OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the fetal doppler flow velocimetry and birth weight in low risk pregnancy population. METHODS: From December 1995 to May 1996, We prospectively performed doppler study in 254 uncomplicated, term pregnant women, who visited Pohang Hospital, Dongguk University. Using pulsed color doppler, we measured umbilical artery RI, middle cerebral artery RI and middle cerebral-umbilical artery RI ratio within one week before delivery. RESULTS: The result was that low birth weight group (below 2500gm) had very significant lationship with umbilical artery RI(P<0.01), middle cerebral artery RI(P<0.05) and middle cerebral-umbilical artery RI ratio(P<0.05), but there was no significant relationship in these blood flow indices between normal birth weight group (2501gm- 3999gm) and macrosomia group (above 4000gm). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that application of doppler ultrasonopaphy in the assessment of fetal weight is somewhat helpful for identification of low birth weight, not for macrosomia.
Arteries ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Weight* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Prospective Studies ; Rheology ; Ultrasonography* ; Umbilical Arteries

Although the nasogastric tube (NGT) is widely used in critically ill patients, most intensivists do not give much thought to it or its possible complications. NGT syndrome is a rare but fatal complication characterized by throat pain and vocal cord paralysis in the presence of NGT. Recently, we experienced a case of NGT syndrome developed in an 86-year-old female twelve days after NGT insertion. We immediately removed the NGT and secured the airway by tracheostomy. She was treated successfully with an intravenous antibiotic, steroid and proton pump inhibitor and the syndrome did not recur after reinsertion of the NGT.
Aged, 80 and over ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Pharynx ; Proton Pumps ; Tracheostomy ; Vocal Cord Paralysis

Partial airway obstruction is common in anesthesia and has several causes, but total airway obstruction is rare and may result in severe complications if not corrected early. We experienced total airway obstruction of a dependent bronchus by cancer materials during pneumonectomy and removal of these materials with Fogarty and Foley catheters took considerable time. PaCO2 increased to more than 170 mmHg and pH decreased to less than 7 at 1 hour after obstruction. But, no metabolic derangement or neurologic sequelae were observed after the operation.
Airway Obstruction ; Anesthesia ; Bronchi* ; Catheters ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Pneumonectomy*

Benign fibrous hitiocytoma of the infrapatella fat pad is very rare. It has usually do not induced a pain or a symptom because it was located deep tissue. So it was very difficult to be diagnosed. We experienced a case of deep benign fibrous histiocytoma in a 53-year-old woman. It was diagnosed by MRI. Diagnostic arthroscopic procedure was performed and the lesion was completely resected by open excision. We report a rare case of benign fibrous hitiocytoma presenting as an intra-articular tumor in the joint causing pain and limitation of movement.
Adipose Tissue ; Female ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee

PURPOSE: It is important to differentiate malignant from benign lesions of intraocular masses in choosing therapeutic plan. Biopsy of intraocular tumor is not recommended due to the risk of visual damage. We evaluated the usefulness of F-18-FDG PET imaging in diagnosing intraocular neoplasms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: F-l8-FDG PET scan was performed in 13 patients (15 lesions) suspected to have malignant intraocular tumors. There were 3 benign lesions (retinal detachment, choroidal effusion and hemorrhage) and 10 patients with 12 malignant lesions (3 melanomas, 7 retinoblastomas and 2 metastatic cancers). Regional eye images (256*256 and 128*128 matrices) were obtained with or without attenuation correction. Whole body scan was also performed in eight patients (3 benign and 6 malignant lesions). RESULTS: All malignant lesions were visualized while all benign lesions were not visualized. The mean peak standardized uptake value (SUV) of malignant lesions was 2.64+/-0.57 g/ml. There was no correlations between peak SUV and tumor volume. Two large malignant lesions (>1000 mm3 ) showed hot uptake on whole body scan. But two medium-sized lesions (100-l000 mm3) looked faint and two small (<100 mm3) lesions were not visualized. The images reconstructed with 256*256 matrix showed lesions more clearly than those with 128X128 matrix. CONCLUSION: F-18-FDG PET scan is highly sensitivity in detecting malignant intraocular tumor. For the evaluation of small-sized intraocular lesions, whole body scan is not appropriate because of low sensitivity. A regional scan with sufficient acquisition time is recommended for that purpose. Image reconstruction in matrix size of 256*256 produced clearer images than the ones in 128X128, but it does not affect the diagnostic sensitivity.
Biopsy ; Choroid ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Melanoma ; Orbital Neoplasms ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retinoblastoma ; Tumor Burden ; Whole Body Imaging

Mayer-Rokitansky-Kster-Hauser Syndrome is characterized by the absence of the vagina and uterus, the presence of apparently normal tubes and ovaries, feminine appeara-nce, normal female secondary sexual characteristics, a normal 46,XX karyotype, and a fem-inine psychosexual orientation. Various methods of surgical treatment have been introduced, but the ideal method is still not found. The two cases reviewed in this paper were all treated with McIndoe operation using full thickness skin graft. Both women were satisfied with vaginal depth and excellent result was achieved. We report two vaginoplasties in patients of Mayer-Rokitansky-Kster-Hauser Syndr- ome including a brief review of literature.
Female ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Ovary ; Skin ; Transplants ; Uterus ; Vagina

