A variety of disease states are marked by prolonged and profound eosinophilia associated with localized or widespread eosinophilic infiltrates. Cardiac involvement maybe a major cause of morbidity and mortality of this disease. We report a case of acute peri-myocarditis with eosinophilia, which was confirmed as eosinophilic myocardilic myocarditis by endomyocardial biopsy.
Biopsy ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils* ; Mortality ; Myocarditis*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of wrist position on the ulnar nerve conduction velocity. METHOD: Ulnar motor nerve conduction studies were performed bilaterally in twenty healthy adult volunteers. For each limb, nerve conduction study was carried out in two different positions. In the first position, shoulder were abducted, elbow and wrist flexed to 90o. For the second position, all joints were kept constant except for the wrist where it was extended. Routine conduction study was performed in both wrist positions. All data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The average conduction velocities in the wrist flexed position were 61.6 m/sec for the forearm segment and 62.3 m/sec across elbow. With the wrist extended, the average was 62.6 m/sec and 64.1 m/sec, respectively. The differences in conduction velocities between two different wrist positions were statistically significant (p<0.05). In the wrist flexed position, the average measured latencies were 2.3 msec with wrist, 5.4 msec below elbow, and 7.4 msec above elbow stimulation, compared to wrist extended which showed 2.4, 5.4 and 7.2 msec, respectively. The difference of latencies at wrist between the two wrist positions was statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that wrist position affect ulnar nerve conduction velocity.
Adult ; Elbow ; Extremities ; Forearm ; Humans ; Joints ; Neural Conduction ; Shoulder ; Ulnar Nerve* ; Volunteers ; Wrist*

No abstract available.
Rickets, Hypophosphatemic*

The importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing because of climate change, with a lack of long-term studies on tick-borne pathogens in South Korea. To understand the epidemiological characteristics of tick-borne diseases, the monthly distribution of field ticks throughout the year was studied in South Korea between May 2014 and April 2018 in a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: This study was done to investigate the clinical risk factors of delirium in general hospital's elderly inpatients. METHODS: A case-control study design was used. Forty cases and age -sex matched 120 contols were identified using hospital discharge data from June 1995 to May 2001. The controls were selected during the same period. The clinical records of each subject were reviewed using discharged disease code to select cases. Subsequent7, the data were recorded from clinical records. RESULTS: The subjects admitted with delirium tended to have increased age (P=0.007), hypoxia(P=0.018), low hemoglobin(P =0.011),sleep disturbance (P=0.001), more ADL total dependence ( P=0.018), diagnoses with infections (P=0.006), diabetes (P=0.046), and hypertension (P=0.041). Above risk factors seemed to be clinically associated with delirium. CONSLUSION: These findings indicate that rapid infection control, maintenance of good sleep hygiene, well-controlled diabetes and hypertension, and correction of hypoxia may help to prevent delirium in general hospital's elderly inpatients.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged* ; Anoxia ; Case-Control Studies ; Delirium* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Hypertension ; Infection Control ; Inpatients* ; Risk Factors*

BACKGROUND: A tumor must continuously stimulate the growth of new capillary blood vessels for the tumor itself to grow and metastasize. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes vascular permeability and endothelial cell growth. A hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a typical hypervascular tumor. METHODS: We evaluated the expression of VEGF in 36 cases of HCC by using immunohistochemical staining in order to define its prognostic value. RESULTS: The expression rate of VEGF was 44.4% (16/36) in tumor cells and 0% (0/36) in non- tumorous liver parenchyme. VEGF expression did not correlate with any clinicopathological characteristics. And patients with expression of VEGF in tumor cells had no survival difference in comparison to those without VEGF expression. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the expression of VEGF in HCC cells by itself may not be a significant factor in the prognosis of HCC.
Blood Vessels ; Capillaries ; Capillary Permeability ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Liver ; Prognosis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

PURPOSE: The present study was designed to analyze the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and p53, and their impact on clinical outcome in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This immunohistochemical study involved 23 patients with available paraffin blocks among 46 patients who were treated during the period from 1994 to 1997 in Eulji University Hospital in Korea. Anti-VEGF mouse monoclonal antibody and DO-7 anti- p53 mouse monoclonal antibody were used as the primary antibodies. Antibody binding was detected with a LSAB kit. Staining was defined as positive for VEGF and p53, when more than 10% and 5% of the tumor cells were stained out of 500 cells counted, respectively. RESULTS: FIGO stage (p=0.05) and tumor size (p=0.04) were significant prognostic factors for survival. p53 expression was present in 17 (77%) cases. There was no significant relationship between p53 staining and the clinicopathologic factors, such as FIGO stage (p=0.98), tumor size (p=0.43), lymph node status (p=0.82), parametrial invasion (p=0.96), and age (p=0.18). The five year survival rates according to the p53 expression status were 80% for the p53 negative group and 66% for the p53 positive group (p=0.58). Positive VEGF expression was observed in 11 (47%) of the total of 23 patients. Statistical evaluation of VEGF expression according to stage (p=0.36), tumor size(p=0.11), lymph node status (p=0.82), parametrial invasion (p=0.49), and age (p=0.55) revealed no significant difference in any of these parameters. The five year survival rates according to the VEGF expression status were 89% for the VEGF negative group and 41% for the VEGF positive group (p=0.07). CONCLUSION: We suggest that VEGF expression may have an effect on the prognosis of cervix cancer patients treated with radiation therapy, and further evaluation with a large sample size is warranted.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Sample Size ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

Cyclosporine A(CsA) induced nephrotoxicity is a common clinical problem in the patients who underwent organ transplantation and subsequent immunosuppressive therapy. The precise pathophysiology of CsA induced nephrotoxicity still remains uncertain though many hypothesized mechanisms were reported. Therefore, no effective strategy is currently available to counter the nephrotoxic effects of CsA while cyclosporine G or cyclosporine microemulsion was tried to reduce the toxic effects. Recently, CsA was reported to induce lipid peroxidation in renal cortical mitochondria, which may cause mitochondrial damage. To examine the hypothesis of lipid peroxidation in the pathogenesis of acute CsA induced nephrotoxicity, antioxidant vitamin E was co-administerated in the CsA induced acute nephrotoxicity. Sprague Dawley male rats weighing from 250 to 400 gm were heminephrectomized 7 days prior to the experiments. The rats were divided into 3 groups and each group consisted of 7 rats. In group I(control group), the rats were given sterilized olive oil intraperitoneally, in group II(CsA group), CsA 50 mg/kg of body weight/day intraperitoneally, and in group III(CsA with vitamin E), CsA 50 mg/kg of body weight/day intraperitoneally with vitamin E 10 mg/kg of body weight/day intramuscularly for 7 days respectively. From the 6th day, all experimental animals were placed in a metabolic cage collecting urine for the measurement of 24-hours urine thromboxane B2, the metabolite of thromboxane A2. On the 7th day, at the sacrifice of the experimental animals, blood samplings for the measurement of blood CsA level and serum creatinine and left nephrectomy for morphological study were performed. Comparison of mean serum creatinine levels between 2 study groups revealed 171.7+/-164.2 micro Mol/L in group II and 53.4+/-13.9 micro Mol/L in group III(p<0.05). Mean 24-hour urine thromboxane B2 levels were 39.0+/-6.9 ng/24 hours in group I, 74.8+/-22.6 ng/24 hours in group II, and 34.5+/-8.0 ng/24 hours in group III. Urine thromboxane B2 was significantly(p=.0026) lower in group III. The differences of morphological changes in group II and III can be summarized as a diminution of PAS(+) granules under the light microscope and a diminution of the numbers of secondary lysosomes in the proximal tubular epithelial cell under the electron microscope. In conclusion, this animal study provides an evidence that CsA-induced acute nephrotoxicity is related with lipid peroxidation and the antioxidant, vitamin E was considered to ameliorate CsA-induced acute nephrotoxicity in rats.
Animals ; Creatinine ; Cyclosporine* ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Lysosomes ; Male ; Mitochondria ; Nephrectomy ; Olea ; Olive Oil ; Organ Transplantation ; Rats* ; Thromboxane A2 ; Thromboxane B2 ; Transplants ; Vitamin E* ; Vitamins*

BACKGROUND: Anesthetic techniques for laryngeal microsurgery aims on modulation of sympathetic stimulation, good relaxation and rapid recovery from deep anesthesia. This study was designed to compare the influence of the different anesthetic methods on the cardiovascular responses and the recovery patterns during suspension laryngoscopic surgery. METHOD: Sixty patients of ASA class 1 or 2 scheduled for suspension laryngoscopic surgery were divided into 4 groups randomly. Two groups were anesthetized with inhalational anesthetic, enflurane, and other two groups were anesthetized with intravenous anesthetic, propofol. In each groups, esmolol or fentanyl was used as an adjunctive during anesthesia. When blood pressures increased above 30% of baseline value each adjunctive was added. The changes of blood pressure and heart rate were compared with each others during operation. Postoperatively, the start of spontaneous respiration, consciousness, memory, and the frequencies of other complications were also compared with each others. RESULT: The results were as follows; 1) The blood pressures and heart rates during operations were not different among the groups. 2) The recovery of spontaneous respiration was early in propofol esmolol group. 3) 30 minutes after operation, the consciousness state was better and complications were less in propofol groups compared with enflurane groups. CONCLUSION: From this results, it seems that propofol with nitrous oxide and supplemental fentanyl or esmolol may be useful in laryngeal microsurgery. Especially, esmolol can be a good substitute for those who can't be treated with opioids.
Analgesics, Opioid ; Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Consciousness ; Enflurane ; Fentanyl ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Laryngoscopy ; Memory ; Microsurgery ; Nitrous Oxide ; Propofol ; Relaxation ; Respiration

PURPOSE: Untill now, AMT at the early stage of corneal ulcer has been prohibited by the reasons that measurement of progression of ulcer by active pathogens was difficult through the transplanted amniotic membrane and anxiety about worsening by decreased permeability of antibiotics. This study has investigated the effect of early AMT in the bacterial corneal ulcer. METHODS: We made experimental bacterial corneal ulcer in 10 rabbits with Staphylococcus epidermidis, which typically has a more indolent clinical course. After certification of infection, fresh amniotic membranes, soaked by fortified antibiotics was transplanted to 5 eyes to which we dropped fortified antibiotics. And to another 5 eyes we applied only fortified antibiotics. After observing the progression of corneal ulcer for 4 weeks, we compared the degree of corneal opacity and histopathologic changes between the two groups to measure the effect of early AMP in the bacterial corneal ulcer. RESULTS: Corneal ulcer was healed in the all 5 cases of early AMT-performed group, And compared with the group without AMT, successful decrement of corneal opacity was observed in the 4 cases of early AMT-performed group. Histopathologic observation has revealed only mild inflammation and the maintenance of parallel architecture of stromal collagens. CONCLUSIONS: In the experimental corneal ulcer with Staphylococcus Epidermidis, we observed healing of the ulcer with decrement of corneal opacity, result from early transplantation of amniotic membrane, soaked in fortified antibiotics followed by dropping of fortified antibiotics at an early stage of ulcer.
Amnion* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anxiety ; Certification ; Collagen ; Corneal Opacity ; Corneal Ulcer* ; Inflammation ; Permeability ; Rabbits ; Staphylococcus epidermidis* ; Staphylococcus* ; Ulcer