PURPOSE: Endothelin-1(ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor peptide. It has potent contractile and proliferative effects on vascular smooth muscle cells. Congenital heart diseases are often accompanied by pulmonary hypertension, and the severity of pulmonary hypertension is important in the prognosis. The aim of this study was to elucidate changes of ET-1 after pulmonary venous stenosis in a dog model, and investigate the interaction between pulmonary venous pressure and ET-1. METHODS: Plasma ET-1 levels were measured by radioimmuno-assay at the thoracic aorta, left pulmonary artery and left pulmonary vein. Pressures were also monitored at the same sites. Immunohistochemical staining of ET-1 was performed in the lung tissue. RESULTS: Increased serum ET-1 levels were noted at 1 hour after left pulmonary vein stenosis in the left pulmonary vein and aorta, and at 2 days after stenosis in the left pulmonary artery. Left pulmonary venous pressure was significantly increased at 1 hour after pulmonary vein stenosis, and systolic pulmonary artery pressure at 2 days after stenosis. Increased expression of ET-1 was noted by immunohistochemical staining at the lung tissue at 7 days after stenosis of left pulmonary vein. CONCLUSION: Increased serum ET-1 level and expression of ET-1 in immunohistochemical staining at lung tissue were noted after stenosis of pulmonary vein. Serum ET-1 level would be useful in the diagnosis and prediction of pulmonary artery hypertension. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 2000;43:769 778)
Animals ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Diagnosis ; Dogs ; Endothelin-1* ; Endothelins ; Heart Diseases ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Lung ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Plasma ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Veins ; Venous Pressure

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a video education program in women receiving high-intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) treatment. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. The participants were 54 patients who had benign uterine tumorsand adenomyosis. The data were collected from June to August 2018. The experimental group was provided a video education program with a question-and-answer session for 10 minutes after viewing the video. A 10-minute video education program on HIFU and post-procedural care was developed based on the literature.The control group received usual care (i.e., verbal instructions on post-procedural care). The questionnaire survey was conducted twice: before the educational program and before being discharged from the hospital. Differences in uncertainty, emotions, and self-efficacyamong patients were analyzed. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, the t-test, the Shapiro-Wilk test, the paired t-test, and the t-test with SPSS for Windows version 23.0. Results: The participants in the experimental group showed a decrease in uncertainty(t=4.33, p<.001), improvements in anxiety(t=–4.07, p<.001) and depression(t=–3.55,p<.001),and an enhancement ofself-efficacy(t=–4.39,p<.001) compared to the control group. Conclusion This nursing intervention was effective at reducing uncertainty, improving emotions, and enhancing self-efficacy. We hope that it will be applied to improve nursing practice and that it will be valuable when utilized for helping patients to choose a treatment method.

Herein we wish to report a case of pernicious anemia and myasthenia gravis occurred after treatment with removal of an invasive thymoma and irradiation. Nine years ago, the male patient was visited due to chest pain, and was found a mediastinal mass at his age of 55. He received open thoracotomy and was found stage III invasive thymoma which infiltrated phrenic nerve and pericardium. After removal of thymoma, he received 4,500cGy of radiation. Two years later, he complained of left eyelid drooping and diagnosed as myasthenia gravis with tensilon test. His myasthenic eye symptom was controled with Mestinon. After 9 years from thymectomy, he complained of dizziness and dyspnea on exertion. Bone marrow smear revealed megaloblastic anemia and serum vitamin B12 level was 42.24pg/ml. Gastric juice analysis revealed achlorhydria with positive anti-intrinsic factor antibody. 6 weeks after treatment with parenteral vitamin B12, hematologic findings were normalized.
Achlorhydria ; Anemia, Megaloblastic ; Anemia, Pernicious* ; Bone Marrow ; Chest Pain ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Edrophonium ; Eyelids ; Gastric Juice ; Humans ; Male ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Pericardium ; Phrenic Nerve ; Pyridostigmine Bromide ; Thoracotomy ; Thymectomy* ; Thymoma* ; Vitamin B 12

