BACKGROUND: The oncogene, c-fos, is a useful marker of nociceptive neurons activated by various types of pain.However, the relationship between c-fos and acute pain induced by surgical incision has not been studied.The purpose of this study was to describe the expression of spinal c-fos in a rat model of postoperative pain. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were used to enumerate spinal fos-like immunoreactive (fos-LI)-positive neurons after making sham, skin, or skin-muscle incisions on the plantar surface of the rat hindpaw. The spinal cords were divided into the following 4 segments for immunohistochemical detection of fos-LI at 3 time points after the incision (4 hours, POD1, and POD3):thoracic, upper lumbar, lower lumbar, and sacral.For analysis of the laminar distribution of fos-LI, the dorsal horn was divided into three regions (I-II, III-IV, and V-VI). RESULTS: The number of fos-LI was increased in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn in the lower lumbar segment 4 hours post-incision and was significantly greater in rats with skin-muscle incisions than in rats with skin-alone incisions.In the skin-muscle group, laminae I-II and V-VI had a greater number of fos-LI neurons than laminae III-IV.The increase in number of spinal fos-LI neurons normalized by POD1 and POD3. CONCLUSIONS: c-fos expression is confined to neurons of the spinal dorsal horn known to be activated by nociceptive stimulation. The larger the injury elicited, the greater the expression of c-fos, suggesting that the expression of c-fos can serve as a useful marker of activated nociceptive neurons caused by acute pain following surgical incision.Further study is required to elucidate why the degree of tissue injury affects the laminar distribution of c-fos expression.
Acute Pain ; Animals ; Horns ; Neurons ; Nociceptors ; Oncogenes ; Pain, Postoperative ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Salicylamides ; Skin ; Spinal Cord

The authors analized the 98 cases of cervical spine injuries without fracture or dislocation by hyperflexion/hyperextension of the neck. The peak incidence of the age was in the second to fourth decades(69.4%). There was a male preponderance with a sex ratio of. 1.8 : 1. Sources of trauma were motor vehicle accident, object falling on and motorcycle accident in the order of frequency. The common mechanisms of injury were flexion-extension, extension and flexion injury in the order of frequency. There were 10 cases of cervical cord injury without fracture or dislocation and operative management was given in 6 cases of them. The most common preexisting disease was congenital cervical stenosis. Surgical modality such as laminectomy, laminoplasty and anterior decompressive procedure made them improved. The authors discuss the mechanism of injury and surgical management of the patients with cervical cord injury in the absence of concomittent fracture or dislocation.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Dislocations* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Laminectomy ; Male ; Motor Vehicles ; Motorcycles ; Neck ; Preexisting Condition Coverage ; Sex Ratio ; Spine*

BACKGROUND: To investigate the possibie difference, if any, between office blood pressure(BP) and home BP may be important in the diagnosis and treatment of hypersensive patients. This report deails the difference between the two BP's and the usefulness of digital electronic sphygmomanometer(DES) for self-monitoring of home BP. METHODS: The BP's of 14 patients with essential hypertension were measured with mercury sphygmomanometers at outpatient department by physician and with DES at home(twice a day) by the patients. Patients were followed up every 2 weeks for 4 weeks and previous 2 weeks' average home BP's were compared with the office BP's of each 2 weeks' end. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between office and home BP(both systolic and diastolic) ; office average BP(151/95mmHg) was higher than home average BP(136/86mmHg). CONCLUSION: Caution may be needed in the interpretation of office BP unless it is measured several times after adequate rest.
Blood Pressure* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Outpatients ; Sphygmomanometers*

A case of multiple brain abscess in the congenital heart disease in a 3 year-old child was diagnosed by computed tomography and treated by aspiration. The C-T scan is invaluable for the detection of multiloculation of a brain abscess.
Brain Abscess* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Gestational Age* ; Humans ; Infant*

OBJECTIVE: The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was developed as a measure of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). The aim here is to examine the factor structure and concurrent validity of the Korean version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (K-PANAS) in a clinical sample in Korea. METHODS: K-PANAS was administered to a clinical sample in Korea. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were undertaken to examine the factorial structure and reliability of the K-PANAS. RESULTS: The reliability of K-PANAS is satisfactory. CFA showed that several of the models commonly used in Western populations provided an insufficient fit. The modified model provided a more adequate fit to the data. CONCLUSION: The authors demonstrate that the K-PANAS has adequate psychometric properties, and that findings obtained in the West using PANAS were partially replicated.
Appointments and Schedules ; Korea ; Psychometrics

The authors describe 2 cases of multiple thoracic disc herniations in the level of T5~6, T6~T7, T7~8 and T8~9, T9~10, T10~11. Thoracic disc herniations is rare and occurs in less than 4% of all diseases. Moreover, multiple thoracic disc herniations is very rare and only 7 cases were reported in the literatures, which occurred at two levels in 6 cases and five levels in one case. The lesions were determined by thoracic CT myelogram and MRI study. A microsurgical posterolateral approach made them curative. Surgical instruments such as downbite curette and surgical microscope were essential for successful treatment.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Surgical Instruments

Osteochondroma of long bone are common lesions : however spinal involvement may occur in 2.5% to 7% of all, and usually occurs from the neural arch of spinous process. Neurological complications are rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients of them. The authors report a solitary osteochondroma occurring in the lamina of C5, causing spinal cord compression.
Humans ; Osteochondroma* ; Spinal Cord Compression

Low-level laser or light therapy (LLLT) was used to accelerate wound healing without the use of thermal effects in the early days. Although the exact mechanism of LLLT is still unclear, it has been recognized as a photobiomodulation process. Today, LLLT is being credited as a non-invasive treatment modality, and in particular, being widely applied in the field of dermatology. In this review, we summarize the basic principles and clinical applications of LLLT to provide an up-to-date guidance on its practical and safe uses. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism of action of LLLT in various indications, and to determine the wavelength and dose for optimal clinical use.
Dermatology* ; Low-Level Light Therapy ; Phototherapy ; Wound Healing

The authors have performed simple CT-guided free-hand tumor biopsy. CT images and C-arm fluroscopy were taken to determine the coordinates of the target point, which was the center of the tumorous CT findings. This CT-guide stereotaxic approach for biopsy of intracranial tumors have the following advantages: 1) The procedure is simple and safe. 2) The operation can be performed under local anesthesia. 3) The operation can be performed without stereotaxic frame. 4) Tissue biopsy was taken on various sites of tumors. The authors have performed 4 cases as follow: 3 cases of anaplastic astrocytoma, 1 case of metastatic tumor. Neither mortality nor morbidity was noted.
Anesthesia, Local ; Astrocytoma ; Biopsy* ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Mortality