The safety and efficacy of the CO2laser as a replacement for the steel scalpel is well documented in plastic surgery, but the use of the laser blepharoplasty has been controversy. This study compares and contrasts the use of the CO2 laser with conventional method in cosmetic upper eyelid blepharoplasty. Thirteen Patients underwent blepharoplasty in a paired comparison study. Four patients(Group A) underwent blepharoplasty by laser, another four patients (Group B) underwent blepharoplasty by conventional method, and the other five patients(Group C) underwent upper eyelid blepharoplasty using the laser on one eye and a conventional method on the other side. Preoperative factor(set up time, equipment), intraoperative factor(actual operation time, bleeding, visibility), postoperative factor(swelling, ecchymosis, immediate & short term result) were evaluated. The advantage of using the CO2 laser rather than the steel scalpel in blepharoplasty are less bleeding and superior intraoperative visibility. The disadvantage of using the laser compared with steel scalpel include the cost of purchasing and maintaining the laser equipment, the need for additional and extensive laser training for surgeons and assistants, and the need for two assistants rather than the one needed for scalpel surgery There were no complications with either the scalpel or the laser.
Bleeding Time ; Blepharoplasty* ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Ecchymosis ; Eyelids* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lasers, Gas* ; Matched-Pair Analysis ; Steel ; Surgery, Plastic

For many years the standard surgical treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome has been division of the transverse carpal ligament under direct vision through a palm incision. Although the effectiveness and Patient acceptability of the conventional open carpal tunnel release are good, disability from a painful palm cutaneous neuroma, and prolonged swelling are reported Endoscopic carpal tunnel release seems to result in less postoperative morbidity, and minimal serious complications. Because endoscopic carpal tunnel release leaves the overlying skin, the subcutaneous fat and the palmer fascia and its attachments to the thenar and hypothenar musculature intact its proponents maintain that their patient have less scar tenderness, quicker recovery of grip strength, and earlier to return activities of daily living and work The endoscopic approach(Agee single portal technique), which includes specific localization of the hook of hamate, flexor retinaculum and the superficial palmar arch utilizing topographical landmarks, avoids entry into Guyon's canal and common digital nerves. We experienced four cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. In four cases, patients with carpal tunnel syndrome have been performed endoscopic carpal tunnel release with minor complication.
Activities of Daily Living ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome ; Cicatrix ; Fascia ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Neuroma ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat

A clinical study was made on 131 cases of urinary lithiasis among the total number of 5.017 out-patients during the 5 years from April 1961 to March 1966, and 100 urinary calculi, safely reserved during the same period in our Department, were analyzed by a chemical method. The results were as following: 1. The incidence of urinary calculi was 2.6 per cent male to female ratio being approximately 5.5:1. 2. Over half the cases of urinary calculi in the Kyungpuk district were found in the Taegu area. The seasonal incidence was common in summer. 3. The age of the patients ranged from 20 to 40 years in approximately two thirds of all cases. 4. The location of the urinary calculi was in the ureter in 46.6 per cent, kidney, bladder, and urethra in that order of frequency. 5. The most favored predirection of ureteral stone was lower third of ureter in approximately 47.5 per cent of all cases. 6. In a number of urinary calculi in each location 87.8 per cent was single, the most common size, below 0.4 cm, in its diameter, and weight, 0.5gm. below on 33 cases. 7. The clinical symptoms of upper urinary tract lithiasis showed flank pain in 92.1 per cent, hematuria 30.1 per cent, and generalized weakness 9.8 percent as well as in lower urinary tract, painful urination in 100 per cent, urinary frequency 38.1 percent and hematuria 35.9 per cent. 8. The microscopic hematuria showed in 88.5 per cent, the incidence of it was higher in lower urinary tract calculi, and pyuria was revealed in 26. 7 per cent. 9. Ureterolithotomy was performed on 29 cases among the 75 cases requiring surgical intervention. 10. The results of qualitative analysis of 100 urinary calculi showed a mixed type of calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate in 41 percent of the cases. The major component of urinary calculi was calcium phosphate-oxalate. 11. The relationship between chemical components of calculi and urinary tract shored calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate more in upper urinary tract, and calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate more in lower urinary tract.
Calcium ; Calcium Carbonate ; Calcium Oxalate ; Calculi ; Daegu ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Lithiasis ; Male ; Outpatients ; Pyuria ; Seasons ; Ureter ; Urethra ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Calculi ; Urinary Tract ; Urination ; Urolithiasis*

