Little is known about the long-term prognosis of or predictors for the different clinical types of atrial fibrillation (AF) in Korean populations. The aim of this study was to validate a risk stratification to assess the probability of AF progression from paroxysmal AF (PAF) to persistent AF (PeAF) or permanent AF. A total of 434 patients with PAF were consecutively enrolled (mean age; 71.7 +/- 10.7 yr, 60.6% male). PeAF was defined as episodes that are sustained > 7 days and not self-terminating, while permanent AF was defined as an ongoing long-term episode. Atrial arrhythmia during follow-up was defined as atrial premature complex, atrial tachycardia, and atrial flutter. During a mean follow-up of 72.7 +/- 58.3 months, 168 patients (38.7%) with PAF progressed to PeAF or permanent AF. The mean annual AF progression was 10.7% per year. In univariate analysis, age at diagnosis, body mass index, atrial arrhythmia during follow-up, left ventricular ejection fraction, concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, left atrial diameter (LAD), and severe mitral regurgitation (MR) were significantly associated with AF progression. In multivariate analysis, age at diagnosis (P = 0.009), atrial arrhythmia during follow-up (P = 0.015), LAD (P = 0.002) and MR grade (P = 0.026) were independent risk factors for AF progression. Patients with younger age at diagnosis, atrial arrhythmia during follow-up, larger left atrial chamber size, and severe MR grade are more likely to progress to PeAF or permanent AF, suggesting more intensive medical therapy with close clinical follow-up would be required in those patients.
Aged ; Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology/mortality/*pathology ; Atrial Flutter/*epidemiology/mortality/pathology ; Atrial Premature Complexes/*epidemiology/mortality/pathology ; Disease Progression ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart Atria/pathology/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Tachycardia, Ectopic Atrial/*epidemiology/mortality/pathology ; Tachycardia, Paroxysmal/*epidemiology/mortality/pathology ; Thromboembolism/epidemiology/mortality ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: New stent implantation during intracoronary brachytherapy is discouraged due to the high risk of late thrombosis. However, new stent implantation is inevitable in some cases due to the inadequate ballooning or major dissections. Long-term follow-up results of newly implanted stents during brachytherapy are not well-known. We performed this study to evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of newly implanted stents during intracoronary brachytherapy. METHODS: In the Seoul national university Post-Angioplasty RhEnium irradiation (SPARE) trial, patients were treated with conventional catheter-based technique and then randomized to either beta- radiation (RG) or control group (CG). Radiation was performed with 188 -rhenium-filled conventional balloon catheter system. From 1999 to 2001, new stent implantation was performed in 58 and 56 patients in RG and CG, respectively. Clinical and angiographic follow up data were analyzed. RESULTS: In RG, short-term angiographic restenosis rate was lower than CG (28.6% vs 53%, p=0.03). In RG, late thrombosis was found in 3 patients. However, there was no late thrombosis in CG. Two year major cardiac event rates were not different between the 2 groups (RG: 25.9% vs CG: 28.3%). Independent predictors for major cardiac event in RG were major dissections (>or=type C) after stent implantation (beta=70, p=0.01) and longer administration of dual antiplatelets (aspirin+clopidogrel/ ticlopidine, >6 months, beta=0.07, p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Stenting during intracoronary brachytherapy seems to be ineffective in reducing long-term event rates. When new stent implantation is inevitable during brachytherapy, extreme attention is required not to make a dissection and long-term dual antiplatelet treatment should be followed after stent implantation.
Angioplasty ; Brachytherapy ; Catheters ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Rhenium ; Seoul ; Stents* ; Thrombosis ; Ticlopidine

BACKGROUND: An important metabolic feature of acromegaly is a reduced action of insulin on hepatic gluconeogenesis and peripheral glucose disposal which mediated by growth hormone hypersecretion. Octreotide, a synthetic octapeptide somatostatin analogue exerts complex effects on hormonal and metabolic regulations affecting glucose homeostasis. This study was designed to ascertain the shorterm effect of octreotide on glucose tolerance in acromegaly. METHODS: 10 patients (five men and five women, age 47.9+/-11.8) were injected subcutaneously with octreotide, 100 micrograms for 24 hours. Patients were assessed with respect to growth hormone, glucose, and insulin response to a standard 100 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) before and during the last 2 hour of octreotide infusion. RESULTS: During the therapy, there was significant decrease in mean blood glucose response to OGTT (678.4+/-51.9 vs 581.9+/-47.3 mg/dL/2hr: mean areas under the glucose curve, p=0.01) and mean serum insulin response to oral glucose load was significantly reduced in all patients (339.2+/-106.2 vs 256.7+/-111.3 U/mL/2hr: mean areas under the insulin curve, p=0.01). Using glucose tolerance test criteria three patients of 10 had normal glucose tolerance, four and three had impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes, respectively, at base line. While on octreotide these composition was changed to six patients of NGT, three of IGT and one diabetes. CONCLUSION: We conclude that insulin resistance mediated by GH hypersecretion was improved by shorterm octreotide treatment.
Acromegaly* ; Blood Glucose ; Female ; Gluconeogenesis ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glucose* ; Growth Hormone ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Infusions, Subcutaneous* ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Octreotide* ; Social Control, Formal ; Somatostatin

PURPOSE: To understand the morphologic and molecular changes in carcinogen-induced breast tissues, DMBA (10-dimethy1-1,2 benzanthracene) was administrated in Sprague- Dawley female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At 50 days of age, all experimental rats were given 20 mg DMBA by gastric intubation. Until the seventh week after DMBA administration, six rats were sacrificed every week, thereafter all tumors found during 20 weeks were removed every week. The morphologic changes were evaluated in routinely processed sections stained with H-E and with anti-smooth muscle actin antibody. Mutation of Ha-ras codons 12 and 61 was examined by ARMS (amplification refractory mutation system) method in frozen tissues. RESULTS: The epithelial cell proliferation of terminal end buds began 2 weeks after DMBA treatment and progressed to the 6th week, resulting in microscopic malignant tumor in one of the 7th weeks rats. The tumors were developed in 43 of 62 rats (69.4%); 8 benign lesions in 4 rats and 72 malignant tumors in 39 rats. Mutations in the 12th and 61th codon of Ha-ras gene were respectively found in 29.7% and 2.7% of preneoplastic breasts, 25% in benign lesions, 2.6% and 31.6% of malignant tumors. CONCLUSION: DMBA treatment in rats induced epithelial proliferation, then benign and malignant tumors through Ha-ras gene mutation, especially in codon 61 leading to cancer.
9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene* ; Actins ; Animals ; Arm ; Breast ; Codon ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Genes, ras ; Humans ; Intubation ; Rats*

OBJECTIVES: The poor survival rates among patients receiving surgery alone for stages II and III non-small cell lung cancer prompted several trials of adjuvant therapy after resection. We performed a prospective phase II study in patients with stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer after resection to evaluate the feasibility, activity and toxicity of the postoperative sequential MVP chemotherapy and radiotherapy. METHODS: Between February 1991 and May 1995, 60 patients with resected stage II, IIIA non-small cell lung cancer received 2 cycles of MVP combination chemotherapy (Mitomycin-C 6 mg/m2, Vinblastine 6 mg/m2, Cisplatin 60 mg/m2) within 3 weeks after surgery, followed by thoracic irradiation (5,040 cGy after complete resection and 900 cGy booster to microscopically positive resection margin at 1.8 Gy per fraction) within 3-4 weeks after chemotherapy. RESULTS: Forty nine men and 11 women with a median age of 60.5 years (range 33-81 years) were included. During the median follow-up period of 828 days (61-2,015 days), 25 patients had developed recurrence. Among the 25 failures, 3 were local relapse only and 20 were distant metastasis only and 2 had both local and distant sites of recurrence. Three-year overall survival and event-free survival were 43% and 37%, respectively. Neutropenia of grade I-II was observed only in 13 patients. Eleven patient showed grade I-II radiation pneumonitis and 32 had grade I-II radiation esophagitis. CONCLUSION: Postoperative sequential MVP chemotherapy and radiotherapy in resected stage II-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer is well-tolerated and shows interesting activity.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Cisplatin* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Esophagitis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mitomycin* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neutropenia ; Prospective Studies ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Radiotherapy* ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate ; Vinblastine*

PURPOSE: AHC characterized by sudden onset of gross hematuria, dysuria and frequency occurs in children and young adults as a self-limited disease that should be differentiated from serious renal disorders. We have performed this study to establish the cause and characterize the clinical features of this illness in Korean children. METHODS: 19 cases collected prospectively for 30 month-period over 1991-1993 were reviewed. Urine specimens were obtained after normal voidings and inoculated into Hep-2 cell monolayers for virologic study, and cultured as standard method for bacteria. Isolates producing a cytopathic effect characteristic of adenovirus were confirmed by indirect immunofluorescent staining with monoclonal antibody specific to adenovirus and also by electron microscopy. Adeno-viruses were typed by hemagglutination-inhibition test by Dr. Piedra at the Texas Medical Center, USA. RESULTS: The ages of the patients were between 5 months and 14 years. Adenovirus was isolated from the urine in 8 cases(42%) and E. coli in 2(10.5%). Of 8 patients with positive culture, adenovirus type 7a was recovered in 4 cases, and adenvirus type 11 in 4 cases. Seven of the 8 patients with positive adenovirus culture were boys while E. coli was isolated only in girls. No sexual difference was found in cultur-negative group(M:F=4:5). The sudden onset of painful hematuria was the most impressive manifestation. Gross hematuria continued for 3 to 15(average 8.9) days. Suprapubic pain was present in 4. Only one patient had mild fever. Ten of 11 ultrasonic examinatinons showed thickening of bladder wall and decreased filling capacity. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that culture for viruses may be useful method for differential diagnosis of AHC and adenovirus type 7a is newly identified to be one of the important causes of this illness. Further studies on ABC are needed to investigate the unexplained part of etiology.
Adenoviridae ; Bacteria ; Child* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dysuria ; Female ; Fever ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron ; Piedra ; Prospective Studies ; Texas ; Ultrasonics ; Urinary Bladder ; Young Adult

Sixty-six patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx received irradiation with curative intent between 1979 and 1985 were retrospectively analysed. All patients had a minimum follow-up of 4 years. Of the entire group consisting of 73% T3 and T4 lesions and 58% lymph node metastases, a 5-year acturial survival rate was 31.3%. A 5-year acturial survival rates for stage II, III andIV were 60.7%, 46.7% and 13.5% respectively (p<0.05). Patients without lymphnode metastases had better survival rate than those with costive lymphnode metastases(54.8% vs 12.2%) (p<0.005). Surgical salvage rate was 4/7 (57%). Three patients developed distant metastases. Major complications requiring surgery were seen in 11% Radiation therapy alone with surgical salvage was an effective, voice preserving treatment for stage I, II and selected III carcinoma of the supraglottic carcinoma, however planned combined treatment with surgery and radiation therapy is advised for stage III andIV carcinoma of the supraglottic larynx with resectable neck disease.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Larynx* ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Voice

It is well known that the pulmonary capillary endothelium is rich in angiotensin converting enzyme(ACE), which is released in the event of smoking, acute lung injury, or some lung diseases such as Gauchers disease and hypertension. Serum ACE levels may be clinically useful because they are reflections of pulmonary circulation. In order to evaluate the effect of extracorporeal circulation and pulmonary perfusion on serum ACE levels, we measured serum ACE level during prebypass, total bypass(5', 30', 60') and pulmonary perfusion (30', 60', 24 hrs.) in 10 open-heart patients. The results were as follows: 1) The SACE level before the begining of extracorporeal circulation was 10.03+/-1.66u/ml and decreased significantly to 2.79+/-0.63u/ml(p<0.005) 5min. after extracorporeal circulation was initiated. 2) The decreased SACE level seen during extracorporeal circulation returned to a nearly normal (9.33+/-1.8u/ml) 24hrs. after pulmonary perfusion. 3) There were no significant correlations between the SACE level and the variation of age during extracorporeal circulation and pulmonary perfusion. The above results suggest that SACE levels are proportional to the amount of pulmonary blood flow.
Acute Lung Injury ; Angiotensins* ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Extracorporeal Circulation* ; Gaucher Disease ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Lung Diseases ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Perfusion ; Pulmonary Circulation ; Smoke ; Smoking

The use of controlled hyperventilation during neurosurgical procedures prevents the deleterious effects of hypercarbia on the cerebral blood flow and intracranial pressure. hyperventilation with hypocarbia produces cerebral vasoconstriction, reduced cerebral blood flow and a reduction in brain size in the majority of patients with increased intracranial pressure. But since excessive cerebral vasoconstriction might induce cerebral ischemia, there has been much discussion concerning the optimal level of hypocarbia. Several studies have shown biochemical evidence of a change in cerebral glucose utilization to anaerobic metabolism during hypocarbia. In our investigation, the effect of hyperventilation on 10 neurosurgical patients was evaluated by blood gas analysis and the estimation of lackate and pyruvate in arterial blood and the cerebrospinal fluid. The results were as follows: 1) PaCO2 decreased from a prearesthetic value of 38+/-2.2 mmHg to 22+/-2.1mmHg 1 hour postinduction and 24+/-2.2mmHg at 2 hours due to hyperventilation. pH was 7.58+/-0.047 1 hour postinduction and 7.56+/-0.018 at 2 hours. PaO2 was 251+/-33.0mmHg 1 hour postinduction 1 hour and 215+/-20.9mmHg at 2 hours under a 50% inspired oxygen concentration(FiO2=0.5). 2) The arterial blood lactate value increased statistically significantly from a preanesthetic value of 9.3+/-1.5mg% to 11.8+/-1.47mg% 1 hour postinduction(p<0.01) to 12.5+/-1.53mg% at 2 hours(p<0.005). However all values were within the normal range(4.7+/-15.1mg%), and the lacte/pyruvate ratio did not change. 3) In the cerebrospinal fluid, pH was 7.45+/-0.057, PCO2 was 34+/-3.5mmHg and PO2 was 91+/-6.7mmHg following hyperventilation for 1 hour. The lactate value of the cerebrospinal fluid was 19.2+/-3.14mg%(normal range: 11.0~27.0mg%) and the lactate/pyruvate ration was 14.5+/-2.39. 4) No evidence of an excessive increase in CSF lactate was seen in any case. The above findings suggest that maintenance of an adequate oxygen concentration and a carbon dioxide value over 20mmHg would prevent cerebral ischemia following hypocarbia due to hyperventilation.
Anesthesia* ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Brain ; Brain Ischemia ; Carbon Dioxide ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hyperventilation* ; Intracranial Pressure ; Lactic Acid ; Metabolism ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; Oxygen ; Pyruvic Acid ; Vasoconstriction

In order to study the effect of spinal nareotics on postoperative pulmonary function and ventilatory reserve after upper abdominal surgery, small preoperative doses of morphine were administrated into the subarachnoidal space and the changes in FVC, FEVi.e., MMEF and FEVi.e./FVC with the SC-20 spirometric computer wer evaluated. The results were as follows: 1) On the 1st day postoperatively FVC of the control group was 56% of the preperative value, 2.94+/-0.68(1/sec), and that of the morphine group was 66% of the preoperative value, 2.99+/-0.73(1/sec).(p<0.05) On the 2nd and 3rd day postoperatively the control group was 64% and 65% and that of the morphine group was 82% and 87%. (p<0.05) 2) On the 1st and 2nd postoperative day FEVi.e. of the control group was 52% and 57% of the preoperative value, 2.49+/-0.43(1/sec), and that of the morphine group was 61%, and 65% of the preoperative value, 2.42+/-0.68(1/sec). (p<0.05) On the 3rd postoperative day the FEVi.e. of the control group was 65% and that of the morphine group was 80%. (p<0.05) 3) On the 1st and 2nd postoperative day the MMEF of the control group was 56%, and 61% of the preoperative value, 2.45+/-0.77(1/sec). In the 3rd postoperative day the MMEF on the control group was 63% and that of the morphine group was 78%. (p<0.01) 4) The preoperative FEVi.e./FVC of the control group was 84.3% and that of the morphine group was 78.7%. in the postoperative period, there were no significant differences between the control and morphine group.
Morphine* ; Postoperative Period