Although causes of restriction of knee extension in osteoarthritis are thought to be contractures involving the posterior capsule and the hamstring muscles, intercondylar notch stenosis, osteophyte, loose body, and displacement of ruptured meniscus, few studies have investigated incidence and treatment. The purpose of this study is to consider intercondylar notch stenosis and anterior impingement as major causes of flexion contracture in osteoarthritic knee and to assess their relationship through arthroscopic notchplasty. We performed arthroscopic notchplasty and debridement in sixty patients (sixty-eight cases) with more than Sflexion contracture for early osteoarthritic knee and compared flexion contracture before and after operation. The average flexion contracture was 13degrees (5degrees-35degrees) before operation and 4degrees (0degrees- 25degrees) immediately after. An average of 9degrees improvement was shown, with 29 cases ( 48% ) showing improvement of over 5degrees. Our study indicates that flexion contracture in the 29 cases (48%) improved by arthroscopic notchplasty was caused by intercondylar notch stenosis and anterior impingement. Arthroscopic notchplasty may beneficially affect those with flexion contracture in early osteoarthritic knee when conservative management of this disease has failed. This is a preliminary study on the immediate postoperative outcome, therefore, long-term follow-up and recurrence rate should be investigated in future studies.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Contracture ; Debridement ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Knee* ; Muscles ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteophyte ; Recurrence

No abstract available.
Colon* ; Rectum*

In 1910 Purtscher first presented his original report of "angiopathia retinae traumatica" before the German Congress of Ophthalmology in Heidelberg. Since then many varying fundus pictures have been described as "Purtscher's Disease" and many theories have been advanced as to the cause. In 1962 Marr and Marr provided an extensive review of the literature on traumatie retniopathy and pointed out that the cause of Purtscher's retinopathy was an abrupt rise of intravascular pressure in the vessel entering and leaving the orbit, and in most cases the mechanism of the injury was a sudden and violent compression of the chest. Recently we have experienced a case of bilateral Purtscher's traumatic retinal angiopathy leading to optic nerve atrophy and macular degeneraion. Our patient is a 36-year-old previously healthy Korean male. who had his left chest compressed by a truck when he was working in the country farm. Just after the accident he fall into an unconscious state for a short time. Two days after admission he was referred to our ophthalmologic department because of visual impairment. Funduscopic examination revealed Purtscher's retinopathy in both eyes. His chest X-ray examination showed several fractured ribs anterolaterally. Within several days after the accident the whitish retinal exudates and hemorrhages gradually disappeared in the left ocular fundus, but in the right fundus the retinal edema, situated at posterior pole, persisted for about 7 months duration. During this period optic nerve atrophy developed ill the right fundus. As soon as the retinal edema subsided, retinal degeneration of the macular area appeared in the right fundus. Five months after the accident temporal optic nerve atrophy appeared and the patient complained of marked visual impairment in the left eye. We could not find any similar cases in the literature, that is, after the retinopathy and impaired vision recovered, later, the vision was markedly impaired again due to secondary optic nerve atrophy and development of macular Degeneration. In a survey of literature we want to say that the pathogenesis of Purtscher's traumatic retinal angiopathy is due mainly to the result of a sudden and severe increased intravascular pressure. particularly in the upper portion of body. Following points influenced our thought. 1. The ocular fundus changes similar with Purtscher's retinopathy could be seen in hydrostatic pressure syndrome and compression cyanosis syndrome. 2. Purtscher's retinopathy could developed in minor chest compression which is not strong enough to fracture ribs or other banes. 3. Usually Purtscher's retinopathy is developed in both eyes. If unilateral development occurs, it is almost on the right eye. If bilaterally the right eye is more severe than the left. This is postulated due to the shorter venous path to the rijsht eye. In addition, the prognosis of Purtscher's retinopathy seems to be good but poor result such as in our case and other previously reported cases are also possible.
Adult ; Atrophy ; Cyanosis ; Exudates and Transudates ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrostatic Pressure ; Macular Degeneration ; Male ; Motor Vehicles ; Ophthalmology ; Optic Nerve ; Orbit ; Papilledema ; Prognosis ; Retina ; Retinal Degeneration ; Retinaldehyde* ; Ribs ; Thorax ; Unconsciousness ; Vision Disorders

To investigate the effect of diazepam on the contractility of the intestinal smooth muscle, longitudinal muscle strip isolated from rat ileum was prepared for myography in isolated organ bath. 1) Basal tone of ileal muscle was reduced by diazepam concentration-dependently. 2) Higher concentrations (30 and 100 microM) of diazepam inhibited (p<0.05, p<0.001) The carbachol-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner; but lower concentration of diazepam (10 microM) enhanced (p<0.05). 3) Histamine-induced contraction was inhibited by pretreatment with diazepam in a concentration-dependent manner. 4) Ca⁺⁺-induced tension recovery in calcium-free solution was inhibited in the presence of diazepam concentration-dependently. These results suggest diazepam reduces the contractility of the longitudinal muscle isolated from rat ileum via interference with influx of calcium into the muscle cells.
Animals ; Baths ; Calcium ; Carbachol* ; Diazepam* ; Ileum* ; Muscle Cells ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myography ; Rats*

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) of the ovary are rare tumors with an exclusive or almost exclusive malignant neuroectodermal composition, and are generally regarded as a monodermal expression of an ovarian teratoma. The tumors are basically identical with the lesions of the same name occuring typically in the central nervous system of children. These tumors consist chiefly of undifferentiated small cells resembling neuroblasts. There are also mature, well- differentiated neuroectodermal cells, such as astrocytes and ependymal cells. We report a case of ovarian PNET with glial and neuroblastic differentiation and focal teratomatous foci of non-neural tissue in a 17-year-old female.
Adolescent ; Astrocytes ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Neural Plate ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive* ; Ovary* ; Teratoma

Rehmannia glutinosa is a perennial medicinal plant belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae with more than 300 species known in the world, especially in temperate regions. Its roots have been used widely in Korea for medicinal purposes. However, it is commonly infected by various pathogens during storage, causing great damage to the roots, and impedes the intensive farming of the crop. Therefore, an attempt has been made to isolate and screen a resistance gene against the pathogen Fusarium oxysporum using differential display. We treated salicylic acid (SA), and isolated a resistance gene that responds to SA. As a result, we found that SA was involved in plant defense mechanism in pathogenicity tests with SA treated and non-treted plants, and we isolated a partial PR-la gene through differential display polymerase chain reaction (DD-PCR) method.
Fusarium ; Humans ; Korea ; Plants ; Plants, Medicinal ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rehmannia* ; Salicylic Acid* ; Scrophulariaceae ; Virulence

Keratoconus (conical cornea) is a condition, beginning about puberty and developing mainly in females, in which the apex of the cornea thins gradually and usually bilaterally. The etiology is unknown. The presenting symptom is a reduction of the patient's vision owing to the development of a high degree of irregular myopic astigmatism. Early in the course of the disease the cornea does not look conical. The diagnosis of Keratoconus is confirmed by the distorted reflex observed with a Placido's disc and abnormal keratometer readings. In more advanced stages, signs include the obvious cone-shaped cornea and indentation of the lower lid by the cornea. By slit lamp biomicroscopy, vertical lines are noted in the deep layers of the stroma: the corneal nerve fibers are increasingly visible; and in about 50% of cases a yellow or green line is present around the base of the corn (Fleischer's ring). In advanced cases Bowman's membrane and Descemet's membrane rupture. Microscopically there is thinning of the tissue spaces between the corneal lamellae, fragmentation of the basement membrane of the comeal epithelium, fibrillation of Bowman's membrane, and folds or ruptures in Descemet's membrane. Acute hydrops may occur when Descemet's membrane ruptures. This is characterized by sudden cloudiness of vision due to imbibition of aqueous in the corneal stroma. However, as Descemet's membrane regenerates, the edema subsides. Permanent scarring may result if Bowman's membrane ruptures. Acute hydrops of the cornea was developed respectively in left eye on Oct, 1976 and in right eye on Dec, 1976 in a 13 year old Korean girl with Keratoconus O.U.
Adolescent ; Astigmatism ; Basement Membrane ; Bowman Membrane ; Cicatrix ; Cornea* ; Corneal Stroma ; Descemet Membrane ; Diagnosis ; Edema* ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Keratoconus* ; Nerve Fibers ; Puberty ; Reading ; Reflex ; Rupture ; Zea mays

Documented lymphoma of the kidney is rare and its diagnosis is very difficult. In most cases the diagnosis is made after removal or biopsy of a kidney for suspected primary renal tumor or at autopsy. If a lymphoma of the kidney were primary, early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of the local area would be essential for a cure. Herein we report a case of primary renal lymphoma in 38-yr-old man who was treated with surgical intervention and combination chemotherapy.
Autopsy ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Early Diagnosis ; Kidney* ; Lymphoma*

This study aimed to investigate the existence of GABA receptor and the mechanisms of action of GABA and diazepam of the trachealis muscle isolated from dog. Horizontal muscle strips of 2mm×15mm were prepared from canine trachea, and isometric myography in isolated muscle chamber bubbled with 95/5%-O₂/CO₂ at 36℃, at the pH of 7.4 was performed. Muscle strips contracted responding to the electrical field stimulation (ESP) by 2~20 Hz, 20 msec, monophasic square wave of 60 VDC. GABA and diazepam suppressed the EFS-induced contractions to the similar extent, significantly. (p<0.05). Bicuculline, a GABA(A) receptor antagonist blocked both GABA- and diazepam-inhibitions; but DAVA, a GABA(B) receptor antagoinst did not affect either of them. These results suggest than in the canine trachealis muscle, there may be only GABA(A) receptor, and GABA and diazepam inhibit the contractility via GABA(A) receptor.
Animals ; Bicuculline ; Diazepam ; Dogs ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Myography ; Receptors, GABA ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Trachea

Albinism is an inherited ongenital disarder in which there is sgr neralized decrease or absence of pigrnent in the eyes, skin, and hair. There are two general groups (1) Oculocutneou albinism, (2) Ocular albinism. Skin cancers in albinos are rare in ternperate clirnats and t.hey occur rnostly on sun ex posed areas. We present a case of recurrance of squarnous cell carcinoma ir a Korean albinoid on both sides of the neck and right ear. On liistopathologic examination, we find I or pearls, and irregular mases of epidermal cells that proliferite downward into the devmis. The invaing cell masses are composed of atypical squamous cells.
Albinism ; Albinism, Ocular ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Ear ; Hair ; Neck ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Solar System