PURPOSE: This study aims to analyse the epidemiologic characteristics of burn in the elderly and to discusses a possible prevention program for this population. METHODS: A retrospective review of all medical records of elderly patients (above 60 years old) admitted with burns to the burn center of the Hanil General Hospital from January 1996 to December 2007 was carried out. Patient demographics, etiology, extent, and type of burn, seasonal variation, and mortality rates were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 537 elderly patients (mean age of 69.8 years, median age of 68 years, range 60~97 years) was admitted. The gender ratio of the patients was 1:.5 with 217 men and 320 women. The most common causes were scald burn (44.9%) and flame burn (35.4%). The average total body area burned was 13.5% (range 0~95%). Twenty six patients (4.8%) died. CONCLUSION: In elderly patients, scald burns are more common in women but flame burns are more common in men. The mortality rate is higher in flame burns and men
Aged ; Burn Units ; Burns ; Demography ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons

Eight species belonging to two genera of the Laboulbeniales, parasitic on the family Carabidae and Staphylinidae of the order Coleoptera, were collected from Upo natural swamp in 1996-2001. They are as follows; Laboulbenia anoplogenii parasitic on Platynus daimio, L. cristata on Paederus parallelus, L. egens on Tachys laetifica, L. flagellata on Platynus daimio, L. pedicellata on Bembidion morawitzi, L. philonthi on Philonthus wuesthoffi, L. stenolophi on Acupalpus inornatus and Philonthus longicornis, and Peyritschiella biformis on Philonthus micaticollis. Among these species, the genus Platynus as the host of L. anoplogenii and the genus Acupalpus as the host of L. stenolophi are new to science. Bembidion morawitzi as the host of Laboulbenia pedicellata and Philonthus micanticollis as the host of Peyritschiella biformis are new to Korea.
Beetles ; Humans ; Korea ; Wetlands*

The neuronal migration disorders, X-linked lissencephaly syndrome (XLIS) and subcortical band heterotopia (SBH), also called "double cortex", have been linked to missense, nonsense, aberrant splicing, deletion, and insertion mutations in doublecortin (DCX) in families and sporadic cases. Most DCX mutations identified to date are located in two evolutionarily conserved domains. We performed mutation analysis of DCX in two Korean patients with SBH. The SBH patients had mild to moderate developmental delays, drug-resistant generalized seizures, and diffuse thick SBH upon brain MRI. Sequence analysis of the DCX coding region in Patient 1 revealed a c.386 C>T change in exon 3. The sequence variation results in a serine to leucine amino acid change at position 129 (S129L), which has not been found in other family members of Patient 1 or in a large panel of 120 control X-chromosomes. We report here a novel c.386 C>T mutation of DCX that is responsible for SBH.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Base Sequence ; Brain Diseases/*genetics/pathology ; *Cerebral Cortex ; Choristoma/*genetics/pathology ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/*genetics ; *Mutation, Missense ; Neuropeptides/*genetics ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The midpalatal suture area and maxillary interdental area are suitable site for the placement of orthodontic mini-implant. The purpose of this study was to provide a guideline to indicate the best location for mini-implant placement as it relates to the thickness of soft tissue and cortical bone. Fifteen maxilla from 15 cadavers were cut in midsagittal plane and buccopalatal plane to measure the thickness of soft tissue and cortical bone of midpalatal and maxillary posterior interdental areas. Sectioned samples were scanned and the thickness was measured. The thickness of soft tissue and cortical bone were measured at 6 points from the interdental papilla with 5-mm intervals in the mid-sagittal section. And, the thickness of soft tissue and cortical bone were also measured at 5 points from the alveolar crest with 1-mm intervals in the buccopalatal section. The mean and standard deviation of the measurement were calculated. Soft tissue thickness at the midpalatal suture area was 1.46 mm at 15 mm from the interdental papilla and remained uniformly thick posterior to this point, and steeply increased at 35 mm area posteriorly. Cortical bone thickness were greatest (2.13 mm) at 20 mm from the interdental papilla and remained uniformly thick posterior to this point, and decreased at 30 mm area posteriorly. Palatal soft tissues thickness in all groups was thinnest at the 1 mm from the alveolar crest and gradually increased from alveolar crest to apical portion. Cortical bone thickness in all groups was thickest at the 1 mm from the alveolar crest and slightly decreased from alveolar crest to apical portion. Buccal soft tissue thickness in all groups was thickest at the 1 mm from the alveolar crest and gradually decreased from alveolar crest to apical portion. Cortical bone thickness in all groups was thinnest at the 1 mm from the alveolar crest and slightly increased from alveolar crest to apical portion. Soft tissue thicknesses were greater on the palatal side than on the buccal side. Cortical bone thicknesses of the buccal side were thicker than the palatal side. These results provide anatomical data of soft tissue and cortical bone thickness to assist in the determination of safe location for the mini-implant placement in the midpalatal and maxillary interdental areas.
Cadaver ; Gingiva ; Maxilla ; Sutures

Intraocular tension may be acutely changed by many drugs and by various physiologic events. AN acute rise in intracoular tension may be catastrophic if it occurs when the globenis open and leads to expulsion of contents. Most general anesthetics cause a decrease in intraocular pressure, although a few causes increased intraocular pressure. Midazolam is a 1,4-benzodiazepin derivative synthesized by Walser and Freyer in 1975. Earlier studies with midazolam have demonstrated it efficacy for induction of anesthesia and premedication. It is also desirable to know if all anesthetic agents which produce general anesthesia and which are pharmacologically different affect intraocular pressure in a similar manner. Therefore investigation of the influence of midazolam on intraocular pressure in 25 patients was undertaken at the Department of Anesthesiology, Hanyan University. All patients had no known eye abnormalities. The patients were not premedicated. In all patients the intraocular pressure was measured before induction of anesthesia, after instilling a 0.5% tetracaine into the conjunctival sac. A second reading was taken after induction of midazolam (0.2mg/kg of body weight) and a third after injection of succinylcholine(1mg/kg of body weight) and a fourth after endotracheal intubation. A Schiotz tonometer with a 5.5gm and a 7.5gm weight was used. In addition to the tonometric determination, the blood pressure, pulse rate and respiratory rate were recorded before and after induction of midazolam. An attempt was tried to keep the intraocular pressure changed as many and to minimize the other factors affecting intraocular pressure. To achieve this, supine position and constant gas flow was maintained. Special care was taken to avoid pressure on the patients eye and to maintain a fully patent airway to prevent respiratory disturbances leading to straining and increased venou pressure. Endotracheal intubation was performed with the aid of succinylcholine to avoid cough or laryngospasm. The results of the observation with the above mentioned method were tested by student t-test statistically. Each patient acted as his own control. There was a fall in intraocular pressure in 17 patients among 25 patients(average 1.8mmHg), but no significant change followed by the use of midazoam. The blood pressure variations were between 10 and 40 mmHg, during the course of anesthesia and could not be related to intraocular pressure changes. Intraocular pressure changes had no relation to pulse and respiratory rate variations. This finding indicated that benzodiazepine as a class of drugs have well described muscle relaxant properties that are primarily central(supraspinal)rather than peripheral(myoneural) in action. There was a rise in intraocular pressure in 19 patients among 25 patients, followed by the use of succinylcholine and 23 patients among 25 patients, after endotracheal intubation. According to Feldman and Crawley, diazepam potentiated the myoneural blocking effects of gallamine and antagonizes the effects of succinylcholine. Nevertheless Dretchen demonstrated that the clinical doses of diazepam did not potentiated the muscle relants. Our finding showing no apparent succinylcholine interaction with midazolam are consistent with the finding of Dretche.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesiology ; Anesthetics ; Anesthetics, General ; Benzodiazepines ; Blood Pressure ; Cough ; Diazepam ; Eye Abnormalities ; Gallamine Triethiodide ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngismus ; Midazolam* ; Premedication ; Respiratory Rate ; Succinylcholine ; Supine Position ; Tetracaine

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a rare digestive syndrome characterized by symptoms and signs of intestinal obstruction in the absence of mechanical obstruction. A 48-year-old female presented at our facility with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Simple abdominal radiography revealed small bowel gas and ileus. Computed tomography also revealed a dilated small bowel, but there was no evidence of mechanical obstruction. Esophageal function was decreased based on high-resolution manometry and the gastric emptying time was prolonged on a gastric emptying scan. The patient recovered with conservative treatment. We report a case of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction with esophageal and gastric dysfunction.
Abdominal Pain ; Female ; Gastric Emptying ; Humans ; Ileus ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Manometry ; Middle Aged ; Radiography, Abdominal ; Vomiting

Recently, mini-implant is popular in the orthodontic treatment due to its simplicity and convenient surgical procedure. The objective of this study is to provide the anatomical guideline for mini-implant placement by analysing the cortical bone thickness in Korean. Hemi-sections of sixteen maxillae and twenty-two mandibles with normal teeth were used. Interdental areas between the 1st premolar and the 2nd premolar (Group 1), the 2nd premolar and the 1st molar (Gruop 2), and the 1st molar and the 2nd molar (Group 3) were sectioned and then scanned. After setting the axis of teeth, the cortical bone thickness was measured at the distance of 2 mm, 4mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm from alveolar crest. The mean thickness of cortical bone in the maxilla according to distance from alveolar crest was 1.30 +/- 0.63 mm (2 mm), 1.49 +/- 0.62 mm (4mm), 1.72 +/- 0.64 mm (6mm), and 1.90 +/- 0.90 mm (8 mm) at the buccal side and 1.33 +/- 0.47 mm, 1.31 +/- 0.45 mm, 1.37 +/- 0.55 mm, and 1.39 +/- 0.58 mm at the palatal side. In the mandible, that was 3.14 +/- 1.71 mm, 4.31 +/- 2.22 mm, 4.23 +/- 1.94 mm, and 4.30 +/- 1.57 mm at the buccal side and 1.98 +/- 0.88 mm, 2.79 +/- 1.01 mm, 3.35 +/- 1.27 mm, and 3.93 +/- 1.38 mm at the lingual side. The buccal cortical bone thickness in the maxilla was decreased from Group 1 to Group 3, while the thickness of palatal side was no change. In the mandible, it did not show a tendency at the buccal side and it was decreased from Group 1 to Group 3 without significant difference at the lingual side. Therefore, the buccal side of the Group 1 and Group 2 in both the maxilla and mandible seems to be the most appropriate site for a mini-implant placement with taking the stability and retention.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Bicuspid ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Molar ; Retention (Psychology) ; Tooth

