins of Orientia tsutsugamushi TA 678, TA686, TA716 strains were analyzed with 40 sera from scrub typhus patients in Korea, 40 sera from scrub typhus in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines. The 56-kDa protein coding DNA sequence of Orientia tsutsugamushi TA678, TA686, TA716 show 70 to 88% homology with other known strains and four variable regions are also observed. 39 of 40 sera from scrub typhus patients in Korea showed the strongest reactivity to the recombinant protein of Boryong strain and one sera showed the strongest reactivity to the recombinant protein of Gilliam strain. 14 of 40 sera from patients in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines showed the strongest reactivity to the recombinant protein of TA686 strain and 12 sera showed the strongest reactivity to the recombinant protein of TA716 strain. No serum from patients in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines showed the strongest reactivity to the recombinant protein of Boryong strain.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Base Sequence ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Clinical Coding ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Molecular* ; Escherichia coli ; Hemagglutination Tests* ; Hemagglutination* ; Humans ; Korea ; Malaysia ; Maltose-Binding Proteins ; Orientia tsutsugamushi* ; Philippines ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recombinant Proteins ; Scrub Typhus ; Sheep ; Thailand

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The identification of a specific etiology of effusive pericardial disease is difficult because of the limited yield of cytologic and microbiologic pericardial fluid analysis. We performed retrospective study to find out whether pericardial biopsy was superior to pericardial fluid analysis in search of the etiology of pericardial effusion. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We reviewed 76 cases of moderate to severe pericardial effusion on which we performed surgical pericardial biopsy from Sep. 1986 to Sep. 1996. The results of pericardial fluid analysis, clinical manifestation, pericardial biopsy were compared retrospectively. RESULTS: 1)Clinical diagnosis of pericardial effusion were as follow:neoplastic disease (7.9%), tuberculosis (72.4%), constrictive pericarditis (17.1%), and others (2.6%). 2)By the percutaneous pericardial biopsy, we confirmed 19 cases (25%). Etiology of 4 cases (5.3%) were malignancy and 15 cases (19.7%) tuberculosis. Fifteen out of 76 patients who were diagnosed by biopsy as tuberculous pericarditis and 28 patients who were suspected as tuberculous pericarditis clinically were treated with antituberculous medications. Ten patients (66.7%) of pathologically diagnosed patients and 18 patients (69.2%) of clinically diagnosed patients showed complete resolution of pericarditis. CONCLUSION: By pericardial biopsy, we only confirmed 19 cases (25.0%). It means that pericardial biopsy is not superior to pericardial fluid analysis in searching of etiology of pericardial effusion. Moreover, it is not sufficient for final diagnosis of pericardial effusion.
Biopsy* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pericarditis ; Pericarditis, Constrictive ; Pericarditis, Tuberculous ; Retrospective Studies ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: Acromioclavicular (AC) stability is maintained through a complex combination of soft-tissue restraints that include coracoclavicular (CC), AC ligament and overlying muscles. Among these structures, the role of the CC ligament has continued to be studied because of its importance on shoulder kinematics, especially after AC injury. This study was designed to determine the geometric change of conoid and trapezoid ligaments and resulting stresses on these ligaments according to various scapular motions. METHODS: The scapuloclavicular (SC) complex was isolated from a fresh-frozen cadaver by removing all soft tissues except the AC and CC ligaments. The anatomically aligned SC complex was then scanned with a high-resolution computed tomography scanner into 0.6-mm slices. The Finite element model of the SC complex was obtained and used for calculating the stress on different parts of the CC ligaments with simulated movements of the scapula. RESULTS: Average stress on the conoid ligament during anterior tilt, internal rotation, and scapular protraction was higher, whereas the stress on the trapezoid ligament was more prominent during posterior tilt, external rotation, and retraction. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that CC ligament plays an integral role in regulating horizontal SC motion as well as complex motions indicated by increased stress over the ligament with an incremental scapular position change. The conoid ligament is the key structure restraining scapular protraction that might occur in high-grade AC dislocation. Hence in CC ligament reconstructions involving only single bundle, every attempt must be made to reconstruct conoid part of CC ligament as anatomically as possible.
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Cadaver* ; Dislocations ; Ligaments* ; Muscles ; Scapula ; Shoulder

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets*

BACKGROUND: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia/ thrombosis (HITT) is recognized as the most frequent and fatal symptom complexes in patients receiving heparin therapy. The antibodies of HITT are not directly bound to heparin but bound to complexes of heparin and platelet factor 4 (PF4) derived from platelet alpha-granules. That is, HITT IgG antibody-heparin-PF4 immune complexes are bound to FcgammaRII receptor of platelets, which induced thrombocytopenia. Some researches showed the antibodies reactive to platelets could be IgM or IgA as well as IgG. So in this study, the authors tried to explain the molecular basis of heparin-PF4-isoantibody complexes . METHODS: In HITT patients who had received long-term heparin therapy, we determined HITT isoantibodies and titers using heparin:PF4 ELISA. When fifteen HITT patients with high titer antibodies (more than 1 : 100) were selected, reaction patterns of isoantibodies with the platelets were examined through serotonin release test and flow cytometry. RESULTS: All patients showed one or more isotype antibodies and the most frequent isotype was IgGl (nine patients) . In the presence of optimal concentra pion of heparin and PF4, ten patients had antibodies which activated platelets, and all of them were positive in serotonin release test. Reactive plasmas had IgGl, IgG3, IgA or IgM antibodies, and each of them except one had IgGl. These platelet activations could be blocked in vitro by anti-IV.3 antibody. Non-reactive plasmas were negative In serotonin release assay nor had TgGl. The plasmas 4hat had two or more isoantibodies showed a similar pattern of the IgG antibody by flow cytometry. CONCLUSIONS: The HITT antibodies can be all kinds of antibody isotopes, but IgA and IgM may not bind to the platelets directly. It seems to be possible only after reacting with heparin-PF4-IgG complexes.
Antibodies ; Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Blood Platelets ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Heparin ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Isoantibodies ; Isotopes ; Mesons ; Plasma ; Platelet Activation ; Platelet Factor 4 ; Serotonin ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thrombosis*