BACKGROUND: Noninvasive estimation of pulmonary artery pressure is an important component of echocardiographic studies. A number of methods are available for estimation of pulmenary pressure, each with varying degrees of reported accuracy. To assess accuracy and difficulties, noninvasive pulmonary artery pressure estimates were performed in infants and children with congenital heart diseases. METHODS: Noninvasive estimates from 8 methods were compared with catheterization measurements. Systolic pressure was estimated by the Burstin method and from perak tricuspid regurgitation velocity, and also from systolic pressure gradients through the VSD(ventricular septal defect) and PDA(patent ductus arteriosus). Mean pressure was estimated by acceleration time divided by ejection time measured from Koppler spectrum obtained at the right ventricular out flow tract. Diastolic pressure was estimated from pulmonary regurgitation velocity spentrum at end-diastolic, and also from diastolic pressure gradient through the patent ductus arteriosus. RESULTS: IN systolic pressure, Burstin and tricuspid regurgitation velocities estimates correlated significantly(r=0.92, 0.90 respectively), whereas VSD and PDA estimates correlated less well with catheterization estimates(r=0.83, 0.65 respectively). The mean pressure, measured from RVOT(right ventricular outflow tract) Doppler spectrum corresponded well with catheterization pressure(r=0.89), whereas those obtained from the main pulmonary artery correlated less well(r=0.74). The diastolic pressure estimates from pulmonary regurgitation velocity spectrum, revealed good correlation(r=0.79), but those from diastolic Doppler spectrum at PDA correlated less well with catheterization estimates(r=0.63). CONCLUSION: All of eight Doppler echocardiographic methods seemed to be easily performable for estimation of pulmonary artery pressure. But, the degree of accuracy was variable. Because a pressure estimante from only a single method may be in error, care should be taken in combining use of other(one or two) methods.
Acceleration ; Blood Pressure ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Child ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Pulmonary Valve Insufficiency ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency

No abstract available.
Adenosarcoma* ; Endometrium* ; Female

No abstract available.
Adenosarcoma* ; Endometrium* ; Female

Neurilemmomas of the trachea are extremely rare. The most common site of them is the distal third of the trachea and the age of the patients at presentation varied from 6 to 78 years old. They usually have a freqeuntly very long natural history, causing symptoms only after they have attained a considerable size. We experienced a case of near-total obstruction of the trachea by an intraluminal sessile neurilemmoma. The patient was a 66-year-old man with 2-year history of progressive exertional dyspnea and had several episodes of pneumonitis associated with productive cough. Grossly, the tumor was a well-circumscribed mass. Microscopically, typical cellular Antoni A and myxoid Antoni B areas were revealed.
Aged ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Natural History ; Neurilemmoma* ; Pneumonia ; Trachea

No abstract available.

Between January 1989 and July 1990, nonsurgical managements were tried in 9 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia who were with a high surgical risk or didn`t want an operation. The prostatic balloon catheters were used in 3 patients and the urological spirals in 6 patients. They were followed with clinical evaluations, urine cultures and urine flow rates at 2 and 6 weeks. All procedures were done under the local anesthesia, except one spinal anesthesia. In the prostatic balloon catheter group, all three patients had recurrent voiding symptoms at 2, 3 and 9 months after prostatic balloon dilatation, respectively. In the urological spiral group, one procedure failed due to upward migration of the spiral into the bladder. In the remaining 5 patients, it has worked well up to 11 months after the procedure. Despite of some improvements in subjective voiding symptoms after procedure, there was no significant difference between before and after the procedure in maximum flow rate and total voided volume. Our results suggest that this modality, especially the urological spiral, can be a useful alternative to an operation in selected patients with an increased surgical risk.
Anesthesia, Local ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Catheters* ; Dilatation ; Humans ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Urinary Bladder

