Echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular function permits the demonstration of preclinical diabetic cardiomyopathy. In order to define the relationship between diabetic retinopathy and precence of myocardial dysfunction, M-mode echocardiograms were recorded in three groups of diabetics ; group 1, no retinopathy, group 2, background retinopathy, group 3, proliferative retinopathy, and normal controls without evidence fo coronary heart disease. The resultant traces were digitized, and systolic and diastolic parameters were evaluated. None of parameters fo systolic function was modified. however peak velocity of posterior wall thinning was decreased in group 3(p<0.005), peak velocity of left ventricular demension increase was decreased in all three groups(p<0.005, P<0.001, P<0.001 respectively), duration of rapid thinning of posterior wall increased in group 2 and 3(p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively), and duration of rapid inflow of left ventricle was increased in group 3(p<0.005). These results indicate a diminution of myocardial compliance and relaxation in diabetics with retinopathy. It is concluded that abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic function is present in diabetics when left ventricular systolic function is normal and that more severe abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic function in diabetics with proliferative retinopathy reflect a subclinical diabetic cardiomyopathy due to small vessel disease.
Compliance ; Coronary Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Ventricles ; Relaxation ; Ventricular Function, Left*

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Foramen Ovale, Patent*

No abstract available.
Cor Triatriatum*

Simultaneous quantification of multiple marker compounds in herbal medicine by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis is still a challenge due to the complexity in various parameters to be considered and co-existing multi-components. As a case study, a reliable HPLC method for simultaneous quantification of paeoniflorin from Paeoniae Radix and decursin from Angelicae Gigantis Radix in various commercial herbal medicine was developed based on analytical quality by design (AQbD) strategy. As a first step, risk assessment was performed to select the critical method parameters (CMPs) which were decided as organic mobile phase ratio and column oven temperature. In order to evaluate the effect of the CMPs on critical method attributes (CMAs) of peak resolution and tailing, central composite design (CCD) was employed. The final chromatographic conditions were optimized as follows: column- C 18 , 4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm particle size; mobile phase- A: acetonitrile, B: 0.1% acetic acid water; detection wavelength- 235 nm for paeoniflorin, 325 nm for decursin; column oven temperature- 25 o C; flow rate- 1.0 mL/min; gradient mobile phase system as Time (min) : % A, 0:14, 25:14, 30:50, 60:50, 61:100, 65:100, 66:14, 75:14. The method was successfully validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and piloted for ten commercial herbal medicines.

BACKGROUND: Color Doppler echocardiography is sensitive in detecting mitral regurgitation and useful in quantitating its severity. The presence of an eccentric regurgitant jet suggests that regurgitation is caused by prolapsing or flail leaflet of mitral valve. Until recently the direction of regurgitant jet in mitral valve prolapse has been examined in a single(parasternal short axis view) or orthogonal plane using color Doppler echocardiography, and few in the apical rotation method of a transducer. The purpose of this study was to clarify the usefullness of the apical rotation method of a transducer in detection of the direction of mitral regurgitant jet and diagnosis of the sites of mitral valve prolapse. METHODS: Twenty four patients(8 men and 16 women, mean age:47.3+/-18.8 years) with mitral valve prolapse with eccentric regurgitant jet were examined by two-dimensional and color Doppler echocardiograply using conventional parasternal long and short axis views, and four apical longitudinal planes(four chamber, vertical, two chamber and transverse views) obtained by the apical retation method of a transducer. RESULTS: Thirty one regurgitant jets were detected in twenty four patients, eighteen patients had anterior, nine patints posterior, and three patients bi-leaflet(anterior and posterior) prolapse. In eighteen patients with anterior leaflet prolapse, ten had medial, eight had middle, three had lateral, and three had two portions(two, medial and middle; one, middle and lateral) prolapse. In nine patients with posterior leaflet prolapse, five had medial, three had middle, two had lateral, and one had two(medial and middle) scallop prolapse. CONCLUSION: Color Doppler echocardiography by the apical rotation method of transducer is useful in assessment of the site of prolapse in patients with mitral valve prolapse with eccentric regurgitation.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Color ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Prolapse* ; Mitral Valve* ; Pectinidae ; Prolapse* ; Transducers*

Clinically adult-onset xanthogranuloma is somewhat different to that of juvenile xanthogranuloma. There seems to be no definitive sites of predilection and concomitant extracutaneous lesions, and spontaneous resolution does not occur in the adult form. The lesions of the adult form are usually asymmetric or solitary. We describe an adult with a solitary xanthogranuloma on the left shoulder. Histological findings of this case show minor differences from juvenile xanthogranuloma but immunohistochemical findings were very similar to those of juvenile xanthogranuloma.
Adult* ; Humans ; Shoulder ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile

BACKGROUND: Mitral valve prolapse(MVP) is now recognized as noe of the most common cardiovascular disorders, particularly in young women with a slender body habitus. However, there is little clinical information about young men with mitral valve prolapse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical and echocardiographic characteristics of young men about 20 years old with mitral valve prolapse. METHOD: Twenty young men with mitral valve prolapse(MVP graoup, mean age ; 19.9±2.4 years) and twenty healthy volunteers(control group, mean age ; 19.9±3.2 years) were examined using physical examination, chest X-ray, computed thoracic tomography and two dimensional and Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: Compared with control group, MVP group had a smaller chest circumference(p < 0.001), a larger height-arm span difference(p < 0.01), smaller anteroposterior chest diameters(by chest X-ray ; p < 0.001 and computed tomography ; p < 0.01) and smaller anteroposterior/transverse chest diameter ratio(chet X-ray ; p < 0.01 and computed tomography ; p < 0.05). In MVP group, mitral regurgitation was noted 15 men(75%), those had posteriorly directed jets suggesting anterior mitral leaflet anomalies. CONCLUSION: Healthy young men having mitral valve prolapse had narrow chest and slender physical characteristics and anterior mitral leaflet abnormalities.
Clinical Study ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Prolapse ; Mitral Valve ; Physical Examination ; Thorax

In our previous study, we observed that hydrosalpingeal fluid (HSF) adversely effect mouswe embryo development and hatching. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of HSF as assessed by the blastocyst development rate (BDR) and by cell counting in vitro HSF was collected from nine patients undergoing salpingoneostomy to correct hydrosalpinx. Two-cell embryos were obtained from superovulated ICR mice. T6 medium and T6+/-0.4% bovine serum albumin were used as control media. T6 medium containing 10% or 50% HSF and 100% HSF from each patient were used as test media. Nine to 15 embryos were cultured in microdrops prepared from each of these media. To assess the total cell number within each blastocyst, the blastocysts were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 to facilitate cell counting. The mean BDR in two control media were 88.89% and 85.40%. The mean BDR in media containing 10%, 50%, 100% HSF were 85.87%, 89.58% and 75.57%, respectively (*: p<0.05). The overall mean cell count (+/-SEM) in control media were 87.6+/-9.65 and 90.12+/-11.38. The BDR was affected adversely only by 100% HSF and not in media containing 10% or 50% HSF. Mean cell counts were decreased significantly only in blastocysts cultured 100% HSF (63.8+/-13.66; p<0.01) but not in blastocysts cultured in 10% or 50% HSF (91.3+/-12.44 and 82.9+/-18.27, respectively). Thus, it is concluded that HSF has no embyotoxic effect but has a mildly negatively effect on embryonic growth and development.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Cell Count ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Growth and Development ; Humans* ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Pregnancy ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

Prostate cancer commonly manifests with bony metastases. Visceral metastasis can also occur in the lungs and liver. However, stomach metastasis related to prostate cancer is rare. Here, we report a case of prostate cancer metastatic to the stomach. A 66-year-old male was diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma. He was noted as having abdominal discomfort, nausea, and vomiting 18 months after the diagnosis. A histopathologic examination and an esophagogastroduodenoscopic gastric biopsy revealed stomach-metastatic adenocarcinoma. He was also noted as having cerebellar metastatic lesions, which were identified by using a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The patient died of cardiovascular complications 5 months after the diagnosis of stomach metastasis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Nausea ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Stomach ; Vomiting

Isolated noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (INVM) is a rare cardiomyopathy resulting from a failure of normal endomyocardial embryogenesis and it has been categorized as a form of unclassified cardiomyopathy. The disorder is characterized by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork with deep intertrabecular recesses. Although the disorder is sporadic, familial incidence may occur. Clinical symptoms and prognosis of INVM may differ markedly, and range from an asymptomatic course to a severe cardiac disability. The diagnostic method of choice for IVNM is echocardiography, which reveals multiple prominent trabeculations with deep intertrabecular spaces communicating with the left ventricular cavity in the middle and apical segments of the left ventricle. The authors report a case of INVM in a family in which three adult members (a brother and two sisters) were found to be affected by this disorder. They were all asymptomatic. The diagnosis of the disorder was made first in the 36-year-old brother by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and multidetector CT (MD CT), during the process of preoperative evaluation for surgical treatment of low back intervertebral herniated disc. TTE and MD CT showed similar and peculiar findings of INVM. Echocardiographic screening in all first-degree relatives of this patient, in order to identify asymptomatic patients, demonstrated INVM in two elder sisters.
Adult ; Echocardiography ; Heart Defects, Congenital/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed