The clinical review was done on 17 cases with the foreign body in the upper gastrointestinal tract who underwent endoscopic removal of foreign body at Kang Nam Sacred Heart Hospital from Dec. 1981 to Dec. 1991. The results were as follows: 1) The age distribution varies from 3 months to 72 years of age, being most prevalent under 5 years of age. 2) The incidence of foreign body in the order of frequency was coin, fish bone, safety pinring, peanut, keyring, food bolus, artificial teeth and medal. Among 17 cases, 9 cases(53.0%) were lodged in the esophagus and 8 cases(47.0%) were lodged in the stomach. 3) Dysphagia or globus was the common symptom in 8 cases(47.2%), followed by absence of symptom in 7 cases(41.2%), upper abdominal discomfort in 1 case(5.8%) and vomiting in 1 case (5.8%). 4) l0 cases(58.8%) of foreign body were removed within 72 hours and 7 cases(41.2%) of foreign body were removed after 72 hours.
Age Distribution ; Deglutition Disorders ; Esophagus ; Foreign Bodies* ; Heart ; Incidence ; Numismatics ; Stomach ; Tooth, Artificial ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract* ; Vomiting

Kyphosis and scoliosis develops from various causes, Tuberculosis is the main cause of kyphosis and spinal deformity in Korea. Such spinal deformities are frequently accompanied by cardiac and respiratory changes. In 1969, Westgate and Moe reported that, when a kyphoscoliotic patient dies, he dies because of cardio-respiratory failure and not because of skeletal abnormality, and, in 1968, Nilsonne and Lundgren reported that the mortality in patients with severe spinal deformity was twice as high as in normal persons, and that heart or lung disease was the main cause of death. One must consider the cardiopulmonary status when treating patients with severe spinal deformities. While there are numerous reports on pulmonary dysfunction due to scoliosis or kyphoscoliosis, studies on pulmonary function of patients with tuberculous kyphosis are surprisingly few. The authors investigated the correlation of the degrees of curvature and pulmonary function on 17 cases of adults with tuberculous kyphosis and compared the results with those of the children reported in 1972 by Moon and Lee. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The over-all mean degree of kyphosis was 92.6 (Salters angle). Vital capacity was 63.1% and maximum breathing capacity 61.7% of the predicted normal value. 2. Vital capacity showed a negative correlation with the degree of kyphotic curvature; i. e. the greater the spinal curvature, the less the vital capacity and vice versa, R=0.45, P=<0.1, but there was no correlation between maximum breathing capacity and the degree of curvature. 3. Vital capacity showed a relatively significant positive correlation with maximum breathing capacity as kyphosis increased. 4. The over-all mean tidal volume increased 9.3% of the normal predicted value. 5. When comparing with the pulmonary function of the children with same level and same degree of kyphosis, the adults had significant decrease in vital capacity and maximum breathing capacity, but had increased tidal volume. Such disparity was more prominent in the thoracic spine than in the lumbar spine and when the kyphotic curvature was greater than when less. 6. Timed vital capacity was within normal limits in spite of kyphotic changes of the spine.
Adult ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Kyphosis ; Lung Diseases ; Moon ; Mortality ; Reference Values ; Respiration ; Scoliosis ; Spinal Curvatures ; Spine ; Tidal Volume ; Tuberculosis ; Vital Capacity

For sequential phenotypic changes including enzyme altered hepatocytic foci, hyperplastic nodules, hepatocellular adenomas and carcinomas were produced in Sprague-Dawley rats by Solt-Farber method (administration of diethylnitrosamine and acetylaminofluorene (AAF), and partial hepatectomy). The immunohistochemical expressions of glutathione S transferase P (GST-P) and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) were assessed for selective proliferative activity in the enzyme altered foci and the subsequently developed lesions by double immunohistochemical staining technique. Immunoreactive areas against GSTP gradually increase from early period of carciogenesis. BrdU labeling in such areas remained high during the first week. but decreased thereafter. BrdU labeling index remained low in the GSTP negative area throughout the experimental period. This suggests that cells in the enzyme altered foci keep away from the suppressor effect of AAF in contrast to the normal cells in which their growth are inhibited by AAF. BrdU labeling index remained very low in both hyperplastic nodule and adenoma which were prevalent during the mid-experimental period, but increase markedly in carcinoma. The long period of low BrdU labeling index seems to correspond to the "slowly growing step of persistent nodule" during hepatocarcinogenesis. The differentiation index, a ratio of S phase fraction between GSTP positive and negative areas, was low in adenoma-developing period and high in carcinoma-developing period. C-Ha-ras p21 was not expressed in foci of enzyme altered hepatocyte and hyperplasia, but highly positive in carcinoma. This indicates that the c-Ha-ras may involve the late step of hepatocarcinogenesis.
Rats ; Animals ; Adenoma ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

