PURPOSE: To study the short term effects of hypercholesterolemia on corpus cavernosal tissue, we performed isometric tension studies and RT-PCR was used to identify mRNA expression of VEGF on isolated strips of corpus cavernosum, on rabbits which underwent partial ligation of the abdominal aorta and received a diet containing 2% cholesterol. MATERIALS AND METHODS: New Zealand White rabbits were divided into a control group(n=6) fed with a regular diet and a hypercholesterolemic group(n=10) which underwent partial ligation of the abdominal aorta and received a diet containing 2% cholesterol. After 3 weeks, the relationship between hypercholesterolemia and cavernosal smooth muscle pathophysiology was studied. To characterize the cavernosal smooth muscle reactivity in hypercholesterolemia, we performed isometric tension studies with phenylephrine(PE), acetylcholine(Ach), sodium nitroprusside(SNP) and electrical field stimulation(ES). RT-PCR was used to identify the mRNA expression of VEGF. RESULTS: PE-induced cavernous smooth muscle contraction in the hypercholesterolemic group was increased compared with the control group(p<0.05), while relaxation by Ach and ES in PE pretreated cavernosal smooth muscle in the hypercholesterolemic group was decreased(p<0.05). Relaxation by SNP in PE pretreated cavernosal smooth muscle was not different between any experimental groups. Expression of VEGF mRNA in cavernosal smooth muscle was significantly increased in the hypercholesterolemic group compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Hypercholesterolemia caused a significant increase in PE-induced contraction of cavernosal tissue. Hypercholesterolemic cavernosal tissue retained the ability of relaxation induced by endothelium-independent, but relaxation induced by endothelium-dependant was impaired. Furthermore, expression of VEGF mRNA in cavernosal tissues was up regulated in the hypercholesterolemic group. This study showed that a short period of hypercholesterolemia could induce pathophysiologic change of cavernosal tissue.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Hypercholesterolemia* ; Ligation ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Rabbits* ; Relaxation ; RNA, Messenger ; Sodium ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Drooling is defined as the unintentional flow of saliva out of the mouth or to the back of the pharynx due to salivary control problems and swallowing difficulties. Drooling is caused by posture, oral sensori-motor and cognitive problems, and medical symptoms. Treatments of drooling are defined under two criteria: 1) non-invasive treatment, which includes posture and oral motor therapy, and 2) invasive treatment, including botox injection and surgery.Drooling treatment should be initiated non-invasively and in a step-wise manner in all individuals. This mode of treatment is safe, age-free, and is considered the first line of therapy, before subjecting to invasive treatment.Clinical professionals provide non-invasive treatment via manual approaches, through passive sensori-motor stimulation to active oral motor activities. Comprehensive therapy protocols such as oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) for oral sensory normalization, head and neck postural control, and oral motor function improvements, are required to help control drooling. Clinical professionals therefore need to deeply understand the reason for drooling, and provide qualified non-invasive treatment for intensifying drooling control.

The definition of drooling is very broad, Drooling is characterized by saliva flowing out of the mouth or moving behind the pharynx unintentionally due to various reasons. Drooling is affected by increased salivation, and oral motor and swallowing functions. The amount depends on the situation, place, mood, and concentration. There is a need for comprehensive evaluation and treatment since drooling could be stimulated by various causes, such as sensory, motor, cognitive, and behavioral. Drooling evaluation is divided into objective and subjective evaluations. The objective evaluation mainly measures the amount of saliva secretion using a towel, a container, and a dental swab, and assessing the frequency of drooling at a fixed time. Subjective evaluation usually evaluates the subject’s severity and frequency of drooling during certain periods. A comprehensive evaluation that identifies the effects of salivation on the subject’s daily life, social interaction, psychology, and self-esteem, and evaluates the degree of drooling according to various postures, situations, and conditions, also needs to be considered. Nevertheless, there are several difficulties in developing standardized drooling assessment tools. The evaluation contents and results may vary depending on the treatment approach, such as botulinum toxin treatment or oral exercise therapy. The current article will help understand and select drooling assessment tools for identifying and measuring outcomes in clinical settings and studies.

