The purpose of this study was to evaluate the histologic difference that occured after trichloroacetic acid(TCA) chemical peel in an animal model that was pretreated with Tretinoin alone or Tretinoin-based combined pretreatment kit. Eight Hartley white guinea pigs were used in our study. The dorsal skin of the guinea pigs was divided into six equal squares(2x2 cm). Upper two areas of these six were not pretreated, middle two areas were pretreated for 4 weeks with Tretinoin alone and lower two areas were pretreated for 4 weeks with Tretinoin-based combined kit. Each guinea pig underwent chemical peel with 50% TCA. The wounded areas were biopsied at post-peeling 3 weeks and 6 weeks. The histology revealed that those animals pretreated with combined kit healed quicker than the animals pretreated with Tretinoin alone. This study implies that if patients are treated with Tretinoin-based-combined pretreatment kit before undergoing chemical peel, the pretreatment time will be shortened.
Animals ; Guinea Pigs* ; Guinea* ; Humans ; Models, Animal ; Skin ; Tretinoin* ; Wounds and Injuries

No Abstract Available.
Female ; Mammaplasty*

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography, Ambulatory*

This retrospective study evaluated possible rupture of silicone gel breast implants in 92 patients. the series included patients undergone augmentation mammoplasty(n=59), and reconstructive mammoplasty(n=23) from Sep. 1993 to Aug. 1996. the age of implants ranged from 4 months to 8 years(mean:23.1months). of these, 19 cases displayed Ultrasonographic sings of rupture. of 13 implants removed, 7 were intact and 6 were ruptured. Implant contour deformities and radial folds are often seen in both ruptured and intact silicone implants and therefore cannot serve as reliable signs of rupture. A stepladder sign in intact implant is believed to be the result of reverberation artifacts within the interior of the implant. Due to these false-positive ultrasonographic findings, ultrasonographiy is not as absolutely reliable tool for the diagnosis of implant rupture. Alternative imaging methods(CT, MRI) are required to establish an accurate preoperative diagnosis.
Artifacts ; Breast Implants* ; Breast* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture* ; Silicone Gels*

The purpose of this paper was to report a successful treatment of transluminal Nd:YAG laser embolysis (NYE) for branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) with visible emboli. Two patients with acute, severe vision loss secondary to a branch retinal artery occlusion with visible emboli in one eye underwent NYE. A complete ocular examination was performed which included biomicroscopy of the posterior pole of the retina, intraocular pressure measurement, fundus color photographs, and fluorescein angiography (FA). After the NYE, the two patients showed dramatic improvements in best-corrected visual acuity, as well as, immediate and dramatic restorations in flow past the obstructed arteriole in FA. NYE is a treatment modality to be considered in patients with BRAO who present acutely with severe vision loss and a visible embolus.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Laser Coagulation/*methods ; Lasers, Solid-State/*therapeutic use ; Microscopy, Acoustic ; Retinal Artery Occlusion/diagnosis/*surgery ; Thrombectomy/*methods ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes of pancreatic size with aging in control subjects and in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients were examined; one had been treated with an oral hypoglycemic agent(n=59), and the other with insulin(n=56). The CT findings of 175 patients without clinical evidence of pancreatic disease were included as a normal control. RESULTS: In control subjects, pancreatic size and age correlated. The pancreas was smaller in non-insulin-dependent diabetics than incontrol subjects and smaller in insulin- treated non-insulin-dependent diabetics than in non-insulin treated patients. CONCLUSION: The pancreas was smaller in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients than in control subjects within the same age range.
Aging ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Humans ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatic Diseases

No abstract available.
Drug Therapy*

PURPOSE: To investigate the visualization of cystoid macular edema (CME) using noninvasive retromode imaging by a new scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) and compare to previous imaging modalities. METHODS: The authors of the present study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 21 eyes of 20 patients with CME due to various etiologies. All eyes were examined with fundus camera, fluorescein angiography (TRC-50EX, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan), SLO (F-10, Nidek, Gamagori, Japan), and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) (3D OCT-1000, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan). In the present study the SLO was used in the retro-mode with an infrared laser. RESULTS: Previous fundus photography could not detect CME adequately although SLO retro-mode could show numerous oval or polygonal cystoid spaces more readily. Furthermore, each individual small cystoid space could be detected and the area of each cystoid space could be measured. The area of the largest cystoid space showed a correlation with its height, as measured with OCT (R = 0.606, p = 0.004). The area of the whole foveal cystoid space showed a correlation with central macular thickness, as measured with OCT (R = 0.493, p = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: A new commercially available SLO (F-10) in the retro-mode can allow us to detect each cystoid space non-invasively and to measure the extent of CME.
Eye ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Macular Edema ; Medical Records ; Ophthalmoscopes ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Photography ; Retrospective Studies ; Tokyo ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

PURPOSE: The sunken chest deformity without breast asymmetry is not a rare condition encountered in augmentation mammaplasty. Therefore, failure to recognize the deformity and improper surgical plan will lead to a suboptimal result. The authors review the experience of breast augmentation in simple sunken chest patient based on retrospectively collected data. METHODS: From January, 2008 to January, 2009, patients with simple sunken chest underwent endoscopic submuscular augmentation mammaplasty through axilla, using silicone implants. Patient demographics were queried and outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Eleven patients (22 breasts) were followed up for 8.2 months after surgery. Sunken chests were augmented with implant size of approximately 248.9 cc (range: 213~286 cc) and contralateral chest with 211.4 cc (range: 180~235 cc). Simultaneous camouflaging the chest wall depression with breast augmentation resulted in good aesthetic outcome. All of the patients were satisfied with the surgery. There were no complications among all patients. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated proper surgical planning with precise implant selection to optimize results in patients with small breast and simple sunken chest. Even though asymmetry still remains after the operation, it is still considered as acceptable.
Axilla ; Breast ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Demography ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Mammaplasty ; Retrospective Studies ; Silicones ; Thoracic Wall ; Thorax

Major depression is a devastating disorder of which lifetime prevalence rate is as high as up to 25% in general population. Although the etiology of the disorder is still poorly understood, it is generally accepted that both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the precipitation of depression. Stressful lifetime events are potent precipitating environmental factors for major depression and early-life stress is in particular an important element that predisposes individuals to major depression later in life. How environmental factors such as stress can make our neural networks susceptible to depression and how those factors leave long-lasting influences have been among the major questions in the field of depression research. Epigenetic regulations can provide a bridging mechanism between environmental factors and genetic factors so that these two factors can additively determine individual predispositions to major depression. Here we introduce epigenetic regulations as candidate mechanisms that mediate the integration of environmental adversaries with genetic predispositions, which may lead to the development of major depression, and summarize basic molecular events that underlie epigenetic regulations as well as experimental evidences that support the active role of epigenetic regulation in major depression.
Depression ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenomics ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Prevalence ; Social Control, Formal