We reviewed charts of 148 patients(148 eyes) who were diagnosed with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and operated from January 1994 to December 1995 and followed for at least 3 months postoperatively at kangnam St. Mary's hospital. We compared preoperative findings, surgical methods, ultimate anatomic success and visual outcome by macular involvement, and evaluated the causes of decrease in visual acuity after operation. Fifty four eyes were A group without involved macula and 94 eyes were B group with involved macula. There were no differences betwetm the two groups according to age, sex distribution, preoperative refractive error and location of retinal breaks. In the eyes with detached macular(B group), the duration and the extent of retinal detachment and the numbers of retinal breaks were more than those of A Group. Postoperatively 52 eyes(96.3%) with spared macular and 84 eyes(89.4%) with detached macular were anatomically reattached. Forty two eyes(77.8%) with spared macula achived visual acuity of 0.3 or better, in contrast to 2.5 eyes(26.6%) with detached macula. The most common causes of decrease in visual acuity after operation were proliferative vitreoretinopathy, macular pucker, cystoid macular edma and subretinal hemorrhage.
Hemorrhage ; Refractive Errors ; Retinal Detachment* ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinaldehyde* ; Sex Distribution ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative

PURPOSE: The clinical significance of preoperative serum levels of CEA and CA19-9, levels of CEA and CA19-9 in peritoneal washing fluid and free cancer cells in peritoneal washing fluid in gastric cancer patients were evaluated in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum and peritoneal levels of CEA and CA19-9 and peritoneal washing cytology in 115 patients with gastric cancer were analyzed with respect to the prognostic factors using univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Positive rate of serum CEA and CA19-9 was 16.5%, 13.0%. And that of peritoneal washing CEA, CA19-9 and cytology was 15.7%, 7.8% and 9.6%. A univariate analysis showed that tumor markets in serum and peritoneal washing fluid and peritoneal washing cytology had significant correlations with the progression of the tumors, and patients with positive serum or peritoneal tumor markers had poorer survival after operation than did the patients with negative tumor markers. But in a multivariate analysis showed that only peritoneal CA19-9 was an independent risk factor. And combination of these five markers provided rnore predictable prognostic informations in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Combination of serum or peritoneal levels of CEA, CA19-9 and washing cytology appeared to be a useful marker for managing gastric cancer patients.
Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Biomarkers, Tumor

A case of iridoschisis was reported. The 67-year-old man showed a typical iridoschisis with angle closure glaucoma in his left eye. The intraocular pressure was 30mmHg and grade I narrow angle was noted. Intraocular pressure was lowered to 16mmHg by beta blocker instillation only.
Aged ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure* ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) releases Ca²⁺ from ryanodine receptor (RyR)-sensitive calcium pools in various cell types. In cardiac myocytes, the physiological levels of cADPR transiently increase the amplitude and frequency of Ca²⁺ (that is, a rapid increase and decrease of calcium within one second) during the cardiac action potential. In this study, we demonstrated that cADPR levels higher than physiological levels induce a slow and gradual increase in the resting intracellular Ca²⁺ ([Ca²⁺](i)) level over 10 min by inhibiting the sarcoendoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺ ATPase (SERCA). Higher cADPR levels mediate the tyrosine-dephosphorylation of α-actin by protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) present in the endoplasmic reticulum. The tyrosine dephosphorylation of α-actin dissociates phospholamban, the key regulator of SERCA, from α-actin and results in SERCA inhibition. The disruption of the integrity of α-actin by cytochalasin B and the inhibition of α-actin tyrosine dephosphorylation by a PTP1B inhibitor block cADPR-mediated Ca²⁺ increase. Our results suggest that levels of cADPR that are relatively higher than normal physiological levels modify calcium homeostasis through the dephosphorylation of α-actin by PTB1B and the subsequent inhibition of SERCA in cardiac myocytes.
Action Potentials ; Adenosine Diphosphate* ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Calcium ; Cyclic ADP-Ribose ; Cytochalasin B ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Homeostasis ; Muscle Cells* ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, Non-Receptor Type 1* ; Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases* ; Reticulum ; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel ; Tyrosine

