No abstract available.
Orbit*

No abstract available.
Cholesterol* ; Granuloma*

No abstract available.
Rhinoplasty*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of low dose estrogen menopausal hormone therapy on cardiovascular system METHODS: This study categorized 95 postmenopausal women between March 2004 and August 2004. Thirty patients of estrogen therapy group, fifteen patients of estrogen-progestin therapy group, fifteen patients of low-dose estrogen therapy group, and fifteen patients of low-dose estrogen-progestin therapy group were divided. Remaining 20 patients served as control group which did not receive the hormone treatment. The blood pressure, pulse rate, lipid profile, and NO metabolites and antioxidant activity of plasma and urine were measured. RESULTS: Diastolic blood pressure was lower in hormone treatment group than control group's. Although it was not significant, the total cholestrol and LDL-cholestrol in the plasma of treatment group were lower than those of the control group while HDL-cholestrol were higher. Triglyceride in the plasma of treatment group was higher. Changes of blood pressure, pulse rate and lipid profile in low-dose group were similar to those of conventional standard dose. The plasma concentration of NO metabolites in treatment group was higher. Also, the plasma concentration of NO metabolites in low-dose group was similar to that of conventional dose. CONCLUSION: A low-dose hormone therapy was expected to bring about the improvement of endothelial cell dependent vascular reactivity like conventional dose, resulting in the reduction of diastolic blood pressure, the improvement of lipid profile, and an increase in plasma concentration of the NO metabolites. A low-dose hormone therapy may thus presumably provide beneficial effects on cardiovascular system.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular System ; Endothelial Cells ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Nitric Oxide* ; Plasma ; Triglycerides

A 65-year-old male patient with preoperative severe left ventricular dysfunction and mitral and tricuspid insufficiency went into low cardiac output and failure to wean, biventricular assistance was provided with centrifugal pumps. The patient survived the ordeal. This is the first reported case of a survival after biventricular assistance using the centrifugal pump.
Adult* ; Aged ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Heart Diseases* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Male ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

PURPOSE: We investigated the clinical course of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) who experienced thyroid dysfunction within 100 days of birth. METHODS: We performed retrospective medical reviews of 54 CHD patients (24 male patients) who underwent a thyroid function test (TFT) between January 2007 and July 2016. Data were collected on birth history, diagnosis of CHD, underlying chromosomal or genetic abnormalities, medication history, surgery, ventilator care, and exposure to iodine contrast media (ICM). Results of neonatal screening tests (NSTs) and TFTs were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients (29 transient, 7 permanent) showed thyroid dysfunction. Among the seven patients with permanent hypothyroidism, three had an underlying syndrome, three showed abnormal NST results, and one was admitted to the intensive care unit for macroglossia and feeding cyanosis. We found that infants with transient thyroid dysfunction had a lower birth weight and were more commonly exposed to thyroid disrupting medication and/or ICM. However, these risk factors were not significant. A total of 8 patients with a history of ICM exposure showed thyroid dysfunction. Excluding 3 patients with elevated thyroid stimulating hormone before ICM exposure, 5 patients recovered from transient thyroid dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: We observed thyroid dysfunction in two-thirds of CHD infants (53.7% transient, 13.0% permanent) who had risk factors and received TFT screening within 100 days, despite normal NSTs. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to revise the criteria for TFT screening in CHD infants.
Birth Weight ; Contrast Media ; Cyanosis ; Diagnosis ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units ; Iodine ; Macroglossia ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Neonatal Screening ; Parturition ; Reproductive History ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sample Size ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyrotropin ; Ventilators, Mechanical

Intradiploic epidermoid cysts, like epidermoid cysts in other cranial locations, are rare. Approximately 100 intradiploic epidermoids have been reported, involving all of the cranial bones in proportion to their relative sizes1). Over half erode through both tables of the cranium, creating variably sized areas of unprotected brain beneath the soft tumor. We report a case of an intradiploic epidermoid cyst of the right parietal bone that was found after minor head trauma.
Brain ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; Epidermal Cyst* ; Parietal Bone ; Skull*

