No abstract available.
Humans ; Muscular Dystrophies*

No abstract available.
Muscle Spasticity* ; Paraplegia*

No abstract available.
Spine*

BACKGROUND: Recently, single-port video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been proposed as an alternative to the conventional three-port VATS for primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). The aim of this study is to evaluate the early outcomes of the single-port VATS for PSP. METHODS: VATS was performed for PSP in 52 patients from March 2012 to March 2013. We reviewed the medical records of these 52 patients, retrospectively. Nineteen patients underwent the conventional three-port VATS (three-port group) and 33 patients underwent the single-port VATS (single-port group). Both groups were compared according to the operation time, number of wedge resections, amount of chest tube drainage during the first 24 hours after surgery, length of chest tube drainage, length of hospital stay, postoperative pain score, and postoperative paresthesia. RESULTS: There was no difference in patient characteristics between the two groups. There was no difference in the number of wedge resections, operation time, or amount of drainage between the two groups. The mean lengths of chest tube drainage and hospital stay were shorter in the single-port group than in the three-port group. Further, there was less postoperative pain and paresthesia in the single-port group than in the three-port group. These differences were statistically significant. The mean size of the surgical wound was 2.10 cm (range, 1.6 to 3.0 cm) in the single-port group. CONCLUSION: Single-port VATS for PSP had many advantages in terms of the lengths of chest tube drainage and hospital stay, postoperative pain, and paresthesia. Single-port VATS is a feasible technique for PSP as an alternative to the conventional three-port VATS in well-selected patients.
Chest Tubes ; Drainage ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Pain, Postoperative ; Paresthesia ; Pneumothorax* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted* ; Wounds and Injuries

Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) is a minimally invasive technique that has many advantages in postoperative pain and recovery time. Because of its advantages, VATS is one of the surgical techniques widely used in patients with lung cancer. Most surgeons perform VATS for lung cancer with three or more incisions. As the technique of VATS has evolved, single-port VATS for lung cancer has been attempted and its advantages have been reported. We describe our experiences of VATS for lung cancer with a single incision in this report.
Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Pain, Postoperative ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted

BACKGROUND: Aurora kinase A (Aurora-A) plays an important role in the regulation of mitosis and cytokinesis. Dysregulated Aurora-A leads to mitotic faults and results in pathological conditions. No studies on Aurora-A expression in human diabetic skin tissue have been reported. In light of this, we explored the expression of Aurora-A in human diabetic skin tissue. METHODS: Aurora-A protein was evaluated by western blotting in 6 human diabetic skin tissue and 6 normal skin specimens. RESULTS: Increased expression of Aurora-A protein was detected in all diabetic skin tissue samples in both western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining. However, in the case of the normal skin tissue, no bands of Aurora-A protein were detected in either the western blotting analysis or the immunohistochemical staining. CONCLUSIONS: Thus far, there have been no studies on the expression of Aurora-A in diabetic skin tissue. However, we believe that oxidative DNA damage related to the expression of Aurora-A protein and Aurora-A could be involved inhuman diabetic skin tissue.
Aurora Kinase A* ; Blotting, Western ; Cytokinesis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; DNA Damage ; Humans ; Mitosis ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Hyoid Bone* ; Mandibular Fractures* ; Masks*

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the effect of experimental muscle pain on the stretch reflex through electrophysiologic measuring of H-reflex and ankle tendon reflex. METHOD: Muscle pain was produced by the continuous infusion of 5% hypertonic saline into the soleus and tibialis anterior muscles respectively in the fourteen healthy, male volunteers. Control was made with infusion of 0.9% isotonic saline. H-reflex and ankle tendon reflex were recorded at the soleus before, during and 30 minutes after infusion of saline. RESULTS: The amplitude of ankle tendon reflex increased significantly during soleus and tibialis anterior muscle pain by the infusion of hypertonic saline as compared with those of before and after injection. But the H-reflex showed no significant changes during the infusion in either muscles. CONCLUSION: These results have demonstrated a muscle pain increased the amplitude of the stretch reflex without a corresponding increase of the H-reflex amplitude. One explanation could be an increased dynamic sensitivity of the muscle spindles during muscle pain caused by an increased firing of the dynamic gamma-motor neurons.
Ankle ; Fires ; H-Reflex ; Humans* ; Male ; Muscle Spindles ; Muscles ; Myalgia* ; Neurons ; Reflex, Stretch* ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancers in women and is responsible for about 14 percent of all female cancer found in Korean women. Early detection is very important because the likelihood of a complete cure is greater, and among the early screen only tools to detect cervical cancers, a Pap smear is most widely used. It has the clinical significance to follow - up patients whose results are classified as class II in their Pap smear. Thereto we tried to find the factors associated with follow-up in class II patients. METHODS: On Pap smear practiced from Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31 in a University Hospital, 159 patients Pap smear results were categorized as class II, and among the 159 patients, we were able to collect data from 107 patients who voluntarily answered a phone survey. The categories in the survey were the followings : follow- up for the Pap smear, age, age of marriage, presence of menopause, age of menopause, occupation, family history of chronic diseases or cancers, educational level, presence of concomittant diseases, income, average hospital visit frequency in a year, belief of general health, and reason for doing follow- up and reason for not doing it. RESULTS: Among 107 patients, only 62 patients (57.9 Percent) did follow-up for their Pap smear results. The reasons were doctors follow-up recommendation for Pap smear results and regular health check-up, and the two main reasons not doing follow-up were nonexistence of further symptom and financial distress. In a single variable analysis, the higher educational level, individual income, and hospital visit frequency, the more People had follow-up. But in multiple logistic anarsis, only individual income was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The follow-up rate was as low as 57.9 percent, and the reasons why they did not follow-up were mainly the lack of understanding about the clinical significance of class II result on the Pap smear. Therefore, an advertisement and public education Programs to general public about cervical cancer will make more patients follow up their result on the Pap smear, especially to the low income and low education class people.
Chronic Disease ; Education ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Marriage ; Menopause ; Occupations ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influencing factors on the discharge destinations of the patients who were treated in the rehabilitation department of acute hospital for the major disabilities. METHOD: Medical records of the 108 patients with stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury were reviewed after the discharge from acute rehabilitation care. The demographic factors, socioeconomic status, disease characteristics and functional status of the patients were evaluated to investigate the affecting factors to the discharge destinations. RESULT: Discharge destinations were subdivided into homes 67 (62%), transfer to other hospitals 31 (29%) and transfer to oriental medicine hospitals 10 (9%). The Functional independence measure (FIM) score, length of rehabilitation care, type of payment, operation and diagnosis significantly influenced discharge destinations (p<0.05). The patients who were transferred to other hospital showed significantly lower FIM score and longer length of rehabilitation care compared with patients who were discharged to home or transferred to oriental medicine hospital (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The FIM score, length of rehabilitation care, type of payment, operation, and diagnosis significantly influenced the discharge destinations of patients after rehabilitation. It is necessary to increase the subacute or chronic rehabilitation facilities for the case of patients with severe physical disabilities.
Brain Injuries ; Demography ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Rehabilitation* ; Social Class ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Stroke