No abstract available.
Stents* ; Trachea*

No abstract available.
Liver Abscess, Pyogenic*

The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of sulfhydryl compounds, cysteine and glutathione, on the size of melanosomes and the ratio of melanosormai stages of epidermal melanocytes in UV-irradiated black mice. The results were as follows; 1. Both of cysteine and glutathione showed significant diminution in the short axis of melanosomes and the percentage of stage 4 melanosomes of epidermal melanocytes in C57BL black mice skin. 2. The length of short axis of melanosomes in glutathione-treated group is smaller than those in cysteine-treated group at the end of 3rd week of intraperitoneal injection. The percentage of stage IV melanosomes significantly decreased in glutathione-treated group and cysteine-treated group at the end of 3rd week and 5th week respectively. 3. In glutathione-treated group, the short axis of melanosomes and the percentage of stage 4 melanosomes both decreased in proportional to the period of intraperitoneal in]ection.
Animals ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cysteine ; Glutathione ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Melanocytes* ; Melanosomes ; Mice* ; Skin ; Sulfhydryl Compounds*

The CT digital radiography is a new accurate technique for measuring the long bone length. Authors performed acomparative study on accuracy, time and film consumption and radiation dose between conventional spot scanogramand CT scanogram. We used two femur and two tibia specimen for materials, the Somatom II(Siemens) for CTscanogram, and Rad Check(Voctoreen) for radiation dosimetery. There was no significant difference in accuracybetween direct measurement, conventional scanogram and CT scanogram(lesser than 1% difference). The examinationtime of conventional scanogram was about 35 minutes, CT was 15 minutes, and the film consumption of spot scanogramwas 3 of 14x17'' size, but the CT scanogram need only one 8x10'' film for completion of study. The radiation doseof hip, knee and ankle joint were 220 mRad, 365 mRad, respectively, in spot scanogram, but it was lesser than 5mRad in all joints in CT scanogram. The advantages of the CT scanogram are simple, rapid and reduced radiation.
Ankle Joint ; Femur ; Hip ; Joints ; Knee ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; Tibia

No abstract available.
Child* ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal* ; Portal Vein*

The purpose of this study was to investigate a plan of middle/high school foodservice systems which could properly provide nutrition for juveniles' health. Questionnaires were developed and distributed to: 245 middle schools with 271 parentis, 328 students, 180 teachers, and 345 administrators; 163 high-schools with 223 parents, 466 students, 179 teachers, and 163 administrators in Seoul and Kyunggi province. The results of this study were as followed. For the desirable feeding type as in-school meal plan, 62.2% responded to the current elementary school feeing type;10.3% responded to a lunch-box prepared at home; and 38.0% responded to free dining out type. For a feeding operation type, school administrators, teachers and parents favored the current school feeding systems in elementary schools with proportion of 68.2%, 47.7%, and 87.6% as respectively. Also, 20.3% of school administrators, 22.6% of teachers, and 6.9% of parents preferred contract management. A total of 27.6% of teachers, 9.2% of school administrators, and 3.7% of parents responded to a lunch-box prepared at home. There was a significant difference between the responses for establishing the main body of financial burden to solve the problem of financial burden which could be the most obstacle to bring middle/high school feeding system into operation. For the management of school feeding systems when brought into operation, 88.7% out of 470 responded schools and 89.9% out of 227 responded teachers reported that an expert should manage school feeding systems. For futuristic direction, an effective joint cooking type between schools which may be the way to solve the difficulties in securing the appropriate space and to decrease the financial burden, the problem of transportation for delivering feeding products, low quality of feeding, and sanitation can occur. Therefore, the distance between schools which operate a joint cooking system will affect as a major factor. Furthermore, concrete examination of plans for introduction of various types of school feeding and institutional devices for management system and supervision of operation should become a condition precedent.
Administrative Personnel ; Cooking ; Fees and Charges ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Joints ; Meals ; Organization and Administration ; Parents ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sanitation ; Seoul* ; Transportation

No abstract available.
Sarcoma*

BACKGROUND: To examine the influencing factors on patients' satisfaction in the emergency department(ED) far quality assurance. METHODS: Patients who visited to the ED were prospectively investigated from November 1 to December 31,1997. Authors developed questionnaire to investigate influencing factors on patients' satisfaction.4 Chi-square test and 115-REL 7.0 were applied far statistical analysis. RESULTS: Patients' satisfaction was significantly related to physical environment variables, accessibility variables, kindness of hospital personnel variables, and patient's trust for doctors variables. In path analysis, willingness for revisit was influenced by patients' satisfaction, accessibility, physical environment, patients' trust for doctors in order, and willingness for recommendation was influenced by accessibility, patients' satisfaction, and kindness of hospital personnel in order. CONCLUSIONS : The influencing factors on patients' satisfaction are physical environment, accessibility, kindness of hospital personnel, and patient's trust far doctors. Willingness far revisit and willingness far recommendation are influenced by patients' satisfaction. In spite of some limitations, the results of this study can be used as a baseline information for exploring the influencing factors on patients' satisfaction. Further comprehensive research efforts should be made on the study of patients' satisfaction in the ED.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Personnel, Hospital ; Prospective Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Jehovah's Witnesses present a challenge for the anesthesia professionals on account of their refusal to accept blood and blood products. Therefore, anesthesiologists must be able to individualize their treatment depending on the patients' condition. We report a case of a stent removal and aorto-biiliac bypass surgery in a Jehovah's Witness. A 69 year-old, hypertensive man presented with claudication of both lower extremities due to the distal migration of an endoaneurysmal stent. According to his previous medical history, he had a lacunar infarction in the right middle cerebral artery territory, ischemic coronary artery disease with a stent in situ, and a stent inserted for an abdominal aortic aneurysm by radiological intervention. Because he strongly refused a transfusion, human recombinant erythropoietin was used before surgery. After the erythropoietin treatment, hemoglobin level increased to 14.8 g/dl (hematocrit 47.6%). During the operation, closed-circuit cell saver was used and transfused autologous blood was saved by acute normovolemic hemodilution. The patient recovered uneventfully from the anesthesia and was transferred to the intensive care unit. He was discharged on the ninth postoperative day without complications with a hematocrit level of 28.9%.
Adult* ; Aged ; Anesthesia ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Transfusion* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Disulfiram ; Erythropoietin ; Hematocrit ; Hemodilution ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Jehovah's Witnesses ; Lower Extremity ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Stents ; Stroke, Lacunar

BACKGROUND: Muscle relaxants induce vascular smooth muscle relaxation by inducing synthesis of the prostaglandins that influence vasomotor tone. However, the effects of muscle relaxants on endothelial cells and tissues following injury by reactive oxygen species (ROS) are unclear. We tested the effects of the muscle relaxants vecuronium and rocuronium on impaired acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation following induction of ROS in rabbit aorta in vitro. METHODS: Isolated rabbit abdominal aortic ring segments were pretreated with vecuronium or rocuronium at 10(-4), 3 x 10(-4), 10(-3) or 3 x 10(-3) M, with or without inhibitors of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (diethyldithiocarbamate; DETCA, 0.8 mM) or catalase (3-amino-1,2,4-triazole; 3AT, 50 mM). All groups of aortic rings were then exposed to ROS generated by electrolysis in the organ bath medium (Krebs-Henseleit solution). The effects of vecuronium and rocuronium on ROS-induced impairment of relaxation induced by ACh (10(-6) M) were assessed. RESULTS: Aortic rings treated with vecuronium or rocuronium at 10(-4), 3 x 10(-4), 10(-3) or 3 x 10(-3) M preserved the capacity for ACh-induced endothelial relaxation following ROS exposure in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with DETCA partially inhibited the protective effects of vecuronium and rocuronium on ACh-induced relaxation (P < 0.001), but pretreatment with 3AT had no effect. CONCLUSIONS: Muscle relaxants protected the endothelium in isolated rabbit abdominal aorta from free-radical injury in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that vecuronium and rocuronium may act as superoxide anion scavengers.
Acetylcholine ; Antioxidants* ; Aorta ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Baths ; Catalase ; Electrolysis ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Muscles* ; Prostaglandins ; Reactive Oxygen Species* ; Relaxation ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Superoxides ; Vecuronium Bromide