No abstract available.
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a* ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia*

No abstract available.
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a* ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia*

The transpedicular screw fixation is known to be capable of providing more secure correctional, force and rigid fixation to the spine. But it is often accompanied by various complications, including stress shield effects, loosening in osteoporotic spine, pseudoarthrosis, hardware problems and long-term change in motion behaviors at the adjacent motion segment and etc. The purpose of this study is to compare the flexible and rigid rods system in terms of complications and problems for various degenerative lumbar diseases. From September 1991 to November 1994, 41 patients were operated with the flexible rods system (group A) and 39 patients with the rigid rods system (group B). They were followed up for more than 4 years. The flexible rods system was composed of 41 cases of Wiltse system and the rigid rods system was composed of 29 cases of Diapason, 8 cases of TSRH and 2 cases of CD instrument. The resuits of the study were as follows: 1. By standard Cobb lateral measurement, 7 cases in group A and 10 cases in group B showed significant loss of sagittal angle (>4), post-operatively. 2. Hardware failure was noted in 7 cases in group A and 10 cases in group B. In group A, rod bending was seen in 4 cases, rod breakage in 2 and screw loosening in one. In group B, screw loosening was observed in 5 and screw-rod locking mechanism failure in 5 cases. 3. In spondylolisthesis patients, 10 cases in group A and 14 in group B, there was no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the reduction rate immediately after surgery and loss of reduction at the last follow up. 4. Clinical results were good to excellent in 85.4% of patients in group A and 82.1% of group B. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were found, 5. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were found with respect to degenerative changes at the adjacent motion segment to the fused level and pseudoarthrosis.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Pseudarthrosis ; Spine* ; Spondylolisthesis

Takayasu's arteritis(arteritis syndrome) is an inflammatory disease process affecting primarily the aorta and its main branches. It's etiology and pathogenesis are unknown. Controversy exists in treatment. Segmental stenoses, occlusions, and aneurysmal degeneration of the aorta and the proximal arterial tree are frequent findings. Clinical presentations may include cerebrovascular ischemia, limb ischemia, aortic valvular insufficiency, heart failure, renovascular hypertension, or renal failure. Recently, we experienced a case of Takayasu's arteritis in a 24 years old female with severe dizziness, claudication in right upper extremity. Patient was treated by angioplasty of left vertebral artery and concomitant left subclavian-to-right axillary artery bypass surgery followed by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with stent therapy of right vertebral artery to prevent cerebrovascular ischemia during the operation. Postoperative result was excellent and dizziness and claudication of right arm were completely relieved.
Aneurysm ; Angioplasty ; Aorta ; Arm ; Axillary Artery ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dizziness ; Extremities ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; Ischemia ; Renal Insufficiency ; Stents ; Takayasu Arteritis* ; Upper Extremity ; Vertebral Artery* ; Young Adult

Since calcification or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the spine was first described inJapan in 1960 by Tsukimoto, Terayama used the term of OPLL(Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament) in1964 and mainly reported in Japanese. But recently, the incidence of the OPLL has been reported increasing amongthe non-Japanese. Because of the OPLL may be associated wtih severe neurologic symptoms, which need to havesurgical decompression, exact diagnosis and analysis are necessary. The OPLL can be diagnosed by simple spine,conventional tomography, myelography and CT. Authors analysed radiologic findings of the OPLL in 8 patients, whowere diagnosed by simple spine. Conventional tomography, myelography and CT, and then performed spinal operation,at Hanyang University Hospital from March 1980 to June 1983. The results were as followings; 1. The age range wasbetween 45 and 63 years and most prevalent age was 6th decades(63%). 2. All of the patients were male. 3. All ofthe OPLL occurred in the cervical spine and predominant at the level of C3,4 (48%). 4. The most common length ofthe OPLL was 2 vertebral level. 5. Except one, which was discontinuous at the level of disc space, all of the OPLLwere continuous in length. 6. 7 of 8 OPLL were located in the midline, but one was in right. 7. The OPLL seemed tocorrelate with spondylotic changes. 8. Of all diagnostic procedure, CT provided better and exact visualization ofthe lesion with axial scan and sagittal reconstruction.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Decompression ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Male ; Myelography ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Spine

To test the hypothesis that hyperinsulinemia and/or abnormalities of red cell membrane Na^+ transport are concerned in the pathogenesis of hypertension, we investigated the relationship between blood pressure, insulin level and red cell membrane Na^+ transport in patients with acromegaly which is frequently associated with hypertension, hyperinsulinemia and abnormalities of red cell membrane Na^+ transport.The results were as follows;1) BMI and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in control subjects.2) Fasting glucose and insulin levels were higher, and both serum glucose and insulin responses after a 75g glucose load were significantly increased in patients with acromegaly as compared with control subjects.3) Vmax of Na^+-Li^+ countertransport were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in control subjects while red cell Na^+ concentration and Vmax of Na^+, K^+ ATPase were similar in the two groups.4) In multiple stepwise regression analysis, age was directly correlated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in acromegaly. On the other hand both insulin level and red cell membrane Na^+ transport showed little correlation with either systolic or diastolic pressure. 5) Prevalence of hypertension in acromegaly was 39%(9 out of 23) and only age except for blood pressure was significantly higher in hypertensive acromegalic patients than in normotensive acromegalic patients while GH level, insulin levels and red cell membrane Na^+ transport were similar in the two groupsThese results suggest that hyperinsulinemia or abnormalities of red cell membrane Na^+ transport are not causally related to hypertension in patients with acromegaly.
Acromegaly ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Cell Membrane ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypertension ; Insulin ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: By sequencing the Expressed Sequence Tags of human dermal papilla cDNA library, we identified a clone named K872 of which the expression decreased during differentiation of HL60 cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS: K872 plasmid DNA was isolated according to QIA plasmid extraction kit (Qiagen GmbH, Germany). The nucleotide sequencing was performed by Sanger's method with K872 plasmid DNA. The most updated GenBank EMBL necleic acid banks were searched through the internet by using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tools) program. Nothern bots were performed using RNA isolated from various human tissues and cancer cell lines. The gene expression of the fusion protein was achieved by His-Patch Thiofusion expression system and the protein product was identified on SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: K872 clone is 1006 nucleotides long, and has a coding region of 675 nucleotides and a 3' non-coding region of 280 nucleotides. The presumed open reading frame starting at the 5' terminus of K872 encodes 226 amino acids, including the initiation methionine residue. The amino acid sequence deduced from the open reading frame of K872 shares 70% identity with that of rat glutathione S-transferase kappa 1 (rGSTK1). The transcripts were expressed in a variety of human tissues and cancer cells. The levels of transcript were relatively high in those tissues such as heart, skeletal muscle, and peripheral blood leukocyte. It is noteworthy that K872 was found to be abundantly expressed in colorectal cancer and melanoma cell lines. CONCLUSION: Homology search result suggests that K872 clone is the human homolog of the rGSTK1 which is known to be involved in the resistance of cytotoxic therapy. We propose that meticulous functional analysis should be followed to confirm that.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Amino Acids ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Clinical Coding ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; DNA ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Gene Expression ; Gene Library ; Glutathione Transferase* ; Glutathione* ; Heart ; HL-60 Cells* ; Humans ; Internet ; Leukocytes ; Melanoma ; Methionine ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nucleotides ; Open Reading Frames ; Plasmids ; Rats ; RNA

No abstract available.
Fetus* ; Humans ; Pregnancy, Twin*

Entrapment neuropathy of the suprascapular nerve is rare and frequently overlooked in the differential diagnosis of shoulder pain. There have been few published reports on a ganglion compressing the suprascapular nerve. We experienced a case of entrapment neuropathy of the suprascapular nerve by a ganglion that compressed the inferior branch of suprascapular nerve at the spinoglenoid notch.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Ganglion Cysts ; Shoulder Pain

Congenital chylothorax is a rare disorder and can be diagnosed by prenatal ultrasonography recently. Most cases of congenital chylothorax were characterized by different clinical courses of respiratory distress. We describe two female cases with congenital chylothorax observed by ultra- sonography prenatally. In the first case, left-sided pleural effusion was noted by prenatal ultrasonography taken at 34 weeks of gestation, and then pleural fluid was extracted by intrauterine thoracentesis under sonography guidance. After birth, this patient was managed by TPN(total parentral nutrition) and intermittent thoracentesis without surgical treatment. But, pleural fluid was accumulated recurrently and respiratory distress was aggravated. At 15th hospital day, shock state was developed and patient died. In the second case, bilateral pleural effusion and ascites were noted by prenatal ultrasonography, and then patient was delivered immediately without intrauterine thoracentesis. After birth, the second case received conservative therapy including mechanical ventilation, TPN, intermittent thoracentesis and paracentesis. The patient was discharged with complete regression of chylothorax. We report the two cases with brief review of related literatures.
Ascites ; Chylothorax* ; Female ; Humans ; Paracentesis ; Parturition ; Pleural Effusion ; Pregnancy ; Respiration, Artificial ; Shock ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*