PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the role of renal ultrasonography in neonates with isolated preauricular tags. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 10,997 newborn infants delivered from January 1995 to June 2003 in Wonkwang University Hospital. Nineteen newborns born with isolated preauricular tags were assessed for renal anomalies by performing renal ultrasonography within one week after birth. The study group was compared with a control group of 25 healthy neonates without preauricular tags during the same period, also using renal ultrasonography. RESULTS: Preauricular tags were detected in 19 of 10,997(0.17%) neonates; 57.9% were found on the right side. Renal anomalies in neonates with isolated preauricular tags were detected in four infants (21.1%); this incidence was higher, but was not significant, compared with the control group. Types of anomalies were mild hydronephrosis of grade 1(3 cases) and 2(1 case) which were normalized within one year. CONCLUSION: Routine renal ultrasonography is not recommended for newborn infant with isolated preauricular tags.
Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Parturition ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The replacement of functional genes into cells that lack genes or mutant genes is the basis of gene therapy. In cancer, where cells often have multiple genetic defects, the replacement of critical genes may suffice to suppress cell growth or induce cell death. In malignant brain tumors, p53 mutation are among the most frequently observed genetic findings and inactivation p53 suggests that p53 plays a critical role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Therefore, we study the successful transfer of the wild-type p53 gene using a replicative deficient adenovirus vector into human glioma and medulloblastoma c~ell lines. Meterials and Methods: The human glioma cell line T-98G, U-87MG, U-373MG were used. To determine the efficiency of the adenovirus vector, cell lines were transfected with the Ad-p gal and analysed with X-Gal staining. Cell viability was determined by trypan blue exclusion every day after infection and Westem blot analysis was used to conform the expression of the exogenous p53 protein. RESULTS: Cell growth of the Ad-CMV-p53 infected U-373MG, and U-87MG was significantly suppressed. It appeared that exogenous p53 protein expression had an earlier ad more profound suppressive effect on U-373MG having a mutated p53 gene than on U-87MG having a wild-type p53. The expression of the exogenous p53 was more than 10 times higher than the expression of the endogenous p53. To examine the decreased viability, U-373MG was stained with Hochest 33258 and detected nuclear condensation and apoptic body. Staining results suggest that cells undergo apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The replicative deficient adenoviral vector can transfer and express p53 in human glioma cell lines in vitro, restoring wild-type p53 tumor suppressor functions. The restoration of normal p53-encoded protein in the mutant ceil lines induced cell death. The high expression of the newly transduced protein had different effects on the growth rate of the infected cell lines depending on the p53 status of the cells.
Adenoviridae* ; Apoptosis ; Brain Neoplasms ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Death ; Cell Line* ; Cell Survival ; Genes, p53 ; Genetic Therapy ; Glioma* ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma ; Trypan Blue

Tretinoin(all-trans retinoic acid) is a metabolite of vitamin A and it is useful in the treatment of photoaging skin. Photoaging skin is characterized by wrinkles, mottled pigmentation, dry and rough skin, and loss of skin tone. Current use of topical tretinoin mainly acts on the epidermis, requires a long period to obtain the desired results and may cause skin hyperpigmentation. A combination of topical and injectable tretinoin has been used to reduce the treatment period as a result of its potentialized effect on the dermis when compared to graditional topical cream use. in this study, we observed histologic alterations in 5 white rabbits after using 0.05% topical tretinoin cream and 0.1% injectable tretinoin. Tretinoin was treated on the rabbits ears-group 1 and 2 on the right ear for study 1, and group A and B on the left ear for study 2. Study 1 was done to differentiate whether the dermal thickening is due to the simple physical stretching of dermis by intradermal injection, or whether it is duer to the histologic change by tretinoin. In group 1, saline was injected intradermally and in group 2, tretinoin was injected intradermally. Study 2 was done to compare the dermal thickening between the topical tretinoin cream treatment group (group A) and the combined topical and injectable tretinoin group (group B). Injection was done once a week immediately followed by 340nm blue light skin exposure. These treatment were done for 12 weeks. We harvested skin stripe from all group, group 1 and 2, and group A and B respectively, after 2, 6, and 12 weeks after treatment. Histologic differences were observed and measured. Dermal thickening was observed in group 2 and in group B(p<0.05). The results showed that intradermal injection of tretinoin mainly acts on the dermis and potentialtes the effect on photo-aging skin and fine wrinkles.
Dermis ; Ear ; Epidermis ; Hyperpigmentation ; Injections, Intradermal* ; Pigmentation ; Rabbits ; Skin ; Tretinoin* ; Vitamin A

Animal models for human chronic pain syndromes were developed and widely used for pain research. One of thsese neuropathic pain model by Kim and Chung[1992] has many advantages for operation and pain elicitation. We have examined the c-fos protein, substance P, CGRP immunoreactivity in dorsal root ganglia and dorsal horn in this neuropathic model. About 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. L5 and L6 spinal nerve were ligated tightly to produce neuropathic pain model. After 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 hours and 1 week of surgery, rats were anesthesized and sacrificed by perfusion through the left ventricle with saline followed by 0.1M phosphate buffer[pH 7.4] containing 3% paraformaldehyde, 3% glutaraldehyde, and 0.1% picric acid. After confirmation of the roots transected by the surgery, the L5 and L6 dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry. All tissue sections were immunohistochemically stained for substance P, CGRP and c-fos by using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase[PAP] method. Count the number of immunostained substance P and CGRP dorsal root ganglion cells and c-fos immunoreactive dorsal horn cells and analyzed statistically with Mann-Whitney U test. The results are as follows. 1. The number of c-fos protein immunoreactive neurons in the superficial layer of dorsal horn were increased markedly at 2 hours after operation, gradually decreased to normal level 1 week after operation. 2. The number of c-fos protein immunoreactive neurons in the deep layer of dorsal horn were gradually increased to the peak 24 hours after operation, decreased to normal level 1 week after operation. 3. The number of substance P and CGRP immunoreactive L5 and L6 dorsal root ganglion neurons were decreased markedly at 1 week after pain model operation. In conclusion, after neuropathic pain model operation, c-fos protein were immediately expressed in the superficial layer of spinal dorsal horn, thereafter c-fos protein in the deep layer of spinal dorsal horn were expressed. CGRP and substance P immunoreactive neurons were decreased markedly 1 week after neuropathic pain model operation.
Animals ; Chronic Pain ; Ganglia, Spinal* ; Glutaral ; Heart Ventricles ; Horns* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Models, Animal ; Neuralgia ; Neurons* ; Perfusion ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Posterior Horn Cells ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Nerve Roots* ; Spinal Nerves ; Substance P

BACKGROUND: Clinical and radiologic evaluation and analyses of the surgeries using Buechel and Pappas (B-P) knee implants. METHODS: The study was conducted on 60 patients who underwent 94 total knee replacement arthroplasty with B-P knee implants from May 2009 to December 2010. The results were compared to the results of 41 patients who underwent 60 knee joint surgeries using NexGen-LPS implants from January 2008 to August 2009. RESULTS: The American Knee Society score of the B-P knee group increased from an average of 66.9 (clinical score) and 65.5 (functional score) to 93.4 and 90.3, respectively; while those for the NexGen-LPS group increased from an average of 68.8 (clinical score) and 62.4 (functional score) to 86.3 and 76, respectively. The average ranges of motion of the B-P knee group and the NexGen-LPS group were 119.1degrees and 114.8degrees, respectively, before surgery and improved to 121.0degrees and 123.0degrees at final follow-up after the surgery. The visual analogue scale scores for the B-P knee group and the NexGen-LPS group improved from 4.7 and 4.6 to 1.4 and 1.8, respectively. The flexion contracture also improved from 5.1degrees and 6.3degrees to 0.64degrees and 1.72degrees. The tibio-femoral angle for the B-P knee group and the NexGen-LPS group also improved greatly after the surgery, from varus 0.34degrees and 0.73degrees each to valgus 6.7degrees and 6.9degrees, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of more than 2 years of total knee replacement arthroplasty using B-P knee implants showed good results. B-P knee implants showed a relatively higher degree of satisfaction in clinical knee score and less intraoperative bone mass removal than NexGen-LPS implants.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/*instrumentation ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee Joint/radiography/*surgery ; *Knee Prosthesis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/radiography/*surgery

One Hundred and eight patients received operation for acute subdural hematoma were evaluated in prognostic factors. They were admitted to the Neurosurgical Department in S.R.C.H during the 3 years from January, 1986 to December, 1988. The results were as follows ; 1) The patients were consist of 85 male patients and 23 female patients with the sex ratio 3.7 : 1. 2) Evaluated prognostic factors were age and sex, preoperative Glasgow coma scale(GCS), preoperative pathological physical findings, time interval from injury to operation, type of injury, midline shift, location of hematoma, thickness of hematoma, and operative procedure. 3) On the statistical analysis, factors of GCS and midline shift were considerable significant factors. 4) In the overall results of 108 patients, 47 patients(43.5%) had good recovery, 9 patients(8.3%) had moderate disabled state, 2 patients(1.9%) were severe disabled state, 4 patients(3.7%) were vegetative state, and 46 patients(42.6%) died.
Coma ; Female ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Acute* ; Humans ; Male ; Persistent Vegetative State ; Sex Ratio ; Surgical Procedures, Operative

Disorder of optic nerve blood perfusion has been thought to be one of risk factors for galucoma, and smoking has been suggested to affect optic nerve blood flow. Recently the scanning laser Doppler flowmetry (SLDF) was introduced and Heidelberg Retina flowmeter (RF), a kind of SLDF was reported to be useful to measure the capillary blood flow of optic nerve head and retina. The purpose of this study was to evaluated the variability of measurements in the optic nerve head and preipapillry retinal blood flow using HRF and to investigate the effect of smoking on optic nerve head and peripapillary retinal blood flow using HRF. Five eyes of five young healthy volunteers were enrolled to evaluate variability. Five scans were obtained in each eye. The mean coefficient of variation except disc cupping area was 19%. Baseline measurements of blood pressure, pule rate and perfusion image using HRF were obtained in 10 eyes of 10 healthy habitual smokers and then asked to smoke a cigarette. Measurements were then repeated 10 minutes and 1 hours after smoking. A significant increased in heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure was demonstrated 10 minutes after smoking. The blood flow parameters Volume, Flow, Velocity of optic nerve head and peripapillary retina were reduced 10 minutes after smoking, but no significance was demonstrated. This study shows that the effect of smoking is not significant on blood flow of optic nerve head and peripapillary retina. This result may be caused from the authoregulation of optic nerve head of young subjects of third and fourth decades. To investigate the effect of autoregluation on smoking, further evaluation on subjects with different autoregulation such as glaucoma patients will be needed.
Blood Pressure ; Capillaries ; Flowmeters ; Glaucoma ; Healthy Volunteers ; Heart Rate ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry ; Optic Disk* ; Optic Nerve* ; Perfusion ; Retina ; Retinaldehyde ; Risk Factors ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Products

To evaluate the antihypertensive effects of serotonin antagonist, ketanserin, a daily dosage of 10~40mg (18.9+/-6.8 mean+/-SE) was administered to 22 patients with essential hypertension and aged 55??1 years (64+/-7.7 mean+/-SE) for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks of ketanserin treatment mean blood pressure decreased from 177.9+/-11.9 to 15.7+/-15.3mmHg in systole and from 104.2+/-7.4 to 88.4+/-7.9mmHg in diastole (P<0.001). There was no significant change in heart rates with ketanserin treatment. The antihypertensive treatment with ketanserin was effective in 18 patients(81.8%) and ineffective in 4 patients (18.2%). Adverse reactions such as drowsiness (8.7%), edama (4.3%) and weakness (4.3%) were noted, but all were mild and transient. This results suggest that ketanserin is an effective and safe antihypersive agent in the treatment of essential hyperension.
Aging* ; Blood Pressure ; Diastole ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Ketanserin* ; Serotonin ; Sleep Stages ; Systole

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate mivacurium in the pharmacokinetics of onset and offset. METHODS: In 127 adult patients of ASA physical status I or II without any factors involving the neuromuscular function under general anesthesia, onset time (lag and manifest time) and clinical duration were measured after bolus or divided doses of ED95 x 2 of succinylcholine (SCC), rocuronium (ROC), atracurium (ATR), mivacurium (MIV), pancuronium (PAN) or vecuronium (VEC). Recovery time was defined as the recovery index and total duration measured after subsequent ED95 of MIV at 25% recovery of control twitch height from neuromuscular block induced by ED95 x 2 of ATR, MIV, PAN or VEC. Plasma cholinesterase (PChE) levels were measured following PAN or ATR. RESULTS: Onset time was faster with SCC and ROC, the low potency drugs, than with ATR, MIV, PAN or VEC, the high potent drugs. Manifest time was shorter in low potency drugs but longer in high potency drugs than lag time after bolus or divided doses of muscle relaxants given. Divided doses of various drugs induced a shortened onset time, but the patterns of relationship between lag and manifest time associated with drug potency did not alter. The recovery times with administered MIV were slowest after PAN pretreatment, and fastest after MIV pretreatment. PChE levels decreased significantly from 3 min to over 180 min after PAN administeration but not ATR. CONCLUSIONS: The onset time of MIV was not improved due to high drug potency as other nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockers. However, in spite of high potency, the recovery time of MIV was faster than other drugs. This results may be depend upon PChE activity rather than drug potency. Additionally, the prolonged recovery of MIV was not only under the influence of low PChE activity but also other some factors such as: the first relaxants administered before MIV dominated the neuromuscular block so that the duration of MIV given subsequently changed to resemble that of the first. The longer elimination half-life of the underlying relaxant prolonged the effects of subsequentshorter acting MIV. Structural similarities or dis-similarities between the interacting MIV and other drugs may have effects more potent in dis-similarity than in similarity.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Atracurium ; Cholinesterases ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Neuromuscular Blocking Agents ; Pancuronium ; Pharmacokinetics* ; Plasma ; Succinylcholine ; Vecuronium Bromide

No abstract available.
Atrial Natriuretic Factor* ; Humans* ; Lymph Nodes* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*