No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: To directly examine the function of the endothelial cell(EC) and smooth muscle cell in umbilical arteries acquired from preeclampsia patients between June 1998 to November 1999, using a conventional tension measurement and bioassay experiment. RESULTS: Relaxation responses to EC-dependent relaxing agents including bradykinin and A23187 in human umbilical artery rings were significantly decreased in preeclampsia(p<0.01). Relaxation responses to EC-independent agents(SNP and SNAP) were also inhibited in umbilical artery rings acquired from preeclampsia patients(p<0.01). To test the change of endothelial cell function in preeclampsia without involvement of smooth muscle dysfunction, we used human umbilical artery and rabbit femoral artery as a donor and detector, respectively, in bioassay experiment. Relaxation responses to EC-dependent agents(A23187 and bradykinin) showed similar results to conventional tension measurement (p<0.01). Relaxation responses to 8-bromo-cGMP in human umbilical artery rings were also significantly decreased in preeclampsia(p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that increased vascular resistance in preeclampsia is not only due to the disturbance of endothelial function, but also to smooth muscle dysfunction.
Biological Assay ; Bradykinin ; Calcimycin ; Endothelial Cells ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Pre-Eclampsia* ; Relaxation* ; Tissue Donors ; Umbilical Arteries* ; Vascular Resistance

No abstract available.
Ciprofloxacin* ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*

BACKGROUND: To ensure patient safety and improvements in the quality of hospital care, rapid response teams (RRTs) have been implemented in many countries, including Korea. The goal of an RRT is early identification and response to clinical deterioration in patients. However, there are differences in RRT systems among hospitals and limited data are available. METHODS: In Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, the St. Mary's Advanced Life Support Team was implemented in June 2013. We retrospectively reviewed the RRT activation records of 287 cases from June 2013 to December 2016. RESULTS: The median response time and median modified early warning score were 8.6 minutes (interquartile range, 5.6 to 11.6 minutes) and 5.0 points (interquartile range, 4.0 to 7.0 points), respectively. Residents (35.8%) and nurses (59.1%) were the main activators of the RRT. Interestingly, postoperative patients account for a large percentage of the RRT activation cases (69.3%). The survival rate was 83.6% and survival was mainly associated with malignancy, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II score, and the time from admission to RRT activation. RRT activation with screening showed a better outcome compared to activation via a phone call in terms of the intensive care unit admission rate and length of hospital stay after RRT activation. CONCLUSIONS: Malignancy was the most important factor related to survival. In addition, RRT activation with patient screening showed a better outcome compared to activation via a phone call. Further studies are needed to determine the effective screening criteria and improve the quality of the RRT system.
Epidemiology* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Mass Screening ; Patient Safety ; Physiology ; Reaction Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Survival Rate

External stereotaxic irradiation of intracranial lesions has recently gained its interest in the fields of not only radiation oncology but also neurosurgery. Its main goal is to deliver large doses to a relatively small target volume. Authors present methods of the stereotaxic radiosurgical irradiation using 6MV linear accelerator (Nelac-6) and isodose distribution by therapeutic computer (Therac 2000). We attempt to demonstrate the dose distribution on verification films.
Neurosurgery ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiation Oncology ; Radiotherapy*

Twenty-our cases of pituitary adenoma, 13 males and 11 females with the age ranging from 11 to 65 years, received radiation therapy(RT) on the pituitary area with 6MV linear accelerator during past 25 months at the Division of Radiation Therapy, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical College. Of 24 case of RT, 20 were postoperative and 4 primary. To evaluate the effect of RT, we analyzed the alteration of the endocrinologic tests, neurologic abnormalities, major clinical symptoms, endocrinologic changes and improvement in visual problems after RT. The results were as follows ; 1. Major clinical symptoms were headache, visual defects, diabetes insipidus, hypogonadisms and general weakness in decreasing order of frequency. 2. All but the one with Nelson's syndrome showed abnormal neuroradiologic changes in the sella turcica with an invasive tumor mass around supra and para-ellar area. 3. Endocrinological classifications of the patient were 11 prolactinoma, 4 growth hormonesecreting tumors, 3 ACTH-ecreting tumors consisting of one Cushing's disease and two Nelson's syndrome, and 6 nonfunctioning tumors. 4. Eleven of 14 patients, visual problems were improved after treatment but remaining 3 were unchanged. 5. Seven of 11 prolactinomas returned to normal hormonal level after postoperative and primary RT and 3 patients are being treated with bromocriptine (BMCP) but on lost case. 6. Two of 4 growth hormone-ecreting tumor returned to normal level after RT but the remaining 2 are being treated with BMCP, as well.
Bromocriptine ; Classification ; Diabetes Insipidus ; Female ; Growth Hormone* ; Headache ; Humans ; Male ; Particle Accelerators ; Pituitary Neoplasms* ; Plasma* ; Prolactinoma ; Sella Turcica

Acute mercury inhalation poisoning is a rare cause of acute lung injury. It is usually fatal because of progressive pulmonary failure. We experienced a patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after illicit use of mercury vapor for hemorrhoid treatment; he developed acute chemical pneumonitis following exposure to mercury vapor. Prompt treatment with corticosteroids and penicillamine for acute chemical pneumonitis was instituted; radiologic pulmonary infiltrates disappeared within a week, but late phase neurologic sequelae and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis progressed.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones/administration & dosage ; Aged ; Antidotes/administration & dosage ; Disease-Free Survival ; Human ; Inhalation Exposure/adverse effects* ; Male ; Mercury Poisoning/diagnosis ; Mercury Poisoning/complications* ; Penicillamine/administration & dosage ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult/drug therapy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult/chemically induced* ; Substances:Penicillamine ; Substances: Antidotes ; Substances: Adrenal Cortex Hormones

