OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum progesterone (P4) levels on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) administration and the pregnancy rate among women undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) using a flexible antagonist protocol. METHODS: This prospective study included 200 IVF and ICSI-ET cycles in which a flexible antagonist protocol was used. The patients were divided into five distinct groups according to their serum P4 levels at the time of hCG administration (0.80, 0.85, 0.90, 0.95, and 1.00 ng/mL). The clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) was calculated for each P4 interval. Statistically significant differences were observed at a serum P4 level of 0.9 ng/mL. These data suggest that a serum P4 concentration of 0.9 ng/mL may represent the optimal threshold level for defining premature luteinization (PL) based on the presence of a significant negative impact on the CPR. RESULTS: The CPR for each round of ET was significantly lower in the PL group defined using this threshold (25.8% vs. 41.8%; p=0.019), and the number of oocytes retrieved was significantly higher than in the non-PL group (17.3+/-7.2 vs. 11.0+/-7.2; p=0.001). Elevated serum P4 levels on the day of hCG administration were associated with a reduced CPR, despite the retrieval of many oocytes. CONCLUSION: Measuring serum P4 values at the time of hCG administration is necessary in order to determine the optimal strategy for embryo transfer.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Embryo Transfer ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Lutein* ; Luteinization* ; Oocytes ; Ovulation Induction* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pregnancy* ; Progesterone ; Prospective Studies ; Spermatozoa

Several compounds and extracts isolated from a brown alga, Ishige (I.) okamurae, exhibit anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The present study investigated whether the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of I. okamurae (EFIO) could ameliorate carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered with EFIO at 10 or 50 mg/kg per day for 2 consecutive days before CCl4 injection (3.3 mL/kg, i.p.). Twenty four hours later, the rats were anesthesized with diethyl ether and dissected. Pretreatment with EFIO significantly reduced the increased serum levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in CCl4-treated rats. Pretreatment with EFIO also significantly inhibited the reduced activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the CCl4-injured liver. Histopathological evaluations showed that hemorrhage, hepatocyte necrosis, inflammatory cell infiltration, and fatty degeneration induced by CCl4 treatment were ameliorated by the administration of EFIO. Additionally, liver immunohistochemical analyses revealed the marked reduction in ED1-positive monocyte-like macrophages in EFIO-pretreated rats given CCl4. These results suggest that EFIO ameliorates CCl4-induced liver injury, possibly through the inhibition of oxidative stress.
Acetates ; Alanine Transaminase ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Carbon ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Catalase ; Ether, Ethyl ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatocytes ; Liver ; Macrophages ; Necrosis ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase

\BACKGROUND: Bupivacaine with fentanyl might be suitable as the spinal anesthesia for performing ambulatory surgery to treat varicose vein. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thirty patients who underwent spinal anesthesia for a varicose vein operation were enrolled in this study. They were classified into 2 groups of either fentanyl 25 ug mixed with bupivacaine 4 mg (group FB4) or bupivacaine 8 mg (group B8). We compared the groups for the success of the analgesia, the recovery time from sensory and motor block, the side effects and the postoperative complications. RESULT: The groups did not differ significantly regarding the success of analgesia (13 of 15 [group FB4], 15 of 15 [group B8]). None of the patients were converted to general anesthesia due to surgical pain. None of the patients required medication for hypotension and/or bradycardia. The operative and nonoperative side effects of motor block (tested for by using a modified Bromage scale) was significantly lower in group FB4 than that in group B8, as checked at 2 hours after spinal anesthesia (p<0.05). Recovery from spinal block was significantly quicker in group FB4 than that in group B8 (p<0.05). The first voluntary micturition time did not differ significantly (6.5 hours v 4.5 hours [p=0.143]) between the groups, but a nelatone catheter was inserted into 2 of the group B8 patients due to dysuria. CONCLUSION: Adequate intraoperative analgesia and hemodynamic stability and faster mobilization were achieved using bupivacaine 4 mg with fentanyl 25 ug. Low dose spinal anesthesia with fentanyl is suitable for performing ambulatory surgery to treat varicose vein.
Ambulatory Surgical Procedures ; Analgesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Bradycardia ; Bupivacaine ; Catheters ; Dysuria ; Fentanyl ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Postoperative Complications ; Urination ; Varicose Veins

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study compared the therapeutic efficacy of endoscopic band ligation (EBL) with that of electrocoagulation for treating non-variceal, non-ulcer (NVNU) upper gastrointestinal (UGI) bleeding. METHODS: This study included 89 patients who underwent EBL and 56 patients in whom monopolar electrocoagulation was performed for NVNU UGI bleeding. The lesions treated were Mallory-Weiss tear in 91 patients, Dieulafoy's lesion in 42 patients and angiodysplasia in 12 patients. RESULTS: The initial hemostatic rate was 97% in the EBL group and 91% in the electrocoagulation group, but this was not statistically different. Rebleeding occurred in 5 of 89 patients (5.6%) in the EBL group and in 8 of 56 patients (14.3%) in the electrocoagulation group (p=0.07). Thrombocytopenia or prothrombin time prolongation was confirmed to be a significant risk factor for rebleeding. The rebleeding rate in the high risk group was significantly lower than in the EBL group (9% vs. 30%, respectively, p=0.03). The median procedure time was significantly shorter in the EBL group compared with that in the electrocoagulation group (median 5.6 minutes vs. 8.3 minutes, respectively, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: EBL and electrocoagulation are both effective for treating NVNU UGI bleeding, and EBL is especially safe and effective for the cases with a high risk for rebleeding.
Risk Factors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cholera toxin B (CTB) is an effective immunomodulating agent. Mucosal tolerance is a well recognized method for inducing tolerance, but large amounts of antigen is needed. The dosage required can be dramatically reduced through coupling the antigen to the CTB. This study aimed to examine whether mucosal administration of house dust mite coupled to CTB (HDM-CTB conjugate) would modulate specific type 1 hypersensitivity in the murine model of allergic rhinitis and to evaluate the prophylactic and long-term therapeutic effects. MATERIALS AND METHOD: C57BL/6 mice were sensitized with Dermatophagoides farinae extract. After administration of HDM-CTB conjugate, several parameters of allergic response were evaluated. RESULTS: After mucosal adminstration of HDM-CTB conjugate, allergic symptoms, eosinophilic infiltration into nasal mucosa, specific IgE, and the splenic T cell proliferation after Dermatophagoides farinae allergen challenge were suppressed. CONCLUSION: These findings show that HDM-CTB conjugate has an anti-allergic effect in the murine model of allergic rhinitis and suggest that house dust mite allergy can be modulated with mucosal administration of allergen coupled to CTB.
Administration, Mucosal ; Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Cholera Toxin ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dust* ; Eosinophils ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunotherapy ; Mice* ; Nasal Mucosa ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis*

Adolescent ; Adult ; Chin ; Female ; Genioplasty ; Humans ; Lip ; Male ; Malocclusion ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Radiography ; Tooth ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of the transradial approach for intra-arterial chemoembolization therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent intra-arterial chemoembolization via the radial artery approach were involved in this study. All underwent Allen's test to check ulnar arterial patency. In all cases, we used the radial approach hepatic artery (RHA) catheter designed by ourselves, evaluating the selection ability of the hepatic artery using an RHA cathter, the number of punctures, the procedure time, and compression time at the puncture site as well as complications occurring during and after the procedure. RESULTS: Except for three in which puncture failure, brachial artery variation or hepatic artery variation occurred, all procedures were successful. The mean number of punctures was 3.5, and the average duration of the whole procedure was one and half hours. This gradually decreased as the number of procedures increased. The average duration at a compression of puncture site was 12 minutes. There were no major complications. Minor complications included minimal intimal dissection of the radial artery (3.8%), reversible vasospasm of the radial artery (7.7%), hematoma at a puncture site (7.7%) and transient neurologic deficit (3.8%). CONCLUSION: The transradial approach using an RHA catheter for intra-arterial chemoembolization therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas was technically feasible, with acceptable levels of safety. It may be a good alternative to absolute bed rest with a sand bag after the femoral approach.
Bed Rest ; Brachial Artery ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Catheters ; Hematoma ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Punctures ; Radial Artery* ; Silicon Dioxide

Binswanger's disease (BD) is an illness of hypertensive elderly patients characterised clinically by disorders of memory, mood and cognition; focal motor signs; and less often, a pseudobulbar syndrome with deterioration of gait and sphincter control. The illness is usually slowly progressive. The important pathological features of BD are widespread degeneration in the deep white matter with diffuse, patchy axonal and myelin loss, and gliosis. The more diffuse lesions in the centrum semiovale have been related to myelin rarefaction that spares the U-fibers. The MRI appearance of BD is multiple confluent white matter lesions of various sizes, many of which are quite small and concentrated around the basal ganglia and periventricular areas. We report an autopsy case of Binswanger's disease associated with Alzheimer's pathology.
Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; Autopsy* ; Axons ; Basal Ganglia ; Cognition ; Dementia, Vascular* ; Gait ; Gliosis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Memory ; Myelin Sheath ; Pathology* ; Pseudobulbar Palsy

Plasma cell Granuloma (PCG) is a form of idiopathic inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT). It is a rare entity character-ized by a nonneoplastic proliferation of inflammatory cells dominated by a polyclonal expansion of the plasma cells. This lesion has been discovered in many parts of the body including the central nervous system. We now report two cases of plasma cell granuloma involving the brain. The first case was a 42-year-old man who presented a right hemi-paresis. He had a lesion in the convexity of the left parietal region. The second case was a 58-year-old woman who was expressed confusion and a frontal-temporal headache. She had a lesion in the convexity of the left temporal region and mastoid bone. The diagnosis of PCG was confirmed by pathological and immunohistochemical studies revealing pre-dominant plasma cells in the affected tissues.
Adult ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell* ; Headache ; Humans ; Mastoid ; Middle Aged ; Plasma Cells* ; Plasma* ; Rabeprazole

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the MR imaging and CT findings of intracranial inflammatory pseudotumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the MR imaging (n=8) and CT (n=4) studies of eight patients (M:F = 4:4, mean age: 41 years) with pathologically proven intracranial inflammatory pseudotumor. The findings were then evaluated with regard to location, shape, MR signal intensity, CT density and degree of contrast enhancement of the lesion, surrounding parenchymal edema, adjacent bone change and the location of accompanying extracranial lesion. RESULTS: In two patients, the parietal convexity was involved unilaterally, with no extracranial mass, and in the other six, the middle cranial fossa was involved unilaterally and extracranial mass was present. The lesion also involved the tentorium in four cases, the cavernous sinus in four, the anterior cranial fossa in one, and the posterior cranial fossa in one. The location of extracranial mass was the mastoid and middle ear cavity in two cases, the infratemporal fossa in two, both the infratemporal fossa and paranasal sinuses in one, and the orbit in one. MR images showed diffuse dural thickening in all eight cases, leptomeningeal thickening in four, and focal meningeal-based mass in two. As seen on T1-weighted images, the lesions were isointense to gray matter in eight cases, and on T2-weighted images were hypointense in seven cases and isointense in one. Marked homogeneous contrast enhancement was seen in all eight cases. The lesions seen on brain CT, performed in two cases, were isodense. Adjacent brain parenchymal edema and the destruction of adjacent bones were each seen in five cases. CONCLUSION: The characteristic MR findings of intracranial inflammatory pseudotumors are(1) diffuse dural thickening;(2) a focal meningeal-based mass which on T2-weighted images is seen as hypointense; and marked (3) contrast enhancement : these findings are, however, nonspecific. In order to differentiate these tumors, an awareness of these findings is, however, useful.
Brain ; Cavernous Sinus ; Cranial Fossa, Anterior ; Cranial Fossa, Middle ; Cranial Fossa, Posterior ; Ear, Middle ; Edema ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mastoid ; Orbit ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Rabeprazole