For the non-invasive evaluation of cardiac performance in hyperthyroidism, fractional systolic and diastolic time intervals were determined in 96 female patients with hyperthyroidism from the mechanocardiograms which included apexcardiograms together with electrocardiograms, phonocardiograms and carotid arterial pulse tracings. The observed values of the time intervals inversely related to heart rate, i.e., ejection period, mechanical systole, isovolumic relaxation time and active ventricular filling period, were significantly shortened in proportion to the severity of the disease in general, as determined by the rate of the radioactive iodine uptake of the thyroid glands. However, these values were not significantly different from those of the predicted for heart rate, except for one of mechanical systoles which is a time interval from the onset of the systolic upstroke in the apexcardiogram to the second aortic sound. This suggests that the shortening of these observed values is promarily due to tachycardia associated with hyperthyroidism. One the other hand, the observed values of the time intervals unrelated to heart rate, i.e., electromechanical delay, isovolumic contraction time together with one of its components, namely ventricular pressure elevation time, and rapid ventricular filling period, were significantly shorter than those in the controls, although the degree of the shortening was not related to the degree of the radioactive iodine uptake of the thyroid gland. It appears that the shortening of these time intervals is related to the altered cardiac function caused by hyperthyroidism and, in particular, that of the isovolumic contraction time and ventricular pressure elevation time reflects enhancemet by the thyrotoxic myocardial contractility.
Electrocardiography ; Female ; Hand ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism* ; Iodine ; Relaxation ; Systole ; Tachycardia ; Thyroid Gland ; Ventricular Pressure

The dysplastic hip presents problems to the orthopedic surgeon in the reconstruction of hip using total hip prosthesis. The use of bone grafts to reconstruct the lateral acetabular bone deficiency is very popular. We investigated in 23 patients(5 cemented cup and 18 cementless cup). Sixteen patients were women and seven were men, whose average age was 42.4 years old; their average followup was 4.6 years. The average Harris hip score improved from a preoperative value of 48 points to a postoperative value of 87 points. Five cases showed radiographic loosening, in which 3 cases loosening from five cemented cup and 2 cases from cementless cup arthroplasty. Radiolucent lines were observed more frequently with cemented cups at last follow-up. Of the 23 cases, 18(78%) was successful. Postoperatively limping was a major problem because most patients in this series had unilateal disease. The grafted bone was incoporated by an average time of 7.4 months, and minor resorption was showed at last follow-up. In our series, cementless cups with autogenous bone graft noted good results than cemented cup arthroplasty.
Acetabulum ; Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip Prosthesis ; Hip* ; Humans ; Male ; Orthopedics ; Transplants

Tumor necrosis factor-n (TNF - alpha) involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and contribute to the degeneration of oligodendrocytes as well as neurons. TNF - alpha is produced by miocroglia and astrocytes, which also produce hormones and cytokines that influence its biological activity. Astrocytes, the major glial cells in the CNS, are capable of producing TNF - alpha at both the mRNA and protein levels in response to interleukine-1 (IL-1) or TNF - alpha. Two immunosuppressive cytokines, transforming growth factor - beta (TGF - beta) and IL-10, have been shown to influence glial cell function. TGF - beta can modulate the activity of glial cells by inhibiting interferon-gamma (IFN - gamma) induced expression of class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on astrocytes and microglia. To explore the role of astrocytes in the production of TNF - alpha, astrocytes were pretreated with IL-10 or TGF - beta and then stimulated with IL-1p to determine their effects on TNF - alpha production. The secretion of TNF - alpha by human fetal astrocytes was markedly inhibited by TGF - beta at a low concentration. In contrast IL-10 had no effect on TNF - alpha mRNA level. These results show that TGF - beta may regulate the expression of TNF - alpha in activated human fetal astrocytes.
Astrocytes* ; Cytokines ; Gene Expression* ; Humans* ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-10 ; Major Histocompatibility Complex ; Microglia ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Necrosis ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Oligodendroglia ; RNA, Messenger ; Transforming Growth Factors

No Abstract Available.
Astrocytes* ; Humans*

BACKGROUND: Infiltration of the skin and subcutaneous tissue with local anesthetic solutions may cause transient pain and discomfort. Heating local anesthetic solutions to body temperature has been suggested as a way of reducing the pain associated with injection. We designed a double blind crossover volunteer study to investigate the effect of warming lidocaine on the pain associated with subcutaneous injection. METHODS: Participants were 40 healthy adult volunteers,22 years of age and older, and they were the medical, nursing stay and medical students. They underwent 1ml subcutaneous injections of the study agent through 25-gauge needles. Following a standard crossover protocol, 'room temperature' lidocaine(20degrees C ) was injected into one midvolar forearm and body temperature' lidocaine(37degrees C ) into the opposite arm. Pain assessed by visual analogue pain scores and 'volunteer's comparison of pain on injection. RESULTS: Twenty-six volunteers thought that lidocaine at 20degrees C was more painful and four thought that lidocaine at 37degrees C was more painful, ten volunteers did not express a difference. Median pain score for injection at 20 degrees C was 37 and at 37 degrees C was 35.5. Difference of two median scores was 6.5. CONCLUSION: The simple procedure of warming to body temperature reduced the pain associated with subcutaneous injection of lidocaine. It is an inexpensive and practical method That should be considered for routine use in the ED.
Adult ; Arm ; Body Temperature* ; Forearm ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Lidocaine ; Needles ; Nursing ; Skin ; Students, Medical ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Volunteers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging findings of cerebral venous angiomas, and to compare those findings with those of cerebral angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the findings of gadolinium-enhanced MR images of 11 cases with angiographically proved cerebral venous angiomas. We obtained Tl-and T2-weighted images with gadoliniumenhanced Tl-weighted images at a 0.5 T MR imager with a spin-echo technique. We analyzed the location and signal intensity of the lesion, pattern of contrast enhancement, the distribution of draining veins and medullary veins before and after contrast enhancement, and then compared with the findings of cerebral angiography. RESULTS: The characteristic central tubular signal void structure showed low signal intensity on Tl-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images in all cases. After gadolinium enhancement, we could find a characteristic enhancement of all medullary and central veins in 7 cases. CONCLUSION: Gadolinium-enhanced MR image was useful in the diagnosis of venous angiomas especially in the detection of medullary veins. The invasive cerebral angiography could be replaced by this technique in this disease.
Central Nervous System Venous Angioma* ; Cerebral Angiography* ; Diagnosis ; Gadolinium ; Gadolinium DTPA* ; Hemangioma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Veins

No abstract available.
Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus* ; Streptomyces*

The pelvis is a ring structure with strong ligamentous support. This support includes the symphysis pubis, the anterior and posterior sacroiliac ligaments, and the strong sacrospinous and sacrotuberous ligaments. Since the pelvis is a ring, disruption of any protion of the ring is always associated with disruption in another portion of the ring. Massive pelvic disruption is an important and often life threathening injury. It is usually due to a motor vehicle accident, a fall from a height, industrial injury, and so on. The authors reviewed 28 cases of unstable pelvic fracture treated at the orthopaedic department of Catholic Medical Center during the period from January 1975 to December 1980, and the injury was classified according to the Pennal and Tiles method, and analyzed the clinical data as to the cause of mechanical violence, type of fracture and treatment, post-traumatic pelvic instabilities, and the results. The persistant post-traumatic pelvic instability was assessed by physical examination, and Chamberlain and Trostlers stress Roentgen view of the pelvis. The clinical results obtained were as follows: 1. The incidence of the unstable pelvic fracture was 17.7% (28) of all pelvic fractures (158). The incidence of injury in male was approximately 5 times more frequent than female, and most of the patients were in the 3rd to 5th decade of their life. The causes of injury were road accident (54%), coal mine accident and fall from a height in orders. 2. The four-rami fracture with posterior disruption due to the lateral compression injury was the most common type of unstable pelvic fractures. 3. In conservatively treated patients, the pelvic instability persisted in 37.5% (6 in 16 cases) of the cases and all of them necessitated the joint stabilizing operation. Twelve cases were treated operatively. Among them, performed operations include wiring of symphysis pubis in 2 and sacroiliac joint fusion in 4 within 4 weeks after injury. But for the other 6 cases in which pelvic instability persisted in spite of the sufficient conservative treatment, sacroiliac joint fusion or sacroiliac joint fusion together with a symphyseal plate fixation were done. 4. Satisfactory results was obtained in 62.51% (10 in 16 cases) of nonoperated cases, and 91.7% (11 in 12 cases) of operated group. Authors consider that the most important step in the management of traumatic pelvic instability are; firstly the early recognition of the correlation of the fracture-fragments; the fracture mechanism, and the possible presence or the post-traumatic pelvic instability, and secondly finalizing the therapeutic plan. Early surgical stabilization of the duration of the treatment and the residual disability.
Clinical Study ; Coal ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Ligaments ; Male ; Methods ; Motor Vehicles ; Pelvis ; Physical Examination ; Pubic Bone ; Sacroiliac Joint ; Violence

In order to search for anti-Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1 agents from Korean medicinal herbs and Korean traditional prescriptions (herb complexes), we selected 80 medicinal herbs and 45 prescriptions, based on a review of the Korean traditional medicine books. Both methanol extracts and boiling-water extracts were tested by means of the MTT assay (tetrazolium based colorimetric assay). Ten of the 125 methanol extracts: CM-11, CM-18, CM-19, CM-21, CM-22, CM-39, MM-3, MM-18, MM-29, MM-73 (see explanation of nomenclature below), showed efficacy against HSV-1. Twelve of the water extracts: CW-2, CW-3-I, CW-3-II, CW-18, MW-3, MW-5 MW-6, MW-12, MW-47, MW-69, MW-73 and MW-75 were active. #3 (individual herb) and #73 (individual herb) were interesting because both water and methanol extracts were active. Especially, #3 is a part of composition of Hong-il-laksamd ngbang and Hojanghaedokt'ang which have anti-HSV-1 activitives. The SI value of MW-69 and CW-18 was relative high as 10.2+/-0.7 and 11.8+/-2.2. The cytotoxic effect on Vero cells of Panch' n-ch' ngbang, Taraxacum platycarpum H. Dahlst. and acycloguanosine was determined by MTT assay. Water extracts of Panch' ngch' ngbang (prescription) and Taraxacum platycarpum H. Dahlst. showed very weak cytotoxic effects on Vero cells at > 100 mug/ml but acycloguanosine showed strong cytotoxic effects on Vero cells at > 100 mu g/ml. As a result, #3, #73, MW-69 and CW-18 are considered as potentially useful for anti-HSV-1 agent and will be the focus of further research. Abbreviations: CM - methanol extracts of traditional prescriptions; CW - water extracts of traditional prescriptions; MM - methanol extracts of individual herbs; MW - water extracts of individual herbs.
Abbreviations ; Acyclovir ; Herpes Simplex* ; Herpesvirus 1, Human ; Mass Screening* ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Methanol ; Plants, Medicinal* ; Prescriptions* ; Simplexvirus* ; Taraxacum ; Vero Cells ; Water

Reiter's syndrome is a clinical triad of urethritis, conjunctivitis, and arthritis, but the characteristic mucocutaneous lesion occurs very frequently. Therefore, Reiters syndrome in fact might better be considered a tetrad, consisting in its complete form of urethritis, arthritis, conjunctivitis, and mucocutaneous lesions. In initial stage of the disease, the arthritis usually appear after the urethritis and conjunctivitis have been made. The arthritis is usually of subacute onset, reaching its full intensity within a few weeks in most cases. Additionally a man with Reiters syndrome who developed aortic insufficiency with no evidence of syphilis or rheumatic heart disease has been reported. Two cases of Reiters syndrome are presented with the review of the literature: the first case was a 60 years old male who had non-gonococcal urethritis with mucous purulent discharge, conjunctivitis, polyarthritis, and aortic insufficiency; the second case was a young man aged 21 years who had the characteristic conjunctivitis and a past history of urethritis, and he also has had obvious keratodermia blenorrhagica and polyarthritic symptoms and signs.
Arthritis ; Conjunctivitis ; Humans ; Male ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; Syphilis ; Urethritis