No abstract available.
Cause of Death* ; Korea*

No abstract available.

To evaluate the potential contribution of high resolution ultrasonography(US) and 99mTc scintigraphy in the routine diagnosis of thyroid nodules, we performed thyroid function tests, US, thyroid scintigraphy, and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in all 54 patients who initially visit our surgical department for thyroid masses from March 1995 to February 1996. The final diagnoses were made by either repeated FNAC (n=39) or thyroid operations (n=15). Final diagnoses were adenomatous goiters (n=41), simple cysts (n=3), follicular adenoma (n=1), papillary carcinomas (n=8), follicular carcinoma(n=1). The diagnostic impacts of US and 99mTc scintigraphy in all 54 patients were assessed and scored according to the following criteria: when the information provided by either test supported or confirmed (and/or gave some other information for management of thyroid nodules) the final diagnosis, it received a scores of 2 or 3 respectively, while a score 1 was given when the test itself was useless for the differential diagnosis. The scores of US were higher than those of scintigraphy in the diagnoses of adenomatous goiters, cysts, adenomas and carcinomas. However, after statistical analysis with Wilcoxon's signed rank test, US was statistically superior to scintigraphy only in diagnosing adenomatous goiters. These results indicate that current findings in US for differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules are not absolutely superior to those in scintigraphy, but have some benefits in detection of occult nodules in malignancy and differential diagnosis of adenomatous goiters.
Adenoma ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Goiter ; Humans ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Ultrasonography is the easiest, fastest procedure for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis, but the diagnostic failure are mostly because of the intrapancreatic level of this condition and the absence of bile duct dillatation. Endoscopic ultrasonography is a promising procedure for the diagnosis of extrahepatic cholestasis due to noninvasiveness and accuracy in the digestive gas interposition. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopie ultrasonography with abdominal ultrasonography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in 66 patients with suspected choledocholithiasis. METHODS: All of the patients had abdominal ultrasonography, endoscopic ultrasonography ~and endoscopie retrograde cholangiography within 72 hours and final diagnosis was determined by endoseopic retrograde cholangiography with sphincterotomy. RESULTS: (l) Choledocholithiasis was confirmed in 45 patients: Thirteen patients had nondilated common bile ducts and 20 patients had stones with diamerer < 1 cm. (2) Endoscopic ultrasonography was more sensitive(95.5%) than abdominal ultrasonography (44.4%: P<0.0001) and similar to endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (97.8%). Specificity was same as 100% in 3 diagnostic tools. (3) Endoscopic ultrasonography was superior to abdommal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis with nondilated common bile duct(100% vs 15.3%, P<0.0001) and with less than 1cm sized small stone(100% vs 10.0%, P<0.0001). Endoscopic ultrasonography results did not depend on stone diameter or common bile duct dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic ultrasonography could be an accurate and safe diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of choledocholithiasis and could be promising especially in the cases with difficult cannulation of bile duct and gal1 stone pancreatitis.
Bile ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract* ; Catheterization ; Cholangiography ; Choledocholithiasis* ; Cholestasis, Extrahepatic ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Endosonography* ; Humans ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatitis ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prognostic significance of argyrophilic nucleoalr organizer regions (AgNORs) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) by using DMBA hamster buccal pouch carcinogenesis which provides a good experimental model in reproducing steps from precancerous lesions to invasive squamous cell carcinomas. The buccal pouches of 50 Syrian hamsters were applied with 0.5% DMBA in mineral oil three times a week to reproduce various lesions from precancerous ones such as hyperkeratosis or epithelial dysplasia to invasive squamous cell carcinomas. Their sections were stained with H & E, and silver colloid, and processed immunohistochemically by being applied with monoclonal antibody to PCNA. The histopathologic examainations were done and the counts of AgNORs were evaluated. The PCNA labelling indices on each lesions were evaluated. The correlation between histopathological grades and counts of AgNORs or PCNA labelling indices were evaluated. The number of AgNORs was 2.22+/-0.22 in control group, 3.46+/-0.72 in carcinoma in situ (CIS), 3.78+/-0.63 in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), respectively. AgNORs significantly increased in severe epithelial dysplasia, CIS, and SCC compared with normal tissue (P<0.05). The PCNA Labeling Index (LI) was 39.47+/-6.68% in control group, 79.61+/-4.14% in CIS, and 85.43+/-6.25% in SCC, respectively. PCNA LI also significantly increased in epithelial dysplasia, CIS, and SCC compared with normal tissue (P<0.05). The number of AgNORs, AgNOR area, and PCNA LI slightly increased in the advancing front than in the center of SCC, but, it was not statistically significant. It appeared that there were a good correlation between the number of AgNORs and PCNA LI (Pierson correlation coefficient : 0.649, P<0.001). These results suggested that the number of AgNORs and the PCNA LI could be useful markers for evaluating the risk of malignant transformation and prognosis of SCC. It was thought that the clinical usefulness of these markers should be verified by using human tissue specimens.
9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene ; Animals ; Carcinogenesis* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Colloids ; Cricetinae* ; Humans ; Mesocricetus ; Mineral Oil ; Models, Theoretical ; Prognosis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen* ; Silver

