PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CT in the differential diagnosis of tuberculous and malignant pleural effusion whether or not lung lesions are present, and to investigate the CT findings used for this differential diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study involved 30 patients with tuberculous pleural effusion (mean age, 44.6 years; M:F=19:11) and 20 with malignant pleural effusion (mean age, 57.2 years; M:F=10:10). All 50 patients underwent enhanced CT chest scans, and the respective conditions were pathologically confirmed. Two radiologists unaware of the pathologic results and distribution of patients reviewed these scans retrospectively and independently. They recorded the presence or absence of helpful lung lesions, CT findings of pleural effusions, their diagnoses, and the degree of confidence of their diagnoses. RESULTS: Among the total of 100 answeres, helpful long lesions were found in 57 cases. Fifty-three of 57 diagnoses (93%) were correct and 26 cases (46%) were diagnosed with a high degree of confidence. Thirty-two of 43 cases (74%) without helpful lung lesions were correct and 11(26%) were diagnosed with a high degree of confidence. All diagnoses made with a high degree of confidence were correct, even in cases without helpful lung lesions. Frequent CT findings in tuberculous pleural effusion included diffuse pleural thickening, enhancement of pleura, deposition of extrapleural fat, and pleural calcification; in malignant pleural effusion, nodular pleural thickening, pleural thickening over 1cm and associated lymphadenopathy were frequent. Mediastinal and circumferential pleural, as well as fissural involvement, were seen in both effusions; there were no statistical differences. CONCLUSION: In most cases, CT provided correct differential diagnosis between tuberculous and malignant pleural effusion. It can help determine the nature of associated lung and pleural lesions, and specific findings of the latter, and can accurately differentiate tuberculous and malignant pleural effusion.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Pleura ; Pleural Effusion* ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant* ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the location of bone signalabnormality and associated injury, as seen on MR, in patients with acute knee joint injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients with acute knee injury and bone signal abnormalities on MR were included in this study. Thefemur and tibia were each divided into six compartments, namely the anteromedial, medial, posteromedial,anterolateral, lateral, and posterolateral ; these were obtained in each knee joint. We evaluated the location ofbone signal abnormality and the corresponding arthroscopic or operative findings of injury to ligaments andmenisci. Cases with signal abnormalities involving more than three compartments were excluded. RESULT: Bonesignal abnormalities were demonstrated in 51 compartments. Most(84%, 43/51) were noted in the lateral half of theknee joint, the most common location being the tibio- posterolateral compartment(13/51). The femoro-lateral(11/51) and tibio- anterolateral compartment(8/51) were the next most common locations. All cases(13/13)with bone signal abnormality in the tibio- posterolateral compartment had tears at the anterior cruciate ligament,while 9 of 11 cases(81%) with abnormality in the femoro- lateral compartment had tears at the anterior cruciateligament. Six of eight cases(75%) with signal abnormality in the tibio- anterolateral compartment had tears at theposterior cruciate ligament ; 31 of 43 cases (72%) with abnormality in the lateral half of the knee joint hadtears at the medial collateral ligament. Six of eight cases(75%) with signal abnormality in the medial half of theknee joint had tears at the medial meniscus, but no lateral meniscal tear was found. Among patients with signalabnormality in the lateral half of the knee joint, the tear was lateral meniscal in nine of 43 cases(21%) andmedial meniscal in six of 43(14%). CONCLUSION: The location of bone signal abnormality, as seen on knee MR, inpatients with acute knee joint injury could be an important finding suggesting associated injury.
Collateral Ligaments ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Joints ; Knee Injuries ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Menisci, Tibial ; Tibia

Achieving periodontal regeneration in class III furcation defects is challenging. Many studies have applied growth factors to periodontal defects, including fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), which demonstrate angiogenic activity and mitogenic ability. This study aimed to evaluate periodontal regeneration following the application of FGF-2 to deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) in surgically created supra-alveolar class III furcation defects of the mandibular premolars of beagles. The defects were divided into the control, DBBM, and FGF/DBBM groups. For the control group, only root planing was performed. For the DBBM group, only DBBM particles were implanted into the furcation. For the FGF/DBBM group, DBBM was soaked with 0.3% FGF-2 solution, and FGF-2/ DBBM was then positioned into the furcation. After 8 weeks, the dogs were euthanized. The micro-computed tomography analysis revealed that the changes in the bone volume of the furcation area were significantly greater in the FGF/DBBM group than in the DBBM group. In the histomorphometric analysis, the area of the newly formed bone was significantly greater in the FGF/DBBM group than in the DBBM or control group. The cementum extension was significantly longer in the FGF/DBBM or DBBM group than in the control group. The epithelial area was significantly less in the FGF/DBBM group than in the DBBM or control group. The application of FGF combined with DBBM to a class III defect enhanced the regeneration of periodontal tissues and increased the healing rate. This finding indicates that FGF-2 combined with DBBM can be applied to class III defects clinically.

