Death by drowning is a major cause of unnatural death worldwide. It is therefore important to conduct forensic examination of immersed bodies following drowning, in order to determine the diagnosis of drowning, because no specific methods have been established thus far. Therefore, we performed a series of rat experiments to compare autopsy findings between seawater and fresh water drowning cases, which included the presence of pleural effusion and histologic findings of the lung. The results showed that the volume of pleural effusion increased in the seawater drowning group compared to the fresh water drowning group, and the total weight of lung was affected by the type of drowning medium and postmortem interval. However, histologic findings of the lung showed no significant difference between the 2 types of drowning mediums.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Drowning ; Fresh Water ; Lung ; Pleural Effusion ; Rats ; Seawater

The proteins, especially the 19S globulin (IgM) and 7S globulin (IgA) in the CO2 snow-induced blister fluids of 10 male healty volunteers were analyzed immunoelectrophoretically. The fnllawing results were obtained. 1) Compared with autologous serum, all blister fluids tested lacked some protein fraction lines. 2) The 19S globulin (lgM) line was absent in all of the blister fluids except one which was contaminated with blood. 3) The 7S globulin (IgA) line was present in all of the blister fluids when undiluted. In 1 : 2 dilution, however, it was absent, or of trace amount in a few cases.
Blister* ; Humans ; Male ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: With the rapid increase in the elderly population and the ensuing increase in osteoporosis and subsequent fractures, there has been a rise in socioeconomic costs. This study evaluated the relationship between osteoporosis and physical function in 66-year-old Korean women. METHODS: All of the 193 Korean women aged 66 years were recruited from life-transition health examinations from May to December, 2007. Background information was collected through a self-administered questionnaire; and height, weight, and waist circumference were measured. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine was measured with the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry and the 'timed up and go (TUG)' and 'one-leg balance (OLB)' tests were administered. Risk factors for osteoporosis were analyzed by correlation coefficients and binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of osteoporosis for 66-year-old women was 25.9%. A short stature and lower body mass index (BMI) were associated with osteoporosis of the lumbar spine. A longer time to complete the TUG test (>10 second) was associated with a 4-time higher prevalence of lumbar osteoporosis, which was not observed with the OLB test. CONCLUSIONS: One out of four 66-year-old Korean women had osteoporosis. A longer TUG time, short stature, and lower BMI were associated with osteoporosis.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Osteoporosis ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Spine ; Waist Circumference

No abstract available.
Bone Density* ; Female ; Lactation*

No abstract available.
Bone Density* ; Female ; Lactation*

Recently as the esthetic concerns about dental prosthesis have been increased, the nonmetallic post and core systems have been introduced clinically to improve the color and the low optical transmittance of conventional casting metal post and core systems. The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the optical transmittance and the shade changes of all-ceramic crowns with two nonmetallic post and core systems. The experimental groups were classified as follows: Total 27 specimens(9 samples in each group) were evaluated. Group I: Natural teeth as a control group. Group II: CosmoPost and Empress(R) core (Ivoclar-Vivadent, Liechtenstein). Group III: LIGHT-POST(TM) and LIGHT-CORE(TM)(Bisco, U.S.A.). In all groups, all-ceramic crowns were fabricated with the same shade of IPS Empress(R)II(Ivoclar-Vivadent, Liechtenstein) after abutment preparation, and then two kinds of spectrophotometers, UV 3101 PC(Shimadzu,Japan) and CM 503i(Minolta Co., Ltd., Japan), were used to measure the optical transmittance and the color value. The following results were obtained: 1. The optical transmittance of each group without all-ceramic crowns, was siginificantly decreased in order of Group III, I and II(p<0.05). 2. The optical transmittance of each group with all-ceramic crowns cemented, were siginificantly decreased in order of Group I, II and III(p<0.05). 3. In comparison with the shade of all-ceramic crowns, there were no significant differences between groups regardless of the cementation. 4. In comparison with the shade changes in each group after the cementation of all-ceramic crowns, there were no significant differences between groups. From the above results, it is thought that the selection among materials used in this study doesn't influence greatly the esthetic restoration, because the differences of optical transmittance were so small that those were clinically insignificant.
Cementation ; Crowns* ; Dental Prosthesis ; Tooth

