Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacterial Infections ; Dental Caries ; Drainage ; Head ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ludwig's Angina ; Neck ; Penicillins ; Periodontal Diseases ; Suppuration ; Surgery, Oral ; Tracheostomy

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster(HZ), caused by reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus, is manifested by dermatomal distribution of skin rashes, acute pain and post-herpetic neuralgia by pathologic involvement of the sensory ganglia. Low-energy laser(LEL) deliver a small amount of energy without elevation of the tissue temperature. LEL is reported to have various biologic effects such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, regenerative, antiallergic, immunocorrective, and antibacterial effects. OBJECTIVE: We attempted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of LEL on an acute phase of HZ. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with acute HZ were enrolled in the study. The control group(30 patients) received medications including analgesics, antihistamine, and topical care without LEL irradiation. The experimental group(30 patients) were irradiated with LEL daily for 7 days in addition to the same kinds of medications for the control group. The efficacy of LEL irradiation for HZ was assessed by analyzing changes in skin rashes, pain scores, and postherpetic neuralgia.
Acute Pain ; Analgesics ; Exanthema ; Ganglia, Sensory ; Herpes Zoster* ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Humans ; Neuralgia ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic

A 4-year-old boy has had a solitary sclerotic depressed plaque on the right anterior chest since birth. The histopathologic findings are consistent with morphea profunda: thickening, hyalinization, and homogenization of collagen bundles in the dermis and subcutaneous tissues, admixture with a prominent lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltrate, and sweat glands en-trapped between the thickened collagen bundles. We report a case of congenital solitary morphea profunda.
Child, Preschool ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Male ; Parturition ; Plasma Cells ; Scleroderma, Localized* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Sweat Glands ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Animals ; Nerve Regeneration* ; Rats* ; Sciatic Nerve* ; Transplants*

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze patients who developed deep wound infections after receiving PLIF for degenerative lumbar disease, and report the treatment outcomes. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Few studies have examined deep wound infections after PLIF, and there is some controversy regarding whether screws or cages need to be removed to treat infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine cases(spinal stenosis 6, spondylolisthesis 3) developed a deep wound infection after PLIF from 2001 to 2007. The mean follow up was 48 months (24-72). The clinical results were evaluated using MacNab's criteria. RESULTS: The diagnosis of infection was made based on the clinical symptoms and signs, and inflammatory markers, such as ESR and CRP. The time to diagnosis was less than one week (2), three weeks (2), six weeks (1) and three months or more (4). Bacterial identification was performed on seven cases. MRSA was detected in one of them, and no bacteria were identified in the other six. In two of them, the infection subsided with antibiotic therapy only. In 7 cases, removal of the cage and anterior iliac strut graft was needed for infection control. In four cases, loosened screws were removed during debridement. In 2 cases, additional surgery for pseudarthrosis was required after curing the infection. CONCLUSIONS: In deep infections after PLIF, early diagnosis and bacterial identification are important for reducing the need for a later radical operation. It is recommended that blood markers of infection be measured with a short follow-up period. In a case of persistent infection against prolonged antibiotics, removal of the cage or screw is needed to treat the infection earlier.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Debridement ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Pseudarthrosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Spondylolisthesis ; Transplants ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND: We performed electrical cardioversion for the patients with chormic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation under the transesophageal echocardiographic guidance after anticoagulation to evaluate the safety of this procedure and the effects of electrical cardioversion on the atrial function. METHODS: After anticoagulation therapy with coumadine for three weeks, we tried chemical cardioversion with amiodarone first. Failed cases were included in this study. Pre-cardioversion transesophageal echocardiographic parameters were measured after exclusion of thrombi. After sedation with intravenous midazolam, direct-current cardioversion was done with the transesophageal echocardiographic probe in situ. Immediately after sinus conversion, we measured echocardiographic parameters again. Spontaneous echo contrast(SEC), left atrial appendage flow velocity, pulmonary vein flow velocity and time-velocity-integral(TVI), transmitral flow velocity, TVI and deceleration time were measured. All patients were anticoagulated for at least 4 weeks after cardiovesion. RESULTS: The total number of patients was forty one(24 males, 17 females) with the mean age of 58 years(range : 39-70). Mean duration of atrial fibrillation was 65 months(range : 1-360). Hypertension(12), dilated cardiomyopathy(10), cerebrovascular accidents(6), ischemic heart disease(2) and chronic lung disease(1) were associated. There were no complications. SEC increased or newly appeared in 18(43.9%) patients after sinus conversion. The left atrial appendage emptying velocity decreased(32.8+/-17.4 vs. 22.1+/-11.4cm/sec, p=0.020) and systolic TVI of both upper pulmonic vein increased significantly after sinus conversion. In two cases, early systolic forward flow(S1) of pulmonic vein appeared after sinus conversion. Transmitral E velocity decreased(86.9+/-28.8 vs. 76.3+/-30.6cm/sec, p=0.006) and the deceleration time increased(164+/-49 vs. 206+/-53msec, p=0.000) after sinus conversion. Transmitral A velocity was still low(34.9+/-19.5cm/sec) and E/A ratio was high(2.6+/-1.4) immediately after sinus conversion. CONCLUSION: After appropriate anticoagulation therapy and exclusion of left atrium and left atrial appindage thrombi with TEE we could perform electrical cardioversion safety without complications. The changes in transesophageal echocardiographic parameters after sinus conversion revealed the appearance of atrial mechanical activity in concordance with electrical activity. But these findings suggested atrial stunning or electromechanical dissociation which necessitates extended anticoagulation therapy until the full recovery of atrial mechanical function.
Amiodarone ; Atrial Appendage ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Atrial Function ; Deceleration ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Electric Countershock* ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Midazolam ; Pulmonary Veins ; Veins ; Warfarin