Drooling is defined as the unintentional flow of saliva out of the mouth or to the back of the pharynx due to salivary control problems and swallowing difficulties. Drooling is caused by posture, oral sensori-motor and cognitive problems, and medical symptoms. Treatments of drooling are defined under two criteria: 1) non-invasive treatment, which includes posture and oral motor therapy, and 2) invasive treatment, including botox injection and surgery.Drooling treatment should be initiated non-invasively and in a step-wise manner in all individuals. This mode of treatment is safe, age-free, and is considered the first line of therapy, before subjecting to invasive treatment.Clinical professionals provide non-invasive treatment via manual approaches, through passive sensori-motor stimulation to active oral motor activities. Comprehensive therapy protocols such as oral motor facilitation technique (OMFT) for oral sensory normalization, head and neck postural control, and oral motor function improvements, are required to help control drooling. Clinical professionals therefore need to deeply understand the reason for drooling, and provide qualified non-invasive treatment for intensifying drooling control.

Objective: This study was undertaken to identify the effect of Oral Motor Facilitation Technique (OMFT) on the drooling control ability of children afflicted with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Methods: Totally, 21 CP children with drooling problems participated in the study. OMFT was provided for 16 weeks (30 minutes, 1 session a week, 16 sessions). The drooling control ability was assessed by determining the severity and frequency using the Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS) before, at 8 weeks, and 16 weeks after OMFT administration. The effectiveness of OMFT was analyzed at the time intervals using the Friedman test. Post hoc analyses were conducted by the Wilcoxon signed rank test and Kruskal Wallis test. Results: Drooling control ability showed significant improvement after 16 weeks of OMFT. Although the severity of drooling significantly increased after 8 weeks, the frequency was unchanged. Our results indicate that OMFT is a useful oral motor treatment protocol to manage the drooling control ability of children with CP. We recommend at least 8 weeks of OMFT administration. Conclusion Drooling is an important problem in dysphagia. Clinicians need to show more importance in controlling drooling, and a comprehensive oral motor treatment like OMFT should be considered for children afflicted with CP.

PURPOSE: To compare changes in human central corneal thickness after instillation of proparacaine with those after oxybuprocaine instillation, over a period of 10 minutes. METHODS: Eighteen healthy young participants were recruited. Baseline central corneal thicknesses were measured every 30 seconds for 10 minutes using a noncontact specular microscope. Changes in central corneal thickness were measured every 20 seconds for 10 minutes after the administration of one drop of 0.5% proparacaine into the right eye, and one drop of 0.4% oxybuprocaine into the left eye. RESULTS: Mean baseline central corneal thickness was 531 +/- 45 micrometer in the right eye and 531 +/- 42 micrometer in the left. The central corneal thickness after proparacaine instillation increased to 8.6 micrometer (4.5-12.6 micrometer, 95% CI) and then returned to baseline within 80 seconds. Central corneal thickness after oxybuprocaine instillation increased to 7.7 micrometer (3.6-11.2 micrometer, 95% CI) and then returned to baseline within 80 seconds. There was a second transient increase about 5 minute after proparacaine instillation but no additional transient increase after oxybuprocaine instillation. CONCLUSIONS: The severity of oxybuprocaine's effect on central corneal thickness is similar to that of proparacaine. Central corneal thickness instability may occur for 5 minutes after proparacaine administration. Therefore, changes in central corneal thickness after topical anesthetics instillation should be considered when measuring central corneal thickness.
Anesthetics* ; Humans

