Velopharyngeal function refers to the combined activity of the soft palate and pharynx in closing and opening the velopharyngeal port to the required degree. In normal speech, various muscles of palate & pharynx function as sphincter and occlude the oropharynx from the nasopharynx during the production of oral consonant sounds. Inadequate velopharyngeal function caused by neurologic disorder-cerebral apoplexy, regressive diseases-disseminated sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, congenital deformity-cleft palate, cerebral palsy and etc. may result in abnormal speech characterized by hypernasality, nasal emission and decreased intelligibility of speech due to weak consonant production. In our study, we constructed speech aids prosthesis-Palatal lift in acquired idiophathic VPI patient and assessed velopharyngeal function with various diagnostic instruments which can evaluate the speech characteristics objectively.
Cerebral Palsy ; Humans ; Muscles ; Nasopharynx ; Oropharynx ; Palate ; Palate, Soft ; Parkinson Disease ; Pharynx ; Sclerosis ; Stroke

The diagnosis of soft tissue osteochondroma should be considered when a well-defined osseous mass is located in the soft tissues. The differential diagnosis includes myositis ossificans, tumoral calcinosis, synovial chondromatosis, and soft tissue osteosarcoma, true osteochondroma which arises from bone. One case of soft tissue osteochondroma in the knee, a lesion of uncertain pathogenesis is reported.
Calcinosis ; Chondromatosis, Synovial ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Knee ; Myositis Ossificans ; Osteochondroma* ; Osteosarcoma

Cerebral Palsy ; Cleft Palate ; Humans ; Muscles ; Nasopharynx ; Nervous System Diseases ; Oropharynx ; Palate ; Palate, Soft ; Parkinson Disease ; Pharynx ; Sclerosis ; Stroke

We report herein the case of a 38-year-old woman with Cushings syndrome caused by bilateral adrenocortical adenomas. The adrenal tumor on the left side hypersecreted cortisol and no findings of cortisol hypersecretion from the adrenal tumor on the right side were observed on bilateral adrenal vein samplings. Both adrenal tumors were resected and histologically without any findings of nodular hyperplasia. The left adrenal tumor was histologically diagnosed as a so-called black adenoma. These data imply that the adrenal adenomas developed primarily from the adrenal gland itself, and that one of the tumors was well differentiated and secreted excess hormones, while the other remained in cell proliferation without hypersecretion.
Adenoma* ; Adrenal Glands ; Adrenocortical Adenoma* ; Adult ; Cell Proliferation ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hyperplasia ; Veins

This study was performed to prove the hypothesis that oncogene expressions would have the same patterns with those of cellular growth to growth factors in FRTL-5 cells. Ribonucleic acids of FRTL-5 were extracted at 15', 30', 60' and 120' after administration of growth factors to quiescent FRTL-5, and blotted to the nitrocellulose membrane. They were hybridized with radiolabelled c-fos, c-myc and beta-actin probes. Hybridized dot blots were autoradiographed and the amount of radioactivity was measured by densitometry. Densitometric readings were used as the indices of oncogene expressions. Expressions of c-fos and c-myc were more prominent in combined administrations of TSH (10 mU/ml) and IGF-I (100 ng/ml) or IgG of Graves' disease (Graves' IgG; 1 mg/ml) and IGF-I than in combined administration of TSH and Graves' IgG. IgG of primary myxedema suppressed oncogene expressions by TSH or Graves' IgG, but not by IGF-I. From the above results, it was suggested that expressions of c-fos and c-myc to growth factors would have similar patterns with those of cell growth to growth factors in FRTL-5, and the actions of TSH and Graves' IgG would be manifested through same signal transduction system, but IGF-I would be manifested by its own.
Animal ; Cell Division/drug effects/genetics ; Cell Line/cytology/physiology ; Gene Expression/drug effects/immunology ; Graves' Disease/immunology ; Growth Substances/genetics/*pharmacology ; Immunoglobulin G/pharmacology ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/pharmacology ; Myxedema/immunology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/*genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/*genetics ; RNA/analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred F344 ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Thyroid Gland/cytology ; Thyrotropin/pharmacology ; Time Factors

Heterotopic brain tissue is defined as displaced neuroglial tissue that has no connection with the central nervous system. Mostly it involves the midline structures including nose, nasopharynx, oropharynx, palate, lips tongue, and tonsil. Rarely it involves non-midline structures such as middle ear, mastoid, and orbit. Commonly accepted theory is that heterotopic neural tissue is a variant of encephalocele in which the central nervous system connection has been lost or became vestigial. We experienced a case of heterotopic neuroglial tissue found in a patient who had conductive hearing loss in unilateral ear, and report it with a review of the related literature.