No abstract available.
Palate, Hard* ; Salivary Ducts* ; Salivary Glands, Minor*

Ossification of the ligamentum flavum(OLF) is a well recognized cause of acquired spinal canal stenosis resulting in myelopathy, radiculopathy, or a combination of both. OLF is extremely rare in caucasian patients, but is one of the most common causes of compression of the posterior thoracic spinal cord in Japan. In most cases, it has been found in the thoracolumbar regions, and rarely in the cervical region. It is frequently but not alwalys found in association with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament(OPLL) and may cause cumulative damage, if comhined with OPLL. We experienced a case of ossification of the ligamentum flavum and posterior longitudinal ligament with sacral radiculopathy, which was treated hy posterior decompressive laminectomy and removal of the ossified ligamentum flavum and posterior longitudinal ligament. The day after operation, the radiating pain and paresthesia dramatically improved.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Japan ; Laminectomy ; Ligamentum Flavum* ; Longitudinal Ligaments* ; Paresthesia ; Radiculopathy* ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases

No abstract available.
Barium* ; Colon* ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis*

BACKGROUND: We studied how periodic and complex heart rate dynamic changes as pulmonary artery pressure increases in 32 infants with ventricular septal defet. In addition, we tested the possibility that the dynamical changes can be used to noninvasively predict the pulmonary artery pressure. METHODS: During cardiac catherterization, mean pulmonary artery pressure was measured and, at the same time, 5minute segments of continous electrocardiographic recording was stored. High-(>0.15 hertz) and low-(0.03-0.15 hertz) frequency components of heart rate variability were computed using spectral analysis. Yhe overall complexity of heart rate time series was quantified by its approximate entropy. RESULT: Pulmonary hypertensive infants(mean pulmonary artery pressure>20mmHg, n=17) had significantly lower low-(p<0.05)and high-(p<0.05) frequency power and lower approximate entropy(p<0.0001) than pulmonary normotensive infants(mean pulmonary artery pressure20mmHg, n=15). The mean pulmonary artery pressure was significantly correlated not with the spectral powers but with approximate entropy(=-0.51, P=0.0001). Conclusion: It can be concluded that, in infants, pulmonary hypertension induced by left-to-right shunt lesions suppress both periodic and complex heart rate oscillation and that mean pulmonary artety pressure can be predicted by calculating approximate entropy of heart trate variability.
Electrocardiography ; Entropy ; Heart Rate* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Infant* ; Pulmonary Artery*

Cutis marmirata telangiectatica congenita, first described by van Lohuizen in 1922, is a rare congenital vascular anomaly. This name is still generally used in Europe, but in American literature the most comrnon designation for this disease is generalized congenital phlebectasia. We represent the first reported case of cutis marmorata telangiectatica, congenita in Korea. The patient, 8 months old boy, has generalized cutis marmorata-like reticulated mottlings on his entire skin except the rnucous membranes since birth. He also has complete cleft palate but no other detectable congenital vascular malformation. The skin lesion shows spontaneous gradual improvement from three months of age.
Cleft Palate ; Europe ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Male ; Membranes ; Parturition ; Skin ; Vascular Malformations

