BACKGROUND: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is known to increase blood flow to the innervations area of the stellate ganglion. Near infrared spectroscopy reflects an increased blood volume and allows continuous, non-invasive, and bedside monitoring of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2). We investigated the influence of SGB on bilateral cerebral oxygenation using a near infrared spectroscopy. METHODS: SGB was performed on 30 patients with 1% lidocaine 10 ml using a paratracheal technique at the C6 level and confirmed by the presence of Horner's syndrome. The blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and rSO2 were measured before SGB and 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes after SGB. Tympanic temperature of each ear was measured prior to SGB and 20 minutes after SGB. RESULTS: The increments of the rSO2 on the block side from the baseline were statistically significant at 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes. The rSO2 on the non-block side compared with the baseline, however, decreased at 15 and 20 minutes. The difference between the block and the non-block sides was significant at 15 and 20 minutes. The BP at 10, 15 and 20 minutes was increased and the HR was increased at 10 and 15 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: We observed an increment of the rSO2 on the block side from the baseline; however, the rSO2 on the non-block side decreased.
Blood Pressure ; Blood Volume ; Ear ; Heart Rate ; Horner Syndrome ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Oxygen ; Spectrum Analysis ; Stellate Ganglion

PURPOSE: The residual intrahepatic stones with biliary strictures are difficult to remove percutaneously via T-tube tract after surgery in patients with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. We evaluated the effectiveness of percutaneous balloon dilatation of benign biliary strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The balloon dilatations with 6-12mm angioplasty balloon catheter and stone extractions were performed via a T-tube tract after surgical treatment in 15 patients with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. The balloons were inflated for 3-4minutes under 5 atm. until disappearance of waist of the stricture site, from one to seven session. After balloon dilatation, residual stones were extracted with saline irrigation or stone basket. RESULTS: Among total 42 strictures, the balloon dilatation was succesful in 27 strictures(64.3%), partially successful in 12 strictures(28.6%), and failed in three strictures(7.1%). Single or central biliary strictures were dilated easily rather than multiple ductal strictures. Of 26 sites with residual intrahepatic stones, stone extraction was complete in 17 sites(65.4%), incomplete in seven sites(26.9%) due to impacted or large stone and acute ductal angulation, and failed in two sites(7.7%). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous balloon dilatation of benign biliary strictures is an effective procedure for extraction of residual intrahepatic stones associated with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis.
Angioplasty ; Catheters ; Cholangitis ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation* ; Humans

Krukenberg tumor of the primary breast carcinoma is rare and this is almost invasive lobular carcinoma. They are usually bilateral and frequent in premenopausal women. Diagnosis of symptomatic Krukenberg tumor is reported to be 1 or 2 year after the diagnosis of primary neoplasm. But sometimes it is discovered prior to the detection of the primary breast carcinoma. Unexpected ovarian micrometastasis was recognized after oophorectomy of normally appearing ovaries in breast cancer patients. Existence of Krukenberg tumor means advanced primary disease and possible metastasis to other organs, and have a poorer prognosis. We report a case of Krukenberg tumors occurred 3 years after the diagnosis of primary ductal type breast carcinoma.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Krukenberg Tumor* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neoplasm Micrometastasis ; Ovariectomy ; Ovary* ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that can affect any organ, the exact cause of which is uncertain. Currently, investigations of crystalline silica improve the mechanism how it works the course of autoimmune diseases and some hypothesis supports that it also can attribute to sarcoidosis. CASE REPORT: The patient was a 53-year-old male, who works as a stonemason for 30 years. Sarcoidosis was suspected based on his chest X-ray and CT(Computed tomography). A biopsy was performed and he was indeed diagnosed with sarcoidosis. CONCLUSION: It is thought that sarcoidosis is more prevalent in the people who work at places with a risk of exposure to crystalline silica. This case suggests that if a patient gets sarcoidosis after being exposed to crystalline silica, or after once being diagnosed with silicosis, his or her sarcoidosis may have occurred due to exposure to crystalline silica.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Crystallins ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoconiosis ; Sarcoidosis ; Silicon Dioxide ; Silicosis ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Gene Rearrangement* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of lower rib cage lateral expansion limitation on the maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures and on abdominal muscle activity during maximal respiratory breathing in healthy subjects. Methods: Fifteen healthy male subjects voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study. During maximal breathing, maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures were measured, and abdominal muscle activity was determined with using surface electromyography. Also, the measurement was repeated with using a non-elastic belt to the lower rib cage for limiting of lateral expansion. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed for obtaining the statistical difference with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The findings of this study are as follows: 1) There were no significant differences in maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure with and without lower rib cage lateral expansion (p>0.05), 2) There was no significant difference in abdominal muscle activity during the maximal inspiratory phase (p>0.05). However, right external oblique muscle activity decreased significantly during maximum exhalation with lower rib expansion limitation (p<0.05). Conclusion The results of the current study indicate that a non-elastic belt was effective in decreasing right external oblique muscle activity during forced expiratory breathing in healthy subjects.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of lower rib cage lateral expansion limitation on the maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures and on abdominal muscle activity during maximal respiratory breathing in healthy subjects. Methods: Fifteen healthy male subjects voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study. During maximal breathing, maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures were measured, and abdominal muscle activity was determined with using surface electromyography. Also, the measurement was repeated with using a non-elastic belt to the lower rib cage for limiting of lateral expansion. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed for obtaining the statistical difference with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The findings of this study are as follows: 1) There were no significant differences in maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure with and without lower rib cage lateral expansion (p>0.05), 2) There was no significant difference in abdominal muscle activity during the maximal inspiratory phase (p>0.05). However, right external oblique muscle activity decreased significantly during maximum exhalation with lower rib expansion limitation (p<0.05). Conclusion The results of the current study indicate that a non-elastic belt was effective in decreasing right external oblique muscle activity during forced expiratory breathing in healthy subjects.

PURPOSE: DNA in most cell is regularly damaged by endogenous and exogenous mutagens. Unrepaired damage resulted in apoptosis or may lead to unregulated cell growth and cancer. Inheritance of genetic variants at one or more loci results in an reduced DNA repair capacity. These polymorphisms are highly prevalent in the population, and therefore the attributable risks for cancer could be high. Several studies have documented that polymorphisms of XRCC1, XPD and XRCC3 are associated with skin cancer, especially, XRCC1 among of them has been reported frequently. So, this study involves the relationship between mutation of XRCC1 of squamous cell and basal cell cancer of the skin and risk of cancer development in Korean population. METHODS: In case control study, study population (n=100, each cancer) is patients who were pathologically diagnosed as skin cancer(squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma) in Yonsei Wonju Christian Hospital and Bundang CHA General Hospital between 1998 and 2004. The samples of DNA from whom no history of premalignant skin lesion and other malignant diseases were reported belonged to the control group(n=210). Blood and tissue samples were analyzed for presence of XRCC1 Arg399Glu, Arg280His, Arg194Trp using PCR/ RFLP method. RESULTS: For Korean, there was a significant correlation between XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene mutation and risk of basal cell carcinoma development(Arg 399Gln(GA), p=0.012, OR=2.016, 95% CI; 1.230-3.305) /Arg399Gln (AA), p=0.011, OR=1.864, 95% CI; 1.149-3.026)). And, there was also significant correlation between XRCC1 Arg194Trp and risk of skin squamous cell carcinoma development (Arg194Trp (CT+TT), p=0.041, OR=0.537, 95% CI; 0.301-0.960)). In contrast, there was no significant correlation between XRCC1 Arg280His and risk of either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma development. CONCLUSION: Our result present that XRCC1 Arg399 Gln in basal cell carcinoma and XRCC1 Arg194Trp in squamous cell carcinoma have possibility of cancer risk and biomarker in Korean population. But XRCC1 Arg280 His known having cancer risk on other studies is not associated with cancer risk to squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma in Korean population.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Case-Control Studies ; DNA Repair* ; DNA* ; Gangwon-do ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Mutagens ; Neoplasms, Basal Cell ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Skin Neoplasms ; Skin* ; Wills

PURPOSE: We evaluated the differences in calculi characteristics and their prevalence according to the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms between adult patients examined at the Urology Department and those examined at the Health Promotion Center (HPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prevalence of prostatic calcification, characteristics of calculi (number, size, and location), and differences in lower urinary tract symptoms were compared and analyzed for 479 subjects who underwent transrectal ultrasonography at the HPC and the Urology Outpatients Department at our hospital from October 2009 to October 2010. RESULTS: Of 479 subjects, 268 patients were examined at the HPC, and 211 were examined at the Urology Outpatients Department. Between the two groups, age, prostate-specific antigen levels, prostate volume transrectal ultrasonography, International Prostate Symptom Score (total, voiding, and storage), quality of life, and the prostatic calcification rate were significantly higher in the patients who visited the Urology Outpatients Department. The prevalence of prostatic calcification was 41.5% (199/479), with 36.1% (97/268) from the HPC and 48.3% (102/211) from the Urology Outpatients Department. When the characteristics of prostatic calcification were compared, there were no significant differences in the appearance, size, or location of the calculi between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of prostatic calcification was high in patients complaining of lower urinary tract symptoms; however, there were no significant differences in the characteristics of the calculi. This finding leads us to believe that prostatic calcification can aggravate lower urinary tract symptoms but does not result in differences according to the number, size, or appearance of the calculi.
Adult ; Calculi ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Quality of Life ; Urinary Tract ; Urology

OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is known to be a disorder with high genetic trait. Recently the relationship between alleles frequency distribution and ADHD, has been actively researched. In Korea, the relationship between the genetic type and alleles for COMT (Catechol-O-methyltransferase) gene, has been studied in ADHD patients. METHODS: Thirty three patients diagnosed with ADHD according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were selected for the study. The diagnosis and clinical features were confirmed by Korean version Child behavior check list, Korean version Conner's parent rating scale, Attention deficit Diagnostic System, Korean version Spielberger state-trait anxiety scale etc. For the control group, the parents of patients were chosen. Blood samples were taken from the 99 subjects. DNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes, PCR was performed for COMT NlaIII VNTR Polymorphism. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared using the Chi-square test. For the family-based analyses, we used the TDT and HHRR method. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In comparing the ADHD transmitted group and the not transmitted group, No significant difference was seen between the COMT genetic type and alleles distribution. As a result, it is viewed that there is not relationship between ADHD and the dopamine transporter gene, but final decision is indefinite. Follow up studies with larger patient or pure subgroups are expected.
Alleles ; Anxiety ; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; Catechol O-Methyltransferase* ; Child ; Child Behavior ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; DNA ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Parents ; Polymerase Chain Reaction