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the biodurability of the covering material in retrievable metallic stents covered with polycarbonate polyurethane. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a peristaltic pump at a constant rate of 1ml/min, bile was recirculated from a reservoir through a long tube containing four stents. Each of these was removed from the system every two weeks and a radial tensile strength test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. Each stent, removed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, was compared with a control stent not exposed to bile juice. RESULTS: Gross examination showed that stents were intact at 2 weeks, but at 4, 6 and 8 weeks cracks were observed. The size of these increased gradually in accordance with the duration of exposure, and at 8 weeks several large holes in the polyurethane membrane were evident. With regard to radial tensile strength, extension and peak load at break were 84.47% and 10.030 N/mm, 54.90% and 6.769 N/mm, 16.55% and 2.452 N/mm, 11.21% and 1.373 N/mm at 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy at 2 weeks revealed intermittent pitting and cracking, and examination at 4, 6 and 8 weeks showed that the size of these defects was gradually increasing. CONCLUSION: When the polyurethane membrane was exposed to bile, biodegradation was first observed at week two and increased gradually according to the duration of exposure.
Bile Acids and Salts/physiology ; Biodegradation ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning/*instrumentation ; Phantoms, Imaging ; *Polyurethanes ; *Stents ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tensile Strength ; Time Factors

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cell Transplantation/trends ; Confucianism ; Graft Rejection ; Humans ; Korea ; Organ Transplantation/trends ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Transplantation, Heterologous/adverse effects/*trends

Various studies have been performed to identify change in the constituents of aqueous humor which was suggested either as a factor for fibroblast proliferation causing glaucoma filtering bleb failure or as a factor for the pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma. This study was designed to investigate change of aqueous humor composition after long-term topical antiglaucoma medication. After 16-week instillation of pilocarpine 4% and Betagan(TM) in ten rabbits, aqueous humor was obtained from eight control and eight experimental eyes. Protein bands were identified by SDS-PAGE and gold staining techniques. The density and distribution of these protein bands was significantly different between the two groups. The result of this study may give help for future study of pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma and causes of high failure rate after glaucoma filtration surgery in patients on chronic topical antiglaucoma medication.
Aqueous Humor* ; Blister ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Fibroblasts ; Filtering Surgery ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Pilocarpine ; Rabbits*

BACKGROUND: There are very few studies on change in body composition after smoking cessation. The purpose of our study was to assess the change in body composition as well as body weight after smoking cessation in men. METHODS: The subjects were 203 men who had received health examination from May in 2000 to April in 2001 on their first visit, and then from May in 2001 to May in 2002 on their second visit, at the department of family medicine of a university hospital. They were divided into groups of non-smokers, current smokers, and former smokers by smoking status. Their past medical history, obesity indexes, smoking status, physical activity, and nutrition intake were reviewed. Body composition of the study subjects was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, nutrition intake, and physical activity as confounding factors, former smokers' body weight was significantly increased by 1.8+/-0.4 kg on second visit compared to non-smokers and current smokers. There was a significant difference in body muscle change between first and second visit, but not in body fat change among former smokers. Former smokers' body fat and muscle were significantly increased by 0.9+/-0.3 kg and 0.8+/-0.4 kg, respectively, compared to non-smokers. Former smokers' waist circumference was significantly increased by 2.5+/-0.7 cm on second visit compared with non-smokers and current smokers. CONCLUSION: In former smokers, body weight was increased by 1.8 kg after smoking cessation, which was attributed to increase of body muscle as well as body fat. Compared with non-smokers, former smokers' body muscle and fat were significantly increased on second visit.
Adipose Tissue ; Body Composition* ; Body Weight* ; Electric Impedance ; Humans ; Male* ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Waist Circumference

Spinal arteriovenous malformations(AVMs) and aneurysms should be suspected when patient present with subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracranial source has not been identified with neurologic findings attributable to the spinal cord. We report a case of subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) with ruptured spinal artery aneurysm associated with spinal cord AVM in 37-year old man who presented with sudden loss of consciousness with paraplegia. The result of CT-head arteriography of the brain was SAH with intraventricular hemorrhage but no intracranial aneurysm was identified. Spinal angiography revealed a cervical spinal cord AVM supplied by anterior spinal artery with an aneurysm in the feeder. The treatment of the spinal cord AVM was performed with liquid coil embolic agent, polyvinylacetylate(PVAc) and feeding artery aneurysm was treated with Guglielmi detachable coils(GDCs).
Adult ; Aneurysm* ; Angiography ; Arteries* ; Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Brain ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paraplegia ; Spinal Cord* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage* ; Unconsciousness

BACKGROUND: Coal-worker's pneumoconiosis(CWP) is characterized by a chronic inflammatory lung reaction associated with macrophage accumulation in the alveolar spaces. CWP is usually divided into two stages : simpl e pneumoconiosis(SP) where there are a limited number of fibrotic lesions remain limited, with radiological opacities smaller than 1cm and progressine massive fibrosis(PMF), which is characterized by the development of a perifocal extensive fibrotix response of the lung and severws alterations in pulmonary function. In this study, the lymphocyte compartment and cytokine were evaluated by measuring the serum levels in the control, SP and PMF groups. METHODS: The coal workers selected for this study were employees(patients?) of the Tae-Baek and Dong-Hae hospital. All were men, 45-76 years old and the mean duration of their exposure to coal dust was 23.2 years in the lymphocyte compartment and 24.3 years in the cytokine checked group. According to the X-ray examination results, the patients were classified into either one of the SP, PMF categories. The normal controls examnied were 26-70 years old men. The serum cytokine levels were estimated by using an end point enzyme immunoassay technique. RESULTS: T lymphocyte, helper and suppressor T cells were highly related to pneumoconiosis in this study. A statistically significant decrease in the number of suppressor T lymphocytes was observed in this simple pneumoconiosis patients and at the same time, there was an increase in the lymphocyte index. However, there was no statistically defference in the serum cytokines levels among the SP, PMF and control groups. CONCLUSION: T lymphocyte, helper T, and suppressor T cells may be highly related to the development of CWP compared to the control group particularly in the early stage of pneumoconiosis. The changes obseved in the immunological system in patients with pneumoconiosis may lie at the bottom of the pathogenesis of fibrosis. Further study is needed to evaluated the lymphocyte compartment as a marker of pneumoconiosis developement in the early stage.
Anthracosis* ; Coal* ; Cytokines ; Dust ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Lung ; Lymphocytes* ; Macrophages ; Male ; Pneumoconiosis ; T-Lymphocytes

BACKGROUND: Glucose toxicity that is caused by chronic exposure to a high glucose concentration leads to islet dysfunction and induces apoptosis in pancreatic beta-cells. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been identified as an anti-apoptotic and cytoprotective gene. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether HO-1 up-regulation when using metalloprotophyrin (cobalt protoporphyrin, CoPP) could protect pancreatic beta-cells from high glucose-induced apoptosis. METHODS: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to analyze the CoPP-induced mRNA expression of HO-1. Cell viability of INS-1 cells cultured in the presence of CoPP was examined by acridine orange/propidium iodide staining. The generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured using flow cytometry. Glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was determined following incubation with CoPP in different glucose concentrations. RESULTS: CoPP increased HO-1 mRNA expression in both a dose- and time-dependent manner. Overexpression of HO-1 inhibited caspase-3, and the number of dead cells in the presence of CoPP was significantly decreased when exposed to high glucose conditions (HG). CoPP also decreased the generation of intracellular ROS by 50% during 72 hours of culture with HG. However, decreased GSIS was not recovered even in the presence of CoPP. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that CoPP-induced HO-1 up-regulation results in protection from high glucose-induced apoptosis in INS-1 cells; however, glucose stimulated insulin secretion is not restored.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Survival ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Flow Cytometry ; Glucose ; Heme ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; Insulin ; Protoporphyrins ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger ; Up-Regulation