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Hypospadias is a common congenital anomaly in male newborns. The incidence is about one in 300 live male births. In the U.S., about 6000 boys with hypospadias are born each year. For this study, we collected 117 recent (with the last 5 years) cases (88 fresh and 29 referred) who received an operation in our department. We calculated the hypospadias location and the complication rate with the desire of finding out the relationships between them. Our overall complication rate is 51.3% which is much higher than other recent studies and may be related to a different distribution of the hypospadias locations.

In Kaohsiung City, dengue fever subsided for two years after the 1987-1988 epidemic. The main reason that it recurred was due to late diagnoses of the dengue fever in patients because of mild or atypical clinical presentations. The first patient contracted dengue fever from Thailand in mid-May, 1991. The disease then spread among his co-workers. Dengue fever was not suspected until the 9th patient contracted it in early July 1991. Through chain transmission, the epidemic spread in the community and even to other parts of Taiwan. There were 113 confirmed dengue cases in Kaohsiung City, and a total of 175 cases on the whole island during the 1991 epidemic. The clinical manifestations were mainly fever, body pain, dizziness, general weakness, and a skin rash. No instances of severe bleeding, shock or dengue hemorrhagic fever were found. Seven dengue 1 and three dengue 3 viruses were isolated from the sera of patients. We found that the clinical severity of the 1991 dengue epidemic was milder, and the viral isolation rate was lower, compared with the 1987-1988 epidemic, although these two outbreaks of dengue fever were both mostly due to dengue type 1. Genetic variation in the dengue virus may be the explanation. Clinically, about 35% of the patients were missed or not reported, although they were finally demonstrated to be dengue fever patients during a patient survey in the epidemic area. For early detection, viral surveys should be performed in new epidemic regions in addition to fixed-spot surveillance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The purpose of the study is to probe the situation of venous air embolism (VAE) and the accompanying complications occurring in Chinese parturients in Taiwan during Cesarean section. Sixty ASA physical status class I-II parturients who were subjected to cesarean section under regional anesthesia were evaluated. The sensor of the Doppler device was placed on the anterior chest to detect the rumbles of air when it came to pass, and simultaneously the signs and symptoms following VAE were observed. Our results demonstrated that the usual or normal Doppler heart sound changed in 38 parturients out of 60 (63.3%), and the alteration occurred very often when the uterus was being incised (81.6%), or sutured (97.4%), and concurred strong correlation with such signs and symptoms such as chest tightness or precordial pain (78.9%), shortness of breath (60.5%), and change of heart rate or blood pressure (86.8%). The method of anesthesia (spinal or epidural block) did not have effect on the occurrence of VAE, but different surgical approaches and different positions in which the patients were posed during operation did apparently bring about VAE of variable degree. Besides, supplying of oxygen could mitigate the symptoms produced by VAE. Consequently, the application of Doppler monitor during Cesarean section can detect VAE earlier and more efficiently and thus provides information timely treatment.