OBJECTIVE:To observe therapeutic efficacy of Xinyi biyan pills combined with budilaide in the treatment of aller-gic rhinitis and its effects on related inflammatory factors. METHODS:A total od 120 patients with allergic rhinitis were randomly divided into observation group and control group,with 60 cases in each group. Control group was treated with Budesonide nasal spray,spraying once each nostril(64 μg/spray),2 times a day. Observation group was additionally treated with Xinyi biyan pills 3 g,3 times a day. Treatment course lasted for 4 weeks. Clinical efficacies of 2 groups were observed and compared. The changes of total score of clinical symptoms and signs were observed before and after treatment. The contents of IgE and LTE4 were deter-mined,and the occurrence of ADR was recorded. RESULTS:Three patients of observation group and 4 patients of control group fell of the study. Total response rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group,with statistical signifi-cance (84.21% vs. 73.21%,P<0.05). Before treatment,there was no statistical significance in total score of clinical symptoms and signs,IgE and LTE4 levels between 2 groups (P>0.05). After 2 and 4 weeks of treatment,total score of clinical symptoms and signs,IgE and LTE4 levels in 2 groups were significantly lower than before treatment,and the observation group was signifi-cantly lower than control group,with statistical significance (P<0.05). No obvious ADR was found in 2 groups. CONCLU-SIONS:Xinyi biyan pills combined with budesonide show good therapeutic efficacy for allergic rhinitis,improve clinical symp-toms and signs significantly and reduce inflammatory factors levels with good safety.

No abstract available.
Stomach Neoplasms*

This study was undertaken at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chonnam University Medical School, to investigate the association between some of the risk factor and the incidence of intrauterine fetal growth restriction(IUGR). The studied population was selected from patients who admitted at Chonnam University Hospital during January, 1992 through May, 1997, with following criteria, Korean, singletone pregnancy with live birth and known gestational weeks with 28 or more. And then, the risk factors were analyzed in terms of maternal factor, placental factor, and fetal factor. The following results were obtained. 1) The incidence of IUGR was 6.1%. 2) The incidence of IUGR was higher at young aged mother and nullipara. 3) Only 39.1% of etiologic factors for IUGR was found to have known causes. According to the risk factors for IUGR, hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, anemia, cardiac disease, leukemia, and pulmonary tuberculosis were associated with increased incidence of IUGR. 4) The relative risk of IUGR was much higher in neonates born with congenital anomalies. 5) According to the placental causes of IUGR, placenta previa and placenta abruption showed some association with IUGR.
Anemia ; Fetal Development* ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gynecology ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Jeollanam-do ; Leukemia ; Live Birth ; Mothers ; Obstetrics ; Placenta ; Placenta Previa ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Schools, Medical ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Since the turn of the century surgeons were proposed many procedures for exposure of the hypophysis cerebri of the operations proposed, two pricipal routes have been selected to reach the sella, first the intracranial, and second, the extracranial transsphenoidal. A variety of transnasal approaches have been used to gain access to the sella turcica. Each of these approaches requires crossing the sphenoid sinus, hence the transsphenoidal designation of these methods. Since the growth and refinement of microsurgery as a distinct surgical discipline there has been a coincidental maturation of transsphenoidal microsurgical techniques for the management of the hormone secreting microadenoma. The present paper reviews the historical events leading to the current methods of transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. Detailed descriptions of each method are given, with advantages and disadvantages of each. The author's experience in the management of 2 acromegalic patients with the transethmoidal approach are presented. The purpose of this paper is to focus recount the historical events leading to author's present method of pituitary surgery and to present the advantages and disadvantages as well as a procedural description for the transethmoidal approach to the sella turcicaz.
Acromegaly ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Microsurgery ; Pituitary Gland ; Sella Turcica ; Sphenoid Sinus

OBJECTIVES: This study was intended to examine the seasonal differences in outdoor activity times and dietary vitamin D intakes, and explicates their relative impact on improving serum 25-(OH) vitamin D status among Korean young women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 135 free-living women aged 19-39 years in Daegu-Kyungbook, Korea. We compared the results from 52 women for the summer and 83 women for the winter. Dietary intake of vitamin D was assessed by 24 hour recall method for non-consecutive three days as well as by food frequency method. Daily outdoor activity times were derived from 24 hour physical activity diary. RESULTS: The average dietary intake of vitamin D of the participants by 24 hour recall method was 3.1 microg during the summer, 3.3 microg during the winter, showing no significant difference between the two seasons. Times spent on outdoor activities (p < 0.01) in the summer (= 23.8 +/- 23.6 min) were much longer than that in the winter (= 10.8 +/- 13.4 min). The serum 25-(OH) vitamin D levels of participants were 17.5 +/- 7.5 ng/mL in the summer and 13.4 +/- 4.3 ng/mL in the winter, showing that the latter was significantly lower than that of the former (p < 0.001). The serum 25-(OH) vitamin D levels of subjects were positively related to outdoor activities (r = 0.315, p < 0.05) during the summer, while related to dietary intake (r = 0.252, p < 0.05) during the winter. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve the current vitamin D status of Korean young women, nutrition education programs should focus on increasing more dietary intake especially during the winter, and performing more outdoor activities in other seasons.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Motor Activity ; Seasons* ; Vitamin D*

Aneurysm of the pulmonary artery is a rate entity. A neonate was seen with cyanosis and tachypnea. There was a grade 4/6 systolic murmur along the left sternal border. The chest X-ray showed a round mass shadow in the left parahilar region. Echocardiogram showed large Ventricular Septal Defect and mild Pulmonary Stenosis. The cardiac angiogram showed giant aneurysm of pulmonary artery. Surgical intervention was advised. However, the patient was discharged against operative plan. And the patient died two weeks later.
Aneurysm* ; Cyanosis ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis* ; Systolic Murmurs ; Tachypnea ; Thorax

