No abstract available.
Animals ; Bone and Bones* ; Dogs* ; Titanium*

Bone grafting is a preferred method for treatment of orbital blow-out fracture. However, in conventional bone graft technique, a harvested bony segment is often too thick to be directly grafted into the orbit so it requires trimming procedures, and its curvature is not easily matched to orbital fractured site. From January 1997 to July 1998, 17 patients with blow-out fracture were treated by using thin shaving techniques for harvest of calvarial bone with periosteum. The harvested bony segments were grafted as onlay method Eight patients complained diplopia postoperatively, but all resolved in a few months. We found no shifting of bone graft in postoperative CT scans and there were no hematoma, seroma, or intracranial hematoma. The advantages of our method are as follows. First, donor site defect was much smaller than in conventional method Second, the curvature of bone graft is easily molded and matched to cover the orbital fractured site. Third, the harvest of bone grafts easy and can be done rapidly. Fourth, the periosteum is attached We conclude that this method may be used as an alternative technique for harvesting bone graft for treatment of blow-out fractures.
Bone Transplantation ; Diplopia ; Fungi ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Inlays ; Orbit* ; Orbital Fractures* ; Periosteum* ; Seroma ; Tissue Donors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Transplants*

Biological skin substitutes can be used in human skin defects. However, with the exception of autograft, they are not permanent due to incompatible tissue antigenicity. In our study, we planned to determine the fate of porcine skin, preliminarily processed, in order to eliminate tissue antigenicity after implantation onto nude athymic mice. Harvested porcine skin was meshed and put through epidermal separation, decellular, lyophilization and antiseptic processes. After rehydration, the processed skin is grafted to the skin defect made on the back of a nude mouse. Then thin autologous skin is overlaid and secured with suture(Experimental group). The control group is recovered by autologous skin graft only. Evaluation for wound contraction area(1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th week) and histological analysis(2nd, 4th, 8th week)were performed.The porcine dermis became completely incorporated into the wound without evidence of rejection. The reduction in wound contraction in the experimental group was significant in comparison with that of the control group. In conclusions, the decellularization and lyophilization process was found to have destroyed cells regulating immune re sponse while preserving the structural organization of extracellular matrices. We are trying to focus on establishment and management of the skin bank for the preparation, storage of the porcine xenograft in the future.
Animals ; Autografts ; Dermis ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fluid Therapy ; Freeze Drying ; Heterografts* ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Skin ; Skin, Artificial ; Transplants ; Wounds and Injuries

Biological skin substitutes can be used in human skin defects. However, with the exception of autograft, they are not permanent due to incompatible tissue antigenicity. In our study, we planned to determine the fate of porcine skin, preliminarily processed, in order to eliminate tissue antigenicity after implantation onto nude athymic mice. Harvested porcine skin was meshed and put through epidermal separation, decellular, lyophilization and antiseptic processes. After rehydration, the processed skin is grafted to the skin defect made on the back of a nude mouse. Then thin autologous skin is overlaid and secured with suture(Experimental group). The control group is recovered by autologous skin graft only. Evaluation for wound contraction area(1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th week) and histological analysis(2nd, 4th, 8th week)were performed.The porcine dermis became completely incorporated into the wound without evidence of rejection. The reduction in wound contraction in the experimental group was significant in comparison with that of the control group. In conclusions, the decellularization and lyophilization process was found to have destroyed cells regulating immune re sponse while preserving the structural organization of extracellular matrices. We are trying to focus on establishment and management of the skin bank for the preparation, storage of the porcine xenograft in the future.
Animals ; Autografts ; Dermis ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fluid Therapy ; Freeze Drying ; Heterografts* ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Skin ; Skin, Artificial ; Transplants ; Wounds and Injuries

