BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic sympathectomy seems to be a safe therapeutic procedure without a severe complication. Hypotension has been often reported as one of postoperative complications, but intraoperative changes in blood pressure (BP) were not studied. However, authors' past experience of thoracic sympathectomy told that intraoperative BP reduction could be observed only when measured in ipsilateral arm. During general anesthesia, BP reduction might be a crucial, which could be associated with complication. Authors conducted this study to establish whether BP reduction is confined to ipsilateral arm, or is systemic phenomenon in thoracoscopic sympathectomy. METHODS: Twenty healthy, male and female patients scheduled for one stage thoracoscopic thoracic sympathectomy were prepared for this study. Without premedication, invasive BP monitoring was taken place in bilateral radial arteries. General anesthesia was induced with low dose of fentanyl, propofol and vecuronium. Endotracheal intubation was done with double lumen tube and anesthesia was maintained with variable concentrations of isoflurane in 100% oxygen. Sympathetomies were done for T2~3 during one lung ventilation. BP and palmar temperature were recorded at arrival, after one lung ventilation, after sympathectomy, 5 min, 10 min, after two lung ventilation. BPs and temperatures were analyzed by time and groups. RESULTS: Concurrent with initiation of sympathectomy, BP was reduced only in ipsilateral radial artery. Mean BP decrement was almost 11% (right side: 80 +/- 11 mmHg -> 71 +/- 15 mmHg; left side: 80 +/- 14 mmHg -> 71 +/- 9 mmHg; both of p<0.05). It was accompanied with ipsilateral palmar temperature elevation (right side: 1.28 degrees C; left side: 1.19 degrees C; both of p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Conclusively, BP reduction in thoracic sympathectomy is a change confined to ipsilateral arm, which seems because of peripheral vasodilation.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Arm* ; Arterial Pressure* ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis* ; Hypotension ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Isoflurane ; Lung ; Male ; One-Lung Ventilation ; Oxygen ; Postoperative Complications ; Premedication ; Propofol ; Radial Artery ; Sympathectomy* ; Vasodilation ; Vecuronium Bromide ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Although traumatic implantation of epidermis into the dermis has been suggested as a possible mechanism of formation of palmoplantar epidermal cysts, most cases develop without a trauma history. Recently, human papillomavirus (HPV) was detected in palmoplantar epidermal cysts in some reports. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find out the presence of HPV in palmoplantar epidermal Cysts. METHODS: Seven cases of palmoplantar epidermal cysts were studied using clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical examinations. They were also examined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method with general primers and HPV 60 type specific primers. RESULTS: On histological examination, all three characteristic findings, that is, intracytoplasmic eosinophilic bodies in the cyst wall, parakeratosis within the cyst cavity, and the vacuolar structures, were not observed. Immnunohistochemical staining was negative for the papillomavirus common antigen. HPV DNA was not detected in these cases by PCR. CONCLUSION: We could not detect any evidence of HPV infection in our cases of palmoplantar epidermal cysts. It is suggested that either our cases could have developed through a different pathogenesis or our study was done after the disappearance of HPV.
Dermis ; DNA ; Eosinophils ; Epidermal Cyst* ; Epidermis ; Humans* ; Parakeratosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

PURPOSE: To determine the size range of lacrimal glands calculated from Brain CT angiography. METHODS: A retrospective review of 107 CT scans of 214 orbits was performed. Aquaris Intuition Viewer software was used to calculate the volumes. RESULTS: The mean volume of the lacrimal gland was 0.655 cm3 in right orbits and 0.595 cm3 in left orbits, 0.616 cm3 in men and 0.625 cm3 in women. There was a significant difference between right and left (p = 0.012) but no difference between men and women (p = 0.725). Linear regression analyses revealed that there was an inverse relationship between gland volume and age (Pearson r = -0.433, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report the normal volume range of Korean lacrimal glands as measured by CT scans. A difference was detected in the volume between right and left lacrimal glands. The volume of the lacrimal gland decreased with age, and there were no gender differences.
Angiography* ; Brain* ; Female ; Humans ; Intuition ; Lacrimal Apparatus* ; Linear Models ; Male ; Orbit* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effects of thoracic epidural anesthesia, with or without bilateral vagotomy, epinephrine-induced arrhythmias were studied in 31 rabbits anesthetized with 1 MAC enflurane. METHODS: Logdose protocol was used for the infusion of epinephrine; its arrhythmic dose being defined as the smallest infusion rate produced four or more continuous or intermittent arrhythmias within 15 seconds. RESULTS: The values (geometric mean) of arrhythmic doses and the plasma concentration of epinephrine during arrhythmia were as follows: 10.21 g.kg 1.min 1 and 83.16 ng/ml in epidural control group; 118.90 g.kg 1.min 1 and 677.76 ng/ml in epidural lidocaine group (p<0.05); 6.34 g.kg-1.min 1 and 96.42 ng/ml in intravenous lidocaine group; 8.65 g.kg 1.min-1 and 44.64 ng/ml in vagotomized-epidural control group; and 12.03 g.kg 1.min 1 and 95.35 ng/ml in vagotomized- epidural lidocaine group. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that thoracic epidural anesthesia raises the threshold for enflurane- epinephrine arrhythmias in rabbits and that this effect is eliminated by bilateral vagotomy.
Anesthesia, Epidural* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Enflurane ; Epinephrine ; Lidocaine ; Plasma ; Rabbits* ; Vagotomy*

PURPOSE: Blood pressure variability (BPV) is emerging as an important cardiovascular prognostic factor in addition to average blood pressure level. While there have been some suggestions for the determinants of the blood pressure variability, little is known about the relationship between the blood pressure variability and health-related quality of life (QOL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six men and women with mild hypertension were enrolled from local health centers in Republic of Korea, from April to October 2009. They self-monitored their blood pressure twice daily for 8 weeks. Pharmacological treatment was not changed during the period. Standard deviation and coefficient of variation of blood pressure measurements were calculated as indices of BPV. Measurements of QOL were done at initial and at 8-week follow-up visits. RESULTS: Study subjects had gender ratio of 39:41 (male:female) and the mean age was 64+/-10 years. The mean home blood pressure's at week 4 and 8 did not differ from baseline. Total score of QOL at follow-up visit and change of QOL among two measurements were negatively correlated to BPV indices, i.e., higher QOL was associated with lower BPV. This finding persisted after adjustment for age, gender and the number of antihypertensive agents. Among dimensions of QOL, physical, mental and hypertension-related dimensions were associated particularly with BPV. CONCLUSION: QOL may be a significant determinant of BPV. Improvement of QOL may lead to favorable changes in BPV.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Methods ; Quality of Life* ; Republic of Korea

Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare tumor which is usually presented with a nontender nodule on a distal extremity. It is sometimes confused with granulomatous process or chronic inflammation. We report of a case of epithelioid sarcoma on a foot of an adult male, which progressed rapidly.
Adult ; Extremities ; Foot* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Sarcoma*

Stress induced cardiomyopathy (SC) is characterized by transient left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in the absence of coronary artery disease. We report on a patient with panhypopituitarism who developed SC resulting from withdrawal of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT). A 52-year-old male visited our hospital for progressively worsening dyspnea. The patient had discontinued HRT 7 days ago, which had been administered for 18 months after transsphenoidal adenomectomy for pituitary macroadenoma. Initial electrocardiogram showed marked sinus bradycardia. Transthoracic echocardiography showed apical ballooning with an LV ejection fraction of 25%. No significant obstructive lesions were observed on coronary angiography. With a clinical diagnosis of SC associated with panhypopituitarism, HRT was restarted, including glucocorticoid and thyroxine, along with standard heart failure management. His LV function had normalized at 2-month follow-up. He remains asymptomatic and administration of beta-blocker and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor were discontinued He currently only requires HRT.
Bradycardia ; Cardiomyopathies* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy ; Thyroxine

The demineralized bone matrix (DBM) as the bone graft material to increase the fusion rate was widely used in spinal fusion. The current study aimed to compare the fusion rate of DBM to the fusion rate of autograft in lumbar spine fusion via meta-analysis of published literature. After systematic search, comparative studies were selected according to eligibility criteria. Checklist (risk of bias assessment tool for non-randomized study) was used to evaluate the risk of bias of the included nonrandomized controlled studies. The corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. We also used subgroup analysis to analyze the fusion rate of posterolateral lumbar fusion and lumbar interbody fusion. Eight studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. These eight studies included 581 patients. Among them, 337 patients underwent spinal fusion surgery using DBM (DBM group) and 204 patients underwent spinal fusion surgery with mainly autologous bone and without using DBM (control group). There was no significant differences of fusion rate between the two groups in posterolateral fusion analysis (risk ratio [RR], 1.03; 95% CI, 0.90–1.17; p=0.66) and interbody fusion analysis (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.91–1.39; p=0.27). Based on the available evidence, the use of DBM with autograft in posterolateral lumbar spine fusion and lumbar interbody fusion showed a slightly higher fusion rate than that of autograft alone; however, there was no statistically different between two groups.

OBJECTIVES: The Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology and the Korean Academy of Schizophrenia developed the Korean medication algorithm project for schizophrenia (KMAP) to aid clinical decisions. The purpose of this study was to investigate problems and revision of Korean Medication Algorithm for Schizophrenia after feasibility test. METHODS: A total of 108 schizophrenia patients were enrolled at 19 centers and treated according to the algorithm. Prescribing investigators were able to change the recommended treatment strategies of the algorithm if necessary. All subjects were assessed over a 4-month period. Appropriateness of choice, dosage, duration and switch of antipsychotics and definition of treatment response were examined. RESULTS: Compliance of 1(st) choice antipsychotics in KMAP was favorable. Atypical antipsychotics which is a 1(st) stage drug selected first was above 84%, especially in case of no previous medical history was nearly all. In case that shift of stage was needed, there is a trend that combination treatment stage (6(th) stage) and clozapine treatment stage (5(th) stage) were preferred to rather than 3(rd) stage and 4(th) stage (typical antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics treatment stage). The rates of switching antipsychotics at the time points other than CDP (critical decision points) was low and the reason was almost the side effects. So the compliance of CDPs in KMAP was good in case of insufficiency of treatment response. Also the reasons why many investigators continued using current antipsychotics without switching despite insufficiency of treatment response were definition of treatment response, discrepancy between brief symptom rating scale for negative symptom and decision of clinicians. In addition, compliance of co-existence symptoms and side effect of medication in KMAP was favorable. CONCLUSION: It is some difference from clinical practice such as stage of antipsychotics, definition of treatment response and usefulness of brief symptom rating scale for negative symptom. But the majority apart from points of preceding paragraph is feasible in clinical practice. These results are essential to revise the next version of KMAP.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Clozapine ; Compliance ; Cytidine Diphosphate ; Humans ; Research Personnel ; Schizophrenia

The rate of dependence among ever-users of a drug indicates the risk of developing dependence once an individual has been exposed to the drug. This is the first study to investigate 12-month tobacco dependence (TD) among ever-smokers in a community-based population. Analyses were based on two national studies of representative samples aged 18-64 in 1984 (n=5,025) and in 2001 (n=6,275), conducted with household visits and face-to-face interviews. The rates of 12-month TD among ever-smokers in men showed no significant difference between 51.6% in 1984 and 50.6% in 2001. On the contrary, the rates in women significantly increased from 33.3% in 1984 to 52.8% in 2001. After adjusting for the sociodemographic variables, 'male gender' was significantly associated with 12-month TD among eversmokers in 1984, but not in 2001. 'Unmarried' was significantly associated in 2001 but not in 1984. 'Alcohol dependence' was the only psychiatric disorder associated with 12-month TD in both study years. In conclusion, 12-month TD was found in about 50% of ever-smokers, and gender differences between the rates of 12-month TD which was observed in 1984 disappeared in 2001. Individuals with 12-month TD showed higher comorbidity with alcohol dependence than ever-smokers without TD.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Alcoholism/complications ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; *Smoking ; Tobacco Use Disorder/complications/*diagnosis/*epidemiology