From mechanocardiography and echocardiography, the systolic time intervals and the ejection phase indices were measured with determination of serum digoxin concentration(SDC) to elucidate the value of oral maintenance digoxin therapy on patients with heart failure in sinus rhythm. The drug interactions of digoxin with quinidine in heart failure, with verapamil in atrial fibrillation, and with aluminium hydroxide gel in healthy volunteers were observed with concomitant changes of SDCs. The results obtained are as follows. 1. After 10 days of treatment with digoxin 0.25 mg/day in 21 patients with heart failure there was a significant decrease in electromechanical systole(QS2), pre-ejection period(PEP) and PEP/left ventricular ejection time(LVET) ratio. There was also and equivocal decrease in LVET and an equivocal increase in mean velociy of circumferential fiber shortening(Vcf). However there was no significant change in ejection fraction(EF) and heart rate. The steadystate SDC was 1.20+/-0.12(S.E.M.)ng/ml. 2. Excellent correlation of the systolic time interval sand ejection phase indices measured from mechanocardiography and those determined from echocardiography was demonstrated. 3. SDCs were measured before and following quinidine therapy in 20 patients receiving maintenance digoxin for heart failure and who require quinidine for suppression of ventricular premature beats. Steady-state SDC following quinidine(Y) could be estimated form steady-state SDC before quinidine(X) as expressed by regression equation, Y=-0.394+2.309 X with correlation coeffcient, r=0.927(p<0.01). 4. In 12 patients with atrial fibrillation receving maintenance digoxin 0.25 mg/day, SDC before and following coadministration fo first 160 mg/day and later 240 mg/day of verapamil for 7days on each occasion was 0.85+/-0.07(S.E.M.) ng/ml, 1.00+/-0.09(S.E.M.)ng/ml and 1.33+/-0.13(S.E.M.)ng/ml, respectively. The difference of SDC between at control and under 240mg/day of verapamil was significant statistically(p<0.05). 5. Digoxin 0.75mg single-dose studies of bioavailability in 11 healthy volunteers showed a statistically significant difference(p<0.05) of the area under the 8-hour SDC curve between the digoxin only group and the digoxin plus aluminium hydroxide gel group. The area under the curve was 680+/-25(S.E.M.) min*ng/ml and 509+/-29(S.E.M.) min*ng/ml, respectively.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Biological Availability ; Cardiac Complexes, Premature ; Digoxin* ; Drug Interactions ; Echocardiography ; Healthy Volunteers ; Heart Failure ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Quinidine ; Silicon Dioxide ; Systole ; Verapamil

To establish the hematological reference values in the healthy adults visited our hospitals, following examination were done on 2823 persons by Coulter Counter Model S-plus II ; white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), meant corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), platelet, plateletcrit, mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW). The following results are obtained. 1) Male, mean value of WBC; 6,800±2,680 (2SD)/µl Female, mean value of WBC; 5,950±2,380 (2SD)/µl 2) Male, mean value of RBC; 428±60 (2SD)x104/µl Female, mean value of RBC; 415±56 (2SD)x104/µl 3) Male, mean value of Hb; 15.4±1.8 (2SD) g/dL Female, mean value of Hb; 13.0±1.6 (2SD) g/dL 4) Male, mean value of Hct; 45.3±5.0 (2SD)% Female, mean value of Hct; 38.2±4.6 (2SD)% 5) Male, mean value of MCV; 93.8±5.8 (2SD) fL Female, mean value of MCV; 92.2±7.4 (2SD) fL 6) Male, mean value of MCH; 31.8±2.2 (2SD) pg Female, mean value of MCH; 31.4±2.8 (2SD) pg 7) Male, mean value of MCHC; 34.0±1.2 (2SD)% Female, mean value of MCHC; 33.9±1.2 (2SD)% 8) Male, mean value of RDW; 12.7±1.0 (2SD)% Female, mean value of RDW; 12.6±1.4 (2SD)% 9) Male, mean value of Platelet; 242.9±87.8 (2SD) X103/µl Female, mean value of Platelet; 242.2±89.0 (2SD) X103/µl 10) Male, mean value of Plateletcrit; 0.201±0.076 (2SD)% Female, mean value of Plateletcrit; 0.204±0.076 (2SD)% 11) Male, mean value of MPV; 8.20±1.70 (2SD) fl Female, mean value of MPV; 8.36±1.82 (2SD) fl 12) Male, mean value of PDW; 16.1±0.8 (2SD)% Female, mean value of PDW; 16.0±0.8 (2SD)%
Adult* ; Blood Platelets ; Erythrocyte Count ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Female ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Mean Platelet Volume ; Reference Values*