This experiment was designed for the evaluation of the usefulness of enzyme histochemistry in the determination of the lapse of time in brain wound, and also for the establishment of medicolegal 'biological time table' on brain wound. Brain injury was made by contusion and laceration of meninges and brain itself in rats. The results were as follows; 1) By routine histological technique, estimation of the lapse of time in brain wound could be possible 4 hours after the infliction of wound. 2) The earliest change of enzyme activities was recognizable by the decreased activities of ATPase and succinic dehydrogenase 30 minutes after the injury. These decreased enzyme activities were not recovered up to the 4th day after the brain injury. 3) Increased acid phosphatase activity was noticed 1 hour, and beta-glucuronidase, 2 hours after the injury in a mild degree. Both increased activities were pronounced following the lapse of time in brain wound. 4) No significant change was seen in alkaline phosphatase, monoamine oxidase, non-specific esterase and leucine aminopeptidase activities throughout the experimental period up to the 4th day. So the enzyme histochemistry of these enzymes seemed to be little valuable for the study on the timing of wound in brain injury. In the light of these results it appeared that the enzyme histochemistry, in particular of ATPase, succinic dehydrogenase, and acid phosphatase, for the estimation of timing of brain wound not only shortened the histological "lag period" up to 30 minutes after the injury, but also provided a useful information in determining the biological time table following the brain injury.
Acid Phosphatase ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Brain Injuries* ; Brain* ; Carboxylesterase ; Contusions ; Glucuronidase ; Histological Techniques ; Lacerations ; Leucyl Aminopeptidase ; Meninges ; Monoamine Oxidase ; Rats ; Succinate Dehydrogenase ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND: Coughing during emergence from general anesthesia is a common clinical problem and results in a number of undesirable side effects. Remifentanil stimulate micron-opioid peptide receptor known to be related to antitussive effect. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of remifentanil on coughing after general anesthesia with desflurane. METHODS: Fifty one ASA physical status I and II patients undergoing elective oral and maxillofacial surgery were randomly assigned to receive either remifentanil with 1 ng/ml effect site concentration or normal saline until extubation. The number and intensity of coughs were monitored during emergence and the recovery time was recorded. RESULTS: The incidence and number of coughing during emergence was significant less frequent in the remifentanil group (P < 0.05). The intensity of coughing was significant milder in the remifentanil group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between two groups in the recovery time. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous remifentanil infusion with 1 ng/ml effect site concentration during emergence from general anesthesia with desflurane decrease the incidence of coughing without delaying the recovery time.
Anesthesia, General ; Cough ; Humans ; Incidence ; Isoflurane ; Piperidines ; Receptors, Peptide ; Surgery, Oral

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the significance of the intraoperative postural reduction for kyphotic deformity in unstable burst fracture and confirm the relations of postural reduction and the final correction after loss of correction by posterior instrumentation. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: The loss of kyphotic correction after instrumentation in unstable burst fracture is found. Some methods have been developed to reduce the loss of correction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 short-segment pedicle screw instrumentations in the patients with a unstable burst fracture were performed. We measured sagittal index, wedge angle of vertebral body and anterior vertebral height preoperatively, intraoperatively, postoperatively and at final follow-up. RESULTS: Sagittal index was 20.2 degrees preoperatively, 7.5 degrees intraoperatively, 0.9 degrees postoperatively and 7.2 degrees at final follow-up, so the loss of correction was 32.6%. Wedge angle of vertebral body was 20.3 degrees preoperatively, 10.1 degrees intraoperatively, 6.8 degrees postopera-tively and 9.4 degrees at final follow-up, so the loss of correction was 19.3%. Anterior vertebral height was 57.0%, 79.3%, 85.0%, and 78.8% respectively, so the loss of correction was 22.1%. The loss of correction occurred more in the disc space and less in the vertebral body itself. Postural reduction corrected 63% of sagittal index, 50% of wedge angle of vertebral body and 52% of anterior vertebral height. CONCLUSIONS: Postural reduction corrected kyphotic deformity appropriately. The correction by posterior instrumentation in unstable burst fracture was lost in some amount. The final correction was similar to the one by postural reduction. It is important to obtain the maximum postural reduction intraoperatively to prevent kyphotic deformity caused by loss of correction after surgery.
Congenital Abnormalities* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Head Injuries, Penetrating*

Background: and Purpose Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are the most common form of hereditary ataxias. Extracerebellar signs have been well described and are helpful in differentiating the SCA subtypes. However, there are few reports on the early-stage extracerebellar signs in various SCA subtypes. This study explored the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of early-stage SCAs in the Korean population. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of genetically confirmed SCA patients with a disease duration of <5 years. Data on baseline characteristics, extracerebellar signs, and initial MRI findings were organized based on SCA subtypes. Results: This study included 117 SCA patients with a median age at onset of 40.6 years. The family history was positive in 71.8% of the patients, and the median disease duration and the score on the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia at the initial visit were 2.6 years and 5.0, respectively. SCA3 was the most prevalent subtype, and oculomotor abnormalities were the most frequent extracerebellar signs in early-stage SCAs. Saccadic slowing was characteristic of SCA2 and SCA7, and gaze-evoked nystagmus was prominent in SCA6. Parkinsonism was relatively frequent in SCA8 and SCA3. Decreased visual acuity was specific for SCA7. Dementia was not an early manifestation of SCAs. Brain MRI revealed a pattern of pontocerebellar atrophy in SCA2 and SCA7, while SCA6 demonstrated only cerebellar cortical atrophy. Conclusions SCA patients exhibited diverse extracerebellar signs even in the early stage.Specific extracerebellar signs were characteristic of specific subtypes, which could facilitate differential diagnoses of early-stage SCAs.

Background: and Purpose Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are the most common form of hereditary ataxias. Extracerebellar signs have been well described and are helpful in differentiating the SCA subtypes. However, there are few reports on the early-stage extracerebellar signs in various SCA subtypes. This study explored the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics of early-stage SCAs in the Korean population. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of genetically confirmed SCA patients with a disease duration of <5 years. Data on baseline characteristics, extracerebellar signs, and initial MRI findings were organized based on SCA subtypes. Results: This study included 117 SCA patients with a median age at onset of 40.6 years. The family history was positive in 71.8% of the patients, and the median disease duration and the score on the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia at the initial visit were 2.6 years and 5.0, respectively. SCA3 was the most prevalent subtype, and oculomotor abnormalities were the most frequent extracerebellar signs in early-stage SCAs. Saccadic slowing was characteristic of SCA2 and SCA7, and gaze-evoked nystagmus was prominent in SCA6. Parkinsonism was relatively frequent in SCA8 and SCA3. Decreased visual acuity was specific for SCA7. Dementia was not an early manifestation of SCAs. Brain MRI revealed a pattern of pontocerebellar atrophy in SCA2 and SCA7, while SCA6 demonstrated only cerebellar cortical atrophy. Conclusions SCA patients exhibited diverse extracerebellar signs even in the early stage.Specific extracerebellar signs were characteristic of specific subtypes, which could facilitate differential diagnoses of early-stage SCAs.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of KRAS, BRAF, and TP53 mutations in cases of low-grade and high-grade serous carcinomas and to evaluate the clinical outcomes of these morphologically distinct carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with primary invasive serous carcinomas were classified according to the universal grading system. Grade 2 serous tumors were excluded. A total of 100 patients were included for clinical evaluation. Thirty-seven patients, including 20 with low-grade and 17 with high-grade carcinomas, were selected for mutational analysis. RESULTS: The low-grade carcinoma group was characterized by young age and premenopausal period compared with the high-grade carcinoma group, but there were no statistically significant differences in stage, metastasis of lymph node and residual disease. There were no statistically significant differences in survival rates, however, the low-grade carcinoma group showed a trend for improved progression-free survival compared with the high-grade carcinoma group of early stage (p = 0.064). Mutations in KRAS and BRAF were found in 6 (30%) and 2 (10%) patients in the low-grade carcinoma group, respectively, however, they were not found in the high-grade carcinoma group. KRAS and BRAF mutations were mutually exclusive, and both mutations were observed in 40% (8/20). The frequency of TP53 mutations in low-grade and high-grade carcinoma groups were found in 20% (4/20) and 70.6% (12/17), respectively (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Low-grade serous carcinoma shows mutation pattern different from that with high-grade carcinoma. As there were no significant differences in stage distribution and survival, especially in advanced stage, we suggest that more studies are needed to segregate these patients into distinct disease entities.
Adult ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/*genetics ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/*genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf/*genetics ; ras Proteins/*genetics

