To determine the concentration and the physiologic role of metal components in blood plasma and seminal plasma in relation to male infertility, the concentrations of twelve metal components in blood plasma and seminal plasma including Na, Mg, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se, Cd and Pb were measured by atomic absorbance spectrophotometery or ion selective electrode analysis. Semen and blood samples were obtained from a total of 110 men including 70 male infertility patients, 20 vasectomized persons and 20 fertility proven volunteers visited to the Male Infertility Clinic of Pusan National University Hospital. The concentrations of Ca, Zn, Mg, Cr and Cd in control group were higher in seminal plasma than in blood plasma, and additionally Pb were higher in infertility group. The concentrations of all metal components revealed no significant difference according to patients' age, resident, occupation, sperm density, motility and hormone level in blood plasma, but some metal components including Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, Cd and Pb revealed a significant difference according to each these parameters except patient's age in seminal plasma. The concentrations of Mn, Cd and Pb in the vasectomy persons were higher than in the infertility group III including testicular and epididymal factors, but not in blood plasma. We conclude that the quantitative changes of metal components in the seminal plasma may have effects on not only spermatogenesis and sperm function, but also contribute to diagnostic parameter according to organ specificity of the metal in the male reproduction.
Busan ; Electrodes ; Fertility ; Humans ; Infertility ; Infertility, Male ; Male* ; Occupations ; Organ Specificity ; Plasma ; Reproduction ; Semen* ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatozoa ; Vasectomy ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVE: To report the pregnancy which was made by in vitro fertilization using recombinant follicle stimulating hormone and gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonist. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Case report. RESULTS: Six oocytes were retrieved and all were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Six embryos were transferred and the pregnancy was confirmed. CONCLUSION: It is envisaged that the availability of recombinant gonadotropins and gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonists will ultimately lead to shorter, cheaper and safer treatments, using reduced dosages.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Pelvic Exenteration*

Missing data such as appropriateness ratings in clinical research are a common problem and this often yields a biased result. This paper aims to introduce the multiple imputation method to handle missing data in clinical research and to suggest that the multiple imputation technique can give more accurate estimates than those of a complete-case analysis. The idea of multiple imputation is that each missing value is replaced with more than one plausible value. The appropriateness method was developed as a pragmatic solution to problem of trying to assess "appropriate" surgical and medical procedures for patients. Cataract surgery was selected as one of four procedures that were evaluated as a part of the Clinical Appropriateness Initiative. We created mild to high missing rates of 10%, 30% and 50% and compared the performance of logistic regression in cataract surgery. We treated the coefficients in the original data as true parameters and compared them with the other results. In the mild missing rate (10%), the deviation from the true coefficients was quite small and ignorable. After removing the missing data, the complete-case analysis did not reveal any serious bias. However, as the missing rate increased, the bias was not ignorable and it distorted the result. This simulation study suggests that a multiple imputation technique can give more accurate estimates than those of a complete-case analysis, especially for moderate to high missing rates (30 - 50%). In addition, the multiple imputation technique yields better accuracy than a single imputation technique. Therefore, multiple imputation is useful and efficient for a situation in clinical research where there is large amounts of missing data.
Cataract Extraction/*methods ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression*

Testicular biopsy to have been utilized as a diagnostic tool in male infertility were underwent experimentally to observe the effects on the morphology and the physiology of post-biopsied testis of 17 male rabbits. Bilateral orchiectomy was done at third day, 1st week, 2nd week and 4th week after open testicular biopsy, and biopsied testes were compared with contralateral control in histopathological views. The results were summarized as follows : 1. In seminiferous tubules of sham-operated tests, there was no significant pathologic changes. 2. The inflammatory reaction was most severe at third day after biopsy and completely disappeared at 4th week. 3. Increased thickness of tunica albuginea and fibrotic reaction were observed near the biopsy site. 4. Spermatogenesis did not only decrease near the biopsy site with atrophy of the seminiferous tubules but also mildly decreased on the far area, that all began to recover at 4th week. 5. No evidence of immunologic reaction and hyperplasia of Leydig cell were demonstrated. It was suggested that testicular injury after biopsy was developed by interference of local blood flow, obstruction of seminiferous tubules and inflammatory reaction, so that could be minimized by application of open testicular biopsy only to definitively indicated cases.
Atrophy ; Biopsy* ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Orchiectomy ; Physiology ; Rabbits ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Spermatogenesis ; Testis*

Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy(EIS) has been widely used in treating and eradicating acutely bleeding esophageal varies, but may be associated with some undesirable local and systemic complications. Endoscopic variceal ligation(EVL), which consists of mechanicai ligation and thrombosis of varices using elastic o-band, has been recently developed as a non operative alternative to EIS. We performed EVL in 65 patients who had bled from esophageal varices between November 1991 and September 1993. Total 274 sessions were performed and 774 o-bands were used. Six patients were actively bleeding and all of them were successfully controlled by emergency EVL. During the follow-up period, five patients who had combined hepatoma died. Varices were eradicated or reduced grade I in 43(71.6%) of the 60 survivals by 8-36 ligations(mean 15.6 ligation) in 2-13 EVL sessions(mean 5.6 sessions). During follow up period, five patients had recurred from grade 0 to grade 2 or 3 in 106-260 days(mean 182.6 days), and then eradicated by repeated EVL. During or after EVL, there were no complications, except mild substernal distress and mild dysphagia in 17 and 7 patients respectively. These results showed that EVL is a safe and effective method for eradication of bleeding esophageal varices.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Deglutition Disorders ; Emergencies ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Thrombosis ; Varicose Veins

