Otocephaly is a rare malformations comprising hypoplasia or absence of the mandible (agnathia), ventromedial displacement and often fusion of external ears (synotia or otocephaly), and hypoplasia of the oral cavity (microstomia) and tongue (hypoglassia). This developmental complex represents a malformation of the first and second branchial arches and occurs sometimes with holoprosencephaly. We present the ultrasound detection of otocephaly and holoprosencephaly with cyclopia in a fetus of 27 gestational weeks 6 days. The use of three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound made additional diagnostic ultrasound tomograms possible, and the volume reconstructions improved the imaging and the understanding of the condition.
Branchial Region ; Diagnosis* ; Ear, External ; Fetus ; Holoprosencephaly ; Mandible ; Mouth ; Tongue ; Ultrasonography

Ginseng root, as a folk medicine, has been used in for eastern countries for thousands of years. Ginseng extract has been shown to have a variety of effects on the activity of the central nervous system, promoting simulation as well as inhibition of the cortical activity. A survey of the relevant literatures has indicated that the putative anxiolytic activity of red ginseng has not been scientifically investigated. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess anxiolytic effect of ginseng total saponinis(GTS). The putative anxiolytic effects of several fractions of GTS were investigated in mice using an elevated plus maze paradigm. Single dose administration of TS Fr.- I showed anxiolytic action in mice. Anxiolytic effect induced by TS Fr.-I was similar to that induced by diazepam. TS Fr.-II, TS Fr.-III and TS Fr.-IV did not show the anxiolytic action compared with that of TS Fr.-I. It was suggested that regulation of GABAergic neurotransmission may be important in the action of GTS. The Interaction of GTS fractions with benzodiazepine receptor was performed using rat cortical membranes. GTS inhibited the binding of [3H] Rp 15-1788 on the benzodiazepine receptor. Among from TS fractions, the binding activity of GTS in the TS Fr.-IV was highest, which did not show the anxiolytic activity. From these results, we conclude that GTS has anxiolytic action, and the is not related to benzodiazepine receptor binding activity.
Animals ; Anti-Anxiety Agents* ; Central Nervous System ; Diazepam ; Medicine, Traditional ; Membranes ; Mice ; Panax* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Saponins* ; Synaptic Transmission

BACKGROUND: Nm23 gene was identified by the hybridization between two murine melanoma cell lines which had low or high metastatic potential and was located in chromosome 17q22. A number of tumor cohort studies have shown an inverse relationship between the levels of expression of nm23 protein and disease aggressiveness and tumor metastatic potential. METHODS: In order to determine the significance of overexpression of the antimetastatic gene nm23 protein in human-lymph node-negative breast cancer and to compare it with established clinicopathologic prognostic factors such as the tumor size, histologic grades, TNM stages, and hormonal receptor status, we analyzed the nm23 protein expressions by immunohistochemical staining in 53 lymph-node-negative breast-cancer tissue specimens. RESULTS: The nm23 protein expression was positive in 35 cases (66%). There was no relationship between nm23 protein overexpression and menopause status, tumor size, histologic grade, and hormonal receptor status, but tumor stage correlated with nm23 protein overexpression. Also, overexpression of the nm23 protein was significantly correlated with a longer disease-free survival rate. CONCLUSION: Expression of nm23 protein may be of value for predicting the long-term disease-free survival rate in lymph-node-negative breast-cancer patients.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Cell Line ; Cohort Studies ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Melanoma ; Menopause ; Staphylococcal Protein A*

