No abstract available.
Stents* ; Trachea*

Though the incidence of paragonimiasis has been remarkably decreased since 1970, it is still not a rare disease in Korea. Major problems in the diagnosis of pulmonary paragonimiasis on chest radiography are its differentiation from pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer. Chest radiographic findings have been described in detail, but little have been reported on CT findings. We reviewed CT findings of 10 patients with pulmonary paragonimiasis. The characteristic CT findings were similar to those on chest radiography, such as air-space consolidation (70%), nodular mass (50%), pleural effusion (40%), cystic lesion (30%), small low density within the mass (30%), linear density (20%), pneumothorax(20%), and burrow track (20%). CT depicted the cystic lesions and the burrow tracks more clearly and showed the small worm-retaining cysts within the mass that were not detectable on chest radiography. In conclusion, all of these CT findings are useful in the diagnosis of pulmonary paragonimiasis especially when differentiation from tuberculosis or lung canceris difficult on chest radiography.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Paragonimiasis* ; Pleural Effusion ; Radiography ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Rare Diseases ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The CT digital radiography is a new accurate technique for measuring the long bone length. Authors performed acomparative study on accuracy, time and film consumption and radiation dose between conventional spot scanogramand CT scanogram. We used two femur and two tibia specimen for materials, the Somatom II(Siemens) for CTscanogram, and Rad Check(Voctoreen) for radiation dosimetery. There was no significant difference in accuracybetween direct measurement, conventional scanogram and CT scanogram(lesser than 1% difference). The examinationtime of conventional scanogram was about 35 minutes, CT was 15 minutes, and the film consumption of spot scanogramwas 3 of 14x17'' size, but the CT scanogram need only one 8x10'' film for completion of study. The radiation doseof hip, knee and ankle joint were 220 mRad, 365 mRad, respectively, in spot scanogram, but it was lesser than 5mRad in all joints in CT scanogram. The advantages of the CT scanogram are simple, rapid and reduced radiation.
Ankle Joint ; Femur ; Hip ; Joints ; Knee ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; Tibia

For the evaluation of exercise induced R wave amplitude changes in lead V5 (big up tri, openR) and multiple leads(summation operatorR), we studied 20 normal subjects and 21 ischemic heart disease patients with positive exercise test. All underwent submaximal, multiple leads multistage treadmill exercise testing. 14 to 20 normal subjects(70%) there were decreased R wave amplitude in multiple leads on treadmill exercise testing. 16 of 21 patients(76%) there were increased R wave amplitude on treadmill exercise testing. In normal group, R wave amplitude between rest and exercise was significantly decreased in lead V5 and multiple leads. In patients grous, R wave amplitude between rest and exercise was significantly increased in lead V5 and multiple leads. It is suggested exercise induced R wave amplitude changes probably enhance the diagnostic reliability by ST segment changes on treadmill exercise testing.
Exercise Test* ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia

Hemorrhagic radiation proctitis is infrequently seen in patients receiving pelvic irradiation. The treatment of hemorrhagic ralation proctitis is often difficult. Many patients need reyeated hospitalizations and blood transfusions. Occasionally patiets will develop severe or recurrent rectal bleeding. In case of massive bleeding requiring excessive transfusion, colonic diversion by construction of a colostomy or excision of the diseased segment may be inevitable. However, surgical procedures in these patients are associated with a high mortality and morbidity. Moreover, medical therapy is usually ineffective. Recently formalin therapy has been introduced as a simple and effective treatment for hemorrhagic radiation proctitis. We experienced a 69 year-old woman patient who developed severe homorrhagic proctitis 1 year after radiotherapy for carcinoma of the cervix. She had not improved by conservative management and required blood tranafusions and repetitive hospitalizations. After local application of a 4% formalin solution in the diseased rectum under caudal anesthesia, the bleeding immediately stopped and the patient was discharged from the hospital, and no recurrence has been observed until now.
Aged ; Anesthesia, Caudal ; Blood Transfusion ; Cervix Uteri ; Colon ; Colostomy ; Female ; Formaldehyde* ; Hemorrhage ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mortality ; Proctitis* ; Radiotherapy ; Rectum ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are free radicals that induce lipid peroxidation and cause tissue damage. ROS are frequently produced by ischemia and subsequent reperfusion in clinical situation and like coronary artery bypass graft surgery and transplantation. More over, some anesthetics are known to act as an antioxidants and free radical scavenger and, the aim of this study was to explore the scavenging effects of thiopental and ketamine against ROS induced by isolated rabbit thoracic aortic endothelial damage. METHODS: Twenty white male rabbits (weighing 2.0-2.5 kg) were used. Thoracic aorta and were dissected free, cut into rings (3-4 mm), and suspended in an organ bath filled with 10 ml Krebs solution bubbled with 5% CO2 and 95% O2 at 37oC. The rings were equilibrated for 90 min and the solution changed every 15 min, and then a resting tension of 1.5 g was applied to the rings. Isometric tensions were recorded using a transducer connected to a data acqusition system (Biopac Inc. USA). Aortic rings were precontracted with norepinephrine (NE, 10-6 M), and changes in tension were measured after the cumulative administration of acetylcholine (ACh 3 x 10-7, 10-6 and 3 x 10-6 M) and nitroglycerin (NTG 10-5 M). Data are expressed as percentages of the 10-5 M NTG-induced relaxation (ACh/NTG). Percentages of ACh/NTG, before and after ROS exposure by electrolysis were noted for control and experimental groups. Aortic rings were pretreated with thiopental (3 x 10-5, 10-4 and 3 x 10-4 M, n = 9, 13, 17), ketamine (10-4 M, n = 8), catalase (1000 U/ml, n = 12), mannitol (3 x 10-4 M, n = 5) or not pretreated (free, n = 6). After 30 minutes, with the rings were exposed to ROS by electrolysis (DC 9 V, 20 mA, aortic rings 1 cm removed from the anode) in Krebs solution for 2 minutes. After electrolysis, the organ bath fluid was replaced with fresh Krebs solution, and the aortic rings were precontracted with NE and was vasorelaxation with ACh and NTG as above mentioned concentrations. RESULTS: Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation was induced in all concentrations of thiopental groups in a dose-dependent fashion (P <0.05 vs control value) even with ROS attack. The catalase group produced vasorelaxation after ROS attack (P <0.05 vs control value). On the other hand, no ACh-induced significant endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation after ROS exposure was observed in the ketamine and mannitol pretreated group, or in the free group (P <0.05 vs control group). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that thiopental and catalase preserve ACh induced endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and that thiopental has a dose-dependent ROS scavenging effect like catalase.
Acetylcholine ; Anesthetics ; Antioxidants ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Baths ; Catalase ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Electrolysis ; Free Radicals ; Hand ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Ketamine* ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Male ; Mannitol ; Nitroglycerin ; Norepinephrine ; Rabbits ; Reactive Oxygen Species* ; Relaxation* ; Reperfusion ; Thiopental* ; Transducers ; Transplants ; Vasodilation

The purpose of this study is to determine how accuratively and reliably the Perdriollo s method can measure vertebral rotaton according to the level of vertebra and true axial rotation. Standard AP radiographs were taken using 10 dry human vertebra (two set of T3, T6, T9, T12, L3) with 5degrees increments in axial rotation, ranging from 0degrees to 50degrees. In order to evaluate the reliability of Perdriolle s method, three observers measured each radiograph twice, and intet-and intraobserver variance were estimated. The accuracy of Perdriolle's method was analyzed by total error analysis, root mean square error (RMSE) and Deviation of differences. 372 errors were made in the 660 measurement and 88.9% of all measurements were within +/- 5degrees of true rotation angle. There were no signigicant difference in the intraobserver measurement at each level whereas interobserver measurements were significantly different only at T3 level. The measurement was also the least accurate at T3 (RMSE=6.2292). We concluded that Perdriolle's method using torsion meter is an accurate and reliable one to measure the vertebral rotation with less accuracy and reliability in high thoracic level.
Humans ; Spine

PURPOSE: To investigate whether non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of Korea is pathogenetically associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed fifty nine paraffin-embedded tissue and 22 fresh frozen tissue samples from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients for the presence of EBV sequences by polymerase chain reactions (PCR), in situ hybridization (ISH) and assessed the clonality of EBV infected cells by Southern blot hybridization. RESULT: On ISH using oligonucleotide probes corresponding to EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs), 17 (28.8%) of 59 paraffin-embedded tissue samples showed positive hybridization signals localized over the nuclei of the tumor cells, but PCR using primers from Internal Repeat I or EBV-determined nuclear antigen 1 gene showed positive results in only 6 (10.2%) and 5 (8.5%) samples, respectively. ISH and PCR did not detect EBV sequences in 15 paraffin-embedded tissue samples of tuberculous lymphadenitis patients. In 22 fresh frozen tissue samples, PCR detected EBV sequences in three samples from peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). In two of those three samples, Southern blot analysis showed that these viral DNAs were monoclonal and of latent form. CONCLUSION: Approximately 28.8% of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were related to EBV in Korea. Monoclonality of those EBV DNAs implies that virus infection preceded malignant transformation, suggesting that EBV may play a role in lymphomagenesis.
Blotting, Southern ; DNA ; DNA, Viral ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Korea* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Oligonucleotide Probes ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node

