No abstract available.

Cystic parathyroid adenoma is one of the rare causes of hyperparathyroidism, and is usually located in neck and mediastinum. This type of adenoma tends to cause increased serum level of parathyroid hormone and alkaline phosphatase, similar serum calcium level when compared to those of solid adenoma. Thanks to current radioimmunoassay and easy accessibility to serum autoanalyzer, serum calcium level and parathyroid hormone level are more easily measured, which in turn lead to more easier diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism. Also improvement in imaging and nuclear diagnostic method of parathyroid lesion are suggested to enable easy diagnosis of cystic parathyroid adenoma. A 35-year-old male presented with easy fatigability for 12 months. The serum calcium, phosphate, alkaline phosphotase were 11.5mg/dL, 1.4mg/dL, 194IU/L respectively and his parathyroid hormone level in serum was 126.42pg/mL. Neck CT showed enlargement of right lobe of thyroid gland with well defined inhomogenously enhanced density inside the right thyroid gland. The patient was diagnosed of hyperparathyroidim due to parathyroid adenoma and was surgically removed. The surgical biopsy showed cystic parathyroid adenoma. After operation his general condition was improved and serum calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone level were normalizd. We report a case of hyperparathyroidism caused by cystic parathyroid adenoma with brief review of literature.
Adenoma ; Adult ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Biopsy ; Calcium ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism* ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Neck ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Parathyroid Neoplasms* ; Radioimmunoassay ; Thyroid Gland

Ectopia cordis is defined as a congenital malposition of the heart partially or completely outside the thorax and often associated with sternal and congenital heart defects:surgical repair is generally unsuccessful because of the magnitude of the deformity and the associat-ed intracardiac anormalies. Four types of ectopia cordis are described : cervical, thoracic, abdominal and thoracoa- bdominal. Cervical and thoracic type are often fatal within days, because the heart is expo- sed and malformed. Abdominal type carries a better prognosis because cardiac abnormalities are less often found. The prognosis of thoraco-abdominal type mainly depends on the pre- sence of intracardiac abnormalities. We have experienced a case of thoracic ectopia cordis at 25 weeks' gestation by ultra- sonography, so present the case and the review with literature briefly.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Ectopia Cordis* ; Heart ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; Thorax

BACKGROUND: Strabismus surgery is associated with a high incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Propofol is an anesthetic which has an antiemetic effect. A randomized study was done to compare the efficacy of propofol-fentanyl and propofol-ketorolac anesthesia for strabismus surgery in children. METHODS: Eighty-five children, ASA physical status I or II, for strabismus surgery, were studied. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups by picking the envelop. Preanesthetic medication was not given. Fentanyl group received fentanyl 1.5 microgram/kg i.v. and ketorolac group received ketorolac 1 mg/kg, 2 minutes before induction. Atropine was given after that. Anesthesia was induced with propofol 2.4 mg/kg and vecuronium 1 mg/kg and intubation was performed. Anesthesia was maintained with a three-stage infusion technique of propofol (12 mg/kg/hr for 1st 10 minutes, 9 mg/kg/hr for 2nd 10 minutes and 6 mg/kg/hr was followed) with oxygen and nitrous oxide. Ketorolac was injected intramuscularly for preemptive analgesia immediate after induction. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was evaluated for postoperative 48 hours. And also, intraoperative oculocardiac reflex was monitored to compare the difference between two groups. RESULTS: During postoperative 48 hours, fentanyl group and ketorolac group had a similar low incidence of nausea and vomiting (4.2% and 7.0%). There is no significant difference of intraoperative oculocardiac reflex between two groups (45.2% and 30.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Propofol administered to induce and maintain anesthesia with a three-stage infusion technique is equally effective in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting in propofol-fentanyl and propofol-ketorolac anesthesia for strabismus surgery in children.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia* ; Antiemetics ; Atropine ; Child* ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Ketorolac ; Nausea ; Nitrous Oxide ; Oxygen ; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting* ; Preanesthetic Medication ; Propofol ; Reflex, Oculocardiac ; Strabismus* ; Vecuronium Bromide ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: This study was to observe whether the apoptotic function of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is induced in human gastric epithelial dysplasia and gastric adenocarcinoma according to the role of FasL expression. MATENRIALS AND METHODS: A total of 56 gastric epithelial dysplasia and gastric adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled in this study: 9 cases of gastric epithelial dysplasia, 18 cases of early gastric carcinomas (EGC) and 29 cases of advanced gastric carcinomas (AGC). Immunohistochemical staining was performed for FasL and CD45, and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) method was used to detect cell death in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. RESULTS: 1) Positive reactions of FasL to neoplastic cells were 88.9% (8/9) in gastric epithelial dysplasia, 83.3% (15/18) in EGC, and 75.9% (22/29) in AGC. 2) Expression of TIL was decreased in the FasL positive region and was increased in the FasL negative region, and significant expression of TIL was observed in the AGC group (P=0.001). 3) Expression of apoptotic TIL was very similar to the FasL expression, and 100% expression was observed in gastric epithelial dysplasia group. 4) Expression of apoptotic TIL was increased in the FasL positive region and decreased in the FasL negative region, and significant apoptotic expression was observed in the gastric epithelial dysplasia and EGC groups (P=0.0420, P=0.0263, respectively). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FasL is a prevalent mediator of immune privilege in epithelial dysplasia and cancer of the stomach.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Death ; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase ; Humans ; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating ; Stomach Neoplasms