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify creation of intellectual capital and factors influencing the creation of intellectual capital in hospital organizations. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used, with a convenience sample of 300 nurses from three general hospitals in Gwangju and South Cholla province. The tools used for this study were scales measuring creation of intellectual capital (8 items), social capital (20 items), knowledge management (8 items). Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient and regression using the SPSS WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: There were significantly positive relationships between social capital and knowledge management with creation of intellectual capital. The mean score for creation of intellectual capital in hospital organizations was 4.59 points. Factors influencing creation of intellectual capital in hospital organization were identified as knowledge management (beta=.625), shared values & action (beta=.166), and participation in civic activities (beta=.118). These factors explained 59.3% of the variance in creation of intellectual capital in hospital organizations. CONCLUSION: The results indicate which factors are major factors influencing creation of intellectual capital and therefore, serve as predictors of creation of intellectual capital in hospital organizations.
Hospitals, General ; Knowledge Management ; Regression Analysis ; Weights and Measures

Purpose: Allomyrina dichotoma larvae are one of the approved edible insects with nutritional value and various functional and medicinal properties. Previously we have demonstrated that the Allomyrina dichotoma larval extract (ADLE) ameliorates hepatic insulin resistance in highfat diet (HFD)-induced diabetic mice through the activation of adenosine monophosphateactivated protein kinase (AMPK). This study investigated the effects of ADLE on insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle and explored mechanisms for enhancing the glucose uptake in palmitate (PAL)-treated C2C12 myotubes. Methods: To induce insulin resistance, the differentiated C2C12 myotubes were treated with PAL (0.5 mM) for 24 hours, and then treated with a 0.5 mg/ml concentration of ADLE, and the resultant effects were measured. The expression levels of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4), AMPK, and the mitochondrial metabolism-related proteins were analyzed by western blotting. The mRNA expression levels of lipogenesis- related genes were determined by quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR. Results: The exposure of C2C12 myotubes to 0.5 mg/ml of ADLE increased cell viability significantly compared to PAL-treated cells. ADLE upregulated the protein expression of GLUT4 and enhanced glucose uptake in the PAL-treated cells. ADLE increased the phosphorylated AMPK in both the PAL-treated C2C12 myotubes and HFD-treated skeletal muscle. The reduced expression levels of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator-1 alpha (PGC1α) and uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) due to the PAL and HFD treatment were reversed by the ADLE treatment. The citrate synthase activity was also significantly increased with the PAL and ADLE co-treatment. Moreover, the mRNA and protein expressions of fatty acid synthesis-related factors were reduced in the PAL and HFDtreated muscle cells, and this effect was significantly attenuated by the ADLE treatment. Conclusion ADLE activates AMPK, which in turn induces mitochondrial metabolism and reduces fatty acid synthesis in C2C12 myotubes. Therefore, ADLE could be useful for preventing or treating insulin resistance of skeletal muscles in diabetes.

Although the nasogastric tube (NGT) is widely used in critically ill patients, most intensivists do not give much thought to it or its possible complications. NGT syndrome is a rare but fatal complication characterized by throat pain and vocal cord paralysis in the presence of NGT. Recently, we experienced a case of NGT syndrome developed in an 86-year-old female twelve days after NGT insertion. We immediately removed the NGT and secured the airway by tracheostomy. She was treated successfully with an intravenous antibiotic, steroid and proton pump inhibitor and the syndrome did not recur after reinsertion of the NGT.
Aged, 80 and over ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Critical Care ; Pharynx ; Proton Pumps ; Tracheostomy ; Vocal Cord Paralysis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the coronary angiographic findings of patients with Kawasaki disease and to investigatethe natural course of aneurysms of the coronary artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between June 1989 and January1996, we evaluated the coronary angiographic findings of 12 consecutive children with Kawasaki disease whosecoronary artery was abnormal. On initial study, we retrospectively analysed the size, configuration, and locationof 35 coronary aneurysms, and in five children, follow-up coronary angiography was performed at intervals of 17 to28 (mean, 23) months. Seventeen aneurysms detected on initial study were evaluated for subsequent change. RESULTS: Initial coronary angiography showed the aneurysms to be diffuse in 7 cases(20%), saccular in 7(20%), fusiform in17(49%), and tubular in 4(11%). They were large in 10 cases (29%), medium in 22(63%), and small in 3(9%) ; theirlocation in the coronary artery was proximal(71%), middle in 6(17%), and distal in 4(11%). The right coronaryartery was involved in 18 case(51%), and the left coronary artery in 17(49%). Follow-up study showed that theaneurysm had regressed in 11 cases (65%), persisted in 2(12%), and progressed to stenosis in 1(6%) and occlusionin 3(18%). Two(50%) of the four large aneurysms showed complete occlusion. On the other hand, medium and smallaneurysms showed regression in 9(82%) and in all cases, respectively. Diffuse-type aneurysms were complicated byocclusion in 2 cases (50%) and stenosis in 1(25%). On the other hand, six fusiform aneurysms (75%) and allsaccular and tubular aneurysms had regressed. CONCLUSION: In patients with kawasaki disease, informationregarding the size and configuration of coronary aneurysms may be useful for predicting the natural course andprognosis of coronary artery disease.
Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Child ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Retrospective Studies