BACKGROUND: Mesenteric infarction is a significant cause of death in elderly patients, and is being reported with increasing frequency. The diagnosis seldom is made prior to the onset of gangrene, despite an increased awareness of the lethality of mesenteric ischemia. The outcome for patients with mesenteric ischemia depends on the age of the patient, the extent and the severity of the ischemia and the effectiveness of the collateral blood supply. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 23 patient with mesenteric infarction who had been treated at the Department of Surgery, Hallym University, Chunchon Sacred Heart Hospital, between September 1988 and August 1977. RESULTS: The mean age was 52.3 years and the ratio of males to females was 1:1.6. The most frequent underlying diseases were hypertension, congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and myocardial infarction. The radiologic study of a simple plain abdomen revealed a paralytic ileus in 87% of the cases; a partial vascular occlusion was shown under angiogram. The mean time lapse from onset of symptom to operation was 38.3 hours. Eight (34.8%) patients died when renal failure, ARDS or peritonitis developed. CONCLUSIONS: The cause of the persistently high mortality in patients with mesenteric in farction and to define a more effective form of management based on our results and recent clinical or laboratory findings. This study was concluded that early detection of the mesenteric infarction was reduced postoperative complications.
Abdomen ; Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Cause of Death ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Gangrene ; Gangwon-do ; Heart ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infarction* ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Ischemia ; Male ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Peritonitis ; Postoperative Complications ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies

Paclitaxel (taxol) is known as effective drug inhibition of cell cycle encouraging activity in human ovarian and metastatic breast cancers and malignant melanoma. It is an antimicrotubule agent that is believed to mediate its antineoplastic effects by inducing mitotic arrest followed by apoptosis. The relation between phorbol 12 myristate 13 acetate (PMA), protein kinase C (PKC) activator, and taxol-induced apoptosis is not well understood until now. This study was performed to investigate the effects of PMA on the signal transduction pathways of taxol-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells. Taxol-induced apoptosis is attenuated by curcumine, JNK inhibitor, and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), inhibitor of NFkB. Pretreatment with PKC activator (PMA) or protein kinase A (PKA) activators (forskolin and dibutyryl cAMP) inhibited taxol-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. In addition, thapsigargin, a specific inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum(ER) Ca(2+)-ATPase and CaCl2, also blocked the activation of caspases by taxol. From these results suggest that taxol-induced apoptosis may be mediated via JNK or NFkB pathway and PKC activation.
Apoptosis ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Caspases ; Cell Cycle ; Curcumin ; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells* ; Melanoma ; Myristic Acid ; Paclitaxel ; Protein Kinase C ; Signal Transduction ; Thapsigargin

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Electronic Health Records* ; Herpes Zoster* ; Retrospective Studies*

Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting without using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a recently accepted modality of myocardial revascularization prcedures which is particularly suitable to the patients with lesions in the left anterior descending (LAD) and the right coronary arteries. Of the consecutive 35 patients of coronary artery bypass grafting performed at Sejong General Hospital from March to August 1996, six patients underwent minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting without CPB. All had stenotic lesions of the LAD more than 90%. Bypass grafting of the LAD was approached through midline sternotomy in one, through ministernotomy in two, and through limited left anterior thoracotomy in three patients, respectively. The internal mammary arteries were prepared without the use of thoracoscope. The mobilized mammary arteries were connected directly to the LAD in 5 patients, and the anastomosis required interposition of a segment of the radial artery in the remaining one. The diagonal branch was revascularized with the saphenous vein graft at the same time in one patient. No blood transfusion was necessary in 2 patients, and average blood required during surgery was 800ml in 4 patients. All patients were extubated from 4 to 14 hours (mean 9 hours) after operation. Early postoperative coronary angiography in 5 patients between 7 and 10 days after surgery has proved full patency of the grafts. With these limited clinical experiences, the clinical results demonstrated that minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting without CPB is an useful procedure especially in patients with isolated lesion in the proximal LAD.
Blood Transfusion ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Mammary Arteries ; Myocardial Revascularization ; Radial Artery ; Saphenous Vein ; Sternotomy ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive ; Thoracoscopes ; Thoracotomy ; Transplants

In small children with left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, a few methods of surgical treatment could be considrred. The pulmonary autogrart provides a promising options for aortic valve replacement as part of the aortoventriculoplasty procedure in children. We report a successfully treated congenital aortic stcnoinsufricicncy with severe left ventricular dysfunction in an early infant with the aortoventriculoplasty using thc pulmonary autograft (the Ross-Konno procedure).
Aortic Valve ; Autografts* ; Child ; Dronabinol ; Humans ; Infant ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; Ventricular Outflow Obstruction

Purpose: Patients who have undergone gastrectomy have unique symptoms that are not appropriately assessed using currently available tools. This study developed and validated a symptom-focused quality of life (QoL) questionnaire for patients who have received gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods Based on a literature review, patient interviews, and expert consultation by the KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group (KOQUSS), the initial item pool was developed. Two large-scale developmental studies were then sequentially conducted for exploratory factor analyses for content validity and item reduction. The final item pool was validated in a separate cohort of patients and assessed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and clinical validity. Results The initial questionnaire consisted of 46-items in 12 domains. Data from 465 patients at 11 institutions, followed by 499 patients at 13 institutions, were used to conduct item reduction and exploratory factor analyses. The final questionnaire (KOQUSS-40) comprised 40 items within 11 domains. Validation of KOQUSS-40 was conducted on 413 patients from 12 hospitals. KOQUSS-40 was found to have good model fit. The mean summary score of the KOQUSS-40 was correlated with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and STO22 (correlation coefficients, 0.821 and 0.778, respectively). The KOQUSS-40 score was also correlated with clinical factors, and had acceptable internal consistency (> 0.7). Test-retest reliability was greater than 0.8. Conclusion The KOQUSS-40 can be used to assess QoL of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy and allows for a robust comparison of surgical techniques in clinical trials.

Purpose: Patients who have undergone gastrectomy have unique symptoms that are not appropriately assessed using currently available tools. This study developed and validated a symptom-focused quality of life (QoL) questionnaire for patients who have received gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Materials and Methods Based on a literature review, patient interviews, and expert consultation by the KOrean QUality of life in Stomach cancer patients Study group (KOQUSS), the initial item pool was developed. Two large-scale developmental studies were then sequentially conducted for exploratory factor analyses for content validity and item reduction. The final item pool was validated in a separate cohort of patients and assessed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and clinical validity. Results The initial questionnaire consisted of 46-items in 12 domains. Data from 465 patients at 11 institutions, followed by 499 patients at 13 institutions, were used to conduct item reduction and exploratory factor analyses. The final questionnaire (KOQUSS-40) comprised 40 items within 11 domains. Validation of KOQUSS-40 was conducted on 413 patients from 12 hospitals. KOQUSS-40 was found to have good model fit. The mean summary score of the KOQUSS-40 was correlated with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and STO22 (correlation coefficients, 0.821 and 0.778, respectively). The KOQUSS-40 score was also correlated with clinical factors, and had acceptable internal consistency (> 0.7). Test-retest reliability was greater than 0.8. Conclusion The KOQUSS-40 can be used to assess QoL of gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy and allows for a robust comparison of surgical techniques in clinical trials.