Herein, we report a case of multiple myeloma with multiple plasmacytomas of thyroid, lung, lymph nodes and adrenal gland, who presented as upper airway and esophageal obstruction with vocal cord palsy. An 80-year-old women complained of dysphagia, hoarseness and anterior neck mass. Ultrasonography of the neck showed huge inhomogeneous solid mass involving left thyroid lobe and isthmus with several lymphadenopathy along the both upper deep cervical chain. Chest CT scanning revealed 4x3 cm sized, low density mass in posterobasal segment of the right lower lobe with both lower paratracheal lymphadenopathy, and abdominal CT scanning revealed 4.5x4.5 cm sized round low density mass in left adrenal gland. Serum and urine electrophoresis was normal and immunofixation of serum and urine was negative. Bone marrow smear and a bone scintigram revealed no abnormality, but iliac bone marrow biopsy revealed infiltration of abnormal plasma cells. Histologic and immunohistochemical examinations of the thyroid and lung mass revealed monoclonal proliferation of plasma cells of kappa light chain. After local irradiation of the neck with parenteral dexamethasone injection, anterior neck mass was much diminished in size, but 2 weeks later she had a pneumonia with fatal outcome.
Adrenal Glands ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Deglutition Disorders ; Dexamethasone ; Electrophoresis ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Neck ; Plasma Cells ; Plasmacytoma* ; Pneumonia ; Thyroid Gland ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Vocal Cord Paralysis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore how supervisory nurses who were transferred to a long-term care hospital from an acute hospital adapted to the new work environment. METHODS: Colaizzi's phenomenological method was applied. Participants were nine nurses working in long-term care hospitals and data were collected through in-depth individual interviews over 1 month. Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). RESULTS: From this study 12 theme clusters and 5 categories were classified. The 5 categories were; ‘Unacceptable workload’, ‘Unclear job description’, ‘Unreasonable management system of the hospital’, ‘Understanding the characteristic of the long-term care hospital’ and ‘Challenge and self-development’. CONCLUSION Participants experienced conflict, identity confusion and ambivalence through the relationship with nursing assistants, long-term care workers, administrative staff and the patients’ caregivers. However, they finally understood the characteristics of the long-term care hospital and were positioned as long-term care nurses.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in survival rates between primary gastric and intestinal gastrointestinal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and to investigate risk factors for survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed survival rates and risk factors in 60 cases with stage I and II primary gastrointestinal lymphomas treated at Keimyung University Hospital between January 1972 and August 1999. RESULTS: No differences in sex, age, histology, stage, or percentage of curative resection were observed between primary gastric and intestinal lymphoma. The overall 10-year survival rates of gastric and intestinal NHL were 68.1% and 39.6%, respectively (p<0.05). The overall 10-year survival rates in stage I gastric and intestinal NHL were 66.7% and 70.0%, respectively, while those in stageII were 65.1% and 23.7%, respectively (p<0.001). A multivariate analysis of risk factors for survival revealed that the site of origin (5.68, CI=1.8-17.5) and stage (4.22, CI= 1.19-14.85) were significantly correlated with prognosis (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression of bcl-2 and p53 between gastric and intestinal NHL. Furthermore bcl-2 and p53 expressions were not correlated with the prognosis. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that stage II primary intestinal lymphoma has lower survival rate than gastric lymphoma.
Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate*

OBJECTIVE: Adult onset Still s disease is an acute systemic inflammatory disorder. There are no pathognomonic symptoms or specific laboratory abnormalities. In recent reports, serum ferritin concentration is increased in active disease phase and decreased after defervescence. Our purpose was to determine the clinical significance of serum ferritin as an indicator for disease activity. METHODS: Seven patients who were diagnosed as adult onset Still s disease at Samsung Medical Center between October 1994 and March 1997, were reviewed. In these patients we checked leukocyte count, ESR, CRP and serum ferritin concentrations at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up periods and recorded febrile events during follow-up periods. RESULTS: At the time of diagnosis and during febrile periods, the concentrations of ferritin were extremely high(927ng/ml to 96,650ng/ml normal 10-290.8 ng/ml). The values were unrelated to other manifestations of the disease or laboratory findings. The ferritin concentrations decreased rapidly after adequate treatment. Eleven febrile reattacks happened in 7 patients. Serum ferritin concentrations were increased in 8 febrile attacks, while leukocyte count, ESR, and CRP were increased in 5, 5, 6 febrile attacks respectively, There were 10 events of increased serum ferritin concentrations in 7 patients during follow-up periods and 8 events were related with fever. The increases of other laboratory tests were similar. CONCLUSIONS: In all patients, serum ferritin concentrations were increased at the time of diagnosis and closely related to fever. During follow-up periods, serum ferritin concentrations are helpful in monitoring disease activity and guiding decisions about treatment.
Adult* ; Diagnosis ; Ferritins* ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset*

