This study helps to clarify conflicting reports by comparing the physical properties and accuracy of complete denture processed by the pack and press technique, continuous-pressure injection technique(SR-Ivocap system) and Mark press technique. The 6 different specimens have been evaluated using the SEM, Impact test, DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) and DMTA(Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis). Each sample was made of SR-Ivocap resin and QC-20 resin by different processing methods. The results were as follows ; 1. As the result of the observation on the fracture surface of resin by use of SEM, sample SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method showed the most homogeneous structure. This is why molecules in SR-Ivocap resin have no orientation. 2. As the result of the Impact test in order to measure the deformity, fracture energy and impact resistance of resin, the samples with QC-20 acrylic resin and SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method were exellent. 3. In consequence of measuring alpha-glass transition temperature by use of DSC on the basis of temperature change, the glass transition temperatures of sample QC-20 resin cured by pack and press method and sample SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method were very similar. Thus volumetric stability could not be evaluated only by glass transition temperature. 4. In comparing volumetric stability data by DMTA, the glass transition temperature(Tg) showed 137.88degrees C at sample QC-20 resin cured by pack and press method and 139.78degrees C at sample SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method. Therefore sample SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method seems to be superior to sample QC-20 resin cured by pack and press method in the dimensional stability at high temperature. 5. In comparing storage modulus data by DMTA, the storage modulus of sample SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method was higher than that of sample QC-20 resin cured by pack and press method. So, sample SR-Ivocap resin cured by continuous pressure injection method seems to be superior to sample QC-20 resin cured by pack and press method in impact strength.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Denture, Complete ; Glass ; Transition Temperature

Recently, percutaneous epidural neuroplasty has become widely used to treat radicular pain caused by spinal stenosis or a herniated intervertebral disc. A 19-year-old female patient suffering from left radicular pain caused by an L4-L5 intervertebral disc herniation underwent percutaneous epidural neuroplasty of the left L5 nerve root using a Racz catheter. After the procedure, the patient complained of acute motor weakness in the right lower leg, on the opposite site to where the neuroplasty was conducted. Emergency surgery was performed, and swelling of the right L5 nerve root was discovered. The patient recovered her motor and sensory functions immediately after the surgery. Theoretically, the injection of a large volume of fluid in a patient with severe spinal stenosis during epidural neuroplasty can increase the pressure on the opposite side of the epidural space, which may cause injury of the opposite nerve by barotrauma from a closed compartment. Practitioners should be aware of this potential complication.
Barotrauma ; Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Emergencies ; Epidural Space ; Female ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Leg ; Lower Extremity* ; Sensation ; Spinal Stenosis ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency(RF) catheter ablation has rapidly emerged as the treatment of choice for symptomatic reentrant arrythmia associated with accessory pathway or atrioventricular node conduction. Rarely RF catheter ablation therapy can produce the cardiac perforation, ventricular function insufficiency and arrythmia. So, the purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between the RF energy and muscle injury. METHODS: Bovine skeletal muscle was immersed in normal saline, and the entire chamber was heated to 36-37degrees C by water bath. The 4mm tip 7 Fr electrode catheter was placed horizontally on the skeletal muscle surface withoup pressure. RF energy was delicered to tissue for the pulse duration of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 seconds and voltage of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45volt and total 432 lesions were produced. Horizontal, vertical lesion diameters and depths were measured, and the area and volume of lesion were calculated. RESULTS: Increasing voltage and duration of RF increased the horizontal and vertical diameter, depth, area and volume of lesion(p<0.0001). The RF pulse duration and voltages made lesion below 5mm depth were 45volt applied dbelow 20seconds, 40volt applied below 25seconds, 35volt applied below 32seconds, 30volt applied below 38seconds, 25volt applied during any duation of time. CONCLUSION: So, for prevention of undesirable tissue damage, the adequate pulse duration and voltage of RF must to be delivered to tissue.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrioventricular Node ; Baths ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Electrodes ; Hot Temperature ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Ventricular Function ; Water

Hydrops fetalis is diagnosed when abnormal fluid collections are manifest in two or more fetal compartments, including abdominal ascites, pleural effusions, pericardial effusions, skin edema, polyhydroamniosis and placental edema. Although fetal hydrops was hystorically most commonly associated with Rh blood group isoimmunization, the availability of Rh immunoglobulin has increased the proportion of fetuses affected due to nonimmune etiologies. We have experienced a case of nonimmune hydrops fetalis at 32 weeks of gestation in a 27-year-old woman and reported that with brief review of related literatures.
Adult ; Ascites ; Edema ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Hydrops Fetalis* ; Immunoglobulins ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pleural Effusion ; Pregnancy ; Skin

Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation ; Humans ; Malocclusion ; Mandible ; Recurrence