Malignant schwannoma is rare tumor which is derived from schwan cells or nerve sheath cells, and it is frequently associated with Von Rechlinghausen's disease. We experienced one case of malignant schwannoma on the right chest wall without Von Rechlinghausen's disease. Patient was 64-year-old man who presented painless palpable mass on the right lower chest wall for about 2 months. On chest computed tomography, the mass which was 6 X 6 cm in size and had central necrosis, involved 11th rib with destruction, invaded the diaphragm and displaced the kidney anteriorlly. He underwent en-bloc resection of the tumor and discharged without any problem after 20 days.
Diaphragm ; Humans ; Kidney ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Neurilemmoma* ; Ribs ; Thoracic Wall* ; Thorax*

Ten cases with esophageal foreign body were treated surgically from July 1980 to October 1995 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital. The mean age was 45.3 years, with a range from 25 to 71. Out of ten cases, 6 were female and four were male. Common symptoms were dysphagia, fever, foreign body sensation and neck pain. Three cases of foreign bodies were of fish bones, two of bubble package of drugs, one case of a beer bottle cap, one of a piece glass, one of a bathtub plug, one of chicken and one of a bean. The diagnosis was established by esophagography using a water soluble contrast material and esophagoscopy. Among of ten cases, two had esophageal stricture due to the ingestion of lye at a young age. One case had experienced psychological problems. All foreign bodies were removed by surgical procedures. Five cases were treated by cervical esophagostomy, one case by right thoracotomy, one case by retrograde bougienation through gastrostomy and two cases by cervical incision and drainage for cervical abscess. Three cases developed post operative esophageal leaks which healed spontaneously and transient hoarseness developed in one case. One case developed traumatic pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema which was treated by closed thoracostomy. There were no operative deaths.
Abscess ; Beer ; Chickens ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Deglutition Disorders ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Eating ; Esophageal Stenosis ; Esophagoscopy ; Esophagostomy ; Esophagus ; Female ; Fever ; Foreign Bodies* ; Gastrostomy ; Glass ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Lye ; Male ; Neck Pain ; Pneumothorax ; Sensation ; Subcutaneous Emphysema ; Thoracostomy ; Thoracotomy

PURPOSE: To analyze the result of a repeat discectomy for ipsilateral recurrent lumbar disc herniation and to investigate the potential factors that influenced the outcomes for this surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-nine patients, who underwent reoperation after lumbar discectomy with a minimum follow-up period of 2 years, were reviewed. The surgical outcome was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Macnab classification, and the recovery rate was calculated in accordance with VAS. A statistical analysis was carried out by SPSS to evaluate the possible factors that may have influenced the outcomes of the reoperation. RESULTS: The rate of reoperation after lumbar disc surgery due to the recurrent disc herniation was 6.0% (59/983 cases). The average recovery rate of VAS from the 1st operation was approximately 77%, and from the 2nd operation was 71%. According to the Macnab criteria, the results were “excellent” or “good” in 96% of cases. Statistical analysis revealed that there was no difference of the average recovery rate (p<0.05). There is no additional instability after repeat discectomy. Factors, such as smoking, precipitating traumatic events, and diabetes mellitus did not have much influence on the average recovery rate after repeat discectomy for ipsilateral recurrent lumbar disc herniation. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of repeat discectomy were satisfactory. Moreover, factors, smoking, trauma history and diabetic mellitus, only had a minor impact on the outcomes of a repeat discectomy.
Classification ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diskectomy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Reoperation ; Smoke ; Smoking

Esthesioneuroblastoma as a source of ectopic Cushing's syndrome is rare, and to the best of our knowledge, only 20 cases have been reported worldwide. A 46-year-old healthy man visited a local clinic for general weakness and hyposmia, and underwent examination with serial endocrinological workup and brain imaging. ⁶⁸Gallium-DOTA-TOC positron emission tomography scan was helpful where diagnosis of sellar MRI and inferior petrosal sinus sampling were discordant. Combined transcranial and endoscopic endonasal approach surgery was performed, and a diagnosis of esthesioneuroblastoma was given.
Cushing Syndrome ; Diagnosis ; Esthesioneuroblastoma, Olfactory ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neuroimaging ; Petrosal Sinus Sampling ; Positron-Emission Tomography

