This study was undertaken to investigate mineral changes in weathered scalp hair after burial. EDX (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) analysis was performed to measure the presence of minerals on the hair surface. Twelve scalp hairs, buried for 5-40 years, were chosen from deceased individuals buried in tombs in Soha-Ri, Kyonggi-Do, and other regions in Korea. Three normal hairs were used as the control group. EDX data showed that carbon, oxygen, and sulfur were detected in hair collected from all three burial grounds. In contrast, calcium was only detected in hair collected from tombs in Soha-ri. The amounts of calcium and sulfur were found to decrease with time for hair collected from tombs in Soha-ri. Similar results were observed with sodium for hair collected from other regions. These results show region specific mineral detection and a decrease in the concentration of minerals with time. Consequently, it is suggested that changes in minerals concentration in weathered hair could be used as basic data in the field of forensic medicine.
Burial ; Calcium ; Carbon ; Forensic Medicine ; Forensic Sciences ; Hair ; Humans ; Korea ; Minerals ; Oxygen ; Scalp ; Sodium ; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission ; Sulfur ; Weather

Craniofacial dysostosis, a well defined. rare syndrome first described by Crouzon in 1912, characteristically shows frontal bosses, prognathism, exophthalmos, exotropia, optic nerveatrophy and maxillary hypoplasia. Three cases of familial occurrence are presented, and according to their history, 11 of 13 members in 5 generations of their family are suspected to have been afflicted. A brief review of related literature is described.
Craniofacial Dysostosis* ; Exophthalmos ; Exotropia ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Prognathism

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Use of custom tray and tray adhesive is clinically recommended for elastomeric impression material. However there is not clear mention of drying time of tray adhesive in achieving appropriate bonding strength of tray material and impression material. PURPOSE: This study is to investigate an appropriate drying time of tray adhesives by evaluating tensile bonding strength between two types of polyvinylsiloxane impression materials and resin tray, according to various drying time intervals of tray adhesives, and with different manufacturing company combination of impression material and tray adhesive. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adhesives used in this study were Silfix (Dentsply Caulk, Milford, Del, USA) and VPS Tray Adhesive (3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany) and impression materials were Aquasil Ultra (monophase regular set, Dentsply Caulk, Milford, Del, USA) and Imprint II Garant (regular body, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany). They were used combinations from the same manufacture and exchanged combinations of the two. The drying time was designed to air dry, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, and 25 minutes. Total 240 of test specimens were prepared by auto-polymerizing tray material (Instant Tray Mix, Lang, Wheeling, Il, USA) with 10 specimens in each group. The specimens were placed in the Universal Testing machine (Instron, model 3366, Instron Corp, University avenue, Nowood, MA, USA) to perform the tensile test (cross head speed 5 mm/min). The statistically efficient drying time was evaluated through ANOVA and Scheffe test. All the tests were performed at 95% confidence level. RESULTS: The results revealed that at least 10 minutes is needed for Silfix-Aquasil, and 15 minutes for VPS Tray Adhesive-Imprint II, to attain an appropriate tensile bonding strength. VPS Tray Adhesive-Imprint II had a superior tensile bonding strength when compared to Silfix-Aquasil over 15 minutes. Silfix-Aquasil had a superior bonding strength to VPS Tray Adhesive-Aquasil, and VPS Tray Adhesive-Imprint II had a superior tensile bonding strength to Silfix-Imprint II at all drying periods. CONCLUSION: Significant increase in tensile bonding strength with Silfix-Aquasil and VPS Tray adhesive-Imprint II combination until 10 and 15 minutes respectively. Tray adhesive-impression material combination from the same company presented higher tensile bonding strength at all drying time intervals than when using tray adhesive-impression material of different manufactures.
Adhesives ; Collodion ; Dental Impression Materials ; Elastomers ; Head ; Polymers ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Polyvinyls ; Siloxanes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of bioactive glass and natural coral on the human periodontal ligament fibroblast(HPLF) behaviors during the regeneration process of peridontium. To determine the cellular events occuring in the presence of the particles of bioactive glass and natural coral, HPLF were isolated from healthy premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic treatment. Cells were cultured in alphaMEM at 37degrees C, 5% CO2, 95% humidity incubator. Bioactive glass and natural coral were powdered, and each particled(<40micrometer) were placed on the cultured cells at the concentration of 0.3mg/ml, and l,0mg/ml for experimental group. In control group no particles were added. And each group was evaluated by examining the cell morphology under phase-contrast micrograph at 4 day and transmission electron micrograph(TEM) and scanning electron micrograph(SEM) at 14 day, alkaline phosphatase activity at 5 and 9 day, protain synthesis at 4 day, DNA synthesis at 1, 2, 3 and 4 day, cell proliferation at 1, 3, 5,7 and 9 day and the formation of bone nodule at 30 day after culturing all groups in mineralizing supplemented mediun. No significant changes in cell morphology by adding these two matirials were found under phase contrast microscopy and TEM, HPLF phagocytocized each particles suggesting that HPLF is involved in the process of resorbing each particles and that bioactive glass were more biocompatible than natural coral. The ALPase activity of bioactive glass 0.3 mg/ml was similar with control groups and all the rests of control groups were significantly low(P<0.01) indicating a transient dedifferentiation of HPLF in the presence of bioactive glass and natural coral particles. There were no significant differences of protein synthesis between all groups. The DNA synthesis in experimental groups were significantly lower than control groups at 1, 2 and 3 day (P<0.01) but became similar to control groups at 4 day. Between control groups, the DNA synthesis in bioactive glass 0.3mg/ml group was significantly higher than other groups(P (0.01). Cell proliferation in natural coral 1.0mg/ml and bioactive glass l.0mg/ml groups were significantly lower than control group at 3 day(P(0.05) and there were no differences at 5, 7, 9 day. There were more bone nodule formation in experimental groups than in control groups. In conclusion, these results indicated that bioactive glass and natural coral have some effects of a transient dedifferentiation on HPLF and regeneration of periodontal tissues, however any significant cytotoxic effect on HPLF by these two particles were not found.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Anthozoa* ; Bicuspid ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; DNA ; Glass* ; Humans ; Humidity ; Incubators ; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast ; Periodontal Ligament* ; Regeneration ; Tooth

PURPOSE: Febrile seizure(FS) is the most common form of epileptic syndrome in pediatrics and known to have benign clinical course. In regard of febrile status epilepticus, however, there remains controversy about whether acute cerebral injury or neurological deficit can ensue and whether it can ultimately lead to intractable medial temporal lobe epilepsy secondary to mesial temporal sclerosis and hippocampal atrophy. We performed this study to determine the general clinical characteristics and prognoses in patients with febrile status epilepticus(FSE). METHODS: The FSE group was 20 children who developed status epilepticus after FS and admitted to the department of Pediatrics, Kang-Nam Sacred Heart hospital, Hallym university, from February, 1997 to February, 2001, while the FS group was 153 children who were admitted for the first episode of FS at the same period. We retrospectively analyzed the patients' charts for the clinical status at the time of diagnosis and in the follow-up period after discharge. In case of follow-up loss, we tried to contact the family by telephone. RESULTS: We found no statistically significant difference in etiology, patients' age, prior history of neurological abnormality, family history of epilepsy, seizure type, duration and degree of fever between the two groups. MRI scannings showed negative results of the all patients. Only one patient from each group showed abnormality in EEG, which was not statistically significant. In the analysis after the diagnosis, no death and one patient with mild weakness in the right arm was found among the FSE group. Among 153 patients of FS group, no death or postictal decline in cognitive and motor function was found. CONCLUSION: We found no significant differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis between the FSE and FS group, but small sample size and short follow up period necessitates further study with more patients and longer follow up in order to verify the relationship between the FS and intractable temporal lobe epilepsy
Arm ; Atrophy ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pediatrics ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sample Size ; Sclerosis ; Seizures ; Seizures, Febrile ; Status Epilepticus* ; Telephone

