No abstract available.
Central Nervous System Infections* ; Central Nervous System*

Poor R-Wave Progression(PRWP) of precordial leads is frequently encountered electrocardiographic findings of uncertain significance and has simply been deemed as suggestion of anterior myocardial infarction without concrete ground. 217 cases with poor R-Wave Progression have been analyzed on clinical records and results are as follows. 1) PRWP was most frequently found in fifties and sixities, comprising 63.9% of the subjects. 2) Co-existent disease entities with PRWP were classified into three categories, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases and normal variants. 3) The cardiovascular diseases related with PRWP were mainly hypertensive diseases, comprising 59.8% of cardiovascular diseases, followed by ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathies. 4) PRWP may be an early sign of acute myocardial infarction in a certain part of cases, which was endorsed by typical clinical symptoms and enzyme studies. 5) As the criterion of PRWP, V3R equal to or less than 3 mm was thought more adequate for higher specificity rather than 4 mm.
Cardiomyopathies ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Lung Diseases ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Autografts* ; Cartilage* ; Transplantation, Autologous*

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Humans ; Spinal Cord* ; Urodynamics*

BACKGROUND: Although good clinical effects have been reported, immunotherapy with house dust mite ( HDM ) antigen - autologous specific antibody complex ( IC - IT ) is not yet accepted as an effective immunomodulating tool in HDM allergic diseases. We aimed to prove the clinical effect of IC - IT in HDM sensitized respiratory allergic subjects. Method : Six HDM sensitized respiratory allergic subjects were enrolled. Autologous D. farinae specific IgG was purified with DEAE ion exchange and affinity chromatography. After one year of IC - IT treatment the clinical effects were analyzed with symptom scores, methacholine PC20, ELISA assay of D. farinae specific antibodies and intradermal skin reactivity. Result : The rhinitis symptom score significantly improved after a one - year administration of IC - IT ( 1.23 +/- 0.30 vs. 0.37 +/- 0.15, p< 0.05), but no significant differences were found in asthma symptom score, intradermal skin reactivity to D. farinae and ELISA optic absorbances of D. farinae specific IgE, IgG, and IgG subclasses. Methacholine PC20 values improved in all 6 patients who were administered with IC - IT ( 0.35 vs. 1.66 mg/ml, p< 0.05 ). CONCLUSION: IC - IT may be efficient for management of HDM atopic asthma. Further studies are needed before clinical application of IC - IT in house dust mite atopic subjects.
Antibodies ; Asthma ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Dermatophagoides farinae* ; Dust* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunotherapy* ; Ion Exchange ; Methacholine Chloride ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Rhinitis ; Skin

PURPOSE: Resistance to anticancer chemotherapeutic drug remains a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy. Multidrug-resistance(MDR) gene overexpression and detoxification by glutathione are believed to be involved in adriamycin and cisplatin resistance. We investigated change of p-glycoprotein(MDR gene product) expression, cellular glutathione content and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase activities by hyperthermia to elucidate the synergistic mechanism of hyperthermia with chemotherapeutic agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human renal cell carcinoma cell lines, Caki-1 and A-498 were used. Control temperature was 37OC and hyperthermia of 43OC was applied in 2 and 4 hours durations. P-glycoprotein expression was measured by flowcytometric examination using monoclonal antibody to p-glycoprotein. Glutathione content and activities of glutathione peroxidase and transferase were measured by biochemical methods. RESULTS: Glutathione content and activities of glutathione peroxidase and transferase were not changed by hyperthermia. However, p-glycoprotein expression was reduced by hyperthermia of 43OC. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that reduced p-glycoprotein expression by hyperthermia causes increased intracellular accumulation of chemotherapeutic agent by decreasing drug efflux mechanism and plays an important role in synergistic effect with adriamycin and cisplatin cytotoxicities.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Fever* ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Transferase ; Glutathione* ; Humans* ; P-Glycoprotein* ; Transferases

Allopurinol is widely used for chronic tophaceous gout as a uric acid lowering agent. Hypersensitivity to allopurinol occurrs in about 10% of patients, which limits the usage of allopurinol. The successful oral and intravenous desensitization of allopurinol has been reported worldwide since 1976. We recently experienced a 51-year-old male patient with gouty arthritis and hyperuricemia, who had previously experienced skin rash after allopurinol treatment. When allopurinol was retried, erythematous and foliative skin rash developed on entire body. Because allopurinol was essential in controlling hyperuricemia, the oral desensitization of allopurinol was tried. We report successful rapid oral allopurinol desensitization in the patient with chronic tophaceous gout, who exhibited exfoliative dermatitis as allopurinol hypersensitivity.
Allopurinol* ; Arthritis, Gouty ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative* ; Exanthema ; Gout ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hyperuricemia ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid

BACKGROUND: The role of ultrasound in the thoracic spine has been underappreciated, partly because of the relative efficacy of the landmark-guided technique and the limitation of imaging through the narrow acoustic windows produced by the bony framework of thoracic spine. The aim of this study was to make a comparison between the 12th rib and the spinous process of C7 as a landmark for effective ultrasound-guided target segment identification in the thoracic spine. METHODS: Ultrasonography of 44 thoracic spines was performed and the same procedure was carried out 1 week later again. The target segments (T3–4, T7–8, and T10–11) were identified using the 12th rib (group 1) or the spinous process of C7 (group 2) as a starting landmark. Ultrasound scanning was done proximally (group 1) or distally (group 2) toward the target transverse process and further medially and slightly superior to the target thoracic facet. Then, a metal marker was placed on the T3–4, T7–8, and T10–11 and the location of each marker was confirmed by fluoroscopy. RESULTS: In the total 132 segments, sonographic identification was confirmed to be successful with fluoroscopy in 84.1% in group 1 and 56.8% in group 2. Group 1 had a greater success rate in ultrasound-guided target segment identification than group 2 (p = 0.001), especially in T10–11 (group 1, 93.2%; group 2, 43.2%; p = 0.001) and T7–8 (group 1, 86.4%; group 2, 56.8%; p = 0.002). The intrarater reliability of ultrasound-guided target segment identification was good (group 1, r = 0.76; group 2, r = 0.82), showing no difference between right and left sides. Ultrasound-guided target segment identification was more effective in the non-obese subjects (p = 0.001), especially in group 1. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided detection using the 12th rib as a starting landmark for scanning could be a promising technique for successful target segment identification in the thoracic spine.
Acoustics ; Fluoroscopy* ; Nerve Block ; Ribs ; Spine* ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the functional changes of the ventricles for 27 children with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy in short stature using echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging. METHODS: The conventional Doppler echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging were performed in 27 children with rhGH therapy for short stature and 13 healthy children. Peak velocities of systolic (S) and early (E'), late(A') diastolic wave of mitral annulus,septum and tricuspid annulus were obtained from apical 4 chamber view. RESULTS: There was no differences in left ventricle (LV) mass (72.948+/-11.825 m/s2 vs 73.931+/-12.093 m/s2, P=0.08), LV ejection fraction (66.778+/-5.441% vs 70.154+/-6.641%, P=0.095) and LV fractional shortening (36.737+/-4.265% vs 38.085+/-3.419, P=0.327) were observed between patients and controls. There was no significant differences in E and A measured at mitral and tricuspid annulus were observed between pateints and controls. There was no significant differences in S, E' and A' measured using tissue doppler imaging at mitral annulus, septum, and tricuspid annulus were observed between patients and controls CONCLUSION: No significant differences in parameters of cardiac function using tissue doppler imaging with conventional echocardiography were found between patients with rhGH therapy and controls. But, longer follow-up, involving at a larger number of patients, is required to confirm the safety of long-term rhGH treatment.
Child* ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth Hormone* ; Heart Ventricles ; Human Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND: Docetaxel has been effectively used as an anti-cancer chemotherapuetic agent for various tumor treatments including lung cancer. However, the cell death induction mechanism(s) involved with docetaxel treatment in lung cancer cells has not been known yet. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In the present study, the cellular and biochemical changes of NCI-H1703 cells (non-small cell lung cancer cell line, p53-mutant) after docetaxel treatment have been monitored by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and western blot. RESULT: Docetaxel treatment significantly resulted in decrease of S phase as well as increase of G2 phase, and consequently evoked an increase of cell death in NCI-H1703 cells. After docetaxel exposure the activations of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were detected. CONCLUSION: Take together, it is suggested that the docetaxel induces NCI-H1703 cell death by caspase-9 and caspase-3 dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 9 ; Cell Death* ; Cell Line* ; Flow Cytometry ; G2 Phase ; Lung Neoplasms ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; S Phase