No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Knee*

BACKGROUND: Most febrile neutropenic patients are treated in an aggressive manner. However, identification of low-risk patients may enable clinicians to administer risk-based treatment. The object of this study is to certify the factors associated with increased risk at the time of visiting the emergency department. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. We reviewed the medical records of 101 febrile neutropenic patients who had visited the emergency department of Seoul National University Hospital from January 1998 to August 1999. We assumed 22 risk prediction factors that could be assessed at admission to the emergency department and 5 factors that could be assessed during treatment course. To find independent risk-prediction factors, we analyzed these factors respectively by using multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Tachycardia(aOR=136.5), altered mentality(aOR=28.8), decreased renal function(aOR=20.1), and significant comorbidity(aOR=17.2) are the independent factors associated with higher mortality. Altered mentality(aOR=31.6) and decreased renal function(CCr<75ml/min, aOR=5.4) are those associated with a higher incidence of septic shock. Independent factors associated with persistent(more than 3 days) fever are the early(within 10 days) onset of fever after last chemotherapy(aOR=8.8) and the existence of new pulmonary infiltrates on a simple chest X-ray(aOR=4.3). CONCLUSION: The stability of vital signs, the change of mentality, the renal function, the existence of significant comorbidity, the existence of new pulmonary infiltrates, and the rate of neutropenia are clinically useful risk-predication factors in febrile neutropenia at the time of visiting the emergency department.
Comorbidity ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Febrile Neutropenia ; Fever ; Humans ; Incidence ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Neutropenia ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Shock, Septic ; Thorax ; Vital Signs

No abstract available.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: There have been many studies about marginal adaptation of Zirconia core fabricated with various CAD/CAM systems. But, the comparative study has not been conducted much. PURPOSE: This study was to compare marginal adaptations of zirconia cores fabricated with 3 different CAD/CAM systems. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The in vitro marginal adaptations of zirconia cores fabricated with 3 different CAD/CAM systems(Adens(R) system, Lava(R) system, and Cerasys(R) system) were evaluated and compared. In this study 30 zirconia cores were fabricated(10 zirconia cores per each system). The measurements of the marginal adaptatioin were carried out using microscope L-150A(R)(Nikon, Japan). Measurements were recorded at 50 points. The measurements were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS: Within the limits of this study, the results were as follows. 1. Mean marginal gap values obtained were 284.5+/-152.9 micrometer in Adens(R) system, 99.0+/-73.0 micrometer in Lava(R) system, and 153.5+/-85.7 micrometer in Cerasys(R) system. 2. Zirconia core made by Lava(R) system showed the smallest marginal gap(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In the limitation of this study, we concluded that Lava(R) System was superior than other systems(Adens(R) system and Cerasys(R) system) in the marginal adaptation.
Zirconium

No abstract available.
Central Nervous System*

Menetriers disease is a rare disease, characterized by a marked hypertrophy of the mucosa of the fundus and corpus of the stomach and gastrointestinal loss af protein often causing transient edema. The 16-Year-old female patient was admitted to the Seoul Adventist Hospital and she complained epigastric pain & discomfort for 20 days. Under the UGI & endoscoyy, pathologic examination was done. The diagnosis was estabilished. She wes treated medically.
Adolescent ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Female ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Mucous Membrane ; Rare Diseases ; Seoul ; Stomach

Of several possible configurations of pin fixation of a displaced supracondylar fracture of the humerus in children, the medial and lateral crossed pinning technique has been known to provide the greatest resistance to gross rotational displacement. A new technique with ipsilateral two lateral crossed pins was devised so as to avoid the ulnar nerve injury with good stability for fracture site. During the period from 1992 to 1994, 18 children with displaced supracondylar fracture of the humerus were treated by closed reduction and ipsilateral two lateral crossed pinning. Eighty nine percents of the final results were satisfactory. There were no ulnar nerve injuries and fixation loss in all cases from the treatment. This is a safe, simple and reliable technique for providing the good stability of fracture site as well as avoiding the ulnar nerve injury.
Child ; Humans ; Humerus ; Ulnar Nerve ; Ulnar Neuropathies ; United Nations

