Therapeutic ionizing radiation can damage the permanent pacemaker. Reimplantation of pacemaker should be considered when the pacemaker site is included in the radiation field. We report a case of successful repositioning of preexisting pacemaker generator and leads with subcutaneous tunneling method across the sternum instead of insertion of new leads in a female patient with breast cancer who had DDD pacemaker.
Breast Neoplasms ; Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane ; Female ; Humans ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Replantation ; Sternum

We present BioSubroutine, an open depository server that automatically categorizes various subroutines frequently used in bioinformatics research. We processed a large bioinformatics subroutine library called Bio.pl that was the first Bioperl subroutine library built in 1995. Over 1000 subroutines were processed automatically and an HTML interface has been created. BioSubroutine can accept new subroutines and algorithms from any such subroutine library, as well as provide interactive user forms. The subroutines are stored in an SQL database for quick searching and accessing. BioSubroutine is an open access project under the BioLicense license scheme.
Computational Biology* ; Licensure

In this study, using the HL7 protocol, we developed patient management system gateway which is composed of 2 parts; message transferring-receiving and sentcncc generating-parsing part. To make the gateway more transplantable, it was developed on the PC operated with Windows OS. To make the gateway more productive, it was developed with Visual Basic 6.0. The database was built into MS SQL. Server which is most optimized on MS Windows NT system environment. This gateway system has the advantage of easy data-exchange capability between the patient management systems of medical facility and the messages transferred can he managed systematically and he transplanted easily into PC base hospital information system.
Hospital Information Systems ; Humans

Although transthoracic needle biopsy (TTNB) was introduced for lung biopsy about 40 years ago, it is still mainstay of pathologic diagnosis in lung cancer, because it is relatively inexpensive and can obtain tissue regardless of the tumor-bronchus relationship. With several technological advances, proceduralists can perform TTNB more safely and accurately. Utilizing ultrasound-guided biopsy for peripheral lesions in contact with the pleura and rapid onsite evaluation during the procedure are expected to make up the weakness of TTNB. However, due to the inherent limitations of the percutaneous approach, the incidence of complications such as pneumothorax or bleeding is inevitably higher than that of other lung biopsy techniques. Thorough understating of each biopsy modality and additional technique are fundamental for maximizing diagnostic accuracy and minimizing the complications.

Although transthoracic needle biopsy (TTNB) was introduced for lung biopsy about 40 years ago, it is still mainstay of pathologic diagnosis in lung cancer, because it is relatively inexpensive and can obtain tissue regardless of the tumor-bronchus relationship. With several technological advances, proceduralists can perform TTNB more safely and accurately. Utilizing ultrasound-guided biopsy for peripheral lesions in contact with the pleura and rapid onsite evaluation during the procedure are expected to make up the weakness of TTNB. However, due to the inherent limitations of the percutaneous approach, the incidence of complications such as pneumothorax or bleeding is inevitably higher than that of other lung biopsy techniques. Thorough understating of each biopsy modality and additional technique are fundamental for maximizing diagnostic accuracy and minimizing the complications.

PURPOSE: Pelvic irradiation for the treatment of cancer can affect normal cells, such as the rapidly proliferating spermatogenic cells of the testis, leading to infertility, a common post-irradiation problem. The present study investigated the radioprotective effect of rolipram, a specific phosphodiesterase type-IV inhibitor known to increase the expression and phosphorylation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein (CREB), a key factor for spermatogenesis, with the testicular system against pelvic irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were treated with pelvic irradiation (2 Gy) and rolipram, alone or in combination, and were sacrificed at 12 hours and 35 days after irradiation. RESULTS: Rolipram protected germ cells from radiation-induced apoptosis at 12 hours after irradiation and significantly increased testis weight compared with irradiation controls at 35 days. Rolipram also ameliorated radiation-induced testicular morphological changes, such as changes in seminiferous tubular diameter and epithelial height. Additionally, seminiferous tubule repopulation and stem cell survival indices were higher in the rolipram-treated group than in the radiation group. Moreover, rolipram treatment counteracted the radiation-mediated decrease in the sperm count and mobility in the epididymis. CONCLUSIONS: These protective effects of rolipram treatment prior to irradiation may be mediated by the increase in pCREB levels at 12 hours post-irradiation and the attenuated decrease in pCREB levels in the testis at 35 days post-irradiation in the rolipram-treated group. These findings suggest that activation of CREB signaling by rolipram treatment ameliorates the detrimental effects of acute irradiation on testicular dysfunction and the related male reproductive functions in mice.
Adenosine Monophosphate ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein ; Epididymis ; Germ Cells ; Humans ; Infertility ; Male ; Mice* ; Phosphorylation ; Rolipram* ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Sperm Count ; Spermatogenesis ; Stem Cells ; Testis

PURPOSE: Small uterine cervical tumors are often undetected on MRI, and undetectable tumors are usually regarded as being in their early stages. The purpose of this study was to evaluate morphological factors determining MRI detectability of uterine cervical tumors by comparing detected and undetected tumors using high resolution MRI units. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-six surgically-proven uterine cervical cancer patients were included in this study. Using a GE Signa 1.5T magnet (GE, U.S.A.) axial T1-weighted MR images and axial, sagittal, and coronal T2-weighted fast spin echo MR images were obtained with a 5 mm thickness/2 mm gap and a 512x256 matrix size. The patients were divided into two groups, tumor-detected and tumor-undetected. Maximal tumor dimension, depth of stromal invasion, and horizontal tumor spread, measured during histopathological examinations, as well as pathological stages, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: In the tumor-detected group, the pathological stages were IB1 in 25, IB2 in 3, IIA in 10, and IIB in 5 patients; in the tumor-undetected group, the stages were IA1 in 8, IA2 in 2, and IB1 in 13 patients. Maximal tumor dimension, depth of stromal invasion and horizontal tumor spread for tumor-detected and -undetected groups were 27.4 (10-60) mm vs. 10.4 (3-40) mm (p=0.077), 11.1 (3-20) mm vs. 2.3 (0-5) mm (p<0.001), and 26.6 (8-60) mm vs. 10.4 (3-40) mm (p=0.057), respectively. CONCLUSION: Of the criteria studied, depth of stromal invasion is the most important factor in determining tumor detectability on MRI. All tumors in which this depth was more than 5 mm were thus detected; which are undetected on high resolution MRI can be regarded as early-stage tumors (stage IB1).
Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of cooperative training on the pretreatment assessment of the feasibility to perform Ultrasonography (US) guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for patients afflicted with hepatocellular carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In our prospective study, 146 patients with 200 hepatocellular carcinomas were referred for radiofrequency ablation after triage by hepatologists. Three radiologists with different levels of experience performed the planning US before (group I) and after (group II) cooperative training, to evaluate whether radiofrequency ablation was feasible. The feasibility rates considered eligible according to our criteria were evaluated. In addition, we analyzed the reasons for the lack of feasibility were analyzed. The interobserver agreement for the assessment of feasibility before and after training was also calculated. RESULTS: The overall feasibility rates for both groups was 73%. No significant difference in the feasibility rates was observed. The feasibility rates of each observer for group I were 71% (observer 1), 77% (observer 2) and 70% (observer 3) and those for group II were 73%, 76% and 69%, respectively. In the tumors (n = 164) considered ineligible, the two most common causes for refraining from performing radiofrequency ablation included non-visualization of the tumor (62%) and the absence of a safe route for the percutaneous approach (38%). We found moderate interobserver agreement for all observers before cooperative training and a good agreement after training. CONCLUSION: Although the cooperative training did not affect the feasibility rate of each observer, it improved the interobserver agreement for assessing the feasibility of performing US guided radiofrequency ablation, which may reduce unnecessary admission or delayed treatment.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*surgery/ultrasonography ; *Catheter Ablation ; Clinical Competence ; Feasibility Studies ; Humans ; Inservice Training ; Liver Neoplasms/*surgery/ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Ultrasonography, Interventional

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and explore the psychological and neurophysiological predictors of social functioning. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with schizophrenia and thirty patients with bipolar disorder, as well as twenty-five healthy controls, completed measures of social functioning (questionnaire of social functioning), neurocognition (Verbal fluency, Korean-Auditory Verbal Learning Test), and social cognition (basic empathy scale and Social Attribution Task-Multiple Choice), and the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ). For neurophysiological measurements, mismatch negativity and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded from all participants. Multiple hierarchical regression was performed to explore the impact of factors on social functioning. RESULTS: The results showed that CTQ-emotional neglect significantly predicted social functioning in schizophrenia group, while HRV-high frequency significantly predicted social functioning in bipolar disorder patients. Furthermore, emotional neglect and HRV-HF still predicted social functioning in all of the subjects after controlling for the diagnostic criteria. CONCLUSION: Our results implicated that even though each group has different predictors of social functioning, early traumatic events and HRV could be important indicators of functional outcome irrespective of what group they are.
Bipolar Disorder ; Cognition ; Empathy ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Schizophrenia ; Verbal Learning