PURPOSE: Although eosinophilia is a common laboratory finding in many neonatal intensive care units (ICUs), its causative mechanisms remain obscure. We aimed to determine the causes of eosinophilia in the neonatal ICU environment. METHODS: Serial eosinophil counts were determined weekly for 288 hospitalized, appropriately grown neonates. Infants were divided into four groups according to gestational age, and the incidence and etiologic factors of eosinophilia were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Absolute eosinophilia (>700/mm3) was documented in 18% (52/288) of neonates. Twenty-two infants (42.3%) exhibited mild eosinophilia (700-999 cells/mm3), 27 (51.9%) exhibited moderate eosinophilia (1,000-2,999 cells/mm3), and 3 (5.8%) exhibited severe eosinophilia (>3,000 cells/mm3). Of the 288 infants studied, 54 suffered sepsis. Thirty of these 54 infants (55.6%) showed eosinophilia, and 22 out of the remaining 234 infants (9%) without sepsis showed eosinophilia, indicating that eosinophilia was more prevalent in the sepsis group (P <0.05). All 5 infants suffering from bronchopulmonary dysplasia showed eosinophilia, and 47 out of the remaining 283 infants (16.7%) without bronchopulmonary dysplasia showed eosinophilia. Thus, eosinophilia was more prevalent in the bronchopulmonary dysplasia group (P <0.05). Furthermore, increased prevalence of eosinophilia was associated with respiratory distress syndrome, ventilator use, blood transfusion, and total parenteral nutrition (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that eosinophilia is influenced by sepsis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, although it can also occur idiopathically at birth. Moreover, the potential role of eosinophils in conditions such as wound healing and fibrosis in sepsis or chronic lung disease may be a cause of eosinophilia.
Blood Transfusion ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Fibrosis ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Lung Diseases ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total ; Parturition ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Stress, Psychological ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Wound Healing

A male baby with intrauterine growth retardation had a short neck, small hands and feet, hypospadia, both grade I hydronephrosis, type II atrial septal defect, and moderate valvular pulmonary stenosis. The routine chromosome and banding analyses revealed a 46,XY,rec(8)del(8)(p21)dup(8) (q24.1)inv(8)(p21q24.1)pat chromosome constitution. His mother has normal chromosomes, but the father had 46,XY,inv(8)(p21q24.1). Also his uncle had an inv(8) chromosome constitution. We used lymphocytes and examined 40 mitotic cells. All mitotic cells showed deletion of 8p21-->pter and duplication of 8q24.1-->qter. Because 8p21 involves secretion of macrophage and lymphocyte against cancer cells, long-term follow-up for cancer will be needed.
Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8 ; Constitution and Bylaws ; Fathers ; Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Foot ; Hand ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Hypospadias ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Male ; Mothers ; Neck ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Trisomy

No abstract available.
Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Radiosurgery*

BACKGROUND: Remifentanil could require an appropriate pain strategy to prevent unacceptable pain in the postoperative period. We investigated the effect of perioperative ketamine for nociception and remifentanil hyperalgesia after gastrectomy when we used intraoperative remifentanil infusion for hemodynamic control. METHODS: Eighty patients scheduled for gastrectomy were randomly included in this trial. In control group (C), patients received normal saline. In ketamine group (K), patients received ketamine perioperatively. In remifentanil group (R), patients received remifentanil during operation. In remifentanil and ketamine group (RK) patients received remifentanil intraoperatively and ketamine perioperatively. Hemodynamic indexes were recorded during anesthesia. Visual analogue scale (VAS), cumulative analgesic requirement, and side effects were recorded during 36 h after operation. RESULTS: The requirement of vasodepressants was significantly increased in C and K group. Morphine consumption and agitation were significantly increased in R group at the postanesthetic recovery room. The analgesic demand of R group was greater than that in other groups. The VAS scores of K group were significantly lower than those of other groups at the ward. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative use of remifentanil with sevoflurane may be related to increased pain during early postanesthetic period. Perioperative low-dose ketamine decreased intraoperative remifentanil use and postoperative morphine consumption without increasing the incidence of side effects.
Anesthesia ; Dihydroergotamine ; Gastrectomy ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hyperalgesia ; Incidence ; Ketamine ; Methyl Ethers ; Morphine ; Nociception ; Pain, Postoperative ; Piperidines ; Postoperative Period ; Recovery Room

OBJECTIVE: We investigate risk factors of cerebral microbleeds(MBs) and their relation to concomitant magnetic resonance (MR) findings in intracerebral hemorrhages(ICHs) patients. METHODS: We studied 100 consecutive patients with primary ICH over a 1-year period. These patients underwent brain MR images using 3.0-T scanners within the first week of the hemorrhage. MBs and old hematomas were located and counted by using T2*-weighted gradient-echo MR imaging. We also counted lacunes and graded white matter and periventricular hyperintensity on T1- and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences. The association between MBs and vascular risk factors and MR abnormalities were analyzed. RESULTS: MBs were seen in 77 of ICH patients, and their number ranged from 1 to 65 lesions (mean 11, median 6). The locations of MBs were subcortex-cortex (40.6%), basal ganglia (26.7%), thalamus (14.1%), brain stem (12.5%), and cerebellum (9.1%). Analysis of clinical data revealed that age, hypertension, history of stroke, and duration of hypertension were frequently associated with MBs. The incidence of lacunes, old hematomas, and advanced leukoaraiosis was significantly higher in the MBs group, compared with the patients without MBs. CONCLUSION: MBs are frequently observed in ICH patients with advancing age, chronic hypertension, and previous hemorrhagic stroke, and are also closely related with morphological signs of occlusive type microangiopathy, such as lacunar infarct and severe leukoaraiosis.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Brain Stem ; Cerebellum ; Cerebral Hemorrhage* ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Leukoaraiosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; Stroke, Lacunar ; Thalamus

