PURPOSE: The skeleton is commonly affected by metastatic cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the results of treating metastatic pathologic fractures in lower extremities using locking plates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2004 and 2010, we evaluated 12 patients (13 cases) of metastatic pathologic fractures in lower extremities, treated with the locking plate. Mean patient age was 62.2 years (range, 50-81 years), the locations of the fractures were; proximal femur in 2 cases, femoral mid-shaft in 3, distal femur in 3, proximal tibia in 4, and distal tibia in 1 case. The interval to wheelchair ambulation, pain relief and complications were evaluated. Additionally, we assessed operation time and postoperative blood loss. RESULTS: Mean time from operation to wheelchair ambulation was 3.2 days (range, 1-6 days). Mean VAS scores improved from a preoperative score of 8.1 points (range, 7-9 points) to a score of 2.7 points (range, 2-4 points) at 1 week postoperatively. No early complications associated with surgery were encountered. Mean operation time was 88.4 minutes (range, 70-105 minutes), and mean postoperative blood loss was 246.5 ml (range, 130-320 ml). CONCLUSION: Internal fixation of metastatic pathologic fractures using a locking plate in the lower extremity can be an effective treatment option in the meta- or diaphyseal area of long bones with massive bony destruction or poor bone stock by offering early ambulation, pain relief and low postoperative complications.
Early Ambulation ; Femur ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Hemorrhage ; Skeleton ; Tibia ; Walking ; Wheelchairs

Nasal congestion is one of the most common symptoms of medical complaints. Snoring is caused by vibration of the uvula and the soft palate. Nasal obstruction may contribute not only to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but also impair application of continuous nasal positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is the most widely employed treatment for OSA. Total or near-total nasal obstruction leads to mouth breathing and has been shown to cause increased airway resistance. However, the exact role of the nasal airway in the pathogenesis of OSA is not clear and there is no consensus about the role of nasal obstruction in snoring and sleep apnea. Some reports have failed to demonstrate any correlation between snoring and nasal obstruction. On the other hand, opposing reports suggest that nasal disease may cause sleep disorders and that snoring can be improved after nasoseptal surgery. Reduced cross-sectional area causes increased nasal resistance and predisposes the patient to inspiratory collapse of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, or both. Discrete abnormalities of the nasal airway, such as septal deformities, nasal polyps, and choanal atresia and with certain mucosal conditions such as sinusitis, allergic rhinitis and inferior turbinate hypertrophy can cause snoring or OSA. Thus, these sources of nasal obstruction should be corrected medically or surgically for the effective management of OSA and adjunctive for CPAP.
Airway Resistance ; Choanal Atresia ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Consensus ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Hypopharynx ; Mouth Breathing ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nasal Polyps ; Nose ; Nose Diseases* ; Oropharynx ; Palate, Soft ; Rhinitis ; Sinusitis ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes* ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Snoring* ; Turbinates ; Uvula ; Vibration

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether there are any differences in MR findings between the childhood and the adult moyamoya disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared the brain MR findings in 22 children (13 boys and 9 girls, 2-18 years of age) who had moyamoya disease with 15 adult patients (7 men and 8 women, 19-55 years of age). The MR findings were classified as parenchymal-(infarctions and intracranial hemorrhages) and vascular abnormalities (intracranial vascular patency and moyamoya vessels). The difference in each of these MR findings was analyzed using Chi-squaretest and Fisher's exact test (two-tailed). Out of 22 children, two children with normal MR finding were excluded from the statistical analysis. Moyamoya diseases were diagnosed angiographically in all adult patients. In children, they were diagnosed by MR imaging, MR angiography(6), and/or conventional cerebral angiography(18). RESULTS: In children, cerebral infarctions were observed in 20 of 22 patients (91%) (cortex 86%, periventricular white matter/centrum semiovale 32%, basal ganglia 10%). In two patients, there was no parenchymal abnormality. Intra-cranial hemorrhages were not demonstrated in any patients. In adults, intra-cranial hemorrhages(intracerebral hematoma, intraventricular hemorrhage, alone or combined) were demonstrated in 10 of 15 patients(67%). Cerebral infarctions with or without intracranial hemorrhage were detected in 10 of 15 patients(67%)(cortex 40%, periventricular white matter/centrum semiovale 53%, basal ganglia 20%). The difference in parenchymal abnormalities between the childhood and the adult moyamoya disease was statistically significant (p=0. 000164). There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to the occlusive changes of the internal carotid and middle cerebral arteries or to moyamoya vessels(p> 0.01 ). CONCLUSION: This study could prove the fact that the principal clinical symptoms in the childhood moyamoya disease were due to cerebral infarction and those in the adult cases were due to infarction and intracranial hemorrhage. In addition, cortical infarction was more prevalent in children and infarction in periventricular white matter/centrum semivoale and basal ganglia was more frequentin adults. There was no significant difference in vascular abnormalities between the two groups.
Adult* ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Cerebral Infarction ; Child* ; Female ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infarction ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Moyamoya Disease* ; Vascular Patency

