The purpose of this study was to evalute the effect of immersion disinfection on the dimensional stability of rubber impression materials. The metallic master model was made in order to simulate the intraoral arch form. Impressions were made from four impression materials (Exaflex, Extrude, Reprosil, Impregum-F) and immersed in three disinfectant solutions (Wydex, Vi-Pon, Potadine). Casts from the impressions were measured according to the interpreparation distance. The A-B and The B-D abutment distance were compared with the control group and disinfected groups. The results were as follows; 1. The measurements of the stone cast increased relative to the master model and there was a significant difference (P<0.05). 2. The relative dimensional change of the stone cast as compared with master model ranged from 0.10% to 0.56% in the A-B distance and ranged from 0.04% to 0.27% in the B-D distance. 3. The dimensional change of the disinfected groups as compared with the control group was significantly different in the three impression materials except for Impregum-F (P<0.05). 4. The relative dimensional change of the disinfected groups compared with the control group ranged from 0% to 0.20% in the A-B distance and ranged from -0.09% to 0.11% in the B-D distance. These results suggest that immersion disinfection of rubber impression materials by chemical disinfectants causes very small dimensional change and the change is clinically acceptable for prothesis fabrication
Disinfectants ; Disinfection* ; Immersion* ; Rubber*

PURPOSE: We experienced two cases of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment after LASIK procedure. This is the first published report, so we report this with literature review. METHODS: A 40-year-old female who had undergone LASIK procedure a month before complained sudden drop in vision and on fundus examination, retinal detachment with two retinal tears was detected. And 22-year-old male who had LASIK procedure 30 months before complained sudden drop in vision and on fundus examination, retinal detachment with three retinal holes was detected. RESULTS: Retinal reattachment was achieved with vitrectomy in the first case and scleral buckling using silicone sponge in the second case and the retina remained reattached during follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of retinal pathology predisposing to retinal detachment in patient undergoing LASIK.
Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ* ; Male ; Pathology ; Porifera ; Retina ; Retinal Detachment* ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinaldehyde* ; Scleral Buckling ; Silicones ; Vitrectomy ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Gaucher Disease*

No abstract available.
Cardiac Output* ; Ultrasonography*

PURPOSE: Total mesorectal excision has been advocated as the effective operation for patients with rectal cancer to reduce the local recurrence rate after curative resection. Its rationale is to remove possible tumor foci at the mesorectum distal to the level of the rectal cancer. This study was undertaken to clarify the rationale for total mesorectal excision. METHODS: Total mesorectal excision was performed in 72 patients with rectal cancer who admitted in Severance Hospital between December, 1996 and December, 1997. The obtained mesorectums were classified to M0 (from the proximal margin to the distal margin of the tumor), M1 (from the distal margin to 2 cm below the distal margin), M2 (from 2 cm to 5 cm below the distal margin), and microscopic examination was done. RESULTS: The nodal metastases were detected in 7 cases and tumor deposits in 4 cases. Especially in M2 with Dukes' C2, the rate of nodal metastases was 3.6 percent and the rate of tumor deposits was 7.1 percent. The nodal metastases and tumor deposits in the distal mesorectum have no correlation with gross finding, size, location and differentiation of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: En bloc excision of all mesorectal tissue down to at least 5 cm below the lower margin of the tumor is required for patients with advanced rectal cancer to remove possible metastatic lymph nodes and tumor deposits in the distal mesorectum.
Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors are used widely to treat patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Although various cutaneous reactions can occur as side effects of TNF-alpha inhibitors, systemic vasculitis requiring withdrawal of the agent and immunosuppressive drugs is rare. A 59-year-old male with AS who had been treated with infliximab for 60 months visited us with complaints of palpable purpura on both legs and severe abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography showed diffuse wall thickening of the proximal jejunum and ileum and a skin biopsy revealed leukocytoclastic vasculitis. The patient was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). Infliximab was discontinued and systemic steroid therapy at 0.5 mg/kg resulted in prompt resolution of the HSP. Here, we report the first case of HSP in a patient with AS after infliximab treatment.
Abdominal Pain ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biopsy ; Humans ; Ileum ; Jejunum ; Leg ; Male ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Skin ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vasculitis ; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous

PURPOSE: We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of a 64-slice multi-detector CT (MDCT) coronary angiography against a conventional coronary angiography (CCA) for the detection of significant stenosis (> or =50% lumen diameter narrowing). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients underwent a MDCT and a subsequent CCA to evaluate the presence of atypical chest pain or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). A MDCT angiography was performed using a 64-slice MDCT-scanner (Sensation 64, slice collimation 32x0.6 mm). The coronary artery segments were classified according to a 15-segment model. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of the 64-slice MDCT for the detection or exclusion of significant CAD were calculated on a per-segment and per-patient basis. RESULTS: Fifty-nine of the 64 (92%) coronary CT angiograms were of diagnostic image quality with 93.5% (809 of 865) of the coronary segments assessable by CT angiography. One-hundred two (12.6%) segments showed significant stenosis by CCA. Stenosis of 50% or greater was detected by sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive valve, and negative predictive value on a per segment basis (89%, 99%, 97%, 90%, and 98%, respectively) and a per-patient basis (96%, 69%, 90%, 92%, and 82%, respectively). CONCLUSION: The 64-slice MDCT coronary angiography demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy for both the per-segment and per-patient analyses for this symptomatic patient group.
Angiography ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to analyze a correlation between related molecular markers and prognosis after curative resection for primary and hepatic metastasis for colorectal cancer. METHODS: A total 63 patients who have been resected curatively for primary and metastatic colorectal cancer between 1989 and 2000. All patients were completely followed up and recurrence and survival rates were analyzed. All paraffin embedded tumor tissues in primary and metastatic tumors were used for microtissue array and immunohistochemical staining of p53, nm23 and VEGF. RESULTS: Mean follow up period was 30.9 months. Recurrence was noted in 39/63 (61.9%) and 5 year survival rates was 27.7%. 5 year survival rates according to protein expression in primary tumor: p53+/-: 24.6% vs 27.3%, nm 23 +/-: 17.6% vs 38.9%, VEGF +/-: 38.8% vs 21.6% (P=0.16, 0.06, 0.9, respectively). 5 year survival rates according to protein expression in metastatic tumor, p53 +/-: 18% vs 59.2%, nm 23 +/-; 38.2% vs 15.8%, VEGF +/-: 38.8% vs 21.6% (P=0.03, 0.35, 0.96, respectively). A patients recurred within 1 year after surgery (group I, N=23) were compared with patients who recurred 1 year after (group II, N=16). nm23 expression in primary tumor in each group of patients: ; 15/23 (65.2%), : 4/16 (25 %), : 8/23 (34.8%), : 12/16 (75%), respectively (P= 0.013). But, p53, VEGF expression in primary tumor showed no statistical significance. nm23 expression in metastatic tumor revealed no statistical significance between two group of patients. CONCLUSIONS: p53 expression in metastatic tumor and nm 23 expression in primary tumor can predict poor prognosis after curative resection for primary and metastatic colorectal cancer. Molecular marker expression in primary and hepatic colorectal cancer can give us a reliable prognostic values.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

About a third of the patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis have reduced arterial oxygen saturation and are sometimes cyanosed in the absence of any apparent lung or heart disease; There is a reduction of diffusing capacity without a restrictive ventilatory defect. The aim of this study was to determine diffusing capacities in patients with chronic liver- diseases. The diffusing capacities and arterial oxygen saturations were measured in 25 patients with chronic active hepatitis(CAH), 9 early cirrhotics (early LC), 36 cirrhotics(Child's class A) and 11 cirrhotics(Child's class B). The anterior tibial area was observed for pitting edema, and Thallium-201 test per rectum(shunt index) was done. Hypoxemia was not observed in all subjects. The number of cases with decreased pulmonary diffusing capacity (DLco) is 3/25(12.0%) for CAH, 3/9(33.3%) for CAH with early liver cirrhosis(LC), 17/36(47.2%) for LC(Child's class A) and 6/11(54.5%) for LC(Child's class B). The mean+/-standard deviation of Dlco(% predicred) are 93.1+/-12.1 for CAH, 85.7+/-12.3 for CAH with early LC, 82.2+/-14.7 for LC(Child's class A) and 80.4+/-6.9 for LC(Child's class B), There is a significant difference between DLco in CAH and that in LC(Child's class A)(p<0.01). Patients with higher shunt index(>0.3) had significantly lower DLco than these with lower shunt index(<0.3)(76.4+/-9.7% vs. 89.3+/-13.3%)(p<0.01). The DLco was also lower in patients with pitting edema(77.3+/-10.2%) than in those without pitting edema(85.5+/-13.8%) (p<0.01). These results summarized that the DLco was low in patients with cirrhosis and with higher shunt index(>0.3) or pitting edema. This may be due to an increased systemic blood flow shunt and an increased generalized interstitial edema. Pulmonary function tests including diffusing capacity may be useful as prognostic parameters in patients with chronic liver disease, especially in those with CAH or early LC.
Anoxia ; Edema ; Fibrosis ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Lung ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity* ; Respiratory Function Tests

PURPOSE: Combination therapy of alpha-blockers and 5alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) is widely used for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We aimed to study the effect on prostate volume and symptoms of shifting to monotherapy in patients who previously received a combination therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted of 60 patients who were diagnosed with BPH. Patients were aged 45 years or older and had a prostate volume of 30 cc or more, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of 12 or above, maximal flow rate (Qmax) of 15 ml/s or less, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of less than 10 ng/ml. The patients initially received a combination therapy of doxazosin 4 mg/day and finasteride 5 mg/day for 3 months and were then randomly assigned to receive monotherapy for 3 months. The factors were then compared. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients were assigned to doxazosin (group 1) and 30 to finasteride (group 2) after the combination therapy. The percentage changes in prostate volume, IPSS, and Qmax during the period from post-combination therapy to post-monotherapy were not significantly different between the two groups (p=0.052, 0.908, 0.081), whereas PSA significantly decreased in group 2 (p<0.001). IPSS was not significantly different at post-combination therapy and at post-monotherapy in both groups (p=0.858, 0.071). The prostate volume significantly increased from 40.97 cc at post-combination therapy to 44.29 cc at post-monotherapy in group 1 (p=0.001) and insignificantly increased from 38.32 cc to 38.61 cc in group 2 (p=0.696). CONCLUSIONS: Although the duration of drug administration was short in this study, 5-ARI monotherapy could maintain the alleviated symptoms and reduce the risk of acute urinary retention and surgery due to prostate regrowth in BPH patients whose symptoms improved with combination therapy.
Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists ; Aged ; Doxazosin ; Finasteride ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Urinary Retention