Placement of an endoprosthesis for palliative decompression of biliary obstruction has been advocated as an effective alternative for interanl-external drainage catheters, of which the care and psychological impact of the external segment protruded through the skin has been a difficult problem. (continue...)
Catheters ; Decompression ; Drainage* ; Skin

With the recent increase of coronary artery disease in Korea, coronary arteriography israpidly gaining importance as a diagnostic procedure in the management of ischemic heart disease in this country. In order to delineate normal angiographic anatomy of the coronary arteries in Korean adults, the author reviewed 63 normal or near normal coronary angiograms out of 113 consecutive cases done at the cardiac laboratory of Yonsei University Severance Hospital from February, 1976 through September, 1982 and obtained the following results. 1) The diameter of the main stems of the left and the right coronary arteries measured 2.7-6.3mm(mean, 4.0mm) and 2.1-6.0mm(mean, 3.6mm) respectively, and the length of the left main stem measured 0-23mm(mean, 9.3mm). 2) The conus branch was visualized to originate from the proximal right coronary artery in 50 cases(79.4%), and in the other 13(20.6%) in whom the conus branch was not visualized, it was assumed to have a separate ostium directly from the aortic root. 3) The sinus node artery originated from the right coronary artery in 35 cases(55.5%) and from the left circumflex 20(31.7%). The remaining 8 cases(12.7%) appeared to have dual blood supply. 4) The artery to the A-V node arose from the proximal part of the posterior descending artery as a branch of the right coronary artery in 59 cases(93.7%) and of the left circumflex in only 4(6.3%), and the pattern of the A-V node blood supply coincided with the dominancy(crossing the crux of the heart and giving rise to the posterior descending artery) of the right or the left circumflex arteries. 5) In 33 cases(52.4%), both of the arteries to the SA and the AV nodes arose from the right coronary, and in 19(30.2%), the SA node artery came from the right, whereas the AV node artery originated from the left circumflex. 6) The number of ramifications(furcation) of the main left coronary artery was two in 53 cases(83.1%), three in 9(14.3%), and four in 1(1.6%). 7) The number of diagnoal branches of the left anterior descending artery was one in 34 cases(54%), two in 28(44.4%) and 3 in 1(1.6%).
Adult* ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Atrioventricular Node ; Conus Snail ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Ischemia

No abstract available.
Macrophages, Alveolar* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*

Anisakiasis refers to the infestation of humans by species of marine nematode larvae belonging to the subfamily Anisakiae. An acute abdominal symptom may occur after ingestion of raw marine fish containing nematode larvae of the genus Anisakis. Migration of the parasite into the wall of gtomach, small intestine or, less commomly, the colon elicits a striking eosinophilic granulomatous tissue response. A 39 year old man was visited St. Vincent Hospital because of abdominal distension and tenderness. The plain abdominal X-ray showed ileus pattern suggesting intestinal obstruction. Hence we presented a case of intestinal Anisakiasis combined with intstinal obstruction.
Adult ; Anisakiasis* ; Anisakis ; Colon ; Eating ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Ileus ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intestine, Small ; Larva ; Parasites ; Strikes, Employee

Minicore myopathy, an uncommon condition, is one of congenital myopathies. It is characterized by multifocal areas of degeneration in muscle fibers. The minicores consist of numerous small areas of decreased oxidative enzyme activity. The axis of the lesion is perpendicular or parallel to the long axis of the muscle fiber. The phenotype has been described as predominantly proximal, static or only slowly progressive muscle weakness. We report a 4 year-old-girl with respiratory failure, thoracic scoliosis, hypotonia and facial weakness, who was diagnosed as minicore myopathy by muscle biopsy. The laboratory investigations, such as creatine phosphokinase and lactic dehydrogenase levels, and the nerve conduction velocity were normal. The muscle biopsy showed marked size variations of myofibers, marked endomyseal and perimyseal fibrosis, and moderate fatty changes in myofibers. The histochemical studies showed multiple focal losses of mitochondria. These findings are consistent with minicore type congenital myopathy.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Biopsy ; Child ; Creatine Kinase ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Mitochondria ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscular Diseases* ; Neural Conduction ; Oxidoreductases ; Phenotype ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Scoliosis