BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common clinical arrhythmia. AF may cause disabling symptoms and serious adverse effects, such as impairment of cardiac function or thromboembolic events. Until now, there were no study about the clinical characteristics of atrial fibrillation throughout this nations. The purpose of this study is a establishment of epidemiologic database of patients with atrial fibrillation in this nations. METHODS: 867 patients from 12 university hospitals were involved in this study. Atrial fibrillation were diagnosed with documented ECG in all patients. Medical history, physical findings, basic Laboratory finding, ECG, echocardiography and 24-hour Holter monitoring of these patients were evaluated. Chronic atrial fibrillation were defined as the duration of AF longer than 72 hours regardless of intervention. RESULTS: In patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, the most common symptom was dyspnea and the most common associated diseases were valvular heart disease, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. 2) In patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, the most common symptoms were palpitation, dizziness and chest pain, and the most common associated diseases were hypertension, ischemic heart disease and valvular heart disease. 3) left atrial size, systolic and diastolic left ventricular size in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation were significantly increased as compared those in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (p<0.001). 4) cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema were more common in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation (p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This study is first large multicenter study about atrial fibrillation in this nations. These data can be used as basic data for follow up and management of atrial fibrillation.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Cardiomegaly ; Chest Pain ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Joints* ; Korea* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Pulmonary Edema

BACKGROUND: Many of the major life events that appear to affect biologic system and health occur within the context of the family and can have a profound psychosocial and biologic impact on family memebers. So, the present study attempted to examine the relations of family function with stressful life events, depression, and physical and psychological symptoms reported by patients. METHODS: Design : Cross sectional, observational study. Participants : 41 healthy adult males from a family medicine ambulatory care unit in a tertiary hospital located in Guro completed a series of psychometric instruments that include the Family APGAR(Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve), FACESIII(Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale), Modified 46-item Stressful Life Events Scale, Lee's 98 items Stressful Life Event Scale, Korean version of BEPSI(Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument) and BDI(Beck's Depression Inventory Scale). RESULTS: Family APGAR was negatively correlated with stress related life events(both in total and negative events, -0.30, -0.37, respectively; p<0.05) and BEPSI(-0.56; p<0.0001). No significant correlation could be found between family function and positive life events. Family APGAR also revealed significant negative correlation with BDI(-0.61; p<0.0001). Among the three family types, severe dysfunctional family demonstrated highest level of stressful life events score, perceived stress, and depression(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The higher the assessment of the family function(Family APGAR), the lower the level of stressful life events, perceived stress and depression. There, knowledge of the family function, stress, and coping could be useful to family physicians in the whole person approach of their patients.
Adult* ; Ambulatory Care ; Depression* ; Humans ; Male* ; Observational Study ; Physicians, Family ; Psychometrics ; Tertiary Care Centers

No abstract available.
Female ; Ovary* ; Ultrasonics*

A 38-year-old man, with recurrent oral ulcers for 10 years, was admitted because of recent aggravation of odynophagia and sore throat. About 4 years earlier, he had been performed abdominal surgery for intestinal perforation. Gastrofiberscopic examination showed small round ulcers at hypiopharynx and 6cm sized longitudinal linear ulcer at mid esophagus. Biopsy specimens at mid-esophagus showed chronic inflammation. Besides oral ulcer, he had perianal ulcers and skin rashes. He was managed with steroid, colchicine and sulfasalazine under the diagnosis of esophageal involvement in Behcet's disease. After 3 months from discharge, esophagogram and gastrofiberscopic examination showed some improved appearance, but symptoms recurred for steroid tapering. He has been followed in much improved status for 8 months after discharge.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Colchicine ; Diagnosis ; Esophagus ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intestinal Perforation ; Oral Ulcer ; Pharyngitis ; Sulfasalazine ; Ulcer*

The transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been used for the assessment of right and left ventricular function, valvular structure and function, regional wall motion abnormalities and localization of intravascular catheters, cannular and prosthesis. We inserted the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) under the guidance of intraoperative TEE because of the difficulty of placing PAC with the pressure tracing method in two patients. The PAC was inserted from right atrium to right ventricle with the basal four chamber view and advanced to pulmonary artery through pulmonary valve with the longitudinal view of TEE. We observed typical pulmonary arterial wave form to confirm the correct position. We suggest that the TEE can be used for successful placement of a PAC to facilitate manipulation of the catheter as an alternative method in the patients whose PAC can not be positioned with the pressure tracing method.
Catheters* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Heart Atria ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Prostheses and Implants ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Pulmonary Valve ; Ventricular Function, Left

This is a retrospective study of 161 ovarian neoplasms, all of which were surgically removed and had preoperative sonographic examinations. They were evaluated respect to age, tumor size and its echogenicity. The results were as follows: 1. Of all 161 tumors, physiologic lesions were 67 cases (41.6%), germ cell tumors were 28 cases (17.4%) and serous tumors were 19 cases (11.8%). 2. Of all 161 tumors, right ovarian lesions were 82 cases (50.9%), left were 59 cases (36.7%), and bilateral lesions were 20 cases(12.4%). 3. The most characteristic findings of tumors were as follows: 1) Physiologic tumors were 2-9cm sized (88.1%), anechoice-5% echogenic (79.1%), and developed during 4th & 5th decades (91.0%). 2) Inflammatory tumors were 2-9cm sized (94.1%), 50%-totally echogenic (76.5%), and during 4th & 5th decades (94.1%). 3) Serous tumors were 2-9cm sized (60.3%), anechoic-5% echogenic (89.5%), and during 3rd & 4th decades (84.2%). 4) Mucinous tumors were 5-19 cm sized (77.8%), anechoic-5% echogenic (77.8%), during 2nd-8th decades with diffuse distribution. 5) Endometrioid tumors were 5-14cm sized (100.0%), variable echogenic, and during 3rd & 4th decades (90.9%). 6) Germ cell tumors were 5-14cm sized (75.0%), variable echogenic, during 3rd & 4th decades (82.1%). 7) Parovarian cysts were 2-14cm sized (90.0%), anechoic-5% echogenic (100.0%), with diffuse age distribution. 4. The malignant and borderline malignant tumors were 9 caseswith more than 10cm sized (77.8%), and developed during older than 4th decade (100.0%). Anechoic 3 cases, 1-5% echogenic 2 cases, and totally echogenic 4 cases were found.
Age Distribution ; Female ; Mucins ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Parovarian Cyst ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

Airway hyperresponsiveness is a consistent feature of asthma. Since the airway smooth muscle is hyperresponsive to a number of different stimuli operating through many different mechanisms, it is attractive to speculate that the abnormality may reside in the airway smooth muscle itself. Animal model of asthma is needed to unravel possible mechanisms underlying airway hyperresponsiveness and also to develop new therapeutic approaches. However, there are few reports showing that airway smooth muscle from animal asthma model is indeed hyperresponsive. In addition, sensitizing and provoking doses of allergen were different each other ambng the studies on animal asthma model. The aim of this study was to determine an appropriate sensitizing and provoking dose of allergen to induce a maximum airway hyperresponsiveness. Eighty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were actively sensitized with a subcutaneous injection of 0, 10, or 1000/gg ovalbumin(OA) and 14 days later they were provoked with 0, 1, or 5 % OA aerosols. One day after the provocation, serum levels of OA-specific IgE, cell numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and in vitro isometric contractile responses of the isolated tracheal smooth muscle(TSM) to 120 mM KC1, acetylcholine(ACh, 0.1~ 1000/micro meter), electrical field stimulation (EFS, 0.5~100Hz), serotonin(5-HT, 0.014 100/micro meter), and OA(10, 50, or 250 micro gram/ml) were measured. The results were as follows; 1) When 38 OA-sensitized rats were exposed to OA aerosols in vivo early asthmatic responses(EAR) were observed in 20(52.6%) rats. In vitro isometric contractile forces of TSM from rats with EAR were stronger than those from rats without EAR. 2) The maximal contractile responses to KC1 and EFS were significantly higher in rats only sensitized with OA compared with those in controls. The maximal response to ACh was significantly related to OA-specific serum IgE level(r=0.40, p%0.05), and the latter was in turn significantly related to the BALF eosinophil count(r=0.67, p<0.01). 3) When 10 microgram OA-sensitized rats were analyzed, the maximal response to KC1, ACh, EFS, and 250 micro gram/ml OA were lower in OA-provoked rats compared to those in saline-provoked control rats, in which 5% OA-provoked rats had a lower response than 1% OA-provoked rats. 4) The sensitivity of TSM to ACh was significantly higher in 10/micro gram OA-sensitized & OA-provoked rats, and the sensitivity to EFS was also significantly higher in 10/~g OA-sensitized & 5% OA-provoked rats compared to that in controls(p<0.05). 5) There was a significant correlation between the sensitivity of TSM to EFS and the counts of eosinophil or of lymphocytes in BALF(for eosinophil, r=-0.30; p<0.05, for lymphocyte, r=-0.35; p<0.05), or OA-specific serum IgE level(r=-0.46, p<0.01) in OA-sensitized & OA-provoked rats. This relationship was maintained in the data obtained only from 10 micro gram OA-sensitized & 5% OA-provoked rats. 6) The ratio of EFS-sensitivity to ACh-sensitivity was significantly lower in OA-sensitized & OA-provoked rats compared to that in controls or rats only sensitized with OA(p%0.05). 7) The Schultz-Dale phenomenon occurred in an in vitro dose-dependent manner. However, the inhaled provocation with OA in vivo resulted in a decrease in the contractile response to OA in vitro. There was a significant correlation between OA-specific serum IgE level and isometric response to 250 micro gram/ml OA(r=0.36, p<0.01). These results suggest that sensitization and provocation in vivo with OA in rats induces hypersensitivity of airway smooth muscle to cholinergic stimuli through an allergic inflammatory mechanism. The sensitivity was highest when sensitized to 10 micro gram OA and exposed to 5% OA aerosols.
Aerosols ; Animals ; Asthma* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Cell Count ; Ear ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Models, Animal ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

No abstract available.
Polychondritis, Relapsing*

No abstract available.
Abscess* ; Thyroid Gland*

No abstract available.
Granuloma, Lethal Midline*