No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

No abstract available.
Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Neoplasm Metastasis*

No abstract available.
Thyroid Gland*

PURPOSE: Oncogen or growth factor receptor such as phospholipase C isoenzyme gamma-1 (PLC gamma-1), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and Her-2/neu which related with tyrosin kinasemay and then regulating vell proliferation may have a role as prognostic factors for breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: With assumption that expression of PLC gamma-1, EGFR and Her-2/neu oncogene has close relationship with prognosis of breast cancer, 59 breast cancer patients who were operated upon at Korea University Hospital during a period of 6 years starting June 1988 to May 1994 were selected for this study. This study was carried out by comparing between expression of PLC gamma-1, EGFR and Her-2/neu oncogene and patient's survival rate. These expression were also compared with TNM system, estrogen and progesterone receptor and at same time these expressions were compared with each other to see whether there are any relationship among these expression. RESULTS: Expression of PLC gamma-1, EGFR and Her-2/neu were present in 42% (25/59), 46% (27/59) and 20% (12/59). The expression of PLC gamma-1 was closely related with the expression of EGFR (p<0.05) and Her-2/neu (p<0.05), but there were no relationship between the expression of PLC gamma-1 and hormonal receptors and TNM stage (p>0.05). The expression of EGFR was closely related with the expression of Her-2/neu (p<0.05) and hormone receptors (p<0.05), but there were no relationship between the expression of EGFR and pathologic TNM stage (p>0.05). The expression of Her-2/neu was not closely related with hormone receptors and TNM stage except axillary lymph node metastasis. There were close relationship between overall and disease free survival and PLC gamma-1 and Her-2/neu. But EGFR had only related with disease free survival rate. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the expression of PLC gamma-1, EGFR and Her-2/neu oncogene in human breast cancer may be useful prognostic factors independently and it may potentiated its individual value as a prognostic factors if use them together.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Estrogens ; Humans* ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oncogenes ; Phospholipases* ; Prognosis ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Survival Rate ; Type C Phospholipases*

BACKGROUND: Popular immunohistochemical techniques for assay of estrogen receptor(ER) allow the localization of positive cells in specific cell populations. Some of breast carcinomas composed of discrete populations of cells were negative for ER, while neighboring populations of cells were positive for ER. Such heterogeneity might be due to biological or artifactual causes. METHODS: We studied 67 tissue blocks for geographic heterogeneity within the level of ER and cytokeratin(CK) by staining ER and CK. Positive distribution of ER and CK was manually assessed. RESULTS: The immunohistochemical expression revealed 50 cases for ER-positive and 17 cases for ER-negative. In 50 ER-positive cancers, homogeneity was 38 cases, heterogeneity was 11 case, and artifactural change was developed in and one case. excluded in the analysis. The rate of heterogeneity of the ER-positive cancers was 22.4%(11/49). Comparisons of homogeneity and heterogeneity according to clinicopathologic risk factors in ER-positive breast cancer demonstrated that the heterogeneity of ER was significantly higher in each subgroups; relatively younger ages(< or =50yr), premenopausal status, early menarche(< or =15yr), early stage(< or =I b), DCIS in pathology, and lower positive expression rate of ER(<50%). CONCLUSION: Clinicopathologic risk factoes would be required to discover the heterogeneity of ER-positive breast cancer. Also a long-term follow-up study on risk factors, including disease free survival, response to anti-estrogen therapy, and survival according to heterogeneity of ER would be need.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Pathology ; Population Characteristics* ; Risk Factors ; Staining and Labeling

The bcl-2 proto-oncogene was first described as a result of the chromosomal translocation t(14:18) seen in a large number of follicular B-cell lines. Bcl-2 is so far unique a proto-oncogene in that it codes for an inner mitochondrial membrane protein. This protein regulates the programmed cell death called apoptosis. This study was designed to investigate expression of bcl-2 protein in 81 human breast cancer by using immunohistochemical staining with the monoclonal antibody of bcl-2 protein. Also this factor was compared with established clinicopathological prognostic factors and hormone receptors. The bcl-2 protein expression was positive in 38(47%) cases and was negative in 43(53%) cases. There was significant correlation between bcl-2 protein expression and histologic grade(p=0.014). Positive expression of bcl-2 protein was correlated with positive estrogen(p=0.051) and progesterone(p=0.059) receptors, but this correlation was not significant. Bcl-2 expression failed to show its prognostic role for overall(p=0.115) and disease free(p=0.214) survival. In conclusion, the bcl-2 protein is often expressed in half of breast cancer, and its expression is associated with histologic grade and hormone receptor status, but the overall and disease free survival of breast cancer patient do not appear to be influenced by bcl-2 protein expression.
Apoptosis ; B-Lymphocytes ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cell Death ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Mitochondrial Membranes ; Proto-Oncogenes ; Translocation, Genetic

The records of 15 cirrhotic patients with ascites and groin hernias(14 inguinal and one femoral) were retrospectively reviewed. Fifteen patients underwent repair of their groin hernias. All patients were performed herniorrhaphies electively. No major and one minor(wound infection) postoperative complications occurred. There were no perioperative deaths or ascitic leak. All patients were available for follow-up. In this group, 7 deaths occurred after herniorrhaphy, 5 of 7 were Child's Class B and 2 of 7 were Child's Class C. In this same group of patients, mean alive duration were 25.7 month(4-89 months). From this retrospective study, it appears that serious complications from groin hernias in cirrhotics are not common, and elective repair can usually await control of ascites. Additionally, for appropriately selected patients with ascites, elective inguinal hernia repair can be performed safely, with an acceptable rate of recurrence.
Ascites* ; Fibrosis* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Groin ; Hernia ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Herniorrhaphy* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver* ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

The goal in facial paralysis treatment is to achieve the normal appearance of the face as well as to reconstruct the natural symmetrical smile. In cases of facial paralysis, a widely accepted procedure is the two stage method, which combines neurovascular free muscle transfer with cross face nerve grafting. Although the results are promising, the two operations of this method, which are about 1 year apart, impose an economic burden on the patients and require a lengthy period before results are obtained. In order to overcome these drawbacks, one stage method, using latissimus dorsi neurovascuular free muscle flap was introduced. Between January 2000 and January 2004, fifteen patients with long standing facial paralysis were treated in the Korea University Anam Hospital. The segmental latissimus dorsi with long nerve and pedicle was transferred to the paralyzed side of the face. The first postoperative movement of the transferred muscle was reported at 8.9 months, faster than that of the two stage method. During the next 24 months, a constant increase in the power of muscle contraction was observed. The fifteen cases were evaluated within an average of 31.7 months following the surgery and satisfactory results including muscle contraction were obtained in eleven of the cases but muscle contraction was not found in three cases.
Facial Paralysis* ; Free Tissue Flaps* ; Humans ; Korea ; Muscle Contraction ; Superficial Back Muscles* ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic examination is universally considered as an established method for the diagnosis of congenital heart disease, and as a result of many technological advancements in information processing, its utility is being emphasized much more. Cardiac catheterization, by comparison, is usually performed in the past for the purpose of diagnosis and preoperative assessment of infants with isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD), and the risks and complications of cardiac catheterization have been more frequent in the younger ages. Accordingly, we present in this study the effectiveness and safety of echocardiography on the diagnosis and treatment of infants who met the indications of early correction and underwent operations. METHODS: Between May 1994 and April 1997, 66 infants with isolated VSD were submitted for primary correction in the Yonsei Cardiovascular Center. Among the 66 infants (36 males and 30 females), 33 (group 1) underwent surgery on the basis of echocardiography alone and another 33 (group 2), on the basis of cardiac catheterization in addition to echocardiography. The two groups were compared for the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, complication after surgical correction and frequency of re-operation. RESULTS: 1) The average age was 5.4+/-3.3 months in group 1 and 5.7+/-2.2 months in group 2. 2) There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tools. 3) There was no post-operative death in either group and no significant difference in postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. 4) There was no significant difference between the two groups in complications such as sepsis, pneumonia after surgical correction. CONCLUSION: We concluded that after an accurate selection, most infants with isolated VSD can safely undergo primary repair on the basis of echocardiography alone.
Automatic Data Processing ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Humans ; Infant ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Pneumonia ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sepsis