Cytochrome compounds which act as electron transfer agents in oxidation-reduction reactions. An important example is cytochrome c, which has a molecular weight of about 13,000 and contains one atom of iron per mol. Our attempt is to evaluate clinically the therapeutic effect of cytochrome c on the healing wound of the lesions which supposed to be oxygen concentration is lowered than in normal tissues in tissue respiration, and it used in neuropathy, muscle paralysis, retinopathy, vitreous hemorrhage, corneal chemical burns in ophthalmology. The patients included in the following series: They were five cases of retrobulbar optic neuritis, two cases of optic neuritis, one case of axial optic atrophy, two cases of simple optic atrophy, two cases of muscle paralysis, one case of central retinopathy, one case of chorio-retinal atrophy, one case of maculra degeneration, one case of diabetic retinopathy, one case of pigmentary degeneration of the retina, one case of vitreous hemorrhage, four cases of corneal chemical burn, and one case of corneal dystrophy. After intra-dermal injection with cytochrome c, evaluated the allergic character and it was given intra-venous injection. The results were as follows: 1) In total 23 cases, had excellent therapeutic effects on neuropathy, muscle paralysis, and corneal chemical burns. 2) In general, we found that it did not respond to central retinopathy and diabetic retinopathy. 3) We experienced that it have response to the old lesions. 4) It was interested that the night blindness could be disappeared by cytochrome c use in pigmentary degeneration of the retina. Yet there remain certain problems so far unsolved.
Atrophy ; Burns, Chemical ; Cytochromes c* ; Cytochromes* ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Humans ; Iron ; Molecular Weight ; Night Blindness ; Ophthalmology ; Optic Atrophy ; Optic Neuritis ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxygen ; Paralysis ; Respiration ; Retina ; Vitreous Hemorrhage ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Flow Cytometry* ; Immunophenotyping* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

No abstract available.
Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome*

PURPOSE: We observed the actual half life of the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) had clinical meaning in that it reflected the long term prognosis more individually at a certain level of preoperative alpha-fetoprotein. METHODS: From preoperative and postoperative measurements of alpha-fetoprotein in 96 hepatocellular carcinomas the actual half lives were calculated with the formula: AHL T1/2 (days) = -0.3x(T/log(C1/C0)), where T was the time interval between C1 and C0, in which C1 meant the level of AFP at postoperative 7 day, C0 the original AFP level. We investigated overall survival and disease free survival rate between delayed AHL group and non-delayed AHL group under various definitions of delay. RESULTS: The average actual half life of all cases was 5.1+/-13.6 days. One, three and five year overall survival rates of the group with actual half life less than 4 days were 82.1%, 66.7%, 61.1% respectively, whereas those of the group with actual half life more than 4 days showed 83.0%, 36.5%, 18.2% respectively. The significance of different survival rates was much higher, when only the patients with preoperative alpha-fetoprotein above 100 ng/ml were taken into account (n=53, P=0.0019). The disease free five year survival rates were also significantly different. CONCLUSION: We can predict the elevated postoperative survival rate in the patients with actual half life of alpha-fetoprotein less than 4 days. And this has also relevant clinical meaning in the prognostication of disease free survival, if the preoperative alpha-fetoprotein of patients has elevated up to over 100 ng/ml. The measurement of actual half life of postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma patientscan be a clinical useful parameter for the prognosis of long term survival.
alpha-Fetoproteins* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Half-Life* ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the occasional occurrence of papilledema associated with typical albuminoytologic dissociation in spinal fluids. In view of the possible allergic etiology of the syndrome by Reitman, ACTH and corticosteroids have been tried. These drugs have yielded encouraging results when treatment was initiated early in the course of the illness, when nerve-root edema had caused only functional paralysis but the syndromes of my cases hadn't responded to prednisolone. It can be deduced that the illness is thought to be too advanced and the nerve-root had had organic destructions already. our cases revealed prolonged typical albuminocytologic dissociation in spinal fluids, increased intracranial pressure throughout the whole hospital course and papilledema. This condition is really a very common one but there is so much confusion about the criteria necessary for the diagnosis and so many different names are employed to designate it that its incidence is thought to be underestimated. A review of the literature dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome reveals few references to papilledema. Occasional notes of "optic neuritis" are found but the descriptions are not sufficient to enadle one to dete mine whether there was papilledema or not. In the author's cases, the optic nerVe heads showed papilledema of 3 diopters or more with tortuosities of the veins and filling of the cups. There were no hemorrhages or exudates. Although not essential, the demonstration of an increased protein in cerebrospinal fluids with little or no elevation of cells is an appreciable aid in diagnosis on the Guillain-Barr'e syndrome. Certainly this patient, with a protein content of from 243 mg% to 1,200 mg% in 8 successive lumbar punctures with cell counts ranging from zero to 29 lymphocytes per cubic millimeter demonstrates typical albuminocytologic dissociation. Walsh postulated one more element to this syndrome and pointed out that increased intracranial pressure may occur in cases otherwise typical of the Guillain-Barre syndrome. It is scarecely necessary to add the cause of this condition, if indeed there is one cause and not many cases, is quite unknown. In the author's cases, the intracranial pressure revealed from 110 mm H2O to 520 mm H20 in 8 successive lumbar punctures.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Cell Count ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Exudates and Transudates ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intracranial Pressure ; Lymphocytes ; Optic Disk ; Papilledema* ; Paralysis ; Prednisolone ; Spinal Puncture ; Veins

Fetal teratomas rarely complicate pregnancy,having an incidance of only 20,000:1 to 40,000:1 of live births. Overthere, cervical teratomas are rare and accounts for only 5.5% of all neonatal teratomas. We have experienced a large cervical immature teratoma and present this case with a brief review of literatures.
Live Birth ; Teratoma*

BACKGROUND: Due to its high diagnostic accuracy, preoperative sonographic evaluation of gallbladder disease is accepted as the most reliable and effective procedure. However we have encountered, though not so often, cases in which the sonographic tumor revealed only sludge material in reality. METHODS: A retrospective review of 11 cases that had been preoperatively diagnosed as a gallbladder mass or stone focused on the features of the patients and the characteristics of the sonographic findings. RESULTS: Of the cholecystectomized 2486 cases in which gallstones or gallbladder polyps had been preoperatively diagnosed, 0.4% had only sludge in reality. Symptomatic patients were 7 (64%). Pseudo- tumorous lesions of the gallbladder resembled the shapes of the stones, as well as the shapes of polyps, in their echogenic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Gallbladder sludge alone can make the sonographic image of a stone or a polyp. The application of more advanced sonography, such as contrast-enhanced Doppler sonography, may contribute to the differential diagnosis of pseudo-tumorous lesions of the gallbladder; however, an indefinite lesion on sonography always deserves operative intervention.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Gallbladder* ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Polyps ; Retrospective Studies ; Sewage* ; Ultrasonography*

In order to develop the measuring tool of VDT syndrome and investigate the variables affecting the development of VDT syndrome, a questionnaire study accompanied with the evaluation of working environment was performed with 138 VDT users from six public organs in Kwangju area. The result were summarized as follows: 1. As a result of analysis with data collected by newly developed questionnaire, VDT syndrome included five factors named as eye-related component, psychological component, general body component, musculoskeletal component, and skin-related component and the estimates of the internal consistency of five factors were 0.877, 0.820, 0.796, 0.791, 0.593 respectively. 2. Variables affecting the level of eye-related symptoms were the type of main job using VDT, the total time of VDT operation per day, and the use of external filter on CRT. 3. The level of eye-related symptoms in the group using external filter was higher significantly than that in the group not using filter. 4. The past history of severe illness affected the level of psychological symptoms significantly. 5. Variables affecting the level of general body symptoms were job satisfaction and income satisfaction. 6. Variables affecting the level of musculoskeletal symptoms were the type of main job using VDT, whether majored in EDPS, the level of typewriting, job satisfaction, and the total time of VDT, operation per day. 7. Age and the use of external filter were significantly related to the level of skin-related symptoms. 7. Age and the use of external filter were significantly related to the level of skin-related symptoms.
Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Gwangju ; Job Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Cavernous transformation of the portal vein that is resulted as a collateral vessel formation from a portal hypoplasia is very rarely to be observed in human being. Such an abnormal transformation can be caused by congenital defect of vein formation in the early embryonal development or congenital hematologic hypercoagulability which gives rise to the cavernous development of cavernous collateral branches. Acute thrombosis of portal vein can also be the cause of acquired cavernous transformation. In most cases it extends into the parenchyme of liver, and often has porto-systemic shunt (with left gastropiploic vein and varices around spleen) or porto-portal shunt (with varices around gallbladder). A 48 years old male patient underwent splenectomy at the age of 24 owing to splenomegaly. He had liver cirrhosis without hepatitis and alcohol history. Intrahepatic stone in left lateral lobe of liver was diagnosed in the course of medical treatment. The cavernous transformation of portal vein with right lobe hypoplasia was confrimed during the operation.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portal Vein* ; Splenectomy ; Splenomegaly ; Thrombophilia ; Thrombosis ; Varicose Veins ; Veins

PURPOSE: Patients show variable responses to chemoradiotherapy (CRT), which is generally administered before surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). The aim of this study was to identify molecular markers predictive of CRT responses by analysis of low-mass ions (LMIs) in serum of LARC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LMIs (< 1,000 m/z) in serum obtained before CRT from 73 LARC (cT3-4) patients were profiled using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. LMIs with higher weighting factors in discriminating CRT responses were selected using principal components analysis and discriminant analysis. Selected LMIs were identified using the Human Metabolome Database. The concentrations of identified LMIs were determined by colorimetric enzyme assay, and compared according to post-CRT pathological stage (ypStage) or Dworak's tumor regression grade (TRG). RESULTS: The nine highest-ranking LMIs were selected. Among them, two LMIs with 137.08 and 169.04 m/z were identified as hypoxanthine (HX) and phosphoenolpyruvic acid (PEP), respectively. Higher HX concentration was observed in patients with ypStage 0-1 compared to ypStage 2-4 (p=0.034) or ypStage 3-4 (p=0.030); a similar difference was observed between TRG 4-3 and TRG 1 (p=0.035). HX > 16.0 muM showed significant association with ypStage 0-1 or TRG 4-3 than ypStage 3-4 (p=0.009) or TRG 1 (p=0.024), respectively. In contrast, a significantly lower concentration of PEP was observed in TRG 4-3 compared with TRG 2-1 (p=0.012). CONCLUSION: Findings of this study demonstrated that serum concentrations of HX and PEP, identified using LMI profiling, may be useful for predicting the CRT response of LARC patients before treatment.
Biological Markers* ; Chemoradiotherapy* ; Enzyme Assays ; Humans ; Hypoxanthine* ; Ions ; Mass Spectrometry ; Metabolome ; Phosphoenolpyruvate ; Rectal Neoplasms*