No abstract available.
Cause of Death* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Survival Rate*

The effectiveness of several sulfhydryl compounds in the treatment of paraquat intoxication has been previously tested based on their antioxidant ability. However, practical guidelines for their clinical use remain to be determined. As a preliminary pharmacokinetic study on sulfhydryl compounds, we attempted to establish the optimal concentration of N-acetyl-L-cysteine, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. We measured the antioxidant effect of these antioxidants in normal pooled plasma and on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by paraquat. N-acetyl-L-cysteine begins to suppress the production of ROS in plasma at concentrations as low as 5 mM, with the suppression being maximal at 40 mM. In the same way, glutathione increased the total antioxidant status in plasma at concentrations of 5-40 mM in a dose-dependent manner. Complete suppression of ROS in plasma induced by exposure to 500 micrometer paraquat for 40 min was observed when using 40 mM N-acetyl-L-cysteine and 5 mM glutathione. These concentrations are comparable with 50 units of catalase, which reduced ROS at concentrations of 5-100 units. Further pharmacokinetic study into the systemic administration of these antioxidants is necessary, using effective concentrations of 5-40 mM for both N-acetyl-L-cysteine and glutathione, and 1-50 units of catalase.
Acetylcysteine/*pharmacology ; Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacokinetics/*pharmacology ; Ascorbic Acid/metabolism ; Catalase/metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Free Radical Scavengers/pharmacology ; Glutathione/metabolism/*pharmacology ; Human ; Mice ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Paraquat/pharmacology ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Serum/*drug effects ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

BACKGROUND: In Korean traditional medicine, human beings are classified into 4 groups accordance with the characteristics of physical constitution, named; Taeum, Taeyang, Soum, and Soyang. Most of Korean traditional doctors believe that the back ground of pathophysiology is differ among each group in many diseases. HLA is the most polymorphic gene and related with human immune response. It has been used for determination of individual identification, genetic diversity and a study of disease association in different ethnic group. It has well known that the most human inflammatory disease which thought to have some autoimmune basis are in some way promoted by genes of the HLA region. The purpose of this study is to observe the distribution of HLA-DR genotypes in 4 types of physical constitution in Korean traditional medicine. METHODS: Three hundred and ten Korean subjects(Soyang : 58cases, Soum :142cases, Taeum : 92cases, Taeyang : 18cases) were enrolled for this study. Genomic DNAs extracted by phenol/chroloform were amplified with allele specific primers and determined by 2% agarose gel electrophoresis with ethidium bromide staining for analysis of HLA-DR polymorphism. RESULTS: The genotype frequency of HLA-DR in a total or 310 Koreans was DR1 ; 7.2%, DR 2; 10.5%, DR 3;1.7%, DR 4; 19.9%, DR 5; 11.9%, DR 6;19.9%, DR 7; 7.0%, DR 8; 10.6%, DR 9; 8.7%, DR10;1.9%. There was no significant diffrence of HLA-DR genotype distribution among four physical constitution groups classified by Korean traditional medicine. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the classification of physical constitution in Korean traditional medicine is not related to HLA-DR genotypes.
Alleles ; Classification ; Constitution and Bylaws* ; DNA ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Ethidium ; Ethnic Groups ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; HLA-DR Antigens* ; Humans ; Medicine, Korean Traditional*

No abstract available.
Cryptococcosis* ; Humans

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of a mixture of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and cross-linked dextran Lipen-10(R) used for penile augmentation under the physical impact generated during sexual intercourse. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2010 to October 2011, a total of 20 patients with a mean age of 44 years (interquartile range, 20~70 years) who requested penile augmentation participated in this study. Lipen-10(R) filler is a mixture of 75% cross-linked dextran, 15% PMMA, and 10% hypromellose solution. With the patient in the supine position, Lipen-10(R) was injected into the subcutaneous tissue between the dartos fascia and Buck's fascia of the penis using a fanning technique. Penile length and circumference were measured before the procedure and six, 12, and 18 months after the procedure. Values were compared using the Student's t-test and the paired t-test. RESULTS: A total of 15 patients completed this study. The increases in circumference and length observed six months after the procedure were found to have been maintained without change at 12 and 18 months of follow-up. At 12 and 18 months of follow-up, no abnormal findings were observed. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging conducted at 18 months of follow-up showed no trace of the injected filler having migrated to other sites, and the volume was well maintained. CONCLUSIONS: Lipen-10(R), a mixture of PMMA and cross-linked dextran, showed good durability and tolerability over 18 months of follow-up during which the participants were sexually active.
Coitus ; Dextrans* ; Fascia ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Longevity* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Penis ; Polymethyl Methacrylate* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Supine Position

It is often difficult, on the basis of clinical examination and conventional investigations, to evaluate the functional impairment of brain in children with cerebral palsy in which early detection remains a challenge. This study was designed to know the usefulness of single photon emission tomography(SPECT) of the brain with technetium-99 m hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime (99mTc-HMPAO) as a semiquantitative method of determination of right-left asymmetries in tracer uptake and a change in antero-posterior regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) distribution. We investigated 33 children with cerebral palsy aged from 4 months to 48 months(mean 19.3 months). The results were as follows: right to left ratio and regional index of a transverse view were useful to quantify the decrease of tracer uptake in left hemiplegia, but not in right hemiplegia who were all mild in severity, and in tetra- and diplegia in which cerebral lesions were found bilaterally; cortico-cerebellar ratios of a sagittal view were found useful to detect a decrease of rCBF distribution in tetra- and diplegia ,which was not distinct by means of right to left ratio and regional index on transverse view. The results suggest that semiquantitative analysis of 99mTc-HMPAO Brain SPECT would be a valuable complementary tool for determination of topographical involvement in cerebral palsy.
Brain* ; Cerebral Palsy* ; Child ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

PURPOSE: In order to rehabilitate patients with replanted fingers or reconstructed ones with free flap, the warm therapy is cost-effective, clean, and easy to use. However, the risk of thermal burn in patients with replanted fingers or reconstructed ones with free flap is not clearly identified yet and only few clinical prognosis exist. For that reason, this study was designed to evaluate the incidence, characteristics and risk factors of thermal burn in patients with replanted fingers or reconstructed ones with free flap. METHODS: We reviewed all the medical records of patients retrospectively, especially who showed clinically important thermal burn of replanted fingers or reconstructed ones with free flap from February 2010 to March 2011. RESULTS: 10 patients out of 370 with successfully replanted fingers or reconstructed ones with free flap presented clinically important thermal burn. (2.70% incidence). The causes of thermal burn were warm therapy (4 cases) and touching hot bowls such as a coffee cup, hot pot or hot grill (6 cases). Among them, 7 patients suffered superficial 2nd degree burn with bullae, 1 patient deep 2nd degree burn, 1 patient 4th degree burn and another 1, 1st degree burn with mild erythema. All of them except two cases were treated with conventional dressing with antibiotic ointment, while one was treated by skin graft and another one by 2nd toe pulp free flap. On the other hand, there were only 3 thermal burn cases among 7,010 patients who had undergone the hand surgeries other than replantation and free flap (0.04% incidence). And 2 were by warm therapy and 1 by hot pot. All of them were superficial 2nd degree burn with bullae and treated with conventional dressing with antibiotic ointment for about 1 week. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that patients with replanted fingers or reconstructed ones with free flap are more likely to have thermal burn than any other. Therefore we should be aware of the possibility of thermal burn for these patients, paying more attention to prevent it during the warm therapy and letting them always keep an appropriate distance from anything that can cause thermal burn.
Bandages ; Blister ; Burns ; Coffee ; Erythema ; Fingers ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Linear Energy Transfer ; Medical Records ; Prognosis ; Replantation ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Toes ; Transplants

PURPOSE: We report the results of A2 pulley reconstruction following revascularization for crushing or amputation injury of the hand. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The A2 pulley reconstruction was performed in 5 patients(5 digits) in whom the flexion of finger is restricted due to loss of the A2 pulley. All the patients underwent replantation or revascularization for the treatment of crushing or amputation injury of hand. Methods for reconstructing pulley were a tendon graft using palmaris longus(3 cases) and extensor retinaculum(2 cases). For assessments, the total active range of motion was measured. RESULTS: Total active range of motion increased by a mean of 39degrees(range, 15~100degrees) after pulley reconstruction. The mean improvement was 44%(range, 12~69%) of the maximum expected motion. CONCLUSION: In patients who underwent replantation or revascularization, the A2 pulley reconstruction after multiple-stage of flexor tendon reconstruction is a way to improve the active range of motion when the finger flexes.
Amputation ; Fingers ; Hand ; Humans ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Replantation ; Tendons ; Transplants

The presence of a fingernail is important in facilitating tactile sensibility to finger pulp, stabilizing the tip for refined pinch, scratching and providing dorsal protection. Many reconstructive procedures have been introduced in the past for reconstruction of the nail. The authors performed a reconstruction of the nail in 13 patients using a split-thickness nail bed graft. Results of nail growth in reconstructed nail were judged as good, fair, or poor on the basis of appearance of nail and the patient's satisfaction. The outcome of the 13 cases (mean follow-up of 11 months) was good in eight cases, fair in three cases, and poor in two cases, respectively. Although the authors' experience suggests the unpredictable nature of nail bed graft, it should be considered for patients who desire nail reconstruction and are not candidates for ablation or vascularized nail complex transfer procedure.
Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Nails ; Transplants*

PURPOSE: A lot of surgical techniques were tried to correct extension lag of distal interphalangeal joint. Spiral oblique retinacular ligament reconstruction is the one of correction techniques. METHODS: From January 2004 to January 2005, a total of 13 extension lag of distal interphalangeal joint corrections were performed using spiral oblique retinacular ligament reconstruction for 11 patients. After dorsal incision exposing from base of distal phalanx to proximal phalanx, the new ligament(half of lateral band or graft tendon) lies distally at the dorsum of the distal phalanx and passes volarly and proximally along the side of the middle phalanx and anterior and obliquely across the front of the proximal interphalangeal joint to the opposite side of the digit at the proximal phalanx. RESULTS: 5 of 6 mallet finger deformities and 7 swan neck deformities were corrected, which were both extension lag of distal interphalangeal joint and hyperextension of proximal interphalangeal joint. CONCLUSION: As a result, spiral oblique retinacular ligament reconstruction is an effective and recommendable method for correction of mallet finger deformity and swan neck deformity.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Fingers ; Humans ; Joints* ; Ligaments* ; Neck ; Transplants