White rabbits weighing about 2kg, divided in 2 groups: the first group is administered with 5 mg, of testosterone propionate and second group administered with 50mg. The animals are killed after one, two and three weeks of administration from each group. Pituitary gland, thymus, adrenal gland and testis are removed and cut into thin preparation followed by staining with homatoxylin-eosin and van Gieson. The slides are examined microscopically and the results are as follows: 1) The chief cells and basophilic cells of anterior lobe of pituitary gland showed slight degeneration alone with vascular dilatation and congestion. s a whole, the group of massive dose revealed more severe degeneration than in the other group. 2) Thymus manifested marked congestion and severe hemorrhage, interlobular connective tissue proliferation and atrophic change in the cortex and medulla with fatty degeneration. In the group administered with massive dose, the changes are more remarkable. 3) In the adrenal gland, whole layers of cortex revealed cloudy swelling and hyaline degeneration. The cells of zona reticularis showed marked congestion. In the massive dose group, these changes are slightly more emphasized. 4) In the testis, germ cells and Sertoli cells are undergoing cloudy swelling and thickening of the basement membrane, and decreased spermatogenesis. In the group of massive dose, the changes are more prominent.
Adrenal Glands* ; Animals ; Basement Membrane ; Basophils ; Connective Tissue ; Dilatation ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Germ Cells ; Hemorrhage ; Hyalin ; Pituitary Gland ; Pituitary Gland, Anterior* ; Rabbits ; Sertoli Cells ; Spermatogenesis ; Testis* ; Testosterone Propionate ; Testosterone* ; Thymus Gland* ; Zona Reticularis

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to estimate the economical impacts of surgical site infection (SSI) after general surgeries. METHODS: A prospective study was performed with the surgeries from September to December, 2002 and the SSI cases were collected based on the definitions of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The length of stay (LOS) and the hospital charge for the SSI group were compared with the non-SSI (NSSI) group by a matched cohort study for age, sex, operation procedure, and NNIS risk groups. RESULTS: There were 1,007 cases of surgeries and the 52 cases of SSI and the 26 cases have been matched. The LOS of the SSI group was 5.2 days longer than that of the NSSI group (P<0.05) which was significant, The injection and dressing meal, and total hospital charge were \157,562, \72,251, and \2,153,964 more in SSI group than those of NSSI group (P<0,05) for post-operation stay. The charge of medication and room in SSI group were \558,146 and \723,114 more than those of the NSSI group, but there were no significant difference. CONCLUSION: The SSI could increase the LOS and the hospital charge; therefore, this economic loss had an impact on the hospitals as well as the patients. To estimate the economic impacts of SSI precisely, however, further studies are needed to analyze and control other factors for the cost such as a type of surgery. In addition, the scope and setting of cost analysis should be expanded into the aspects of an individual, the hospital, and society.
Bandages ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Cohort Studies ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Hospital Charges ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Meals ; Prospective Studies

PURPOSE: To compare and analyze trueness and precision of provisional crowns made using stereolithography apparatus and subtractive technology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Digital impressions were made using a master model and an intraoral scanner and the crowns were designed with CAD software; in total, 22 crowns were produced. After superimposing CAD design data and scan data using a 3D program, quantitative and qualitative data were obtained for analysis of trueness and precision. Statistical analysis was performed using normality test combined with Levene test for equal variance analysis and independent sample t-test. Type 1 error was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Trueness for the outer and inner surfaces of the SLA crown (SLAC) were 49.6±9.3 µm and 22.5±5.1 µm, respectively, and those of the subtractive crown (SUBC) were 31.8±7.5 µm and 14.6±1.2 µm, respectively. Precision values for the outer and inner surfaces of the SLAC were 18.7±6.2 µm and 26.9±8.5 µm, and those of the SUBC were 25.4±3.1 µm and 13.8±0.6 µm, respectively. Trueness values for the outer and inner surfaces of the SLAC and SUBC showed statistically significant differences (P < .001). Precision for the inner surface showed significance (P < .03), whereas that for the outer surface showed no significance (P < .58). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that provisional crowns produced by subtractive technology are superior to crowns fabricated by stereolithography in terms of accuracy.
Crowns

