OBJECTIVE: Although cor pulmonale due to chronic lung disease was not uncommon, there was uncertainty in its diagnosis due to the difficulty in measuring functional and anatomical changes of right heart and pulmonary vascular system. Among various non-invasive diagnostic methods presented so far, no ideal standard diagnostic criterion has been established. The authors attempted to know positive diagnostic ratio of cor pulmonale and to study the presence of the relationship between these diagnostic criteria when electrocardiographic and echocardiographic diagnostic criteria for cor pulmonale were applied to the patients with chronic lung disease. And we investigated the usefulness of echocardiogaphic diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis. METHODS: One electrocardiographic and two echocardiographic diagnostic criteria were applied to 38 patients with chronic lung disease(21 pulmonary emphysema and 17 chronic advanced pulmonary tuberculosis) for the diagnosis of cor pulmonale. Comparison was also made in their relationship. Then pulmonary artery diameter, measurement of pulmonary function test and echocardiographic examination and radio-nuclear right ventricular ejection faction were compared between the groups to ensure each criterion was satisfied. RESULTS: 1) When the three diagnostic criteria for confirming the cor pulmonale, electrocardiographic rriterion(right ventricular hypertrophy), right ventricular dimension criterion(right ventricular end-diastolic dimension>25mm, RVDd>25mm), and right ventricular wall thickness criterion (right ventricular wall thickness>6mm, RVWT>6mm) were applied to the patients, the positive rate were 32%(12/37), 30%(10/33) and 17%(6/36) respectively. A statistically significant correlation between electrocardiographic criterion and right ventricular wall thickness criterion was found to exist. 2) Various parameters of pulmonary function test and echocardiographic examination were compared in the patient groups with and without cor pulmonale when each non-invasive diagnostic criterion was applied to all patients. Followings are the results. (1) In the positive group on electrocardiographic criteria, vital capacity, forced vital capacity, and arterial oxygen tension were significantly smaller than in the negative group on electrocardiographic criterion(p<0.05), and the echocardiographic parameters of right ventricle, ie. end-diastolic area, end-systolic area, end-diastolic dimension, end-systolic dimension, mid-ventricular short axis and maximal short axis in positive group were significantly larger than in the negative group. (2) In the positive group on right ventricular diastolic dimension criterion(RVDd>25mm), percentage forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced expiratory flow 25-75% were significantly smaller than in the negative group on right ventricular diastolic dimension criterion. (3) In the positive group on right ventricular wall thickness criterion(RVWT>6mm), vital capacity, forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced expiratory flow 25-75% and arterial oxygen tension were significantly smaller than in the negative group on right ventricular wall thickness criterion. CONCLUSION: When several non-invasive diagnostic criteria for cor pulmonale were applied to the patients with chronic lung disease, there were some differences in its positive diagnostic ratio depending on the applied diagnostic criteria. There was also a statistically significant correlation between electrocardiographic criterion and right ventricular wall thickness criterion. When each diagnostic criterion was applied to the patients, significant differences were found in several parameters resulted from pulmonary function test and echocardiographic examination based on presence or nonpresence of cor pulmonale. But no difference in the ejection fraction measured by radio-nuclear method was shown between cor pulmonale group and non cor pulmonale group. Consequently it was suggested that applying echocardiographic criteria in addition to electrocardiographic criterion for the diagnosis of cor pulmonale in the patients with chronic lung disease is clinically useful.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography* ; Electrocardiography ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Heart ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Emphysema ; Pulmonary Heart Disease* ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Uncertainty ; Vital Capacity

Most studies on the pathophysiology, natural history, diagnosis by imaging and outcomes after operative or nonoperative treatment of rotator cuff tear have focused on those of full-thickness tears, resulting in limited knowledge of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. However, a partial-thickness tear of the rotator cuff is a common disorder and can be the cause of persistent pain and dysfunction of the shoulder joint in the affected patients. Recent updates in the literatures shows that the partial-thickness tears are not merely mild form of full-thickness tears. Over the last decades, an improved knowledge of pathophysiology and surgical techniques of partial-thickness tears has led to more understanding of the significance of this tear and better outcomes. In this review, we discuss the current concept of management for partial-thickness tears in terms of the pathogenesis, natural history, nonoperative treatment, and surgical outcomes associated with the commonly used repair techniques.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Natural History ; Rotator Cuff* ; Shoulder Joint

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of aerobics and aquarobics exercise programs on elders' leg muscle strength, balance and walking ability in elders. The participants of the study were 21 elders; 11 of them participated in the aerobics exercise program and 10 of them participated in the aquarobic exercise program. METHODS: Both of the participants practiced for 10 weeks. The data were analyzed with using two-way ANOVA with repeated measures on the last factor. RESULTS: The results were summarized as follows: First, the main effect of exercise programs(aerobics x aquarobics) and the interaction effect between the exercise programs and the leg muscle strength were not significant. Second, the participants' static balance of the aquarobics exercise program increased more than that of the aerobics exercise program. Third, the participants' dynamic balance of the aquarobics exercise program increased more than that of the aerobics exercise program. Fourth, the main effect of exercise programs and the interaction effect between the exercise programs and the increase in gait speed were not significant. Fifth, the participants' step length of aquarobics exercise group increased more than that of the aerobics exercise program. All of the participants' leg muscle strength, static balance, dynamic balance, gait speed and step length increased after the both of two exercise programs. And, more importantly, the positive effect of the aquarobics exercise program on static balance, dynamic balance and step length was stronger than that of the aerobics exercise program. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the aquarobics exercise program be more effective exercise on elders' balance and walking ability than the aerobics exercise program.
Gait ; Leg* ; Muscle Strength* ; Walking*

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of a nursing intervention using sensory stimulation in dysphagic patients. Quasi-experimental with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest desigr, was used. 15 patients of each group were assigned for this study, who were hospitalized in the oriental medicine hospital of K. University. Specific stimulation plans were devised based on a dysfunctional area of the subjects. For each modality. subjects were systematically stimulated for 30 minutes. in the experimental group prim to each meal and 3 times per day for a week. The data were analyzed by SPSS PC program using chi2test. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and Mann-Whitney U test. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The tongue contra! score of the experimental group is greater than that of the control group(u=52.0. p= .007). 2. The score of chewing ability. lip control swallowing ability of the experimental group is greater than that of the control group But no difference is statistically seen between the experimental group and control group. Therefore, this study shows that sensory stimulation using icing. quick stretch. etc., was effective in improving oropharyngeal function in patients with dysphagia.
Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Eating* ; Humans ; Lip ; Mastication ; Meals ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Nursing ; Stroke* ; Tongue

The elbow region is the most common site at which the ulnar nerve is prone to a localized neuropathy. Diagnosis of ulnar nerve entrapment at elbow is made on the basis of history, lacal neurologic finding, nerve conduction studies and electromyography. Electrophysiologic test is simple, relatively quick, and accurate method for the diagnosis of peripheral nerve lesion. Therefore, electrodisgnosis makes it possible to identify and localize the early stage of entrapment lesion. Definitive diagnosis of ulnar nerve entrapment at elbow requires electromyographic demonstration of decreased ulnar nerve conduction velocity across the elbow and depressed sensory nerve action potentials. The purpose of this study were to analyze the electrophysiologic findings of patients with an established ulnar nerve entrapment at elbow compared to normal eonduction velocity of our laboratory. And we evaluate the correlation of clinical symptom with the electromyographic findings. Twenty five subjects were studied, 22 men and 3 women, aged from 5 to 62 years. The results were as follows . 1. The mean motor conduction velocity of ulnar nerve across elbow were 32.85±10.21 m/sec. The longer duration of symptom were, the slower conduction veloctity across elbow were. 2. Among the 25 patients, motor conduction velocity of ulnar nerve at forearm segment decreased in 15 patients(60%). As the motor conduction velocity of the ulnar nerve across elbow became slower, thst of forearm segment were slower. 3. In 19 patients (76%) among the 25 patients, sensory evoked potentials revealed prolonged distal latency or were not evoked. 4. On needle electrodiagnostic study, positive sharp wave or fibrillation potentials could be found in abductor digiti minimi first dorsal interosseus and/or flexor carpi ulnaris muscles in 22 patients(88%).
Action Potentials ; Diagnosis ; Elbow ; Electromyography ; Evoked Potentials ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; Muscles ; Needles ; Neural Conduction ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Peripheral Nerves ; Ulnar Nerve Compression Syndromes ; Ulnar Nerve

No abstract available.

A femoral bone tumor causing a valgus deformity by affecting the growth plate was found. Long intramedullary diaphyseal tumor was separated by septum at the metapysis. Low grade chondrosarcoma was confirmed diagnosed by pathologists. Progressive limb deformity can be a sign of bone tumor in growing period.
Chondrosarcoma* ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Extremities* ; Growth Plate

A simple, rapid and selective liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is developed and validated for quantification of venlafaxine in human plasma with simple liquid-liquid extraction step consisted of extraction with ether and dichloromethane for 10 min and mixing with 1 M sodium acetate in human plasma using fluoxetine as an internal standard (IS). The analyte are separated using an isocratic mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile and 5 mM ammonium formate (4/3, v/v) on a isocratic YMC hydrosphere C18 (2.0x50.0 mm, 3.0 microm) column and analyzed by MS/MS in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using the transitions of respective [M+H](+) ions, m/z 278.2-->260.3 and m/z 310.1-->148.1 for quantification of venlafaxine and IS, respectively. The standard calibration curves showed good linearity within the range of 1.0-200.0 ng/mL (r2=0.9986, 1/chi2 weighting). The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 1.0 ng/mL. The retention times of venlafaxine and IS were 0.6 min and 0.7 min that means the potential for the high-throughput potential of the proposed method. In addition, no significant metabolic compounds were found to interfere with the analysis. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for the concentrations over the standard curve range. The validated method was successfully applied to bioequivalence study after 75-mg of venlafaxine sustained-release (SR) capsule in 24 healthy Korean subjects.
Ammonium Compounds ; Calibration ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Ether ; Fluoxetine ; Humans ; Ions ; Liquid-Liquid Extraction ; Methylene Chloride ; Pharmacokinetics ; Plasma* ; Sodium Acetate ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Therapeutic Equivalency* ; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride

Additional a case of ectopic kidney with a literatural review was presented. Right kidney was located at the level of 4th lumbal spine and shortening of the right ureter. Left one was normal.
Kidney* ; Spine ; Ureter

No abstract available.
Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Neoplasm Metastasis*