OBJECTIVE: To examine a normal range for nuchal translucency thickness between 9 and 14 weeks' gestation in normal fetuses. METHODS: Nuchal translucency was measured prospectively in 124 fetuses between 9 and 14 weeks' gestation resulted in normal pregnancy outcome. The nuchal translucency measurement was expressed as the median and the 5th, 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles according to complete weeks of gestation based on ultrasound measurement. RESULTS: The median nuchal translucency thickness was 1.8 mm at 9 weeks' gestation and it declined to 1.6 mm at 10 weeks. But the median thickness increased from 1.95 mm at 11 weeks to 2.3 mm at 12 weeks, after which it slightly declined to 2.25 mm at 13 weeks. And then it increased to 2.5 mm at 14 weeks. A nuchal translucency thickness greater than 2.5 mm was not found at 9 and 10 weeks' gestation, but found in 21.8% of fetuses from 11 weeks to 14 weeks. CONCLUSION: In normal fetuses, there is a physiologic variation in the thickness of nuchal translucency between 9 and 14 weeks' gestation. The calculation of risk for trisomies based on this thickness should take this variation into account. The adoption of a gestational age-dependent cutoff point, based on the deviation of a given measurement from the median, may reduce the invasive procedure for karyotyping. And this study suggest that if the nuchal translucency measurement is greater than 2.5 mm before 10 weeks, it may advise the karyotyping.
Female ; Fetus* ; Karyotyping ; Nuchal Translucency Measurement* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Prospective Studies ; Reference Values ; Trisomy ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the changes to postural sway velocity and trunk repositioning errors and the frequency of falls in stroke patients. METHODS: Fifty-five stroke patients, divided into three groups (no falls group: 20, one fall group: 19, repeated falls group: 16), stood quietly with eyes open and closed on a force platform while postural sway velocity was quantified by the center of pressure measures. Trunk repositioning errors were measured in standing while the subjects performed forward flexion movements. RESULTS: We found a significant difference between the groups for postural sway velocity in medial-lateral and anterior-posterior directions with eyes open and closed (P<0.05). With the eyes closed, there were significant differences between the three groups in the postural sway velocity (P<0.05) and the trunk repositioning errors changed significantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that the increase in falls may increase visual dependence for postural control velocity and trunk repositioning errors. These results may be useful in balance training to prevent falls in stroke survivors.
Eye ; Humans ; Stroke ; Survivors

A total 12 cases of tuberculous spondylitis of thoracic spine had been treated by anterior decompression and interbody fusion through extrapleural approach from March, 1979 to June, 1980. In this study, six impending or complete paraplegics were included. Prognosis of paraplegia depends on its grade, duration and local pathology. Extrapleural approach seems to offer the following advantages over all the other ones; lesser risk, no Iimitation of surgical fleid, less chance of contaminating pleural cavity, less postoperative complications, especially indicated for the elderly paraplegics of Incomplete or complete type and less cumbersome Immediate postoperative care.
Aged ; Decompression ; Humans ; Paraplegia ; Pathology ; Pleural Cavity ; Postoperative Care ; Postoperative Complications ; Prognosis ; Spine ; Spondylitis ; Tuberculosis, Spinal

Dislocation of index metacarpophalangeal joint is complex and usually cannot be reduced by closed method. It is a relatively rare injury and there are no widely published studies on its management. We have experienced a case combined with osteochondral fracture of the dorsoulnar aspect of metacarpal head and reduced it using extensor tendon splitting simplified technique with good results. This technique is seemed te be simpler and safer than volar approach described by Kaplan.
Dislocations ; Head ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; Methods ; Tendons

Cervical pregnancy is a rare form of ectopic pregnancy and it can cause life-threatening bleeding. Until recently abdominal hysterectomy has been considered the standard therapy for fear of profuse hemorrhage. Methotrexate, however, can be useful agent to conserve further fertility and it is used in various routes of administration. We report a case of cervical pregnancy that was successfully treated by intraamniotic methotrexate injection under the guidance of transvaginal ultrasonography and subsequent four systemic doses thereafter.
Female ; Fertility ; Hemorrhage ; Hysterectomy ; Methotrexate* ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Ultrasonography

The VATER syndrome is a group of congenital anomalies with a nonrandom tendency for concurrence. Defects include vertebral, anorectal malformation, tracheoesophageal fisutla with esophageal atresia, radial-limb, vascular, and renal abnormalities. The critical period of organogenesis is at or before the sixth or seventh week of gestation. We experienced one case of VATER syndrome in a 1 day old male neonate having vertebral anomalies, esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula to the distal esophageal segment, imperforated anus, left renal dysplasia with hydronephrosis of the right kidney and both hydroureter, patent ductus arteriosus. We report a case of VATER syndrome with brief review of related literature.
Anal Canal ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Esophageal Atresia ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Infant, Newborn ; Kidney ; Male ; Organogenesis ; Pregnancy ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship between the degree of expression of E-cadherin and presence of high risk prognostic factors (lymph node metastasis or parametrium involvement), clinical stages and pathologic types in invasive cervical cancer. METHODS: An immunohistochemical technique has been applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin- embedded samples from 20 radical hysterectomy without risk factors and 16 radical hysterectomy with risk factors. The degree of expressions of E-cadherin immunostaining was compared with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, presence of high risk prognostic factors, and pathologic types. RESULTS: The difference of the degree of expression of E-cadherin was not statistically significant between high-risk group (lymph node metastasis or parametrium invasion) and non-risk group. The difference of the degree of expression of E-cadherin was not statistically significant according to clinical stages and variable pathologic types either. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the degree of the expression of E-cadherin has no relationship with known high risk prognostic factors, clinical stages and pathologic types in invasive cervical cancer.
Cadherins* ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Obstetrics ; Risk Factors ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Colon* ; Humans* ; Substance P* ; Tetrodotoxin*

The nutritional and health status of low-income alone-living elderly(ALE) was assessed in relation to the activity of daily living (ADL) and nutritional risk factors. One hundred and eighty five ALE over 65 years old, living in the Sungnam area, were interviewed in their homes through questionnaires. The results were as follows : 63.6% of the subjects considered themselves in poor the health and only 4.3% of them considered thermselves healthy. 89.7% of the subjects answered that they were suffering from illness and 29.7% were taking medication. The ADL was assessed through 10 checklist items and the average score of the ADL was 84.78+/-11.11(maximum :100) The nutritional risk index(NRI) was evaluated by 12 risk factors and the average score of the NRI was 4.43+/-1.38 (maximum: 12) The scores of the ADL were positively correlated with the scored of the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)(r=0.7523, p<0.001) and negatively correlated with NRI(r=-0.2694, p<0.001) When subjects were divided into nutritionally high risk group(HNARI: NRI> or =5) and nutritionally low risk group(LNRI :NRI<5) according to the USA screening basis, 48.9% of the subjects belonged to the HNRI, But 16.9% of the HNRI and 34.4% of the LNRI belonged to the fourth quartile(Q/sub 0.75) of the ADL, the distribution of which showed significant differences(p<0.05) We suggest that the application of the ADL as a screening tool for nutrition intervention programs for the elderly. Oncemore, further research is needed to develop appropriate checklist items for the ADL and NRI along with the screening basis for the NRI to diagnose the adverse nutritional status of the Korean elderly.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged* ; Checklist ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Nutritional Status* ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: Although ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among all cancers of the female reproductive tract, the genetic alterations involved in ovarian cancer remains largely unknown. Recently, mutations of the p53 gene have been documented in many types of human cancer including ovarian cancer. METHODS: In tbe present study, p53 gene mutation was examined in DNA samples extracted from paraffin embedded surgical specimens of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, clinicopathological parameters were examined in relation to p53 gene mutation in order to understand the role of p53 mutation in the development of ovarian cancer. Using the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and single strand conformational polymarphism(PCR-SSCP), p53 gene mutation was examined and the mutations were confirmed by DNA scquencing in 17 cases of ovarian cancer. RESULTS: Abnormal bands indicating mutation were detected in 2/17(11.8%). DNA sequencing confirmed in 2 mutations and revealed C to T and A to T nucleotide chmges. In clinicopathological parameters, FIGO stage, grade, and recunence were not correlated with the p53 gene mutation. However, the recurrence rate was higher in patients with mutant p53 compared with those with wild type p53(50.0% vs 13.3%), altbough this is not statisticaUy significant. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, p53 gene mutation shows no correlation with stage, grade and recurrence, and p53 gene mutation does not appear to be a marker that predicts the biological behavior or the outmme of the disease. This study suggested useful data to elucidate the mechanism of chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer and further p53 expression assay would be mandatory for p53 nonfunctioning ovarian cancas.
Cause of Death ; DNA ; Female ; Genes, p53* ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Paraffin ; Recurrence ; Sequence Analysis, DNA