Measurement of Vaginal Blood Flow using Laser Doppler Flowmetry in Rabbit / 대한남성과학회지

PURPOSE: One of the problems using laser doppler flowmetry is variability in the measurements. The purposes of this study were to investigate the regional differences of vaginal blood flow using laser Doppler flowmetry and to suggest a method to enhance the accuracy of measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In New Zealand White female rabbits(3.0~3.5 kg, n=10), vaginal blood flow was measured by laser doppler flowmetry using a surface probe. Flow was measured at the anterior, posterior, left, and right side of vaginal wall in each vaginal introitus and proximal 2 cm of the vaginal wall. Each site was measured 3 times separately. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Regional vaginal blood flows(ml/min/100 gm tissue) at the anterior, posterior, left, and right vaginal wall were 19.7+/-8.7, 19.6+/-7.3, 19.3+/-7.8, 18.8+/-7.2 at vaginal introitus and 27.3+/-8.8, 18.9+/-7.5, 22.6+/-7.1, 20.8+/-5.7 at the proximal 2 cm of vaginal introitus, respectively. Differences were not statistically significant(p> 0.05), as there was a wide range of variation. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal blood flow did not show any regional differences in the distal part of the rabbit vagina. Repeated measurements may decrease the variation of vaginal blood flow by laser Doppler flowmetry.

Relationship Between the Severity of Coronary Arterial Disease and Erectile Function in the Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients / 대한남성과학회지

PURPOSE: Sexual dysfunction has been reported to be frequent in patients with acute myocardial infarction. One aim was to correlates the erectile function with the severity of coronary arterial disease in the acute myocardial infarction patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 men, median age 55.7 years (range 29 to 81), with acute myocardial infarction who had received coronary angiography were evaluated about their erectile function with 15-item questionnaire, the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). History of vascular risk factors such as smoking, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia were obtained. We compared the erectile function score to the number of occluded coronary vessels or patients age. RESULTS: One coronary vessel was involves in 16 patients (28.1%), more than 2 coronary vessels were involved in 25 patients (43,9%) while 16 patients (28.1%) showed free of occlusion. Seventy-four percent of patients claimed abnormal erectile function, mild erectile dysfunction in 19 patients (33.3%), moderate in 9 patients (15.8%), severe in 14 patients (24.6%). Erectile function score decreased significantly according to increasing in the number of coronary vessels involved (p<0.05) and in patients age (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant correlation between erectile function and the severity of the coronary arterial disease in acute myocardial infarction patients. The age of patients also had a negative effects on the erectile function.

Therapeutic results and prognostic predictors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Cox regression analysis

Determining the current status of therapeutic results of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and identifying the important clinical predictors of survival and relapse are essential for establishing therapeutic strategies. Sixty-two children with ALL who were admitted to Chonnam University Hospital from January 1983 to June 1991 were studied. With a mean follow-up period of 53.7 months, the overall 5-year survival rate (5YSR) was 46.1%. The overall rate of 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 25.4% and significantly differed between risk groups: 48.7% for standard, 16.3% for high, and 12.5% for very high (p<.05). Overall 4-year survival after initial relapse was 34.2% and there was no significant difference in survival between those who relapsed during maintenance therapy and those who relapsed after completing maintenance. The Cox proportional hazards model identified central nervous system (CNS) irradiation (P<0.001) as having the most important influence upon EFS, followed by serum alanine aminotransferase level, platelet level, and age. On the other hand, CNS leukemia at diagnosis, followed by mediastinal mass, and hemoglobin level were found to be the most important prognostic predictors for relapse. On the basis that present results differ from those of developed countries, we suggest the necessity of a nation-wide cohort study to delineate the characteristics of Korean ALL in children, to make our own protocols, and ultimately to improve the therapeutic outcome.