Sirenomelia is a severe form of caudal regression syndrome that results in a fusion of the lower extremities, which is not compatible with life. A various spectrum of anomalies affecting primarily the musculoskeletal, genitourinary and gastrointestinal systems also can occur. This rare malformation has a reported incidence rate of approximately 1 in 60,000 births, with a range of 1 to 1 percent of all malformed infants. We experienced a sirenomelic case with combined anomalies of genitourinary, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. Maternal obstetric history revealed oligohydramnios and intrauterine fetal growth retardation, and the baby was spontaneously delivered at 37 weeks of gestational age, but died I hour after birth.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Emergencies* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies*

No abstract available.
Myocardial Infarction*

BACKGROUND: Malpositioning of the endotracheal tube within airway after intubation may results in serious complications, such as accidental extubation and inadvertent endobronchial intubation. Therefore, early detection of malposioning of the endotracheal tube is very impotant for deciding patient's prognosis. METHODS: We assessed the distance from the tip of the endotracheal tube to the carina according to the patient's age, sex, and the time, the location, and the route of intubation. The chest x-ray was taken for 333 patients (men, 226: women, 107) who were admitted to the intensive care unit of Wonju Christian Hospital from march 1, 1995 to February 28, 1996. Chest x-ray was obtained after intubation to verify endotracheal tube position. Appropriate endotracheal tube position on chest x-ray was defined as between 2 and 6 cm above the carina. RESULTS: Of the 333 intubations, 106 (31.8%) endotracheal tubes were inappropriately placed according to the chest x-ray. The percentage of malpositioned endotracheal tubes (<2 cm) was higher in women than in men (11.2% vs. 5.3%, p<0.05), with higher in night (7 PM to 7 AM) than in day (7 AM to 7 PM) (42% vs. 24%, p<0.05). Distance from the carina to the tip of endotracheal tube is 4.34 +/- 1.77cm in women and 5.23 +/- 1.64cm in men. Thus, position of the endotracheal tube in women is deeper than men (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the chest x-ray for confirmation of endotracheal tube position after endotracheal intubation may remain the standard of practice. And endotracheal tube position should be carefully assessed immediately after tracheal intubation, particularly in women and at night.
Female ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Thorax*

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to investigate whether fertilization could induce the resumption of meiosis in mouse oocytes arrested at metaphase I (MI) after in vitro maturation (IVM), and to investigate the effect of Ca²⁺ chelator treatment at the time of fertilization on the transition from MI to metaphase II (MII). METHODS: MII-stage and arrested MI-stage mouse oocytes after IVM were fertilized, and then embryonic development was monitored. Blastocysts from each group were transferred into 2.5 days post-coitum pseudo-pregnant ICR mice. MI oocytes after IVM were treated with a Ca²⁺ chelator to investigate the effect of Ca²⁺ oscillations on their maturation. RESULTS: As insemination time increased, the number of oocytes in the MI group that reached the MII stage also increased. The blastocyst rates and total cell numbers in the MII group were significantly higher than in the MI group. No pregnancy occurred in the MI group, but 10 pregnancies were achieved (10 of 12) in the MII group. The proportion of MI oocytes that matured to MII oocytes after fertilization was significantly higher in the non-treated group than in the Ca²⁺ chelator-treated group. CONCLUSION: The findings that a higher proportion of MI-arrested oocytes progressed to MII after fertilization and that the MI-to-MII transition was blocked by Ca2+ chelator treatments before fertilization indicate that the maturation of MI oocytes to MII oocytes is associated with intracellular Ca²⁺ oscillations driven by fertilization.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Calcium Signaling ; Cell Count ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Fertilization ; In Vitro Oocyte Maturation Techniques ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Insemination* ; Meiosis ; Metaphase* ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Oocytes* ; Pregnancy ; Spermatozoa*

OBJECTIVE: Since IVF program was first established, various types of media and culture systems have been developed either in-house or commercially. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of in-house Maria Research Center (MRC) media to that of commercially available Sydney IVF media in human day 3 embryo transfer cycles. METHODS: Three hundred sixty nine couples were included in this prospective, randomized, and comparative study. All couples undergoing IVF treatment at the Maria Fertility Hospital were randomly assigned to either Sydney IVF (n=178) or MRC (n=191) media. RESULTS: No difference was observed between the MRC media and Sydney IVF media groups with respect to fertilization rate (74.4% vs. 75.5%). The clinical pregnancy and implantation rates of MRC media (47.1% and 20.0%, respectively) were also similar to those of Sydney IVF media (44.4% and 19.4%, respectively). However, the proportion of embryos with good quality on day 3 was significantly higher in the MRC media group than the Sydney IVF media group (50.2% vs. 43.2%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: MRC media were as effective as Sydney IVF media for sustaining embryo development and pregnancy rates. The present study implies that MRC media can be a suitable alternative to commercially available media for human IVF-ET program.
Embryo Transfer ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Fertility ; Fertilization ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the health status and nutritional condition of children living in a low-income community through anthropometric, laboratory evaluation. METHODS: A community-based survey identified children below 15 years living in a low-income community. Their weight, height, visual acuity, hearing level and dental status were measured. Blood sample were obtained on June and July, 2004. Hemoglobin, serum cholesterol, Hepatitis B antigen/antibody, AST and ALT were measured. RESULTS: A total of 285 students(M:F=141:144) aged 6 to 14 years were included in this study. The heights and weights in some grades were smaller than controls. The prevalence of obesity was 10.6 percent in males and 10.7 percent in females. The prevalence of abnormal visual acuity, hearing impairments and dental carries were 20.5 percent, 0.3 percent and 69.4 percent. The prevalence of anemia was 10.1 percent. Serum total cholesterol was over 200 mg/dL in 7 percent. They complained of abdominal pain(22.1 percent) and headache(17.1 percent). Hyperthyroidism, cataract, neurofibromatosis, severe atopic dermatitis, ventricular septal defect, strabismus and inguinal hernia were newly diagnosed. CONCLUSION: Mean heights and weights of children in the low-income community were smaller than controls. The prevalence of abnormal visual acuity, hearing impairment and dental carries were higher than in the 2003 national health survey. Additional research is needed to evaluate the health status of the low-income community.
Anemia ; Cataract ; Child* ; Cholesterol ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Hepatitis B ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Male ; Neurofibromatoses ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Strabismus ; Visual Acuity ; Weights and Measures

Liquid biopsy, the analysis of circulating biomarkers from peripheral blood, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA, and exosomes, offers a less invasive, new source of cancer-derived materials that may reflect the status of the disease better and thereby contribute to personalized treatment. Recent advances in microfluidics and molecular analysis technologies have resulted in greatly improved CTC enumeration and detection. In this article, we review commercially available technologies used to isolate CTCs from peripheral blood, including immunoaffinity and label-free, physical property-based isolation methods. Although enormous technological progress has been made, especially within the last decade, only a few CTC detection methods have been approved for routine clinical use. Here, we provide an overview of the current CTC isolation methods and examples of their potential application for early diagnosis, prognosis, treatment monitoring, and prediction of resistance to cancer therapy. Furthermore, the challenges that remain to be addressed before such tools are implemented for routine use in clinical settings are discussed.
Biomarkers ; Biopsy ; DNA ; Early Diagnosis ; Exosomes ; Humans ; Methods* ; Microfluidics ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating* ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms

Accurate placernent of double-lumen endobronchial tube is essential for successful one lung anesthesia We studied 58 adult patients (38 males and 20 females) undergoing thoracic surgery under one lung anesthesia. We used the fiberoptic bronchoscope as an "introducer" over which the double lumen tube was advanced under direct vision. Correct position of the left side double-lumen endobronchial tube at supine position was determined by direct vision of cephalad surface of the bright blue bronchial cuff immediately below the carina. Correct position of the right side double lumen endobronchial tube at supine position was determined by direct vision of the right upper lobe bronchial orifice through the right upper labe ventilation slot. After the patient was repositioned, the position of the double lumen endobronchial tube was rechecked by fiberoptic bronchoscope. The results were as follows; 1) There was a significant correlation of correct depth of left and right double lumen endobronchial tube at supine position with height for both male and female patients. 2) Left side double lumen endobronchial tube: 58% of total cases (20 Case of 38 Case) were displaced by turning of the patient from supine to the lateral decubitus position. 3) Right side double lumen endobronchial tube: 65% of total cases (13 Case of 20 Case) were displaced by turning of the patient from supine to the lateral decubitus position.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Bronchoscopes ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Supine Position ; Thoracic Surgery ; Ventilation