Spindle cell carcinoma (sarcomatoid carcinoma) of the upper aerodigestive tract is a rare malignant neoplasm and can be misdiagnosed as reactive lesion or mesenchymal lesion. Spindle cell carcinoma is found predominantly in the larynx and pharynx, but they also occur in the sinonasal tract, oral cavity, and esophagus. The best diagnostic tool of spindle cell carcinoma is immunohistologic staining. Spindle cell reacts positively with cytokeratin and vimentin, but reacts negatively with desmin, smooth muscle actin, collagenIV and s-100 protein. Squamous cell carcinoma is the major malignancy that is associated with inverted carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of spindle cell carcinoma accompanied by inverted papilloma, and we represent the case with a review of the related literatures.
Actins ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Desmin ; Esophagus ; Keratins ; Larynx ; Mouth ; Muscle, Smooth ; Papilloma, Inverted* ; Pharynx ; S100 Proteins ; Vimentin

PURPOSE: Neurogenic myositis ossificans (NMO) in patients with traumatic spinal cord or brain injuries can cause severe joint ankylosis or compromise neurovascularture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes of and review considerations relevant to surgical resection of NMO of the hip joint. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients (9 hips) underwent periarticular NMO resection between 2015 and 2017. The medical records of these patients were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative computed tomography including angiography was performed to determine osteoma location and size. Improvement in hip motion allowing sitting was considered the sole indicator of a successful surgery. The anterior approach was used in all patients. The ranges of motion (ROM) before and after surgery were compared. RESULTS: The mean time from accident to surgery was 3.6 years. Average ROM improved from 24.3°(flexion and extension) to 98.5°(flexion and extension) after surgery, and improvement was maintained at the last follow-up. No commom complications (e.g., deep infection, severe hematoma, deep vein thrombosis) occurred in any patient. Improvement in ROM in one hip in which surgical resection was performed 10 years after the accident was not satisfactory owing to the pathologic changes in the joint. CONCLUSION: Surgical excision of periarticular NMO of the hip joint can yield satisfactory results, provided that appropriate preoperative evaluation is performed. Early surgical intervention yields satisfactory results and may prevent the development of intra-articular pathology.
Angiography ; Ankylosis ; Brain Injuries ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Hip Joint ; Hip ; Humans ; Joints ; Medical Records ; Myositis Ossificans ; Myositis ; Osteoma ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord ; Veins

The medical records of inpatients with diagnoses of either ICD-9 193(malignant neoplasm of the thyroid gland) or 226(benign neoplasm of the thyroid gland) in the claims sent in by medical care institutions throughout the country, to the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation (KMIC) during the period from January 1, 1986 to December 31, 1987 were abstracted. These records were abstracted in order to identify and confirm new cases of thyroid cancer among the beneficiaries of the KMIC. Using these data, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer among Koreans was estimated as of July 1, 1986 through June 30, 1987. The crude rates were estimated to be 0.76(95% Cl: 0.63-0.87) and 3.87(95% Cl: 3.60-4.14) per 100,000 in males and females, respectively, and the cumulative rates for the age spans 0-64 and 0-74 in males were 0.06% and 1.10%, respectively. In females, those were equally 0.35%. The age-adjusted rate for the world population was 0.93 per 100,000 in males, which is one of the lowest levels in the world. However, the adjusted rate in females was 3.96 per 100,000, which is an average level and very similar to that of the Chinese in Singapore and Shanghai. A similar tendency was shown in the case of the truncated rates for the age group of 35-64, which was 1.91 per 100,000 in males and 8.82 per 100,000 in females.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Epidemiologic Factors ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Factors ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*epidemiology/pathology

Bicuspid ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Molar ; Salivary Glands ; Submandibular Gland ; Tooth