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of the implant master cast according to the type (pick-up, transfer) and the length (long, short) of the impression copings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The metal master cast was fabricated with three internal connection type implant analogs (Osstem GS III analog), embedded parallel and with 10degrees of mesial angulation to the center analog. Four types of impression coping were prepared with different combinations of types (transfer, pick-up) and lengths (long, short) of the coping. The impressions were made using vinyl polysiloxane (one step, heavy + light body) with an individual tray, and 10 impressions were made for each group. Eventually, 40 experimental casts were produced. Then, the difference in the distance between the master cast and the experimental cast were measured, and the error rate was determined. The analysis of variance was performed using the SPSS (v 12.0) program (alpha = .05), and the statistical significance was set at P < .05. RESULTS: The ANOVA showed that the pick-up type impression coping exhibited a significantly lower error rate than the transfer type. However, no significant difference was observed with respect to the length of the impression coping. Additionally, no significant difference was observed between the parallel and mesial angulated groups. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, the pick-up type impression coping exhibited a more accurate implant master cast than the transfer type in parallel group. The accuracy of the implant master cast did not differ for different lengths of impression coping of at least 11 mm. Additionally, the accuracy of the implant cast was not different for the parallel and 10degrees mesial angulated groups.
Light ; Polyvinyls ; Siloxanes

BACKGROUND: For Neer type IIB fracture of distal clavicle with coracoclavicular ligament injury, various surgical treatments have been used in literatures. However, there was no consensus on the optimal treatment. The aim of this study is to report the clinical and radiological results of open reduction and internal fixation of unstable distal clavicle fracture and suture augmentation of disrupted coracoclavicular ligament. METHODS: A prospective study was performed in 23 patients with Neer type IIB distal clavicle fracture in Seoul Medical Center, Eulji Hospital, and National Medical Center. Firstly, suture anchors are inserted in the base of coracoid process and preliminary reduction was achieved by tie-off of three suture limbs around the clavicle. Then, the final fixation was completed with anatomical locking plate. Bony union and the distance between coracoclavicular ligaments were evaluated. Clinical results and complications including stiffness and secondary procedures were evaluated. RESULTS: Bony union was achieved in all cases except one (22 of 23). At mean 14.9 months, no significant difference in the mean coracoclavicular distance was observed compared to uninjured shoulder (8.2 +/- 7.9 mm versus 7.3 +/- 3.4 mm, p=0.14). Pain visual analogue scale, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score, Constant score, and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score were 0.5, 83.4, 78.5, and 6.2, respectively. Revision surgery was performed in one case of nonunion. Four patients who complained of skin irritation underwent implant removal. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of an unstable distal clavicle fracture with coracoclavicular ligament disruption, satisfactory clinical results were obtained by locking plate fixation and coracoclavicular ligament suture augmentation concurrently.
Arm ; Clavicle* ; Consensus ; Elbow ; Extremities ; Hand ; Humans ; Ligaments* ; Prospective Studies ; Seoul ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Fractures ; Skin ; Suture Anchors ; Sutures*

PURPOSE: We present a case of uneventful cataract surgery in an idiopathic true exfoliation patient with areas of capsular delamination based on scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope results. CASE SUMMARY: A 77-year-old male presented with gradual deterioration of vision over 1 year in duration. Slit lamp examination revealed bilateral nuclear sclerotic cataracts with ring-shaped fibrous membrane floating within the anterior chamber in the right eye. In addition, the patient was diagnosed with cataract and true exfoliation of the right eye. He underwent uneventful phacoemulsification and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation by placing capsulorrhexis outside the delaminated capsule margin. At 6 months after cataract surgery, the patient showed favorable visual outcome with uncorrected vision of 20/20 and intraocular pressure of 18 mm Hg in the right eye.
Aged ; Anterior Chamber ; Capsulorhexis ; Cataract* ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular ; Male ; Membranes ; Phacoemulsification

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study is to investigate the effect of posterior tibial slope (PTS) on clinical results in total knee replacement arthroplasty (TKA).
Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Humans ; Knee ; Osteoarthritis ; Patella ; Polyethylene ; Prostheses and Implants ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Retrospective Studies ; X-Ray Film