No abstract available.
Blood Platelets* ; Blood Transfusion*

Dyschromatosis universalis hereditaria was reported in 1933 by Ichikawa and Hiraga in Japan. This disease is characterized by small pigmented and depigmented mottled macules on the trunk and extremities. We report two cases of dyschromatosis universalis. Case one is a 47-year-old man presented with hypoand hyperpigmented spots on the trunk and extrexities. At about 30 years of age, he started to show pigmentary changes on the back, which became progressively spread to the other parts of the trunk and extremities. Case two is a 27-year-old man with numerous mottled hypo-and hyperpigmented spots on the trunk and extremities. He started to show pigmentary changes on the back about 12 years ago. This pigmentary changes also became progressively spread to the other part of the trunk and extrimities. There were no family history of similar disease. On physical exminations, both patients had hrown rice-grain sized pigmented and depigmented macules without scales and atropy on the trunk and extremites. Fontana-Masson stains revealed decreased and increased melar in granules in the basal cell layers in the hypopigrnented and hyperpigmented lesions respectively.
Adult ; Coloring Agents ; Extremities ; Humans ; Japan ; Middle Aged ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of two-phase dynamic CT, early and equilibrium pahse, in the preoperative staging of rectal cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed incremental dynamic CT after rectal infusion of water in 34 patients with pathologically proved rectal cancers. Two-phase dynamic CT findings were prospectively analyzed and correlated with surgical and histopathologic findings. A total of 150ml of nonionic contrast medium was intravenously administered with a power injector at a flow rate of 5ml/sec for 30 sec, and two-phase images were obtained at 30 sec(early phase) and 2 min (equilibrium phase) after bolus injection. Local tumor staging and regional lymph node were classified by TNM staging. RESULTS: All 34 rectal cancers showed a moderate to marked enhancement in the early phase and a homogeneous and prolonged enhancement of the entire lesion in the equilibrium phase. T-staging of primary tumors were 85.3%(29/34) in early phase and 70.6%(24/34) in equilibrium phase. The accuracy in determining the perirectal fat invasion of rectal cancer was 92%(23/25) in early phase, and 72%(18/25) in equilibrium phase. The sensitivity & specificity of the regional lymph node metastasis were 63.6% and 79.1% in early phase, and 54.5% and 65.2% in equilibrium phase, respectively. CONCLUSION: Early phase dynamic CT was more accurate for the preoperative staging of rectal cancer than that at equilibrium phase.
Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Water

PURPOSE: A sensitive assay to detect minimal residual disease in neuroblastoma is necessary for accurate assessment of disease status and optimal treatment. In this study, we compared the usefulness of sensitive methods, flow cytometry and RT-PCR for the detection of minimal residual disease in neuroblastoma. METHODS: Eighteen patients who were newly diagnosed and treated at Severance Hospital since 1999 were included in this study. Samples from bone marrow, peripheral blood, and peripheral blood stem cell product were examined for tumor cell contamination by RT-PCR (TH RT-PCR) to detect tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA and by flow cytometry identifying CD9+/CD56+/CD45- cells. RESULTS: We analyzed 20 cases from 18 patients, which were assayed by both methods at the same time. Among 20 cases, 16 cases showed same results, which were compatible with histologic results and clinical course, and 4 cases showed different results. One case of them showed positive result in histology and flow cytometry, but negative result in TH RT-PCR. The other 3 cases showed negative results in flow cytometry, but positive results in TH RT-PCR, and 1 patient of them relapsed. Among 16 patients, 2 patients, showing positive results in only TH RT-PCR, relapsed. CONCLUSION: Detection of minimal residual disease using TH RT-PCR and flow cytometry was effective and useful in evaluating disease status and deciding for proper treatment.
Bone Marrow ; Flow Cytometry* ; Humans ; Neoplasm, Residual* ; Neuroblastoma* ; RNA, Messenger ; Stem Cells ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase

No abstract available.
Mesenteric Cyst*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Rats*

As the frequency of radiation exposure by fluoroscopy continues to increase in orthopaedic fields, the level of hazard for the orthopaedic surgeon increases at the same time. Exposure of the clinician's hand is highest during performance of surgery or procedures within the actual clinics. Studies on radiation exposure on thyroid, eye or whole body, or reports on radiation treatment of cancer or for dermal lesions occurring from therapeutic intervention on the body such as heart and liver, and studies on radioactive damage to hands derived from radioactive material handlers have been reported; however, no studies on radioactive damage to a clinician's hand have been reported. Therefore, we report on a case of chronic radiation dermatitis and necrosis of an orthopaedic surgeon's hand as well as its soft tissue defect.
Dermatitis ; Fluoroscopy ; Hand* ; Heart ; Humans ; Liver ; Necrosis* ; Spine* ; Thyroid Gland

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by bilateral stenosis or occlusion of the terminal portions of the internal carotid arteries. MMD is also accompanied by typical net-like collateral vessels in the basal ganglia. Although the etiology of MMD remains unknown, hereditary, immunogenic, and hemodynamic factors have been implicated as underlying mechanisms of MMD. Here, the authors report on one patient with a rare combination of Graves' disease-associated thyrotoxicosis, myasthenia gravis, and MMD, where cerebrovascular ischemic events occurred during a thyrotoxic state.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain Ischemia ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Graves Disease ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Moyamoya Disease ; Myasthenia Gravis ; Thyrotoxicosis

Hepatitis A is one of the most common infectious diseases. It is a self-limiting disease affecting the liver. Although extrahepatic manifestations are not common, a few cases associated with renal diseases have been reported. In those cases, patients presented with acute tubular necrosis, acute interstitial nephritis, IgA nephropathy, mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis, etc. We here report a case of interstitial nephritis and IgA nephropathy associated with acute hepatitis A. A previously healthy 31-year old woman was admitted with an acute hepatitis A, which was confirmed by IgM anti-hepatitis A antibody. Acute renal failure was developed and hemodialysis was urgently required. The patient had acute interstitial nephritis and IgA nephropathy diagnosed by kidney biopsy. Liver and kidney functions gradually recovered their normal conditions.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Communicable Diseases ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA* ; Hepatitis A* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Immunoglobulin M ; Kidney ; Liver ; Necrosis ; Nephritis, Interstitial* ; Renal Dialysis

The population of the elderly and neuropsychiatric elderly patients increases radically, but realistic management in the welfare and medical dimensions are not adequate. Especially, the treatment and care for the neuropsychiatric geriatric patients have not been achieved properly for the lack of good medical facilities and heavy economic burden. Therefore, this paper will propose a model of specialized neuropsychiatric geriatric hospital suited to our reality for the welfare of the elderly themselves and their families. For this, we investigated the needs of medical consumers through surveys. Our subjects are 41 families of neuropsychiatric elderly patients in admission and 51 caregivers. In these surveys, patrons expect the establishment of specialized geriatric hospital proper to the characteristics of neuropsychiatric elderly patients. In addition, they hope patients adminssion fee to be reduced as difficulty and specialty of neuropsychiatric geriatric patient treatment are actively applied to the medical insurance fee and national support system. According to our examination of the caregeivers for the neuropsychiatric elderly patients, caregivers didn't receive systematized training, but only brief care-giving education. Their status is also unstable and their pay is low. These issues are very important for the quality of care-giving work. Therefore, specialized neuropsychiatric geriatric hospitals should be established properly to our social reality and request, and national and social supports for the training and education of medical staffs and quite necessary.
Aged* ; Caregivers ; Education ; Fees and Charges ; Hope ; Humans ; Insurance ; Medical Staff