No abstract available.
Heart* ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Thyroid Gland*

PURPOSE: Assessment of the diameters of the aortic arches in the human fetus may be helpful in the prenatal diagnosis of aortic arch anomalies. The purpose of this study is to construct valuable reference ranges of fetal aortic arch for various fetal growth parameters in an unselected Korean population. METHODS: A prospective, cross-sectional study was performed in 98 normal singleton fetuses between 20 and 38 weeks of gestation. The transverse aortic arch diameter (TAD) and distal aorta isthmus diameter (AID) were measured in the longitudinal view during systole. The bi-parietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC) and femur length (FL) were obtained at the same time. Ultrasound examinations were performed with a 2.0-6.0 MHz convex probe by abdominal ultrasound. RESULTS: TAD and AID as a function of gestational age (GA) was expressed by the regression equation TAD= -1.246+0.168 X GA, and AID = -1.341+0.180 X GA; TAD and AID are expressed in millimeters and GA in weeks. TAD and AID as a function of BPD was expressed by the regression equation TAD= -1.147+0.664 X BPD, and AID = -1.152+0.696 X BPD. TAD and AID as a function of HC was expressed by the regression equation TAD = -1.187+0.182 X HC, and AID = -1.350+0.198 X HC. TAD and AID as a function of AC was expressed by the regression equation TAD = -0.528+0.173 X AC, and AID = -0.533+0.183 X AC. TAD and AID as a function of FL was expressed by the regression equation TAD = -0.519+0.799 X FL, and AID = -0.601+0.860 X FL; BPD, HC, AC and FL are expressed in centimeters. Correlations were found to be highly statistically significant in relation to GA, BPD, HC, AC, and FL respectively (P<0.0001 in all). Normal mean of TAD and AID per GA, BPD, HC, AC and FL and 95% prediction limits were also defined, respectively. CONCLUSION: New reference ranges of fetal aortic arch related to other fetal bio-parameters representing fetal growth were obtained successfully. The normative date will be helpful in the prenatal accurate diagnosis of aortic anomalies and abnormal growth of fetal aortic arches in Korea.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Echocardiography ; Femur ; Fetal Development ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prospective Studies ; Reference Values ; Systole

No abstract available.
Stroke*

No abstract available.
Case-Control Studies* ; Health Promotion* ; Risk Factors*

No abstract available.
Gynecology* ; Laparoscopy*

X-linked ichthyosis is a hereditary dermatosis characterized by large dark and thick scaly skin of trunk, extremities, scalp and neck. Rare manifested ocular signs include scales on lid and lashes, corneal opacity, lens opacity, and peripheral retinal granular hyperpigmentation. The authors experienced a case of diffuse punctate corneal opacities observed in the deep stroma or pre- Descemet's layer which developed in a 12-year old male patient who visited our clinic complaining symtoms of itching and dark thick scales on trunk, extremities, and scalp since at birth a.nd diagnosed as X-linked ichthyosis by clinical and histologic features.
Cataract ; Child ; Corneal Opacity* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Ichthyosis* ; Male ; Neck ; Parturition ; Pruritus ; Retinaldehyde ; Scalp ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine prognostic factor affecting the mode of delivery in women with one previous low transverse cesarean section by comparing success group with failure group in Vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). METHODS: In this retrospective study, 79 patients with one previous low transverse cesarean section who attempted vaginal birth at Jeon-Ju Jesus Presbyterian hospital from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2007. Information was collected and analyzed to see if there is significant difference between success group and failure group in VBAC. and the significance was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: The VBAC success rate turned out to 88.6%. There was one case of uterine rupture which was associated with hypoxic -ischemic encephalopathy in neonate. But, there was no case of the fetal death or mother death. There were significant difference between two groups in gestational age, expected fetal body weight, cervical dilation, Bishop score, thickness of lower uterine segment. CONCLUSION: The prognostic factors on success of VBAC can be aid in deciding the mode of delivery after cesarean section. Patient being chosen under strict indication, can enhance the VBAC trial and success rate.
Cesarean Section ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Fetal Weight ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Lipids ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Protestantism ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds ; Retrospective Studies ; Uterine Rupture ; Vaginal Birth after Cesarean

No abstract available.
Heart Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: Patients with breast cancer may exhibit signs of psychological distress upon initial diagnosis of cancer. Previous studies have reported that depressive symptoms in the patients with breast cancer may have a harmful effect on their prognosis. Psychological characteristics of patients with depressive symptoms were investigated, comparing them to those of patients without depressive symptoms. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients initially diagnosed with breast cancer were recruited from the Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital. The psychological symptoms of the patients were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Montgomery- Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Self-Awareness Scale. Their mental coping was assessed using the Korean Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale (KMAC) and their health-related quality of life was assessed with the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36). The cut-off points of BDI and MADRS of the depressed subgroup were 13 and 10, respectively. Psychological characteristics of depressed patients were compared with non-depressed patients. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 13.0 packages. RESULTS: Sociocultural variables, including age, education year and cancer stage, were not different between the two patient groups. The depressed group showed significantly higher state-anxiety and lower trait-anxiety and positive selfawareness scores compared to the non-depressed group. In the SF-36 Health Survey, the depressed group showed a significantly lower mental health component score of fightingspirit factor, in addition to a higher score of anxious-preoccupation factor in the KMAC compared to those of the nondepressed group. CONCLUSION: When patients were diagnosed with breast cancer, depressed patients may suffer from a poorer quality of mental health and more psychological suffering. This suffering can lead to maladaptive compliance in following treatment. Therefore, depressive symptoms need to be investigated and managed at the initial step of breast cancer.
Anxiety ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Compliance ; Depression ; Health Surveys ; Heart ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Stress, Psychological

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This meta-analysis compared the effects of amlodipine besylate, a charged dihydropyridine-type calcium channel blocker (CCB), with other non-CCB antihypertensive therapies regarding the cardiovascular outcome. METHODS: Data from seven long-term outcome trials comparing the cardiovascular outcomes of an amlodipine-based regimen with other active regimens were pooled and analyzed. RESULTS: The risk of myocardial infarction was significantly decreased with an amlodipine-based regimen compared with a non-CCB-based regimen (odds ratio [OR], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 0.99; p = 0.03). The risk of stroke was also significantly decreased (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.90; p < 0.00001). The risk of heart failure increased slightly with marginal significance for an amlodipine-based regimen compared with a non-CCB-based regimen (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.98 to 1.31; p = 0.08). However, when compared overall with beta-blockers and diuretics, amlodipine showed a comparable risk. Amlodipine-based regimens demonstrated a 10% risk reduction in overall cardiovascular events (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.99; p = 0.02) and total mortality (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91 to 0.99; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Amlodipine reduced the risk of total cardiovascular events as well as all-cause mortality compared with non-CCB-based regimens, indicating its benefit for high-risk cardiac patients.
Amlodipine/*therapeutic use ; Antihypertensive Agents/*therapeutic use ; Blood Pressure/*drug effects ; Calcium Channel Blockers/*therapeutic use ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Heart Failure/etiology/mortality/*prevention & control ; Humans ; Hypertension/complications/diagnosis/*drug therapy/mortality/physiopathology ; Myocardial Infarction/etiology/mortality/*prevention & control ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors ; Stroke/etiology/mortality/*prevention & control ; Treatment Outcome