PURPOSE: We analysed perioperative and postoperative complications in a series of patients who had a pertrochanteric fracture which had been treated by using a Gamma Asia-Pacific Locking Nail. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was done on 44 patients who were available for follow-up over one year period. The Clinical analysis included their walking ability, buttock pain, thigh pain, and their leg length discrepancy. The correlation between radiological parameters and the incidence of complications was analysed. RESULTS: The average follow-up period was 26 months. The presence of buttock pain, thigh pain, a diminution of walking ability and a limb shortening were common findings. The amount of typical complications from a classic gamma nail in the pertrochanteric fractures of the femur were very low, but complications such as avascular necrosis of the femoral head or a refracture after removal of the nail occurred in patients who had been treated by a Gamma Asia-Pacific Locking Nail. The radiological parameters did not statistically correlate with the incidence of complications. CONCLUSION: There was mismatch of Gamma Asia-Pacific Locking Nail with Korean femorae. We recommend that a precise operative technique is essential and a modification of the nail must be made.
Buttocks ; Extremities ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leg ; Necrosis ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Thigh ; Walking

MRI has proved to be very reliable in evaluating the menisci and cruciate ligaments. On MRI, several diagnostic criteria of ruptured ACL were reported. Boeree and Ackyroyd reported that when the ACL is ruptured the PCL may appear to be curled up or sigmoid. But these morphologic changes may be shown in the normal ACL, so the quantitative analysis of these morphologic changes in considered as a way to increase the diagnostic sensitivity. We have used 1.0 tesla MRI scanner(SIMENS W. Germany) with a surface coil. We compared two groups of patients; a ruptured ACL group(16 patients) in which had indicated and arthroscopy confirmed rupture of the ACL and control group(46 patients), in which had shown the ACL to be entirely normal. At first, we made a line(basal line) between the femoral attachment and tibial attachment of the PCL and decided the point(apex) which was located far distant from the line. And we made a line(A line) between the femoral attachment and apex of the PCL, another line(B line) between the tibial attachment and apex of the PCL. We divided the basal line into the four areas. We measured the each angle between basal line and A line(angle a), between basal line and B line(angle b). And we measured the entire length of basal line, each height of the PCL previously divided point of the basal line(H1, H2, H3) and the apex of the PCL on the basal line. We compared the control group and ruptured ACL group by t-test from the measured factors angle a, angle b, H1, H2, H3, H4, and length of basal line. We studied factors which were able to decide whether the ACL was ruptured or not in MRI finding by logistic regression. 1. H1, the distance from the basal line to the PCL at 1/4 point on the basal line, were 5.7±1.6 mm in ruptured ACL group, 4.7±1.3 mm in control group, so there was statistically significant increase in ruptured ACL group. 2. The angle a were 56.0±14.4° in ruptured ACL group, 39.7±10.1° in control group, so there was statistically significant increase in ruptured ACL group. 3. From the measured factors angle a was able to decide whether the ACL was ruptured or not in MRI and the slope of angle a in logistic regression was 0.1. In conclusion, when the apex of the PCL is located at proximal 1/4 of the PCL and PCL and greater curve, above signs will be considered to be a sign of ruptured ACL in MRI.
Arthroscopy ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Logistic Models ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Rupture ; Tears

BACKGROUND: Angioleiomyoma of the skin is a rare smooth muscle tumor and may develop anywhere in the body. Comprehensive clinicopathological analysis of angioleiomyomas developed in Korean has not been reported in domestic dermatological journals. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and pathological characteristics of angioleiomyoma and the relationship between the tumor and the nerve with immunohistochemical stains. METHODS: Fifty nine cases of angioleiomyoma were reappraised from the files of the pathology of Seoul National University, Green Cross Reference Laboratory Center and Korea Veterans Hospital. Brief clinical histories of all cases were examined and microscopic findings in 35 cases were classified according to subtypes. Paraffin blocks were recut and stained in 16 cases for desmin, smooth muscle actin and S-100 protein. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 1. Male to female ratio was 1:1.27. 2. The age of the patients was mostly over 20 years and the mean age was 51 years in men and 40 years in women. 3. Tumors occurred most frequently in the lower extremity(38 cases), and followed by upper extremity(18 cases), head(2 cases), and trunk(1 case). Women had predominance of the legs in location site and men showed equal distribution in the lower and upper extremities.
Actins ; Angiomyoma* ; Coloring Agents ; Desmin ; Female ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Korea ; Leg ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Paraffin ; Pathology ; S100 Proteins ; Seoul ; Skin ; Smooth Muscle Tumor ; Upper Extremity