No abstract available.
Cystitis, Interstitial* ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide*

PURPOSE: To report two cases of retinal detachment associated with von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, one case of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment combined with mild proliferative vitreoretinopathy and a case of tractional retinal detachment. METHODS: Case reports. Pars plana vitrectomy with membrane peeling and silicone oil tamponade were performed in all cases. Lens aspiration was also performed in one case. RESULTS: Successful retinal reattachment was obtained in all cases. Case 2 developed cataract and secondary glaucoma and was treated with phacoemulsification with posterior chamber lens insertion and YAG laser iridotomy. CONCLUSIONS: In two patients with retinal detachment occurring in von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, we could obtain successful retinal reattachment with stabilized visual acuity after performing pars plana vitrectomy and silicone oil injection.
Cataract ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Membranes ; Phacoemulsification ; Retinal Detachment* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Silicone Oils ; Traction ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative ; von Hippel-Lindau Disease*

BACKGROUND: The macrophages activated by lipopolisaccharide produce numerous molecules and proteins, such as tumor necrotic factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1beta, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and free radicals, associated with inflammation. The response was occurred by intracellular cascaded, NF-kappaB pathway. So, the regulation of this pathway is very important in control of inflammation. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of Sophora flavescens that is used empirically in oriental medicine and folk remedy were evaluated and the mechanism of the effects was studied. METHODS: By using the root extracts of Sophora flavescens, we performed experiment in LPS and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-activated Raw 264.7 cells. We measured the production of NO, PGE2 and expression of iNOS and COX-2 in activated Raw 264.7 cells with Sophora flavescens root extract. Also, we tested anti-oxidant effect of Sophora flavescens root extracts by ELISA kit in activated Raw 264.7 cells, and the free radical scavenging effect of material itself by DPPH assay. RESULTS: The Sophora flavescens root extracts decreased the production of NO (p<0.001) and PGE2 (p<0.01) in Raw 264.7 cells activated by LPS and IFN-gamma. The expression of proteins, iNOS and COX-2, suppressed along with the elevated concentration of Sophora flavescens root extracts. The result of DPPH assay was that the test material itself had scavenging effect for free radical (p<0.001). And the antioxidant activity in activated Raw 264.7 cells was increased with the level of the Sophora flavescens root extracts (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The Sophora flavescens root extracts suppressed the production of NO and PGE2 through the decreased expression of iNOS and COX-2. And the Sophora flavescens root extracts had the scavenging effect about free radicals itself and increased the antioxidant activity in activated macrophages.
Antioxidants ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Dinoprostone ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Free Radicals ; Inflammation ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Medicine, Traditional ; NF-kappa B ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Proteins ; Sophora

No abstract available.
Foreign Bodies* ; Pneumonia, Aspiration*

The osteoplasties of maxilla and mandible as the craniomaxillofacial surgery is popular and markedly developed in technically. In traditional osteoplasty, we have been use the mechanical saw, burr, cutting bar which is big sized instrument to transmit the energies to the saw or burr tips. So it is technically difficult to use such big instrument in narrow operative field Recently, the development of laser technology makes wider influence in the medical field. So, the laser is applying to high energy-using osteotomy in addition to hemangioma, tatoo, laserbrasion, hypertrophic scar and endoscopic surgery. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the extent of damage of bone and subsequent healing between the conventional mechnical saw osteotomies and the ND-YAG laser used osteotomies on the rabbit mandible angles by the histologic examination. Fifteen New Zealand white rabbits were used for the study. After exposure of rabbit's mandibular angle, one side of mandible angles were osteomized used by Nd-YAG laser and the other by the saw randomly. We compared the extent of damage and healing of laser and saw osteotomies at immediate, 2 week, 4 week, 3 months, 6 months postoperatively. The result revealed that, in two weeks after operation, the one of damaged bone was looks wider in laser osteotomies sites than by conventional mechanical saw osteotomies sites, but there is not remarkable differences between the laser and saw used group after 4 weeks, and we believe that it is possibility to use alser in craniomaxillofacial field saftly in near future.
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Hemangioma ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Osteotomy ; Rabbits

Epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma and basal cell adenocarcinoma are uncommon, low-grade malignant epithelial neoplasms of salivary gland. They occur predominantly in the parotid glands with frequent recurrences and occasional distant metastases. We report an unusual case of combined epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma and basal cell adenocarcinoma within the same mass of the parotid gland in a 32-year-old woman. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such a combined carcinoma case.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Adult ; Carcinoma ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Parotid Gland* ; Recurrence ; Salivary Glands

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate surgical outcomes of canalicular trephination with lacrimal trephine and endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy in patiens with common canalicular or canalicular obstruction. METHODS: 35 patients (38 eyes) diagnosed as common canalicular or canalicular obstruction undergoing surgery between December 1999 and August 2003. Patients have been followed up more than 5 months after surgery. RESULTS: The average age of patients was 57.3 years old and the average follow-up period was 7.1 months. The overall success rate was 92.1%. With obstructions within lower canaliculus, the success rate was 75.0%. The success rate of the cases with obstructions within upper canaliculus and upper and lower canaliculus was 100%, and the success rate of the cases with obstructions within common canaliculus was 95.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical success rate of canalicular trephination with lacrimal trephine and endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy was better than canaliculodacryocystorhinostomy and this seems to be adequate as an primary procedure before Jones tube bypass surgery.
Dacryocystorhinostomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Trephining*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the size of normal pons and cerebellum in vivo and the change in size according to age, and to compare those with measurement of the diseased pons and cerebellum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 121 normal adults(M:F=54:67), 5 patients with OPCD and 19 patients with WallerJan degeneration were studied. The normal group was divided into 5 subgroups according to the age (ranged from 20 to 72 years). 1.5T GE Signa MR unit was used. On axial plane, the AP(A) and transverse(B) diameters of the pons, the size of the middle cerebellar peduncle(C), and transverse diameter of the posterior fossa(D) and the cerebellum(E) were measured. On midsagittal plane, the longitudinal(F) and AP(G) diameters of the basis pontis were measured. The ratios of E/D and F/G were calculated. The student t test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: C, E and F/G were 15.5mm+/-1.3, 99.8mm+/-4.3 and 1.63+/-.10, respectively. F/G, H/I, and H/J were larger in male(p<.01). All data of the pons showed no statistically significant differences among age groups. E of the seventh decades was shorter than that of the third decades(p<.05). C(12.7 mm+/-1.4) in OPCD and F/G(1. 81+/-.10) in Wallerian degeneration(p<.01) showed the most significant differences when they were compared to the normal. CONCLUSION: Although the cerebellum decreased in size with age, the pons maintained its size up to eighth' decades. The measurement of middle cerebellar peduncle on axial plane (C) and the ratio of basis pontis on midsagittal plane (F/G) were important in the evaluation of OPCD and WallerJan degeneration, respectively.
Cerebellum* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pons*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although interferon-a(IFNa) is currently the most effective antiviral agent for treating patients with chronic hepatitis C, its efficacy is not always reliable. Factors suggested to infruence outcome of IFN-a therapy for chronic hepatitis C are histological activity, level of viremia and HCV genotype, etc. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between several pretreatment factors and response to IFN-a therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with chronic HCV infection(47 with chronic hepatitis and 7 with liver cirrhosis) who received IFN-a(2a or 2b) therapy(3 6 MU, three times a week, for 3 12 months) were included. Level of serum HCV RNA(50 patients), HCV genotype(27 patients) and IgM anti- HCV(21 patients) during pretreatment period were assayed. RESULTS: Overall, 19(35%) subjects achieved sustained response(SR), 12(22%) had transient response(TR) and 23(43%) did not respond (nonresponse;NR). Mean age of patients with SR, TR and NR was 46+ 10, 51+ 7.5 and 54+ 9.7 years, respectively(p<0.05 between SR and NR). Among 30 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis, 13(43%) achieved SR;but only one(14%) in 7 patients with liver cirrhosis. Mean serum HCV RNA level(X10' copies/ml) was higher in nonresponders(7,7+ 13.0) compared with SR(2.3+ 2. 7) or TR(3.1+ 4.9), although statistically insignificant HCV genotyping in 27 patients revealed type la in 5(18.5%), 1b in 14(52%), 2a in 5(18.5%), 2b in 1(3.7%) and 4 in 2(7%), respectively. In non-1b patients, SR rate was significantly higher than 1b patients(69.2% vs. 21.4%, p=0.03). Although IgM anti-HCV was positive in 12(57%) among 21 patients studied, the positive rate and the titer of IgM anti-HCV was not significantly different in three groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that in patients with chronic hepatitis C, infection with genotype 1b, old age, high serum HCV RNA level and the presence of cirrhosis would predict poor response to IFN therapy.
Fibrosis ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Interferons* ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; RNA ; Viremia

Hypothalamic hamartomas are often associated with early onset gelastic seizures, precocious puberty, behavioral problem and suboptimal response to antiepiletptic drugs. Until now, four surgical options have been reported to reduce seizure by >50%. Surgical excision have good seizure outcome but postoperative complications were not infrequent, whether by pterional or transcallosal interforniceal approach. Radiosurgery is noninvasive alternative to resective surgery but the effect usually does not appear until several months later. Radiofrequency ablation is less invasive than surgical resection and its effect is immediate, but lacks long term follow-up data. It also requires three dimensional analysis of the lesion to enhance effi cacy and safety. As hypothalamic hamartoma is intrinsically epileptogenic and epileptogenic discharges spread from the lesion, blocking the seizure propagation through endoscopic disconnection is regarded as an effective and safer option. Surgical choice for a particular patient should take into account the hamartoma’s size, location, surgeon’s preferences, possible complication as well as the effect and risk of the various surgical methods. In the present review, open surgery, endoscopic disconnection, radiosurgery and radiofrequency ablation are discussed.