The application of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology to the soft tissue tumors had been neglected. In recent years, however, FNA has been used increasingly in the preoperative diagnosis of these tumors due to its usefulness and accuracy. We present 3 cases of liposarcoma, myxoid, myxoid with round cell, and pleomorphic, diagnosed by FNA cytology with histologic confirmation. Good correlation between his- tologic and FNA cytologic findings was found. Although the cytologic appearances of liposarcomas varied with histologic type, the main criterion was the presence of atypical multivacuolated lipoblast with characteristically scalloped nuclei.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypertension, Renovascular* ; Liposarcoma ; Liposarcoma, Myxoid ; Pectinidae

We report herein a case of pseudoxanthoma elasticum(PXE) in a 24 year old woman. She had a generalized laxity of the skin which tended to hang in folds along the sides of the trunk and in the axillary areas. There was no similar skin lesion in her family. Histopathological examination revealed clumping and fragmentation of the elastic fibers in the mid and lower dermis. Von Kossa stain showed dense deposition of calcium in these areas. We suspect this case as autosomal recessive type II PXE.
Calcium ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Skin ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Giant Cells* ; Granuloma, Giant Cell*

Papular elastorrhexis is a connective tissue nevus that occurs in the second decade of life as asymptomatic small white-creamy papules scattered over the chest, shoulder, abdomen, or back Histopathologically, there is a decrease in elastic fibers with focal homogenization of collagen. Recognition of this entity is important to prevent use of unnecessary diagnostic procedures and therapy. We present three cases of papular elastorrhexis. All of them occurred in children under the age 10 years.
Abdomen ; Child ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; Elastic Tissue ; Humans ; Nevus ; Shoulder ; Thorax

Teratoma is one of germ cell tumor, common neoplasm in women of reproductive age, but it can arise at any age. Its malignant transformation is rare, less than 2%, frequently at older age. Nearly all the cases are squamous, sarcomatous and adenomatous transformation. Here we present a case of mixed transformation, adeno-squamous cell carcinoma with brief review of the concerned literature.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Teratoma*

PURPOSE: Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with poor prognosis in several tumor types. The purpose of this study was to investigate serum CRP as a prognostic marker in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pretreatment serum CRP level was measured in 157 newly diagnosed SCLC patients, and correlation between serum CRP level and other clinical parameters was analyzed. Multivariate analyses were performed to find prognostic markers using Cox's proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The initial CRP concentration was within the normal range in 72 (45.9%) patients and elevated in 85 (54.1%) patients. There was a significant correlation between serum CRP level and the extent of disease (p<0.001), weight loss (p=0.029) and chest radiation (p=0.001). Median overall survival (OS) in the normal CRp group was significantly longer than with the high CRp group (22.5 months vs. 11.2 months, p<0.001). Extent of disease (p<0.001), age (p=0.025), and performance status (p<0.001) were additional prognostic factors on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, elevated serum CRp level was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival (HR=1.8; p=0.014), regardless of the extent of disease (HR=3.7; p<0.001) and performance status (HR=2.2; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: High level of CRP was an independent poor prognostic serum marker in addition to previously well-known prognosticators in patients with SCLC.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lung Neoplasms/*blood/*mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/*blood/*mortality

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

We designed a study to determine if the tracheal tube cuff inflation in the oropharynx improves the success rate of blind nasotracheal intubation in normal, paralyzed patients because of lacking of controlled study about it. In prospective, randomized fashion, 100 ASA I or II patients undergoing elective oral surgery were studied. The trachea was intubated once keeping the tracheal tube cuff deflated throughout the maneuver and once using the technique of tracheal tube cuff inflation in the oropbarynx. A maximum of two attempts was allowed for each technique. If the first attempt was failed, the second attempt was tried with an addition of application of thyroid cartilage compression in each technique. Witb the tracheal tube cuff inflated, the success rate was significantly higher than the cuff-deflated technique(p<0.05). A application of thyroid cartilage compression increased the success rate of the blind nasotracheal intubation in each technique, but it was more useful in the cuff inflation technique(p<0.05). Time taken to intubate the trachea was longer in the cuff inflation technique. We suggest that, in normal paralyzed patients, the tracheal tube cuff inflation in the oropharynx increases the success rate of blind nasotracheal intubation.
Humans ; Inflation, Economic* ; Intubation* ; Oropharynx* ; Prospective Studies ; Surgery, Oral ; Thyroid Cartilage ; Trachea

Receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase 2(RIPK2) is an adaptor molecule involved in the signal pathway of TLRs. However, there is no report on association between RIPK2 expression and infectious disease including mycobacterial disease in which TLRs play main role on interaction of infection. We evaluated relationship between Mycobacterium leprae and RIPK 2 by real-time RT-PCR. This study revealed that RIPK2 expression was down-regulated in the footpads and skin but was up-regulated in the liver, lymph node, and spleen of Mycobacterium leprae-infected nu/nu mice compared with those of non-infected nu/nu mice. It was observed that the IL-12p40, IFN-gamma, and IL-18 involved in the susceptibility of Mycobacterium leprae were down-regulated in the skin and footpad but up-regulated in the liver. These results suggest that regulation of RIPK2 expression is tissue-specific and is associated with M. leprae infection.
Animals ; Communicable Diseases ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-12 Subunit p40 ; Interleukin-18 ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice ; Mycobacterium leprae* ; Mycobacterium* ; Phosphotransferases ; Signal Transduction ; Skin ; Spleen

BACKGROUND: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) causes not only severe symptoms and hemodynamic changes, but may progress to chronic atrial fibrillation. Autonomic nervous system or atrial premature beat (APB) has been suggested to contribute to the spontaneous initiation of PAF, but the exact mechanism has been largely unknown. METHODS: One hundred and twenty nine episodes of PAF lasting longer than 5 sec were analyzed in 18 patients (M:F=11:?). Two minutes of normal sinus rhythm before the onset of PAF, and the initial one minute of PAF were printed and analyzed. RESULTS: Most of PAFs were initiated by APBs (38%) or rapid atrial tachycardias (AT, 59%). The frequency of APBs tended to increase immediately before PAF onset (p=0.08). The coupling intervals and coupling indices were not significantly different between PAF-producing APBs and benign APBs. More than half of PAF episodes were initiated by rapid ATs (rate, 357+/-50 bpm). After the onset, they accelerated over several seconds and then degenerated into AF. In some cases, transition from AF to atrial flutter and vice versa were observed. Heart rate, measured at 60-second intervals during 2 minutes before PAF onset, did not change significantly (p=0.44). CONCLUSION: Most of PAFs were initiated by APBs or rapid ATs. Heart rate did not change significantly but the frequency of APBs tended to increase immediately before PAF onset. Rapid ATs frequently accelerated and degenerated into AF. In this regard, Holter monitoring could be useful in identifying patients with PAF triggered by rapid ATs.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Atrial Flutter ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Cardiac Complexes, Premature ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory* ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Tachycardia