The Acknowledgements was published incorrectly.

Over 26 kinds of tablets and capsules, such as Tetracycline, Quinidine and Potassium preparations were reported to cause esopbageal ulcerations, eharacterized in various size, shape and number, ind sually in mid-esophagus, Recently authors experienced 10 cases of drug-induced esophageal ulcerations due to antibiotics and antiinflammatory agents such as Tetracycline, Aspirin, etc. Four cases were men and six were women. Four cases were in third dades, three in fourth cleeades, two in fifth decades and one in sixth decades. Presenting symptoras were odynophagia(4/10), dysphagia(3/10), substernal pain(7/10) and epigastric pain(3/10). Endoscopic examination of the esophgus showed single or multiple, small and shallow ulcers on the mid-esophgeal mucosa at the level of 30cm from the ineisor in eight cases, one Iarge and deep ulcer at the level of 40cm from incisor in one patient and one amall, shallow and one large, deep ulcers at the same time. in one patient The shape of alcers were various from a round to a large horseshoe shaped one. The clinical course was mild without complications. It was suggested that drug-induced esophsgeal ulcers with antibiotics and antiinflammatory agents could be found frequently and they had benign and mild clinicalc ourse,
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Aspirin ; Capsules ; Female ; Humans ; Incisor ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Potassium ; Quinidine ; Tablets ; Tetracycline ; Ulcer*

Myocardial infarction is almost regularly associated with severe and widespread obstructive coronary artery disease. Recently, there have been some reports of myocardial infarction with normal of near normal coronary arteries on cineangiography. The following report concerns 6 cases (4% of a series of 142 consecutively studied patients with myocardial infarction) of myocardial infarction proved on clinical grounds with normal or near normal coronary arteries at coronary angiography obtained several months later. The clinical data was shown in Table 1 and Table 2. All 6 patients were male. Three were in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh decade. Multiple risk factors were present in only one patient. Areas of localized dyskinesia or hypokinesia were demonstrated in five on the left ventricular cineangiography. The left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was greater than 12 mmHg in all 6 patients. One patient had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the remaining 5 patients had no underlying heart diseases. One patient had moderate congestive heart tailure. It is possible that prolonged, localized coronary artery spasm or platelet thrombi that subsequently resolved are a part of the pathogenic mechanism.
Blood Platelets ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Cineangiography ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dyskinesias ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Risk Factors ; Spasm

Recent reports claimed that glucosylsphingosine (GS) is highly accumulated and specifically evoking itch-scratch responses in the skins of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. However, it was unclear how GS can trigger itch-scratch responses, since there were no known molecular singling pathways revealed yet. In the present study, it was verified for the first time that GS can activate mouse serotonin receptor 2a (mHtr2a) and 2b (mHtr2b), but not 2c (mHtr2c) that are expressed in HEK293T cells. Specifically, effects of GS on all mouse serotonin receptor 2 subfamily were evaluated by calcium imaging techniques. The GS-induced intracellular calcium increase was dose-dependent, and antagonists such as ketanserin (Htr2a antagonist) and RS-127445 (Htr2b antagonist) significantly blocked the GS-induced responses. Moreover, the proposed GS-induced responses appear to be mediated by phospholipase C (PLC), since pretreatment of a PLC inhibitor U-73122 abolished the GS-induced responses. Additionally, the GS-induced calcium influx is probably mediated by endogenous TRPC ion channels in HEK293T cells, since pretreatment of SKF-96365, an inhibitor for TRPC, significantly suppressed GS-induced response. In conclusion, the present study revealed for the first time that GS can stimulate mHtr2a and mHtr2b to induce calcium influx, by utilizing PLC-dependent pathway afterwards. Considering that GS is regarded as a pruritogen in AD, the present study implicates a novel GS-induced itch signaling pathway.
Animals ; Calcium ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Humans ; Ion Channels ; Ketanserin ; Mice ; Serotonin* ; Skin ; Type C Phospholipases

BACKGROUND: Total obstruction of the left main coronary artery is a common cause of sudden death but is rarely seen in patients who survive to undergo diagnostic evaluation or treatment. METHODS: During twenty six-year period, we encountered 5 patients with chronic total obstruction of the left main coronary artery out of about 4,000 patients who underwent coronary angiography. RESULTS: All patients have undergone coronary bypass surgery. These patients present with increasingly severe angina. A right dominat coronary anatomy is always found, usually with well-developed right-to-left collaterals. Left ventricular function was severely impaired in two patients out of five patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results of surgical revascularization in our patients and others described in the literature can support the safety and efficacy of this approach.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels* ; Death, Sudden ; Humans ; Ventricular Function, Left

To delineate the coronary anatomy and the left ventricular function during early myocardial infarction, coronary arteriography and left ventriculography were performed prospectively in 28(34%) of 83 patients who were admitted to the coronary care unit at Severance Hospital from November 1983 to August 1984 within 30 days(median : 14 days;range : 4 hours to 30 days) after the onset of symptoms. The frequency of total occlusion of the infarct related artery was evaluated in the time course of infarction. To prove spontaneous recanalization, 3 patients who had total coronary occlusion underwent serial study within 11-20 days after the first study. We categorized the patients into two comparable groups according to the infarction site, coronary angiographic findings, and age. Comparison of clinical and angiographic findings between each group was made. The following results were obained. 1) There were 23 patients with transmural myocardial infarction(82.1%) and 5 with nontransmural infarction(17.9%). Among 23 patients with transmural infarction, 14 had anterior infarction(60.9%) and 9(39.1%) inferior infarction. 2) The mean age was 51.3 years(range : 31-79 years). The ratio of male to female was 3.7:1. 3) Fifteen patients(53.6%) had one-vessel disease, 10(35.7%) two-vessel disease and 2(7.1%) three-vessel disease, One patient(3.6%) had insignificant disease(less than 50% reduction in luminal diameter). Nontransmural infarction had a tendency to be associated with higher prevalence of multivessel disease than transmural infarction(80% vs 34.8%). 4) In 23 patients with transmural infarction, 12(52.2%) had complete occlusion and 11(47.8%) incomplete occlusion of the infarct related artery. Three patients(13.0%) had subtotal occlusion(90-99%) and 4(17.4%) had lesions of 70-89% luminal diameter narrowing. Three patients(13.0%) had 50-69% lesions and the remaining 1(4.4%) had insignificant obstructive lesions. 5) Of the 23 patients with transmural infarction, 12 were studied within 14 days and 11 in 15-30 days after the onset of symptoms. The frequency of total coronary occlusion was significantly higher in the patients studied within 14 days of symptom onset vs those studied in the 15-30 days period(83.3% vs 18.2%;p<0.001). Serial studies of 3 patients with total coronary occlusion at the initial study demonstrated occurrance of spontaneous recanalization in 2 patients. 6) The left ventricular-ejection fraction was higher in the patients with nontransmural infarction, inferior infarction, and incomplete coronary occlusion(65+/-14%, 58+/-16% and 57+/-17%) than that of the patients with transmural infarction, anterior infarction, and complete coronary occlusion(51+/-15%, 47+/-14% and 46+/-13, p<0.05). But there was no significant difference in left ventricular ejection fraction between the young(<45 year) and the old(> or =45 year) age groups. And also 0-1 vessel disease and 2-3 vessel disease groups did not show significant difference in ejection fraction. The degree of congestive heart failure was more severe in the patients with anterior infarction than in those with inferior infaction. multi-vessel disease group was significantly older than 0-1 vessel disease group(55+/-8 yrs vs 46+/-12 yrs, p<0.05), and the young age group had a tendency to be associated with higher prevalence of single vessel disease. 7) As for the complications of angiocardiography in this study, there was ventricular finbrillation in 2 patients(7.1%) without mortality. It is concluded that coronary arteriography can be safely performed within one month after acute myocardial infarction;high prevalence of one-vessel disease in acute myocardial infarction in the Korean adult patients admitted to a general hospital;lower incidence of total coronary occlusion in the late time course of infarction due to spontaneous recanalization;better left ventricular function in the patient groups with nontransmural infarction, inferior infarction and incomplete coronary occlusion.
Adult* ; Angiocardiography ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Coronary Care Units ; Coronary Occlusion ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infarction ; Male ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phenobarbital ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left

A patient had total occlusion of the left main coronary artery that was proved by coronary arteriography. Patients with total occlusion of the left main coronary artery have a varying clinical presentation and may have prolonged survival. In patients with good collaterals, left ventricular function may be preserved. This report reveiws the clinical and angiographic findings of a patient with occlusion of the left main coronary artery with symptoms of unstable angina pectoris but without congestive heart failure or EKG evidence of myocardial infarction.
Angina, Unstable ; Angiography ; Coronary Vessels* ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND: Since percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty(PMV) using balloon was introduced by Inoue in 1984, this procedure has been accepted as a new non-surgical therapeutic modality for the treatment of selected patients with mitral stenosis. Pregnant women with mitral stenosis has suffered from life threatening complication due to altered hemodynamic changes and heart failure. Surgical valvotomy has been performed after failure of medical therapy with high risk of fetal mortality and teratogenicity. PMV can be an adequate alternative to surgical valvotomy in pregnant women. METHODS: After precise echocardiographic examination of mitral valve and its surrounding structures including thrombi in left artrium was performed, antegrade transseptal procedure was done in all 3 cases with abdominal shield using Inoue balloon technique. RESULTS: Mitral valve area increased over 1.5cm2 and hemodynamic variables improved immediately after PMV. Symptoms subsided soon after PMV in all 3 cases. Healthy normal babies were delivered transvaginally without difficulties in all 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty is a safe and effective therapeuteic alternative to surgical valvotomy in a pregnant women with mitral stenosis who failed medical therapy, in a high risk or symptomatic pregnant women.
Echocardiography ; Female ; Fetal Mortality ; Heart Failure ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women