NFI-C null mice demonstrate aberrant odontoblast differentiation and abnormal dentin formation, and thus develop molars lacking roots. However, other tissues and organs in the body including ameloblasts appear to be unaffected. Abnormal dentin in NFI-C null mice shares morphological similarities to the osteodentin that is formed in dental caries. However, little is known about the relationship between NFI-C and osteodentin formation. In this study, to elucidate the molecular characteristics of abnormal odontoblast in NFI-C null mice, we examined the levels of Ask-1, Cdc-2, Smad2/3, and TGF-betaR1 in cell culture and tissue sections from NFI-C null mice using immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. NFI-C protein was localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm of normal odontoblasts in vitro. Ask-1 and Cdc-2 proteins were shown in the perinuclear cytoplasm of both normal and NFI-C null mice. There were no differences in the pattern of production of Ask-1 and Cdc-2 proteins between normal and NFI-C null mice. Smad2/3 was not found in the odontoblast and subodontoblastic cells of the normal mice, whereas NFI-C null mice showed Smad2/3 immunoreactivity in the odontoblasts and subodontoblastic cells of the tooth pulp. TGF-betaR1 was weakly immunopositive in the odontoblast and subodontoblastic cells of normal mice, whereas it was detected strongly in the subodontoblastic cells of the NFI-C null mice. These results suggest that disruption of NFI-C increased the expression of Smad2/3 and TGF-betaR1 in developing odontoblasts and consequently caused abnormal dentin formation, similar to osteodentin.
Ameloblasts ; Animals ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cytoplasm ; Dental Caries ; Dentin ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Molar ; Odontoblasts ; Tooth

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the relationship between the histological composition of the prostate, preoperative clinical parameters, and the results of transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 61 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) who had undergone TURP were enrolled retrospectively. Slides were surveyed for relative areas (%) of glandular epithelium (GE), stroma (ST), and smooth muscle (SM) in stroma by performing immunohistochemistry, and the mean outcomes were calculated with a computer-assisted image analyzer (x200). RESULTS: Total prostate volume was less than 40 ml in 19 patients (group 1), 40 to 80 ml in 23 patients (group 2), and more than 80 ml in 19 patients (group 3). The percentage of SM was significantly greater in group 1 (29.5+/-4.2%) than in group 3 (23.7+/-3.2%), but GE and ST did not differ significantly. AG number was significantly higher in group 3 than in the other groups but did not correlate with SM. Improvements in International Prostate Symptom Score, which were similar in each group, were positively correlated with SM. CONCLUSIONS: SM in prostate adenoma is increased in men with a small prostate and may play an important role in lower urinary tract symptoms in small BPH
Adenoma ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Retrospective Studies ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Urinary Tract ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: Critically ill patients frequently require rapid measurements of serum potassium. Analyses of serum samples take some time, but the results of blood gas analyses are often available more promptly. This study aims to determine the correlation between potassium concentrations measured by blood gas analyzer and automated chemical analyzer with a view to identifying whether the plasma potassium level can be used as an alternative to the serum values in the clinical management of selected patients in the Emergency Department (ED). METHODS: This prospective study of patients who were deemed by their treating doctor to require a blood gas analysis and chemistry analysis compared the potassium concentrations obtained from plasma and serum taken simultaneously. Data were analyzed using a Pearson correlation and a linear regression. RESULTS: Four hundred ninety-six patients were entered into the study. The potassium concentrations measured using two blood gas analyzers and two automated chemical analyzers were relatively highly correlated (coefficient=0.871), with an average difference between two methods of 0.449 mmol/L. There was also a high level of agreement between the methods with the 95% limits of agreement being -0.2 to 1.2 mmol/L. CONCLUSION: Compared with data from other previous test, our data were unsatisfactory. However our trial makes it possible in our ED to obtain serum potassium level from the plasma level. In addition, hypokalemia obtained by blood gas analyzer should be made an exception in treating it.
Blood Gas Analysis ; Chemistry ; Critical Illness ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Linear Models ; Plasma ; Potassium* ; Prospective Studies