BACKGROUND: This study was performed in order to investigate the changes of Na+ transport system in the red blood cells of patients with essential hypertension. METHODS: Na(+)-Li(+) countertransport and Na(+)-K(+) pump activity were measured in 30 cases of essential hypertension and 20 healthy normal controls. And these measurements were analyzed in terms of some important clinical parameters in the patients, i.e., body mass index(BMI), status of hypertension and plasma lipids. RESULTS: Na(+) and K(+) contents of red cells in hypertensive patients were 16.9+/-1.4 and 77.8+/-2.1mmol/L cells, respectively, and no significant difference was found compared with respective value of normal control(14.2+/-0.9 and 82.2+/-2.8mmol/L cells). Na(+)-Li(+) countertransport in the patients group was significantly ancreased compared with control group(62.5+/-4.5 and 46.8+/-3.0umol/L cells.hr), and Na(+)-K(+) pump activity was also showed a significant depression(8.72+/-0.80 and 12.79+/-0.52umol Pi/mg.hr). In the analysis regarding the relationship between Na(+) transport system and some important clinical parameters of the patients with essential hypertension, Na(+)-Li(+) countertransport was related to BMI, and the level of triglyceride. On the other hand, Na(+)-K(+) pump activity was related to the WHO stage and the levels of total cholesterol and triglyceride. But level of blood pressure did not show a significant correlation with either are of the two Na(+) transport system. CONCLUSION: These resluts suggest that Na(+)-Li(+) countertransport and Na(+)-K(+) pump activity in patients with essential hypertension were significantly altered compared with heathy normal controls, and these Na(+) transport system were also influenced by BMI, WHO stage, and the levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. And the individual variation in Na(+) transport system were also suggested by the findings being overlapped between hypertensive patients and controls.
Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Erythrocytes* ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Plasma ; Triglycerides

Mercury had been an important constituent of the remedial drugs for last few centuries, but substantially replaced by more specific and effective mordern medicines. However, metalic mercury, tbe vestige of the last decades, has still been employed for the patients of scabies by the herbal doctors in Korea. Therefore, we have often experienced patients with such complications as exfoliative dermatitis following topical applications of metalic mercury or inhalation of the vapor. There are three major toxic chernical forms of mercury, such as metalic (ele- mental) mercury vapor, salts of the mercury, and organic mercur.'als. Metailc mercury is the most volatile of the inorganic forms of the metal, Inhalation of the vapor of the metalic mercury is very toxic, but ingestion of the globular forms is rarely harmful. Acute mercury poison.ng due to topical mercurials is very rare. This case was a such patient who showed the mercury poisoning can result from the percutaneous absorption of topically applied mercury. The patient was an 11 year-old schoolboy with scabies. Three days after topical applications on the whole body with the mixture of rneta,lic rnercury, phosphorus and perilla oil, as prescribed by a herbal doctor, he was suffered from headache, fever, facial flushing, sore throat, a,nd stomatitis for a few days, and then followed by exfoliative dermatitis, renal and bone marrow fa'.lures. However, bone marrow failure due to mercury was very rarely described in the literatures. Virtually, the whole body was covered by thick scales on the dirty greyish pigmented or erytheinatoas Cohfluent payules. It whs oozing on the external genital area, and all nails were spontaneously extracted. Tbe findings of renal failures included puffy face, ascites, BUN 92. 8 mg/dl, serum creatinine 7. 3 mg/dl. creat.nine clearance 12rnl/min., proteinuria, rnicro and gross hematuria, and non or poor visualizations of IVP. The peak in severity was at about 50 days after onset and bacame normal except mild proteinuria at about 70 days after onset. The findings of aplastic anemia were shown by pancytopenia(Hb 7. 6g/dl, WBC 1, 700, seg. neutro. 18%, lympho. 40% mono. 26%, eosino. 16%, Hct25%, thrombocytes 40, 000, RBC 3, 000, 000, reticulocytes 0. 1%) and about 20 per cent of the cellularity in bone marrow aspiration from about 70 to 90 days after onset. In fact, the aplastic anemia was coincided with nasal bleeding, staphylococcal septisema, and staphylococcal pustulation at the site of IM injection. However, the levels of onset 80 day-urine and blood rnercury were high: 208 ug/1. (norm.alless than 100 ug/l)in urine, and 126. 3 ug/100g (normal less than 5 ug/100g) in blood.
Anemia, Aplastic ; Ascites ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow* ; Child ; Creatinine ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative* ; Eating ; Epistaxis ; Fever ; Flushing ; Headache ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Mercury Poisoning ; Perilla ; Pharyngitis ; Phosphorus ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency ; Reticulocytes ; Salts ; Scabies ; Skin Absorption ; Stomatitis ; Weights and Measures

Syringoma of the vulva is a rare disorder and limitation of the lesions to this site appears unique. Lesions can be clinically diagnosed without difficulty, since it is characterized by multiple, bilateral, asymptomatic skin-colored papules. Vuluar syringoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of multicentric papular lesions of the vulva. The patient presented here is a 30-year-old healthy woman; lesions are multiple, biiateral, asymptomatic, angular or round, skin-colored to yellowish brown, firm papules localized on the vulvar region and showing a characteristic histologic findings.
Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Syringoma* ; Vulva*

