BACKGROUND: Determination of left ventricular(LV) myocardial mass with echocardioraphy is feasible and validated. American society of echocardiography(ASE) issued recommendations for the quantitation of the left ventricle by M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography in 1978 and 1989, respectively. Although some controversies exist regarding the relative accuracy of M-mode and 2-dimensional techniques, many workers now agree that 2-dimensional methods are more accurate and can be applied to a higher percentage of patients. But sometimes the validated methods are not optimal when parasternal short axis view is difficult to obtain, when the ventricle is distorted, or when scar tissue constitutes a portion of the myocardial volume. METHODS: We measured left ventricular mass in 72 normal subjects using three different methods-ASE cube method with correction in M-mode(method A), area-length method from parasternal short axis view and apical four chamber view(method B), and the method using Simpson's rule from apical four chamber view(method C). RESULTS: 1) LV mass(index) was 161.8+/-30.3g(98.7+/-15.6g/m2) by method A, 166.2+/-32.8g(101.2+/-16.5g/m2) by method B, and 161.2+/-31.8g(98.2+/-15.5g/m2) by method C. 2) LV mass or index by method B was significantly different from that by method A(p<0.001) and from that by method C(p<0.001). However there was no significant difference in LV mass or index between by method A and C(p>0.05). 3) There was a strong correlation between LV mass or index by the method A and B(r=0.873, p<0.001), by the method B and C(r=0.923, p<0.001), and by the A and C(r=0.945, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the method using Simpson's rule can reliably assess LV mass, although it results in smaller value that that by area-length method.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cicatrix ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans

Bleeding from esophageal or gastric varix is the most critical and life-threatening complication of portal hypertension and the most common cause of deaths in the patients with cirrhosis. In the management of variceal bleeding, the various therapeutic interventions including operation and nonoperative procedure were tried, but neither of management was successfully achieved. Between February 1992 and November 1994, we performed endoscopic injection sclerotherapy(EIS) in 35 cirrhotic patients who had recently bled from esophageal varices and had a past history of esophageal variceal bleeding in Chonbuk National Univesity Hospital. Among 35 patients, 32 were male and 3 were female. The underlying severity of liver disease was graded A, B or C according to modification of Child-Pugh classification. EIS was repeated every 1 week until the esophageal varices had been complete obliterated and removed. To investigate the effects of esophageal varix eradication by EIS on combined peri- cardial varix, endoscopic examinations were performed both before procedure and after complete EIS sessions and this study was performed to examine a changes of combined pericardial varices after EIS procedure for the treatment of esophageal varices bleeding secondary to portal hypertesion. We reviewed medical records and compared changes or sizes of pericardial varices before and after EIS procedure. Mean follow up peiod was 61 days. Total number of 162 EIS for variceal eradication were performed. Mean session for eradication of esophageal varices was 4.6 per person, mean amount of injected sclerosant was 8.3cc(1-18cc), mean duration of EIS was 39 days, and mean follow up was 62 days after complete EIS procedure. In total 162 EIS procedure, complications associated with EIS including substernal discomfort 53.7%(n=87), substernal chest pain 45.7%(n=74), fever 4.9%(n=8), dysphagia 14.2%(n=23) and pleural effusion 3.1%(n=5), were transient and not required specific management. During the follow-up period, complete disapperance of pericardial varix or reduction of size was appeared in l8 cases(51.4%) among total 35 patients. No significant changes of variceal size before and after procedure were l6 cases(45.7%) and only 1 case(2.9%) was more aggravated. So, these results suggest that EIS procedure of esophageal varix on pericardial varix seems either to improve or to maintain the severity of the pericardial gastric varix without aggravation.
Cause of Death ; Chest Pain ; Classification ; Deglutition Disorders ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Ethanolamine* ; Female ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Jeollabuk-do ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Medical Records ; Oleic Acid* ; Pleural Effusion ; Sclerotherapy* ; Varicose Veins

Bleeding from esophageal or gastric varix is the most critical and life-threatening complication of portal hypertension and the most common cause of deaths in the patients with cirrhosis. In the management of variceal bleeding, the various therapeutic interventions including operation and nonoperative procedure were tried, but neither of management was successfully achieved. Between February 1992 and November 1994, we performed endoscopic injection sclerotherapy(EIS) in 35 cirrhotic patients who had recently bled from esophageal varices and had a past history of esophageal variceal bleeding in Chonbuk National Univesity Hospital. Among 35 patients, 32 were male and 3 were female. The underlying severity of liver disease was graded A, B or C according to modification of Child-Pugh classification. EIS was repeated every 1 week until the esophageal varices had been complete obliterated and removed. To investigate the effects of esophageal varix eradication by EIS on combined peri- cardial varix, endoscopic examinations were performed both before procedure and after complete EIS sessions and this study was performed to examine a changes of combined pericardial varices after EIS procedure for the treatment of esophageal varices bleeding secondary to portal hypertesion. We reviewed medical records and compared changes or sizes of pericardial varices before and after EIS procedure. Mean follow up peiod was 61 days. Total number of 162 EIS for variceal eradication were performed. Mean session for eradication of esophageal varices was 4.6 per person, mean amount of injected sclerosant was 8.3cc(1-18cc), mean duration of EIS was 39 days, and mean follow up was 62 days after complete EIS procedure. In total 162 EIS procedure, complications associated with EIS including substernal discomfort 53.7%(n=87), substernal chest pain 45.7%(n=74), fever 4.9%(n=8), dysphagia 14.2%(n=23) and pleural effusion 3.1%(n=5), were transient and not required specific management. During the follow-up period, complete disapperance of pericardial varix or reduction of size was appeared in l8 cases(51.4%) among total 35 patients. No significant changes of variceal size before and after procedure were l6 cases(45.7%) and only 1 case(2.9%) was more aggravated. So, these results suggest that EIS procedure of esophageal varix on pericardial varix seems either to improve or to maintain the severity of the pericardial gastric varix without aggravation.
Cause of Death ; Chest Pain ; Classification ; Deglutition Disorders ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Ethanolamine* ; Female ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Jeollabuk-do ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Medical Records ; Oleic Acid* ; Pleural Effusion ; Sclerotherapy* ; Varicose Veins

To maintain an adequate airway in a patient with tracheobronchial narrowing coming from various causes, prosthetic tracheobronchial stents provide palliative treatment for narrowed airways where surgical resection is inadvisable. After insertion, precious reported complications were granuloma formation, dysphagia, suction catheter entrapment and fatal massive hemoptysis. We report a case of complication associated with expandible metallic scent with endobronchial stenosis due to tuberculosis.
Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Deglutition Disorders ; Granuloma ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; Stents* ; Suction ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous*

BACKGROUND: A clinical trial was performed to evaluate the antihypertensive efficacy and side effects of amlodipine, a new long-action calcium antagonist, in patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension as measured by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. METHODS AND RESULTS: 1) The study patients consisted of 4 men and 6 women, and the mean age was 51 years. Amlodipine monotherapy(5~10mg) was continued for 4 weeks, and blood pressure was measured by 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. 2) A smooth and sustained lowering of blood pressure was clearly achieved without affecting the circadian rhythm throughout dosing interval. The mean-pressure drop was 21.2/13.7mmHg after 4 weeks of amlodipine monotherapy. 3) The ambulatory pulse rate revealed virtually identical average hourly pulses during the recording period before and after amlodipine treatment. 4) All of the laboratory parameters including blood chemistry, glucose, lipid and electrolytes did not change significantly after 4 weeks of amlodipine monotherapy. 5) Amlodipine therapy resulted in minimal side effects that were well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Once-daily amlodipine monotherapy with 5 to 10mg in controlling blood pressure throughout each 24-h cycle is effective and well tolerated in the patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension.
Amlodipine* ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory ; Blood Pressure* ; Calcium ; Chemistry ; Circadian Rhythm ; Electrolytes ; Female ; Glucose ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male

No abstract available.
Eating* ; Liver* ; Pneumonia* ; Sharks*

No abstract available.
Arthrography* ; Wrist*

Subclinical hyperthyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism are characterized by abnormal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with normal free thyroxine. Subclinical thyroid diseases, to date, have received less attention compared with other thyroid diseases since they are asymptomatic. This study aimed to verify the association between subclinical thyroid diseases and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk score in the Korean population. This was a population-based cohort study using data collected from 3,722 subjects (aged ≥ 30 years) during the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI; 2013–2015). Gender-specific Framingham risk scores were calculated to identify the association between subclinical thyroid diseases and 10-year CVD risk score. Complex survey, with consideration of sampling weight, was analyzed using generalized linear models after stratification by gender. The TSH reference range was between 0.61 and 6.91 mIU/L in this study. TSH showed a positive association with the 10-year CVD risk score only in the female population (P = 0.001). There were significant differences in the least squares means of 10-year CVD risk score by the effect of subclinical hypothyroidism compared with euthyroidism (normal group) in females, after adjusting for body mass index, white blood cell, and urine iodine (P = 0.006 and Bonferroni corrected P = 0.012). In conclusion, subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with increased 10-year CVD risk score in the female Korean population aged 30 years or more. Therefore, we recommend to clinically checkup major CVD risk factors in female patients with subclinical hypothyroidism aged 30 years or more.
Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Hypothyroidism ; Iodine ; Korea ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Leukocytes ; Linear Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine

No abstract available.
Chorion* ; Chorionic Villi Sampling* ; Chorionic Villi* ; Female ; Pregnancy