• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.223-233
• /
• 2004

Objective: As a manual accupucture method, the twirling-needle treatment has been known more effective in relieving pain than the conventional simple accupuncture treatment. Finding a proper treatment condition is difficult because of the lack of a quantative measurement of the alleviation of pain made by acupuncture. In this research, the authors propose the use of infrared thermal images in a formalin test to quantatively verify the effect of twirling. Methods: After injecting 10%~20% formalin into the tail of rats, the infrared thermal images(ITI) have been obtained to estimate the thermal distribution caused by inflammation. The authors propose a processing method to measure the thermal distribution from the thermal images obtained from the infrared camera as a pain model of the formalin test. Results: The pain model obtained from the infrared thermal image has two phases. The first phase, which is a transient period, is the initial 20 minutes when the pain is developed after the formalin injection. The second phase, which is a steady state, is where the development of pain lasts for 60 minutes or more after the first stage. This characteristic of the proposed model based on ITI is consistent with that of the pain model reported by other researchers whose works are based on the time-course of flinching and licking/biting, following a different concentration of formalin. It is noticed that the response of the thermal distribution obtained from ITI shows very high correlation to the behavioral response in the formalin test performed by Kazuhiro Okuda and four others5). In addition, the authors propose an ITI method to determine the pain-reducing effect of the acupuncture. The thermal distribution obtained from the experiment shows that there is significant pain reducing effect made by the twirling-needle method.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.334-340
• /
• 2005

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the nutrient loss and to assess the eutrophication into small stream by intensive rains in the steeped cornfield during cultivation. The crop cultivated was a soiling com (DW5969), and the experimental plots were divided into two parts that were 10 and 18% of slope degrees. The amount of T-N and T-P loss was calculated by analysis of surface run-off water quality, and was investigated the effect of eutrophication to small stream as a part of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology application. For the surface run-off water quality, EC and T-N values were highest in first runoff event as compared to the other events and maintained the stage state with litter variations at every hour during the runoff period except for EC in the slope 18%. However, T-P concentration has been a transient stage after runoff event of July 27. Total surface run-off ratio was not significantly different with slope degrees, but amount of T-N and T-P losses at 18% of slope were high as $5.96kg\;ha^{-1}\;and\;0.65kg\;ha^{-1}$ as relative to 10% of slope degree, respectively. Furthermore, T-N losses from run-off water in the sloped cornfield 10 and 18% were approximately 9.8 and 12.5% of the N applied as fertilizer when the fertilizer applied at recommended rates after soil test, respectively. For the eutrophication impact to the small stream, it was shown that $PO_4$ equivalence and Eco-indicator value at 18% of slope degree were greater as much $6.11kg\;ha^{-1}$ and 0.81 as compared to the slope angle 10%, respectively. Therefore, it was appeared that each effect of nutrient losses, eutrophication and Eco-indicator value was enhanced according with higher slope degree.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.5 no.1
• /
• pp.100-105
• /
• 1997

DW-166HC ($^{166}$Holmium-chitosan) is a complex of $^{166}$Ho, $\beta$- and $\gamma$-ray emitter, and chitosan, a polymer of glucosamine, with radiotherapeutic potential. The current study was performed to determine the acute toxicities of $^{165}$Ho-chitosan in mice by two different routes of administration. The both sex mice were given a single intravenous bolus injection of $^{165}$Ho-chitosan complex at doses of 12, 10, 6, 5 and 4 mg/kg or subcutaneous administration at doses of 600, 500, 400 and 300 mg/kg. Chitosan was dosed to control animals as 16 and 800 mg/kg, intravenously and subcutaneously, respectively. The doses of $_{165}$Ho-chitosan complex were expressed as $_{165}$holmium nitrate pentahydrate and the ratio of $^{165}$Ho$(NO_3)_3$).$5H_2O$ to chitosan was 3/4 Severe convulsion and respiratory failure were followed by death within 10 min after intravenous dosing. Transient unilateral hindlimb hypokinesias were found in two mice of 5 mg/kg dosing group during the study period. No abnormalities were observed during the necropsy of survived animals in intravenous dosing group. Only one male animal was found dead in 500 mg/kg subcutaneously dosed group. Alopecia with or without cutaneous ulcer were found in most mice including control animals. During necropsy, omental adhesion was observed in all dose ranges and enlarged spleen was found in several animals including control group. It is suggested that the acute intravenous >).$LD_{50}s$ for male and female mice were 4.90 and 6.03 mg/kg, respectively. The lowest lethal dose in male was 500 mg/kg by subcutaneous administration.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.111-121
• /
• 1991

It has been well known that the splanchnic nerve block is effective for patients who suffer from intractable upper abdominal pain. However, it is unclear whether the effect of the splanchnic nerve block depends on varied alcoholic concentration. In this study, an attempt was made to use absolute ethanol on patients who recieved a splanchnic nerve block at Severance Hospital during the period from September l990 to April l991. The results are as follows; 1) Among the 33 patients, including 22 males and 1l females, the fifties and sixties were the major age groups. 2) Stomach cancer was the most common underlying disease(13 cases), with pancreatic can- cer next(9 cases). 3) The main locations of pain were the upper abdomen, epigastrium, and entire abdomen in decreasing order. 4) There were 17 cases who had had chemotherapy, and 1l cases of whom had had surgery before the splanchnic nerve block. 5) The volume of alcohol used was 12 ml bilaterally. 6) Among the 33 patients, 15.2% required a second block within two weeks of the first block. One case required a third block. 7) The most common complications of splanchnic nerve block were hypotension(33.3%), occasional transient sharp burning pain, flushing of face, pain on injection site, nausea, vomiting, dyspnea, chest discomfort and diarrhea. 8) The supplemental block most commonly used was a continuous epidural block. It was used both as a diagnostic block and to afford relief from pain before the splanchnic nerve block was done. 9) The interval between the receiving the absolute ethanol block and discharge was within 2 weeks in l5 cases. But, in the patients with poor general health, the interval between the splanchnic nerve block and discharge prolonged. The above results suggest that bilateral splanchnic nerve block done with absolute ethanol after an effective test block with 1% lidocaine under C-arm fluroscopic control is satisfactory and reliable. Still, 26.6% of the patients received a repeat block within 2 weeks. Insufficient spread of ethanol due to its small volume seems to be a major factor in the repeat block. Minimizing the incidence of repeat block remains a problem to be solved.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.29 no.11
• /
• pp.1491-1498
• /
• 2000

Objectives : Embolization of intracranial aneurysms by using Guglielmi detachable coils(GDC) is proving to be a safe method of protecting aneurysms from rupture. Occasionally, patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms present with symptoms related to the aneurysm's mass effect on either the brain parenchyma or cranial nerves. In the present study, the authors conducted a retrospective review to evaluate the response to GDC embolization in a series of 6 patients presenting with cranial nerve dysfunction due to mass effect. Patients and Methods : Aneurysms were classified by size, shape, and amount of intraluminal thrombus. Patients were classified by duration of symptoms prior to GDC treatment(range<1 month to>4 years). Clinical assessment was performed within days of the GDC procedure and at later follow-up appointments(range 5-16 months, mean 9 months). Results : In the immediate post-GDC embolization period, one of the five patients had transient worsening of third nerve palsy, which later improved to better than baseline status. Two patients who presented with third nerve deficit from a internal carotid artery-posterior communicating artery junction aneurysm had complete recovery. One patient who presented with hemiparesis and dysarthria from a giant mid-basilar aneurysm showed improvement of these symptoms. One patient who presented with sixth cranial nerve deficit from a cavernous aneurysm showed no change at the 8-months follow-up examination. Conclusion : The endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms by using GDC is suggested as an alternative therapeutic method for improving or alleviating neurological deficits produced by mass effect.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.228-233
• /
• 2008

Objective : The standard treatment strategy of intracranial aneurysms includes either endovascular coiling or microsurgical clipping. In certain situations such as in giant or dissecting aneurysms, bypass surgery followed by proximal occlusion or trapping of parent artery is required. Methods : The authors assessed the result of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery in the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms in one institute between 2003 and 2007 retrospectively to propose its role as treatment modality. The outcomes of 15 patients with complex aneurysms treated during the last 5 years were reviewed. Six male and 9 female patients, aged 14 to 76 years, presented with symptoms related to hemorrhage in 6 cases, transient ischemic attack (TIA) in 2 un ruptured cases, and permanent infarction in one, and compressive symptoms in 3 cases. Aneurysms were mainly in the internal carotid artery (ICA) in 11 cases, middle cerebral artery (MCA) in 2, posterior cerebral artery (PCA) in one and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) in one case. Results : The types of aneurysms were 8 cases of large to giant size aneurysms, 5 cases of ICA blood blister-like aneurysms, one dissecting aneurysm, and one pseudoaneurysm related to trauma. High-flow bypass surgery was done in 6 cases with radial artery graft (RAG) in five and saphenous vein graft (SVG) in one. Low-flow bypass was done in nine cases using superficial temporal artery (STA) in eight and occipital artery (OA) in one case. Parent artery occlusion was performed with clipping in 9 patients, with coiling in 4, and with balloon plus coil in 1. Direct aneurysm clip was done in one case. The follow up period ranged from 2 to 48 months (mean 15.0 months). There was no mortality case. The long-term clinical outcome measured by Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) showed good or excellent outcome in 13/15. The overall surgery related morbidity was 20% (3/15) including 2 emergency bypass surgeries due to unexpected parent artery occlusion during direct clipping procedure. The short-term postoperative bypass graft patency rates were 100% but the long-term bypass patency rates were 86.7% (13/15). Nonetheless, there was no bypass surgery related morbidity due to occlusion of the graft. Conclusion : Revascularization technique is a pivotal armament in managing complex aneurysms and scrupulous prior planning is essential to successful outcomes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.28 no.2 s.50
• /
• pp.473-486
• /
• 1995

A hospital-based, matched case-control study was carried out to evaluate the relation ship of various suspected risk factors including snoring and serum level of cholesterol to cerebrovascular disease in Korea. A total of 127 incident cases of cerebrovascular disease(74 cases of cerebral infarction and 53 cases of intracerebral hemorrhage) admitted to. the department of neurology in a university hospital from December, 1993 to March, 1995 were compared with 127 matched controls admitted to same hospital in same period. A multivariate analysis suggested that ECG abnormality(left ventricular hypertrophy and atrial fibrillation), family history of cerebrovascular disease, fundoscopic abnormality, previous history of transient ischemic attack and hypercholesterolemia were risk factors of cerebrovascular disease, ECG abnormality, fundoscopic abnormality, smoking and hypercholesterolemia were also suggested as risk factors of cerebral infarction.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.149-155
• /
• 1992

55 consecutive anatrophic nephrolithotomies on 53 patients performed between July, 1983 and June, 1990 were reviewed. The patients(36 male and 19 female) ranged in age from 3 to 72years. The operation time averaged 219.8 minutes with a range of 120-330 minutes, and the ischemic time ranged between 20 and 90 minutes, with a mean of 43.5 minutes. Postoperative complications developed in 18 patients, which were such as persistent urinary tract infection in 5cases(9.4%), atelectasis in 4(7.5%), transient urine leak in 2(3.8%), delayed bleeding in 2(3.8%) and urinary retention in 2(3.8%), Postoperative residual stones were identified in 15(27.3%), but in 8 of these 15patients stones were delivered spontaneously and thus 48 of 55 cases(87.3%) became stone free, The recurrence of stone was noted in 2 out of 48 patients during the short followup period. Anatrophic nephrolithotomy seems to be an effective method compared to other procedure because of decreasing recurrence of stone by complete stone removal and reconstruction of abnormal collecting system.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.44-51
• /
• 2012

Calcium ions play an important role in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, but molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms of calcium ion action in the uterine endometrium are not fully understood in pigs. Previously, we have shown that calcium regulatory molecules, transient receptor potential vanilloid type 5 (TRPV6) and calbindin-D9k (S100G), are expressed in the uterine endometrium during the estrous cycle and pregnancy in a pregnancy status- and stage-specific manner, and that estrogen of conceptus origin increases endometrial TRPV6 expression. However, regulation of S100G expression in the uterine endometrium and conceptus expression of S100G has been not determined during early pregnancy. Thus, we investigated regulation of S100G expression by estrogen and interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL1B) in the uterine endometrium and conceptus expression of S100G during early pregnancy in pigs. We obtained uterine endometrial tissues from day (D) 12 of the estrous cycle and treated with combinations of steroid hormones, estradiol-$17{\beta}$ ($E_2$) and progesterone ($P_4$), and increasing doses of IL1B. Real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that $E_2$ and IL1B increased S100G mRNA levels in the uterine endometrium, and conceptuses expressed S100G mRNA during early pregnancy, as determined by RT-PCR analysis. To determine if endometrial expression of S100G mRNA during the implantation period was affected by the somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) procedure, we compared S100G mRNA levels in the uterine endometrium from gilts with SCNT-derived conceptuses with those from gilts with conceptuses derived from natural mating on D12 of pregnancy. Real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that levels of S100G mRNA in the uterine endometrium from gilts carrying SCNT-derived conceptuses was significantly lower than those from gilts carrying conceptuses derived from natural mating. These results showed that S100G expression in the uterine endometrium was regulated by estrogen and IL1B of conceptus origin, and affected by the SCNT procedure during early pregnancy. These suggest that conceptus signals regulate S100G, an intracellular calcium transport protein, for the establishment of pregnancy in pigs.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.118-125
• /
• 2000

Objective : Trigeminal neurinomas are rare tumors that may locate in the middle fossa or posterior fossa and straddled both the middle and posterior fossa, according to their origin in the nerve complex. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical presentation, operative approaches employed and outcome in 15 patients who were treated surgically, with special emphasis on surgical approach. Method : Between 1994 and 1998, a total of fifteen patients were histopathologically identified as neurinomas originating from the trigeminal nerve complex at the tumor clinic in the neuroscience center of the our university. Results : The surgical approach to these tumors depends on their anatomical location and tumor size. Six patients had tumors confined to the middle fossa, five patients had tumors limited to the posterior fossa, and four patients both in middle and posterior fossa components of their tumors. Nine neurinomas were removed via the conventional approach(pterional, subtemporal, suboccipital) and six were excised using skull base approach(transzygomatic subtemporal, orbitozygomatic, transpetrosal). Total resection of the tumor was possible in 10 cases. Total resection of tumor was accomplished in 83% of patients following skull base approach compared with 56% of patients following conventional approach. The surgical outcome was excellent or good in 13 cases, fair in one and, poor in one. There was no operative death. In the immediate postoperative period, aggravation of preoperative facial hypesthesia and 6th cranial nerve palsy were common. Although, these deficits were generally transient, eight patients remained with some degree of trigeminal hypesthesia, two had facial weakness, one neurotrophic keratitis, one diplopia, and one mastication difficulty. Conclusion : Surgical approach to the trigeminal neurinoma depends on the tumor location and tumor size. Skull base approach provides more complete tumor excision without increased morbidity compared to conventional approach. Surgeons have to be meticulous in order to reduce postoperative complication.