Typhlitis is a necrotizing enterocolitis of the cecum, ascending colon and terminal ileum. Typhlits has been reported in the severely neutropenic patients and likely results from a combination of neutropenia and defects in the bowel mucosa related to cytotoxic chemotherapy. This disease is most common in patients with leukemia who have undergone intensive myeloablative chemotherapy. Presumptive diagnostic criteria for typhlitis include fever, abdominal pain and tenderness, and radiologic evidence of right-sided colonic inflammation in patients with neutropenia. Recently, this disease is also reported in patients with solid tumor due to increasing challenges of high dose chemotherapy. We report a case of typhlitis developed in the circumstance of neutropenia induced by chemotherapy in a patient with malignant testicular tumor.
Abdominal Pain ; Cecum ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Drug Therapy* ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Fever ; Humans ; Ileum ; Inflammation ; Leukemia ; Mucous Membrane ; Neutropenia ; Typhlitis*

PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine whether the anion gap, the base excess, the lactate, and the strong ion gap obtained in the emergency department correlate with the prognosis and whether the strong ion gap is the most useful marker compared to the prognostic ability of the anion gap, the base excess, and the lactate. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 106 patients admitted to the intensive care unit via the emergency department. We measured the anion gap, the base excess, and the lactate and we calculated strong anion gap by using a formula. We divided the patients into survivors and nonsurvivors and compared the prognostic abilities of the four variables by using the Student's t-test and receiver operator characteristic curves. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 67+/-14, and the numbers of males and females were similar (58 males vs 48 females). The number of survivors was 92 (86.7%), and that of nonsurvivors was 14 (3.2%). The anion gap ( 24.8+/-8.8 vs. 16.4+/-4.8 mmol/L, p value=0.000), the base excess (-11.9+/-8.7 vs. -3.49+/-6.5 mmol/L, p value = 0.001), the lactate (9.1+/-7.7 vs. 4.5+/-3.1 mmol/L, p value = 0.011 ) and the strong ion gap (16.6+/-3.6 vs. 10.9+/-3.7, p value=0.000) of the nonsurvivors were higher. All of the four varibles were associated with the prognosis, but among them, the strong ion gap discriminated most strongly with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.866 (95% confidence interval, 0.787 to 0.92). CONCLUSION: The initial emergency-department acid-base variables, the anion gap, the base excess, the lactate and the strong ion gap have prognostic abilities, but the strong ion gap is the variable that most strongly predicts of mortality.
Acid-Base Equilibrium ; Critical Illness* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Lactic Acid ; Male ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Survivors

Acute fulminant invasive fungal sinusitis in an immunocompromised host and bacterial rhinosinusitis with intracranial or orbital extension is challenging to manage. And it sometimes constitutes true otolaryngologic emergencies. In the absence of rapid diagnosis and treatment, these diseases can be fatal. A 57-year-old female was admitted for chills and headache, who received a deceased donor renal transplantation 3 months ago. Paranasal sinus CT showed enhanced soft tissue density and MRI showed low-signal with hyperintense signal of around paranasal sinus cavity. The histological investigation revealed invasive aspergillosis of paranasal sinuses. Clinical improvement occurred after endoscopic sinus surgery and post-operative systemic antifungal therapy with amphotericin B and voriconazole.
Amphotericin B ; Aspergillosis ; Chills ; Emergencies ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation ; Middle Aged ; Orbit ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Pyrimidines ; Sinusitis ; Tissue Donors ; Triazoles

Clinical experiences of pulmonary artery aneurysm are distinctly rare and current knowledge is mainly derived from autopsy findings. Pulmonary artery aneurysms are associated with congenital heart disease, most frequently patient ductus arteriosus, followed in decreasing order by ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect. In the remaining cases, such aneurysms are associated mainly with secondary acquired lesions, such as Behcet's disease, bacterial endocarditis, syphilis, tuberculosis, atherosclerosis, vasculitis, hypertension, trauma. Angiography was the gold standard for diagnosing pulmonary artery aneurysms, but MRI imaging has been potentially useful diagnostic modality in demonstrating aneurysm and other fine pathologic processes with high resolution. Surgery was main, but there are no firm guidelines for optimal treatment of pulmonary artery aneurysm. We experienced a case of pulmonary artery aneurysm with pulmonary hypertension in a 58 year-old female and observed for 2 years. The aneurysmal size was 5.19 cm initially and inreased to 5.5cm for two years, accompanying by pulmonary hypertension. We report this case of pulmonary artery aneurysm with a brief review of literature.
Aneurysm* ; Angiography ; Atherosclerosis ; Autopsy ; Ductus Arteriosus ; Endocarditis, Bacterial ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Pathologic Processes ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Syphilis ; Tuberculosis ; Vasculitis

Recently, various studies evaluating percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty have reported good results. Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty has been commonly used for treating contained herniated disc or protrusion, but a posterolateral extruded disc has not been considered to be an indication. The tip of the L'DISQ(R) wand can be curved to the desired angles by the rotation of the control wheel. Therefore, L'DISQ(R) can directly access the extruded disc. We report the application of percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty by using the L'DISQ(R) in three patients with an extruded disc. Decompression was successfully performed, and the symptoms improved immediately. In one patient, a 6-month follow-up magnetic resonance imaging study showed disappearance of the extruded cervical disc. Percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty using the L'DISQ(R) can be an effective, low complication, minimally invasive procedure for treating cervical disc herniation.
Decompression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging