BACKGROUND: It is now well known that oxygen free radicals act as mediators of cellular injury in many cardiovascular diseases. Although some evidences have been presented for an altered number of adrenergic receptors in heart disease, a detailed examination of the interaction of free radicals with cardiac adrenergic receptors has little been carried out. METHODS: This study is therefore undertaken to examine the influences of adrenergic blocking agents(propranolol, prazosin) and cyclooxygenase inhibitor(aspirin) on the cardiac damage by oxygen free radicals. Ischemic condition of the isolated rat heart was made by Langendorff preparation, and then measured superoxide dismutase(SOD), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) released in the perfusate, and malondialdhyde(MDA) concentration in the cardiac tissue. RESULTS: We obtained the results that increased SOD activity and tendency of decreased LDH activity by the pretreatment of propranolol, prazosin, and aspirin in cardiac ischemic-reperfusion injury. Those effects were more predominant in adriamycin treated group comparing with not treated group. CONCLUSION: Adrenergic blocking agent, propranolol, prazosin, and aspirin seem to have some protective effect on the reperfusion injury of the heart.
Adrenergic Agents* ; Animals ; Aspirin ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Doxorubicin ; Free Radicals* ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Lactic Acid ; Oxygen* ; Prazosin ; Propranolol ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Rats ; Receptors, Adrenergic ; Reperfusion Injury ; Superoxides

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the usefulness of exercise echocardiography in diagnosis of coronary artery disease and to compare it with exercise ECG test. METHOD: We performed exercise test in 48 patients who suffered from angina-like chest pain, according to the modified Bruce protocol. During exercise, we observed the ECG changes and recored the images of left ventricular wall motion before and after exercise on the video tape. The echocardiogram were digitally stored and displayed in a format that allowed simultaneous analysis of rest and stress images. Newly developed left ventricular wall motion abnormalities were determined as positive findings. RESULTS: The feasibility of exercise echocardiography was 75%. The sensitivity and specificity fo exercise ECG test was 67% and 89%. The sensitivity and specificity of exercise echocardiography was 85% and 100%. The sensitivity of ECG and echocardiography was 50%(7 of 14) and 78.6%(11 of 14) in those with one-vessle disease and 84.6%(11 of 13) and 92.3%(12 fo 13) in those with multi-vessle disease. CONCLUSION: Exercise stress echocardiography was very usefull method for detecting the coronary artery disease especially in single vessle disease. And it had much higher accuracy than the stress ECG test.
Chest Pain ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Thromboembolism is the major complication in patients with the insertion of cardiac prosthetic valves. The purpose of this study is evaluate the risk factors about the formation of left atrial thrombi after cardiac valve replacement. METHOD: Transesophageal(TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) were done to evaluate postoperative cardiac condition in 98 patients with cardiac prosthetic valves from Jan. 1991 to Oct 1991. Several clinical and echocardiographic parameters were analyzied to evaluate the relationship with the formation of left atrial thrombi. RESULT: In univariate analysis, important factors related to the formation of left atrial thrombi are type of operation (p=0.027), postoperative left ventricular function(p=0.003), preoperative(p=0.037) and postoperative systolic ventricular size(p=0.024). However, in multivariate analysis postoperative left ventricular size(p=0.017), presence of previous thrombi(p=0.014), preoperative left atrial size(p=0.014) and postoperative left atrial size(p=0.014) are significant factors. CONCLUSION: Patients with high risk and low risk for the formation of left atrial thrombi after valve replacement can be identified by readily available clinical and echocardiographic variables.
Echocardiography ; Heart Valves ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors* ; Thromboembolism

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a rare disorder of unknown etiology characterized by protein losing enteropathy, peripheral eosinophilia and iron deficiency anemia secondary to gastrointestinal blood loss. It is often accompanied by signs of systemic allergy. This case of a 26-month-old male patient who developed scrotal edema and diarrhea for a month had peripheral eosinophilia ranged from 24 to 32% of total leukocyte, iron deficiency anemia and hypoalbuminemia with slightly increased level of serum lgE. Biopsies of the stomach and duodenum demonstrated marked eosinophilic infiltration of the mucosa and lymphatic dilatation, which was consistent with eosinophilic gastroenteritis. We report a case of eosinophilic gastroenteritis with a brief review who was treated with corticosteroid alone and had marked symptomatic improvement.
Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Biopsy ; Child, Preschool ; Diarrhea ; Dilatation ; Duodenum ; Edema ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils* ; Gastroenteritis* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Leukocytes ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies ; Stomach

PURPOSE: Epilepsy is generally defined as a chronic condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizure. It is still controversial whether the long-term antiepileptic drugs(AED) treatment will be necessary in children with first unprovoked seizure. Cognitive and behavioral side effects of AEDs are especially important in developing children. Therefore the rationale of AED treatment in the children with first unprovoked seizure depends upon the seizure recurrence rate and presence of risk factors related with seizure recurrence. We are going to evaluate the risk of seizure recurrence and risk factors after a first unprovoked seizure in children. METHODS: One hundred fifty eight patients presented with a first unprovoked seizure from July, 1994 to June, 1999 were prospectively followed by regular epilepsy clinic visit or telephone interview for a mean of 27 months. We analyzed overall recurrence risk and risk factors of seizure recurrence(EEG finding, etiology of seizure, seizure type, history of prior febrile convulsions, neurodevelopmental status prior to first seizure, presence of a Todd's paresis, family history of seizures, a seizure occuring while asleep, and duration of seizure) by Cox's proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. RESULTS: In 158 patients with first unprovoked seizure, 61 (39%) patients experienced subsequent seizure. The cumulative risk of seizure recurrence was 28.5, 37.6, and 42.3% at 6, 12, and 18 months. The median time to recurrence was 3 months, with 72% of recurrence occurring within 6 months, 92% within 1 year, and 100% within 2 years. On univariate analysis, risk factors for seizure recurrence included an etiology of seizure and abnormal EEG. In idiopathic cases, the risk factor was an EEG abnormality. CONCLUSION: Many of the children with a first unprovoked seizure will not have recurrences. The recurrence risk of a first unprovoked seizure in children have statistically correlated with the etiology of seizure(cryptogenic and symptomatic) and abnormal EEG. Children with an idiopathic first seizure and a normal EEG have a particularly favorable prognosis.
Ambulatory Care ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Paresis ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Prospective Studies* ; Recurrence* ; Risk Factors ; Seizures* ; Seizures, Febrile

A statistical observations were made on total 79 In-Patients in the departments of dermatology, Dongsan Presbyterian Hospital, Kyungpook National University and Fatima Hospital, Taegu, Korea during the period from Sept. 1, 1975 to August 31, 1976.
Daegu* ; Dermatology* ; Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Korea* ; Protestantism*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Wound Healing* ; Wounds and Injuries*

It is well known that the merit of total hip replacement is to provide rather satisfactory range of motion with relief of pain among reconstructive procedures. Therefore it is presumed that the ankylosed hip could gain range of motion by reconstruction of artificial joint, it the muscles around the hip is adequate. Furthermore when the patient has some problems in the back or knee secondary to ankylosed and deformed hip, any kind of reconstructive surgery, maybe total hip replacement is necessary which gives range of motion and correct deformity of the hip. Our result total hip replacements for fifteen ankylos d hips of twelve patients that were followed more than one year is gratifying to all patients with relief of pain and relatively satisfactory range of motion.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Hip ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Muscles ; Range of Motion, Articular

PURPOSE: Current evidence indicates that ultrasonography of the breast is an important adjunct to mammography and clinical examination in the diagnosis of palpable breast abnormalities. An assessment of the value of office-based ultrasonography of a palpable breast mass performed by a breast surgeon was the aim of this work. METHODS: A 7.5 MHz linear probe was used to perform office-based ultrasonography in 109 consecutive female patients having a palpable solid breast mass between August 1998 and December 1999. Breast masses diagnosed histologically as fibroadenomas or breast cancer were included in this study. The clinical impression from the physical examination (PE), the result of officed-based ultrasonography done by a surgeon (OUSG), and comprehensive judgement engaging both PE and OUSG (PEUSG) were recorded in each patient's hospital record as benign or malignant at the first visit. The diagnostic values of PE, OUSG, PEUSG, mammography (MMG), and ultrasonography done by a radiologist (USG) were compared. RESULTS: Of 109 masses, a fibroadenoma was diagnosed in 73 patients while a carcinoma was established in 36 patients. The sensitivity, the specificity, the accuracy rate, and the kappa coefficient were 91.7%, 89.0%, 89.9%, and 0.780 for PE; 100%, 90.4%, 93.6%, and 0.862 for OUSG; 97.2%, 97.3%, 97.2%, and 0.938 for PEUSG; 90.4%, 89.4%, 90%, and 0.630 for MMG; and 88.9%, 90.9%, 90% and 0.798 for USG. The diagnostic accuracy of PEUSG was significantly higher than those of PE and MG (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that office-based ultrasonography of the breast performed by a surgeon is a useful adjunct to clinical evaluation of the breast mass and permits timely and cost-effective patient care.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Mammography ; Patient Care ; Physical Examination ; Prospective Studies* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography*