To evaluate previously performed anesthetic experience of 23,409 cases at the Chosun University Hospital from Jan. 1981 to May. 1991 were analyzed statistically according to sex, department, age, anesthetic agent, method, duration, medical insurance, emergency and physical status. The results were as follows: 1)Considering sexual difference, male patients were 51.5% and female patients were 48.5%. 2) The largest departmenet of surgery was general surgery. 3) The nember of medical insurance patients was remarkably larger than that of non-medical insurance patients. 4) According to age categories, third decade of life was most frequent. 5) General anesthesia had been used commonly than other anesthetic technique and halothane was most commonly used among the inhalational anesthetic agent. 6) According to the ASA claasification of physical status, class I patients were 36.2% and elective surgery ratio was 1.8:1. 7)In emergency operation, general surgery categories were most common and occupied 39.8% of total emergency operation. 8)Considering anesthetic duration, 1~2 hours duration group of anesthetic time was most frequent.
Anesthesia, General ; Emergencies ; Female ; Halothane ; Humans ; Insurance ; Male

PURPOSE: Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation induced by native low-density lipoprotein (nLDL) stimulation is dependent on superoxide production from activated NADPH oxidase. The present study aimed to investigate whether the novel arginase inhibitor limonin could suppress nLDL-induced VSMC proliferation and to examine related mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Isolated VSMCs from rat aortas were treated with nLDL, and cell proliferation was measured by WST-1 and BrdU assays. NADPH oxidase activation was evaluated by lucigenin-induced chemiluminescence, and phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) βII and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was determined by western blot analysis. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was assessed using MitoSOX-red, and intracellular L-arginine concentrations were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the presence or absence of limonin. RESULTS: Limonin inhibited arginase I and II activity in the uncompetitive mode, and prevented nLDL-induced VSMC proliferation in a p21Waf1/Cip1-dependent manner without affecting arginase protein levels. Limonin blocked PKCβII phosphorylation, but not ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and translocation of p47phox to the membrane was decreased, as was superoxide production in nLDL-stimulated VSMCs. Moreover, mitochondrial ROS generation was increased by nLDL stimulation and blocked by preincubation with limonin. Mitochondrial ROS production was responsible for the phosphorylation of PKCβII. HPLC analysis showed that arginase inhibition with limonin increases intracellular L-arginine concentrations, but decreases polyamine concentrations. L-Arginine treatment prevented PKCβII phosphorylation without affecting ERK1/2 phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: Increased L-arginine levels following limonin-dependent arginase inhibition prohibited NADPH oxidase activation in a PKCβII-dependent manner, and blocked nLDL-stimulated VSMC proliferation.
Animals ; Aorta ; Arginase* ; Arginine ; Blotting, Western ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Cell Proliferation* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Lipoproteins ; Luminescence ; Membranes ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; NADP* ; NADPH Oxidase* ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinase C ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Superoxides

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) inter-reader and intra-reader reliabilities using the thoracolumbar injury classification system and severity score (TLICS) and to analyze the effects of reader experience on reliability and the possible reasons for discordant interpretations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six radiologists (two senior, two junior radiologists, and two residents) independently scored 100 MRI examinations of thoracolumbar spine injuries to assess injury morphology and posterior ligamentous complex (PLC) integrity according to the TLICS. Inter-reader and intra-reader agreements were determined and analyzed according to the number of years of radiologist experience. RESULTS: Inter-reader agreement between the six readers was moderate (k = 0.538 for the first and 0.537 for the second review) for injury morphology and fair to moderate (k = 0.440 for the first and 0.389 for the second review) for PLC integrity. No significant difference in inter-reader agreement was observed according to the number of years of radiologist experience. Intra-reader agreements showed a wide range (k = 0.538-0.822 for injury morphology and 0.423-0.616 for PLC integrity). Agreement was achieved in 44 for the first and 45 for the second review about injury morphology, as well as in 41 for the first and 38 for the second review of PLC integrity. A positive correlation was detected between injury morphology score and PLC integrity. CONCLUSION: The reliability of MRI for assessing thoracolumbar spinal injuries according to the TLICS was moderate for injury morphology and fair to moderate for PLC integrity, which may not be influenced by radiologist' experience.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; *Injury Severity Score ; Ligamentum Flavum/pathology ; Lumbar Vertebrae/*injuries/pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Observer Variation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Injuries/*classification/*pathology ; Thoracic Vertebrae/*injuries/pathology ; Thoracic Wall/pathology ; Young Adult

Generally, many Asian women tend to dislike the square jaw, as they believe it makes the face look wider, giving a stubborn and strong impression. Contouring of the mandible is therefore a relatively common aesthetic procedure among Asians. These days, the use of botulinum toxin for contouring of the lower face offer simple alternative to surgery. Motor point, which is the site over a muscle where its contraction may be elicited by a minimal intensity short duration electrical stimulus, is the optimal injection point of botulinum toxin. Study was undertaken to identify the location of motor point of the masseter muscle and the skin surface landmark. First, the thickest point of the masseter muscle was inspected through palpation and inspection by 3 different individual plastic surgeons and then compound muscle action potentials(CMAPs) of masseter muscle in 15 health volunteers were recorded using EMG. For the localization of the measured points, line between lateral canthus to the mandibular angle was used. Location of motor points were mapped to skin surface from lateral canthus in a percentage of the distance along the landmark line and in distance in millimeters. The clinical injection point was located at 71.69 percentile and 7.3mm of the landmark line. The motor point test was located at 72.54 percentile and 7.1mm of the landmark line. The depth of motor point was 16mm. There was no statistically significant difference between the clinical injection point and the motor point. We conclude that surface mapping of motor point of the masseter muscle would increase accessibility and accuracy in botulinum toxin injection for contouring of the lower face.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Botulinum Toxins* ; Female ; Humans ; Jaw ; Mandible ; Masseter Muscle ; Palpation ; Skin ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aims of this study were to determine subgoups of functional dyspesia and to evaluate the short-term effect of cisapride in patients with functional dyspepsia in Korea. METHODS: 1025 patients, with a mean age of 42.6 years, with symptoms of functional dyspepsia, were recruited consecutively and upper gastrointestinal symptoms were investigated by interview in 41 hospitals in Korea. In an open, multicenter trial, 1025 patients received Smg of cisapride three times a day (TID) for at least .2 weeks for the treatment of symptoms of functional dyspepsia. When necessary, the dose of cisapride was increased to 10mg TID and the duration of therapy was extended to 4 weeks. RESULTS: The most frequently reported symptoms of functional dyspepsia were epigastric discomfort or fullness (85%), bloating (70%), belching (53%), early satiety (52%) and epigastric pain (46%) retrospectively. Subgroups of functional dyspepsia were as follows; dysmotility-like 73.5%, ulcer-like 39.7%, reflux-like 13.0%, and unspecified dyspepsia 14.0%. However, 33.2% of subjects with functional dyspepsia could be classified into more than one subgroup. Upper gastrointestinal symptoms were decreased to average 50.3% (range; 42.2 to 59.2%) after 2 weeks of cisapride treatment and to 25% (19.2 to 29.9%) after 4 weeks. cisapride therapy resulted in good or excellent improvement in 59.0% of the patients after two weeks, in 75% of patients after 4 weeks. Adverse events were occurred in 52 patients (5.8% of all patients), most commonly, loose stools or diarrhea (3.5%), abdominal pain (1.1%), and dizziness (0.3%). The majority of adverse events was mild and transient in nature and led to premature discontinuation of treatment in 4 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although the majorities of patients with functional dyspepsia have dysmotility like symptoms in Korea, there is such overlap among the dyspepsia subgroups. Most patients responded well to a short therapeutic trial with cisapride without significant side effects.
Abdominal Pain ; Cisapride* ; Diarrhea ; Dizziness ; Dyspepsia* ; Eructation ; Humans ; Korea* ; Retrospective Studies