No abstract available.
Eustachian Tube*

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Humans ; Prednisolone* ; Theophylline*

We experienced a case of a tracheoesophageal cyst in the posterior mediastinum of a three-year-old girl, who complained of cough and fever. We confirmed this case by computerized tomography and pathologic examination after surgical resection. A brief review of the literature is presented.
Case Report ; Child, Preschool ; Cysts/*pathology/radiography/surgery ; Esophageal Cyst/*pathology/radiography/surgery ; Female ; Human ; Mediastinal Diseases/*pathology/radiography ; Trachea/*pathology/radiography/surgery

We experienced a case of a tracheoesophageal cyst in the posterior mediastinum of a three-year-old girl, who complained of cough and fever. We confirmed this case by computerized tomography and pathologic examination after surgical resection. A brief review of the literature is presented.
Case Report ; Child, Preschool ; Cysts/*pathology/radiography/surgery ; Esophageal Cyst/*pathology/radiography/surgery ; Female ; Human ; Mediastinal Diseases/*pathology/radiography ; Trachea/*pathology/radiography/surgery

Assessment of the adequacy and effectiveness of oxygen therapy is a matter of clinical evaluation and blood gas measurement as long as the administration of oxygen is consistent and predictable. Normal variances in the distribution of ventilation and pulmonary blood flow make the measurement of alveolar oxygen concentrations impratical and complex. To certify the relationship between the fractional inspired oxygen concentration (F1O2) and arterial oxygen tension(PaO2), we performed the blood gas analysis of the anesthetized surgical patients whose inspired oxygen concentrations were 20 to 100% (compressed medical-O2). This paper reports our findings and a discussion of their possible significance. Results were as follows ; 1) There were no differences in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure in the range of 0.2 to 1.0 of F1O2. 2) There was no clinically significant difference in heart rate from 0.2 to 1.0 of F. 3) In the arterial blood gas analysis, PaCO2 and pHa revealed normal value from F1O2 0.2 to 1.0 but PaO2 progressively increased significantly. Patients didn,t reveal arterial hypoxemia and acid-base imbalance from 0.2 to 1.0 of F1O2.
Acid-Base Imbalance ; Anoxia ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Gases* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Oxygen ; Reference Values ; Ventilation

PURPOSE: To determine the long-term repeatability of diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) patterns in healthy Asian subjects without glaucoma. METHODS: Twenty-three eyes in 23 healthy Asian subjects without glaucoma underwent diurnal IOP measurements using Goldmann applanation tonometry every 2 hours from 9 AM to 11 PM during two visits that were 8 weeks apart. To validate repeatability between visits, we calculated intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) mean IOP, peak IOP, minimum IOP, and IOP fluctuation at each time point and expressed the results as the difference between peak IOP and minimum IOP or as the standard deviation of all diurnal IOP values in the diurnal IOP curve. RESULTS: IOP repeatability was excellent at all time points, with ICCs ranging from 0.812 to 0.946 (p < 0.001). The 9 AM IOP showed the best repeatability between visits (ICCs, 0.946). Repeatability of mean IOP, peak IOP, and minimum IOP was also excellent (ICCs ranging from 0.899 to 0.929). However, IOP fluctuations showed poor repeatability, with an ICC lower than 0.15. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term repeatability of diurnal IOP patterns in healthy Asian subjects was excellent. These findings suggest that IOP measurements at standardized times of the day will be useful for assessing the effectiveness of glaucoma therapy.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Circadian Rhythm ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure* ; Manometry

PURPOSE: The present study was aimed to examine whether caffeine alters the local regulation of atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP) and nitric oxide(NO) systems in the kidney. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with caffeine, consisting of a single oral bolus(0.2%, 1 mL/kg) followed by supplementation in drinking water(0.2%) for 1 day. Rats treated the same without caffeine served as control. The tissue expression of ANP mRNA was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Tissue levels of nitrite/nitrate were determined. The expression of aquaporin(AQP)-1 and AQP2 proteins was determined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Following the treatment with caffeine, the expression of ANP mRNA was increased in the kidney. The renal tissue nitrite/nitrate level was also increased by caffeine-treatment. On the other hand, the expression of AQP1 and AQP2 proteins was not significantly altered. CONCLUSION: The enhanced activities of local ANP and NO systems may in part be causally related with the caffeine-induced natriuresis and diuresis, while AQP channels are not involved.
Animals ; Aquaporin 2 ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; Blotting, Western ; Caffeine* ; Diuresis ; Drinking ; Hand ; Humans ; Kidney ; Male ; Natriuresis ; Nitric Oxide* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; RNA, Messenger

We performed callosotomy and amygdalo-hippocampectomy in medically intractable seizure patients. Symptom duration of these patients was over 2 years and seizure was not controlled with anticonvulsants in spite of high level in drug monitoring according to their seizure type. 7 patients with generalized epilepsy were treated by anterior callosotomy and 8 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy were treated by amygdalo-hippocampectomy. Anyone of these patients were not dead and discovered permanent complications. And so these methods, anterior callostomy and amygdalo-hippocampectomy seems to be relatively safety and effective methods in treatment of medically intractable seizure.
Anticonvulsants ; Drug Monitoring ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Humans ; Seizures*

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to describe the clinicopathologic characteristics and evaluate the appropriate management of appendiceal tumors. METHODS: During 5 years between Sep. 2000 and Sep. 2005, 28 appendiceal tumors were identified in a retrospective review of 3,744 cases of appendectomy or right hemicolectomy pathology. RESULTS: Carcinoids were found incidentally as appendicitis. Mucinous cystadenomas were common in women older than 50 aged; half of the cases presented with appendicitis and the other half presented with non-specific abdominal symptoms such as palpable mass, intestinal obstruction and intussusception. Carcinomas were common in the older patients (mean age: 62.8 years) and this presented as periappendiceal abscess. Right hemicolectomy was undertaken when there was evidence of tumor spread beyond the resection margin, and carcinoma and tumors were located in the appendiceal base. Recurrence and metastasis were identified only in the carcinoma cases. CONCLUSION: Most appendiceal tumors presented with appendicitis and periappendiceal abscess. One stage curative resection was possible in more than 76% of the patients, and the prepoperative diagnosis rate was less than 35%. The preoperative diagnosis did not have much impact on the clinical course, and the postoperative pathology was important in determining the additional treatment. Close follow-up is needed for the early detection of recurrence, and all the carcinomas that were advanced as serosal involvement, peritoneal seeding and liver metastasis.
Abscess ; Appendectomy* ; Appendicitis ; Appendix ; Carcinoid Tumor ; Cystadenoma, Mucinous ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intussusception ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pathology ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: Hormone replacement therapy(HRT) in postmenopausal women decreases lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. The influences of progesterone on Lp(a) and lipids, administered with estrogen, are controversial. However, previous studies had variable duration of therapy, and there was no report evaluating the effect of the duration of medication. METHODS: A total 246 postmenopausal women were divided into 4 groups: group A; 0.625mg conjugated equine estrogen(CEE)(n=90), group B; 0.625mg CEE plus 5mg medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA)(n=35), group C; 0.625mg CEE plus 10mg MPA(n=43), and group D; 2mg estradiol valerate(E2) plus 0.5mg norgestrel(N)(n=76). Lp(a) and lipids levels were measured before, 2, 6 and 12 months after HRT. RESULTS: In total subjects, Lp(a) was decreased with medication for 2 months by 20.7%(p<0,0001). Compared with levels at 2 months after medication, levels at 6 and 12 months revealed further reduction(p<0.001) by 5.3% and 9.0% respectively. Medication for 2 months increased HDL-C in group A, not changed in group B and C, and decreased in group D. After 12 months, HDL-C levels were increased in Group A, B, and C, and not changed in group D, In total subjects, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C) was decreased by 12.2% after 2 months(p<0.001). Compared with levels at 2 months after medication, LDL-C level was decreased by 3.4% after 6 months(p<0.001) and there was no further reduction after 12 months. CONCLUSION: The effect of hormone replacement therapy on Lp(a) and lipids were dependent upon the duration of medication. Inconsistent results in previous studies can be partially explained by the difference in this parameter.
Estradiol ; Estrogens ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins ; Medroxyprogesterone ; Progesterone