Sixty-three patients with permanent sigmoid colostomy were surveyed to evaluate their satisfaction and complications with the "irrigation technique" and the "atural evacuation" of the colostomy management (irrigation technique; 32 patients, natural evacuation; 31 patients). All patients had colostomy for at least 12 months without disease recurrence. Each patient was interviewed in addition to standard questionnaire. The irrigation was not associated with any major complication including colonic perforation. The irrigation was used younger age group than the natural evacuation (53+/-10 vs. 62+/-12, P=0.01). The frequency of bowel movement was lower in the irrigation than in the natural evacuation (5.1+/-2.5/wk vs. 10.8+/-9.0/wk, P=0.04). Five patients (16%) of the irrigation experienced spontaneous bowel action but only one patient suffered from it. The time spent for managing irrigation was 59+/-13 minutes. Twenty-three patients (74%) of the natural evacuation suffered from one or moreproblems such as expensive apparatus, leakage, skin irritation or odor. Sixteen patients (52%) of the natural evacuation and 2 patients (6%) of the irrigation were restricted in social activity (P=0.0001). Thirteen patients (42%) of the natural evacuation and 1 patient (3%) of the irrigation were dissatisfied with colostomy management (P=0.002). Thus, the irrigation technique seems to be more effective and satisfactory method for managing colostomy without compromising patient's social activity when it is performed in appropriately selected patients.
Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Colostomy* ; Humans ; Odors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Recurrence ; Skin

Solitary osseous plasmacytoma accounts for 3-5% of plasma cell tumor and are assumed to have a fairly good prognosis, with long duration of relapse free survival after local irradiation. A 64 year old woman with a lytic lesion involving left iliac bone was diagnosed as a solitary plasmacytoma, with a negative work-up for coexisting plasma cell disorders. Three months after irradiation of 5,400 cGy, the patient was readmitted with hypercalcemia and mass in left forehead and left gingiva. New multiple osteolytic lesions were developed. A aspiration cytology of forehead mass and curetted specimen of right femur due to pathologic fracture revealed plasmacytoma. MRI of thoracolumbar spine revealed abnormal high signal intensity in the L2 body, T8 and T9 vertebrae. Serum protein electropheresis revealed monoclonal gammopathy of IgG-kappa type. This aggressive case of solitary plasmacytoma, evolving into multiple myeloma after brief duration of remission, is in sharp contrast with the natural course of a solitary plasmacytoma.
Female ; Femur ; Forehead ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Gingiva ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Paraproteinemias ; Plasma Cells ; Plasmacytoma* ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Spine

Colorectal cancer during pregnancy is rare but the trend for women to delay pregnancy until later in life may result in increased incidence of colorectal cancer during pregnancy. The most common symptoms are rectal bleeding, abdominal discomfort, abdominal distension, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, anemia and weight loss. Rectal bleeding, if it is occurred, is often attributed to hemorrhoids, a common finding of pregnancy and many of these symptoms are commonplace in normal pregnancy. This delays diagnosis of colorectal cancer during pregnancy and leads to more advanced stage and poor prognosis compared to the general population. We experienced a woman at 27 weeks gestation who complained of low abdominal distention and was diagnosed of sigmoid colon cancer and underwent cesarean section and hemicolectomy at 30 weeks gestation, so we present it with brief review of literature."
Anemia ; Anorexia ; Cesarean Section ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Constipation ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhoids ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Pregnancy* ; Prognosis ; Sigmoid Neoplasms ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss