In order to evaluate the efficacy of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the reduction of left ventricular afterload, we studied the hemodynamic and intrapulmonary shunt effects of intravenous ATP during ethrane-N2O anesthesia. Hemodynamic measurements and arterial and mixed venous blood gas analyses were made in ten patients before (baseline) and 10 min after. ATP infusion at 80,60,120 and 250 mcg/kg/min, respective. The results were as follows: 1) ATP produced a rapid and stable reduction in mean arterial pressure resulting from a marked decrease in systemic vascular resistance. 2) Cardiac index increased significantly by 14, 47 and 72% from baseline value after intravenous infusion of ATP at rates of 60, 120 and 250 mcg/kg/min, respectively. 3) Stroke volume index, heart rate, mean pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and central venous pressure increased significantly, whereas systemic vasular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance decreased significantly in a dose related fashion during ATP infusion. 4) Intrapulmonary ehunt fraction increased from 5.67% to 6.73, 8.28, 9.85 and 13.38% after intra- venous infusion of ATP at rates of 30, 60, 120 and 250 mcg/kg/min, respectively. 5) Arterial oxygen tension decreased significantly after ATP infusion. These results suggest that ATP might be of value in augmentation of cardiac performance in patients with low cardiac output with high peripheral vascular resistance.
Adenosine Triphosphate* ; Adenosine* ; Anesthesia ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Central Venous Pressure ; Enflurane* ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Lung ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure ; Stroke Volume ; Vascular Resistance

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of fentanyl and morphine on the ability of epinephrine to induce arrhythmias in halothane-anesthetized dogs. Epinephrine was infused in progressively increasing doses from 0.5 ug/kg/min. Arrhythmogenic dose of epinephrine(ADE), defined as that induces 4 or more premature ventricular contractions within 15 s during 3 min iafusions of epinephrine, was determined before(control) and after pretreatment of either fentanyl(6 ug/kg i.v. plus 6 pg/kg/hr) or morphine(0.2mg/kg i.v. plus 0.2 mg/kg/hr). Blood pressure and heart rate were also measured immediately before(baseline), immediately after infusion of epinephrine. The results were as follows. l) Fentanyl and morphine increased ADE by 37%(2.19+/-0.49 to 3.00+/-0.44 ug/kg/min, p<0.01) and by 43%(2.50+/-0.60 to 3.58+/-0.93 ug/kg/min, p<0.05), respectively. 2) Percent increases in systolic blood pressure at control were similar to those after pretreatment with fentanyl or morphine in both groups, but systolic blood pressures at the time of arrhythmia after pretreatment were lower than those at control in fentanyl(p<0.05) and morphine group(NS). 3) Fentanyl and morphine decreased heart rate by 27%(127+/-8 to 93+/-6 beats/min, p<0.001) and by 13%(118+/-5 to 103+/-5 beats/min, p<0.05), respectively. These results suggest that fentanyl or morphine inhibits epinephrine induced arrhythmias during halothane-oxygen anesthesia. Thus, pretreatment of surgical patients, who were supposed to receive epinephrine during halothane anesthesia, with either fentanyl or morphine might be safe.
Anesthesia ; Anesthetics ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Blood Pressure ; Dogs* ; Epinephrine* ; Fentanyl* ; Halothane* ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Morphine* ; Pharmacology ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

No abstract available.
Suicide, Attempted*

The nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the ribosomal DNA including the 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) have been determined for 11 species in order to analyze their intrageneric relationships. The total length of these sequences ranged from 530 nucleotides for Trichoderma reesei KCTC 1286 to 553 nucleotide for Trichoderma koningii IAM 12534. Generally speaking, the length of ITS1 region was about 30 nucleotides longer than that of the ITS2 region. Also, the sequences of 5.8S rDNA were more conserved in length and variation than those of ITS regions. Although the variable ITS sequences were often ambiguously aligned, the conserved sites were also found. Thus, a neighbor-joining tree was constructed using the full sequence data of the ITS regions and the 5.8S rDNA. The Trichoderma genus used to be grouped on the basis of the morphological features and especially the shape of phialides needs to be reexamined. The phylogenetic tree displayed the presence of monophylogeny in the species of Trichoderma. Therefore, it was difficult to distinguish the intrageneric relationships in the Trichoderma genus.
Base Sequence* ; DNA, Ribosomal* ; Nucleotides ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 5.8S ; Trichoderma*

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, childhood-onset, neuropsychiatric disorder with an estimated prevalence of 2–7.6% in Korean children. Although the etiology of ADHD is not well understood, evidence from genetic factor and environmental factor studies suggests that ADHD results from a gene environmental interaction. In the current study, we reviewed the evidence for and clinical implications of the hypothetical roles of organophosphate pesticides, organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalate, bisphenol, polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, manganese, tobacco, alcohol as harmful risk factors in the development of ADHD.
Arsenic ; Cadmium ; Child ; Genes, vif ; Humans ; Manganese ; Pesticides ; Polychlorinated Biphenyls ; Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Tobacco

No abstract available.

In effort to determine whether aircraft noise can have health effects such as hearing loss, hypertension and psychological stress, a total of 111 male professors and administrative officers working a college near a military airport in Korea(exposed group) and a total of 168 males and 112 females matched by age groups(control groups) were analyzed. Personal noise exposure and indoor and outdoor sound level of jet aircraft noise were measured at the exposed area. And pure tone, air conduction test and measurement of blood pressure were given to the exposed(males) and matched control groups(males and females). BEPSI(Brief Encounter Psychological Instrument) and psychological response to aircraft noise were examined for the exposed group. The noise dosimetry results revealed time-weighted averages(TWAs) that ranged from 61 to 68 dBA. However the levels encountered during taking off jet airplanes reached 126 dBA for two half minutes time period. The audiometric test showed that mean values of HTL(hearing threshold level) in exposed group at every frequency(500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz were much lower than them of male and female control groups. And in old age groups, interaction of age and noise was observed at 8,000 Hz in both ears(p< 0.05). Conclusively, aircraft noise does not appear to induce hearing loss directly, but may decreased hearing threshold level by interaction of aging process and noise exposure. However, difference of mean values of exposed and control groups on blood pressure was not significantly. In psychological test, annoyance was the most severe psychological response to noise in exposed group, but mean value of BEPSI was not correlated with job duration in exposed group
Aging ; Aircraft* ; Airports ; Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Noise* ; Presbycusis ; Psychological Tests ; Stress, Psychological*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the risk factors related to the development of new fractures in adjacent vertebrae after vertebroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 46 patients in whom 296 patients were performed during last 9 years. We were especially concerned with the restoration rate of vertebral height and kyphotic angle and estimated them on simple X-ray films. RESULTS: In patients experienced subsequent vertebral fractures and no subsequent vertebral fractures after vertebroplasty, the mean height restoration rate of treated vertebra were 16.7% and 7.07%, and the kyphotic angle difference were 2.53 degree and 4.2 degree. The greater degree of height restoration of the vertebral body, especially in middle vertebral height and the lesser degree of kyphotic angle difference increased the risk of adjacent vertebral fracture risk. This results were available statistically (all p<0.05, Logistic regression test, SPSS 13.0). CONCLUSION: It may be thought that the vertebral body height restoration rate will become risk factor of adjacent vertebral fractures.
Body Height ; Fractures, Compression* ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Risk Factors* ; Spine* ; Vertebroplasty* ; X-Ray Film

No abstract available.
Decompression* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Spine* ; Titanium*

Shunt infection remains one of the most frequent and disabling neurosurgical complications. We reviewed the medical records of 40 patients who between 1989 and 1997 underwent CSF shunt surgery involving a total of 48 procedures. Infection occured in six of the 40 patients and secondary postoperative infection in two; i.e. in eight of 48 procedures(16.7%); the microorganisms involved were not always isolated, though in all cases, clinical symptoms were detected. Most episodes occured within 6 months of the last shunt operation and patients under one year old are greater risk of infection than those who are older. To prevent such infection careful preoperative surgical planning is mandatory.
Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Medical Records