To maintain an adequate airway in a patient with tracheobronchial narrowing coming from various causes, prosthetic tracheobronchial stents provide palliative treatment for narrowed airways where surgical resection is inadvisable. After insertion, precious reported complications were granuloma formation, dysphagia, suction catheter entrapment and fatal massive hemoptysis. We report a case of complication associated with expandible metallic scent with endobronchial stenosis due to tuberculosis.
Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Deglutition Disorders ; Granuloma ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; Stents* ; Suction ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Radiation Oncology*

PURPOSE: A delta-shaped anastomosis (DA) is a widely accepted technique used for a totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TLDG). Several studies have suggested various modifications to overcome the drawbacks of an original DA. We present our novel technique―a T-shaped modified delta anastomosis (TDA), and we report the early outcomes with its use in a case series. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 40 patients who underwent a TLDG with TDA for early gastric cancer at OOO between February 2016 and May 2017. Perioperative outcomes, postoperative complications, and operating time were analyzed, and all data were expressed as means±standard deviation. RESULTS: We observed no major complications that required immediate postoperative intervention. Other minor and non-surgical complications were delayed gastric emptying (n=1), pneumonia (n=2), atelectasis (n=3), dumping symptom (n=1), and symptomatic bile reflux (n=1). No wound infection was reported in any patient. The total operative time was 206.5±25.4 min and the estimated blood loss was 27.8±33.5 ml. The mean time required to perform the anastomosis was 20.9±6.7 min, and the mean number of cartridges used during the operation was 4.78±0.66. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a TDA following a laparoscopic distal gastrectomy was successfully developed and showed acceptable clinical outcome.
Bile Reflux ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Emptying ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Medical Records ; Operative Time ; Pneumonia ; Postoperative Complications ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Eyebrows* ; Tattooing*

BACKGROUND: It has been known that Ginseng extract causes the hypotensive action while it rather produces the hypertensive action. Some studies have suggested that Ginseng extract causes a biphasic response on blood pressure, namely, transient fall followed by prolonged elevation. It has been also shown that administration of Korean Red Ginseng powder has no effect on blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive rats. The present study was designed to examine the effect of total Ginseng saponin on contractile responses of vasoconstrictors in the rat aorta and to establish the mechanism of its action. METHODS: The ring segment of aorta was mounted in a muscle bath filled with oxygenated Krebs solution for the measurement of isometric tension. After the equilibration period, under the presence of total Ginseng saponin, isometric tension induced by some vasoconstrictors were observed and compared to the control responses. The data were expressed as % of the control tension. RESULTS: Phenylephrine (an adrenergic alpha1-receptor agonist) and high potassium (a membrane depolarizing agent) caused greatly contractile responses in the rat aorta, respectively. However, in the presence of total ginseng saponin (600 g/ml), the contractile responses of phenylephrine (10(-6) and 10(-5) M) and high potassium (3.5 x 10(-2) and 5.6 x 10(-2) M) were markedly potentiated whereas prostglandin F2alpha(5 x 10(-6) M)-induced contractile responses was not affected. The contractile responses induced by phenylephrine (10(-5) M) and high potassium (3.5 x 10(-2) M) even under the presence of total ginseng saponin (600 g/ml) were greatly inhibited by the pretreatment of nicardipine (10(-6) M), a calcium channel blocker. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these experimental results suggest that total ginseng saponin can enhance the contractile responses evoked by stimulation of adrenergic alpha1-receptor and the membrane depolarization in the isolated rat aortic strips, which seems to be associated to calcium influx.
Animals ; Aorta* ; Baths ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Calcium Channels ; Membranes ; Nicardipine ; Oxygen ; Panax* ; Phenylephrine ; Potassium ; Rats* ; Saponins* ; Vasoconstriction ; Vasoconstrictor Agents*

PURPOSE: Dysregulated cysteinyl leukotriene (CysLT) synthesis is prominent in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) plays a key regulatory role in the biosynthesis of CysLTs. We previously found that serum leptin levels correlate with (EIB) in children with asthma. The aim of this study was to address the relationship between plasma sPLA2/leptin levels and EIB. METHODS: Sixty-seven prepubertal children between the ages of 6 and 10 years were included in the study. They were asthmatics with EIB (n=25), asthmatics without EIB (n=21), and healthy subjects (n=21). We measured the plasma sPLA2 and leptin levels. We also performed pulmonary function tests at baseline, after bronchodilator inhalation, and after exercise. RESULTS: The sPLA2 and leptin levels were significantly higher in asthmatics with EIB than in those without and control subjects. In addition, sPLA2 levels were significantly correlated with body mass index (Speraman correlation coefficient r=0.343, P=0.023) and leptin levels (partial correlation coefficient r=318, P=0.033). The maximum decrease in % forced expiratory volume in 1 second after exercise was significantly correlated with both PLA2 levels (r=0.301, P=0.041) and leptin levels (r=0.346, P=0.018). CONCLUSION: The sPLA2 and leptin levels were significantly higher in asthmatics with EIB than in asthmatics without EIB and control subjects. In addition, sPLA2 levels were significantly correlated with leptin levels and EIB in asthmatic children.
Asthma ; Body Mass Index ; Bronchoconstriction* ; Child* ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Leptin* ; Phospholipases A2* ; Plasma* ; Respiratory Function Tests

PURPOSE: The amount of salvaged myocardium is an important prognostic factor in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated if early Tl-201 SPECT imaging could be used to predict the salvaged myocardium and functional recovery in acute MI after primary PTCA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 36 patients with first acute MI treated with primary PTCA, serial echocardiography and Tl-201 SPECT imaging (5.8+/-2.1 days after PTCA) were performed. Regional wall motion and perfusion were quantified with on 16-segment myocardial model with 5-point and 4-point scaling system, respectively. RESULTS: Wall motion was improved in 78 of the 212 dyssynergic segments on 1 month follow-up echocardiography and 97 on 7 months follow-up echocardiography, which were proved to be salvaged myocardium. The areas under receiver operating characteristic curves of Tl-201 perfusion score for detecting salvaged myocardial segments were 0.79 for 1 month follow-up and 0.83 for 7 months follow-up. The sensitivity and specificity of Tl-201 redistribution images with optimum cutoff of 40% of peak thallium activity for detecting salvaged myocardium were 84.6% and 55.2% for 1 month follow-up, and 87.6% and 64.3% for 7 months follow-up, respectively. There was a linear relationship between the percentage of peak thallium activity on early redistribution imaging and the likelihood of segmental functional improvement 7 months after reperfusion. CONCLUSION: Tl-201 myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging performed early within 10 days after reperfusion can be used to predict the salvaged myocardium and functional recovery with high sensitivity during the 7 months following primary PTCA in patients with acute MI.
Angioplasty* ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging* ; Myocardium* ; Perfusion ; Reperfusion ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thallium ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

PURPOSE: Recently, component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) using microarray technology has been introduced to the field of clinical allergy. This study was aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness of microarray-based IgE detection for diagnosing clinical raw fruit allergy in birch pollen-sensitized children. METHODS: Thirty-one children with allergic disease who had been sensitized to pollen were studied. A pollen-sensitized patient was defined as having an allergen-specific history with concomitant positive skin-prick tests (SPTs) to natural allergen extracts or positive allergen-specific IgE. All subjects underwent SPTs for pollen and fruit. In all subjects, specific IgE to pollen and fruit were measured by ImmunoCAP. Specific IgE antibodies to allergen components were determined by a customized allergen microarray (ISAC). RESULTS: Thirteen of the 31 patients (41.9%) had a history of fruit hypersensitivity with positive SPTs. Measuring IgE to allergen components by ISAC, all the 13 patients with fruit hypersensitivity were positive to at least one of Mal d 1, Pru p 1, Pru p 3, Act d 8, and Act d 2 compared to 12 of the 13 patients (92.3%) who had at least 1 positive IgE to fruits (apple, peach, and kiwi) using ImmunoCAP. The sensitivity of ISAC microarray was 100.0% for the diagnosis of fruit hypersensitivity, but its specificity was 27.7% (5/18). The sensitivity of ImmunoCAP was 92.3%, and its specificity was 83.3%. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of allergen components tested using microarray for the diagnosis of clinical fruit hypersensitivity in children with pollen allergy was high; however, its specificity was low.
Antibodies ; Betula* ; Child* ; Diagnosis* ; Fruit* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Pollen* ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the interaction of multiple mediators, especially cytokines. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine and has been shown to be involved in RA. This study explored the association of the MIF gene polymorphism with RA in Korean. METHODS: 114 patients with RA, and 114 age and gender matched healthy controls were studied. Patients and controls were genotyped for a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 5'-flanking region at position -173 of the MIF gene. RESULTS: No significant differences in MIF gene polymorphism were observed in RA compared to healthy controls. No association with disease severity was detected for the MIF gene polymorphism. CONCLUSION: MIF -173 G/C polymorphism did not appear to be associated with genetic susceptibility and disease severity in Korean RA patients.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Cytokines ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Macrophages* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide