Female ; Humans ; Mice ; Animals

The authors present a rare case of tuberculous spondylitis and a large abscess in the left psoas muscle that occurred after spinal surgery for an acute traumatic burst fracture of the L2 vertebral body. We retrospectively reviewed the patient's first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we found that some unusual findings, indicative of psoas abscess had been overlooked. As a result, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous psoas abscess and spondylitis were considerably delayed. Despite the critical condition of patients in a similar emergency, surgeons should always pay close attention to the radiological findings and clinical symptoms of the patient before considering a surgical intervention or biopsy.
Abscess ; Biopsy ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Psoas Abscess ; Psoas Muscles ; Retrospective Studies ; Spondylitis ; Tuberculosis

Recently there has been decreasing trend of high tibial osteotomy in management of the gonarthrotic patients partly due to recurrence of the symptom and, more importantly, due to the relative success of the total knee joint replacement procedure. But there is still room for the high tibial osteotomy, although it may be 'outdated' procedure, in that younger active patients do well postopera- tively for an enough period of time and that even the older have some gain of pain-relief in early postoperative period. The purpose of this study is to detect the affecting factors of the result of the operation. We reviewed 25 valgus high tibial osteotomies in 23 patients who had medial gonarthrosis and could be followed-up more than 1 year among 32 cases between August 1989 and January 1994. The mean length of follow-up was 30 months(ranged twelve to fifty four months). The results were compared according to modified grading of the HSS score. All cases showed the increase of the score from preop. average 65.2 points to postop. 87.8 points, mainly by the decrease of pain and the increase of functional activity. The severity of degenerative change on the radiographs and the degree of varus seemed to be related with the early clinical results of the operation, but the age was not a major affecting factor. These results could be debatable due to some differences from the others', and long term follow-up would be needed.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Postoperative Period ; Recurrence

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of the femoral attachment points of the graft and knee flexion angles at the time of graft fixation on stability of posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. We analyzed the posterior stability of the knee on 23 patients(24 knees) with posterior cruciate ligament injury whose posterior cruciate ligament had been reconstructed arthroscopically and followed for minimum 1 year period at Asan Medical Center from May 1992 to June 1994. The patients were divided into the two groups according to femoral attachment points of the graft and knee flexion angles at the time of graft fixation. The distance from the junction of the intercondylar notch with trochlear groove of the femoral attachment points and knee flexion angles were 11mm and 0°-30° in group A and 7mm and 70°-90° in group B, respectively. 11 knees were included in group A and 13 knees in group B. Posterior stability was determined by difference in posterior tibial translation between the injured and the opposite knee with Telos device. In group A, 5 cases were at the range of 0-2mm, 3 cases 3-5 mm, 3 cases 6-10mm. In group B, 10 cases were at the range of 0-2mm and 3 cases 3-5mm, respectively. Differences in posterior tibial translation on average were 3.6mm and 1.7mm in group A and B, respectively. Conclusively, arthroscopic postrior cruciate ligament reconstruction with femoral attachment point at 7mm from the junction of interconlylar notch with trochlear groove and 70°
Chungcheongnam-do ; Humans ; Knee ; Ligaments ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Transplants

OBJECTIVE: This study was proposed to evaluate the electrophysiologic changes in central motor conduction and in silent period (SP) after paraspinal transcutaneous electrical stimulation near caudal area of the spinal cord. METHOD: Conditioning stimulation was applied to T12 paraspinal area for 20 minutes using interferential current therapy (80~100 Hz) in 11 healthy subjects. The amplitude and latency of central motor conduction and duration of SP were measured in motor evoked potential (MEPs) by using magnetic stimulator, before and after the conditioning stimulation. These variables were recorded in both tibialis anterior muscle, innervated from stimulated spinal area, and both abductor pollicis brevis, innervated from cervical cord not directly stimulated by electrical stimulation. RESULTS: After conditioning stimulation, the amplitudes of central motor conduction decreased (p<0.01), and the latencies did not change in both cervical and lumbar muscles in transcranial and spinal MEP studies, and the duration of SP was decreased in same manner (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These results mean that the excitability of anterior horn cells decreases and the supraspinal inhibitory mechanism of the central motor conduction is suppressed by a certain conditioned electrical cutaneous stimulation in entire spinal cord.
Anterior Horn Cells* ; Electric Stimulation* ; Evoked Potentials, Motor ; Muscles ; Spinal Cord ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