BACKGROUND: Since the introduction of warm blood cardioplegic myocardial protection, the results of numerous clinical trials have been reported. However , the increased reliance oncrystalloid cardioplegia with longer cross clamp time, the controversies surrounding the issue of right ventricular protection with retrograde cardioplegia, and problems of securing a good operative field of vision have all been pointed out as unresolved. To overcome these shortcomings, Antonio et al, in 1995 published the use of intermittent warm blood cardioplegia by admixing potassium only with good clinical results. The obj ectives of the current investigation were to assess the effects and applicability of warm blood cardioplegia with potassium only. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From May of 1998 to January of 1999, the results of coronary surgery or open heart surgery in 70 patients under intermittent warm blood potassium only cardioplegia were compared with the results of 70 case matched patients undergoing similar operations with intermittent cold blood cardioplegia. RESULT: The amount of cardioplegic solution required during cardiopulmonary bypass(1463+/-68.0 min, 3584+/-179 min, p<0.001), the time to recovery of consciousness postoperatively(3.5+/-0.4 min, 4.9+/-0.8 min, p=0.044), intubation duration(10.8+/-0.8 hr , 13.2+/-0.6 hr , p=0.017), and the inci-dence of rrhythmia requiring the use of lidocaine(75.2+/-6.8 mg, 114.5+/-7.2 mg, p=0.006), which were found to be less in the warm potassium only group were statistically significant. However, the differences in postoperative cardiac enzymne elevation and postoperative mortality and morbidity were statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: The current study showed warm intermittent potassium only blood cardioplegia to be at least equally effective as cold intermittent blood cardioplegia in providing myocardial protection. Furthermore, the reduction in cardiopulmonary bypass, mental recovery and intubation times strongly support the use of this method for intraopertaive myocardial protection.
Cardioplegic Solutions ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Consciousness ; Heart Arrest, Induced* ; Humans ; Intubation ; Mortality ; Potassium* ; Thoracic Surgery

beta-lapachone is a naturally occurring quinone that selectively induces apoptotic cell death in a variety of human cancer cells in vitro and in vivo; however, its mechanism of action needs to be further elaborated. In this study, we investigated the effects of beta-lapachone on the induction of apoptosis in human gastric carcinoma AGS cells. beta-lapachone significantly inhibited cellular proliferation, and some typical apoptotic characteristics such as chromatin condensation and an increase in the population of sub-G1 hypodiploid cells were observed in beta-lapachone-treated AGS cells. Treatment with beta-lapachone caused mitochondrial transmembrane potential dissipation, stimulated the mitochondria-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathway, as indicated by caspase-9 activation, cytochrome c release, Bcl-2 downregulation and Bax upregulation, as well as death receptor-mediated extrinsic apoptotic pathway, as indicated by activation of caspase-8 and truncation of Bid. This process was accompanied by activation of caspase-3 and concomitant with cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. The general caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, significantly abolished beta-lapachone-induced cell death and inhibited growth. Further analysis demonstrated that the induction of apoptosis by beta-lapachone was accompanied by inactivation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling pathway. The PI3K inhibitor LY29004 significantly increased beta-lapachone-induced apoptosis and growth inhibition. Taken together, these findings indicate that the apoptotic activity of beta-lapachone is probably regulated by a caspase-dependent cascade through activation of both intrinsic and extrinsic signaling pathways, and that inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling may contribute to beta-lapachone-mediated AGS cell growth inhibition and apoptosis induction.
Apoptosis* ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 8 ; Caspase 9 ; Cell Death ; Cell Proliferation ; Chromatin ; Cytochromes c ; Down-Regulation ; Humans ; Membrane Potentials ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases ; Up-Regulation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Carcinoid tumors are often indolent asymptomatic tumors, however significant proportions are malignant. The patients with these tumors have usually been treated by radical excision. Recently, small gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors can be easily be detected with increasing use of endoscopy and surgical treatment has been questioned. We evaluate clinical characteristics of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors and clinical usefulness of endoscopic resection in treatment of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 37 cases of gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors over the past three years in our instituide. RESULTS: The peak incidence was in the 5th decade and slight male predominance. The most comgastrointestinal carcinoid tumors were diagnosed by endoscopy with biopsy. Twenty-six cases of carcinoid tumors of size less than 15 mm have been safely treated with endoscopic resection. All of the patients are alive and clinically free of disease during 23 months after endoscopic resection. CONCLUSIONS: Recently, the detection of small carcinoid tumors in gastrointestinal tract, especially in rectum, is increasing with frequent use of endoscopy. Endoscopic resection was found to be useful and safe for treatment of small gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors.
Biopsy ; Carcinoid Tumor* ; Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Medical Records ; Rectum