No abstract available.
Fingers*

No abstract available.
Takayasu Arteritis*

Esophageal ulcers induced by doxycycline is a rare complication. These patients usually complain of sudden onset of symptoms, ie acute substernal or chest pain and odynophagia without prior hietory of esophageal syraptoms. On esophagoscopic examination, there are upper or midesophageal ulcers, which heal after diseontinuation of the drug within 2 weeks. A history of ingestion of the doxycycline,with liquid jost before bedtime can be elicited. The exact eause of the xaucosal ulceration is not clear, but a direct irritant effeet on esophageal mucosa seems most likely. We report 5 cases of esophageal uleeration secondary to the ingestion of doxycydine. Esophagoscopy revealed esophageal ulcers in all patients and the patients hecame asymptomatic following stopping of tbe drugs and taking antacids.
Antacids ; Chest Pain ; Doxycycline* ; Eating ; Esophagoscopy ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Ulcer*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans

The purpose of this study are to delineate the temporal and spatial changes of bone mineralization at the distraction gap and adjacent parent bone, and to investigate the effect of microaxial dynamization on regenerate bone healing and on development of regional osteopenia at the adjacent parent bone, during callotasis. Sixteen Korean adult mongrel dogs underwent bilateral tibial lengthening by callotasis. To the right hindlimbs, no dynamization was applied and served as control group (group I, and axial elastic dynamization was conffered to the left hindlimbs (group II). Bone mineral density(BMD) was measured by dual X-ray absorptionmetry(DXA) at immediate post-operative day, post-operative 12 day, 22 day, 36 day, 50 day, 65 day, and 85 day. Quantitative computed tomogram(Q-CT) was also taken after sacrifice to analyze temporal changes of mineralization pattern in the distraction gap. The following results were obtained; 1. In both group I and II, the BMD was lowest at the interzone in the distraction gap and increased linearly toward the corticotomy surface. This pattern did not change with time until the consolidation of the distraction gap, but the difference of BMD between the interzone and adjacent parent bone decreased with progress of consolidation. 2. During the distraction period, BMD increased progressively at the distraction gap and adjacent parent bone in both group I and II. During consolidation period, although BMD of the distraction gap still increased progressively, that of the adjacent parent bone decreased progressively in group I; the more distant from the corticotomy surface, the more decreased the relative BMD. in group II, the decrease in BMD of the adjacent parent bone was less than that in group I which was statistically significant in mid-consolidation period. In conclusion, the new bone in the distraction gap during callotasis appeared to form in bilateral direction with linear gradient from interzone toward corticotomy surface. Dynamization during callotasis not only stimulated regenerate bone healing in the distraction gap, but also prevented the occurrence of transient regional osteopenia at the distant part of the adjacent bone during midconsolidation period.
Adult ; Animals ; Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Calcification, Physiologic ; Dogs ; Hindlimb ; Humans ; Miners ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; Parents ; Tibia

OBJECTIVES: Posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) has devastating effects on multiple aspects of the quality of life(QoL). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the QoL between PTSD group and non-PTSD group, and identify the variables affecting the QoL of the Vietnam War veterans. METHODS: We recruited 39 veterans with PTSD and 43 veterans without PTSD, all of whom had deployed to the Vietnam War. We used the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Plus, the Korean version of Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Combat Exposure Scale and the Korean version of World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument abbreviated version. We used independent samples t-test to identify the differences between PTSD and non-PTSD group in each domains of the quality of life. We also used stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to figure out the variables affecting the QoL of the Vietnam War veterans. RESULTS: In the PTSD group, all domains of the QoL and the QoL total score(p<0.01) were significantly lower than those in the non-PTSD group. In the Vietnam War veterans, PTSD, major depressive disorder and education levels were the variables affecting the QoL. Among these, PTSD uniquely explained the QoL of the overall and general health(beta=-1.411, R2=0.180), the physical health domain(beta=-2.806, R2=0.089) and the total score (beta=-11.479, R2=0.104). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that among the Vietnam War veterans, the QoL of the PTSD group is significantly lower than that of the non-PTSD group. Among the combat exposed veterans, PTSD may be one of the main reasons that affect the multiple domains of the QoL.
Depressive Disorder, Major ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Quality of Life ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Veterans ; Vietnam ; World Health Organization

No abstract available.
Polychondritis, Relapsing*

No abstract available.
Polychondritis, Relapsing*

BACKGROUND: The APACHE scoring system of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has been being used for serious patients. The scoring system is composed of acute physiologic variables and chronic disease. METHODS: Among patients who underwent emergency operations from 1992 to 1997 because of gastrointestinal perforation, we analyzed 110 cases with five kinds of diseases: duodenal ulcer perforation, small bowel perforation, perforated appendicitis, gastric ulcer perforation and colon perforation. RESULTS: The results were as follows: 1) The preoperative APACHE II scores ranged from 0 to 21. The scores of 64 cases (60.9%) were from 0 to 5. 2) There were no death in case for which pre-peration APACHE II score was from 0 to 10, 25% of the mortality occurred in cases with scores from 11 to 15, 50% in those with scores from 16 to 20, and 100% in those with scores above 21. 3) The APACHE II score decreased continuously from the 3rd to the 7th postoperative day. 4) The preoperative APACHE II scores in gastric ulcer perforation patients were significantly higher than those in duodenal ulcer perforation patients. In the cases of gastric and duodenal ulcer perforations, the APACHE II scores in patients who underwent primary closure were higher than the scores in those who underwent a more definitive operation. 5) In death cases, all of their APACHE II scores were higher at the 3rd postoperative than at the 7th postoperative day, but their APACHE III scores continuously increased postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: It is thought that the APACHE scoring system is more reliable than clinical experience in the classification of patients by operative risk and in estinating the result and giving a prognosis. Thus, the principle of treatment should be established by estinating patient's score before the operation. Careful preoperative management is necessary for patients with scores more than 10. Because patientswith scores more than 21 have very a high mortality, operative time and method must be carefully decided. The APACHE III scoring system seems to be more sensitive than the APACHE II scoring system in predicting deaths and further investigations and clinical applications should be performed.
APACHE* ; Appendicitis ; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (U.S.) ; Chronic Disease ; Classification ; Colon ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Mortality ; Operative Time ; Prognosis ; Stomach Ulcer

OBJECTIVE: It has been thought that estrogen has neuroleptic like effect in women schizophrenic patients. This study aimed to investigate neuroleptic side-effects severity in women with schizohrenia and to investigate their putative association with variations in sex steroids over menstrual cycle. Based on the estrogen theory, The author hypothesized that parkinsonian side-effects would be exacerbated when estrogen levels were high. METHOD: 26 schizophrenic women were assessed using the ESRS(Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale) and estrogen analysis. Tests were conducted twice, in the mid luteal and mid follicular phase. RESULT: It was hypothesized that high level of estrogen would lead to an exacerbation of parkisonian side-effects but the results indicated that parkinsonian side effects decreased overall when estrogen levels were high. This effects were more marked for the group taking typical neuroleptics than those taking atypical neuroleptics. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that estrogen and progesteron may reduce the severity of neuroleptic indeced extrapyramidal side effects over menstrual cycle in women with schizophrenia. It was concluded that estrogen has different effects on dopamine dynamics in the mesolimbic and mesostriatal pathways according to estrogen, progesteron, catecol estrogen, prolactine.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Dopamine ; Estrogens* ; Female* ; Follicular Phase ; Humans ; Menstrual Cycle ; Prolactin ; Schizophrenia ; Steroids