In this work we have measured the dose distribution and the percent depth dose of 20 MeV electron beam using the X-OMAT films in order to verify the effects of transverse magnetic field on high energy elecrtron beam in a phantom. The result shows about 30% increase of the percent depth dose at 4.5 cm depth under the transverse magnetic field of 1.5 Tesla at 7.5 cm depth. We have verified that these were in an agreement with other theoretical results.
Magnetic Fields*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of several risk scoring systems, such as TIMI, GRACE, HEART, and PERSUIT as predictors for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in chest pain with an unclear diagnosis. METHODS: This study was conducted as a retrospective and observational study. Enrolled patients were classified into two groups depending on the cause of chest pain: ACS group (CG; N=80) and non-ACS group (NCG; N=42). Clinical variables, including age, gender, past history, characteristics of chest pain, final diagnosis, and risk score were analyzed according to each group. Risk scoring systems for prediction of acute coronary syndrome were compared using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis and area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Significant differences in age (p<0.001), diabetes mellitus (p=0.049), prior ischemic heart disease (p<0.001), continuous chest pain (p=0.035), and severe chest pain (p=0.001) were observed between the two groups. Results of ROC analysis for each scoring system for prediction of ACS were as follows: HEART (AUC; 0.878, 95% Confidence Interval, CI; 0.806~0.930, cut-off value; 4 points, sensitivity; 90.48%, specificity; 71.25%), TIMI (AUC; 0.839, 95% CI; 0.762~0.899, cut-off value; 1 point, sensitivity 83.33%, specificity 77.50%), PERSUIT (AUC; 0.748, 95% CI; 0.661~0.822, cut-off value; 11 points, sensitivity 61.90%, specificity 77.50%), and GRACE (AUC; 0.698, 95% CI, 0.608~0.778, cut off value 102 points, sensitivity 83.33, specificity 53.75%). CONCLUSION: In comparative analysis of each scoring system, the HEART scoring system was found to be a strong predictor of ACS in chest pain with an unclear diagnosis, followed by the TIMI, PURSUIT, and GRACE scoring systems.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Chest Pain ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Electrocardiography ; Emergencies ; Heart ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thorax

PURPOSE: Laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy (LADG) is gaining wider acceptance for the treatment of early gastric cancer. However, firm evidence supporting the long-term outcome after LADG for gastric cancer is unknown. This study compared long-term quality of life after LADG versus an open distal gastrectomy (ODG) for early gastric cancer. METHODS: This study included 29 patients who underwent LADG and 57 patients who underwent ODG for the treatment of stage I gastric cancer. Quality of life was evaluated based on the Korean version of EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3.0) and EORTC QLQ-STO22 one year after surgery. All patients underwent a Billroth II gastrectomy for stage I gastric cancer between January 2003 and December 2004. RESULTS: A total of 86 (58%) out of 154 patients responded to the questionnaire. Demographic features showed no difference between the two groups of patients for age, sex, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis except for tumor size and the number of retrieved lymph nodes. The mean score for global health status was not statistically different (LADG, 60.3+/-20.4 vs ODG, 57+/-20.6; P=0.413). The total score of 21 items related to stomach cancer (EORTC QLQ-STO22) also was not statistically different (LADG, 68.9+/-64.9 vs ODG, 94.5+/-97.3; P=0.340). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of the Korean version of EORTC QLQ-C 30 (version 3.0) and EORTC QLQ-STO22, LADG does not seem to have any long-term benefit over ODG on 'quality of life'.
Gastrectomy* ; Gastroenterostomy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Stomach Neoplasms