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant* ; Intussusception*

Recent technological advances in ultrasound instrumentation have resulted in equipment that will image in "real-time" slices of the human brain similar in quality to computerized tomography(CT). Multiple authors have attested to its usefulness in locatin, characterizing, and facilitating in the biopsy or removal, or both, of intracerebral masses. In this study, the author has examined the efficacy of intraoperative neurosurgical ultrasound in 18 patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Kyung Hee University Hospital. The results were as follows : 1) It can provide critical assistance in precise localization of subcortical masses, since in many instances the overlying surface of brain provides no clue for localization. 2) This technique is very useful for the identificantion of deep lesions, provding infromation about their solid and cystic components and about the shortest route of access to tumor. 3) It provides precise information to help guide biopsy needles into deep lesions, and to confirm their presence within the lesion itself. 4) The system is highly accurate in visualizing ventricular catheters during and after their placement. 5) The system is inherently safe for the patient and the operating room personnel since there is no radiation exposure.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle ; Brain ; Catheters ; Humans ; Needles ; Neurosurgery* ; Operating Rooms ; Ultrasonography*

Pressure sores are common complications in patients with spinal injuries or cerebrovascular accidents. The management of pressure sores requires prolonged hospitalization and repeated surgical interventions with a high recurrence rate. Particularly osteomyelitis following initial pressure sores persistently complicates wound healing and recovery. Furthermore, it may also ultimately result in serious sepsis; thus an early diagnosis of osteomyelitis in pressure sore patients is crucial along with appropriate surgical and antibiotic therapy. Although many diagnostic methods were reported, there is no single 'gold' standard for early diagnosis of pressure sore-associated osteomyelitis. Authors reviewed pre-operative CBC, plain X-ray, Tc-99m bone scan, and post-operative biopsy results in 37 patients who had received surgical treatment for pressure sores in a 5-year period from September 1991 to August 1996. Based on these reviews, authors compared and analyzed the sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing osteomyelitis.The results were as follows: 1. Of 37 patients studied, 25 cases were confirmed histologically as osteomyelitis. Ischial region revealed the highest incidence of pressure sore-related osteomyelitis(78%, 14 out of 18 cases) while the regional incidence was as following in descending order : ischial, sacral, and greater trochanteric area. 2. Tc-99m bone scan had superior sensitivity(100%) and specificity(83%) to other pre-operative studies in diagnosing osteomyelitis.In conclusion, authors suggest that Tc-99m bone scan is the best diagnostic method because of its high sensitivity and specificity if osteomyelitis is clinically suspected in pressure sore patients. And in case the test result is positive, agressive surgical bone resection and appropriate antibiotic therapy based on bacterial culture from deep bone specimen should be combined to prevent complications or recurrences.
Biopsy ; Early Diagnosis ; Femur ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Osteomyelitis ; Pressure Ulcer* ; Recurrence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sepsis ; Spinal Injuries ; Stroke ; Wound Healing

This study was carried out to find out changes in regional cerebral blood flow(r-CBF) in relation to(i) clinical status of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms ; (ii) the degree of subarachnoid hemorrhage as indicated by brain CT scanning ; (iii) the severity of angiographic vasospasm, and (iv) other neuropathological condition. Measurement of r-CBF were performed, using 133Xe inhalation method, on 50 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms. Some of the major findings were as follows : 1) The degree of abnormalities of blood flow correlated well with the clinical severity of neurological deficits. 2) A marked reduction in r-CBF was found in patients with intracerebral hematoma, ischemic lesion and hydrocephalus. 3) In angiospasm area, r-CBF was found in patients with intracerebral hematoma, ischemic lesion and hydrocephalus. 3) In angiospasm area, r-CBF decreases below 30ml/100gm/min in almost all of the patients, and severity of vasospasm correlated with the decrease of CBF. 4) The measurement of CBF on patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage was thought to the useful for foreseeing the clinical outcome of the patients.
Brain ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Inhalation ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed