No abstract available.
Sarcoma*

Unlike the case of adult obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), there was no consistent finding on the changes of sleep architecture in childhood OSAS. Further understanding of the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) should be needed. Non-linear analysis of EEG is particularly useful in giving us a new perspective and in understanding the brain system. The objective of the current study is to compare the sleep architecture and the scaling exponent (alpha) from detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) on sleep EEG between OSAS and normal children. Fifteen normal children (8 boys/7 girls, 6.0+/-2.2 years old) and twelve OSAS children (10 boys/2 girls, 6.4+/-3.4 years old) were studied with polysomnography (PSG). Sleep-related variables and OSAS severity indices were obtained. Scaling exponent of DFA were calculated from the EEG channels (C3/A2, C4/A1, O1/A2, and O2/A1), and compared between normal and OSAS children. No difference in sleep architecture was found between OSAS and normal controls except stage 1 sleep (%) and REM sleep latency (min). Stage 1 sleep (%) was significantly higher and REM latency was longer in OSAS group (9.3+/-4.3%, 181.5+/-59.9 min) than in controls (5.6+/-2.8%, 133.5+/-42.0 min). Scaling exponent (alpha) showed that sleep EEG of OSAS children also followed the 'longrange temporal correlation' characteristics. Value of alpha increased as sleep stages increased from stage 1 to stage 4. Value of alpha from C3/A2, C4/A1, O1/A2, O2/A1 were significantly lower in OSAS than in control (1.36+/-0.05 vs. 1.41+/-0.04, 1.37+/-0.04 vs. 1.41+/-0.04, 1.37+/-0.05 vs. 1.41+/-0.05, and 1.36+/-0.07 vs. 1.41+/-0.05, p<0.05). Higher stage 1 sleep (%) in OSAS children was consistent finding with OSAS adults. Lower 'alpha' in OSAS children suggests decrease of self-organized criticality or the decreased piling-up energy of brain system during sleep in OSAS children.
Adult ; Brain ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Stages ; Sleep, REM

Motor cortex stimulation is a new technique for post-stroke central pain. The authors reported a case of epidural motor cortex stimulation for thalamic pain after right thalamic intracerebral hematoma. The patient was a 52 year old female who had presented with neuropathic pain on left upper and lower extremity. The authors performed epidural motor cortex stimulation via a small craniotomy site by use of navigation system. Good relief of the pain was achieved. Postoperative visual analogue scale pain score decreased from 9 to 3. The epidural trial of motor cortex stimulation was an effective method in treating refractory thalamic pain as our case.
Craniotomy ; Female ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Middle Aged ; Motor Cortex* ; Neuralgia

In order to evaluate the effects of a topical application of homologous fibronectin on the healing of skin wounds, we made 2 excisional wounds on the back skin of each rat, applied ointment with or without fibronectin purified from citrated homologous plasma, and evaluated the effect according to wound size and microscopic findings. Excised lesions treated with carrier alone, but the difference was significant only in the early phase of wound healing, 2 and 3 days, according to wound size and microscopic changes. A significant decrease in wound size could be found in both groups, treated with ointment containing and not containing fibronectin, between day 4 and 9 when wound contraction was a major contributor to wound closure. Therefore it can be concluded that topical application of fibronectin has a beneficial effect on wound healing during its early phase, but no significant influence on wound contraction.
Administration, Topical ; Animals ; Fibronectins/blood/*therapeutic use ; Ointment Bases ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred Strains ; Skin/pathology ; Wound Healing/*drug effects

This study was conducted to compare the date on knowledge, attitude and motivation toward blood donation between donors and non-donors. The study population included 622 donors and 322 non-donors who visited the mobile blood donation car of Taegu Red Cross Blood Center and participated the group appointed blood donation campaign managed by the center from March 1 to March 31, 1989. The donors and non-donors were questioned above mentioned items with a formulated questionnaire. Among the general characteristics of the subjects in the study, male predominance (84.1% in donors and 73.6% in non-donors) in young age group (16-24 years) was the outstanding feature. As a medium of information about blood donation, “television” was playing a dominant role (donors; 75.2%, non-donors; 78.9%), while “magazine” played more important roles among donors. Of the donors, 70.6% and of the non-donors, 58.1 replied that they had ever been induced to donate blood (p<0.01). Major inducers were friend and personnel of mobile blood donation vehicle. On the measuring of knowledge level, the average rates of correct answer was higher in donors (62.6%) than in non-donors (54.1%) (p<0.01). Higher the education level was presented, higher the knowledge level (p<0.05). There have been noticeable difference between donors and non-donors in blood replying the questionnaire set to measure their attitude toward blood donation, especially in the items such as “impression toward blood”, “selection of transfusion blood source” and “view on the situation of blood shortage.” The major motivation toward blood donation of the groups were “possible future need” and “altruism or humanitarian interest”. The major reasons for not donation blood in both groups were “fear of the needle” and “dread to visit to mobile car or center”.
Blood Donors* ; Daegu ; Education ; Friends ; Humans ; Male ; Motivation* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: In the present study, a case of double fovea artifact on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was reported. CASE SUMMARY: A nine-year-old male presented with blurred vision of both eyes. His best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in both eyes, and complete ophthalmologic evaluation including fundus examination and fundus photography revealed no abnormality in both eyes. He underwent SD-OCT imaging with the Cirrus HD-OCT. The Macular Cube 512 × 128 protocol of his right eye revealed an unusual pseudo-duplication of the fovea in the vertical meridian. The same protocol in his left eye also rendered a pseudo-duplication of two foveas in the vertical and horizontal meridians on the retinal thickness map. Re-examination with the same OCT system and protocol was performed two weeks later after the patient received counseling on fixation during the examination, and it revealed normal contour of the fovea in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Double fovea artifact seen in SD-OCT is a rare artifact that can possibly lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate clinical treatment. Since the artifact was resolved with better fixation of the patient, repeating the scan with better patient compliance is necessary when such an artifact is encountered.
Artifacts* ; Counseling ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Male ; Meridians ; Patient Compliance ; Photography ; Retinaldehyde ; Tomography, Optical Coherence* ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND: The addition of bupivacaine to lipid soluble opioids have improved analgesia and can reduce opioid related side effects in the epidural analgesia. The use of the combination of bupivacaine and lipid soluble opioid fentanyl is gaining in popularity after surgery. But recent work has produced conflicting results, and the ideal combination of local anesthetics and opioid for Patient Controlled Epidural Analgesia (PCEA) is unknown. We have compared the efficacy and the safety of 0.1% bupivacaine and 0.2% bupivacaine combined with fentanyl 5 microgram/ml for PCEA. METHODS: Forty women undergoing lower abdominal gynecological surgery under general anesthesia were assigned to receive an epidural initial bolus of 0.1% (0.1% group) or 0.2% bupivacaine (0.2% group) combined with 5 microgram/ml fentanyl mixture 10 ml, followed by a PCEA with 2 ml/hr continuous background infusion and demand-dose of 2 ml in prospective, random, double blind fashion. Resting and coughing visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, infusion rates of the mixture, and side effects were recorded at 4, 8, 24, 48 hr postoperatively, and satisfaction were noted after 48 hr. RESULTS: No differences in resting and coughing VAS scores, hypotension, nausea, itching sensation, and somnolence were observed between the two groups. The mean infusion rates of mixtures during the first 4 hr were higher in the 0.1% group (3.3 1.3 ml/hr) than the 0.2% group (2.5 0.6 ml/hr) (p<0.05). The incidence and the degree of sensory and motor block were higher in the 0.2% group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Both groups provided sufficient postoperative analgesia and satisfaction with some side effects. The high incidence and degree of sensory and motor block were resulted in the 0.2% group, which is not optimal for early ambulation. To search for more titrated bupivacaine concentration between 0.1% and 0.2%, loading doses or appropriate epidural puncture level having reduced demand dose and decreased side effects, further studies are expected.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Epidural* ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthetics, Local ; Bupivacaine* ; Cough ; Early Ambulation ; Female ; Fentanyl* ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Prospective Studies ; Pruritus ; Punctures ; Sensation

In a rabbit model of collagenase-induced osteoarthritis, the additive effects of intra-articular recombinant human growth hormone (GH) administration to hyaluronic acid (HA) were evaluated. After intra-articular collagenase injection, mature New Zealand white rabbits (n=30) were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 (control rabbits) received once weekly intra-articular saline injections for 4 weeks. Group 2 rabbits received 6 mg HA injections, and group 3 rabbits were injected with 6 mg HA and 3 mg recombinant human GH. These injections were initiated 4 weeks after collagenase injections. Lameness was observed for 9 weeks after collagenase injections. Macroscopic and histopathological knee joint findings were also evaluated at the end of 9 weeks after collagenase injections. Although all animals had lameness after collagenase injections, the duration and severity of lameness were significantly shorter and less severe in group 3 than group 1 and 2 (P<0.01). Macroscopic scores showed that femoral condyles of group 3 rabbits received significantly less cartilage damage than those of groups 1 and 2 rabbits (P<0.01). Histopathological score was also the lowest in group 3 (P<0.01). These results suggest that co-injection of intra-articular HA and recombinant human GH is more effective than HA injections alone in an osteoarthritis model.
Animals ; *Collagenases ; *Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Synergism ; Human Growth Hormone/*administration & dosage ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid/*administration & dosage ; Injections, Intra-Articular ; Male ; Osteoarthritis/*chemically induced/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Rabbits ; Treatment Outcome

The acardiac fetus is a rare type of fetal monster in which, as the name implies, the heart is completely absent. Acardius occurs only in a pair monozygotic twin, and shows various other defects in addition to the absence of the heart. Our autopsy case is acardiac anceps. He weighed 1,980 gm and the height was 33 cm. The brain is poorly developed, 60 gm in weight and similar to reversed snowman (3.5x2.8x2.8, 1.5x1.5x1.3 cm). Encephalocele, 6 cm in diameter, was communicated with the brain by a tract which contains nervous tissue and primitive choroid plexus. The upper extremities were absent, while the vertebrae and lower extremities were relatively well developed. The heart, lungs, stomach, liver, and spleen were absent, but the kidney, genital organs and urinary bladder were present. The intestine was seperated into two segments which were blindly ended, 32 cm and 15 cm in length, respectively.

Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) is an uncommon genodermatosis that occurs mostly in female infants, but is rarely found in male infants. Male patients with incontinentia pigmenti are usually more severely affected than their female counterparts. IP is characterized by ectodermal, mesodermal, neurological, ocular, and dental manifestations. Herein, we report a case of IP in a male infant who presented with a typical course of skin manifestation, dental defects, and recurrent partial seizures. However, he did not show any signs or symptoms for ocular or cardiovascular anomalies.
Ectoderm ; Female ; Humans ; Incontinentia Pigmenti* ; Infant* ; Male* ; Mesoderm ; Seizures ; Skin Manifestations