No abstract available.
Brain* ; Child* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic* ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: Our previous study demonstrated that the placental GnRH and GnRH mRNA did not parallel the time course of hCG secretion, though it is thought to be one of the potential paracrine regulators of hCG secretion from the trophoblasts. The present study was designed to examine the potential variation in GnRH-receptor mRNA expression in the placenta, which may account for the GnRH-mediated action of hCG secretion during pregnancy. METHODS: Human placentas in firt, second, and third trimester of normal pregnancy were obtained. These placentas were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and embedded in OCT compound, and sectioned by cryostat. For in situ hybridization, S labeled RNA probes were used and followed by autoradiography. RESULTS: The GnRH-receptor mRNA signals were present in both cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast cell layers. Signal intensities varied with gestational ages and were abundant at 6-7 weeks, peaked at 9-12weeks, declined at 14 and 24 weeks, and were barely detectable at term. The present study demonstrates that GnRH-receptor mRNA exhibits changes paralleling the time course of hCG secretion during pregnancy CONCLUSION: These data provide mechanistic understanding that the paracrine/autocrine regulation of hCG secretion by placental GnRH is mediated through an increase followed by a decline in GnRH-receptor mRNA expression from the first trimester to term placenta.
Autoradiography ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Placenta* ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy* ; RNA Probes ; RNA, Messenger* ; Trophoblasts

Many patients regard tonsillectomy as a minor operation because it is performed frequently. Although tonsillectomy is considered a relatively safe surgical procedure, numerous complications have been described. The common complications are hemorrhage, infection, and following anesthesia, aspiration, cardiac arrhythmia, and laryngeal trauma. Cervicofacial emphysema and pneumomediastinum are rarely observed sequelae of surgical intervention in the upper aerodigestive tract. Although these complications resolve spontaneously in most cases, a few cases result in tension pneumothorax and other life-threatening conditions. Symptoms include chest pain, neck pain, dyspnea and odynophagia. Treatment involves frequent assessment of the airway and extent of the emphysema. The authors of the present study report of a patient who developed pneumomediastinum shortly after an adenotonsillectomy as well as a review of the related literature.
Anesthesia ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Chest Pain ; Dyspnea ; Emphysema ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mediastinal Emphysema ; Neck Pain ; Pneumothorax ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Tonsillectomy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-ninenamide), a compound found in hot peppers, has been reported to have different physiological actions on different cell types. Not much work has been done about the effect of capsaicin on the function of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). In the present study, we examined the action of external application of capsaicin on pacemaker activity in the cultured ICC from the small intestine of mouse. METHODS: We investigated the effect of capsaicin on pacemaker currents in cultured ICC from the small intestine of mouse using a whole cell patch-clamp technique and Ca2+-imaging analysis. RESULTS: When capsaicin was applied externally to the pacemaker generating ICC, it completely inhibited the pacemaker potential under current-clamp mode (I = 0) and the pacemaker current under voltage-clamp mode at a -70 mV of holding potentials. The effect of capsaicin on pacemaker activity in ICC was shown dose dependently. The effect of capsaicin was not through the transient receptor potential of the vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channel as capsazepine did not block the effect of capsaicin. L-NAME, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, also did not block the capsaicin-induced effects. When the action of capsaicin was examined in the intracellular calcium oscillation, it completely abolished the calcium oscillation. CONCLUSIONS: These results prove that the capsaicin has the inhibitory effects on the ICC which is carried out neither through TRPV channel nor the nitric oxide production. Intracellular Ca2+ was also an important target for actions of capsaicin on ICC.
Animals ; Calcium Signaling ; Capsaicin ; Gastrointestinal Motility ; Interstitial Cells of Cajal ; Intestine, Small ; Mice ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Patch-Clamp Techniques

We report a rare case of tricuspid valve and pulmonary valve endocarditis associated with a double-chambered right ventricle in an adult female with pulmonary artery aneurysm and septic pulmonary embolism by Streptococcus mitis. She was treated with aggressive antibiotic therapy followed by debridement of the infective lesion of tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve replacement using xenograft and resection of obstructing muscular bundles in right ventricle.
Adult ; Aneurysm ; Debridement ; Endocarditis* ; Endocarditis, Bacterial ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Ventricles* ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Pulmonary Valve* ; Streptococcus mitis ; Tricuspid Valve

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness of scalp acupuncture (SA), a modern acupuncture technique specialized to neurological disorders, in managing motor function and symptoms for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

METHODSTwo independent reviewers extracted data from all of the randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that assessed the efficacy of SA for PD compared with conventional therapies (CTs). Sixteen electronic databases were searched. The risk of bias was appraised with the Cochrane Collaboration tool, and the reporting of the included studies was evaluated by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 checklist and the revised Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) guidelines.

RESULTSIn total, 4 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. As assessed by the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), 2 RCTs showed that SA combined with CTs proved superior to CTs alone [60 cases; weighted mean difference, -3.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), -6.05 to -1.84, P=0.01; I(2) =0%]. Based on the Webster scale, however, 3 RCTs showed no superior effect of SA when combined with CTs with high heterogeneity (154 cases; risk ratio, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.79 to 2.12, P=0.30; I(2) =84%). The Cochrane risk of bias, adherence to the CONSORT and the STRICTA checklist showed that the quality of all the included RCTs was generally low.

CONCLUSIONSThe result of our systematic review and meta-analysis suggested that the effectiveness of SA for PD is promising, however, the evidence is not convincing. A sham-controlled RCT design that adheres to the CONSORT and STRICTA guidelines to overcome methodological weakness and that includes a large sample size is strongly recommended to confirm the precise effect of SA on PD.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease ; therapy ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Scalp ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome

Kikuchi's disease (KD), histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis, is a rare self-limited lymphadenopathy, which usually affects young women. KD has been reported to precede, coexist with or follow the diagnosis of other entities, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), adult-onset Still's disease, Hashimoto's disease, and viral infections. In a few cases, KD is associated with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), without systemic involvement. Herein, we report the first Korean case of KD associated with lupus erythematous profundus in a 9-year-old boy.
Child ; Female ; Hashimoto Disease ; Histiocytic Necrotizing Lymphadenitis ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Panniculitis, Lupus Erythematosus ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset