Coenzyme Q is concentrated in Golgi apparatus membranes and mitochondria, but not in other membranes. Although it is difficult to prove the metabolic action of coenzyme Q administered exogenously in clinical cases, the effect of this substance can be evaluated by criteria based on clinical findings. In an attempt to evaluate the effect of coenzyme Q for the treatment of 67 patients(male 26 cases, female 41 cases) of congestive heart failure, we administered Coenzyme Q1030mg daily for 4 to 8 weeks. Most of them were valvular heart disease(74.6%) and hypertension (14.9%). Clinical effects were evaluated at least 4 weeks later by the criteria using a scoring method of severity of congestive heart failure which was devised by Ishiyama, etc. In summary, a definite effect was found in 13 cases(19%) and a mild effect was observed in 46 cases(69%). During treatment there were no significant side effects, and also no significant changes in heart rate and blood pressure.
Blood Pressure ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Female ; Golgi Apparatus ; Heart ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Membranes ; Mitochondria ; Research Design ; Ubiquinone

OBJECTIVE: Traumatic brain injury is related to the acute stress response, and this can be accompanied by an elevated serum glucose level. So we estimated the influence of hyperglycemia on neurologic, functional status and outcome. METHOD: We studied the 139 traumatic brain injured patients who had been admitted to the department of neurosurgery from 1996 to 2000, retrospectively. We reviewed initial serum glucose level, postoperative glucose level, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). We compared these values with functional independence measure (FIM) scores. Patients were divided into two groups according to the initial serum glucose level, then we analyzed the correlation between glucose level and GCS, GOS, FIM. RESULTS: The correlations of early hyperglycemia with GCS, GOS, initial FIM scores were significant (p<0.01). But serum glucose levels were not correlated with plateau FIM scores (p>0.05). Patients with unfavorable neurologic outcome after 10 days from head injury had significantly high serum initial and postoperative glucose levels than those with favorable neurologic outcome (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: In patients who had received rehabilitation therapy with moderate or severe head injury, early hyperglycemia were significantly correlated with initial FIM scores, GCS, GOS, but not with the plateau FIM scores.
Blood Glucose ; Brain ; Brain Injuries* ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Glasgow Outcome Scale ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia* ; Neurosurgery ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to evaluate the accessibility of the arthritis-related web sites and the quality of the information contained in the sites. METHOD: To assess the status of arthritis-related information on the internet sites in Korea, we searched for Korean words which meant and were related with `arthritis' using the 10 most famous Korean internet search engines. Identified internet site were assessed regarding the quality of content, authorship, design, and functionality. RESULTS: The number of identified web sites ranged from 24 to 214. The average search yielded around 83 web sites listing for `arthritis'. The number of web sites listed for `arthritis' was as many as that for `hypertension', `diabetes', `cancer' or `hepatitis and hepatoma'. The frequency of appearance in a search did not correlate well with the quality of associated web sites. CONCLUSION: The quality of arthritis-related web sites in Korea varied. It is essential to develop a high quality information supplying web sites and to set up an evaluation tool for qualifying the medical information on internet.
Arthritis ; Authorship ; Internet* ; Korea* ; Search Engine

Pulmonary siderosis is one kind of pneumoconiosis caused by the long term inhalation of iron dust. Iron is deposited in the lungs, usually in the form of iron oxides. Iron oxides are relatively inert particles with a minimal fibrotic response. It occurs in a number of occupations including welding, steel rolling and grinding, casting, iron ore mining and oxyacetylene cutters. We have experienced the first case of pulmonary siderosis in Korea. A 42-year-old woman who had engaged in a metalware manufacturing factory as a manager for 7 years was admitted because of dyspnea on exertion. A pulmonary function test disclosed a mildly obstructive ventilatory defect. Open lung biosy revealed deposition of iron-laden macrophages in most alveolar spaces by which confirmed the diagnosis of pulmonary siderosis. We report a case of pulmonary siderosis with a review of the literature.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Dust ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Iron ; Korea ; Lung ; Macrophages ; Mining ; Occupations ; Oxides ; Pneumoconiosis ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Siderosis* ; Steel ; Welding

17 cases of acute myocardial infarction with no or insignificant narrowing of major coronary arteries on angiogram and without any-other types of heart disease were found in a series of 133 consecutively studied patients with acute myocardial infarction(12,7%). There were no differences in risk factors between groups. Although the infarction site were similar in both groups, the patients with normal coronary arteries had fewer complications during hospitalization(p<0.05) and lesser ST segment change during the exercise test before discharge(p<0.05). In the hemodynamic fingings, cardiac index, left ventricualr and diastolic pressure and resional wall motion were similar in both groups of the patients, but ejection fraction was higher(p<0.05) in the patients with the normal coronary arteries. In conclusion, it could be predicted that the acute myocardial infarction with the normal coronary arteries would have the better prognosis. And a transient coronary occlusion, as the most likely pathogenic mechanism of the acute mtocardial infarction with normal coronary arteries, might be studied in the aspect of the thrombosis following lysis, the coronary artery spasm and the platelet aggregation.
Angiography* ; Blood Pressure ; Coronary Occlusion ; Coronary Vessels ; Exercise Test ; Heart Diseases ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Platelet Aggregation ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Spasm ; Thrombosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Velopharyngeal insufficiency from wide resection of soft palate and pharyngeal wall cause swallowing and articulation difficulty. Recently, reconstruction options have been significantly expanded and revitalized by the advent of free tissue transfer. The purpose of the present study was to report retrospectively collective articulation function scores and velopharyngeal function in patients who had reconstruction of radial forearm free flaps after primary resection for oropharyngeal cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Ten patients treated for oropharyngeal cancer by wide excision of primary lesion and reconstruction with radial forearm free flap were included. Assessment of speech intelligibility, diadochokinetic test, articulation discrimination test, nasometer, and velopharyngeal orifice examination with fiberoptic nasopharyngoscope was accomplished. Ten patients were classified into 4 groups according to the extent of surgical defect and portion of resection as follows. Group I: only one side of the lateral pharyngeal wall and palatine tonsil area (n=2), Group II: One side of palatine tonsil and soft palate (n=3), Group III: One side of palatine tonsil, soft palate, and part of the posterior pharyngeal wall (n=2), Group IV: One side of palatine tonsil, soft palate which reached beyond the uvula to opposite side, and part of the posterior pharyngeal wall (n=3). RESULTS: In the speech intelligibility and articulation discrimination test, five cases which belonged to the group I and II were evaluated to show excellent state. Five cases which belonged to group III and IV were judged to show moderate state. These results resulted from hypernasality of patients in group III and IV. In the articulation discrimination test, the results was increasingly affected with hypernasality from group I to group IV. In the nasometer test, patients of group III and IV were judged to show higher nasalance scoress (nasality) than those of group I and II. In the velopharyngeal orifice examination with fiberoptic nasopharyngoscope, near perfect closure or complete closure was achieved in an effort to bring about velopharyngeal closure in group I and II. But a small space was evident in the side reconstructed with a free flap in group III. In group IV, velopharyngeal space was not closed. CONCLUSION: We believe that this study aids in counseling patients and predicting their postoperative status of speech and velopharyngeal function according to the size of primary defect and the design of reconstruction. But, a prospective, randomized study will be needed for better evaluation.
Counseling ; Deglutition ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Forearm ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Oropharynx ; Palate, Soft ; Palatine Tonsil ; Retrospective Studies ; Speech Intelligibility ; Uvula ; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Although the various methods of pharyngolaryngeal closure after supraglottic partial laryngectomy(SPL) have been reported, the difference of postoperative function and complications has not been adequately analyzed. Therefore, We investigated the relationship between different pharyngolaryngeal closure methods and postoperative function and complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: According to the methods of pharyngolaryngeal closure, postoperative complications, decannulation day and postoperative day when to start oral feeding were retrospectively investigated on 22 patients who underwent SPL. We divided the patients into two groups according to the methods of pharyngolaryngeal closure. In cartilage group(13 cases), the closure of pharyngolaryngeal defect was done with direct suture between the thyroid cartilage and base of the tongue. In perichondrial group(9 cases), the closure was done between preserved thyroid perichondrium and base of the tongue. RESULTS: There was no case requiring either a gastrostomy or a persistent tube feeding in our series. Fistula occurred more often in perichodrial group(3 cases) than cartilage group(0 case). In one case of perichondrial group, total laryngectomy was performed because of a fistula. Also, aspiration pneumonia occurred more often in perichodrial group(2 cases) than cartilage group(0 case). Decannulation could be performed relatively earlier in cartilage group than in perichondrial group. Also, oral feeding could be performed relatively earlier in cartilage group than in perichondrial group. CONCLUSION: Direct approximation between cut margin of the thyroid cartilage and base of tongue was safe, time-saving and reliable method of pharyngolaryngeal closure after SPL.
Cartilage ; Enteral Nutrition ; Fistula ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Laryngectomy* ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Sutures ; Thyroid Cartilage ; Thyroid Gland ; Tongue

A 16-year-old male presented with pain in the right posterior mandible on chewing that had lasted for several months. The radiographic features of the lesion included a radiolucent-radiopaque mixed-density mass with a radiolucent rim attached to the root of the mandibular right first molar. The preliminary radiographic diagnosis was benign cementoblastoma, which was confirmed by histopathological examination following surgical excision. The lesion recurred 3 years after treatment; radiographically, it consisted of 3 round foci with mixed radiopacity, each with a radiolucent rim near the root of the mandibular right second premolar and the edentulous postoperative region. The lesion was diagnosed as recurrent benign cementoblastoma and a second surgery was scheduled. This report presented an unusual case of recurrent benign cementoblastoma following surgical excision and extraction of the involved tooth, along with a literature review on reported cases of recurrent benign cementoblastoma with a focus on its clinical features and the best treatment options.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether an audible cracking sound during shoulder manipulation following distention arthrography is clinically significant in patients with adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder. METHODS: A total of 48 patients (31 women, 17 men) with primary adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder completed the study. All participants underwent C-arm-guided arthrographic distention of the glenohumeral joint with injections of a corticosteroid and normal saline. After distention, we performed flexion and abduction manipulation of the shoulder. The patients were grouped into sound and non-sound groups based on the presence or absence, respectively, of an audible cracking sound during manipulation. We assessed shoulder pain and disability based on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), and passive range of motion (ROM) measurements (flexion, abduction, internal and external rotation) before the procedure and again at 3 weeks and at 6 weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: The patients were divided into two groups: 21 were included in the sound group and 27 in the non-sound group. In both groups, the results of the NRS, SPADI, and ROM assessments showed statistically significant improvements at both 3 and 6 weeks after the procedure. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups except with respect to external rotation at 6 weeks, at which time the sound group showed a significant improvement in external rotation when compared with the non-sound group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings showed that manipulation following distention arthrography was effective in decreasing pain and increasing shoulder range of motion. In addition, the presence of an audible cracking sound during manipulation, especially on external rotation, was associated with better shoulder range of motion.
Adhesives* ; Arthrography* ; Bursitis* ; Female ; Humans ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Shoulder Joint ; Shoulder Pain ; Shoulder*