No abstract available.
Toluene* ; Xylenes*

Orthofix, a unilateral external fixator is simple and easy to use and it's design is also convenient to reduce and maintain the fracture site. In addition, wide range of application is an another advantage because compression and distraction is possible in the central body. Authors reviewed 56 operations in 50 patients for whom Orthofix was applied for 4 years from march 1988 to february 1992 in Chonnam University Hospital. There were 46 males and 4 females. Twenty five patients(50%) were between 20 to 40 years of age. The indication was open fracture of the long bone in 27 cases, infected nonunion in 17 cases, bony defect in 4 cases, arthrodiastasis in 3 cases, arthrodesis in 2 cases and others in 3 cases. 1. There were 23 cases treated with Orthofix only until completion of treatment, 17 cases necessary to another methods of treatment, 14 cases maintaining Orthofix until now and 2 cases miscellaneous. 2. The duration of maintenance of Orthofix until completion of treatment in 20 cases of open fracture of long bone or infected nonunion was 9.5 months in average. 3. The bone union time averaged 9.5 months in above 20 cases and there was a little difference of bone union time between open fractures and infected nonunions. 4. Result of long term follow-up in 20 cases open fracture of long bone or infected are as follows; 12 cases(60%) have angulation less than 10° or length inequality less than 10mm, 14 cases(70%) have showed no limitation in range of motion or mild limitation of joint above and below the fracture site. 5. Complications, directly related to Orthofix, developed in 17 cases. There were 15 cases of pin tract infection and 2 cases of fixation loosening. Orthofix was considered as one of the excellent external fixation system, for it is simple and easy to use and could provide rigid fixation for difficult conditions in Orthopedic field such as open fracture, infected nonunion, bony defect and arthrodiatasis.
Arthrodesis ; External Fixators ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Open ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Joints ; Male ; Orthopedics ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Socioeconomic Factors

Myotonic dystrophy is an autosomal-dominantly inherited neuromuscular disorder characterized by slowly progressive muscular dystrophy, muscle weakness and myotonia. The clinical features may vary from just cataracts to involvement of multiple organ systems such as various muscles, heart, lung and intestine. During pregnancy and delivery, serious maternal and obstetrical complications may occur. The myotonia is often aggravated during pregnancy and it leads to obstetrical complications such as fetal loss, preterm premature delivery, hydrops, in-utero fetal death, difficulties in fetal expulsion, postpartum hemorrhage and/or anesthetic accidents. The affected neonate may display severe hypotonia, facial displegia and respiratory distress. This report presents a woman with myotonic dystrophy complicated with congestive heart failure and preterm delivery during pregnancy.
Cataract ; Edema ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intestines ; Lung ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscular Dystrophies ; Myocardium ; Myotonia ; Myotonic Dystrophy* ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Postpartum Hemorrhage ; Pregnancy*

Telomerase is an enzyme that maintains telomeres and prevents telomere shortening, and may be linked with cellular proliferation or the aging process. The purpose was to examine telomerase activity in human chorionic villi from early and term normal pregnancies, and to analyze the correlation of telomerase activity (TA) with MIB-1 & bcl-2. A total of 37 placentae were obtained from 16 early and 21 term pregnancies. TA was assayed by telomeric repeat amplification protocol, and immunohistochemical staining was performed for MIB-1 & bcl-2 expression. TA & MIB-1 expression were strong in early placenta, but bcl-2 was highly expressed in term placentae. Thirteen (81.25%) of 16 early placentae showed TA, but only 2 (9.52%) of 21 term placentae expressed TA (p<0.01). MIB-1 was observed in nuclei of cytotrophoblast, and the expression rate was 16.09% in early placentae and 2.87% in term placentae (p<0.01). bcl-2 was observed only in the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblast. Term placenta demonstrated stronger expression of bcl-2 compared to early placentae (p<0.05). These findings suggest that TA, MIB-1 & bcl-2 expression are critically regulated over the course of gestation: cytotrophoblast, main cells of early chorionic villi, may be a common source of telomerase and proliferative activity. The TA showed good correlation with cellular proliferative activity. Syncytiotrophoblast, may be a main source of bcl-2 expression which is stronger in the term placentae.
Aging ; Cell Proliferation ; Chorion* ; Chorionic Villi* ; Cytoplasm ; Humans* ; Placenta ; Pregnancy* ; Telomerase* ; Telomere ; Telomere Shortening ; Trophoblasts

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical results of the auto-focusing low vision device (EYE FINE) in low vision patients. METHODS: We assessed the clinical effect after prescription of the device in 21 patients who visited the low vision clinic from July 2004 to January 2005. We examined visual acuity and contrast sensitivity before and after prescription. RESULTS: Mean distant visual acuity increased from 1.00+/-0.30 LogMAR to 0.69+/-0.34 LogMAR and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01). Mean near visual acuity increased from 0.89+/-0.25 LogMAR to 0.71+/-0.30 LogMAR (P<0.01). And mean contrast sensitivities at spatial frequencies of 1.5, 3, 6, 12 and 18 cycles per degree (cpd) increased from 7.9+/-4.5, 10.8+/-7.4, 10.5+/-9.6, 3.9+/-3.8 and 2.0+/-2.7 to 10.5+/-8.0, 15.1+/-10.6, 16.3+/-13.6, 6.5+/-7.3 and 2.5+/-3.0, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: EYE FINE offers the advantage of auto-focusing according to working distance.
Contrast Sensitivity ; Humans ; Prescriptions ; Vision, Low* ; Visual Acuity

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to document the isokinetic performance deficiencies of the invertor and evertor muscles of chronically sprained ankles. METHOD: Eversion/Inversion testing was performed by a Cybex 6000 isokinetic dynamometer at the speeds of 60degrees/sec and 120degrees/sec on 17 subjects who had unilateral chronic ankle sprain. Values were compared between the involved and uninvolved sides. RESULTS: The inversion peak torque deficits between the involved and uninvolved extremities were significantly greater than eversion deficits at 60degrees/sec and 120degrees/sec. Evertor/Invertor peak torque ratios of involved sides at 60degrees/sec were significantly greater than uninvolved sides. CONCLUSION: We conclude that chronic ankle sprains associate an ankle invertor weakness rather than an evertor weakness. Ankle invertor weakness might be resulted from a disuse atrophy and painful ankle inversion. Further prospective study is needed to determine the relationship between the invertor weakness and the chronic ankle sprain.
Ankle Injuries* ; Ankle* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Muscles ; Muscular Disorders, Atrophic ; Sprains and Strains ; Torque

No abstract available.
Empyema* ; Humans* ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to examine treatment outcome after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in patients older than 40 years of age and determine the factors affecting the outcome. SUBJECTS AND METHODS : Clinical results obtained from 60 cases from 60 patients older than 40 years of age at the time of surgery and 58 cases from 58 patients younger than 40 years of age who underwent ACL reconstruction between August 1988 to January 2002, return to sports activity, and stress radiographs using Telos instrument were compared. RESULTS: The Lysholm knee score was improved from the preoperative score of 54.0 points to the postoperative score of 92.9 in patients older than 40 years of age and was improved from 56.2 points to 92.2 points in patients younger than 40 years of age. Clinical outcome was excellent in 51 cases (85%) and good in 9 cases (15%) in patients older than 40 years of age and was excellent in 47 cases (81.0%) and good in 11 cases (19.0%) in patients younger than 40 years of age. The rate of returning to preoperative sports activity was high in 36 cases (60%) in patients older than 40 years of age and 48 cases (82.8%) in patients younger than 40 years of age. According to Telos stress radiography, the preoperative difference of 11.2 mm was decreased to the postoperative difference of 3.1 mm in patients older than 40 years of age and the preoperative difference of 10.7 mm was decreased to the postoperative difference of 2.9 mm in patients younger than 40 years of age. Clinical outcome did not show significant correlation with age, gender, surgery method, the presence of additional injury, and the rate of return to sports activity before receiving injury(p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Age was not a factor interfering with the outcome of surgery for ACL injury, and satisfactory outcome could be obtained with ACL reconstruction even in patients older than 40 years of age.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction* ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Humans ; Knee ; Radiography ; Sports ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is widely available in clinical practice. To evaluate the pattern of normal 24 hour variation of blood pressure and the problems in analysis of data which was obtained with use of automatic blood pressure recorder, 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure was measured. METHODS: Ambulatory blood pressure was recorded for 24 hours with automatic blood pressure monitor in 22 normotensive young adolescents. RESULTS: 1) Average 24-hour BP was 109mmHg in systolic(115+/-30 for male, 102+/-30 for female), 66mmHg in diastolic(69+/-18 for male, 63+/-19 for female) and pulse rate was 72 beats per minute(70+/-23 for male, 75+/-26 for female). 2) Data obtained from ambulatory blood pressure monitor should be analyzed after deletion of unacceptable data with use of conventional criteria. Blood pressure increase which is not accompanied by increase in pulse rate increase can be used as another criteria to rule out unacceptable blood pressure data. 3) Blood pressure was low from mid-night to 6 A.M. and began to rise slowly till mid-day and then maintained steadily through the remainder of the day. And 24 hour variation of blood pressure was more adequately assessed after application of Fourier analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that certain deletion criteria was inevitable during analysis of the data which were obtained from ambulatory blood pressure recorder and Fourier analysis can be used as valuable smoothing technique to assess the 24-hour blood pressure profiles.
Adolescent* ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory* ; Blood Pressure Monitors ; Fourier Analysis ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male

The authors experienced a case of generalized bytomegalic inclusion diseas, characterized by numerous petechiae associated with anemia and hepatomegly, in the premature infant who was hypotonic and cyanosed, with respiratory difficulty and an Apgar score of 4 at 1 minute. The rapid deterioration of the case condition was followed by the death occurring nine hours after birth. The diagnosis was confirmed by the autopsy, and a brief review of the literature was made.
Anemia ; Apgar Score ; Autopsy* ; Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Parturition ; Purpura