In a series of 20 young rats, three cortical lesions were made in each hemisphere. Two of these lesions were filled with avitene and gelfoam, while the third was left empty as a control. The animals were killed successively on weeks 1, 2, 4 and 8 after the operation. The results were as follows : 1) Although there was no difference in the type of tissue reactions, avitene was more rapid and profound than gelfoam in the process and degree of inflammatory reaction at the same periods. 2) Avitene biodegradaded more rapidly than gelfoam. 3) The extent of fibrosis and adhesion to the surrounding brain tissues were not grossly different between these two agents but more profound histopathologically in avitene at the same periods. With these results, we could conclude that the avitene was superior to the gelfoam as the hemostatic agent in neurosurgical area.
Animals ; Brain* ; Collagen ; Fibrosis ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Rats

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory*

The classification of thoracolumbar spinal injuries has been based on morphological criteria, mechanism or both. Recently Denis and Macfee insisted no the middle column of the spine but their classification is useful as a morphologic description. Especially, the classification and decision of treatment are difficult in the burst fracture. So we have applied the new classification described by Gertzbein that considers the morphologic patterns and mechanism of injury and compared with another classifications. We studied 28 cases of the thoracolumbar burst fracture who were treated and followed up at Wonkwang university hospital from May, 1988 to March, 1992. We classified burst fracture according to the three kind of classifications and CT finding. 1. The burst fracture associated with flexion-distraction injury was revealed 5 cases(about 18%). 2. In the treatment, Type A injuries requires the use of distractive and type B requires compressive forces in the correcting the deformity.
Classification ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Spinal Injuries ; Spine

Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by a loss of muscle mass and function. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), where a chronic catabolic state exists, sarcopenia commonly occurs through various mechanisms, resulting in muscle wasting and decreased muscle endurance. Sarcopenic patients with CKD have high morbidity and mortality rates. Indeed, the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia are mandatory. An imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation in muscle and increased oxidative stress and inflammation persist in CKD and induce muscle wasting. In addition, uremic toxins negatively affect muscle maintenance. A variety of potential therapeutic drugs targeting these muscle-wasting mechanisms in CKD have been investigated, but most of the trials focused on aged patients without CKD, and none of these drugs have been approved for the treatment of sarcopenia so far. Further studies on the molecular mechanisms of sarcopenia in CKD and targets for potential therapeutics are needed to improve the outcomes of sarcopenic patients with CKD.

Hepatic actinomycosis is a rare condition, accounting for 15% and 5% of all abdominal and actinomycosis cases, respectively. Here, we describe a case of hepatic actinomycosis accompanied by immunoglobulin G4-related inflammatory pseudotumors. To the best of our knowledge, only two such cases have been reported to date. Here, we present the case of a 72-year-old male patient. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a hepatic lesion that did not follow anatomical boundaries. The lesion showed arterial phase peripheral hyperenhancement, progressive enhancement of the central portion, sharply demarcated margins, and a radial stripe pattern. The final diagnosis for this hepatic lesion was hepatic actinomycosis accompanied by immunoglobulin G4-related inflammatory pseudotumor.

No abstract available.
Animals ; Locomotion* ; Rats* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions, both in Korea and worldwide and is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure (KF). The natural course of kidney function among people with diabetes (especially type 2 diabetes) may be complex in real-world situations. Strong evidence from observational data and clinical trials has demonstrated a consistent association between decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and subsequent development of hard renal endpoints (such as KF or renal death). The disadvantage of hard renal endpoints is that they require a long follow-up duration. In addition, there are many patients with diabetes whose renal function declines without the appearance of albuminuria, measurement of the eGFR is emphasized. Many studies have used GFR-related parameters, such as its change, decline, or slope, as clinical endpoints for kidney disease progression. In this respect, understanding the trends in GFR changes could be crucial for developing clinical management strategies for the prevention of diabetic complications. This review focuses on the clinical implication of the eGFR-related parameters that have been used so far in diabetic kidney disease. We also discuss the use of recently developed new antidiabetic drugs for kidney protection, with a focus on the GFR as clinical endpoints.

Skip lesion is not uncommon feature in osteosarcoma and considered to be importantly associated with poor prognosis factor, and thus, should be excised with the main mass. The accurate pre-operative evaluation of the intramedullary extent of osteosarcoma is essential, because it determines the level of bone resection. Among the reliable detection methods, bone scan has a drawback of high rate of false negative results and regional MRI has a difficulty to cover the whole involved lesions without clinical suspicion. The authors report a case of osteosarcoma of the distal femur with a proximal skip lesion that was not detected by either regional MR imaging or by bone scan, but which was visualized by FDG-PET/CT.
Complement System Proteins ; Femur ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma ; Prognosis

Recent literature has emphasized the clinical and socio-epidemiological significance of asthma in the elderly. However, why the disease burden remains high in this group is unclear. Elderly subjects usually have multiple chronic illnesses, and the role played by comorbidities in the context of asthma has been underappreciated. This review aims to summarize the literature associations between comorbidities and asthma in elderly patients. In addition, we discuss patient management issues.
Aged* ; Asthma* ; Chronic Disease ; Comorbidity ; Humans

Discontinuation of dual antiplatelet therapy within 12 months after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation increases the possibility of stent thrombosis. We now report the case of a 66-year-old man who suffered a cardiac arrest due to stent thrombosis after an elective laparoscopic anterior resection. Ten month ago, he underwent DES implantation and then had been taking dual antiplatelet therapy. Nine days prior to the surgery, he discontinued dual antiplatelet therapy. Forty minutes after intensive care unit admission, cardiac arrest occurred. However, his cardiac rhythm did not restore in spite of resuscitation, so immediately veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was implanted. Four days after the surgery, he was weaned from ECMO support, recovered completely, with no cardiopulmonary or neurological sequelae.
Aged ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation* ; Drug-Eluting Stents* ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Heart Arrest* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Resuscitation ; Stents ; Thrombosis*