PURPOSE: To evaluate CT findings for the differential diagnosis of mechanical bowel obstruction and paralytic ileus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Without information relating to clinical or operative findings, we retrospectively analyzed the CT scans of 24 patients with mechanical bowel obstruction and 19 patients with paralytic ileus. Final diagnosis was confirmed by operation (n=26), or by clinical symptoms, radiologic findings and follow-up study CT findings were obtained : 1) the diameter of the most dilated part of the small bowel, and the thickness and enhancing pattern of the dilated small bowel wall; 2) the diameter of the most dilated part of the descending colon and the ratio of the diameter of the small bowel to that of the descending colon; 3) the number of transitional zones, length and thickness. and 4) associated ascites and its location. RESULTS: The mean diameters of the most dilated part of the small bowel in mechanical bowel obstruction and paralytic ileus were 3.6cm and 2.9cm, respectively. The diameter of the small bowel in mechanical bowel obstruction was significantly greater than in paralytic ileus(p< .05). The mean thickness of dilated small bowel wall was 4.0mm in mechanical bowel obstruction and 2.4mm in paralytic ielus, and target-like enhancement was prominent in mechanical bowel obstruction (46%) (p< .05). he mean diameter of the most dilated part of the descending colon was not significantly different to that of the most dilated part of the small bowel, but the ratio of the diameter of the small bowel to that of the colon was 2.9 in mechanical bowel obstruction and 1.9 in paralytic ileus, respectively, which was statistically significant (p< .05). A transitional zone was seen in 23 cases (96%) of mechanical bowel obstruction and in nine (47%) of paralytic ileus. In mechanical bowel obstruction, mean transitional zone length was 2cm, shorter than that of paralytic ileus (3.4cm) (p< .05) The thickness of transitional zone and the presence of ascites and its locations were not significantly different between mechanical bowel obstrction and paralytic ileus. CONCLUSION: In the differential diagnosis of mechanical bowel obstruction and paralytic ileus, the following CT findings were considered useful : diameter of the most dilated part of the small bowel ; thickness and target-like enhancing pattern of dilated small bowel wall ; ratio of the diameter of the small bowel to that of the descending colon ; and the number of transitional zones, and their length.
Ascites ; Colon ; Colon, Descending ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be related to cardiovascular diseases. Many studies have demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have beneficial effects against ROS. We investigated the antioxidant effect of captopril and enalapril in nitric oxide mediated vascular endothelium-dependent relaxations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Isolated rabbit abdominal aorta ring segments were exposed to ROS by electrolysis of the organ bath medium (Krebs-Henseleit solution) after pretreatment with various concentrations (range, 10-5 to 3x10-4 M) of captopril and enalapril. Before and after electrolysis, the endothelial function was measured by preconstricting the vessels with norepinephrine (10-6 M) followed by the cumulative addition of acetylcholine (range, 3x10-8 to 10-6 M). The relevance of the superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide scavenging effect of captopril and enalapril was investigated using additional pretreatments of diethyldithiocarbamate (DETCA, 0.5 mM), an inhibitor of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase, and 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3AT, 50 mM), an inhibitor of catalase. RESULTS: Both captopril and enalapril preserved vascular endothelium-dependent relaxation after exposure to ROS in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.0001). Pretreatment with DETCA attenuated the antioxidant effect of captopril and enalapril (p<0.0001), but pretreatment with 3AT did not have an effect. CONCLUSION: Both captopril and enalapril protect endothelium against ROS in a dose-dependent fashion in isolated rabbit abdominal aortas. This protective effect is related to superoxide anion scavenging.
Acetylcholine ; Amitrole ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors ; Antioxidants ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Baths ; Captopril ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Ditiocarb ; Electrolysis ; Enalapril ; Endothelium ; Estradiol ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Nitric Oxide ; Norepinephrine ; Oxygen ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Superoxides ; Vasodilation