No abstract available.
Molecular Biology

Colitis cystica profunda is a benign disorder in which a mucous cyst is located in the submucosal layer of, primarily, the pelvic colon and rectum. Radiologic reports of the condition are rare. We report the radiological findings of a case of colitis cystica profunda arising from the proximal ascending colon near the ileocecal valve, and causing intussusception. We also review the literature.
Colitis* ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Ileocecal Valve ; Intussusception* ; Rectum

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

No abstract available.
Anemia, Aplastic* ; Bone Marrow Transplantation* ; Bone Marrow* ; Immunomodulation*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Inpatients*

BACKGROUND: It is not known with certainty whether patients with persistently positive sputum smear results who have also had negative sputum culture results require prolongation of treatment for tuberculosis in order to avoid an increased risk of eventual relapse. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively describe the treatment characteristics and evaluate the appropriate duration of treatment in these patients. METHODS: Sixty of 69 patients with sputum smear positive and culture negative tests at 5 months after first line anti-tuberculous chemotherapy from 2002 to 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria included incomplete treatment or resistance to rifampicin or two additional antibiotics, as determined by a drug susceptibility test (DST). RESULTS: Smear conversion of the study subjects was observed after 8.3+/-2.3 months treatment, and the patients were culture negative after 2.0+/-0.8 months. The relapse rates of the study subjects were 3.8, 10.0, and 25.8% after 1, 2, and 5 years of anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, respectively. The relapse rates were not significantly affected by a series of risk factors such as age, sex, presence of diabetes, a sputum culture examination after 2 months treatment, previous treatment history, chest radiograph, and duration of the treatment (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Regimen change is not required for patients with persistent smear positive but culture negative tests in the fifth month for first line antituberculous treatment. However, a further study will be needed to clarify the high relapse rate in this specific group of patients.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Rifampin ; Risk Factors ; Sputum* ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

BACKGROUND: Systemic hypertension produces varying degree of LVH which is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidiity. Previous studies have documented regression of LVH with various antihypertensives including calcium channel blockers, except diuretics and vasodilators. Recently echocadiographic assessment of the change of left ventricular mass(LVM) after antihyertensive therapy have been reported to offer prognostic cardiovascular information. The aim of this echocardiographic study is determining the influence of nicardipine, a calcium channel blocker, on the change of LVM in patients with essential hypertenison. METHODS: Left ventricular mass(LVM) and left ventricular mass index(LVMI) were measured by M-mode echocardiography in 15 patients with essential hypertension. Nicardipine, a calcium channel blocker, was administered for 6 months and two echocardiographies were done before and after administering, respectively. RESULTS: In the 15 patients treated for 6 months, systolic and diastolic pressure remained very significantly decreased compared with pressure before before therapy(135+/-15mmHg vs 168+/-26mmHg, and 86+/-7mmHg vs 105+/-16mmHg, both p<0.01). Concomitantly both LVM and LVMI decreased significantly(209+/-49g vs 235+/-71g, and 116+/-6g/m2 vs 131+/-38g/m2,both p<0.05). And no change was noted in left ventricular cavity size, demonstration that LVM reduction was due to regression of hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: This study showed that nicardipine produced a significant decrease in blood pressure, LVM, and LVMI over the 6 months period. And large and longterm controlled studies are needed for the clarification of the association between nicardipine and regression of LVH in hypertensive patients.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Calcium Channels ; Diuretics ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy ; Nicardipine* ; Vasodilator Agents

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of malaria is increasing in recent years and also multidrug resistant malaria is increasing around the world and there is an increasing concern about imported malaria in nonendemic areas. Now many drugs are tried to find out effect on multidrug resistant malaria. We performed this study to investigate the thrapeutic effect of halofantrine in the treatment of chloroquine resistant imported malaria. METHODS: From Feb. 1992 to May 1995, we experienced 35 patients infected with malaria and treated 14 patients among 35 patients with halofantrine. RESULTS: 1) All 14 patients were sailor with a mean age of 39.4 years and infected with malaria. 2) The majority of patients were infected with malaria at Africa. 3) 10 patients were infected with Plasmodium falciparum and the remainder were undetermined. 4) In the 11 cases of chloroquine resistant malaria treated with quinine plus tetracycline combination therapy or Fansidar, 4 cases could not be tolerable due to side effects and resistance to the therapy, we substituted halofantrine for above regimens. 5) In the 10 cases, treated after May 1994, halofantrine was the first choice of treatment because they were the cases of malaria infected in the mid-Africa where the prevalence of chloroquine resistant malaria is high. 6) With halofantrine, all 14 cases were treated with minimal side effects suc4 as nausea, vomiting, anorexia, abdominal pain and fatigue. CONCLUSION: We think halofantrine is a simple and effective regimen against chloroquine resistant malaria and consider this agent as an alternative therapeutic regimen on chloroquine resistant malaria.
Abdominal Pain ; Africa ; Anorexia ; Chloroquine* ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Malaria* ; Military Personnel ; Nausea ; Plasmodium falciparum ; Prevalence ; Quinine ; Tetracycline ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: Treatment of impotence has advanced considerably by an orally active, effective and well-tolerated drug, sildenafil citrate. However, Sildenafil citrate is not so effective for the treatment of severe organic impotence patients. Intracavernosal injection of vasoactive substance is still the most effective therapy for those patients but side effects, e.g. pain, priapism, require a more comfortable therapy. We performed this study to assess the feasibility of sildenafil citrate as a new intracavernosal agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In New Zealand white male rabbits (n=11), relaxations of precontracted cavernosal smooth muscle strips were studied after administration of sildenafil citrate, acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), respectively. In separate in vivo experiment, changes of intracavernosal pressure (ICP), duration of increased ICP and changes of systemic arterial blood pressure after retrograde selective internal pudendal arterial administration of four separate doses (0.1 mg, n=5; 0.3 mg, n=6; 0.5 mg, n=7; 1.0 mg, n=7) of sildenafil citrate were monitored in adult male cats (n=25). RESULTS: Acetylcholine, SNP and sildenafil citrate effectively relaxed the precontracted strips in a dose-dependent manner (3x10 8-3x10 3 M), respectively. Maximal relaxation of strips to acetylcholine, SNP and sildenafil citrate were 50.11%, 98.65%, and 68.32%, respectively. The order of potency was acetylcholine Acetylcholine ; Adult ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Cats ; Citric Acid* ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Humans ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; New Zealand ; Nitroprusside ; Penis ; Priapism ; Rabbits ; Relaxation ; Sildenafil Citrate

PURPOSE: The present study was done to define the degree of intravesical prostatic protrusion (IPP) causing bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/lower urinary tract symptoms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 239 patients with BPH, analyzing age, IPP, prostate volume, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), and the results from a pressure-flow study. Urethral resistance was quantified by using the BOO index (BOOI), according to the formula BOOI=PdetQmax-2xQmax (where Pdet is detrusor pressure at the peak flow rate and Qmax is peak flow rate). BOO was defined by a BOOI above 40. Patients with a BOOI below 20 were excluded. Patients were classified into two groups (obstructed and unobstructed groups) by the BOOI. Correlations were determined by logistic regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to estimate the optimal cutoff for IPP. RESULTS: There were significant differences in total prostate volume, postvoiding residual urine (PVR), IPP, and Qmax (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, and p=0.026, respectively) between the obstructed and unobstructed groups, but there were no significant differences in age (p=0.653), IPSS total score (p=0.624), or quality of life score (p=0.138). IPP had a significant prognosis (p<0.001) but was weakly correlated with prostate volume (p=0.026). The correlation coefficients between IPP and Qmax, PVR, prostate volume, and BOO were 0.551, -0.159, 0.225, and 0.391, respectively. For IPP, the area under the curve was 0.759 (95% confidence interval, 0.657 to 0.861) and the cutoff to indicate BOO was 5.5 mm with 66.7% sensitivity and 80.5% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: An IPP exceeding 5.5 mm was significantly associated with BOO.
Humans ; Indoles ; Logistic Models ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; Urinary Tract