OBJECTIVES: The occupational & environmental medicine clinic plays an important role in the growth and advance of occupational & environmental medicine.This study analyzes the disease distribution and referral routes of patients in an occupational & environmental medicine clinic of a university hospital. METHODS: 843 Agent Orange cases and 839 other cases were treated in the clinic over a period of 4 years. The Agent Orange cases were excluded from this study.Distributions of age, sex, disease and referral route were examined according to the medical records of the hospital. RESULTS: 654 of the patients in the study population were male (77.9 %)and 185 were female (22.1 %).The most common age group consisted of patients in their forties.The number of cases has been increasing annually(1998,146 cases;1999,174 cases; 2000, 247 cases; 2001, 272 cases). The source of the cases were as follows: health examination, 548(65.4 %); health management service, 132(15.7 %);self-referral,125(14.9 %); physicians in other hospitals, clinics, 18 (2.1 %); and physicians in other clinic in the hospital, 16(1.9 %). The most commonly occurring disease was liver disease(28.6 %),followed by respiratory disease(12.8 %), gastroenteric disease (10.3 %)and musculoskeletal disease (8.7%).When the clinic was first opened, most cases came through 'health examination'. Subsequently the number of cases arising from 'self-refferal' and 'health management services' were increased.The disease distribution has also changed as the referral route distribution evolved. CONCLUSIONS: In order to expand the work of the clinic, primary cares for patients who came from 'health examination' will be needed to settle down the clinic at the beginning. Thereafter,specialized services need to be developed for cases originating from 'self-refer-ral' and from referral by other organizations.Increasing the number of cases needs to go hand in hand with the development of good management skills.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Citrus sinensis ; Environmental Medicine* ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Liver ; Male ; Medical Records ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Referral and Consultation*

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to investigate the roles of the spinal and peripheral gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic systems for the mechanical hypersensitivity produced by chronic compression of the dorsal root ganglion (CCD). METHODS: CCD was performed at the left 5th lumbar dorsal root ganglion. The paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) to von Frey stimuli was measured. The mechanical responsiveness of the lumbar dorsal horn neurons was examined. GABAergic drugs were delivered with intrathecal (i.t.) or intraplantar (i.pl.) injection or by topical application onto the spinal cord. RESULTS: CCD produced mechanical hypersensitivity, which was evidenced by the decrease of the PWT, and it lasting for 10 weeks. For the rats showing mechanical hypersensitivity, the mechanical responsiveness of the lumbar dorsal horn neurons was enhanced. A similar increase was observed with the normal lumbar dorsal horn neurons when the GABA-A receptor antagonist bicuculline was topically applied. An i.t. injection of GABA-A or GABA-B receptor agonist, muscimol or baclofen, alleviated the CCD-induced hypersensitivity. Topical application of same drugs attenuated the CCD-induced enhanced mechanical responsiveness of the lumbar dorsal horn neurons. CCD-induced hypersensitivity was also improved by low-dose muscimol applied (i.pl.) into the affected hind paw, whereas no effects could be observed with high-dose muscimol or baclofen. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the neuropathic pain associated with compression of the dorsal root ganglion is caused by hyperexcitability of the dorsal horn neurons due to a loss of spinal GABAergic inhibition. Peripheral application of low-dose GABA-A receptor agonist can be useful to treat this pain.
Animals ; Back Pain ; Baclofen ; Bicuculline ; GABA-A Receptor Agonists ; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists ; GABA-B Receptor Agonists ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Ganglia, Spinal ; Hyperalgesia ; Hypersensitivity* ; Muscimol ; Neuralgia ; Posterior Horn Cells ; Rats* ; Receptors, GABA ; Spinal Cord

Although accumulating evidence suggests that microglia-mediated neuroinflammation may be crucial for the initiation and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD), and that the control of neuroinflammation may be a useful strategy for preventing the degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) projections in the adult brain, it is still unclear what kinds of endogenous biomolecules initiate microglial activation, consequently resulting in neurodegeneration. Recently, we reported that the increase in the levels of prothrombin kringle-2 (pKr-2), which is a domain of prothrombin that is generated by active thrombin, can lead to disruption of the nigrostriatal DA projection. This disruption is mediated by neurotoxic inflammatory events via the induction of microglial Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in vivo , thereby resulting in less neurotoxicity in TLR4-deficient mice. Moreover, inhibition of microglial activation following minocycline treatment, which has anti-inflammatory activity, protects DA neurons from pKr-2-induced neurotoxicity in the substantia nigra (SN) in vivo. We also found that the levels of pKr-2 and microglial TLR4 were significantly increased in the SN of PD patients compared to those of age-matched controls. These observations suggest that there may be a correlation between pKr-2 and microglial TLR4 in the initiation and progression of PD, and that inhibition of pKr-2-induced microglial activation may be protective against the degeneration of the nigrostriatal DA system in vivo . To describe the significance of pKr-2 overexpression, which may have a role in the pathogenesis of PD, we have reviewed the mechanisms of pKr-2-induced microglial activation, which results in neurodegeneration in the SN of the adult brain.
Adult ; Animals ; Brain ; Humans ; Mice ; Microglia ; Minocycline ; Neurons ; Parkinson Disease ; Prothrombin* ; Substantia Nigra ; Thrombin ; Toll-Like Receptor 4

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Osteoporosis is common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The relationship between osteoporosis and COPD has been primarily reported in patients with moderate to severe COPD, but there is no report in the general population. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and lung function in the general Korean population. METHODS: This study was based on data acquired from the Fourth and Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES IV and V), conducted from 2008 to 2010. The study population included 4,501 subjects (aged ≥ 50 years) who underwent both spirometry and BMD. The study populations were divided into two groups by sex to correct for the effects of gender on BMD. All female participants were postmenopausal women. RESULTS: The BMD values of the femur neck, total femur, and L-spine tended to decrease with degree of airflow limitation in both genders. To correct confounding factors, data were analyzed and adjusted for age, body mass index, fat free mass index, body fat percentage, smoking amount, parathyroid hormone levels, daily calcium and phosphorus intake, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels. While the BMD of the femur neck, total femur, and L-spine was reduced significantly as age and ALP increased, the correlation between airway obstruction and BMD of all regions disappeared in both genders. CONCLUSIONS: In the general population aged 50 years and older, diminution of BMD is not associated with airway obstruction. Further investigation along other factors is needed to determine the possible role of pulmonary function and BMD.
Adipose Tissue ; Airway Obstruction ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Calcium ; Female ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Osteoporosis ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Phosphorus ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spirometry

OBJECTIVES: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 2008, area-based occupational disease surveillance in Incheon was used to collect data on occupational diseases. The long-term data was used to estimate the scale of disease, to analyze disease characteristics, and to achieve surveillance in order to determine development tasks. METHODS: For a period of 11 years, occupation-related disease surveillance was performed on an annual basis for employees of Incheon industries. All cases of occupational disease were reported by means of the Incheon Occupational Disease Information Network (IODIN) web site, downloaded, and analyzed, subsequently. RESULTS: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 2008, 1577 cases of occupational disease were reported. Of these, there were 1043(66.1%) cases of occupational musculoskeletal disorders, 172(10.9%) cases of occupational asthma, 162(10.3%) cases of occupational dermatoses, 135(8.6%) cases of occupationally-related cancers, 30(1.9%) cases of pneumoconiosis, 27(1.7%) cases of toxic hepatitis, and 8(0.5%) cases of occupational neuronal disease. CONCLUSION: In the Incheon area, small and medium industries comprise 99% of business. The composition of the industry by category, in Incheon, is similar to the country on the whole. In actually, the data on occupational diseases in Korea are almost workers' compensation data. Thus, the survey of occupational disease based in Incheon, Korea, can serve as an estimate of the trends and size of the occupational disease throughout the entire country.
Asthma, Occupational ; Commerce ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury ; Information Services ; Korea ; Neurons ; Occupational Diseases ; Pneumoconiosis ; Skin Diseases ; Workers' Compensation

Purpose: Isoniazid (INH) mono-resistant tuberculosis (Hr-TB) is a highly prevalent type of drug-resistant TB, possibly associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes. However, definitive guidelines on an optimal treatment regimen and duration for Hr-TB are currently under discussion. We evaluated the characteristics and treatment outcomes of Hr-TB patients. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of Hr-TB patients treated at a South Korean tertiary referral hospital from January 2005 to December 2018. Results: We included 195 Hr-TB patients. 113 (57.9%) were male, and the median age was 56.6 [interquartile range, 40.2–68.6] years. Mutations in katG were the most frequent [54 (56.3%)], followed by those in the inhA [34 (35.4%)]. Favorable and unfavorable outcomes were noted in 164 (84.1%) and 31 (15.9%) patients, respectively. Smoking history [odds ratio (OR)=5.606, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.695–18.543, p=0.005], low albumin level (OR=0.246, 95% CI: 0.104–0.578, p=0.001), and positive acid-fast bacilli culture at 2 months (OR=7.853, 95% CI: 1.246–49.506, p=0.028) were associated with unfavorable outcomes. Conclusion A tailored strategy targeting high-risk patients is imperative for improved treatment outcomes. Further research on the rapid and accurate detection of resistance to INH and other companion drugs is warranted.