Cybex evaluation of muscle strength was performed on 15 patients with chronic anterior cruciate ligament tears following arthroscopic reconstruction using central one-third patella tendon autograft. Cybex testing was done preoperatively and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively. Peak torque and total work of the quadriceps and hamstrings at the angular velocity of 60 degree/sec and 180 degree/sec were measured and analyzed. The results were as follows: l. At the angular velocity of 60 degree/sec, the muscle strength of the quadriceps showed 45.4% deficit in peak torque and 50.9% deficit in total work compared to the contralateral normal knee preoperatively, 48.2% and 49.0% deficit respectively at 3 months after operation, 40.3% and 37.7% deficit at 6 months, 30.6% and 32.5% deficit at 9 months and 23.4% and 24.7% deficit at 1 year after operation. 2. At the angular velocity of 60 degree/sec, the muscle strenggth of the hamstrings showed 32.3% deficit in peak torque and 42.9% deficit in total work compared to the contralateral normal knee preoperatively, 39.3% and 42.4% deficit respectively at 3 months after operation, 27.3% and 32.3% deficit at 6 months, 21.2% and 22.3% deficit at 9 months and 17.9% and 18.4% deficit at 1 year after operation. 3. At the angular velocity of 180 degree/sec, the muscle strength of the quadriceps showed 38.4% deficit in peak torque and 42.0% deficit in total work compared to the contralateral normal knee preoperatively, 41.1% and 47.54% deficit respectively at 3 months after operation, 34.4% and 33.7% deficit at 6 months, 28.5% and 28.6% deficit at 9 months and 21.0% and 22.1% at 1 year after operation. 4. At the angular velocity of 180 degree/sec, the muscle strength of the hamstrings showed 26.9% deficit in peak torque and 31.8% deficit in total work compared to the contralateral normal knee preoperatively, 41.2% and 45.2% deficit respectively at 3 months after operation, 32.3% and 36.0% deficit at 6 months, 21.4% and 25.1% deficit at 9 months and 16.1% and 15.7% at 1 year after operation.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Autografts ; Humans ; Knee ; Muscle Strength ; Patellar Ligament ; Tears ; Torque

Hip and knee replacement arthroplasty is one of the important causes of pulmonary embolism, of which the incidence was reported to be from 2 to 16% But, there are no reports about the incidence of pulmonary embolism after these operations in Korea. The authors' intention was to study the incidence and clinical manifestations of pulmonary embolism after hip and knee surgery. Lung perfusion scans and inhalation scans were done preoperatively and 7 days postoperatively for 139 hip or knee replacement arthrosplasty patients in Asan Medical Center. We studied 62 cases of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, 33 cases of femur neck fractures, 45 cases of degenerative arthritis of the hip and knee joints and 17 cases of other diseases. In this study, hip replacement arthroplasties were done in 114 cases, knee replacement arthrosplasties in 25 cases. On preoperative lung scan, high or intermediate probability findings of pulmonary embolism were shown in 18 cases and all of them were asymptomatic. 139 cases showed normal or low probability on preoperative lung scan, of which 5 cases were changed to high probability and 7 cases to intermediate probability on postoperative lung scan. Four of the 7 intermediate probability cases were confirmed to be pulmonary embolism on pulmonary angiography. Of these 9 cases, hip replacement arthroplasties were done in 6 cases and knee replacement arthroplasties in 3 cases. There were 5 cases of osteoarthritis of hip and knee, 3 cases of avascular necrosis of femoral head and 1 case of femoral neck fracture. We concluded that preoperative and postoperative incidences of pulmonary embolism in Korea were similar to those in western countires. Most of the pulmonary embolism patients were asymptomatic and so lung perfusion scans and inhalation scans were helpful in the early diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.
Angiography ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Early Diagnosis ; Femoral Neck Fractures ; Head ; Hip ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inhalation ; Intention ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Korea ; Lung ; Necrosis ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteoarthritis, Hip ; Perfusion ; Pulmonary Embolism

PURPOSE: Results of the Korea National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children, which was launched in November 2007, were evaluated for future research and policy development. METHODS: Data from a total of 2,729,340 cases were analyzed. Five visiting ages, such as 4, 9, 18, 30, and 60 months, were included. Several parameters such as stunting, obesity, and positive rate of developmental screening were also analyzed. Telephone survey was performed in 1,035 users. For the provider survey, 262 doctors participated in our study. RESULTS: The overall participation rate of users was 35.3%. This participation rate showed a decrement tendency to old age and low income. Only 6.9% of users participated in oral screening. Health screening was performed mainly in private clinics (82.6%). The recall rate of 4 months program users at the age of 9 months was 57.3%. The positive rate of screening was 3.1%, and was higher in the low-income group. By telephone survey, users reported that questionnaires were not difficult (94%) and overall satisfaction was good (73%). Longer duration of counseling was related with more satisfied users. Counseling and health education were helpful to users (73.2%). Doctors agreed that this program was helpful to children (98.5%). CONCLUSION: Korea National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children was launched successfully. Participation rate should be improved, and a quality control program needs to be developed. More intensive support following this program for children of low-income families may lead to effective interventions in controlling health inequality. Periodic update of guidelines is also needed.
Child ; Counseling ; Health Education ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Obesity ; Policy Making ; Quality Control ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Telephone

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Mass Screening*

The mission of National Health Screening Program for Infant and Children is to promote and improve the health, education, and well-being of infants, children, families, and communities. Although the term 'diagnosis' usually relates to pathology, a similar diagnostic approach applies to the child seen primarily for health supervision. In the case of health, diagnosis determines the selection of appropriate health promoting and preventive interventions, whether medical, dental, nutritional, educational, or psychosocial. Components of the diagnostic process in health supervision include the health 'interview'; assessment of physiological, emotional, cognitive, and social development (including critical developmental milestones); physical examination; screening procedures; and evaluation of strengths and issues. Open and informed communication between the health professional and the family remains the most significant component of both health diagnosis and health promotion. Families complete medical history forms at their health supervision visit. Family-friendly questionnaires, checklists, and surveys that are appropriate for the child''s age are additional tools to improve and update data gathering. This type of information helps initiate and inform discussions between the family and the health professional. This article provides a comprehensive review of current National Health Screening Program for Infant and Children in Korea.
Checklist ; Child ; Health Occupations ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Missions and Missionaries ; National Health Programs ; Organization and Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Social Change

PURPOSE: Alpha1 (alpha1)-adrenoceptor antagonists are widely used to treat lower urinary tract symptoms. These drugs not only act on peripheral tissues, but also cross the blood-brain barrier and affect the central nervous system. Therefore, alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists may enhance brain functions. In the present study, we investigated the effects of tamsulosin, an alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, on short-term memory, as well as spatial learning and memory, in rats. METHODS: The step-down avoidance test was used to evaluate short-term memory, and an eight-arm radial maze test was used to evaluate spatial learning and memory. TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling) staining was performed in order to evaluate the effect of tamsulosin on apoptosis in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Patch clamp recordings were used to evaluate the effect of tamsulosin on ionotropic glutamate receptors, such as N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA), and kainate receptors, in hippocampal CA1 neurons. RESULTS: Tamsulosin treatment improved short-term memory, as well as spatial learning and memory, without altering apoptosis. The amplitudes of NMDA-induced ion currents were dose-dependently increased by tamsulosin. However, the amplitudes of AMPA- and kainate-induced ion currents were not affected by tamsulosin. CONCLUSIONS: Tamsulosin enhanced memory function by activating NMDA receptor-mediated ion currents in the hippocampus without initiating apoptosis. The present study suggests the possibility of using tamsulosin to enhance memory under normal conditions, in addition to its use in treating overactive bladder.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Dentate Gyrus ; Hippocampus* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Learning ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Memory* ; Memory, Short-Term ; N-Methylaspartate ; Neurons ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Rats* ; Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate ; Receptors, Kainic Acid ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive

BACKGROUND: Iodine is an intrinsic element of thyroid hormone, which is essential for childhood growth and development. The Ideal Breast Milk (IBM) cohort study aims to evaluate the effects of maternal iodine status during pregnancy and lactation on maternal thyroid function, offspring growth and development, and offspring thyroid function. METHODS: The IBM cohort study recruited pregnant women from Seoul National University Hospital between June 2016 and August 2017, followed by enrollment of their offspring after delivery. For the maternal participants, iodine status is evaluated by urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and dietary records in the third trimester and at 3 to 4 weeks and 12 to 15 months postpartum. For the child participants, cord blood sampling and UIC measurements are performed at birth. At 3 to 4 weeks of age, UIC and breastmilk iodine concentrations are measured. At 12 to 15 months of age, growth and development are assessed and measurements of UIC, a thyroid function test, and ultrasonography are performed. RESULTS: A total of 198 pregnant women in their third trimester were recruited. Their mean age was 35.1±3.5 years, and 78 (39.4%) of them were pregnant with twins. Thirty-three (16.7%) of them had a previous history of thyroid disease. CONCLUSION: Korea is an iodine-replete area. In particular, lactating women in Korea are commonly exposed to excess iodine due to the traditional practice of consuming brown seaweed soup postpartum. The study of the IBM cohort is expected to contribute to developing guidelines for optimal iodine nutrition in pregnant or lactating women.
Breast* ; Child ; Cohort Studies* ; Cordocentesis ; Diet Records ; Female ; Growth and Development* ; Humans ; Infant ; Iodine* ; Korea ; Lactation* ; Milk, Human* ; Parturition ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Prospective Studies* ; Seaweed ; Seoul ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland* ; Twins ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Radioimmunoassay (RIA) was usually performed by the batch assay. To improve the efficiency of RIA without increase of the cost and time, random assay could be a choice. We investigated the possibility of the random assay using automatic dispenser by assessing the agreement between batch assay and random assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The experiments were performed with four items; Triiodothyronine (T3), free thyroxine (fT4), Prostate specific antigen (PSA), Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). In each item, the sera of twenty patients, the standard, and the control samples were used. The measurements were done 4 times with 3 hour time intervals by random assay and batch assay. The coefficient of variation (CV) of the standard samples and patients' data in T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA were assessed. ICC (Intraclass correlation coefficient) and coefficient of correlation were measured to assessing the agreement between two methods. RESULTS: The CVs (%) of T3, fT4, PSA, and CEA measured by batch assay were 3.2+/-1.7%, 3.9+/-2.1%, 7.1+/-6.2%, 11.2+/-7.2%. The CVs by random assay were 2.1+/-1.7%, 4.8+/-3.1%, 3.6+/-4.8%, and 7.4+/-6.2%. The ICC between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9968 (T3), 0.9973 (fT4), 0.9996 (PSA), and 0.9901 (CEA). The coefficient of correlation between the batch assay and random assay were 0.9924(T3), 0.9974 (fT4), 0.9994 (PSA), and 0.9989 (CEA) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of random assay showed strong agreement with the batch assay in a day. These results suggest that random assay using automatic dispenser could be used in radioimmunoassay.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Humans ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Radioimmunoassay ; Thyroxine ; Triiodothyronine

Brain delivery of macromolecular therapeutics (e.g., proteins) remains an unsolved problem because of the formidable blood-brain barrier (BBB). Although a direct pathway of nose-to-brain transfer provides an answer to circumventing the BBB and has already been intensively investigated for brain delivery of small drugs, new challenges arise for intranasal delivery of proteins because of their larger size and hydrophilicity. In order to overcome the barriers and take advantage of available pathways (e.g., epithelial tight junctions, uptake by olfactory neurons, transport into brain tissues, and intra-brain diffusion), a low molecular weight protamine (LMWP) cell-penetrating peptide was utilized to facilitate nose-to-brain transport. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) have been widely used to mediate macromolecular delivery through many kinds of biobarriers. Our results show that conjugates of LMWP-proteins are able to effectively penetrate into the brain after intranasal administration. The CPP-based intranasal method highlights a promising solution for protein therapy of brain diseases.