OBJECTIVE: The study shows that the DFS is a questionnaire that almost effortlessly can be completed within 60-90 seconds during any moment of labor and delivery. The aim of the present study was to test the validity and reliability of the DFS, to identify its factor structure in Korea. METHODS: Review of the medical records from the department of obstetrics and gynecology from January to April 2005, a confirmed 51 patients with the diagnosis of singleton pregnancy without medical or obstetrical complications, being in 37-42 weeks. 22 primiparous and 29 multiparous women answered the Delivery Fear Scale (DFS) once during active labor, and the STAI (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) after delivery. Reliability test to calculate Chronbach alpha and validity test to measure correlation between DFS and STAI was done. Then factor analysis was applied with the method of principal component analysis and varimax rotation. RESULTS: Korean version of DFS proved to be a reliable and valid scale statistically: Cronbach's alpha was 0.7182 in study. CONCLUSION: Women's psychological experiences during the actual process of labor and delivery are essential part of obstetrical care. Nevertheless, studies examining psychological variables concerning childbirth, are mostly performed before or after labor. The DFS measures fear during labor and delivery in an effortless and fast away. The development of the Korean version of DFS which is reliable and valid, and consists of three sub-factors may facilitate future research in the field.
Anxiety ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Obstetrics ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy ; Principal Component Analysis ; Surveys and Questionnaire ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of argon laser in the ablation of benign conjunctival pigmented nevi. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, observational case study, on a series of argon laser ablations of conjunctival pigmented nevi, in 30 eyes of 28 patients. Laser ablation was applied directly to the conjunctival pigmented nevus in all patients. The mean age of the patients was 33.0 +/- 9.3 years old, and the male to female ratio was 3: 25. All patients were followed up over a period of at least 6 months. RESULTS: The mean size of the conjunctival lesions was 3.9 X 2.8 mm. In all patients, the conjunctival lesions to which the argon laser was applied disappeared almost completely within two days after treatment. No lesion recurrence was detected in any patient during the follow-up period, nor were there any conjunctival scars or conjunctival injection. All patients were satisfied with the results of the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Argon laser ablation of conjunctival pigmented nevi resulted in uniformly excellent clinical outcomes. Therefore, this study concludes that argon laser ablation is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of benign conjunctival nevi, and that this method is capable of replacing the classical surgical procedure.
Argon* ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laser Therapy* ; Male ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: The CD34+ cell dose and infused number of committed progenitor cells in transplantation are important factors in hematologic engraftment. However, the relationship between expansion potential of progenitor cells and hematologic engraftment remains controversial. We evaluated whether expansion potential of progenitor cells is a predictive factor of post-transplantation hematologic engraftment. METHODS: Mononuclear cells isolated from mobilized peripheral blood and bone marrow were cultured with cytokine cocktail for 7 days. Progenitor cells and committed progenitors were analyzed using stem cell markers (CD34 and CD133) and lineage specific markers. Hematologic engraftment was defined as neutrophil counts over 500/microliter and platelet counts over 20,000/microliter without transfusion. Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were investigated. RESULTS: There was inverse tendency between the number and fold expansion of progenitor cells or committed (granulocytic or megakaryocytic) progenitors and time to engraftment. Especially, fold expansion of CD34(+)/CD33(+) cells was significantly correlated with time to neutrophil engraftment in bone marrow transplantation (r=-0.56, P=0.04). The infused number and fold expansion of lymphoid progenitors were not related to the occurrence of acute or chronic GVHD. CONCLUSIONS: We could not prove that expansion potential of progenitor cells and committed progenitor cells is correlated to hematologic engraftment although there is a correlation between CD34(+)/ CD33(+) cells and time to neutrophil engraftment. But, a further study on the value of expansion potential is required because there is an inverse tendency.
Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells* ; Neutrophils ; Platelet Count ; Stem Cells

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an education program for effective nursing intershift handoff communication (NIHC) on nursing intershift performance, self-efficacy, and interrelationship stress among clinical nurses. METHODS: The study was a pilot study using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Participants were 40 clinical nurses from Seoul/ Gyeonggi Province. The handoff dialogue pattern was developed by three professors and one doctoral student in 2014, and was based on an education program for effective (NIHC) from dialogue analysis. The education program as an experimental treatment was provided for 3 1/2 hoursto clinical nurses. Measures included nursing intershift performance scale, self-efficacy scale, and interrelationship stress scale. Collected data was processed and analyzed with SPSS PC+ Version 21. RESULTS: There were significant differences in nursing intershift performance (hand over: t=-12.18,p<.001; undertaking: t=-6.88, p<.001), self-efficacy (hand over: t=9.42, p<.001; undertaking: t=8.13, p<.001), and interrelationship stress (hand over: t=11.46, p<.001; undertaking: t=10.49, p<.001) between pre and post-test. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that this education program can be utilized as a manual, and can be applied to improve nursing intershift performance and self-efficacy, and to decrease interrelationship stress for effective (NIHC) among clinical nurses. Findings will also help to reduce incorrect performances and increase work efficiency in clinical practice for nurses.
Education* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Mortuary Practice ; Nursing* ; Pilot Projects*

No abstract available.
Facial Hemiatrophy* ; Lung*

PURPOSE: Spinal cord injuries can lead to varying degrees and patterns of neurologic deficits, which depend on the level of the injury, duration, completeness. So we analyzed the relationship between the types of neurogenic bladder and the level of injury in the spinal cord injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 1997 to August 2002, one-hundred twenty seven spinal cord injury patients were studied by neurological and urological examination and video-urodynamic evaluation. The neurogenic bladder in spinal cord injury were analyzed into five types according to the injured level. RESULTS: The 94 males and 33 females had a mean age of 45.7+/-15.1 years (range 15 to 92). Mean follow up interval after injury was 33.9+/-48.4 months. Injured level was classified into five levels; cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral. Of the 127 patients 37 (29.1%) was cervical, 18 (14.2%) was thoracic, 33 (26.0%) was lumbar, and 39 (30.7%) was sacral. When all patients were divided suprasacral and infrasacral lesion. Typically, suprasacral lesions show detrusor hyperreflexia, and infrasacral lesions have detrusor areflexia. 30 (37.5%) of 88 suprasacral lesions and 12 (30.8%) of 39 infrasacral lesions were presented to atypical. 35.7% of patients have combine spinal lesion, but 47.6% of patients have no causes for atypical patterns. 3 (27.3%) of 11 patients were followed up, they changed neurogenic pattern. CONCLUSIONS: In our results, video urodynamic findings showed that about 30 percent patients had atypical patterns of neurogenic bladder, and they have underlying disease about 52.4%. And 27% of followed patients changed neurogenic pattern of bladder. So, urodynamic study have an important role in the spinal cord injury for diagnosis of neurogenic pattern and selection proper treatment, catching out the interval change and correction of treatment method, and evaluation of prognosis.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prognosis ; Reflex, Abnormal ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: Since fine needle localization biopsy has been introduced, surgeons can have performed biopsies for nonpalpable microcalcified breast lesions, but there are many controversies in determining the disease characteristics and guideline for biopsy with only the findings on mammography. This study was designed to determine the breast cancers according to microcalcification type. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 91 cases with only microcalcifications on mammography and with performing localization biopsies from January 1995 to June 1998 at department of surgery, Korea University Hospitals. We subdivided the type of microcalcifications into casting-type, crushed stone like-type and amorphous-type. RESULTS: The mean age was 49 years old (25-82 years). 16 patients (17.6%) among the 91 patients were diagnosed as the breast cancer. Four (22.2%) of 18 patients with casting type, eight (21.6%) of 37 patients with crushed stone-like type, and four (11.1%) of 36 patients with amorphous type microcalcifications were detected in the breast cancer. The incidence of breast cancers by mammographic microcalcificated breast lesions was more prevalent in casting and crushed stone-like types than amorphous types. The mean size of the benign and malignant lesions was 13.11+/-10.89mm, 13.13+/-.51mm, and there was no difference in the size of microcalcifiations between benign and malignant lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who have had clustered microcalcifications of more than 5 within 1 cm circle in diameter on mammography should be undergone biopsies especially in case of casting or crushed stone-like type to detect early breast cancers.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Classification* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Korea ; Mammography* ; Middle Aged ; Needles