Asthama is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway with recurrent airflow obstruction. Chronic airway inflammation is invariably associated with injury and repair of the bronchial epithelium, which results in structural and functional changes known as remodeling Inflammation, remodeling, and altered neural control of the airway are responsible for both recurrent exacerbations of asthma and more permanent airflow obstruction. Asthma exacerbations may be caused by a variety of risk factors including allergens, pollutants, foods and drugs. Prevention of exacerbation aims to reduce the exposure to these risk factors to improve the control of asthma and reduce medication needs. Although no cure for asthma has yet been found, it is resonable to expect that in most patients with asthma, control of the disease can and should be achieved and maintained. Patient education involves a understanding of why and how to manage asthma and how to prevent asthma exacerbation. Medications for asthma can be administered in different ways, including inhaled, oral and parenteral. The major advantage of delivering drugs directly into the airways via inhalation is that high concentrations can be delivered more effectively to the airways, and systemic side effects are avoided or minimized. Therapy should be selected on the basis of the severity of a patient's asthma. According to the GINA guideline 2002, for intermittent asthma, no daily medication is reconmmended for the vast majority of patients. A rapid-acting inhaled β2-agonist may be taken as needed to relieve asthma symptoms. The occasional patient with intermittent asthma, but severe exacerbations, should be treated as having moderate persistent asthma. Patients with mild persistent asthma require controller medication every day to achieve and maintain control of their asthma. Treatment with an inhaled glucocorticosteroid is preferred. Sustained-relase theophyline cromolynes or a leukotriene modifier are other options. The preferred therapy for moderate persistent asthma is regular treatment with a combination of inhaled glucocorticosteroid and a long-acting inhaled glucocorticosteroid and a long-acting inhaled β2-agonist twice daily. Sustained-release theophyline or a leukotriene modifier are alternatives to the β2-agonist in this combination therapy. An alternative to combination therapy is a higher dose of inhaled glucocorticosteriod. The primary therapy for severe persistent asthma includes inhaled steroids at higher doses plus a long acting inhaled β2-agonist twice daily. Any available medications including oral steroid may be added to control asthma symptoms. Once control of asthma is achieved and maintained for at least 3 months, a gradual reduction of the maintenance therapy should be tried.
Allergens ; Asthma* ; Cromolyn Sodium ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inhalation ; Patient Education as Topic ; Risk Factors ; Steroids

Central nervous system impairment is common in diabetic patients, even in the early stages of the disease, and could be associated with peripheral neuropathy. The aims of this study were to prospectively investigate central nerve conduction in young adults with type 1 diabetes using pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PRVEP) and to determine how those results were related to clinical risk factors and the parameters of the peripheral nerve conduction study (NCS). A total of 36 type 1 diabetic patients (15 males) 5-24 years of age (mean 14.5 ± 4.7) underwent PRVEP and NCS annually for five years. For comparison, 39 healthy age and sex matched individuals (mean 14.8 ± 5.0) were evaluated as the control group. The P100 latencies of the PRVEP were prolonged at the study entry in the patients compared with the controls (p< 0.001). Significant correlations were not found between any of the parameters of PRVEP and the glycosylated hemoglobin levels; however, the changes in the parameters of the peripheral NCS were well correlated with metabolic control. The latencies and amplitudes of the P100 were not related to the majority of the parameters of the NCS. A prolonged PRVEP latency may be a sign of optic pathway dysfunction, which begins before apparent diabetic retinopathy. Poor glycemic control proved to be an important risk factor over the 5 years in terms of its relation to the development of peripheral neural pathway abnormalities. However, once central conduction was delayed, its changes were poorly related to diabetic control and the attributes of the peripheral nerve conduction study over the 5-year follow-up.
Diabetes Mellitus

No abstract available.
Denture Liners* ; Dentures*

No abstract available.
Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Humans

PURPOSE: To determine the risk factors of intraoperative complications in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. METHODS: This study included 598 eyes of 337 patients who underwent femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) between July, 2012 and January, 2017. All eyes had corneal incisions, anterior capsulotomy, nuclear fragmentation, and limbal relaxing incisions (if required). Intraoperative complications were analyzed by watching videos, and the related factors of each complication were retrospectively reviewed alongside the medical records. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 62.1 ± 11.9 years. Among the study group, 18 eyes required manual creation of corneal incisions; because the corneal incisions could not be made due to corneal central opacity, corneal peripheral degeneration, ptreygium, conjunctival chalasis, or idiopathic. The anterior capsulotomy was incomplete in 43 cases and manual capsulorrhexis was required for completion. These cases were associated with various conditions, including hypermature cataract, anterior polar or subcapsular cataract, corneal central opacity, pupillary abnormality, lens subluxation, poor pupil dilation, and idiopathic. Overall, 22 eyes had difficulties with nuclear fragmentation, with either mature cataract, lens subluxation, corneal central opacity, anterior polar or subcapsular cataract, or pupillary abnormality. Using the Laser SoftFit™ patient interface decreased the incidences of incomplete corneal incision (from 3.56% to 2.24%, p = 0.367), anterior capsulotomy (from 9.31% to 4.03%, p < 0.05), and nuclear fragmentation (from 5.20% to 1.34%, p < 0.05). The incidences of complications in the experienced group was statistically lower compared with the novice group (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS: The femtosecond laser platform was effective and safe for cataract surgery. However, in the presence of related factors, use of this platform might need to be re-assessed and should be considered for intraoperative complications. Additionally, with the Laser SoftFit™ patient interface and improved surgeon experience, better intraoperative results can be expected for FLACS surgery.
Capsulorhexis ; Cataract* ; Corneal Opacity ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intraoperative Complications ; Lens Subluxation ; Medical Records ; Pupil ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors*

No abstract available.
Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Dentures* ; Detergents*

A controlled study was carried out in 50 patients with perennial bronchial asthma to assess the efficacy and safety of budesonide turbuhaler. Subjects have suffered from cough, wheezing, dyspnea and chest tightness and showed either 15% of reversibility in FEV after bronchodilator inhalation or airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine(PC20 < or = 25mg/ml.) Patients were randomized to treatment with budesonide turbuhaler or terbutaline turbuhaler for 8 weeks after 2 weeks of run-in period. Budesonide turbuhaler was effective for cough, wheezing, dyspnea and chest tightness. It improved peak expiratory flow rate and FEV1. Budesonide turbuhaler was tolerated well and the laboratory tests showed no abnormality. It is suggested that budesonide turbuhaler is effective and safe in the management of bronchial asthma.
Asthma ; Budesonide* ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Respiratory Sounds ; Terbutaline ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Brain Mapping* ; Evoked Potentials, Visual* ; Schizophrenia*

Menetrier's disease is characterized by enlarged gastric folds with foveolar hyperplasia and cystic dilatation of gastric glands. The additional biochemical features of hypoproteinemia, hypochlorhydria, and increased gastric mucus are often encountered. The pathogenesis and etiologic factors have not been clearly defined. In this report, we present two cases of Menetrier's disease in the stomach, one occurring in a 38-year-old male, associated with massive hematemesis, and the other in a 39-year-old male. Grossly, both cases showed marked giant gastric rugal folds resembling cerebral convolutions, sparing the antral portion. Microscopically, the giant gastric rugal folds consisted of the striking foveolar hyperplasia accompanied by an occasional presence of the smooth muscle fibers from the muscularis mucosa. The immunohistochemical stain revealed an intense positive reaction for transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) in the majority of mucous cells throughout the gastric mucosa and parietal cells, but did not reveal for epidermal growth factor (EGF). We suggested that TGF-alpha and EGF-R might be involved in the pathogenesis of Menetrier's disese.
Achlorhydria ; Adult ; Dilatation ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Hematemesis ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Hypoproteinemia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Mucus ; Muscle, Smooth ; Rabeprazole ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Stomach ; Strikes, Employee ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy* ; Premature Birth*