No abstract available.
Glomerulonephritis*

It is well known that the medullary carcinoma of the breast is one of the special types of breast carcinoma with a good prognosis. At present, the medullary carcinoma of the breast is subclassified into 3 types: typical medullary, atypical medullary and nonmedullary carcinoma. Among them, the former has the best prognosis. We reviewed the film mammographic and ultrasonomammographic findings of 13 patients according to the reevaluated histopathologic diagnosis. Typical medullary carcinoma shows a well circumscribed mass with surrounding halo on film mammogram, and well defined mass with central intermediate echogenicity and peripheral low echogenicity and posterior acoustic enhancement on ultrasonomammogram. Atypical medullary carcinoma shows relatively well circumscribed mass with partial marginal obliteration on film mammogram, and irregular bordered mass with inhomogeneous echogenicity due to focal necrosis in the mass and associated findings of thick boundary, asymetrical lateral shadowing on ultrasonomammogram. Nonmedullary carcinoma shows lobulated mass with surrounding parenchymal distortion and skin thickening on film mammogram, and relatively well defined lobulating mass with surrounding parenchymal distortion and marked heterogeneous internal echogenicity on ultrasonomammogram. Therefore, differentiation between typical medullary carcinoma with good prognosis and atypical medulary or nonmedullary carcinoma with poor prognosis, may be possible by various diagnostic imaging modalities preoperatively. But further collective study shall be needed in near future.
Acoustics ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Medullary* ; Classification* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Imaging ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Prognosis ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Skin

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in psychic functioning characterized by difficulties in capacity to verbalize affect and to elaborate fantasies. Although initially described in the context of psychosomatic illness, alexithymic characteristics may be observed in patients with a wide range of medical and psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE: The present study was to evaluate the relationship between the alexithymia and bronchial asthma, and to compare the results with finding from a group of acute infectious illness subjects. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Alexithymia was measured with on Korean translation of the TAS-20 (Toronto Alexithymic Scale-20 Korea version) and the Scored Archetypal 9 Test(SAT9). Thirty patients with bronchial asthma and thirty patients with acute infectious illness completed these tests. The SAT9 and the TAS-20K scores were compared in the both group, considering the age, gender, education level, and duration of illness. RESULT: Bronchial asthma patients had significantly higher score of on the TAS-20K and SAT9 compared with those with infectious illness(p<0.05). The two scales correlated in expected direction. Alexithymia was significantly related to education level(SAT9: r=0.335, TAS-20K: r=-0.376, p<0.01) and duration of illness(asthma group, SAT9: r=-0.383, TAS-20K: r=0.288, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Bronchial asthma patients had significantly higher alexithymic scores. This finding suggests that psycliathic consultation may be considered for the management of asthmatic patients with alexithyria.
Affective Symptoms* ; Asthma* ; Education ; Fantasy ; Humans ; Korea ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Cleidocranial Dysplasia*

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the static balance ability of patients with back pain.METHODS: The subjects comprised of 30 males and females in their 20s, who were divided into two groups with and without tDCS. The balance posture ratio score was calculated to determine the changes in balance ability before and after the application of tDCS using balance equipment. A paired t-test was conducted to determine the changes over time, and an independent t-test was performed to determine the changes between the groups. The significance level was set to α=0.05.RESULTS: A significant difference in the changes in the static balance ability of CTDCSG between before and after applying tDCS was observed while the subjects' eyes were open (p<0.05). A comparison between the groups after the experiments revealed significantly increased changes in CTDCSG compared to STDCSE (p<0.05). The changes in static balance ability were not significant when the subjects' eyes were closed (p>0.05).CONCLUSION: The application of tDCS positively changed the static balance ability of patients with back pain. The results of this study showed that tDCS could be used as an intervention to increase the static balance ability of patients with back pain in the clinical field. The study results could be used further as foundational data for future studies on tDCS.
Back Pain ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Posture ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A precise osteotomy is a requirement for successful rhinoplasty. Osteotomy in rhinoplasty is frequently performed via intranasal route through vestibular incision or can be performed by percutaneous approach. The latter has never been reported in the domestic journal. Thus, we aimed to evaluate in this study the usefulness of rhinoplasty using percutaneous osteotomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pateints age ranged from 19 to 38 years. Surgeries were performed on 6 cases who underwent rhinoplasty during the period of October 1999 to February 2000. Osteotomy via external approach was used with the aid of a sharp, straight 2 mm osteotome. RESULT: Irregularity, scoliosis, and broadness of nasal bony pyramid in the study subjects were successfully corrected using percutaneous osteotomy. During the procedure, hemomhage was minimal. Postoperatively, ecchymosis and edema was negligible and scarring was barely perceptible. However, one female patient who have fair complexion complained of osteotomy scar. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the percutaneous osteotomy may be used as a good alternative for the osteotomy approach but must used in judicious manner because of osteotomy scar.
Cicatrix ; Ecchymosis ; Edema ; Female ; Humans ; Osteotomy* ; Rhinoplasty* ; Scoliosis

There has been many researches aimed at reinforcing the strength of resin, and these have led to the development and use of numerous materials in recent years. A case in point, is the recent development of plasma-treated polyyethylene fiber which has been used mainly in fixed provisional restoration to reduce the incidence of fractures. This study aims at assessing whether plasma-treated polyethylene fiber as applied to composite resin is effective in increasing the flexural strength and how applied portions affect this. Twenty-four applied and eight unapplied composite resin bars were fabricated. Twenty-four applied specimens were divided into three groups. Plasma treated polyethylene fiber was applied to the groups each with different portions of composite resin. In the first group, plasma-treated polyethylene fiber was not applied. In the second group, fiber was applied to the compression side of composite resin. Fiber was applied to the tension side in the third group, while fiber was embedded in the tension side of the compositeresin in the fourth group. Each specimen was tested by use of a three-point bending strength test with an instron testing machine, and the flexural strength was calculated. The following results were obtained. : 1. Under the conditions of this study, the third and fourth groups demonstrated a statistically greater flexural strength compared to the first and second groups. 2. But there was no statiscally significant difference, not only between the first group and the second group, but also between the third group and the fourth group. Taken together, it can be concluded that plasma-treated polyethylene fiber applied to composite resin is an effective method in increasing flexural strength, and the best way of increasing the flexural strength is by application of plasma-treated polyethylene fiber to the tension side, or the embedding of same in composite resin. It must be mentioned however that this test used a static single-load test method. This method determined the maximum stresses that could be tolerated, but this might not be valid where the prediction of clinical failure is concerned. In order therfore to clinically utilize plasma-treated polyethylene fiber to reinforce the composite resin, it is suggested that a further study which considers the various loads be undertaken.
Incidence ; Plasma ; Polyethylene*

BACKGROUND: Aging is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and firmly established as a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. However the exact mechanism of age-related damage to the arterial wall and its relation to the atherosclerotic process are not well known.The endothelium plays an important role for the regulation of vascular tone and the endothelial function is impaired in the presence of risk factors early in the process of atherosclerosis. Assessment of endothelial function appears to be a valuable tool for the diagnosing and therapeutic monitoring of coronary artery disease. Anti-oxidants are known to improve endothelial dysfunction in atherosclerosis patients. The aim of this study was, (1) to evaluate the endothelial function in elderly, (2) to investigate whether vitamin C administration has benefit on the endothelial function in elderly. METHODS: The endothelial function was estimated using venous occlusion plethysmography(VOP) in 7 elderly and 7 young healthy volunteers. The strain guage was connected to plethysmograph to record the forearm volume change. A rapid cuff inflator was used to inflate the arm cuff to 40 mmHg instantaneuosly thus occluding venous return from the forearm. The measurement of forearm volume change was repeated for 7 times each stage. The change of the forearm blood flow(FBF) was measured with the acetylcholine infusion through brachial artery and also with intra-arterial vitamin C. RESULTS: Endothelium-dependent vasodilatation was significantly impaired in the elderly group compared to the young group(321 +/-17% in elderly group vs 509 +/-81%, mean+/-SEM) Forearm blood flow response to acetylcholine was significantly enhanced with inraarterial infusion of vitamin C in elderly group(321+/-17% in elderly group vs 78% in vitamin C) Coinfusion of L-NMMA, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, blunted forearm blood flow response to acetylcholine. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the mechanisms leading to drpressed endothelial function in elderly remains to be elucidated, our study shows that vitamin C result in demonstrable improvement by a mechanism that is probably related to antioxidant activity.
Acetylcholine ; Aged* ; Aging ; Arm ; Ascorbic Acid* ; Atherosclerosis ; Brachial Artery ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Endothelium ; Forearm ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; omega-N-Methylarginine ; Risk Factors ; Vasodilation* ; Vitamins*

For 16 years after the finding of HIV as an agent of AIDS in 1981, HIV therapeutic drugs of reverse transcriptase inhibitors (AZT, ddI, ddC, d4T) and protease inhibitors have been developed. Recent studies also were focused on a combination therapy by using HIV therapeutic drugs or natural compounds. Korean red ginseng (KRG) of natural compounds has been well known as a good reinforcement agent in Asia. The percentage of CD3+CD4+ T cell in nine HIV-infected patients without KRG treatment averaged 17.8% on baseline and decreased 15.8% after 6 months, whereas the percentage of the cell in fifteen HIV-infected patients with KRG treatment averaged 15.3% on baseline and increased up to 18.9% after the same period. The average percentage of CD3+CD8+ T cell of KRG-nontreated and KRG-treated HIV patients increased after 6 months 47.8% to 50.7% and 44.7% to 51.4%, respectively; and the average percentage of B and NK cell in the KRG-nontreated and KRG-treated HIV patients decreased 9.4% to 7.9% and 13.0% to 9.7%, 8.9% to 8.5% and 16.2% to 11.6%, respectively, KRG, therefore, didn't have any effects on the CD3+CD8+ T cell, B cell, and NK cell. However, it seems that KRG has a potential activity for stimulating the
Asia ; HIV ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocyte Subsets* ; Lymphocytes* ; Panax* ; Protease Inhibitors ; Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors