BACKGROUND: Recent evidences suggest that anesthetic action within the spinal cord is important in suppressing somatic responses to painful stimuli. Intrathecal endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to have antinociceptive effect. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether intrathecal ET-1 may influence the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in rats and access the role of the spinal cord as the sites of anesthetic action in blocking somatic responsiveness. METHODS: In Sprague-Dawley rats fitted with an indwelling intrathecal catheter, we determined the MAC of isoflurane using a tail-clamp technique as a painful stimulus, combined with end-tidal anesthetic sampling. In experiment 1, the control MAC was determined and changes of control MAC were observed after intrathecal ET-1 (4x10-2 nmol, 4x10-3 nmol) administration. In experiment 2, we observed the effects of L or N type Ca++ channel blocker such as verapamil (50 g) or W-conotoxin (0.5 g) on the MAC after measurement of the control MAC. In experiment 3, after measurement of the control MAC, ET-1 (10-2 nmol) was administered intrathecally and the MAC was determined again. Next, intrathecal verapamil (50 g) or W-conotoxin (0.5 g) was injected. After that, the MAC was determined again. RESULTS: In experiment 1, ET-1 decreased the MAC of isoflurane and its effect was sustained over 2 hours. In experiment 2, the MAC, determined following administration of verapamil or W-conotoxin, was not different from that of the control. In experiment 3, the MAC was decreased after ET-1 administration and then increased following injection of verapamil or W-conotoxin. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that ET-1, in relation to calcium, might play an important role in determining the MAC of isoflurane in the spinal cord.
Animals ; Calcium ; Catheters ; Endothelin-1* ; Isoflurane* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; Verapamil

No abstract available.
Humans

This study was undertaken at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chonnam University Medical School, to investigate the association between some of the risk factor and the incidence of intrauterine fetal growth restriction(IUGR). The studied population was selected from patients who admitted at Chonnam University Hospital during January, 1992 through May, 1997, with following criteria, Korean, singletone pregnancy with live birth and known gestational weeks with 28 or more. And then, the risk factors were analyzed in terms of maternal factor, placental factor, and fetal factor. The following results were obtained. 1) The incidence of IUGR was 6.1%. 2) The incidence of IUGR was higher at young aged mother and nullipara. 3) Only 39.1% of etiologic factors for IUGR was found to have known causes. According to the risk factors for IUGR, hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, anemia, cardiac disease, leukemia, and pulmonary tuberculosis were associated with increased incidence of IUGR. 4) The relative risk of IUGR was much higher in neonates born with congenital anomalies. 5) According to the placental causes of IUGR, placenta previa and placenta abruption showed some association with IUGR.
Anemia ; Fetal Development* ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gynecology ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Jeollanam-do ; Leukemia ; Live Birth ; Mothers ; Obstetrics ; Placenta ; Placenta Previa ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Schools, Medical ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Paralyses, Familial Periodic*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Inpatients*

Although many reports have been published about Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, developmental dysplasia of hip, it is difficult to gain a satisfactory results in treatment. We experienced 9 year-old girl with ipsilateral neglected DDH combined with contralateral LCPD, and treated with Klisic operation for DDH and femoral valgus osteotomy for hinged abduction of LCPD. We gained satisfactory results and report this rare case.
Child ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease ; Osteotomy

Twenty five patients (twenty seven hips) who had Chiari osteotomy at Kang Nam St. Marys Hospital between 1980 and 1995 were reviewed to evaluate the factors in the operative technique that contribute to successful outcome and assess the clinical results in various conditions. The length of follow-up ranged from one to fourteen years and the age of at operation ranged from four to twentythree years. Eighteen patients had developmental dysplasia of the hip: four, septic hip: three had another disorders, Prior to the Chiari osteotomy, fourteen hips had an femoral osteotomy and four, trochanteric arthroplasty. We used to the standard osteotomy as described by Chiari with certain modification. A pneumatic saw and osteotome are used instead of Gigli saw. This technique is simple procedure to make the correct level and angle. Bone graft was not performed in all cases even the osteotomy was displaced more than 50 percent of the iliac width. The overall results were 12 excellent, eight good, five fair, and two poor. In eleven patients, the osteotomy had to be displaced more than 50 percent to provide good coverage of the femoral head. Their results were good or excellent. A good result will be obtained if enough attention is paid to displacing the osteotomy. The osteotomy using the pneumatic saw provides accurate level and direction of osteotomy and it is an simple procedure also.
Adolescent* ; Arthroplasty ; Child* ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Hip ; Humans ; Osteotomy* ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the role of free fatty acids on the ischemic myocardium, influences of various free fatty acids upon transmembrane action potential and ATP-sensitive K+(KATP) channel activity were examined in the ventricular myocardium and single cardiac myocytes. METHODS: KATP channel activities were measured in the enzymatically (collagenase) isolated single rat ventricular cardiac myocytes by the method of the excised inside-out and the cell-attached patch clamp, and transmembrane action potentials were recorded using the conventional 3M-KCl microelectode techniques in the rat ventricular myocardium. RESULTS: Free fatty acids [FFAs; arachidonic acid (AA), linoleic acid (LA) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC)] reduced the KATP channel activity in a dose-dependent manner in the inside-out patch, and 50%-inhibition concentrations (IC50) were 88 +/- 11.2, 49 +/- 12.5, and 188 +/- 17.4 M respectively. Both frequency of channel opening and the mean open-burst duration were markedly decreased, but the amplitude of single channel currents were not changed by the FFAs. AA (50 micrometer) and LPC (50 micrometer) did not affect the dinitrophenol (DNP, 50 micrometer)-induced KATP channel activity, whereas LA (50 micrometer) had a tendency to reduce the activity. The channel inhibition effects by 10 micrometer AA in the inside-out patch were significantly augmented by diclofenac (10 micrometer), but was not changed by nordihydroguaiaretic acid. FFAs never stimulated KATP channel activity, even in the inside-out patch where KATP channel activity reduced in the presence of internal ATP (100 micrometer). Time for 90% repolarization (APD90) significantly increased during superfusion of the FFAs, to 22 (50 micrometer AA), 24 (50 micrometer LA), and 18 (50 micrometer LPC) % from those of the contol at the time of 10 min superfusion, but the other action potential characteristics were not changed by the FFAs. AA (10 micrometer) attenuated cromakalim (10 micrometer)-induced APD90 shortening effects. CONCLUSION: It was inferred that FFAs inhibit the KATP channel activity directly by themselves and/or indirectly by their metabolites in the rat ventricular cardiomyocytes, and therefore, duration of action potential lengthens to be a burden over the ischemic myocardium accounting for the injury of myocardium at the late stage of ischemia.
Action Potentials* ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Animals ; Arachidonic Acid ; Cromakalim ; Diclofenac ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified* ; Ischemia ; Linoleic Acid ; Lysophosphatidylcholines ; Masoprocol ; Myocardium* ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Potassium Channels* ; Potassium* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
alpha-Fetoproteins* ; Birth Weight* ; Immunoglobulins* ; Parturition*

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a rare proliferative disease affecting joint synovium, tendon sheaths, bursae. The usual treatment for PVNS is a surgical excision. If destructive joint lesions have occurred, complete resections must be performed followed by arthrodesis or arthroplasty. We report a case of a pigmented villonodular synovitis involving an ankle joint which was treated by total ankle replacement for recurrence after simple synovectomy.
Animals ; Ankle ; Ankle Joint ; Arthrodesis ; Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Ankle ; Joints ; Recurrence ; Synovial Membrane ; Synovitis, Pigmented Villonodular ; Tendons