No abstract available.
Seizures*

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the reliability of the Korean version of Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) and to compare the sensitivity of the SCIM to functional changes of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients with that of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). METHOD: Seventeen subjects with SCI were studied. The SCIM was translated and modified to convert as SCIM Korean-version. All patients were evaluated with the SCIM and the FIM by two raters every other week. To determine inter-rater reliability, the relationship between the SCIM scores obtained by two raters was evaluated by Kappa coefficient and linear regression. To determine relative sensitivity of the test to functional changes, changes in the scores on the SCIM and FIM were compared by McNemar test. RESULTS: The Kappa coefficient of the various individual tasks in SCIM ranged between 0.63 and 1.00. High correlations were also found between the total SCIM scores for the paired raters (r=0.99, p<0.01). The SCIM detected all the functional changes detected by FIM total scoring, but in 3 (14%) of 22 sequential test batteries, the FIM missed changes detected by SCIM total scoring. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that the SCIM is reliable and more sensitive than the FIM in reflecting the functional changes of SCI patients.
Humans ; Linear Models ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

No abstract available.
Cystitis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans

No abstract available.
Lasers, Gas*

An important aspect of plastic surgery is skin flap survival. Among the prostaglandins, PGE4 is used clinically to improve peripheral circulatory disturbances due to its action of augmenting blood flow by vascular smooth muscle relaxation and its strong inhibitory action of platelet aggregation. Clinically, many investigators found that the effect of PGE4 was prolonged for a long period even after short-term application. So a new hypothesis emerges that the prolonged effect of PGE4 may be due to neovascularization and not due to vasodilatation alone. This study was designed to clarify the mechanism of the prolonged effect of topical PGE4 with regard to angiogenesis. A total of 9 male hairless mice were treated with a topical application of PGE4 onitment (PGE4 powder mixed in hydrogen base) on the experimental side and only a hydrogen base on the contralateral control side of the back skin, respectively, for 7 days, once a day. Then they were divided into 3 groups. In group 1, specimens were obtained on the 7th day post-treatment using 3 mm size punch biopsy from both sides. In group 2, specimens were obtained on post-treatment 14th day. In group 3, specimens were obtained on post-treatment 28th day. The number of blood vessels were compared between the experimental side and control side with respect to neovascularization after PGE4 application using an image-analysis program under hemtoxyline-eosin stain. Treatment on the experimental side did not affect its contralateral mate, since there was no evidence of a systemic effect. From our experimental data, we could conclude that PGE4 may induce angiogenesis by topical application without systemic effect.
Animals ; Biopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless* ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Platelet Aggregation ; Prostaglandins ; Relaxation ; Research Personnel ; Skin ; Surgery, Plastic ; Vasodilation

A total of 132 cases of structural scoliosis have been followed since Jan. 1963 up to Dec. 1976 at the Hanyang University Hospital. The present paper classified scoliosis according to the etiology and analyzed curve patterns and spinal deformties such as rotation and wedging. Various kinds of treatment were done and these included Milwaukee brace, posterior spinal fusion with or without Harrington instrumentation. The end results of these treatment were also analyzed. The results concluded from the present studies were as follows: 1. Poliomyelitis was the most common cause of structural scoliosis. Of 132 cases of scoliosis, paralytic scoliosis was 48.5% while idiopathic scoliosis was 31.1% and congenital scoliosis 9.8%. 2. In paralytic scoliosis lumbar curves were the most common pattern and thoracic and thoracolumbar curves were the next. 3. In idiopathic scoliosis, the most common pattern was the right thoracic. 4. Very severe curves over 80° were more frequent in paralytic than in idiopathic scoliosis, showing the percentage of 20.3% in paralytic scoliosis and 10.3% in idiopathic scoliosis respectively. 5. The number of vertebrae involved in primary curve was approximately the same in both paralytic and idiopathic scoliosis. 6. In paralytic scoliosis, as the curves progressed, rotation of vertebrae became more marked in lumbar curve than in thoracic curve, while wedging deformity was more severe in thoracic curve than in Jumbar curve. 7. The tendency of the rotation and wedging in thoracic and lumbar curve was the same in both idiopathic scoliosis and paralytic scoliosis. When the degree of curves was the same, rotation and wedging were slightly more severe in idiopathic than in paralytic scoliosis. 8. In congenital scoliosis hemivertebrae were the most common anomaly and the majority of congenital anomalies were located at lumbar region. 9. Treated with Milwaukee brace, 22.1% of original curve angle was corrected in idiopathic coliosis, 9.8% in paralytic scoliosis, and 7.3% in congenital scoliosis, respectively. The Milwaukee brace was effective in thoracic and thoracolumbar curves but not in lumbar curves. 10. In paralytic scoliosis treated with posterior spinal fusion without Harrington instrumentation, the final degree was 43.2 and the correction loss was 12.6% but with both posterior fusion and Harrington instrumentation, the final degree was 50.2 and the correction loss was 6.8%. 11. There were 2 cases of complication after posterior spinal fusion without Harrington instrumentation. One was pseudarthrosis and the other was bending of graft with some loss of correction. One case of complication occured after posterior spinal fusion with Harrington instrumentation. It was a case of displacement of distraction hook on the rod.
Braces ; Clinical Study ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Lumbosacral Region ; Poliomyelitis ; Pseudarthrosis ; Scoliosis ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: In patients after acute myocardial infarction, signal-averaged electrocardiography is used as the one of the non-invasive methods for the prediction for ventricular arrhythmia, one of the causes ofn death in acute myocardial infarction. Signal-averaged electrocardiography has allowed the identification of low-amplitude, high-frequency signals(late potentials)in the terminal portion of the QRS complex. They are thougt to be occured in the portion of electrophysiologically unstable myocardium. The presence of late potentials identifies regions of delayed conducton in the elctrophysiologically unstable border zone of an acute infarction. These electrophysiologic change of myocardium is influenced by the patency of infarct-related artery. A patent artery is associated with electrical stability of myocardium, decreased in cidence of late potentials and improved survival. METHODS: 58 patients of acute myocardial infarction underwent signal-averaged electrocardiography, coronary angiography within 10 days after AMI, 20 of healthy persons underwent signal-averaged electrocardiography. RESULTS: In patent group, late potentials were recorded in 7 of 38 patients(18%) as compared with 13 of 20 patients(65%) of non-patent group. The statistically significant parameters of signal-averaged electrocardiography beteen patent and non-patent group were filtered total QRS duration(TQRS, 106.7+/-20.9msec), high frequency low amplitude signal (HLAS, 30.8+/-7.5 vs 41.3+/-16.5 msec)with HLAS being the most powerful varialble in the model. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the patency of infarct-related artery is associated with electrophysiologic stability of myocardium and signal-averaged electrocardiography is one of the useful non-invasive method in risk stratification of acute myocrdial infarction.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Arteries* ; Coronary Angiography ; Electrocardiography* ; Humans ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium

BACKGROUND: Surgical correction of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is relatively safe and effective since it does not remain in the category of open-heart-surgery. Although the surgical practice for PDA is performed in almost all hospitals, they contain the problems of anxiety of patients, remained surgical wounds on patients' chests and complications of surgery and general anesthesia. Recently non-surgical methods for the obstruction of PDA have been developed and some of them including buttoned devices are used now. The success rates of these methods approach to 84%. But the problems of embolization, incomplete closure, hemolysis, stenosis of aorta and left pulmonary artery have been reported. We invented new PDA occluder , using stainless steel wire and polyurethane foam. Therefore we investigated the efficacy of occluding blood flow with the new PDA occluder in the vessels of experimental animals. METHOD: Using 304 stainless steel wire which is self-expandable stent, two star-shaped frames were made, each frame forming cone and facing the other's tip. And in the center of the frames polyurethane foam was inserted. 316L stainless steel wire was used to fix the elements described above and some portion of the wire was extracted outside of the frames, shaping hook or round loop with which the occluder could be pulled out in case of misplacement. To create the similar situation to PDA, we made shunts from artery to vein between carotid arteries and jugular veins with surgical bypass grafts or made shunts of direct artery to vein connections without grafts in 4 dogs and 1 pig. Through 8F sheath, we deployed the occluders into the shunts made of 5 grafts or made of 3 arterial ends. Also the occluders were inserted into the femoral artery of dog and iliac artery of pig. After deployment of occluders, angiograms were performed to obscure the efficacy of blocking blood flow and follow-up angiogrms were done in one and two weeks. The animals were sacrificed in one and two weeks to get the tissues including occluders inside. Gross findings were checked about thrombi formation in and around polyurethane foam. RESULTS: The 10 occluders were placed successfully except one site due to misplacement. The occluders successfully blocked the blood flows in all 10 sites within 3 - 60 minutes. Each follow-up angiogram for occluders in one and two weeks revealed good maintenance of blockade in blood flow. Observed gross findings on tissues were packed thrombi formation in the polyurethane foam and membrane formation along the occluder. CONCLUSIONS: This newly developed device revealed good efficacy for occlusion of blood flow including shunts in immediate and follow-up study. Practical method for the delivery of the device and some design modification for proper fitting into the PDA especially for small patients would be required. Longer period of follow-up with more animal experiments for other possible complications including distal embolization would be required also before clinical trial.
Anesthesia, General ; Animal Experimentation ; Animals ; Anxiety ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Carotid Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dogs ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Femoral Artery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Jugular Veins ; Membranes ; Polyurethanes ; Pulmonary Artery ; Stainless Steel ; Stents ; Thorax ; Transplants ; Veins ; Wounds and Injuries

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome(APS) is a well-known clinical syndrome characterized by recurrent arterial or venous thromboses, recurrent fetal loss, thrombocytopenia, together with high titers of sustained anticardiolipin antibody(aCL) or lupus anticoagulant(LA). Although systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) and APS may coexist, a high proportion of patients manifesting the APS do not suffer from classical lupus or other connective tissue disease. The patient has been defined as having a primary antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. We experienced one case of primary APS with recurrent fetal loss, recurrent cerebral infarctions, positive anticardiolipin antibody IgG and fluttering vegetation on the mitral valve, without other connective tissue diseases including SLE. Forty-three old female had 2 out of 11 criteria for the diagnosis of SLE, such as thrombocytopenia and positive antinuclear antibody, but did not meet whole criteria. The patient was treated with ticlopidine, and anticoagulant therapy was recommended.
Antibodies, Anticardiolipin ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid* ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography* ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Mitral Valve* ; Thrombocytopenia ; Ticlopidine ; Venous Thrombosis

Lactobacillus sp., generally considered to be a harmless indigenous bacteria of the mucous membrane, occasionally causes serious infections. Lactobacillus endocarditis is a very rare disease, and no case has been reported in Korea. Gram-positive bacilli were isolated from blood cultures of a 41-year-old man with clinically suspected subacute bacterial endocarditis. The patient had a dental procedure 3 months prior to the infection. The isolate was identified as L. casei subsp. casei based on the cultural characteristics and gas liquid chromatography of metabolic products. The patient was treated with ampicillin and improved. When Lactobacillus is isolated from the blood of an endocarditis patient, the significance should be seriously considered. MeSH Terms:
Adult ; Endocarditis, Bacterial/*etiology ; Human ; Lactobacillus casei/*isolation & purification ; Male ; Septicemia/*etiology