No abstract available.
Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

The present study has been performed to evaluate 20 cardiopathy children and 20 healthy children's oral micorbes at the point of antimicrobial susceptibilities for antimicrobial prophylaxis to prevent bacterial endocarditis. The results were as follows: 1. Both groups had similar oral microbes. 2. The antimicrobial susceptibility of S. viridans were: Penicillin< Oxacillin< Ampicillin< Cephalothin< Erythromycin< Clindamycin< Gentamicin< Ciprofloxacin< Vancomycin=Imipenem. The cardiopathy group was slightly lower antimicrobial susceptibility rates than healthy group. 3. The antimicrobial susceptibility of Neisseriaceae were: Clindamycin< Erythromycin< Vancomycin< Penicillin< Gentamicin< Cephalothin< Ciprofloxacin< Imipenem. The antibiotics of bacterial endocarditis antibiotic prophylaxis regimens for dental procedures according to the American Heart Association were generally lower antimicrobial susceptibilities, so they were considered inadequate for the first selective antibiotics and Imipemem was best suitable antimicrobials. Conclusively, when choose antimicrobials for treatment or antimicrobial prophylaxsis for bacterial endocarditis, surveillant culture must be performed to evaluated personal antimicrobial susceptibilities of intraoral microbes for proper antimicrobial choice for dental procedures.
American Heart Association ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Child* ; Endocarditis* ; Endocarditis, Bacterial ; Humans ; Imipenem ; Neisseriaceae

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Endometritis* ; Female ; Pregnancy

This study was undertaken to evaluate the status of human paragonimiasis in Kang Hwa Gun, Kyunggi Do, Korea from March 1973 to October 1975 by the use of intradermal screening test with Veronal buffered saline antigen. A total number of 7,352 (male 3,936; female 3,4l6) consisting of 3,447 primary school children, 2,689 middle school students, l,008 high school students of 9 Myuns out of 13 Myuns of this County and 208 residents of all age group in Kilgeong-Ri, Yangdo Myun were examined by the intradermal test with Paragonimus antigen. In order to detect Paragonimus egg, the sputum and the stool examinations were undertaken on the residents in Kilgeong-Ri. The infestation rate of crayfish with Paragonimus metacercaria was also examined in Konneung and Jeongha village in Kilgeong-Ri. The following results were obtained in this survey: As a whole, 16.6 per cent of the examiners showed positive reaction with sexual difference of 16.1% in male and 14.8 per cent in female. In age groups, the highest positive rate showed in middle school age group (17.1 per cent) than primary school (14.0 per cent) and high school age group (11.4 per cent). In regional differences of positive rates, the highest rate (28.4 per cent) showed at Yangdo Myun followed by Kilsang Myun (27.0 per cent), Hwado Myun (25.0 per cent), and Naega Myun(20.8 per cent). In the result of 208 residents Kilgeong-Ri, the positive of 36.1 per cent in male and 20.2 per cent in female. The highest positive rate showed in 10 to 19 age group (41.5 per cent). Among the residents in Kilgeong-Ri, Paragonimus eggs were detected in 11 residents by the sputum and the stool examinations. The infestation rate of crayfsh with Paragonimus metacercariae was 100 per cent (41 out of 41 crayfishes) in Konneung village, and 84.6 per cent (9 out of 13 crayfishes) in Jeongha village, Kilgeong-Ri The fluctuation of the infection rate of crayfish with Paragonimus metacercariae was decreased in Konneung village in 2 years after the treatment with Bilevon against 10 paragonimiasis patients.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; epidemiology-paragonimiasis ; Paragonimus westermani ; crayfish-Cambaroides similis