PURPOSE: We used the sensitized rat model to study the effect of the inflammation evoked by immune response on the smooth muscles of the urinary bladder, trachea and intestine and changes of mast cell. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were divided into 3 groups (group 1: control - not-sensitized. no antigen challenge, group 2: sensitized, no antigen challenge, group 3: sensitized, antigen challenge). Each group was divided into two subgroups of male and female. Rats were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (10mg/ml/kg) given on days 1, 3 and 5, 4 weeks after last injection, sensitized rats were treated with intravesical ovalbumin for 1 hour (antigen challenge) and controls runned simultaneously with the unsensitized rats by intravesical instillation of normal saline. After intravesical instillation contractility and number of mast cells of each organ were measured. RESULTS: Only female-sensitized group showed significantly increased contractility of bladder muscle (p<0.05) while no significant difference in trachea and intestine among groups. In male rats there were no significant differences between groups and organs. In male and female groups, there was increased contractility in female rats than male but showed no significant difference between sexes. In histologic study, sensitized, ovalbumin group showed more mast cells in detrusor muscle and submucosa than non-sensitized, saline group in both male and female rats. Also there were significant differences in female rats than male rats. Detrusor to submucosa mast cell ratio was significantly higher in sensitized, ovalbumin group. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that there might be some other factors that made differences in response to antigen challenge between sexes and among the organs. We observed increased contractility in female rat bladder and this may explain higher incidence of interstitial cystitis in female than male.
Administration, Intravesical ; Animals ; Cystitis, Interstitial ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammation ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Intestines* ; Male ; Mast Cells* ; Models, Animal ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Ovalbumin ; Rats* ; Trachea* ; Urinary Bladder*

The increasing number of prostatic biopsies, performed for the investigation of patients at risk of prostate cancer, will result in the more frequent identification of uncommon forms of prostatic pathology. Amyloidosis is a disease characterized by the extracellular deposition of insoluble amyloid fibrils, and may be either systemic or localized. Localized amyloidosis of the prostate is very rare. Herein, we report the case of a 34-year-old man with localized amyloidosis of the prostate, which was found via a transrectal ultrasound-guided prostatic biopsy due to an increased serum prostate-specific antigen level.
Adult ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Biopsy ; Humans ; Pathology ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms

PURPOSE: To characterize autonomic dysfunction in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH), we measured heart rate variability(HRV) and analyzed them compared with those of normal population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ECG signals were obtained from 11 male patients(mean age, 63.1 years) and 23 healthy male controls(mean age, 57.0 years) in resting state. We analyzed their parameters of HRV and compared them between groups. RESULTS: Time domain analysis including standard deviation of NN interval(SDNN), square root of mean of sum of squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals(RMSSD) in patients with BPH were not significantly different with those of controls. There were suggested evidence of decreased total power(TP), high frequency (HF) in patients with BPH(p<0.05) while no significant difference in other frequency domain such as very low frequency(VLF), low frequency(LF) and LF/HF ratio. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study shows that patients with BPH have different results on HRV study comparing to controls. With the exception of LF and LF/HF ratio, all parameters of HRV in patients with BPH lower than normal controls. TP, HF in patients with BPH significantly lower than that of normal controls. The decreased values of HRV study means that they may have some kinds of disease or imbalance in autonomic nervous system(ANS). So we suggest that HRV study may be a tool to describe the possibility of altered ANS activity in patients with BPH.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Male

PURPOSE: To compare autonomic dysfunction in patients with urge urinary incontinence(UUI), patients with stress urinary incontinence(SUI) and normal group, we measured and analyzed heart rate variability to compare among the three groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied heart rate variability(HRV) in 30 patients with UUI(mean age, 47.7+/-10.0 years old), 40 patients with SUI(mean age, 47.6+/-8.7 years old), 120 healthy controls(mean age 45.2+/-6.9 years old). The parameters of HRV of the three groups were compared. RESULTS: There was no difference in uroflowmetry and heart rate among the three groups. In time domain, square root of the mean squared difference of successive N-N interval(RMSSD) in UUI was higher than that of the others, and standard deviation of N-N interval(SDNN) showed no difference. In frequency domain, low frequency(LF) in UUI, an indicator of cardiac sympathetic tone, was higher than thar of the others. Very low frequency(VLF), LF, low-frequency/high-frequency ratio(LF/HF ratio) didn't show difference. CONCLUSION: All parameters of HRV analysis in UUI were not same as those of SUI and controls. The increase in RMSSD and HF means that there could be imbalance in autonomic nervous system and it could be the cause of detrusor overactivity in UUI.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Pilot Projects* ; Urinary Incontinence*

BACKGROUND: Although cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) is a very effective therapy in cardiac arrest, it is hard to prove the true effectiveness of CPR. Several studies about out-of-hospital and emergency department CPR exist, but only a few reports about in-hospital CPR are available. This study was designed to investigate in-hospital cardiac arrest, to analyze the result of CPR, and to evaluate the problems associated with in-hospital CPR. METHODS: A clinical analysis of 71 cases of in-hospital CPR announcement from January 2000 to August 2000 was performed. The initial rhythm on cardiac arrest, return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC), and the survivals were analyzed in the case of the 46 true cardiac arrest patients. RESULTS: During 8 months, there were 71 cases of in-hospital CPR announcement. Among them, there were 46 cases of true cardiac arrest and 25 cases of non-cardiac arrest. Of the 46 true cardiac-arrest cases, 27(58.7%) experienced ROSC, 15(32.6) survived for over 24 hours, and 7(15.2%) survived to be discharged. The initial rhythms on cardiac arrest were 30 cases(65.2%) of asystole, 14(30.4%) of PEA(pulseless electrical activity), and 2(4.3%) of ventricular fibrillation, with ROSC being 17 cases(56.7%), 9(64.3%) and 1(50.0%) cases and discharged survivors being 4 cases(13.3%), 3(21.4%) and 0(0.0%) cases, respectively. CONCLUSION: Extraordinarily high proportions of asystole and PEA were seen in the initial rhythm of cardiac arrest, and those were associated with high survival rates. Although further study is needed to evaluate the course leading to this high proportion of asystole and PEA, this result suggests that if the EMS system in the hospital is activated promptly and systematically, a better outcome will be achieved in case of cardiac arrest with asystole and PEA.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Peas ; Survival Rate ; Survivors ; Tertiary Care Centers* ; Ventricular Fibrillation

Intussusception frequently occurs in children as the main causes of intestinal obstruction in childhood but relatively rare in adult. A 65-year-old male visited our hospital because of abrupt onset right lower quadrant pain with tenderness for three days. He had a previous history of appendectomy and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. On physical exam, bowel sound was decreased. Abdomen ultrasonography showed a kidney like mass and abdominal computed tomography revealed the typical target lesion in the ileocecal area. Colonoscopy was performed which failed to find any lesion leading to intussusception. After the colonoscopy, the abdminal pain had disappeared, and we would not find any intussusception sign by abdominal ultrasonography. Colonocopy was done two weeks later. No pathologic lesion was found, then. We report a case of adult idiopathic ileocecal intussusception reduced by colonoscopy.
Abdomen ; Adult* ; Aged ; Appendectomy ; Child ; Colonoscopy* ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intussusception* ; Kidney ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic ; Male ; Ultrasonography

The inducible 70 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70) in mice are encoded by two almost identical genes, hsp70.1 and hsp70.3. Studies have found that only hsp70.1 is induced by hypertonic stress while both hsp70.1 and hsp70.3 genes are expressed in response to heat shock stress. It is unclear if the human counterparts, hsp70-2 and hsp70-1, are differentially regulated by heat shock and osmotic stress. This study found that only hsp70-2 was induced by hypertonic stress in human embryonic kidney epithelial cells and fibroblasts, while heat shock stress induced both hsp70-1 and hsp70-2. The human hsp70-2 promoter region contains three TonE (tonicity-responsive enhancer) sites, which were reported to play an important role in the response to hypertonicity. When the reporter plasmids containing different parts of the 5' flanking region of hsp70-2 were transfected into human embryonic kidney epithelial cells or fibroblasts, one TonE site at -135 was found to play a key role in the response to hypertonicity. The inactivation of the TonE site using site-directed mutagenesis led to the complete loss of induction by hypertonicity, which demonstrates the essential role of the TonE site. This suggests that the TonE site and the TonEBP (TonE binding protein) are the major regulators for the cellular response against high osmolarity in human kidney tissue.
Transcription, Genetic/drug effects/genetics ; Transcription Factors/genetics/*physiology ; Saline Solution, Hypertonic/*pharmacology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Protein Binding ; Promoter Regions (Genetics)/genetics ; Point Mutation ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Humans ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation/*drug effects ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Cell Line ; Binding Sites/genetics ; Base Sequence ; 5' Flanking Region/genetics

PURPOSE: To investigate postoperative incidence of complications and functional results between two groups, primary bipolar hemiarthroplasty and internal fixation with compression hip screw on unstable intertrochanteric fractures of the femur with severe osteoporosis in elderly patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 78 cases treated under unstable intertrochanteric fractures of the femur with severe osteoporotic elderly patients from March 1997 to August 2001 who have been followed up for more than a year were evaluated retrospectively between the group of bipolar hemiarthroplasty, 38 cases out of 60 cases and group of compression hip screw, 40 cases out of 59 cases. The incidence of complications and functional ability according to Merle d'Aubigne scale and the mortality rate were compared using student t-test. RESULTS: The means of Merle d'Aubigne scale for the hemiarthroplasty group and the compression hip screw group were at the last follow up, 15.0 and 13.6 respectively. The differences were statistically significant (p=0.04). Bipolar group revealed significant differences in general (18%) and mechanical complications (5%) between two groups (p<0.05). The mortality rates were 28% and 22% respectively and there were no significant differences statistically (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We consider that primary bipolar hemiarthroplasty would be better method in the treatment of the unstable femoral intertrochanteric fracture with severe osteoporosis but we need much longer follow up.
Aged* ; Femur* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemiarthroplasty* ; Hip Fractures* ; Hip* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Osteoporosis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Authors evaluated results of palatoplasty by speech analysis in bilateral, unilateral complete, and unilateral incomplete and submucous cleft palate patients. METHODS: The speech outcomes were studied in 15 bilateral, 28 unilateral complete, and 46 unilateral incomplete and submucous cleft palate patients who underwent push-back palatoplasties from January 1998 to July 2004. The patients were divided into 2 groups as 3 to 6, 7 to 10-year-old and compared with 20 normal children(control groups were divided into 10 children on each side). Nasal emission test, hypernasality test, and articulation test were done by speech evaluation table which was composed of 39 different words. RESULTS: In all speech evaluation tests, the group of bilateral cleft palate patients got the worst score. And 7 to 10-year-old groups got better score when compared to the same type cleft palate. CONCLUSION: Bilateral cleft palate patients have many more speech problems than other patients. In cleft palate patients, the speech problem was improved with ages, postoperatively. And the speech therapy can improve the operative outcomes.
Child ; Cleft Palate ; Humans ; Speech Therapy

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of preoperative statin therapy on myocardial protection and morbidity endpoints following off-pump coronary bypass graft surgery (OPCAB) in patients with elevated serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels. METHODS: Of the 492 patients who underwent multivessel OPCAB from March 2007 to February 2009, the records of 144 patients whose baseline hs-CRP level > 2 mg/L were reviewed. According to the history of preoperative statin therapy for at least one week, patients were classified as either statin group or control group (72 subjects each). Preoperative and operative characteristics and postoperative data including troponin (Tn)-T level and major morbidity endpoints were obtained and compared. Major morbidity endpoints were defined as permanent stroke, renal dysfunction, hemostatic re-exploration, deep sternal wound infection, and the number of patients requiring prolonged ventilation. RESULTS: Preoperative and operative characteristics were similar between the two groups. There were no significant differences in the incidence of morbidity endpoints between the two groups, except for the number of patients requiring dialysis, which was significantly lower in the statin group (8 vs. 1, P = 0.033). Tn-T level at 24 h after surgery was also significantly lower in the statin group. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed beneficial effects of preoperative statin therapy for at least one week in terms of less myocardial enzyme release and fewer patients requiring dialysis following OPCAB in patients whose preoperative hs-CRP was elevated.
C-Reactive Protein ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Incidence ; Stroke ; Transplants ; Troponin ; Ventilation ; Wound Infection