No abstract available.
Peroneal Nerve*

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Embolism*

BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSVtk) phosphorylates the prodrug ganciclovir to a nucleoside analog that inhibits DNA synthesis, causing cell death. Neighbouring nontransfected cells may be affected through a 'bystander effect', thereby amplifying the antiproliferative actions. This study was carried out to determine whether retrovirus-mediated HSVtk gene therapy could reduce intimal hyperplasia and prevent stenosis following balloon injury of the rat carotid artery. METHODS: A replication-defective recombinant retroviral vector containing HSVtk cDNA (LtkSN) was constructed. Cultured primary rat smooth muscle cells (SMCs) infected with this vector (SMC/LtkSN) were transplanted to the balloon injured rat right carotid artery. One week after transplantation, HSVtk gene therapy group was administered a 2-week treatment of ganciclovir (30 mg/kg/d). Three weeks after balloon injury and SMC/LtkSN transplantation, carotid arteriography was performed and carotid arteries were perfusion-fixed for histologic examination. RESULTS: Carotid arteriographic evaluation comparing with the uninjured left carotid artery showed that the mean luminal diameter of HSVtk gene therapy group (n=5, 85+/-3%) was significantly larger than that of balloon injury only group (n=5, 65+/-5%). The neointimal mass of HSVtk gene therapy group was less than that of balloon injury only group. SMC/LtkSN transplantation without ganciclovir treatment group (n=3) showed asymmetric intimal proliferation probably because of gravitational pooling of seeding. There were inflammatory cell infiltrations at the gravity dependent portion of HSVtk gene therapy group. CONCLUSION: Retrovirus-mediated HSVtk gene therapy following balloon injury of the rat carotid artery reduced neointimal expansion and arteriographic stenosis.
Angiography ; Animals ; Carotid Arteries* ; Carotid Artery Injuries* ; Cell Death ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; DNA ; DNA, Complementary ; Ganciclovir ; Genetic Therapy* ; Gravitation ; Herpes Simplex* ; Hyperplasia ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Phenobarbital ; Phosphotransferases* ; Rats* ; Simplexvirus* ; Thymidine Kinase ; Zidovudine

BACKGROUND: In patients with myocardial infarction, one needs to know the location, extent and severity of wall motion abnormalities to assess prognosis and guide therapy. Thus more precise quantatative estimates of regional ventricular function are required. Regional wall motion has generally been assessed by displaying the multiple cardiac images of RVG as endless-loop movie, but the cinematic display was not objective. We used the usefulness of the phase analysis in evaluating the global left ventricular function and regional wall motion abnormalities of patients with myocardial infarction. The accuracy of the RVG cinematic display in detecting regional wall motion abnormalities in patients with myocardial infarction was also evaluated. METHODS: Studied cases were 97 patients with myocardial infarction and 20 normals with low likelihood of coronary artery disease. Coronary angiography and contrast left ventriculography were performed in all patients with myocardial infarction. The regional wall myocardial infarction(presence) is defined when the EKG presented the evidence of myocardial infarction, left ventriculogram showed RWMA(regional wall motion abnormality) along with stenosis of 50% or greater of the regional supplying coronary artery. Each patient was imaged in 45 left anterior oblique(LAO) view, anterior(Ant) view and left lateral(Lt Lat) view. We evaluated Left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) from time-activity curve. We constructed the histogram for the left ventricle and both ventricle separately to obtain the global and total phase angle(GPA, TPA), standard deviation of phase angle(GSDPh, TSDPh), full width half maximum(GFWHM, TFWHM). The left ventricle was divided into 7 segments. LAO projection ; septal, apical, basal lateral, apical lateral, Ant projection ; anterolateral, Lt Lat projection ; inferior, posterior, Phase angle(RPA) and full width half maximum(RFWHM) from the histogram (regional 7 segments) were examined. On the RVG cinematic display, the standard 4 grading system was used, normal, hypokinesia, akinesia, dyskinesia. The observer evaluated regional wall motion abnormality of the 7 segments for all cases. The sensitivity of the above parameters and RVG cinematic display was evaluated. We analyzed the regional parameters among the patents with regional wall myocardial infarction(presence), those without regional wall myocardial infarction(absence) and control group using the t-test. The statistical analysis was done by one way ANOVA between regional phase analysis and RVG cinematic display. RESULTS: The sensitivity of LVEF was lowest(70.1%) and the GFWHM was highest among the global parameters(89.1%). But RFWHM showed even higher sensitivity(96.9%), thus regional phase analysis was also required. The RVG cinematic display was also sensitive(92.7%), but less sensitive than the RFWHM. On regional phase analysis the RPA of septal, apical, inferior, posterior walls of the left ventricle was able to separate presence group from absence group and also presence group from control group and the RPA of the apical lateral wall could separate presence group from absence group. The RPA of basal lateral and anterolateral wall was inaccurate in diagnosing the regional wall myocardial infarction, because basal lateral wall was overlapped by adjacent vascular structures, and the area of anterolateral wall dose not correlate completely beteen the RVG & the left ventriculogram, also the anterolateral wall can be supplied by the obtuse marginal branch of left circumflex artery. The RFWHM of all regional walls of left ventricle could separate presence group from absence group and presence group from control group. We found good correlation between regional phase analysis & left ventriculogram for detection of regional wall myocardial infartion. On RVG cinematic display, the RPA of the normal group was different from that of dyskinesia, akinesia and hypokinesia groups. The RPA of the dyskinesia group was also different from that of skinesia and hypokinesia groups by oneway ANOVA(p<0.05). The RFWHM of the dskinesia group was different from that of the normal group and hypokinesia group. RVG cinematic display correlated well with regional phase analysis and also quantitation of wall motion. CONCLUSIONS: Thus RVG cinematic display was useful and can not be replaced by phase analysis. But the regional phase analysis was sensitive and objective in diagnosing the wall motion abnormality in myocardial infarction.
Ants ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Dyskinesias ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Radionuclide Ventriculography ; Ventricular Function ; Ventricular Function, Left

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to review our recent experiences with deep neck abscesses in children and adolescents and to provide helpful information in treatment and diagnosis by comparing them with those in other available literatures. METHODS: Medical records of 36 children and adolescents admitted for deep neck abscess at two hospitals from January 2000 to October 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Male to female ratio was 1.4 : 1 and the mean age was 6.5 years. Painful neck swelling and fever were the most frequent symptoms in patients under thirteen years of age whereas trismus and headache were frequent symptoms in patients over fourteen years of age. Submandibular space was the most common site of deep neck abscess in patients under thirteen years of age, whereas peritonsillar space was the most common site in patients over fourteen years of age. The results of bacterial cultures were positive in 61.5% of drained cases. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly identified bacteria in 6 patients (37.5%) and 5 of them were under 2 years of age. Twenty six patients received surgical drainage while the others were treated with antibiotics only. There were no statistically significant differences in the durations of admission, fever after admission, and antibiotic treatment between surgical and medical treatment groups. CONCLUSION: The common sites of deep neck abscess, associated symptoms, and causative organisms were different between children and adolescents. As there were no differences in durations of admission, fever, or antibiotics treatments between surgical and medical treatment groups, surgical drainage may be avoided by early recognition and suspicion. However, if there is no improvement of symptoms or size of abscesses within 48-72 hours of antibiotic treatment, surgical drainage should be considered.
Abscess ; Adolescent ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Child ; Drainage ; Female ; Fever ; Headache ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Neck ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Trismus

OBJECTIVES: Despite remarkable development of pharmacotherapy for schizophrenia, some patients continuously have had violence problems. The violence of psychotic patients is recently becoming the focus of the attention. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on patients with schizophrenia having violence related history. METHODS: 15 Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder of crime history were treated with individual CBT for 12 sessions, and assessed with 4 scales (Korean version of Aggression Questionnaire, Korean version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11-Revised, Beck Cognitive Insight Scale and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) to evaluate anger, impulse, insight and clinical symptoms respectively at baseline and post treatment. The comparison group consisted of 15 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder of crime history. They were also assessed with the same scales during the same period. RESULTS: Although impulsivity is not changed significantly after treatment, but there was significant improvement in clinical symptom, insight and aggression, especially self-reflectiveness and anger respectively. CONCLUSION: CBT can be one of the good therapeutic tools for patients with schizophrenia having violence problems in that it reduces aggression and enhances insight of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
Aggression ; Anger ; Case-Control Studies* ; Cognitive Therapy* ; Crime* ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Impulsive Behavior ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia* ; Violence ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyse the level of sexual function among breast cancer survivors as compared with that among healthy women. METHOD: A total of 208 women participated in this study: 103 breast cancer survivors attending self-help group and 105 community-residing healthy women in G city. A self-reported questionnaire with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to obtain data. Data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 14.0 K+ for descriptive statistics, t-test, and two-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The sexual function score of breast cancer survivors was significantly lower than that of healthy women, respectively 14.9+/-9.9 and 20.6+/-11.1 (p<0.001). The sexual function of recurrent breast cancer survivors was significantly lower than that of women without recurrence. However, there were no significant differences in the sexual function score according to the cancer stage, period since diagnosis, and types of cancer treatment modality. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate the importance of sex-related counseling and educational programs to improve the quality of life of breast cancer survivors.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Counseling ; Female ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Recurrence ; Self-Help Groups ; Survivors

No abstract available.
Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Mitomycin* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

In the present study, we investigated the differences in the levels of expression of virulence factors between blood isolates of Candida albicans and commensal strain isolated from the oral cavities of health volunteers, and correlations between virulence factors. Blood isolates of 33 and commenal isolates of 71 were characterized by putative virulence factors such as proteinase production (PROT), an ability to adhere to epithelial cells (ADH), cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), phospholipase production (PLASE), and hyphal transition (GERM). In PROT, ADH, CSH, and PLASE, the means of expression of blood isolates were higher compared with those of commensal isolates, however statistical significance was only shown in CSH (p=0.036). On the contrary, mean expression of GERM of blood isolates was lower than that of commensal isolates. Of relationships between virulence factors, although a negative correlation of PROT with CSH was obtained, the correlation was relatively low (r=-0.316, p=0.001). These results suggest that higher expression of CSH is a more distinguishing character in virulent blood isolates of C. albicans and that the expression of virulence factors are independent.
Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Epithelial Cells ; Healthy Volunteers* ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Phospholipases ; Virulence Factors ; Virulence* ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Chorion* ; Chorionic Villi Sampling* ; Chorionic Villi* ; Female ; Fetus* ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Trisomy*