No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Estrogens* ; Humans ; Receptors, Estrogen* ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Gland*

No abstract available.
Escherichia coli* ; Escherichia* ; Hydrogen Sulfide* ; Hydrogen*

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of affect states and mood congruent/incongruent variables in psychosis-proneness. METHODS: Five hundred and two undergraduate students completed the SPQ and other scales. Psychosis-proneness was measured by Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), and affect states were measured by Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Mood congruent variables were measured by Mood reactivity in Mood Survey and Affect Intensity Measure (AIM), and mood incongruent variables were measured by Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), Emotional Inhibition and Aggression Control in Emotional Control Questionnaire (ECQ). RESULTS: By hierachical regression analysis, total 39.1% of SPQ total score variance was explained by emotion related variables. In detail, negative and positive affect states explained 26% of variance, and affect intensity and mood reactivity of mood-congruent variables added 7.7% and mood aware, emotional inhibition & aggression control among mood-incongruent variables added 5.5%. And emotion related variables explained 43.8% of negative symptom, 27.6% of positive symptom and 23.6% of disorganization score. CONCLUSION: Negative affect was revealed as important factor for psychosis-proneness, and positive affect acted as the reversed role. Mood reactivity and affect intensity acted as mood congruent variables which amplified and reinforced the influence of negative affect on psychosis-proneness. Mood aware, repair and aggression control acted as mood incongruent variables which modulated and reduce the influence of negative affect, while mood attention and emotional inhibition acted as mood congruent variables in contrast with the prediction.
Aggression ; Appointments and Schedules ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical and radiological results of arthroscopic ankle fusion using 2 medial screws which had advantages of less morbidity, early weight-bearing and high union rate. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From April, 2002 to March, 2004, 8 patients who had ankle osteoarthritis were treated by ankle fusion using 2 medial screws under arthroscopy; five patients with post-traumatic osteoarthritis, two with post-infectious arthritis and one with paralytic foot. There were 5 male and 3 female. Average age was 67 years old ranging from 57 to 71 years. We evaluated them clinically preoperative and postoperative using AOFAS score, VAS pain scale and patient's satisfaction. In regard to radiological fusion, we checked them by simple AP, lateral and mortise view. Follow up period was average 11 months (range, 6~24 months). RESULTS: All ankles were successfully fused with 2 medial screws under arthroscopy. The mean time of fusion was 10.5 weeks (range, 8~14 weeks). Patient's satisfaction checked at 6 months after operation had favorable results (excellent and good 75%). One case had pain on medial malleolar area because of screw's protrusion. CONCLUSION: Arthroscopic ankle fusion using 2 medial screws was good modality of ankle fusion with less morbidity and early weight-bearing in some cases of ankle arthritis.
Aged ; Ankle* ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Reactive ; Arthroscopy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Humans ; Male ; Osteoarthritis ; Weight-Bearing

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy and safety of C1-C2 transarticular screw insertion, we retrospectively review surgical records and postoperative radiological findings. METHODS: From January 2001 to October 2003, the C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation and posterior wiring with iliac bone grafts was performed in 16 pateints. 6 patients had rheumatoid arthritis which caused cervical instability, 3 patients had os odontoideum, 3 patients had type 2 odontoid process fracture, 3 patients had traumatic transverse ligament injury and 1 patients who had been managed with C1-C2 wire fixation had psoriatic arthritis. RESULTS: Osseous fusion was documented in 15 patients(93.8%). Only one patient was recorded screw loosening because of postoperative infection. One patient had only one screw placed because of abnormal anatomical structure, one patients was breakage of a Kirschner wire, and one screw was medial location to lateral mass of C1, but clinical results was excellent and radiological instability was not noted. CONCLUSION: The author's experience demonstrates that C1-C2 transarticular screw fixation with wired bone graft is a safe procedure with higher fusion rate but precaution is needed to avoid the neural damage, vertebral artery injury, and hardware failure.
Arthritis, Psoriatic ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Odontoid Process ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants ; Vertebral Artery

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to detect the amount of the saline which was injected into a knee joint and made the patella ballottable. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2002 to June 2003, into 37 knees, saline was instilled through a needle inserted at 2 cm distant form superolateral aspect of the patella. The patellar ballottement was examined after every 1 cc injection of the saline. We checked the amount of the injected saline when the ballottement of the patella was developed and when ballottement was disappeared by milking fluid distally from suprapatellar pouch.my. RESULTS: The patella tap test was positive when the amount of instilled saline was between 14 cc and 45cc, and the pattern of distribution was biphasic. A patella tap disappeared if more than 39~110 cc of fluid was injected, which showed triphasic pattern of the distribution. CONCLUSION: The amount of knee effusion between 14~110 cc got the patella ballottable. And the pattern of distribution was variable. Therefore we need more numbers of data to analyze the differences.
Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Milk ; Needles ; Patella

Background: Zinc (Zn) is an essential cofactor for physiological homeostasis in the body.Zn oxide (ZnO), an inorganic compound that supplies Zn, exists in various sizes, and its bioavailability may vary depending on the size in vivo. However, comparative studies on the nutritional effects of micro-sized ZnO (M-ZnO) and nano-sized ZnO (N-ZnO) supplementation on Zn deficiency (ZnD) animal models have not been reported. Objectives: This study investigated the nutritional bioavailability of N-ZnO and M-ZnO particles in dietary-induced ZnD mice. Methods: Animals were divided into six experimental groups: normal group, ZnD control group, and four ZnO treatment groups (Nano-Low, Nano-High, Micro-Low, and MicroHigh). After ZnD induction, N-ZnO or M-ZnO was administered orally every day for 4 weeks. Results: ZnD-associated clinical signs almost disappeared 7 days after N-ZnO or M-ZnO administration. Serum Zn concentrations were higher in the Nano-High group than in the ZnD and M-ZnO groups on day 7 of ZnO treatment. In the liver and testis, Nano-Low and Nano-High groups showed significantly higher Zn concentrations than the other groups after 14-day treatment. ZnO supplementation increased Mt-1 mRNA expression in the liver and testis and Mt-2 mRNA expression in the liver. Based on hematoxylin-and-eosin staining results, N-ZnO supplementation alleviated histological damage induced by ZnD in the testis and liver. Conclusions This study suggested that N-ZnO can be utilized faster than M-ZnO for nutritional restoration at the early stage of ZnD condition and presented Mt-1 as an indicator of Zn status in the serum, liver, and testis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to compare the intra-operative and post-operative measured angle in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and to evaluate the postoperative improvement in the mechanical axis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty TKAs were performed using CAOS between February and May 2004. We measured the mechanical axis in the preoperative orthograms. After inserting the implant, we measured the femoral component angle (FCA), tibial component angle (TCA) and tibial component slope (TCS) using the verification tool in CAOS, on the post-operative orthogram and X-ray of the lateral tibial view, 2 observers measured the FCA, TCA, TCS and mechanical axis. RESULTS: The mean FCA, TCA and TCS using the verification tool in CAOS, were valgus 0.03+/-0.85degrees, valgus 0.49+/-1.02degrees, nd 4.26+/-1.64degrees. The mean FCA, TCA and TCS by observer 1 were valgus 0.67+/-1.24degrees, varus 0.54+/-1.54degrees, and 4.57+/-1.74degrees and those by observer 2 were valgus 0.48+/-1.17degrees, varus 0.52+/-1.44degrees, and 4.24+/-2.83degrees. There was a positive correlation between the measured angle by respective observers and the angle measured by the CAOS (p<0.05). The mechanical axis by observers 1 and 2 improved from varus 13.96degrees to valgus 0.04degrees and from varus 14.12degrees to valgus 0.08degrees respectively. CONCLUSION: CAOS affords the possibility of precisely placing the femoral and tibial components. The angles measured by the respective observers and in the CAOS were significantly correlated.
Arthroplasty* ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Knee*

The determination of ADA(adenosine deaminase) activity in pleural fluid is useful in differental diagnosis of pleural effusion. The conventional method of determining ADA activity used by Giusti was influenced by contamination of ammonia. Additionally, because Giusti's method was mannual method a determining the ADA activities in sample, was not easily automated. In 1993, Oosthuizen HM with collegues developed simple kinetic method for determining ADA activity. It was reliable and suiable method for automation. In this study, we have measured ADA activity in 162 patients with various pleural effusion by Hitachi 747 autoanalyser using the Oosthuizen kinetic method for the purpuse of determination of new diagnostic cut-off value for the tuberculous effusion and evaluation of the correlation between the conventional method and new automated method. This new method of an enzymatic reaction involves 2, 6-dichlorophenolindophenol dye(DICP), adenosine, xanthine oxidase(XO), and nucleoside phosphorylase(NP). The results were as follows: 1) The mean pleural ADA activity of the tuberculous effusion was 52.53 +/-16.43 U/L and significantly higher than that of other groups(p<0.001). If the diagnostic cut-off value of pleural ADA activity for tuberculous effusion is above 30 U/L, the sensitivity is 96% and the specificity is 90%. 2) The mean pleural to serum ADA activity ratio of the tuberculous effusion was 2.29+/-0.96 and it was also significantly higher than that of other pleural groups(p<0.001). If the diagnostic cut-off value of pleural to serum ADA activity ratio is 1.5, the sensitivity is 80% and the specificity is 88% in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion. 3) The new kinetic method is correlates well to Giuisti's conventional method(r=0.971). In conclusion, the new kinetic method described is easily automated and seems to be suitable for the routine determination of ADA activity.
Adenosine ; Adenosine Deaminase ; Ammonia ; Automation ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Pleural Effusion ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Xanthine