No abstract available.
Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive*

No abstract available.
Spleen*

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is performed more frequently than before in Korea. Central nervous system (CNS) complications are often the major prognostic determinants following the surgery. We carried out a prospective study to clarify the incidence and risk factors of neurologic complications after CABG surgery. METHODS: A consecutive series of 150 patients undergoing 152 CABG operations from March 1995 to July 1997 by one cardiac surgeon was evaluated by a team of neurologists before and after the surgery. The patients received extensive preoperative examinations including the evaluation of intracranial & extracranial cerebral artery disease. RESULTS: In 44 operations (28.9%), we detected various neurologic complications, including encephalopathy (36 operations, 23.7%), cerebral infarction (5 operations, 3.3%), and seizure (7 operations, 4.6%). Eight patients died postoperatively including one due to neurologic complication. On univariate analysis, age, degree of intracranial artery disease (ICAD), duration of bypass time, hypotension index, duration of ventricular assistant device (VAD), intraoperative event, intra- or postoperative arrhythmia, reoperation, and postoperative bleeding were statistically significant risk factors of CNS complications (p< 0.05). After multivariate analysis, however, age alone remained significant (p=0.02). The degree of ICAD showed marginal significance (p=0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CNS complication in the patients undergoing CABG surgery was 28.9%. Our results showed that age was an independent risk factor of CNS complications. And the possibility of ICAD as a risk factor was suggested. Further study with a large number of patients would be necessary to prove the above suggestion.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Arteries ; Central Nervous System* ; Cerebral Arterial Diseases ; Cerebral Infarction ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prospective Studies ; Reoperation ; Risk Factors ; Seizures ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Intussusception* ; Ultrasonography

There are several factors concerning to anemia in chronic renal failure patients. But when rHuEPO is used, most of these factors can be overcome, and the levels of hemoglobin are increased, However, about 10% of the renal failure patients represent rHuEPO-resistant anemia eventhough high dosage of rHuEPO. For these cases, desferrioxamine can be applied to correct rHuEPO resistnacy, and many mechanism og DFO are arguing. So we are going to know whether DFO can applied to correct anemia of the such patients, how long its effect can continued. The seven patients as experimental group(DFO+EPO) who represent refractoriness to rHuEPO and the other seven patients as control group(EPO) were included. Experimental group has lower than 9 g/dL of hemoglobin levels despite high rHuEPO dosage (more than 4000U/Wk) and showed normochromic anemia. There were no definitive causes of anemia such as hemorrhage or iron deficiency. Control group patients has similar characteristics in age, mean dialysis duration but showed adequate response to rHuEPO. DFO was administered to experimental group for 8 weeks along with rHuEPO(the rHuEPO individual mean dosage had been determined by mean dosage of the previous 6 months. Total mean dosage; 123.5 U/Kg/Wk). After 8 weeks of DFO administration, the hemoglobin and rHuEPO dosage levels were checked for 15 consecutive months. It should be noted that the patients determined their own rHuEPO dosage levels according to hemoglobin levels and economic status. In control group, rHuEPO was administered by the same method used in experimental group without DFO through the same period. Fifteen months of ovservation period after DFO trial were divided as Time I(7 months after DFO trial) and Times II(8 months after Time I). The results are as follows: Before DFO trial, mean hemoglobin level of experimental group was 7.8 g/dL, which is similar level(p>0.05) to control group(mean Hb; 8.2 g/dL). But in experimental group, significantly(p<0.05) higher dosages of rHuEPO(mean; 123.5 U/Kg/Wk) than control group (mean;41.6 U/Kg/Wk) had been used. It means resistancy to rHuEPO of experimental group. But after DFO trial, the hemoglobin levels of the experimental group were increased significantly(p<0.05), and these effect were continued to II.(Time I; mean 8.6g/dL, Time II; mean 8.6g/dL) The effects of DFO to hemoglobin were continued for 15 months after DFO trial with simiral degree through Time I, Time II. Also, rHuEPO dosage used in the experimental group were decreased to simiral levels of the control group after DFO trial and these effect were also continued for 15 months(Time I; mean 48.1 U/Kg/Wk. Time II; mean 51.8 U/Kg/Wk). In the same period, hemoglobin levels and rHuEPO dosages used in the control group were not changed significantly. Notibly, hemoglobin increment and rHuEPO usage decrement in experimental group were showed maxilly in the 1st month after DFO trial. That is, after the use of DFO, erythropoiesis was enhanced with a reduced rHuEPO dosage. So we think rHuEPO reisistancy can be overcome by DFO therapy. In conclusion, the DFO can improve the anemia caused by chronic renal failure at least over 1 year, and hence, can reduce the dosage of rHuEPO for anemia correction. Additional studies in order to determined the mechanism of DFO on erythropoiesis and careful attention to potential side effects DFO will be needed.
Anemia* ; Deferoxamine* ; Dialysis ; Erythropoiesis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Iron ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Renal Dialysis* ; Renal Insufficiency

No abstract available.
Cystitis* ; Ultrasonography*

Hemichorea-hemiballsim has been reported as a rare Implication of nonketotic hyperglycemia. Recently, Some reports revealed that brain magnetic resonance images of nonketotic hyperglycemic patients with hemichorea-hemiballism showed characteristic contralateral striatal signal abnormality, We present six patients with hemichorea-heniiballism. All of them had diabetes mellitus and performed brain MR images. The MR images of them showed high signal intensity on Tl-weighted images and low signal intensity on T2 weighted images in the striatum contralateal to the involuntary movement. In general, the striatal high signal intensity on TI weighted images are presumed to have developed following hemorrhagic transformation, osmotic myelinolysis, or mild ischemia with reversible deposition of calcium or other material occurred in association with nonketotic hyperglycemia. However the precise mechanism of this signal change is not clear yet and needs pathological confirmation.
Brain ; Calcium ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dyskinesias ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Ischemia

The human papillomavirus (HPV)-18 E7 (E7) oncoprotein is a major transforming protein that is thought to be involved in the development of cervical cancer. It is well-known that E7 stimulates tumour development by inactivating pRb. However, this alone cannot explain the various characteristics acquired by HPV infection. Therefore, we examined other molecules that could help explain the acquired cancer properties during E7-induced cancer development. Using the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) method, we found that the Elk-1 factor, which is crucial for cell proliferation, invasion, cell survival, anti-apoptotic activity, and cancer development, binds to the E7. By determining which part of E7 binds to which domain of Elk-1 using the Y2H method, it was found that CR2 and CR3 of the E7 and parts 1–206, including the ETS-DNA domain of Elk-1, interact with each other. As a result of their interaction, the transcriptional activity of Elk-1 was increased, thereby increasing the expression of target genes EGR-1, c-fos, and E2F. Additionally, the colony forming assay revealed that overexpression of Elk-1 and E7 promotes C33A cell proliferation. We expect that the discovery of a novel E7 function as an Elk-1 activator could help explain whether the E7 has novel oncogenic activities in addition to p53 inactivation. We also expect that it will offer new methods for developing improved strategies for cervical cancer treatment.

PURPOSE: The usefulness of focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) is now included in the frame work of the advanced trauma life support for examination of thoraco- abdominal trauma. Ultrasonographic screening is controversial in patients with hollow viscus injury. The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of emergency trauma sonographic findings in patients with hollow viscus injury. METHODS: All patients with isolated viscus injury after blunt abdominal trauma were retrospectively enrolled in this study during the 5-year period from December 1997 to November 2002. The patients were screened by using ultrasonography and an underwent explolaparotomy. The patients were diagnosed with a hollow viscus injury based on the surgical findings. Patients with viscus injury combined with parenchymal organ injury after abdominal trauma were excluded. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed by the experienced emergency physicians during the trauma resuscitation. RESULTS: Sixty patients were included in this study. The most common injury site was jejunum (23.3%). The common findings of emergency trauma sonography were free fluid collection (56.7%), none of fluid collection (38.3%), free air and fluid collection (3.3%), and free air (1.7%). The presence of mesenteric injury was significantly associated with fluid collection (x2=0009). CONCLUSION: The most common sonographic findings in hollow viscus injury patients after blunt abdominal trauma are free intraperitoneal fluid (anechoic or mixed echo pattern), normal, and free air (reverberation) in that order. Massive intraperitoneal fluid is more often detected in patients who have a viscus injury combined with a ruptured mesenteric vessel.
Abdominal Injuries ; Advanced Trauma Life Support Care ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Intestines ; Jejunum ; Mass Screening ; Resuscitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have implicated paraoxonase (PON), an HDL-associated enzyme, in providing protection against LDL oxidation, thus affecting the risk of coronary heart disease in general population. Serum PON activity is affected by PON gene polymorphism. We investigated the correlation between the PON2 codon 311 polymorphism (Cys-->Ser) and coronary heart disease in Koreans. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 145 healthy controls and 72 patients with coronary heart disease who were diagnosed by coronary angiography in Soonchunhyang University Hospital. The polymorphism at 311 codon in the PON2 gene was assessed by PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) in their blood leukocyte DNA. RESULTS: PON2 genotype frequencies among 145 healthy controls were 7.6% CC, 37.2% CS and 55.2% SS (C:S = 0.250:0.750). PON2 genotype frequencies among 72 patients with coronary heart disease were 4.2% CC, 41.7% CS and 54.1% SS (C:S = 0.262:0.738). There was no significant difference between the two groups in genotype frequency or the allele frequency. There was no correlation between the PON2 polymorphism and HDL cholesterol level. CONCLUSIONS: The polymorphism at codon 311 in the PON2 gene are not associated with coronary heart disease in Koreans.
Aryldialkylphosphatase* ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Codon ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease* ; DNA ; Gene Frequency* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Leukocytes