BACKGROUND: Ischemic preconditioning enhances the tolerance of myocardium against ischemia/reperfusion injury, with the enhancement of the recovery of post-ischemic myocardial function. This study was disigned to assess whether the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning could provide one additional hour of myocardial preservation in four hour myocardial ischemia in a rate heart. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Fourty four Spargue-Dawley rats, weighing 300-450gm, were divided into four groups. Group 1(n=7) and group 3 (n=12) were subjected to 30 minutes of aerobic Langendorff perfusion without ischemic preconditioning and then preserved in saline solution at 2-4 degree C for 4 hours and 5 respectively. Group 2 (n=7) and group 4 (n=18) were perfused in the same way for 20 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of global mormothermic ischemia and 10 minutes of perfusion and then preserved in the same cold saline solution for 4 hours and 5 hours respectively. Heart rate, left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), and coronary flow were measured at 15 minutes during perfusion as baseline. Spontaneous defibrillation time was measured after reperfusion. Heart rate, LVDP, and coronary flow were also recorded at 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes during reperfusion. Samples of the apical left ventricular wall were studied using a transmission electron microscope. Time of spontaneous defibrillation (TSD) was significantly longer in group 4 than in group 1 (p<0.001), and TSD in group 1 was significantly longer in comparision to that of group 2 (p<0.05). Heart rate at 45 minutes was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 4 (p<0.05). Heart rate at 15 min was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1(p<0.001) and in group 4 than in group 3 (p<0.05). Left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) at 30 minutes and 45 minutes was higher in group 1 than in group 4 (p<0.01), LVDP at 45 minutes was higher in group 4 than in group 3 (p<0.05). Rate-pressure product (RPP) at 30 minutes and 45 minutes was higher in group 1 than in group 4 (p<0.05). RPP at 15 minutes was higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p<0.01). RPP at 30 minutes and 45 minutes was higher in group 4 than in group 3 (p<0.05). Group 2 showed relatively less sarcoplasmic edema and less nuclear chromatin clearance than group 1. Group 4 showed less myocardial cell damage than group 3, group 4 showed less myocardial cell damage than group 3, group 4 showed more myocardial cell edema than group 1. CONCLUSION: Ischemic preconditioning enhanced the recovery of postischemic myocardial function after 4 hours and 5 hours preservation. However, it was not demonstrated that ischemic preconditioning could definitely provide one additional hour of myocardial preservation in four hour myocardial ischemia in a rat heart.
Animals ; Chromatin ; Edema ; Heart Rate ; Heart* ; Ischemia ; Ischemic Preconditioning* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocardium ; Perfusion ; Rats* ; Reperfusion ; Sodium Chloride

A case of multiple myeloma combined with stomach cancer and related literatures were reviewed. A 67 year-old male patient entered the hospital with dysphagia and weight loss for 3 months. Peripheral blood examination revealed anemia with rouleaux formation. Total protein of the serum was 9.9 g/dl with hyperglobulinemia (albumin 2.7 g/dl, globulin 7.2 g/dl, A/G ratio 0.375). On the electrophoresis and immunoelectrophoresis of the serum, the abnormal protein with the pattern of monoclonal gammopathy (IgG-K type) was shown. There were multiple variable sized osteolytic lesions on skull X-ray and abnormal hot uptakes of rips on bone scan and result of rib biopsy was plasmacytoma. Gastrofiberscopy was performed to search for the cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, revealed stomach cancer, and the result of the gastric mucosal biopsy proved to be well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Anemia ; Biopsy ; Deglutition Disorders ; Electrophoresis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunoelectrophoresis ; Male ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Paraproteinemias ; Plasmacytoma ; Ribs ; Skull ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach* ; Weight Loss

Manganese is an essential element in the body. It is mainly diposited in the liver and to a lesser degree in the basal ganglia of the brain and eliminated through the bile duct. Rapid turnover of manganese in the body makes it difficult to evaluate the manganese exposure in worker, especially in those with irregular or intermittent exposure, like welder. Therefore, conventional biomarkers, including blood and urine manganese can provide only a limited information about the long-term or cumulative exposure to manganese. Introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) made a progress in the assessment of manganese exposure in the medical conditions related to manganese aculmulation, e. g., relaxation time on MRI due to its paramagnetic property, resulting in high signal intensity(HSI) on T1-weighted image(T1WI) of MRI. Manganese deposition int he brain, therefore, can be visualized as an HSI in the globus pallidus, the substantia nigra, the putamen and the pituitary. Clinical and epidemiologic studies regarding the MRI findings in the cases of occupational and non-occupational manganese exposure were reviewed. Relationships between HSI on T1WI of MRI and age, gender, occupational manganese exposure, and neurological dysfunction were analysed. Relationship between biological exposure indices and HSI on MRI were also reviewed. Literatures were reviewed to establish the relationships between HSI, manganese deposition in the brain, pathologic findings, and neurological dysfunction. HSI on T1WI of MRI reflects regional manganese deposition in the brain. This relationship enables an estimation of regional manganese deposition in the brain by analysing MR signal intensity. Manganese deposition in the brain can induce a neuronal loss in the basal ganglia but functional abnormality is supposed to be related to the cumulative exposure of manganese is relatively too short to reflect the long-term cumulative exposure of manganese in the brain, use of brain MRI for the assessment of exposure in a group of workers seems to be hardly rationalized, while it can be a useful adjunct for the evaluation of manganese exposure in the cases with suspected manganese-related health problems.
Basal Ganglia ; Bile Ducts ; Biomarkers ; Brain* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Globus Pallidus ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Manganese* ; Neurons ; Putamen ; Relaxation ; Substantia Nigra

No abstract available.
Tricuspid Atresia*

One case of Behcet's disease with multiple aneurysms in both common carotid arteries and abdominal aorta is presented with brief review of the literatures. A 26-year-old woman had slowly enlarging pulsatile masses in both sides of neck and recurrent ulcerations in oral cavity and genitalia. One day prior to admission, aphasia, right facial nerve palsy and right hemiplegia suddently developed. Brain CT showed acute infarction in left basal ganglia. Both Carotid Angiography and abdominal Aortography demonstrated mulitple aneurysms in both common carotid arteries and abdominal aorta with organizion thrombi and thromboembolism of internal carotid artery.
Adult ; Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Aortography ; Aphasia ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Facial Nerve ; Female ; Genitalia ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Infarction ; Mouth ; Neck ; Paralysis ; Thromboembolism ; Ulcer

Three cases of Dupuytrens contracture which developed in hands were reported along with review of literatures. Partial fasciectomy was done as the choice of treatment for them to improve impairment of function of the hands. No attributable causes for the developement of the disease were found.
Dupuytren Contracture ; Hand

Pure red cell aplasia in uncommon disorder characterized by finding of anemia, absence of nucleated red blood cell in the marrow, absence of reticulocytes in the peripheral blood and normal peripheral platelet and leukocytes counts. We experienced one case of pure red cell aplasia associated with hemolytic anemia characterized by hemoglobinuria, reticulocytopenia, and erythroid hypoplasia of the bone marrow. The cause of the illness was not definitely identified, but we concluded that this patient had simultaneous occurrence of PRCA and hemolytic anemia following administration of diphenylhydantoin after craniotomy rather than virus or bacteria induced. The simultaneous occurrence of PRCA and hemolytic anemia in uncommon and the mechanism for diphenylhydantoin induced PRCA and hemolytic anemia is unclear.
Anemia ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Bacteria ; Blood Platelets ; Bone Marrow ; Craniotomy ; Erythrocytes ; Hemoglobinuria ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Phenytoin ; Red-Cell Aplasia, Pure* ; Reticulocytes

This research was performed to investigate whether or not the psychobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder is related to dopamine systems. Plasma homovanillic acid levels were measured in 16 male patients with posttraumatic stress disorder and in 16 nonpsychiatric normal males. Posttraumatic stress disorder was diagnosed using the DSM-IV. Plasma homovanillic acid levels were significantly higher in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder than in normal control subjects(p<0.05). The findings of this study suggest that hyperactivity of dopamine systems may be related to the psychobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Dopamine ; Homovanillic Acid* ; Humans ; Male ; Plasma* ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

No abstract available.
Anemia, Hypoplastic, Congenital*

PURPOSE: We retrospectively performed this study to evaluate the characteristic findings of maxillomandibular ameloblastomas on CT and MR imaging. MATERIAS AND METHODS: We reviewed histologically proved 12 cases of ameloblastomas, of which 7 cases were postoperative recurrent tumors. one of twelve cases was presumed ameloblastic carcinoma. Eleven cases were examined with CT and 3 cases with MR. RESULTS: The types were solid in 4, unicystic in 4, and mixed in the rest 4. CT and MRI of 11 ameloblastomas showed concentric expansile mass(n=11), cortical bone thinning and focal bone destruction by the tumors(n=9), well-margined, expansile destruction of surrounding sturctures(n=9), focal bulging of the tumors(n=6) and focal poorly-marginated invasion of tissue planes(n=4). Ameloblastic carcinoma showed ill defined irregular margin, aggressive invasion of surrounding structures and hematogeneous lung metastasis. Unerupted teeth or mural nodules were found in unicystic ameloblastomas. All three tumors examined by MRI showed isointensity to muscle on T1 weighted images and slight hyperintensity on T2 weighted images. The wall, septa and solid portions of the tumors were strongly enhanced on MR imaging. There was no difference in CT or MR finding between primary and recurrent tumors. CONCLUSION: Ameloblastomas showed solid, cystic or mixed pattern, and commonly well marginated expansile contour with local aggressiveness. Presence of mural nodules on CT in unicystic ameloblastoma with unerupted tooth was helpful in distinguishing ameloblastoma from dentigerous cyst.
Abdominal Pain ; Ameloblastoma* ; Ameloblasts ; Body Temperature ; Catheters ; Dentigerous Cyst ; Ethanol* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Retreatment ; Retrospective Studies ; Sleep Stages ; Tooth, Unerupted ; Ultrasonography