Calcinosis ; complications ; Decalcification Technique ; Humans ; Meningeal Neoplasms ; complications ; Meningioma ; complications ; Specimen Handling ; methods ; Ultrasonics

In recent years,the state has a substantial increase in investment in Medical Research.The number of hospital-borne scientific research,funding amounts and types of projects is also increasing..Our hospital scientific management based oriented clinical needs,Construction Institute hospital as a work positioning,the whole process of quality management as the implementation of safeguards.Through a series of positive measures,gradually formed which are consistent with the management of the hospital research and development,and scientific research achievements into clinical practice.The research management changed from passive management model to proactively manage; from the emergency management to the whole process of managing; from the targeted management to guide the management of clinical needs.These measures effectively improve the level of scientific research in hospitals.

We noticed a group of thoracolumbar and lumbar spine fractures showing a unique fracture pattern that consisted of 1) superior disc injury, 2) crush fracture of the upper half of the vertebral body, 3) sagittal fracture of the lower half of the vertebral body, 4) bone fragments in the spinal canal, and 5) lamina fracture. Some of these fracture patterns were present in type B burst fracture of Denis classification. The purpose of this study was to compare the difference between crush-cleavage fracture and type B burst fracture in the viewpoint of neural canal involvement and neurologic status, and functional outcome with surgical treatment. Ten cases were identified as crush-cleavage fractures in 22 type B burst fractures during a 5 year period from Mar. 1989 to Jun. 1993 at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of Chonbuk National University Hospital. Four out of 10 crush-cleavage fractures and 4 out of 12 type B burst fractures were paraparetic. Crush-cleavage fracture must be an unstable thoracolumbar comminuted fracture, but there were no significant differences in the neural canal involvement, incidence of neurologic deficit, and in the functional outcome, compared with type B burst fracture (P>0.05). It could be classified as a progressed form of type B burst fracture in Denis classification, or as a burst-split fracture in Magerl classification in the anatomical viewpoint. In conclusion, crush-cleavage fracture must be a variant of burst fracture.
Classification ; Fractures, Comminuted ; Incidence ; Jeollabuk-do ; Neural Tube ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Orthopedics ; Spinal Canal ; Spine

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical and epidemiological value of semi-quantitative regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF)imaging in children with school phobia. Methods A total of 20 cases diagnosed with school phobia were examined with rCBF.Twelve were males and the other 8 were females.The mean age was(14.2?2.1)years(11-18 years).Semi-quantitative analysis methods were used to investigate the correlations among gender,age and rCBF. ResultsThere were significant differences in the rCBF of right fronto-parietal lobe,right occipital lobe,caput and putamen,left thalamus and hippocampus,and temporo-occipital lobe between males and females(P0.05).Only the PI of left temporo-parietal lobe of those ≥ 15 years old was significantly different from that of those

Objective To compare the heart function and observe the clinical prognosis of dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) in children treated with combination of prednisone and azathioprine and high dose intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG).Methods From Jan.1998 to May 2004,20 children who met the diagnostic criteria of DCM were divided into 2 therapeutic groups(groupⅠ,groupⅡ) according to the time of hospitalization.On the basis of traditional congestive heart failure(CHF) therapy,the children in groupⅠwere treated with immunosuppressive therapy(prednisone plus azathioprine) and the children in groupⅡ were treated with high dose IVIG.The course of treatment was 6 months for all children.Heart functions in all children were evaluated and echocardiographic parameters including left auricular diameter(LA),left ventricular end diastolic diameter(LV),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and cardiac index(CI) were measured before and after therapy,respectively.All children were followed up for 1 year to observe survival rate(%).The findings were analyzed by t test and ?~2 test.Results The percentage of heart function increased from Ⅲ-Ⅳ toⅠ-Ⅱin groupⅠ,which was lower than that in groupⅡ(P