OBJECTIVE: Fibromylagia (FM) is a rheumatic disorder characterized by widespread bodily pain, tenderness, and fatigue. It has a major impact on the quality of life including the quality of marital life. The objectives of this study were to assess the quality of marital life in patients with FM in Korea and to identify the correlation of the quality of marital life with disease severity. MEHTODS: Subjects were the patient group, composed of 50 married patients with FM, and a comparison group composed of 50 healthy married adults with similar demographic characteristics. The quality of marital life was measured using the Korean-Marital Satisfaction Inventory (K-MSI). The K-MSI consists of two valid scales, one global affective scale, and eleven additional scales measuring specific dimensions of relationship distress. The clinical parameters were assessed by Korean Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (KFIQ) and tender point, respectively from 50 patients with FM. RESULTS: Of the 50 subjects, 48 (96%) were women with mean (+/-SD) age of 52.6(+/-8.8) years. The mean (+/-SD) duration of disease was 25.7 (+/-19.8) months. The mean (+/-SD) scores of KFIQ and tender point count were 52.9 (+/-14.9) and 13.1 (+/-1.6), respectively. The T-score of most scales of K-MSI of FM patients were higher than that of healthy controls (p<0.01). The scores of KFIQ were positively correlated with the eight scales of K-MSI and negatively correlated with one scale (Role orientation) of K-MSI. The tender point count was positively correlated with only one of scale (Conflict with in-law) of K-MSI. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the quality of marital life in Korean patients of FM is lower than healthy subjects. In a simple correlation analysis, KFIQ was a meaningful variable correlated with the quality of marital life.
Adult ; Fatigue ; Female ; Fibromyalgia* ; Humans ; Korea ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: Homografts and bioprostheses are most commonly used for Rastelli operation in congenital heart disease, but the limited durability is responsible for multiple reoperations associated with increased morbidity. This study evaluated long-term results after Rastelli operation with a mechanical valved conduit. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 20 patients underwent Rastelli operation with mechanical valved conduit from January 1990 to July 1992. Operative mortality was 1 of 20 patients, and a retrospective review of 19 patients (10 males, 9 females) was done. Initial diagnosis was congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (cc-TGA, n=4), complete TGA (n=2), ventricular septal defect with pulmonary atresia (VSD with PA, n=9), truncus arteriosus (n=2), double outlet right ventricle with pulmonary stenosis (DORV with PS, n=2). The mean age at Rastelli operation was 4.6+/-3.4 years, and mean follow-up period was 12.8+/-2.7 years. Patients underwent Rastelli opearation using 16 CarboMedics mechanical valve, and 3 Bjork-Shiley mechanical valve (17+/-2 mm). RESULT: There were 15 reoperations for failed mechanical valved conduit. The freedom from reoperation at 5 and 10 years was 53% and 37%. Most patients were received oral anticoagulation with warfarin, and maintained the international normalized ratio (INR) of 1.5 to 2.0. There was no anticoagulation or thromboembolism related complication. There was a significant difference in the causes of a conduit failure between early (within 3 years) and late (after 3 years) failure groups. The six patients reported early prosthetic valve failure, mainly due to valvular dysfunction by thrombosis or pannus formation. The other nine patients reported late prosthetic valve failure, mainly due to dacron conduit stenosis at anastomosis sites, whereas their valvar motion was normal except 1 patient. CONCLUSION: To avoid early prosthetic valve failure, strict anticoagulation therapy would be helpful. About the late development of obstructive intimal fibrocalcific peels within the Dacron conduit, an improvement of conduit material is necessary to reduce late prosthetic valve failure. In selected patients, the long term results were satisfactory.
Allografts ; Bioprosthesis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Double Outlet Right Ventricle ; Follow-Up Studies ; Freedom ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Heart Valve Prosthesis ; Humans ; International Normalized Ratio ; Male ; Mortality ; Polyethylene Terephthalates ; Pulmonary Atresia ; Pulmonary Valve ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Thromboembolism ; Thrombosis ; Transposition of Great Vessels ; Truncus Arteriosus ; Warfarin