Mitral valvular orifice area is important for the evaluation of prognosis and treatment of patients with mitral valvular stenosis. Until recently, Gorlin's formula using cardiac catheterization has been utilized in the measurement of mitral valve area, but it is invasive and impractical to examine repeatedly. Recently 2-Dimensional echocardiography appeared to be a practical and useful substitute in measurement of valve area and also it is economical and has no risk to patients. In 31 patients with mitral valvular stenosis examined at the echocardiography room of Busan national University Hospital from March 1982 to March 1983, we measured the mitral valve area with 2-Dimensional echocardiography and evaluated its relationship with the left ventricular functions measured on M-mode echocardiogram. Among many parameters on M-mode measurements EF slope, excursion amplitude and the ratio of left atrial dimension to aortic root dimension were rather helpful for the assessment of severity of mitral valvular stenosis than other parameters. And each relationship with the valve area showed correlation coefficient of 0.60, 0.05 and -0.58, respectively.
Busan ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Mitral Valve* ; Prognosis ; Ventricular Function, Left

No abstract available.
Echocardiography* ; Heart Atria ; Thrombosis*

Supracondylar fracture of the humerus is a common injury in the pediatric patient. A less common complication is the development of myositis ossificans. Although frequently cited as a possible complication, there are few reported cases of this occurring in the pediatric patient. We present a case report of a 8 year old boy who developed myositis ossificans after a supracondylar fracture of the humerus. After one year of the injury, we could ascertained radiologically complete maturation of the mass which developed in front of the distal humerus and markedly made motion of the elbow joint limited. We could obtain further motion through the surgical resection and then physical therapy. Now, eleven months have lapsed since the mass was removed, the range of motion is almost normal, and the recurrence of myositis ossificans is not existed.
Child* ; Elbow Joint ; Humans ; Humerus* ; Male ; Myositis Ossificans* ; Myositis* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Recurrence

The pulmonic valve is the least commonly affected valve in infective endocarditis. Pulmonic valve endocarditis usually occurs in IV drug addicts or patients with congenital heart disease, most commonly pulmonic stenosis, patent ductus arteriosus, tetralogy of Fallot, and ventricular septal defect. The diagnosis of pulmonic valve endocarditis is difficult clinically and echocardiography is a reliable method to detect the presence of pulmonic valve endocarditis. Diagnostic finding is vegetations on the pulmonic valve appear as shaggy echo-dense masses or thickening of the pulmonic valve during diastole and/or systole. The prevalence of pulmonic valve endocarditis has increased significantly recent years, especially among intravenous drug addicts. However, few reports have dealt with the echocardiographic and clinical features of pulmonic valve endocarditis. We, therefore, reviewed the clinical spectrum and echocardiographic features of pulmonic valve endocarditis in two patients with ventricular septal defect.
Diagnosis ; Diastole ; Drug Users ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Echocardiography* ; Endocarditis* ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Systole ; Tetralogy of Fallot

PURPOSE: We investigated proximal tibial cutting surface in total knee replacement arthroplasty to improve its coverage and get basic data for developing more adequate tibial components for Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of cases of total knee replacement arthroplasty performed by one surgeon between September 1995 and October 1996, we chose 100 cases with no bony defect on resected tibial surface. We traced the outline of tibial resection margin manually and then, decided the most adequate size for each tibial tray from 5 companies, AGC (Biomet, Warsaw, USA), Advantim (Wright medical technology, Arlington, USA), AMK (DePuy, Warsaw, USA), MGII (Zimmer, Indiana, USA), and Series 7000 (Osteonics, New Jersey, USA). We divided the tibial cutting surface with 12 quadrants by 30 degree radian. Then, we overlaped both images (traced tibial surface margin and tibial tray) on the computer and fixed the position when we got the largest coverage of area. From this position we calculated the coverage, underhang and overhang ratios by pixel counts. During this process, we discarded 20 cases because of inadequate overlapping. RESULTS: The overall average ratio of coverage was 82.3%, underhang 17.3%, and overhang 6.0%. The consequence of good coverage and minimal underhang were posterolateral, posteromedial, anterolateral, anteromedial and posterior aspects sequentially. But the posterior side was more overhanged by tibial component than anterior side. CONCLUSION: We feel that improving coverage on posterior and anteromedial portion is key to increasing the coverage ratio of proximal tibia in total knee replacement arthroplasty.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee* ; Indiana ; New Jersey ; Tibia

No abstract available.
Animals ; Dogs* ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Metabolism*

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1(MCP-1) has been known to play a role in pathophysiology of inflammatory glomerular disease through selective monocyte attraction and activation. The levels of urine and serum MCP-1 in 20 inflammatory glomerular diseases(IgA nephropathy 16, lupus nephritis 4), 17 non-inflammatory glomerular diseases(membranous nephrothy 9, minimal change disease 8), and 10 normal controls were evaluated by ELISA. The secretion of MCP-1 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) was examined in 5 patients with IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, and minimal change disease respectively and 5 normal controls. After 4 week treatment with steroid, the urine and serum MCP-1 levels were followed up in eighteen patients who received steroid therapy. Urinary excretion of MCP-1 was significantly higher in patients with inflammatory glomerular disease(0.78+/-0.51ng/mg creatinine) compared to normal controls(0.18+/-0.12ng/mg creatinine). There were no differences in serum MCP-1 levels and MCP-1 production by PBMC between normal controls and patients. Positive correlation between urinary excretion of MCP-1 and proteinuria were observed in the patients with inflammatory glomerular disease but not in the patients with non-inflammatory glomerular disease. Any correlation between serum MCP-1 levels and urinary excretion of MCP-1 or proteinuria was not found. Urinary excretion of MCP-1 and proteinuria were decreased after steroid therapy. However, reduction in urinary excretion of MCP-1 does not seem to be related with decrease in proteinuria. Further studies are necessary to clarify the clinical significances of reduction in urinary excretion of MCP-1 with steroid therapy. In conclusion, our data support some role of MCP-1 in the pathophysiology of inflammatory glomerular diseases. MCP-1, however, does not seem to play an important role in those of membranous nephropathy and minimal change disease.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranous ; Humans ; Lupus Nephritis ; Monocytes ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Proteinuria*