No abstract available.
Cerebral Palsy* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to investigate the perception on working conditions and utilization of clinical research coordinators (CRCs) among investigators and sponsors. METHODS: The participants of this cross-section study were 114 investigators and 138 sponsors including clinical research associates (CRAs) who have worked with CRCs. Data was collected with paper or electronic form of self-administered questionnaires and analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi2 test or t test. RESULTS: Among investigators and sponsors, 56.1 % and 95.0 % perceived regular full-time positions as proper type of CRC employment, respectively. Those who perceived monthly salary with incentive as proper payment system were 67.5 % of investigators and 68.8 % of sponsors. The proper salary for 2-year CRCs and 5-year CRCs were significantly higher in sponsors than investigators. Investigators perceived CRCs could handle 3 studies as the same time and 5 studies per year. In regard to the difficulty in utilizing CRCs, 68.4 % of investigators perceived lack of experienced CRCs and 84.8 % of sponsors did frequent turnover. Those who responded pooling CRCs by hospital or clinical trial centers as a good solution to hire CRCs easily were 81.6 % of investigators and 58.0 % of sponsors. CONCLUSION: Almost all investigators and sponsors perceived CRCs were helpful for improving the quality of clinical trials. We recommend each institution or clinical trial centers could introduce the central CRCs' employment and management with proper salary and workload based on the results to maintain experienced CRCs and lessen the turnover of CRCs.
Calcium Hydroxide ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Employment ; Humans ; Motivation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Personnel ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits ; Zinc Oxide

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of glucose transporter in peritoneal glucose and fluid transport. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. 5mL normal saline with(CB) and without(C) Cytochalasin B(1 muM) was intraperitoneally injected once. From the next day 25 mL commercial dialysis solutions containing 4.25% glucose was injected into the peritoneal cavity twice a day for 8 weeks in a half of each group(CB-IP, n=6 and C-IP, n=8). The other half of each group served as control without IP(C- Control, n=7 and CB-Control, n=7). A 2 hour dwell study was performed using dialysis solutions containing 4.25% glucose. Intraperitoneal volume(IPV) after 2 hours of dwell was measured and peritoneal fluid absorption rate(Qa) was calculated as RISA disappearance rate. Dialysate glucose amount remaining after 2hour dwell(DGA) was calculated and expressed as % of the initial value. RESULTS: IPV was significantly higher in CB than in C in both IP and Control. IPV was significantly lower in C-IP than in C-Control and CB-IP while it was similar between CB-Control and CB-IP. Qa was significantly higher in IP than in Control. DGR was significantly higher in CB than in C and in control than in IP. CONCLUSION: Longterm peritoneal exposure to high glucose dialysis solution increased peritoneal glucose absorption and decreased ultrafiltration volume in rat. A single IP use of glucose transporter inhibitor attenuated increased glucose absorption and decreased ultrafiltration after longterm peritoneal exposure to dialysate.
Absorption* ; Animals ; Ascitic Fluid ; Dialysis ; Dialysis Solutions ; Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative* ; Glucose* ; Humans ; Male ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ultrafiltration

It has been known that the immunological functions against cancer cells were diminished, and these phenomena result from the inhibition of cell-mediated immunity by substance(s) secreted from cancer cells. It was also reported that the immunological functions decreased in patients with stomach cancer, which is the most frequent cnacer in Korean. However, the nature and function of the inhibitory factor(s) orignated from stomach cancer have not been identified. To elucidate effects of immuological inhibitory factor(s) secreted from cancer cells, SNU-1 (stomach cancer) and SW480 P109/R3P2 (colon cancer) were used in this study. Jurkat T cell line, an acute T cell leukemia, was pre-incubated with fractionated cancer cell culture supernatant for 3 days, then was stimulated with PMA, PWVanti-CD28 mAb or PMA/ionomycin for 8 hrs respectively. Fraction of SNU-1 (3 - 10 kDa) and above 10 kDa of SW480 P109/R3P2 inhibited the expression of IFN-r mRNA when Jurkat T cell was stimulated with PMA. However, there were no difference in IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression response to either PMA/anti-CD28 mAb or PMA/ionomycin. These results show that cancer cells secret some inhibitory factor(s) acting on the immune response, especially IFN-r gene expression of the Jurkat T cells response to PMA. Therefore, it suggests that the inhibitory factor(s) secreted from cancer cells influences on. the PKC-dependent pathway related to the signal transduction by PMA.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; Leukemia, T-Cell ; RNA, Messenger ; Signal Transduction ; Stomach Neoplasms ; T-Lymphocytes