INTRODUCTION: The traditional cytogenetic analysis requires relatively long cell culture time, intensive labour and trained personnel. But, in clinical situations, rapid diagnosis of genetic disease is very important for urgent decision for future management. So we need more rapid and precise diagnostic tools for clinical genetic counselling. The fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has been studied for detecting chromosomal aneuploidies because this method can get rapid and precise results of cytogenetic studies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical utility of fluorescence in situ hybridization technique as a diagnostic tool of chromosomal anomaly. METHODS: Peripheral blood or gonadal tissue were obtained from the patients (n=63) clinically suspicious of genetic disease. Chorionic villi (n=6), amniotic fluid (n=9), and fetal cord blood (n=2) were obtained from 15 pregnancies undergoing fetal karyotyping at 9 to 30 weeks of gestation for prenatal genetic counselling. Karyotyping was performed by both traditional cytogenetics and FISH, using commercially available kits. After the procedures, the results of FISH were compared with the results of traditional cytogenetic studies. RESULTS: In a blind series of 17 samples all, including trisomy 21 (1 case), trisomy 18 (1 case), monosomyX (1 case), 47,XYY (1 case), and 47,XXY (1 case), were correctly identified. FISH results were correspondent with conventional karyotyping results in 7 patients with intersex except one case of suspicious of mosaicism. In nine children of Turner syndrome, the results of two methods were correspondent too. There was a fluorescent signal defect in band 15 q11-q13 in one of chromosome 15 in 18 children of 29 patients, clinically suspicious of Prader-Willi syndrome, with FISH method and only four patients were diagnosed as Prader-Willi syndrome with G-banding microscope. It was impossible to identify the defect in chromosome 15 q11-q13 in 10 (34%) children by both methods. Two children of 11 patients, clinically suspicious of Angelman syndrome, were diagnosed as Angelman syndrome with both method respectively. And four children were diagnosed as Angelman syndrome only with FISH method. In 5 cases, we cannot detect the defect in chromosome 15 q11-q13 with both methods. In four cases of Williams syndrome, the results of both methods were as follows; 1 case (25%): diagnosed as Williams syndrome by both methods; 2 cases (50%): diagnosed
Amniotic Fluid ; Aneuploidy ; Angelman Syndrome ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Child ; Chorionic Villi ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15 ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Cytogenetics ; Diagnosis* ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fluorescence* ; Gonads ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Karyotyping ; Mosaicism ; Prader-Willi Syndrome ; Pregnancy ; Trisomy ; Turner Syndrome ; Williams Syndrome

It was already reported in else where that a standard linear accelerator, with only slight modification can function in a manner similar to Leksell's Gamma unit device in the treatment of inoperable deep seated intracranial lesions. Using collimated narrow beams, a localization system and special computer programs for precise patient positioning and a high concentration of irradiation dose within the lesions, eleven patients with AVMs and brain tumor have now been treated since 1988. The 6 MeV linear accelerator and Hitchcock stereotactic frame was used of the all procedures. In 10 of the 11 patients, no side effects occurred. The first 7 patients, who could be observed 3 months or longer have been studied radiologically and clinically. In 6 patients marked decrease in contrast enhancement and sometimes dramatic clinical improvement was achieved. In one case a marked increase of the surrounding brain edema occurred 7days after radiosurgery, who was operated on. The radiantion dose was based on the volume, location and radiosensitivity of the lesion which ranged 15-40 Gy.
Brain Edema ; Brain Neoplasms ; Humans ; Particle Accelerators* ; Patient Positioning ; Radiation Tolerance ; Radiosurgery*

PURPOSE: We designed a pig to canine liver xenotransplantation model to study the diverse immunologic and hemodynamic consequences that follow xenotransplantation and hyperacute rejection. METHODS: The animals were divided into two groups: the cobra venom factor and Gadolinium chloride treatment group (CVF+Gd group) (3 cases) and the control group (3 cases). The donor pig's whole liver was harvested, and then the harvested pig's whole liver was transplanted into a dog after the dog underwent left hepatectomy. After reperfusion of the graft, blood samples were taken 20, 40 and 60 minutes after reperfusion, and the liver, lung and kidney tissues were taken 1 hour after reperfusion. RESULTS: In the control group, the grafts showed a patchy hypoperfused liver surface and it felt rubbery solid compared to the CVF+Gd group. The serum total protein, albumin, fibrinogen and platelets decreased abruptly and there were no significant differences between the two groups. The serum PT, PTT and FDP were increased in both groups and the CVF+Gd group showed a more obtuse slope than the control group. We could not find any intravascular pathologic changes on the microscopic findings of the graft. Only scant intravascular fibrin deposition was found. Hepatocellular vacuolization and sinusoidal dilatation were also found. There were patches of necrosis without any zonal distribution, intrasinusoidal neutrophil sequestration and interstitial hemorrhage. These findings were milder in the CVF+Gd group. CONCLUSION: The pig to canine partial auxiliary liver xenotransplantation model is feasible and it is a good model before starting to perform pig to primate liver xenotransplantation. In the CVF+Gd group, pathologic findings like patch hepatocyte necrosis etc. were less severe. As there were no corresponding vascular pathologic findings, these findings are not the direct effect of CVF and gadolinium treatment, and so other factors like Ischemia- reperfusion injury should be considered.
Animals ; Blood Platelets ; Cobra Venoms ; Complement System Proteins ; Dilatation ; Dogs ; Fibrin ; Fibrinogen ; Fluconazole ; Formycins ; Gadolinium ; Hemodynamics ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatectomy ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kupffer Cells ; Liver ; Lung ; Necrosis ; Neutrophils ; Primates ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury ; Ribonucleotides ; Tissue Donors ; Transplantation, Heterologous ; Transplants