The clinical evaluation was done in eighteen eyes of nine patients with bilateral BRVO in aspects of onset, visual acuity, interval between onset of one eye and the other, sex ratio, associated systemic diseases, location of the affected vein, the effect of macular edema on visual acuity and ocular complications. The onset of age was from fifty one to sixty eight years. Eight patients were women, and one patient was man. Hypertension was the most common associated systemic disease. Ten eyes (55.5%) of bilateral BRVO were affected the superior temporal branch vein, the sites of occlusion were not more than two disc diameters from the optic disc in fifteen eyes (83.3%). The complications of seevere visual loss had macular edema, macular capillary nonperfusion, retinal neovascularization and vitreous hemorrhage. Among of six numbers who could be followed up more than one year, and visual acuity of five eyes with macula edema were decreased than five other eyes developed one year or later. Eyes that were more than five disc diameters of capillary nonperfusion, as visualized with fluorescence angiography were thirteen (72.2%). Of these eyes, six (46.1 %) eyes occured retinal neovascularization, five of those had macular capillary nonperfusion. four of those were 0.1 in final vision. Three of four eyes with vitreous hemorrhage were very slowly improved in visual acuity, but another was decreasing in visual acuity due to other ocular complications We thought that woman with history of BRVO due to hypertension in sixth and seventh decades should be followed up the other eye for three years.
Capillaries ; Edema ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Macular Edema ; Retinal Neovascularization ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Sex Ratio ; Veins ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

Juvenile retinoschisis is a vitreoretinal dystrophy with X-linked recessive mode of transmission that shows microcystic degeneration of the macula associated with splitting of the sensory retina, predominantly within the nerve fiber layer. We experienced X-linked juvenile retinoschisis, in four borthers within a family in which were the onset of visual disturbance between second decades and third decades, and all showed maculopathy, RPE atrophy, vitreous veils extended to vitreous, partial optic atrophy, specific electroretinographic findings.
Atrophy ; Humans ; Nerve Fibers ; Optic Atrophy ; Retina ; Retinoschisis* ; Siblings*

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans* ; Receptor, erbB-2*

BACKGROUND: A small subgroup of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients show low total and allergen-specific immunoglobulin (IgE) levels. This subgroup has been termed 'intrinsic' AD (IAD) as compared to its counterpart 'extrinsic' AD (EAD). However, the difference of cytokine expression between IAD and EAD has not been fully understood. OBJECTIVE: To compare the expression of various inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and lesional skin of patients with IAD and EAD, which are known to be associated with AD pathophysiology. METHODS: We assessed the protein levels of cytokines in the PBMCs and lesional skin. We evaluated the levels of IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, FcepsilonRI and FcepsilonRII from the PBMCs and lesional skin of patients with IAD and EAD. RESULTS: The patients with EAD had elevated levels of the IL-3 expression in their PBMCs and elevated levels of FcepsilonRI in their lesional skin compared to that of the patients with IAD. The expression of other cytokines did not differ in the PBMCs and lesional skin from the two subgroups. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that IL-3 could be associated with the pathophysiology of EAD as compared to that of IAD, along with FcepsilonRI which was previously shown to be highly expressed in EAD patients.
Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukin-3 ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; Interleukin-6 ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Aquafol(R) is a microemulsion formulation of propofol. This study was designed to investigate the population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling in beagle dogs sedated by Aquafol(R). METHODS: Electroencephalogram was recorded and venous blood was sampled at preset times in 15 beagle dogs during 3 hours of infusion of Aquafol(R) and subsequently during 3 hours of recovery. Venous blood was sampled at 0, 2, 10, 30, 60, 120, 180, 190, 240 and 360 minutes after infusion. We evaluated the effect of propofol on electroencephalogram by calculating SEF(90). In the preliminary analysis, two compartment model best described all data from all subjects. The pharmacodynamics were best described using an effect compartment model and k(e0), a first-order elimination rate constant characterizing the effect-site equivalent to estimate the apparent effect-site concentrations. The relationship between propofol effect-site concentration and SEF90 was analyzed using an inhibitory sigmoid E(max) model. RESULTS: The final pharmacokinetic model was best described with the followings: V(1) = 18.5e(0.114*BWT), k(10) = 1.86 min(-1), k(12) = 0.6 min(-1), k(21) = 0.684 min(-1). The final pharmacodynamic model was best described with the followings: t(1/2)k(e0) = 0.62 min, C(e50) = 32.2 ng/ml, E(o) = 31.3 Hz, E(max) = 20.9 Hz, gamma = 1.28. CONCLUSIONS: The propofol microemulsion shows different pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics compared with the propofol lipid emulsion.
Animals ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Dogs* ; Electroencephalography ; Pharmacokinetics ; Propofol*