Bacteriophages were induced from staphylococcus intermedius isolates from dogs and used for a phage typing. Mitomycin C induction was performed on 60 strains of S. intermedius and all phages were reacted with the strains. Twenty-eight strains (46.7%) were found to be lysogenic. Based on host ranges, eight phages were selected. By using the eight phages, 129 strains isolated from canine clinical specimens were subjected to the phage typing at the routine test dilution (RTD) and 100xRTD. Typability of the phage set was 78.3%, yielding 40 phage patterns. The phage set was considered useful for differentiating S. intermedius strains isolated from dogs. None of 50 strains of S. aureus, 2 (3.6%) of 56 S. simulance strains, 13 (24.5%) of 53 S. chromogenes strains and 46 (28.1%) of 164 S. hyicus strains were typable by the phages at 100xRTD.
Animals ; Bacteriophage Typing* ; Bacteriophages* ; Dogs ; Host Specificity ; Mitomycin ; Staphylococcus intermedius* ; Staphylococcus*

BACKGROUND: Epidural pressure is reported to change in accordance with intracranial pressure (ICP). As ICP changes during general anesthesia, it is also possible that epidural pressure may change during general anesthesia. The aim of this study was to obtain trends of epidural pressure change during general anesthesia. METHODS: Eighteen patients scheduled for gastrectomy were allocated for this study after obtaining informed consent. Epidural catheter was inserted at T7-8, T8-9 interspace before induction. Catheter was connected to a pressure transducer after calibration. General anesthesia was induced with thiopental sodium (5 mg/kg), succinylcholine (1 mg/kg), followed by 3% enflurane. Anesthesia was maintained with 50% N2O in oxygen and 1-2% enflurane with vecuronium (0.1 mg/kg). Each patients was mechanically ventilated with tidal volume of 10 ml/kg at a rate of 10 bpm. Epidural pressure was measured before induction, at the time of injection of thiopental sodium, succinylcholine, laryngoscopy, intubation, surgical incision, and 30 minutes after surgical incision. Stastical analysis was done using repeated measures of ANOVA with Helmert option (p<0.05). RESULTS: Epidural pressure significantly changed dynamically during general anesthesia. Epidural pressures increased at intubation and at 30 minutes after surgical incision when compared with those at the time of laryngoscopy and incision, respectively (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that epidural pressures changes dynamically during induction period of general anesthesia and also showed possibility that epidural pressure monitoring could be used instead of more invasive direct ICP monitoring.
Anesthesia* ; Anesthesia, General ; Calibration ; Catheters ; Enflurane ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Intracranial Pressure ; Intubation ; Laryngoscopy ; Oxygen ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental ; Tidal Volume ; Transducers, Pressure ; Vecuronium Bromide

Periodontal disease is a predictor of stroke and cognitive impairment. The association between the number of lost teeth (an indicator of periodontal disease) and silent infarcts and cerebral white matter changes on brain CT was investigated in community-dwelling adults without dementia or stroke. Dental examination and CT were performed in 438 stroke- and dementia-free subjects older than 50 yr (mean age, 63 +/- 7.9 yr), who were recruited for an early health check-up program as part of the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia (PRESENT) project between 2009 and 2010. In unadjusted analyses, the odds ratio (OR) for silent cerebral infarcts and cerebral white matter changes for subjects with 6-10 and > 10 lost teeth was 2.3 (95% CI, 1.38-4.39; P = 0.006) and 4.2 (95% CI, 1.57-5.64; P < 0.001), respectively, as compared to subjects with 0-5 lost teeth. After adjustment for age, education, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and smoking, the ORs were 1.7 (95% CI, 1.08-3.69; P = 0.12) and 3.9 (95% CI, 1.27-5.02; P < 0.001), respectively. These findings suggest that severe tooth loss may be a predictor of silent cerebral infarcts and cerebral white matter changes in community-dwelling, stroke- and dementia-free adults.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis ; Brain/*radiography ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dementia/pathology/prevention & control ; Diabetes Complications/diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias/complications ; Hypertension/complications ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Periodontal Diseases/complications/*diagnosis ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/pathology/prevention & control ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tooth Loss

