No abstract available.
Humans ; Pregnancy, Twin*

No abstract available.
Abscess* ; Drainage*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Aortic Aneurysm* ; Humans ; Rupture*

In human reproduction, fertilization is the first step for successful pregnancy. From the perspective of sperm physiology, the progressive motility and capacitation, including hyperactivation and acrosome reaction, are the most important factors in the fertilization of oocytes. Numerous studies have demonstrated the roles of calcium ions, cyclic nucleotides, and bicarbonate in the acquisition of progressive motility and capacitation. Among these factors, calcium ion plays the most important role. Sperm possess several calcium channels, including voltage-gated calcium channel, cyclic nucleotide-gated calcium channel, transient receptor potential channel, and channels of the CatSper family The CatSper family is a newly-identified group of four sperm-specific cation channels. CatSper1 and CatSper2 proteins localize on the sperm tail and play a critical role in sperm motility and fertilization. In contrast, CatSper3 and CatSper4 proteinsare expressed only in the acrosomal region of sperm head, which implies that they may have a role in the acrosome reaction. Taken together, the CatSper family is the most important group of calcium channels for regulating sperm physiology and appear to be an attractive target for non-hormonal male contraceptives.
Acrosome Reaction ; Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; Contraceptive Agents, Male ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Ions ; Nucleotides, Cyclic ; Oocytes ; Physiology ; Pregnancy ; Reproduction ; Sperm Head ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Tail ; Spermatozoa

PURPOSE: The authors applied modified Bilhaut-Cloquet procedure to convergent type of Wassel type IV duplicated thumb. In order to avoid secondary Z-deformity and dysfunction of the reconstructed thumb, the authors modified operative techniques of Bilhaut-Clopuet procedure. METHODS: Fourteen patients received Bilhaut-Cloquet procedures to correct duplicated thumbs from October 2008 to May 2013. Five patients were balanced type and nine patients were unbalanced type. Mean age at the operation was 20.1 month-old (range, 12-52 month-old). Angular deformity, joint stability, range of joint motion and cosmetic outcome were estimated based on Tada score. Postoperative subjective satisfaction score of the parents was evaluated using a 100-points scale. RESULTS: Mean subjective satisfaction score was 75 points at 28 months after the operation. Radiologic study showed bony union of proximal phalangeal bone and stable joint in all patients. Mean range of motion was 20 degrees in interphalangeal joint and 73 degrees in metacarpophalangeal joint. Based on Tada score, the results were good in ten patients (72%), fair in two (14%) and poor in two (14%). Seven patients who were able to follow up for a long term showed no significant difference in length of proximal and distal phalangeal bones compared to the opposite thumb. CONCLUSION: Modified Bilhaut-Cloquet procedure can be applied not only to balanced type of convergent Wassel type IV duplicated thumb, but also to unbalanced type, that focused on functional reconstruction and cosmetic improvement.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joints ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; Parents ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Thumb*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this prospective study is to examine the anatomical variations of the branches of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve in Koreans encountered during cubital tunnel surgery. METHODS: Ninety two patients with cubital tunnel syndrome were treated with a standard approach from December 2008 to July 2012. The position of the branches of medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve was evaluated based on the medial humeral epicondyle with the elbows fully extended. RESULTS: At least one medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve branch was found during the surgeries in all patients. The average number of crossing medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve branches per patient was 1.6. Thirty-eight percent of the cases showed that the medial cutaneous nerve branches cross proximal to the medial humeral epicondyle within 1 cm. Eighty-two percent showed that the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve branches cross distal to the medial humeral epicondyle within 1.9 cm. CONCLUSION: When using standard approach during cubital tunnel surgery, more than one medial forearm cutaneous nerve is found. Therefore, understanding the general position of medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve branches helps avoid iatrogenic damage to this nerve during cubital tunnel surgery.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ; Elbow ; Forearm ; Humans ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: The purpose was to evaluate the efficiency of vein repair on flap survival in distally based avulsion flap injury of the hand and forearm. METHODS: Sixteen cases of distally based avulsion flap injury larger than 30 cm2 in size of the hand and forearm in which vein repair was done were enrolled. All had a avulsion injury by rolling machine. To survive the flap, extensive debridement was done to reduce the size of distally based flap injury as little as possible. Thereafter, an average of 1.4 vein were repaired. Postoperatively, hyberbaric oxygen therapy was performed for 2 weeks. The flap survival was assessed at three weeks after operation. RESULTS: When comparing the size of distally based avulsion flap injury and flaps that survived after operation, excellent results were observed in 12 cases, and good results in 4 cases. Additional operation was required including split thickness skin graft in 4 cases. A reverse island fasciocutaneous flap was performed in one case, and elbow joint arthrolysis was performed in another one. CONCLUSION: Treatment of distally based avulsion flap injury of the hand and forearm using vein repair lead to relatively satisfying results in flap survival by allowing earlier motion of the joint, providing favorable functional results.
Debridement ; Elbow Joint ; Forearm* ; Hand* ; Joints ; Oxygen ; Skin ; Transplants ; Veins*

PURPOSE: We present the clinical results and operative method of the immediate eponychium of nail fold set back for lengthening of nails caused by acute fingertip injuries. METHODS: The research was conducted with a total of 172 patients during the period from January 2014 to June 2016. The operation method was performed in a way to fold down the two sides of the nail eponychium and had suture. A survey of the patients' subjective satisfaction was conducted and the relative nail length was compared before and after the operation as well as the nail length of the uninjured contralateral finger. The mean follow-up period was 18.2 weeks. RESULTS: In all cases, the operation time was under 3 minutes. There were no specific complications such as nail eponychium's necrosis or congestion. The new nail did not have any additional deformation. On average, the extended nail length was 3.2 mm. Compared with preoperation, the average extension ratio of the nail length was 48%, even with 75% of nail length recovery in comparison with the uninjured contralateral finger. The subjective self-satisfaction score was 92.5 on average. The satisfaction score was higher for patients who had greater remnant nail length. CONCLUSION: Immediate nail lengthening with the eponychial folding is a simple, safe and useful method with high subjective satisfaction in aesthetics for the patients with acute fingertip injuries.
Esthetics ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Fingers* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Methods ; Necrosis ; Sutures

BACKGROUND: Autologous fat grafts have been widely used for cosmetic purposes and for soft tissue contour reconstruction. Because diabetes mellitus is one of the major chronic diseases in nearly every country, the requirement for fat grafts in diabetes patients is expected to increase continuously. However, the circulation complications of diabetes are serious and have been shown to involve microvascular problems, impairing ischemia-driven neovascularization in particular. After injection, revascularization is vital to the survival of the grafted fat. In this study, the authors attempted to determine whether the diabetic condition inhibits the survival of injected fat due to impaired neovascularization. METHODS: The rat scalp was used for testing fat graft survival. Forty-four seven-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated to a diabetic group or a control group. 1.0 mL of processed fat was injected subcutaneously into the scalp of each rat. The effect of diabetes was evaluated by calculating the volume and the weight of the grafted fat and by histologically analyzing the fat sections. RESULTS: The surviving fat graft volume and weight were considerably smaller in the diabetic group than in the control group (P<0.05), and histological evaluations showed less vascularity, and more cysts, vacuoles, and fibrosis in the diabetic group (P<0.05). Cellular integrity and inflammation were not considerably different in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: As the final outcome, we found that the presence of diabetes might impair the survival and the quality of fat grafts, as evidenced by lower fat graft weights and volumes and poor histologic graft quality.
Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Chronic Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Angiopathies ; Fibrosis ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Scalp ; Streptozocin ; Transplants* ; Vacuoles ; Weights and Measures