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the marginal discrepancy of heat-pressed ceramic veneers manufactured using a CAD/CAM system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ceramic veneers for the abutment of a maxillary left central incisor were designed using a CAD/CAM software program. Ten veneers using a micro-stereolithography apparatus (AM group), ten veneers using a five-axis milling machine (SM group), and ten veneers using a traditional free-hand wax technique (TW group) were prepared according to the respective manufacturing method. The ceramic veneers were also fabricated using a heat-press technique, and a silicone replica was used to measure their marginal discrepancy. The marginal discrepancies were measured using a digital microscope (×160 magnification). The data were analyzed using a nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H test. Finally, post-hoc comparisons were conducted using Bonferroni-corrected Mann-Whitney U tests (α=.05). RESULTS: The mean±SD of the total marginal discrepancy was 99.68±28.01 µm for the AM group, 76.60±28.76 µm for the SM group, and 83.08±39.74 µm for the TW group. There were significant differences in the total marginal discrepancies of the ceramic veneers (P < .05). CONCLUSION: The SM group showed a better fit than the AM and TW groups. However, all values were within the clinical tolerance. Therefore, CAD/CAM manufacturing methods can replace the traditional free-hand wax technique.
Ceramics ; Incisor ; Methods ; Silicon ; Silicones

PURPOSE: This study was to evaluate the effect of rinsing time on the accuracy of interim crowns fabricated by digital light processing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The maxillary right first molar master die was duplicated using a silicone material, while a study die was produced using epoxy resin. Scans of the epoxy resin die were used in combination with CAD software to design a maxillary right first molar interim crown. Based on this design, 24 interim crowns were fabricated with digital light processing. This study examined the trueness and precision of products that were processed with one of the three different postprocessing rinsing times (1 min, 5 min, and 10 min). Trueness was measured by superimposing reference data with scanned data from external, intaglio, and marginal surfaces. Precision was measured by superimposing the scan data within the group. The trueness and precision data were analyzed using KruskalWallis, nonparametric, and post-hoc tests, and were compared using a MannWhitney U test with Bonferroni correction (α=.05). RESULTS: The trueness of the external and intaglio surfaces of crowns varied significantly among the different rinsing times (P=.004, P=.003), but there was no statistically significant difference in terms of trueness measurements of the marginal surfaces (P=.605). In terms of precision, statistically significant differences were found among the external, intaglio, and marginal surfaces (P=.001). CONCLUSION Interim crowns rinsed for 10 minutes showed high accuracy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the pain-reducing effect of forest bathing alone versus forest bathing in combination with stretching and strengthening exercises in patients with chronic posterior neck pain. METHODS: Sixty-four subjects with posterior neck pain that had lasted more than 3 months were enrolled. They were randomly divided into a forest bathing alone (FBA) group and a forest bathing with exercise (FBE) group; each group included 32 subjects. All subjects from both groups walked every morning in the forest for about 2 hours for 5 days. In the afternoon, the FBE group did a stretching and strengthening exercise for about 4 hours; the FBA group had free time in the woods. Visual analog scale (VAS) on one day, VAS over the previous week, neck disability index (NDI), EuroQol 5D-3L VAS (EQ VAS) and index (EQ index), McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), the number of trigger points in the posterior neck region (TRPs), and the range of motion of the cervical spine were evaluated on the first and last day of the program and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The number of TRPs were significantly reduced in the FBE group compared with the FBA group (p=0.013). However, the other scales showed no significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: When patients with chronic posterior neck pain underwent a short-term forest bathing (less than 7 days) program, FBE was more effective in the reduction of the number of TRPs than FBA. However, all other pain measurement scales we evaluated showed no statistically significant difference between the two protocols.
Baths* ; Chronic Pain ; Complementary Therapies ; Exercise ; Exercise Therapy ; Humans ; Musculoskeletal Pain ; Neck ; Neck Pain* ; Pain Measurement ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Spine ; Trees* ; Trigger Points ; Visual Analog Scale ; Weights and Measures ; Wood

PURPOSE: We report a case of fundus albipunctatus discovered in a young patient. CASE SUMMARY: A 7.6-year-old female showed numerous small whitish-yellow flecks in the perimacular area and retinal periphery. Dark adapted 0.01 electroretinography (ERG) and dark adapted 3.0 ERG were profoundly reduced. At 26 months after the first visit, the best-corrected visual acuities were 1.0 right eye and 0.9 left eye. There were no pigmented lesions, atrophic lesions, or vascular abnormalities in the retina. Humphrey and Goldmann visual field tests were performed, but neither of the tests revealed any scotomas or other visual field defect. The number and size of characteristic numerous small whitish-yellow retinal flecks seemed almost unchanged. In spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), the subretinal hyper-reflective lesions spanned the retinal pigment epithelium and the external limiting membrane. ERG showed improved dark adapted responses (dark adapted 0.01 ERG and dark adapted 3.0 ERG) after prolonged dark adaptation (2.5 hours). No family member showed any abnormal findings. CONCLUSIONS: Fundus albipunctatus is a rare disease in Koreans. We report a case diagnosed using fundus photography, SD-OCT, visual field tests, and ERG after prolonged dark adaptation (2.5 hours).
Child ; Dark Adaptation ; Electroretinography ; Female ; Humans ; Membranes ; Photography ; Rare Diseases ; Retina ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde ; Scotoma ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Field Tests ; Visual Fields

Lysimachia foenum-graecum has been used as an oriental medicine with anti-inflammatory effect. The anti-obesity effect of L. foenum-graecum extract (LFE) was first discovered in our screening of natural product extract library against adipogenesis. To characterize its anti-obesity effects and to evaluate its potential as an anti-obesity drug, we performed various obesity-related experiments in vitro and in vivo. In adipogenesis assay, LFE blocked the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocyte in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 2.5 microg/ml. In addition, LFE suppressed the expression of lipogenic genes, while increasing the expression of lipolytic genes in vitro at 10 microg/ml and in vivo at 100 mg/kg/day. The anti-adipogenic and anti-lipogenic effect of LFE seems to be mediated by the inhibition of PPARgamma and C/EBPalpha expression as shown in in vitro and in vivo, and the suppression of PPARgamma activity in vitro. Moreover, LFE stimulated fatty acid oxidation in an AMPK-dependent manner. In high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice (n = 8/group), oral administration of LFE at 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg/day decreased total body weight gain significantly in all doses tested. No difference in food intake was observed between vehicle- and LFE-treated HFD mice. The weight of white adipose tissues including abdominal subcutaneous, epididymal, and perirenal adipose tissue was reduced markedly in LFE-treated HFD mice in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of LFE also greatly improved serum levels of obesity-related biomarkers such as glucose, triglycerides, and adipocytokines leptin, adiponectin, and resistin. All together, these results showed anti-obesity effects of LFE on adipogenesis and lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo and raised a possibility of developing LFE as anti-obesity therapeutics.
3T3-L1 Cells ; Adipogenesis/*drug effects ; Adipose Tissue/drug effects/metabolism ; Adipose Tissue, White ; Animals ; Anti-Obesity Agents/administration & dosage/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Body Weight/drug effects ; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha/genetics ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects ; Eating/drug effects ; Fatty Acids/metabolism ; Gene Expression/drug effects ; Lipid Metabolism/*drug effects ; Lipids ; Lipogenesis/drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Obesity/prevention & control ; PPAR gamma/antagonists & inhibitors/genetics ; Plant Extracts/*pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; Primulaceae/*chemistry