PURPOSE: To characterize the MR findings of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and to assess the value of the MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SE T1 -, T2-weighted, and IR brain MR images of 44 infants and children with the past history of perinatal hypoxic insults were reviewed. Abnormal brain MR findings of 8 patients with birth history of prematurity and 36 patients with birth history of full-term/posterm including 7 with severe anoxic insult history, were compared in regard to the location and the character of the lesions RESULTS: MRI demonstrated the followings;(1)abnormal signal intensity lesions of subcortical and/or deep cerebral white matter, cortex, and deep gray matter, (2)atrophy of the cerebral white matter, cortex and corpus callosum, with/without ventriculomegaly, and (3)delay in myelination. Periventricular and deep white matter lesions were demonstrated in the prematurity, the deep white matter lesions and/or subcortical white matter lesions in the term/post-term, and deep gray matter lesions in the 7 patients with severe anoxic insults history. CONCLUSION: MR imaging was useful in the diagnosis of the hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and the white and gray matter lesions were correlated with the time of the injury and the severity of hypoxic insult.
Brain Injuries* ; Brain* ; Child ; Corpus Callosum ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Myelin Sheath ; Reproductive History

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage*

No abstract available.
Stomach Neoplasms* ; Tuberculosis, Pleural*

BACKGROUND: The large surfaces of the skin are often initial site of contact between microorganism and human. The skin are coated with epidermis and epithelial cells can recognize microorganism and mount a fast defense through the production of various inducible antibiotic peptides. This leads to chracteristic broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Recent studies introduce us new peptides with antimicrobial activity such as P,-defensins and cathelicidins. They are expressed on the epithelia and polymorphonuclear leukocytes, which are first lines of defence from various invasive environments. Futhermore, they are considered very interesting and important endogenous antibiotics. Our previous study has shown that the expression of human defensin(hBD-2) mRNA, which is potent antibiotic peptide against Gram-negative bacteria(P. aeruginosa), was upregulated with ultraviolet(UV) irradiation, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and lipopolysaccharide(LPS) in HaCaT cells. A novel hBD-3, 5-kDa, nonhemolytic antimicrobial peptide, was demonstrated a salt-insensitive broad spectrum of potent antimicrobial activity against many potentially pathogenic microbes in especially, multiresistant S. aureus. We have analyzed the expression patterns of hBD-3 in HaCaT cell lines. OBJECTIVE: This research have done in order to evaluate the expression and regulation of hBD-3 mRNA in human keratinocyte cell lines. METHODS: HaCaT cell lines were used to all culture experiments. Cultured human keratinocytes were stimulated with UV irradiation or TNF-α or LPS to determine whether hBD-3 mRNA production occurred. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was per-formed to amplify hBD-3 cDNA from stimulated keratinocytes in a time dependant manner, and densitometry was used to verify the specificity of RT-PCR amplication products. RESULTS: Expression of hBD-3 was upregulated with UV irradiation, TNF-α and LPS in Ha-CaT cells compared to control CONCLUSIONS: Human keratinocytes are capable to induce hBD-3 mRNA, as well as hBD-2, in response to UV irradiation, TNF-α and LPS. suggesting that these cells could play an important role against the bacterial infection and UV light damage in human skin.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Infections ; Cathelicidins ; Cell Line* ; Densitometry ; DNA, Complementary ; Epidermis ; Epithelial Cells ; Fungi ; Humans* ; Keratinocytes ; Necrosis ; Neutrophils ; Peptides ; RNA, Messenger ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Rays

No abstract available.
Keratinocytes*