BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to discover ways to screen urine culture specimens through Gram stains, urine stick analyses and microscopic examinations for the laboratory cost saving. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-eight urine specimens for culture were included. Fifty uL of urine were inoculated onto one well each of 10-well slide, dried on the hot plate, and Gram-stained. The results combined with routine urinalyses including urine nitrite and leukocyte esterase, and pyuria, were compared with the routine culture results. RESULTS: The screening of bacteriuria by Gram stains, urinalyses and microscopic examinations revealed the high sensitivity (91.9%) and negative predictive value(95.5%) with cost saving of 41.8% of inoculating media. Not considering the Gram stains, the screening revealed 83.8% sensitivity and 92.5% negative predictive value, even if the cost saving of inoculating media were as high as 50.1%. CONCLUSION: It was demonstrated that it was sensitive and economic and produced rapid preliminary results to screen bacteriuria by the Gram stains combined with urinalyses and microscopic examinations.
Bacteriuria ; Coloring Agents ; Cost Savings ; Leukocytes ; Mass Screening* ; Pyuria ; Urinalysis*

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography* ; Family Practice* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor*

Implant prosthodontics is beneficial for edentulous patients in enhancing the support, retention, stability, phonation and so on. Various types of prosthesis supported by implant, including implant retained- or supported-overdenture for the removable type and ceramo-metal and fixed prostheses with processed acrylic teeth for the fixed type, are frequently used. Treatment planning for the prosthesis with implant must be made after considering individual characteristics such as form of residual ridge, soft tissue, interocclusal relationship, economic status. Fixed prosthesis with processed acrylic teeth (also known as 'implant hybrid prosthesis' or 'bone anchored bridge') has the advantages of both removable and fixed prosthesis such as proper soft tissue profile, esthetic outcome, increased masticatory efficiency and psychological stability. The 73-years-old female patient came to the department of prosthodontics, Dental hospital of Yonsei University. She was diagnosed with Kennedy class I partial edentulism in the maxilla and complete edentulism in the mandible. This article reports a satisfactory clinical and esthetic outcome of full mouth rehabilitation using removable partial denture in the maxilla and implant hybrid prosthesis in the mandible.
Chimera ; Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported ; Denture, Partial, Removable ; Female ; Humans ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Mouth ; Mouth Rehabilitation ; Phonation ; Porphyrins ; Prostheses and Implants ; Prosthodontics ; Retention (Psychology) ; Tooth

BACKGROUND: Anterior cerebellar artery (AICA) occlusion results in vestibular dysfunctions because the AICA supplies the vestibular nuclei (VN) in the brain stem as well as the peripheral vestibular organs in the inner ear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of immediate-early gene products, a metabolic marker of neural excitation in neurons, by AICA occlusion in the VN of Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: After chloral hydrate anesthesia all animals were subjected to unilateral AICA occlusion by using a microsurgical clamp for 30 min to induce a transient ischemia. Unilateral labyrinthectomy was chemically undertaken to eliminate vestibular afferent activity. Immunohistochemical staining and image analysis for cFos, FosB, Krox-24, and JunB proteins were performed 2 hours after AICA occlusion. RESULTS: There was a high expression of cFos protein in the bilateral medial and inferior VN 2 hours after AICA occlusion. AICA occlusion induced minimal changes in cFos protein expression in the lateral and superior VN. Mild to moderate expressions of FosB and JunB protein in VN was observed 2 hours after ischemic injury of the brain stem and inner ear. On the contrary, the number of cFos and FosB immunoreactive neurons significantly decreased in the medial vestibular nucleus ipsilateral to the injured labyrinth 2 hours after AICA occlusion in the UL group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ischemic afferent activity from the peripheral vestibular apparatus is essential for the expression of immediate-early gene products in the medial and inferior VN of rats following AICA occlusion.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Arteries* ; Brain Stem ; Chloral Hydrate ; Ear, Inner ; Equipment and Supplies ; Genes, Immediate-Early* ; Ischemia ; Neurons ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley* ; Vestibular Nuclei* ; Vestibule, Labyrinth

BACKGROUND: There is substantial evidence that the vestibular system is involved in the regulation of blood pressure. Heart rate variability (HRV) is useful to investigate the role of the peripheral vestibular receptors and the baroreceptors in the orthostatic tolerance. METHODS: EKG was recorded during postural changes with the head up either after sinoaortic denervation or after bilateral labyrinthectomies in Sprague-Dawley rats. HRV, including mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation (CV), and power spectrum, were analyzed from R-R intervals of EKG. RESULTS: Phenylephrine increased low frequency region and sodium nitroprusside increased high frequency region in the power spectral analysis of HRV in anesthetized rats. Postural changes decreased blood pressure transiently and then increased blood pressure gradually in control rats, but the depression of blood pressure induced by postural change was greater in rats with both sinoaortic denervation and bilateral labyrinthectomies. The increase of CV of HRV just after sinoaortic denervation or bilateral labyrinthectomies represents an unstable heart rate in resting position, however, CV of HRV was increased markedly by postural change 7 days after bilateral labyrinthectomies. Postural change with sinoaortic denervation increased low-frequency region representing sympathetic activity, whereas bilateral labyrinthectomies increased highfrequency region representing parasympathetic activity in power spectral analysis. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that both the peripheral vestibular receptors and the baroreceptors have subsidiary action in orthostatic tolerance and the peripheral vestibular receptors regulate blood pressure during postural change through the sympathetic nervous system.
Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Denervation ; Depression ; Electrocardiography ; Head ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Nitroprusside ; Phenylephrine ; Pressoreceptors ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sympathetic Nervous System

No abstract available.
Blood Group Incompatibility* ; Humans

PURPOSE: In most areas of the world, transfers between emergency centers are performed through direct communication between physicians of transferring and receiving hospitals. The emergency medical information center "1339" (or 1339, for short), which had mediated inter-hospital transfers for about 10 years, was recently discontinued. This study aimed to survey the stance of physicians at transferring and receiving hospitals on the importance of 1339 functions. METHODS: In May 2012, before the discontinuation of 1339 as a mediator, a questionnaire was distributed to emergency-related physicians at several hospitals on the level of emergency care in Busan. RESULTS: There were 202 answers. Physicians of high level emergency centers had a higher tendency to transfer patients without pre-contact for transfer (p=0.019). The physicians at each level of care thought that direct communication between physicians was more accurate (69.9%), but mediation through 1339 was more convenient (53.6%). Mediation through 1339 was the most frequent resource used for pre-contact of inter-hospital transfers (58.1%). CONCLUSION: Physicians at each level of care tended to find pre-contact between physicians more accurate for inter-hospital transfers; however, they also thought mediation through 1339 was more convenient and it was the most frequently used resource for pre-contact of inter-hospital transfers.
Community Networks ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Hospital Information Systems ; Humans ; Information Centers ; Negotiating ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To evaluate the modified Ender nailing technique for the treatment of femoral intertrochanteric fractures in elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 31 cases of femoral intertrochanteric fractures treated by modified Ender nailing from May 1997 to December 2004 were included in this study. We analyzed the method of the anesthesia, amount of intraoperative blood loss, operation time, number of used nail, postoperative ability of ambulation, postoperative complication, and the time for radiological union. RESULTS: 22 cases were operated under epidural anesthesia and 9 cases under general anesthesia. The average amount of intraoperative blood loss was 55 ml and average time for operation was 37 minutes. The average number of used nails were 3.1. The postoperative ambulatory ability was clinically recovered to the preoperative ambulatory ability in 23 cases, and decreased than before in 8 cases. Postoperative complications included knee joint pain or limitation of motion of the knee joint and distal migration of the nails. The average time for radiological bone union was 17.1 weeks postoperatively. CONCLUSION: The modified Ender nailing technique is the one of the proper method in elderly femoral intertrochanteric fractures with associated medical problems. This method reduce the operation time and the amount of intraoperative blood loss.
Aged ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Anesthesia, General ; Femur* ; Hip Fractures ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Postoperative Complications ; Walking

PURPOSE: We investigated early postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis who had undergone radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 41 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy at the Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital (Hwasun-gun, Korea) between August 2004 and June 2009. There were few patients with Child-Pugh class B or C; therefore, we restricted patient selection to those with Child-Pugh class A. RESULTS: Postoperative complications were observed in 22 (53.7%) patients. The most common complications were ascites (46.3%), postoperative hemorrhage (22.0%) and wound infection (12.2%). Intra-abdominal abscess developed in one (2.4%) patient who had undergone open gastrectomy. Massive ascites occurred in 4 (9.8%) patients. Of the patients who underwent open gastrectomy, nine (21.9%) patients required blood transfusions as a result of postoperative hemorrhage. However, most of these patients had advanced gastric cancer. In contrast, most patients who underwent laparoscopic gastrectomy had early stage gastric cancer, and when the confounding effect from the different stages between the two groups was corrected statistically, no statistically significant difference was found. There was also no significant difference between open and laparoscopic gastrectomy in the occurrence rate of other postoperative complications such as ascites, wound infection, and intra-abdominal abscess. No postoperative mortality occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic gastrectomy is a feasible surgical procedure for patients with moderate hepatic dysfunction.
Abdominal Abscess ; Ascites ; Blood Transfusion ; Fibrosis* ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Patient Selection ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Hemorrhage ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Wound Infection