The effectiveness of dedication video tapes in teaching fundamental nursing skills was investigated using experimental research methodology. Data was collected from 153 students attending fundamental nursing practice classes of two junior colleges and two universities. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, one was an experimental group of 74 subjects and the other was a control group of 79 subjects. The in dependent variable was learning type and the dependent variables were the degree of knowledge achievement and nursing skills achievement regarding medication. The research hypotheses of this study were as follows : 1) There will be a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the degree of knowledge achievement about medication. 2) There will be a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the nursing skills achievement about medication. The data was analyzed with the SPSSWIN program and the t-test, number of subjects and percentiles were then examined. The findings of this study are as follows : 1) There was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the knowledge achievement about medication using P<.05. 2) There was no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the nursing skill achievement about medication using P<.05. 3) This study suggests that medication video tapes in the education of fundamental nursing skills are effective for knowledge achievement. As a result, medication video tapes can be effectively utilized for the education of nursing skills regarding medication.
Education* ; Humans ; Learning ; Nursing* ; Research Design

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of wax gourd on weight, triglyceride, leptin and fat cell size in rats fed a high-fat diet. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed an experimental diet containing total dietary fat at 40% of calories with wax gourd 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% (w/w) for 4 weeks. Weight gain and triglyceride level fell significantly in the 15% wax gourd group compared to the control group. Epididymal fat pad, abdominal fat and perirenal fat tended to decrease in the 15% wax gourd group. Leptin and free fatty acid level were not significantly different among the groups. Fat cell size significantly decreased in the 10% and 15% wax gourd groups compared to the control group. Weight gain correlated positively with visceral fat masses and the levels of leptin and triglyceride. Fat cell size significantly correlated with visceral fat and leptin level. Therefore, the 15% wax gourd diet substantially reduced weight, triglyceride and fat cell size.
Abdominal Fat ; Adipocytes* ; Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat* ; Dietary Fats ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Leptin* ; Male ; Obesity ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Triglycerides* ; Weight Gain

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) can be a risk factor for development of significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR). We investigated which clinical and echocardiographic parameters were related to severity of functional TR in patients with lone AF. METHODS: A total of 89 patients with lone AF were enrolled (75 +/- 11 years; 48% male): 13 patients with severe TR, 36 patients with moderate TR, and 40 consecutive patients with less than mild TR. Clinical parameters and echocardiographic measurements including right ventricular (RV) remodeling and function were evaluated. RESULTS: Patients with more severe TR were older and had more frequently persistent AF (each p < 0.001). TR severity was related to right atrial area and tricuspid annular systolic diameter (all p < 0.001). The patients with moderate or severe TR had larger left atrial (LA) volume and increased systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP) than the patients with mild TR (p = 0.04 for LA volume; p < 0.001 for SPAP). RV remodeling represented by enlarged RV area and increased tenting height was more prominent in severe TR than mild or moderate TR (all p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed type of AF, LA volume, tricuspid annular diameter and tenting height remained as a significant determinants of severe TR. In addition, tenting height was independently associated with the presence of severe TR (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: In patients with lone AF, TR was related to type of AF, LA volume, tricuspid annular diameter and RV remodeling. Especially, tricuspid valvular tethering seemed to be independently associated with development of severe functional TR.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Risk Factors ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency*

The National Evidence-based Collaborating Agency (NECA) holds the NECA Round-table Conference that not only disseminates objective and systematic information on topics of social concern in public health care but also organizes discussions on core issues under dispute in the literature through panels composed of multidisciplinary experts. Accordingly, the Round-table Conference was composed of multidisciplinary experts including medical specialists in the areas of psychiatry and preventive medicine, psychiatric and mental health nursing, psychologists, social welfare experts, consultation experts, religious leaders, and government officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Round-table Conference, tasked with analysis of the actual status and causes of, and search for solutions for suicide in adolescents, has reached consensus on the current status, trend, risk factors and prevention factors, problems and issues in prevention and coping strategies, effective prevention and coping strategies and areas of research needed for the future. The Round-table Conference commented on the actual status and gravity of suicides in adolescents, and came to the agreement that mental health issues including stress from interpersonal relationships and depression are the key risk factors of suicide. It was further agreed that problems in the measures being implemented for each of the areas include lack of manpower and funding, and inadequate organic association and cooperation among relevant institutions. They also agreed that development of a government-initiated suicide prevention program for adolescents, association among relevant experts, and development, and management of practical guidelines that are of broad and practical use are important. Furthermore, the panels were in agreement that the mass media must comply with the recommended level of coverage in reporting of suicide as adolescents are greatly influenced by provocative mass media reports due to their strong impulsive dispositions.
Adenosine-5'-(N-ethylcarboxamide) ; Adolescent ; Cause of Death ; Consensus ; Depression ; Dissent and Disputes ; Financial Management ; Gravitation ; Humans ; Mass Media ; Mental Health ; Occupational Groups ; Porphyrins ; Preventive Medicine ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; Social Welfare ; Specialization ; Suicide