PURPOSE: Studies have been conducted to identify predictive factors of resistance to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for Kawasaki disease (KD). However, the results are conflicting. This study aimed to identify laboratory factors predictive of resistance to high-dose IVIG for KD by performing meta-analysis of available studies using statistical techniques. METHODS: All relevant scientific publications from 2006 to 2014 were identified through PubMed searches. For studies in English on KD and IVIG resistance, predictive factors were included. A meta-analysis was performed that calculated the effect size of various laboratory parameters as predictive factors for IVIG-resistant KD. RESULTS: Twelve studies comprising 2,745 patients were included. Meta-analysis demonstrated significant effect sizes for several laboratory parameters: polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) 0.698 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.469-0.926), C-reactive protein (CRP) 0.375 (95% CI, 0.086-0.663), pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP) 0.561 (95% CI, 0.261-0.861), total bilirubin 0.859 (95% CI, 0.582-1.136), alanine aminotransferase (AST) 0.503 (95% CI, 0.313-0.693), aspartate aminotransferase (ALT) 0.436 (95% CI, 0.275-0.597), albumin 0.427 (95% CI, -0.657 to -0.198), and sodium 0.604 (95% CI, -0.839 to -0.370). Particularly, total bilirubin, PMN, sodium, pro-BNP, and AST, in descending numerical order, demonstrated more than a medium effect size. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, laboratory predictive factors for IVIG-resistant KD included higher total bilirubin, PMN, pro-BNP, AST, ALT, and CRP, and lower sodium and albumin. The presence of several of these predictive factors should alert clinicians to the increased likelihood that the patient may not respond adequately to initial IVIG therapy.
Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Bilirubin ; C-Reactive Protein ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins* ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Neutrophils ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Sodium

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the relative impact of seasonal differences and age on dietary vitamin D intakes, outdoor activity time and serum vitamin D status among Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 164 free-living postmenopausal women (mean age=55.4 years) in Daegu, Korea. Dietary intake, daily physical activity patterns and fasting blood samples were collected during summer and winter. We compared the results from 75 women during summer and 89 women during winter. Dietary intake of vitamin D was assessed by 24-hour recall method. Daily outdoor activity time was derived from physical activity diary. RESULTS: The average dietary intake of vitamin D of the participants was 3.7 microg during summer, 3.3 microg during winter, showing no significant difference between the two seasons. The average time spent on outdoor activities was not significantly different between summer (=35.1 +/- 75.0 min/d) and winter (=48.5 +/- 76.8 min/d). The average serum 25-(OH) vitamin D concentrations of participants was 17.5 +/- 7.5 ng/mL in the summer and 13.4 +/- 4.3 ng/mL in the winter, showing no significant differences by season. Dietary intake of vitamin D was not related to age. When total subjects were divided into two groups by age, the average serum 25-(OH) vitamin D concentration was significantly higher in older group (p=0.047) and time spent on outdoor activities was also (p=0.018) significantly higher in the older group. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve the current vitamin D status of Korean postmenopausal women, nutrition education programs should focus more on adequate intake of vitamin D, while maintaining enough outdoor activities over the season.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Daegu ; Education ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Motor Activity ; Seasons* ; Vitamin D*

Pro-oxidant properties of ascorbate have been studied with uses of brain tissues and neuronal cells. Here we address potential mechanism of ascorbate coupling with glutamate to generate oxidative stress, and the role which oxidized ascorbate (dehydroascorbate) transport plays in oxidative neuronal injury. Ascorbate in neurones can be depleted by adding glutamate in culture medium since endogenous ascorbate can be exchanged with glutamate, which enhances ascorbate/ dehydroascorbate transport by depleting ascorbate in the neurons with the glutamate-heteroexchange. However, ascorbate is known readily being oxidized to dehydroascorbate in the medium. Glutamate enhanced the dehydroascorbate uptake by cells via a glucose transporter (GLUT) from extracellular region, and cytosolic dehydroascorbate enhanced lipid peroxide production and reduced glutathione (GSH) concentrations. Iso-ascorbate, the epimer of ascorbate was ineffective in generating the oxidative stress. These observations support the current concept that the high rates of dehydroascorbate transport via a GLUT after the release of ascorbate by glutamate leads to peroxidation, the role of glutamate on ascorbate/ dehydroascorbate recycling being critical to induce neuronal death via an oxidative stress in the brain injury.
Animals ; Ascorbic Acid/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Biological Transport/drug effects ; Cerebral Cortex/*drug effects/*metabolism ; Cytochalasin B/pharmacology ; Dehydroascorbic Acid/*metabolism ; Glutamic Acid/*pharmacology ; Glutathione/metabolism ; In Vitro ; Lipid Peroxidation/*drug effects ; Male ; Oxidation-Reduction/drug effects ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/metabolism

Splenic abscess is an uncommon lesion and may be present either as a localized area of infection in the spleen or as a part of generalized sepsis. The diagnosis is difficult because of the rather nonspecific clinical picture. Hence, splenic abscess has a high mortality rate and is after diagnosed only at autopsy. Computerized tomography (CT) offers the clinician a reliable tool for the diagnosis of intra-abdominal abscess. A successful outcome is dependent on an early diagnosis and prompt treatment by splenectomy with antibiotic cover. We experienced a care of splenic abscess which was diagnosed by CT and treated by splenectomy with antibiotics. Postoperative course was relatively uneventful.
Abdominal Abscess ; Abscess* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Autopsy ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Mortality ; Sepsis ; Spleen ; Splenectomy