BACKGROUND: Pulmonary tuberculosis with a remaining cavitary lesion is considered to be a problem with the course of treatment. In particular, re-treatment cases tend to respond poorly to current anti-tuberculosis agents. Therefore the factors that are related with the poor closure of a cavitary lesion in pulmonary tuberculosis during treatment were evaluated. METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records and chest X-ray films of 68 patients who had chemotherapy for the pulmonary tuberculosis with cavitary lesions was made. All the patients had been followed up for more than 12 months at National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital as of Aug. 2000. RESULTS: The male to female ratio was 3.9:1. 72.4% of the patients were between 20 to 50 years of age. 66.2% of the cavitary lesions on the chest X-ray films were confined to the upper lung fields : 36.8% in the right upper lung field and 29.4% in the left upper lung field. 82.4% of the cavities were less than 40mm in their size, and 83.8% were less than 6mm thick. The cavitary lesions were closed in 48 cases and remained in 20 cases during a follow-up period of more than 12 months. The factors that are though to affect ot the outcomes of the cavities were age, past medication history, the number of unused drugs, and the number of sensitive drugs. CONCLUSION: In the treatment courses of pulmonary tuberculosis with cavitary lesions, the following factors are associated with less desirable outcome:an age over 45, a past medication history of more than 2 courses of treatment, The number of unused drugs not exceeding average 6 and the number of sensitive drugs not exceeding average 7.
Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitals, Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary* ; X-Ray Film

No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Hantaan virus* ; Humans*

The managements of fractures of femoral shaft in children differ in many ways from those in adults. Fourty eight cases of fractures of femoral shaft in children who were treated at Masan Korea General Hospital from March 1981 to February 1984 were analyzed both clinically and radiologically and the following results were obtained. l. Among 48 cases, the ratio of male and female was about 2.7:1 and the highest incidence was between the age of 3 and 8 years(52.1%). 2. The main cause of fracture was traffic accident(66.7%) and the other was falling or slip down injury. 3. Middle 1/3 of femoral shaft was most commonly injured(45.8%) and transverse type was common (41.7 %). 4. The common associated injuries were head injuries, fracture of the lower extremities and fracture of pelvis. 5. 43 cases were treated with traction method and 5 with open reduction and internal fixation. 6. In general, angulation at fracture site was under 10 degrees and no clinical deformity was resulted in. 7. Among 48 cases, overring of fractured fragment was occured in 28 cases and the average length of overring was 7.5mm.
Accidental Falls ; Adult ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Methods ; Pelvis ; Traction

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical and radiological results and to analyse the parapatellar complications after endoscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using central one-third bone-patellar tendon-bone autografts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 66 cases among 158 consecutive cases from Feb 1990 to May 1996 were reviewed and evaluated with regard to patellofemoral pain, crepitus, quadriceps atrophy, graft donor site complication, Lysholm knee scoring system and radiological assessment. The average period of follow up was 23 months (range, 12-57 months) and the average age at operation was 31 years old (range, 18-58 years). RESULTS: The average Lysholmn knee score improved from 57.5 points preoperatively to 91.3 points at follow up. The instrumented anterior laxity test showed that excellent anterior stability was regained in most patients. There were many cases of parapatellar complications, 7 cases (10.6%) of anterior knee pain, 21 cases (32.8%) of crepitus, 43 cases (65.1%) of quadriceps weakness, 29 cases (45.3%) of graft donor site paresthesia and 15 cases (23.4%) of pain on kneeling. CONCLUSIONS: Although endoscopic ACL reconstruction using central one-third bone-patellar tendon-bone autografts had good clinical results, many parapatellar complications were noted. In order to prevent these complications, different reconstruction techniques and graft materials should be considered
Adult ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; Atrophy ; Autografts* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Paresthesia ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

Twenty-two cases of idiopathic myocardiopathy were observed during the period of 1962 to 1971 and follow up clinical study was made in 5 cases. The criteria of diagnosis was based mainly on exclusive diagnosis in etiology unknown marked cardiomegaly. 1) Male and female ratio of idiopathic myocardiopathy was 1.1:1 and age of onset were distributed from first decade to fifth decade with similar number of cases. 2) Cardinal symptoms were dyspnea, palpitation, chest pain and cough. Common physical findings were protodiastolic gallop (in 2 cases), moist rales (in 3 cases) and hepatomegaly(in 3 cases). 3) Laboratory findings were normal except elevated T.T.T. in one case. 4) Electrocardiogram were abnormal in all cases. There were 3 cases of left ventricular hypertrophy, 3 cases of non-specific ST-T changes and one case of first degree A-V block, intraventricular conduction defect, abnormal Q wave and low valtage, respectively. 5) After medical treatment, symptoms were improved in 4 cases but heart size was reduced in only one case and E.C.G. abnormalities were unchanged in all cases.
Age of Onset ; Cardiomegaly ; Cardiomyopathies* ; Chest Pain ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Male ; Respiratory Sounds

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is well-known characteristic of pulmonary artery during the exposure of low O2 conditions. It has been demonstrated that hypoxia inhibits an outward K current, thus causing membrane depolarization and calcium influx through the voltage-dependent Ca channels in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Hypoxia induces a reducing condition within the cell. The change of the redox (reduction and oxidation) state in the cells can also modulate the kinetics of ion channels which is influential to membrane potential. Under the assumption that the reducing milieu during hypoxia inhibits the outward K current and vasodilation, we have studied the effects of redox state on the K currents in the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells of the rabbit using patch-clamp technique. The outward K current was induced by depolarization from holding potential -80 mV. A reducing agent dithiothreitol inhibited the outward K current, whereas an oxidizing agent dithio-bis (5-nitropyridine) potentiated it. The tetraethyl ammonium, a K channel blocker, mainly suppressed the inactivating component of the K current. Another blocker of voltage dependent K channel E4031 had no effect. This results suggest that the reducing state within the cell during hypoxia modulates the outward K current, which leads vasoconstriction through depolarization and Ca influx. This may be one of mechanisms of HPV in contrast to the other arteries of the body to dilate during low O2 tension.
Ammonium Compounds ; Anoxia ; Arteries ; Calcium ; Dithiothreitol ; Ion Channels ; Kinetics ; Membrane Potentials ; Membranes ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle* ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Pulmonary Artery ; Vasoconstriction* ; Vasodilation

No abstract available.
Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic*

BACKGROUND: Exercise-induced coronary spasm is occasionally recognized in patients with variant angina, but the patterns of exercise-induced coronary spasm and its relation to clinical features are still not clear. METHODS: Eight consecutive patients with variant angina without significant stenosis of the coronary artery performed serial treadmill exercise tests during early morning, late morning, and in the afternoon. The subjects repeated the tests after administration of atropine and doxazosin or phentolamine. RESULTS: (Upon drug administration), anginal episodes with ST-segment changes (elevation 5, depression 1) Occurred repeatedly in 6 of the 8 patients during early morning; the episodes occurred in only 2 patients during the afternoon exercise test. Four patients showed exercise-induced angina and ST-segment changes during early morning but not in the afternoon, and 2 of them showed mild episodes of exercise-induced angina and ST-segment changes during late morning. Three of the four patients had the characteristic clinical history of angina in early morning during usual activities but not during daytime activities despite the activities being more strenuous. Another 2 patients showed both exercise-induced ST-segment elevation and angina in early morning and afternoon, and they had the characteristic history of more episodes at night and in early morning but only occasionally in the daytime with or without relation to activity. One of the two patients showed intermittent ST-segment elevation during the exercise test. The other two patients had exercise-induced episodes neither in the early morning nor in the afternoon; they had a characteristic history of episodes only at night during sleep but never in the early morning nor in the daytime. Atropine did not suppress the exercise-induced angina in 4 of 5 patients studied. Doxazosin or phentolamine suppressed the exercise-induced episodes in 3 of 5 patients studied but aggravated spontaneous episodes in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that there's possibility of presence of different patterns of exercise-induced coronary spasm, which may be induced by different mechanisms from those in spontaneous episodes in patients with variant angina.
Atropine ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Vessels ; Depression ; Doxazosin ; Exercise Test ; Humans ; Phentolamine ; Spasm*

No abstract available.
Transplants*

BACKGROUND: A fully automated enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) analyzer, Enzymun System, ES-300 (Boehringer Mannheim, Germany) uses streptavidin technology and performs single test or panels of up to 12 tests per run. We evaluated the results of ES-300 for anti-HCV by comparing the results with microplate-EIA, radioimmunoassay (RIA), and confirmatory test. METHODS: Total 79 sera (51 positive, 24 negative, 4 indeterminate results confirmed by Lucky HCD Confirm) were analysed. ES-300 with Enzymun-Test(R) Anti-HCV (Boehringer Mannheim, Germany) and microplate-EIA (Green Cross Center Innotest HCV 3.0(R)) were used. Fifty one sera were examined additionally by 2nd-generation RIA method, NANBDINE 125C(General Biologicals Corp., R.O.C.). And all results were compared to the results of Lucky HCD Confirm. RESULTS: The overall concordance rate of ES-300 and Innotest(R) was 72/79 (91.1%). The results of Lucky HCD Confirm on seven discrepant samples were five negative and two indeterminate. The results of ES-300 and NANBDINE 125C showed concordance rate of 90.2%. The sensitivity and specificity of ES-300 with regard to Lucky HCD Confirm were 94.5%, and 87.5%, respectively, and that of Innotest(R) were 98.2% and 66.7%, respectively. Clear distinction of positive and negative results by signal/cut off ratio was available in both EIAs. The positive predictive values of ES-300 and Innotest(R) were 94.5%, and 87.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ES-300 showed relatively good results in sensitivity and positive predictive value with regard to confirmatory test. In EIA-positive persons, however, follow-up study would be necessary for reliable evaluation of HCV infection.
Humans ; Radioimmunoassay ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Streptavidin