Background: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a pathophysiological mechanism that remains unclear. Recently, dysregulation of the sensory nerve system has been implicated in the development of this condition. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of capsaicin on neuroinflammatory mediators in rosacea. In addition, this study aimed to evaluate the attenuating effects of capsazepine, a transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) antagonist. Methods: We obtained skin tissue from both rosacea patients and normal individuals for an in vivo study. In addition, normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) were cultured, and treated with capsaicin and capsazepine for an in vitro study. Quantitative changes in neuroinflammatory mediators were evaluated by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunofluorescence staining. Results: The data showed the increase of TRPV1, TRPV4, cathelicidin (LL37) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in skin tissue by real-time PCR. In addition, the data showed that cathelicidin (LL37), kallikrein-5 (KLK-5), TNF-α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-8, and protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) increased in capsaicin-treated NHEKs. Capsazepine attenuated the expression of TRPV1 and other mediators, except for IL-8, in capsaicin-treated NHEKs. Conclusion We confirmed that TRPV1, TRPV4, cathelicidin (LL37) and TNF-α are increased in rosacea skin, and that capsaicin is associated with increase of neuroinflammatory mediators such as LL37, KLK-5, TNF-α, VEGF, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-8, and PAR2. Modulators or inhibitors of neuroinflammatory mediators including TRPV1 could be potential therapeutic option in the treatment of patients with rosacea.

PURPOSE: To describe the technical skills and to estimate the clinical outcomes of port-hole decompression preserving the posterior ligaments during lumbar spinal stenosis surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2014 and March 2016, a total of 101 patients who underwent port-hole decompression were retrospectively analyzed. The mean age was 71.3 years (58–84 years) and there were 46 males and 55 females. The mean follow-up period was 18 months. Degenerative spondylolisthesis was observed in 24.8% of patients (25/101). Port-hole decompression was performed by removing the central portion of the distal part of the upper lamina with a burr. Then, the contralateral side of ligamentum flavum and hypertrophied facet joints were removed. We estimated the lumbar lordotic angle using radiographs, and measured the depth from skin to upper lamina central area using magnetic resonance imaging axial images. We estimated the mean slip angle and mean degree of slip in preoperative and postoperative radiography in standing flexion and extension. We also measured the operational time, length of skin incision, and blood loss. The clinical results were estimated by a walking distance caused by neurologic intermittent claudication, visual analogue scale, and Oswestry disability index. RESULTS: Most patients were generally older, and the mean lordotic angle was 25.3°, which is considered to be lower when compared with younger people. The mean depth from skin to lamina was mean 5.4 cm. With respect to the radiological results, there were no significant differences between the preoperative and postoperative groups. The operation time, length of skin incision, and bleeding were not increased proportionally to the operation level. The walking distance caused by neurologic intermittent claudication, visual analogue scale, and Oswestry disability index of the post-operative group were all improved compared with the pre-operative group. CONCLUSION: The port-hole decompression, which decompresses the contralateral side while preserving the posterior ligaments and facet joints may be a useful technique for elderly patients with multiple level stenosis, minimizing spinal segmental instability.
Aged ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Decompression ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intermittent Claudication ; Ligaments ; Ligamentum Flavum ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spondylolisthesis ; Walking ; Zygapophyseal Joint

BACKGROUND: Citron is well known for an abundance of antioxidative and anti-inflammatory ingredients such as vitamin C, polyphenol compounds, flavonoids, and limonoids. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of citron essential oils on rosacea mediators in activated keratinocytes in vitro. METHODS: Normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) were stimulated with 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) and interleukin 33 (IL-33) with LL-37 to induce rosacea mediators such as kallikrein 5 (KLK5), cathelicidin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1). These mediators were analyzed by performing reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real-time PCR, immunocytofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay after NHEKs were treated with citron seed and unripe citron essential oils. RESULTS: The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of KLK5 and LL-37 induced by VD3 were suppressed by citron seed and unripe citron essential oils. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of VEGF and TRPV1 induced by IL-33 with LL-37 were also suppressed by citron essential oils. CONCLUSION: These results show that citron essential oils have suppressive effects on rosacea mediators in activated epidermal keratinocytes, which indicates that the citron essential oils may be valuable adjuvant therapeutic agents for rosacea.
Ascorbic Acid ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flavonoids ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interleukin-33 ; Kallikreins ; Keratinocytes* ; Limonins ; Oils, Volatile* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; Rosacea* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A