• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제48권3호
• /
• pp.251-258
• /
• 2010

Objective : Despite rapid evolution of shunt devices, the complication rates remain high. The most common causes are turning from obstruction, infection, and overdrainage into mainly underdrainage. We investigated the incidence of complications in a consecutive series of hydrocephalic patients. Methods : From January 2002 to December 2009, 111 patients underwent ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting at our hospital. We documented shunt failures and complications according to valve type, primary disease, and number of revisions. Results : Overall shunt survival time was 268 weeks. Mean survival time of gravity-assisted valve (GAV) was 222 weeks versus 286 weeks for other shunts. Survival time of programmable valves (264 weeks) was longer than that of pressure-controlled valves (186 weeks). The most common cause for shunt revision was underdrainage (13 valves). The revision rate due to underdrainage in patients with GAV (7 of 10 patients) was higher than that for other valve types. Of 7 patients requiring revision for GAV underdrainage, 6 patients were bedridden. The overall infection rate was 3.6%, which was lower than reported series. Seven patients demonstrating overdrainage had cranial defects when operations were performed (41%), and overdrainage was improved in 5 patients after cranioplasty. Conclusion : Although none of the differences was statistically significant, some of the observations were especially notable. If a candidate for VP shunting is bedridden, GAV may not be indicated because it could lead to underdrainage. Careful procedure and perioperative management can reduce infection rate. Cranioplasty performed prior to VP shunting may be beneficial.

• 한국중재학회지:중재연구
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.92-113
• /
• 2000

Products liability refers to the liability of any or all parties along the chain of manufacture of any product for damage caused by that product. This includes the manufacturer of component parts (at the top of the chain), an assembling manufacturer, the wholesaler, and the retail store owner (at the bottom of the chain). Products containing inherent defects that cause harm to a consumer of the product, or someone to whom the product was loaned, given, etc., are the subjects of products liability suits. The goal of products liability system should be to maximize consumer welfare by efficiently providing just compensation for injuries incurred and deterring future injuries without unreasonably impeding the supply of the goods and services to consumers. Some advanced countries, apart from relying on products liability systems, also apply other policies and legislation directly aimed at the safety of the consumer. The application of general safety policies as well as products liability rules is not costless. An efficient system will not eliminate risk from society. An efficient system ... that maximises consumer welfare ... maximises the benefits while minimising the costs. Products liability claims can be based on negligence, strict liability, or breach of warranty of fitness depending on the jurisdiction where the claim is based. In view of international business and law circumstances, it should be stressed that international enterprises in Korea should consider how to cope with the situation of international transaction. International enterprises should have a correct perception about products liability which is to contribute the stabilization and improvement of the people's life and the sound develpement of the national economy. Products liability system creates incentives that influence behaviour and performance in ways that are desirable, such as more diligent monitoring to prevent defective products from reaching the market-place. At the same time, any liability system will impose burdens that are undesirable, such as greater costs imposed on business and consumers and reduced avaiability of consumer goods. The concern for society is to balance. The ideal situation is where the cost imposed on producers of goods and services pushes them to a desirable level of care but not so far that producers reach undesirable level of caution that may deprive consumers unnecessarily of the benefits from new and innovative products.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제13권2호
• /
• pp.115-121
• /
• 2009

Functional defects in mitochondria are involved in the induction of cell death in cancer cells. We assessed the toxic effect of camptothecin against the human cervical and uterine tumor cell line SiHa with respect to the mitochondria-mediated cell death process, and examined the combined effect of camptothecin and anticancer drugs. Camptothecin caused apoptosis in SiHa cells by inducing mitochondrial membrane permeability changes that lead to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, decreased Bcl-2 levels, cytochrome c release, caspase-3 activation, formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of GSH. Combination of camptothecin with other anticancer drugs (carboplatin, paclitaxel, doxorubicin and mitomycin c) or signaling inhibitors (farnesyltransferase inhibitor and ERK inhibitor) did not enhance the camptothecin-induced cell death and caspase-3 activation. These results suggest that camptothecin may cause cell death in SiHa cells by inducing changes in mitochondrial membrane permeability, which leads to cytochrome c release and activation of caspase-3. This effect is also associated with increased formation of reactive oxygen species and depletion of GSH. Combination with other anticancer drugs (or signaling inhibitors) does not appear to increase the anti-tumor effect of camptothecin against SiHa cells, but rather may reduce it. Combination of camptothecin with other anticancer drugs does not seem to provide a benefit in the treatment of cervical and uterine cancer compared with camptothecin monotherapy.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• 제16권2호
• /
• pp.68-74
• /
• 2007

Soft-tissue reconstruction of the foot and ankle has long been a challenge for reconstructive surgeons. Limitations in the available local tissue and donor-site morbidity restrict the options. In an effort to solve these difficult problems, the authors have begun to use a subcutaneous fascial pedicled lateral supramalleolar flap. This report presents the authors' experience with five patients treated with this flap. The patients’ ages ranged from 26 to 72 years; four of the patients were male and one was female. The cause of the soft-tissue defects involved acute trauma and malignant melanom. All flaps survived and provided satisfactory coverage of the defect. Compared with the classic lateral supramalleolar flap, when the perforating branch is interrupted in its course, it is possible to elevate this subcutaneous fascial pedicled flap. The distally based flap with a compound pedicle which is continuous with a vascular axis and a band of subcutaneous fascial pedicle has long pedicle. This procedure is valuable for remote defect of the foot. It is believed that this flap is versatile and effective and is a good addition to the available techniques used by reconstructive surgeons for coverage of the foot and ankle.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
• /
• 제17권2호
• /
• pp.82-86
• /
• 2008

Purpose: Soft tissue defect can occur on the posterior aspect of the elbow after trauma or fracture fixation. To cover the defect and maintain elbow functions, various flap surgeries including latissimus dorsi muscle flap, lateral arm flap and radial forearm flap can be performed. We present the clinical results of transposition lateral arm flap for coverage of the elbow defect and discuss the cause of posterior soft tissue necrosis after fracture fixation. Materials and Methods: Two patients who had posterior soft tissue defect of the elbow after open reduction of the fractures around the elbow were treated with transposition lateral arm flap. The mean size of skin defect was 20 $cm^2$. The flap was elevated with posterior radial collateral artery pedicle and transposed to the defect area. Donor defect was covered with split thickness skin graft. The elbow was immobilized for 1 week in extended position and active range of motion was permitted. Results: All two cases of transposition lateral arm flap survived without marginal necrosis. The average range of motion of the elbow was 10~115 degrees. Mayo elbow performance score was 72 and Korean DASH score was 23. Conclusion: When elbow fractures are fixed with three simultaneous plates and screws, skin necrosis can occur on the posterior aspect of the elbow around olecranon area. If the size of skin defect is relatively small, transposition lateral arm flap is very useful option for orthopaedic surgeons without microsurgical technique.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제31권4호
• /
• pp.466-472
• /
• 2023

Exon skipping is an efficient technique to inhibit specific gene expression induced by a short-sequence peptide nucleic acid (PNA). To date, there has been no study on the effects of PNA on skin pigmentation. In melanocytes, the tripartite complex is responsible for the transport of mature melanosomes from the nucleus to the dendrites. The tripartite complex is composed of Rab27a, Mlph (Melanophilin), and Myosin Va. Defects in the protein Mlph, a melanosome transport-related protein, are known to cause hypopigmentation. Our study shows that Olipass peptide nucleic acid (OPNA), a cell membrane-permeable PNA, targets exon skipping in the Mlph SHD domain, which is involved in Rab27a binding. Our findings demonstrate that OPNA induced exon skipping in melan-a cells, resulting in shortened Mlph mRNA, reduced Mlph protein levels, and melanosome aggregation, as observed by microscopy. Therefore, OPNA inhibits the expression of Mlph by inducing exon skipping within the gene. These results suggest that OPNA, which targets Mlph, may be a potential new whitening agent to inhibit melanosome movement.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• 제33권5호
• /
• pp.557-562
• /
• 2006

Purpose: Advanced carcinoma of the tongue is a devastating disease which may cause severe speech or swallowing dysfunction. But, none to date has provided all of the complex functions of the tongue. The purpose of this study is to review our experiences with individuals who underwent glossectomy followed by reconstruction using free tissue transfer. Methods: Between February 1998 and February 2005, twenty-four patients underwent glossectomy followed by free tissue transfer reconstruction. The defects of tongue caused by partial or subtotal glossectomy were reconstructed by means of radial forearm or lateral thigh free flap with nerve innervation. Especially for the patients who underwent total glossectomy, we reconstructed deglutition muscles anatomically with nerve reinnervation, a procedure that allows the grafted muscle to maintain good tongue bulk without obvious atrophy. Results: Patients were reviewed to determine their functional outcome as it related to speech, deglutition, and aspiration. All patients achieved oral intake of a soft diet and acceptable speech. Conclusion: Although reconstruction following glossectomy using free tissue transfer is not ideal, this procedure is safe and reliable, and provides predictable results. A future challenge is the development of a surgical procedure for reconstruction of a tongue that maintains mobility and sensation using neurotized flaps.

• 농업과학연구
• /
• 제42권2호
• /
• pp.125-129
• /
• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the incidence of bone-fracture from pig carcass slaughtered in eight processing plants located in Daejeon and Chungnam area, Korea, during the year 2013 and 2014, and to evaluate the quality of semimembranous muscle from bone-fractured carcasses. Twenty semimembranous muscles were collected from bone-fractured carcasses and none bone-fractured (control) ones, respectively, after storage of pig carcass at $5^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. The pH, cooking loss, and color of semimembranous muscle were measured as quality parameters. In total 4,865,502 of pig carcasses, the occurrence of bone fracture was 0.328% (15,975 heads) and scored the highest defect (26.31%) in total abnormal carcasses. The pH and cooking loss of semimembranous muscle from bone-fractured carcasses were significantly lower than those of control (p<0.05). $L^*$ and $a^*$ values of semimembranous muscle were not significantly different between bone-fractured carcass and control whereas that of $b^*$ values was significantly higher in bone-fractured carcass than control (p<0.05). Eight out of twenty semimembranous muscle collected from bone-fractured carcasses were confirmed as PSE whereas only one in control. In conclusion, the incidence of bone-fracture pre- and during slaughter of pig may cause serious defects in final meat quality. Therefore, the proper handling and treatment should be implicated to avoid and/or decrease the incidence of bone-fracture of pigs.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
• /
• 제33권51호
• /
• pp.324.1-324.6
• /
• 2018

Oxysterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase deficiency is a very rare liver disease categorized as inborn errors of bile acid synthesis, caused by CYP7B1 mutations. As it may cause rapid progression to end-stage liver disease even in early infancy, a high index of suspicion is required to prevent fatal outcomes. We describe the case of a 3-month-old boy with progressive cholestatic hepatitis and severe hepatic fibrosis. After excluding other etiologies for his early liver failure, we found that he had profuse urinary excretion of $3{\beta}$-monohydroxy-${\Delta}^5$-bile acid derivatives by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis with dried urine spots on filter paper. He was confirmed to have a compound heterozygous mutation (p.Arg388Ter and p.Tyr469IlefsX5) of the CYP7B1 gene. After undergoing liver transplantation (LT) from his mother at 4 months of age, his deteriorated liver function completely normalized, and he had normal growth and development until the current follow-up at 33 months of age. We report the first Korean case of oxysterol $7{\alpha}$-hydroxylase deficiency in the youngest infant reported to undergo successful living donor LT to date.

• Design & Manufacturing
• /
• 제17권4호
• /
• pp.63-71
• /
• 2023

In order to increase the extrusion production speed of aluminum, extrusion die cooling technology using liquid nitrogen has recently attracted a lot of attention. Increasing the extrusion speed increases the temperature of the bearing area of extrusion dies and the extrusion profile, which may cause defects on the surface of extruded profile. Extrusion die cooling technology is to directly inject liquid nitrogen through a cooling channel formed between the die and the backer inside the die-set. The liquid nitrogen removes heat from the die-set, and gaseous nitrogen at the exit of the channel, covers the extrusion profile of an inert atmosphere reducing the oxidation and the profile temperature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cooling capacity by applying die cooling to extrusion of Al-Mn-based aluminum alloy flat tubes, and to investigate the effects of die cooling on the change in extrusion characteristics of flat tubes. Cooling capacity was confirmed by observing the temperature change of the extrusion profile depending on whether or not die cooling is applied. To observe changes in material characteristics due to die cooling, surface observation is conducted and microstructure and precipitate analysis are performed by FE-SEM on the surface and longitudinal cross section of the extruded flat tubes.