PURPOSE: To investigate the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in diabetic frozen shoulders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We preformed arthroscopic adhesiolysis on 9 diabetic frozen shoulder patients, and observed the arthroscopic findings. Also, we examined the potential role of VEGF by using samples of synovial tissues from 5 patients, and 2 normal synovial tissues. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting were performed using polyclonal antibodies against VEGF. RESULTS: There was hyperemic synovitis in the 9 diabetic frozen shoulder patients. In the 5 patients' tissue samples, there was strong immunostaining and expression to VEGF, but there was little staining and expression in the control group. CONCLUSION: We postulate that VEGF is synthesized and secreted in the synovium of diabetic frozen shoulders and that secreted VEGF binds specific receptors on the endothelial cells of nearby small blood vessels, and leads to the subsequent development of frozen shoulders in diabetic patients.
Antibodies ; Blood Vessels ; Blotting, Western ; Bursitis* ; Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Shoulder ; Synovial Membrane ; Synovitis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of digital subtraction contrast-enhanced multi-phase magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for evaluation of the vessels of the gastrointestinal system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients who underwent abdominal MRA for evaluation of the vessels of the gastrointestinal system were included in this study. MRA was performed using a 1.5-T scanner and the 3-D turbo-FLASH sequence. Subtraction images of the arterial and portal venous phases were obtained by subtracting arterial phase images from mask images and portal venous phase images from arterial phase images, respectively. Each set of images was processed using a maximum-intensity projection (MIP) algorithm to produce three-dimensional angiograms. We compared overall image quality and the visibility of normal and abnormal vessels between subtraction and non-subtraction MRA. RESULTS: In terms of subjective image quality, subtraction and non-subtraction MRA was similar both the arterial and portal venous phases (p>0.05). During the arterial phase, subtraction MRA visualized more peripheral branches of the left gastric and superior mesenteric arteries than non-subtraction MRA (p<0.05), and during the portal venous phase, subtraction MRA demonstrated more peripheral branches of the superior mesenteric (p<0.01), splenic (p<0.05) and left portal vein (p<0.05) than non-subtraction MRA. In addition, overall visibility of the arterial and portal venous branches was superior with subtraction MRAs than with non-subtraction MRA. Both of these detected all anomalous arterial branching (n=5) and abnormal (encased or obstructed) portal veins (n=5). Subtraction MRA visualized 17 portal venous collaterals in six patients, whereas non-subtraction MRA visualized only seven collateral veins. CONCLUSION: In contrast-enhanced abdominal MRA, the digital subtraction technique permits visualization of more distal branches of the vessels of both the arterial and portal venous systems without significant degradation of image quality. The technique is particularly useful for the detection of portal venous collaterals in patients with portal hypertension.
Angiography* ; Angiography, Digital Subtraction ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Masks ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Portal Vein ; Subtraction Technique* ; Veins

Investigations into the development of new therapeutic agents for lung inflammatory disorders have led to the discovery of plant-based alternatives. The rhizomes of Anemarrhena asphodeloides have a long history of use against lung inflammatory disorders in traditional herbal medicine. However, the therapeutic potential of this plant material in animal models of lung inflammation has yet to be evaluated. In the present study, we prepared the alcoholic extract and derived the saponin-enriched fraction from the rhizomes of A. asphodeloides and isolated timosaponin A-III, a major constituent. Lung inflammation was induced by intranasal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mice, representing an animal model of acute lung injury (ALI). The alcoholic extract (50–200 mg/kg) inhibited the development of ALI. Especially, the oral administration of the saponin-enriched fraction (10–50 mg/kg) potently inhibited the lung inflammatory index. It reduced the total number of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Histological changes in alveolar wall thickness and the number of infiltrated cells of the lung tissue also indicated that the saponin-enriched fraction strongly inhibited lung inflammation. Most importantly, the oral administration of timosaponin A-III at 25–50 mg/kg significantly inhibited the inflammatory markers observed in LPS-induced ALI mice. All these findings, for the first time, provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of A. asphodeloides and its major constituent, timosaponin A-III, in alleviating lung inflammation.
Acute Lung Injury ; Administration, Intranasal ; Administration, Oral ; Alcoholics ; Anemarrhena* ; Animals* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Lung* ; Mice ; Models, Animal* ; Plants ; Pneumonia* ; Rhizome*