The purpose of this study was to investigate the eating behaviors, the self-perception of body images, the hematological indices and the nutrient intake of adolescent female athletes in Incheon. The subjects were 112 female athletes (track and field: n = 32, target shooting: n = 27, fencing: n = 29, swimming: n = 14, badminton: n = 10) from middle and high schools in Incheon. This cross-sectional study was conducted by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Fasting blood samples were obtained and analyzed for hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), ferritin, serum iron, mean cor-puscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and transferrin saturation (TS). Nutrient intakes obtained by means of the 3 day-recall method were analyzed using the Computer Aided Nutritional Analysis Program. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS 10.0 program. Most of the female athletes had dietary problems such as eating unbalanced meals, skipping meals, and preferences for processed foods. More than 60% of the female athletes skipped breakfast. As for perception of their body images, track and field athletes in particular, controlled their weights significantly better than the other athletes (p < 0.05). With regard to their physical exertion during exercise, 56.3% of the swimmers and 31.3% of the track and field athletes answered "very hard", which was a significant difference (p < 0.001). More than 80% of the female athletes experienced vertigo during exercise (p < 0.01). Also more than 50% of the female athletes, with the exception of the badminton players, had experienced irregular menstruation (p < 0.05). The average serum iron levels (p < 0.05), the serum ferritin levels (p < 0.05) and TS (p < 0.05) of the track and field athletes was significantly lower as compared to that of the other athletes. The nutrient intakes of the female athletes, with the exception of Vitamin B6, niacin and phosphorus were lower than the Korean Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA). In particular, the calcium and iron intakes of the female athletes were under 50% of the Korean RDA. Therefore, proper nutritional education and supplementation are required for female athletes to encourage desirable eating habits, as well as to improve their nutritional status and exercise performances.
Adolescent* ; Athletes* ; Body Image* ; Breakfast ; Calcium ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Eating* ; Education ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Fasting ; Feeding Behavior* ; Female* ; Ferritins ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Iron ; Meals ; Menstruation ; Niacin ; Nutritional Status ; Phosphorus ; Physical Exertion ; Racquet Sports ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Self Concept ; Swimming ; Track and Field ; Transferrin ; Vertigo ; Vitamin B 6 ; Weights and Measures ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Purpose: Long-term culture- initiating cells(LTC-IC) are stem cells that have the capacities of long-term engraftment and helping to establish hematopoietic microenvironment. For evaluation of the LTC-IC, we measured the counts and function with multidimentional flowcytometry in long-term culture media. METHODS: Samples were obtained from umbilical cord blood, leukapheresis products and bone marrow(BM). LTC-IC were counted with flowcytometric analysis using anti- CD34, anti-CD38, and anti-HLA-DR antibodies at 0, 5, and 8 weeks. Cell adhesion molecule related with stem cell were evaluated with flowcytometric analysis also using anti-VCAM-1(CD106) and anti-VLA-4(CD49d) at 0 and 8 weeks. RESULTS: The proportion of CD34+/CD38- cell from fractionated mononuclear cells at 0 week were 0.46%, 0.044%, and 0.038% for BM, leukapheresis products, and umbilical cord blood respectively and then rapidly decreased at 5 weeks, but still persisted at 8 weeks in all three groups. The proportion of CD34+/HLA-DR- cells was the same tendency to CD34+/CD38-. VCAM+ expression rate from fractionated CD34+ cells at 0 and 8 weeks were 67.3% and 40.2% for BM and 64.1% 44.2% for umbilical cord blood but it was very low 31.2% and 5.1% for leukapheresis products. VLA-4+ expression rate for fractionated CD34+ cells at 0 and 8 weeks were similar tendency to VCAM+ cells. CONCLUSION: This study suggest that the count of LTC-IC decreased with time but still persisted until 8 weeks. Umbilical cord blood including BM help to establish the hematopoietic microenvironments.
Antibodies ; Cell Adhesion ; Culture Media ; Fetal Blood ; Leukapheresis ; Stem Cells