PURPOSE: Relaxation of the penile cavernosum smooth muscle is a critical event in erection. Artemisia iwaymogi(AI) is a perennial herb growing in Korea. The aerial parts have been used in folk medicine. Bioassay-guided fractionation of an H2O extract of AI has furnished an inhibitory substance (PCLS-2). We investigated compound extracted in the rabbit corporal cavernosum smooth muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Bioassay-guided fractionation of an H2O extract was used. A strip of rabbit corpus cavernosum was mounted in an organ chamber to measure the isometric tension. PCLS-2 compound induced relaxations were evaluated by in vitro study using muscarinic receptor blocker atropine (ATR), cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) ihibitor Nitro-L Arginine-Methyl Ester (NAME), guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin 1-one (ODQ), intrinsic neurotransmission inhibitor tetrodotoxin (TTX), or/and potassium channel blockers. RESULTS: PCLS-2 showed relaxation in a dose-dependent manner. Atropine, Indomethacin, NAME, ODQ, TTX, glibenclamide, tetraethylammonium, 4-aminopyridine, charybdotoxin, or apamin did not inhibit the relaxation induced by PCLS-2 compound. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that the PCL-2 compound has effect of relaxation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle and the relaxation was not involved muscarinic receptor, nitric oxide, prostaglandin, potassium channels and intrinsic neurotransmission. Other mechanisms may by involved in the PCLS-2 induced relaxation in the rabbit corpus cavernosum smooth muscle.
4-Aminopyridine ; Apamin ; Artemisia ; Atropine ; Charybdotoxin ; Glyburide ; Guanylate Cyclase ; Indomethacin ; Korea ; Medicine, Traditional ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; Potassium Channels ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; Relaxation ; Synaptic Transmission ; Tetraethylammonium ; Tetrodotoxin

A case, 21 years old male, of Oculodentodigital dysplasia characterized with microphthalmia, micrccornea, parrot beak nose, dental anormalies, hypotrichosis and syndactyly. A brief review of literature is described.
Animals ; Beak ; Humans ; Hypotrichosis ; Male ; Microphthalmos ; Nose ; Parrots ; Syndactyly ; Young Adult

Although avulsion fractures of greater and lesser trochanters rarely develop in hip fractures, avulsion fracture of short external rotators has not reported still online literature. Moreover, avulsion fracture of short external rotators can simulate the intertrochanteric fracture, and is difficult to differentiate from it on plain radiograph. This study is on the case 74-year old male patient who had avulsion fracture of short external rotators, and had the internal fixation with wire by open reduction under the diagnosis of the intertrochanteric fracture.
Aged ; Diagnosis ; Femur* ; Hip Fractures ; Humans ; Male

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of primary tumor resection (PTR) in asymptomatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with unresectable metastases using the inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) method to minimize selection bias. Methods: We selected 146 patients diagnosed with stage IV CRC with unresectable metastasis between 2001 and 2018 from our institutional database. In a multivariate logistic regression model using the patients’ baseline covariates associated with PTR, we applied the IPTW method based on a propensity score and performed a weighted Cox proportional regression analysis to estimate survival according to PTR. Results: Upfront PTR was performed in 98 patients, and no significant differences in baseline factors were detected. The upweighted median survival of the PTR group was 18 months and that of the non-PTR group was 15 months (P = 0.15). After applying the IPTW, the PTR was still insignificant in the univariate Cox regression (hazard ratio [HR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5–1.21). However, in the multivariate weighted Cox regression with adjustment for other covariates, the PTR showed a significantly decreased risk of cancer-related death (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.40–0.94). Conclusion In this study, we showed that asymptomatic CRC patients with unresectable metastases could gain a survival benefit from upfront PTR by analysis with the IPTW method. However, randomized controlled trials are mandatory.

A satisfactory range of motion is one of the important goal of total knee arthroplasty. We investigated the factors that may influence the range of motion after total knee arthroplasty in 49 arthroplasties of 36 patients with minimum follow-up of 12 months. For minimizing the effect of other variables we included only osteoarthritic patients who received primary AGC(BIOMET) knees, cemented fixation of all three component by one surgeon. Some factors that may affect final results were verified. These factors include BMI(ratio of weight and height), preoperative range of motion, preoperative X-ray findings such as sever- ity of spur change and varus deformity, early continuous passive motion trial. Statistical analysis was done by Students t test. The statistically significant factors which influenced the range of motion after arthroplasty were the preoperative flexion deformity and range of flexion, varus deformity, and spur change.
Arthroplasty* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee* ; Range of Motion, Articular*

BACKGROUND: The role of clinical pharmacists in medication therapy to improve clinical and economic outcomes has been reported in the literature. This study was conducted to analyze the changes in details of medication interventions before and after the introduction of clinical pharmacists into the care of neurocritical care unit (NCU) patients, and to evaluate the economic effects of clinical pharmacists by calculating the avoidance cost. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted reviewing the electronic medical records from June 2013 to May 2014 (before), and from June 2016 to May 2017 (after). We calculated the number and rates of intervention, the acceptance rates of it, and also reviewed the list of interventions. We calculated avoidance cost if there was no intervention. RESULTS: The monthly mean number of interventions increased from 8.0 (±5.7) to 31.7 (±12.8) (P < 0.001) and the frequency of intervention also increased from 0.8% to 1.6% (P=0.003). The most frequently provided pharmacist intervention was nutritional support before introduction of clinical pharmacists and discussions on the medication plan after. The number of classified interventions was 14 before introduction of clinical pharmacist services and 33 after. The calculated cost avoidance associated with a clinical pharmacists' integration was 77,990,615 won per year. CONCLUSION: Introduction of clinicals pharmacist into the NCU was associated with increased intervention rates and expanded types of clinical interventions. The cost avoidance achieved by the pharmacists' interventions can be further explored to evaluate if similar expansions of pharmacists' services achieve similar results in other settings.
Costs and Cost Analysis ; Electronic Health Records ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Medication Reconciliation ; Nutritional Support ; Pharmacists ; Retrospective Studies

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) according to the method of appendiceal stump closure. Methods: Patients who underwent LA for appendicitis between 2010 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were classified into locking polymeric clip (LPC) and loop ligature (LL) groups. Clinical outcomes were compared between the groups. Results: LPC and LL were used in 188 (56.6%) and 144 patients (43.4%), respectively for appendiceal stump closure. No significant differences were observed in sex, age, comorbidities, and the severity of appendicitis between the groups. The median operative time was shorter in the LPC group than in the LL group (64.5 minutes vs. 71.5 minutes, P=0.027). The median hospital stay was longer in the LL group than in the LPC group (4 days vs. 3 days, P=0.020). Postoperative incidences of intraabdominal abscess and ileus were higher in the LL group than in the LPC group (4.2% vs. 1.1%, P=0.082 and 2.8% vs. 0%, P=0.035; respectively). The readmission rate was higher in the LL group than that in the LPC group (6.3% vs. 1.1%, P=0.012). Conclusion Using LPC for appendiceal stump closure during LA for appendicitis was associated with lower postoperative complication rate, shorter operative time, and shorter hospital stay compared to the use of LL. Operative time above 60 minutes and the use of LL were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative complications in LA. Therefore, LPC could be considered a more favorable closure method than LL during LA for appendicitis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to show the total survival rate of implants with maxillary sinus floor elevation and the effects that reach the survival rate by classifying types of graft materials, implant surface, operation method, bone height. METHODS: In a total of 131 patients, 251 implants with sinus floor elevation were installed simultaneously or after regular healing. Various bone grafts (autograft, xonograft, allograft, alloplast) and implant surface (MTX-HA implant, chemical etching implant, Titanium oxide surface implant, resorbable blasting media implant, resorbable blast texturing implant, HA-coated implant) were used. All implants were investigated clinically and radiographically, being with 1 to 5 years follow-up period after installation. RESULTS: The survival rate of 251 implants with maxillary sinus floor elevation was 94%. The types of implant, surface, graft material, bone height have no statistically signi-ficant differencies. CONCLUSIONS: It can be suggested that maxillary sinus floor elevation may have predictable result with various bone graft materials and implant surface.
Dental Implants ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinus ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Titanium ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Transplants

Calf losses have an economic impact on larger Korean native cattle (KNC) breeding farms due to replacement, productivity, and marketing. However, little research on KNC calf mortality or causes of calf death on large-scale breeding farms has been conducted. Based on medical records and autopsy findings from the Hanwoo experimental station of the National Institute of Animal Science, calf death records from 2002 to 2011 were used to identify the causes of mortality. Mortality rate of KNC calves was 5.7%. Large differences (1.8~12.6%) in year-specific mortalities were observed. Calf deaths were due to digestive diseases (68.7%), respiratory diseases (20.9%), accidents (6.0%), and other known diseases (2.2%). The main cause of calf death was enteritis followed by pneumonia, rumen indigestion, and intestinal obstruction. The greatest number of calf deaths occurred during the fall followed by summer. These results indicated that enteritis and pneumonia were the main reasons for calf death. However, autopsy findings demonstrated that other factors also caused calf death. This study suggested that seasonal breeding and routine vaccinations are the most important factors for preventing calf death, and improving calf health in high land areas with low temperature.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Breeding* ; Cattle ; Death Certificates ; Dyspepsia ; Efficiency ; Enteritis ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Marketing ; Medical Records ; Mortality* ; Pneumonia ; Rumen ; Seasons ; Vaccination

A congenital coronary arteriovenous fistula is a rare condition, which is an abnormal communication of the coronary artery with the right or left ventricle, the right or left atrium or the pulmonary artery. A coronary arteriovenous fistula, complicated with a pulmonary aneurysm, is quite uncommon. A case of 68-year-old woman, complaining of resting chest pain for 1 week, is reported. The coronary arteriovenous fistula associated, with a pulmonary aneurysm, was confirmed by coronary angiography and multidetector-row helical CT (MDCT), and was surgically ligated.
Aged ; Aneurysm* ; Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Heart Atria ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*