Alveolar Process ; Bone Transplantation ; Cleft Lip ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dentition ; Humans ; Incisor ; Palate ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the voiding dysfunction after rectal cancer surgery with total mesorectal excision (TME). METHODS: This was part of a prospective study done in the rectal cancer patients who underwent surgery with TME between November 2006 and June 2008. Consecutive uroflowmetry, post-voided residual volume, and a voiding questionnaire were performed at preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients were recruited in this study, including 28 male and 22 female. In the comparison of the preoperative data with the postoperative 3-month data, a significant decrease in mean maximal flow rate, voided volume, and post-voided residual volume were found. In the comparison with the postoperative 6-month data, however only the maximal flow rate was decreased with statistical significance (P=0.02). In the comparison between surgical methods, abdominoperineal resection patients showed delayed recovery of maximal flow rate, voided volume, and post-voided residual volume. There was no significant difference in uroflowmetry parameters with advances in rectal cancer stage. CONCLUSIONS: Voiding dysfunction is common after rectal cancer surgery but can be recovered in 6 months after surgery or earlier. Abdominoperineal resection was shown to be an unfavorable factor for postoperative voiding. Larger prospective study is needed to determine the long-term effect of rectal cancer surgery in relation to male and female baseline voiding condition.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Residual Volume ; Urination

Pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PEH) is a rare, low-to-intermediate malignant tumor of endothelial origin. Computed tomography (CT) findings of PEH demonstrate multiple small bilateral nodules; however, to the best of our knowledge, there were no reports on PEH coexisting with other malignancies. Here, we reported on a case involving PEH in a patient with colon cancer and breast cancer which was misconceived as pulmonary meta-stasis. A 63-year-old woman who suffered from constipation for 2 weeks visited our hospital. Colonoscopy showed a large mass with obstruction on hepatic flexure. The histological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma of the ascending colon. Multiple nodules in both lungs and breast were observed on a chest CT scan. A core biopsy of a breast nodule was performed and a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast was made. Pulmonary nodules observed on the chest CT scan was considered as pulmonary metastasis from colon or breast cancer. Laparoscopic right hemicolectomy was performed. At the same time, wedge resection of the lung was performed and pathological diagnosis was PEH. Radiologic features of PEH were difficult to distinguish from lung metastasis. Therefore the author reported a rare case involving PEH in a patient with primary malignancy of colon and breast.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colonoscopy ; Constipation ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hemangioendothelioma ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid* ; Humans ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Blood-brain equilibration rate constant (k(e0)) is derived from either pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling (k(e0_model)) or a model-independent observed time to peak effect (k(e0_tpeak)). Performance in bispectral index (BIS) prediction was compared between k(e0_model) and k(e0_tpeak) for microemulsion or long chain triglyceride (LCT) propofol. METHODS: Time to peak effect (t(peak), time to a maximally reduced BIS value) of microemulsion propofol after an intravenous bolus (1 mg/kg) was measured in 100 patients (group A(micro)). An observed t(peak) of 1.6 min for LCT propofol was obtained from an earlier study. Another 40 patients received a target controlled infusions of microemulsion propofol (k(e0_model) = 0.187/min, group B(micro) = 20) or LCT propofol (k(e0_model) = 0.26/min, group B(LCT) = 20) and remifentanil. The k(e0_tpeak)'s in group B(micro) and B(LCT) were calculated using the observed t(peak) value obtained from group A(micro) and 1.6 min, respectively. Effect-site concentrations of propofol were recalculated using the amounts of propofol infused over time and k(e0_tpeak)'s. Predicted BIS values calculated by sigmoid Emax equations with k(e0_model) and k(e0_tpeak) were compared with observed BIS values during induction and emergence for both formulations of propofol. RESULTS: Observed t(peak) of microemulsion propofol was 1.68 min. The median performance errors of BIS in group B(micro) were -1.83% (-24.8 to 18.9, k(e0_model)) and -2.42% (-26.1 to 36.2, k(e0_tpeak)), while 8.01% (-20.5 to 30.1, k(e0_model)) and 7.37% (-27.0 to 49.1, k(e0_tpeak)) in group B(LCT). The median absolute performance errors of BIS in group B(micro) were 11.87% (2.2-31.1k(e0_model)) and 14.38% (-0.6 to 44.6, k(e0_tpeak)), while 17.31% (5.54-36.0, k(e0_model)) and 18.28% (-0.1 to 56.0, k(e0_tpeak)) in group B(LCT). CONCLUSIONS: The k(e0_model) showed better performance in BIS prediction than the k(e0_tpeak).
Colon, Sigmoid ; Humans ; Pharmacokinetic* ; Piperidines ; Propofol*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cyclin D1 expression is closely related with ER in breast cancer. We conducted this study to evaluate whether therapeutic response to tamoxifen is varied with levels of cyclin D1 expression in ER positive breast cancer patients. METHODS: Immunohistochemical assay for cyclin D1 protein was performed in 66 patients treated with tamoxifen for more than 2 year. Patient survival and correlation between cyclin D1 expression and biologic data of the patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Cyclin D1 expression was detected in 46 (69.7%) and significantly reduced in poorly differentiated cancer (p=0.023). Cyclin D1 expression was high in the tumors expressing Myc (15/15 vs. 31/51; p=0.002), and was markedly increased in the tumors in which p27Kip1 expression was repressed (30/38, 78.9%). However, the difference was not ststistically significant (p=0.051). There was no significant relationship between cyclin D1 expression and S-phase. Patients with tumors expressing cyclin D1 showed better disease free survival and overall survival but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclin D1 expression was associated with cell differentiation bit not useful in discriminating high risk group with tamoxifen treatment. Cyclin D1 may have a role other than cell cycle regulator in ER positive breast cancer, such as differentiation signal.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Differentiation ; Cyclin D1* ; Cyclins* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens* ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Tamoxifen*