No abstract available.
Anesthesia, Intravenous* ; Humans ; Propofol* ; Respiration*

PURPOSE: Heart rate variability (HRV) is a tool used to measure autonomic nervous function; however, there is no evidence that it can be used to define sympathetic hyperactivity in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). We suspected that LUTS would differ between sympathetic hyperactive and hypoactive patients. Therefore, we measured HRV and divided the LUTS patients into two groups, a sympathetic hyperactive group and a sympathetic hypoactive group according to the low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio and made clinical comparisons between the groups. METHODS: A total of 43 patients with symptomatic LUTS (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS] over 8) and 49 healthy volunteers were enrolled. No subjects had diseases that could affect the autonomic nervous system, such as diabetes or hypertension. Electrocardiographic signals were obtained from subjects in the resting state and HRV indexes were calculated with spectral analyses. We divided the LUTS patients into two groups by an LF/HF ratio of 1.9, which was the median value in the healthy volunteers, and compared the differences in clinical characteristics, IPSS, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) results. The parameters were compared by independent sample t-test by use of SPSS ver. 19. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in age, serum PSA, or volume of the prostate between the 2 LUTS groups. However, analyzing IPSS questionnaires between two groups showed that there were significant differences in mean of Q2 score (frequency) and storage symptom score ([Q2+Q4+Q7]/3) (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that an imbalance of autonomic nervous system activity may be a factor that evokes varieties of symptoms in men with LUTS. LUTS patients with hypoactive sympathetic tone may suffer from frequency and storage symptoms.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Hyperplasia

Fentanyl-induced muscular rigidity has been reported exclusively in patients when large fentanyl dosages were employed in the operating room or in the pediatric intensive care unit. Rigidity and pulmonary edema after analgesic doses of fentanyl had not been reported previously. A 25-year-old man underwent removal of a foreign body and application of an Ilizarov frame of tibia under general anesthesia. The patient received 100 microg of fentanyl during emergence of anesthesia and the procedure of dressing. On arrival to the anesthetic recovery room, the patient presented with muscular rigidity and about 1 hour later, developed pulmonary edema. The notable predisposing factors were rapid injection of fentanyl and history of treatment with antidepressants and haloperidol, modifiers of serotonin and dopamine levels. From this case, we suggest the need for careful observation for the development of muscle rigidity complicating airway management in patients taking antidepressants and antipsychotics, especially after administration of an analgesic dose of fentanyl.
Adult ; Airway Management ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Antidepressive Agents ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Bandages ; Dopamine ; Fentanyl ; Foreign Bodies ; Haloperidol ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Muscle Rigidity ; Operating Rooms ; Pulmonary Edema ; Recovery Room ; Serotonin ; Tibia

Radial tunnel syndrome is a rare disorder and it's symptoms sometimes so closely overlap those lateral epicondylitis, causing difficulties to differentiate. A 39-year-old man was presented who had a 2.5-year history of right elbow and forearm pain which was unseccesfully treated as 'tennis elbow'. Clinically, severe tender point over the forearm was relieved after a local anesthetic injection. Axial STIR(short tau inversion recovery) image showed high signal intensity at the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis, which was so minimal that it was not comparable to clinical symptoms. But radial nerve was revealed normal. So we decided that the symptoms were caused not by lateral epicondylitis but rather by radial tunnel sybdrome and an operation was performed. In the operative field, the most proximal part of the superficial head of the supinator muscle was tendinous and formed a fibrous arch, which was resected. After the operation, the right arm pain was relieved. This is a case diagnosed as lateral epicondylitis which showed no improvement under conservative treatment, but improved after a local anesthetic injection on the tender point. When a case with no correlations between lateral epicondylitis degree in MRI and clinical symptoms, one should take the possibility of radial tunnel syndrome into consideration.
Adult ; Arm ; Elbow ; Forearm ; Head ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Radial Nerve

OBJECTIVES: The present study was performed to verify the validity and value of 4th revision of Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS-R4) as an assessment tool in a Korean-language version (SQLS-R4K). METHODS: The subjects for present study were 174 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia as defined by DSM-IV. The SQLS-R4K was administered together with self-report Korean version of World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) to assess validity. A subset of respondents also completed the SQLS-R4K for a second time to assess test-retest reliability. To evaluate the relationship SQLS-R4K and clinical characteristics, psychotic symptoms and general functioning were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF) score respectively. RESULTS: All the scales of SQLS-R4K showed good internal consistency reliability. The correlations of items with their scale total revealed that all items were significantly correlated with their own scale score. In test-retest reliability, paired t-tests indicated that responses did not alter significantly between the two assessment. There was moderate correlation between WHOQOL-BREF sub-scores and SQLS-R4K score total. Also relevant correlations between PANSS, current GAF and SQLS-R4K were proved. CONCLUSION: From the results of the testing the reliability and validity of the SQLS-R4K, it is concluded that the SQLS-R4K is a simple and reliable scale for measuring quality of life in schizophrenic patients.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Schizophrenia* ; Weights and Measures ; World Health Organization