For the purpose of elucidating relation between red cell electrolyte concentrations and serum digoxin level, measurement of red cell electrolyte concentrations and seum digoxin level by radioimmunoassay were done in 46 normal controls and 63 patients of CHF including 8 patients with digitalis intoxication. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Red cell sodium concentration and ratio of red cell sodium to red cell potassium concentration in normal males were significantly higher than those of females, and red cell potassium concentration in normal males was significantly lower than that of normal females. 2. Red cell potassium concentration in patients of CHF was significantly higher than that of normal controls, but there was no difference in the red cell sodium concentration between the groups. 3. There was no relation between red cell electrolyte concentrations and serum digoxin level, and red cell electrolyte concentration did not exactly estimate serum digoxin level. 4. Red cell electrolyte concentrations in the patient of CHF were valuable in detecting digitalis toxicity.
Digitalis ; Digoxin* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Potassium ; Radioimmunoassay ; Sodium

No abstract available.

Treatment of rabbits with thyroxine 1 mg/kg daily for three to six days produced a hyperthyroid state as evidenced by increase in the heart rate and PBI. The hyperthyroid animals exhibited a significant shortening of the atrial refractory period. Beta adrenergic receptor blocking agents, propranolol (l0(-6)M pronethalol (5 X 10(-5)M) or MJ-1999 (5 X 10(-4)M), completely blocked the shortening of the atrial refractory period produced by the treatment with thyroxin, and with norepinephrine. Consequently, the shortening of the atrial refractory period of rabbits treated with thyroxin appears to bs mediated through stimulation of the beta adrenergic receptor in the heart. From these results, it may be concluded that the stimulation of the beta adrenergic receptor plays an important role in the alteration of cardiac function found in hyperthyroidism, and that the beta adrenergic blocking agents may be useful in treatment of the cardiac complications of hyperthyroidism.
Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/pharmacology ; Animals ; Female ; Heart Atria/*drug effects/physiopathology ; Hyperthyroidism/chemically induced/*physiopathology ; Male ; Rabbits ; Sympatholytics/*pharmacology ; Thyroxine

No abstract available.
Anemia, Dyserythropoietic, Congenital*

We retrospectively evaulated the frequency and risk factors of glaucoma after penetrating keratoplasty by reviewing charts of 96 patients(112eyes) who received the penetrating keratoplasty from May 1992 to Novermber 1995 at Chonnam Universty Hospital. Intraocular pressure was increased over 21mmHg in 18 eyes after surgery. Underlying disease of them were graft failure (5 eyes), bullous keratoplasty(5 eyes), corneal ulcer(5 eyes), trauma(3 eyes). Ten eyes(55.5%) were glaucomatous preoperatively. Eight eyes(44.4%) were phakic, 7 eyes(38.9%) aphakic, and 3 eyes(16.7%) pseudophakic. Ten eyes(55.5%) underwent only penetrating keratoplasty, 4 eyes(22.2%) vitrectomy at the time of penetrating keratoplasty, and 4 eyes(22.2%) combined cataract extraction. The eyes with previous history of glaucoma(19 eyes) had higher incidence of increased intraouclar pressure than those 93 eyes with no glaucoma history(P<0.0001). Aphakic eyes(21 eyes) had higher incidence of glaucoma than phakic eyes(80 eyes)(p<0.05).
Cataract Extraction ; Glaucoma* ; Incidence ; Intraocular Pressure ; Jeollanam-do ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Transplants ; Vitrectomy

Insulin autoimmune syndrome (IAS) includes fasting or reactive hypoglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and the presence of insulin-binding antibodies in patients who have never been exposed to exogenous insulin. This report concems a 29-year-old male patient with Graves disease who had history of having taken methimazole for two months, without any consequence, 6 months previously. However, when methimazole was administered again for three weeks, the patient suffered hypoglycemia during the next fourth week. He denied history of diabetes mellitus (DM), of taking any oral hypoglycemic agent or of having received insulin injection. Laboratory data showed total serum insulin level > 300 pu/mL, C-peptide reactivity (CPR) 8.0ng/mL and insulin antibody 89%. After stopping methimazole, he was treated with radioiodine (131I). There was no episode of hypoglycemic attack during 8 months of follow-up.
Adult ; Antibodies ; C-Peptide ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin ; Male ; Methimazole

Hyperphosphatemia develops when there is impaired renal phosphate excretion or massive extracellular fluid phosphate load. For example, renal insufficiency, hypoparathyroidism, exogenous phosphate administration, and extensive cellular injury induce a hyperphosphatemic state. In patients with multiple myeloma, renal insufficiency occurs as a result of hypercalcemia, light chain tubulopathy, urate nephropathy or infection, and hyperphosphatemia usually results from renal failure. We report here a case of a patient with multiple myeloma who had an elevated serum phosphate level measured by the phosphomolybdate UV method without significant renal insufficiency and was finally diagnosed with pseudohyperphosphatemia.
Extracellular Fluid ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Hyperphosphatemia ; Hypoparathyroidism ; Light ; Molybdenum ; Multiple Myeloma ; Phosphoric Acids ; Renal Insufficiency ; Uric Acid

PURPOSE: For the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen, abdominal computed tomography (CT) is commonly performed in the emergency department (ED). Rapid and accurate interpretation after CT is essential; however, final interpretation of the images by a board-certified radiologist for 24 hours a day is nearly impossible. Therefore, a preliminary interpretation is mainly made by emergency physicians in the ED, which may result in some discrepancy with the interpretations of board-certified radiologists. This study was conducted to determine the discrepancy rate of emergency medicine (EM) residents' preliminary interpretation and any reduction in discrepancy through feedback imaging education programs by attending radiologists. METHODS: This was a before-and-after study, including 540 cases of abdominal CT scans performed in the ED between November 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015. Residents first documented their preliminary interpretation of 300 cases for 3 months. Board-certified radiologists then provided feedback image education to EM residents for these cases for 1 month. After feedback education, preliminary interpretations of 240 cases were documented for 2 months. Discrepancy rates before and after feedback education were then analyzed. RESULTS: Total and major discrepancy rates before feedback image education were 28% and 11.7%, respectively, which declined to 14.6% and 4.6%, respectively, after feedback image education (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Feedback image education was effective in reducing the discrepancy rate of the interpretation of abdominal CT scans by EM residents.
Abdomen, Acute ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Education* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Medicine* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*