No abstract available.
Gonadotropins* ; Humans*

Accepted methods of treatment of lumbar burst fractures include conservative therapy, posterior reduction and instrumentation, and anterior decompression and instrumentation. Surgery aims at the correction of the kyphotic deformity and at the decompression of the spinal cord thereby reducing pain and allowing early patient mobilization. Posterior-only procedures usually rely on ligamentotaxis or manual tamping of bone fragments for decompression of the spinal canal. Transpedicular corpectomy allow for circumferential surgery through a single posterior approach. The authors use an expandable cage to restore the normal spinal curvature and to prevent the kyphotic deformity.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Decompression ; Humans ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Curvatures

Background: Fluvastatin is the first entirely synthetic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A(HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor. Clinical data indicate that this agent exhibits the proven efficacy of its class and also has some theoretical advantages in safety for long-term use because of its unique pharmacololgic property consistent with hepatoselectivity(i.e., low systemic exposure). This study is to evaluate efficacy and safety of fluvastatin in hypercholesterolemic patients in Korea. Methods: An open clinical trial with fluvastatin was conducted in 31 subjects who continued to have high blood cholesterol levels of 6.21 mmol/L(240 mg/dl) or greater after 1 month of lipid-lowering diet plus single blind placebo period. Fluvastatin was administered for 8 weeks with the initial dose of 20 mg per day and if serum cholesterol levels did not fall below 5.20 mmol/L(200 mg/dl) after 4 weeks the dose was increased to 40 mg per day for the second 4 weeks. On each visit every 4 weeks they underwent interview and laboratory tests about side effects and tolerability. Results: The mean % changes in plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol from baseline were
Cholesterol ; Creatine Kinase ; Diet ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Korea ; Oxidoreductases ; Plasma ; Sleep Stages ; Triglycerides

We report a case of an intraparenchymal schwannoma of the left parietal lobe. A 51-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with complaints of intermittent headaches. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance images revealed a 1.3 cm sized intra-axial homogeneous enhancing mass in the left parietal lobe. The lesion was pathologically confirmed to be a schwannoma.
Brain Neoplasms ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Middle Aged ; Neurilemmoma ; Parietal Lobe

No abstract available.
Erythema Nodosum* ; Erythema*

BACKGROUND: An aggressive skin cancer on the nose, tends to have poorly defined clinical margins, and has a higher recurrence rate. A small tumor on the nose is usually easily treated by any of the standard methods. However, removal and reconstruction with preserved cosmesis is more laborous in a basal cell carcinoma larger than 10 mm in diameter. This is because the nose has complex contoures, unique skin color and texture, and the limited availability of mobile adjacent skin. When available Mohs micrographic surgery is the preferred treatment for these large tumors. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the preferred reconstruction method(especially, local flap reconstruction) by the cosmetic unit of the nose after Mohs micrographic surgery. METHODS: From March 1991 to February 1997, twenty-one patients were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma on the nose at our department. All the tumors were removed with Mohs micrographic surgery, and then the defects were reconstructed with a primary closure, skin graft, and local flap.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Humans ; Mohs Surgery* ; Nose* ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Transplants

Transient mutism has ben known as a rare complication following a posterior fossa approach to cerebellar tumors, although its pathophysiology remains unclear. Cerebellar mutism may be defined as a transient mutism occurring after a posterior fossa tumor approach in children with unimpaired consciousness, unimpaired symbolic functions, no detectable deficit of cranial nerves or peripheral organs of speech, and no lesions of long pathways in the course of the cranial nerves at the level of the brain stem. Forty two cases in children, and only two cases in adults have been found in the literature. We report a case of transient mutism with oropharyngeal apraxia after total excision of 4th ventricle choroids plexus papilloma in a 6-year-old girl. Postoperatively, the patient became mute and refused food intake without disturbance of consciousness, or lower cranial nerve function. Computed tomography(CT) and magnetic resonance image(MRI) demonstrated no abnormal findings except the surgical lesion in the posterior fossa. The mutism lasted for 3 weeks, but she gradually became fluent. The mechanism of "cerebellar mutism" is briefly discussed with literature review.
Adult ; Apraxias ; Brain Stem ; Cerebellar Neoplasms ; Child* ; Choroid Plexus* ; Choroid* ; Consciousness ; Cranial Nerves ; Eating ; Female* ; Humans ; Infratentorial Neoplasms ; Mutism* ; Papilloma ; Papilloma, Choroid Plexus*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to predict spontaneous labor onset delivery within 7 days in low risk pregnant women at 38 weeks' of gestation by ultrasonographic examination of cervical changes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective study included 110 singleton low risk pregnancies between 37(+0) and 37(+6) weeks of gestation. Fifteen cases were lost during follow-up and finally 95 pregnant women (58 nulliparous, 37 multiparous) were analysed. The study period was from Oct/2005 to May/2007. Four cervical changes (length, gland thickness, funneling and canal formation) were evaluated. Main outcome was remaining day to delivery after the examination. Remaining days to actual delivery with spontaneous labor onset were recorded and the pregnancies were divided into two groups according to remaining days (within 7 days, over 7 days) to compare predicting power of delivery within 7 days. ROC curves were drawn to find out cut-off values of cervical length and gland thickness. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were extracted from four cervical changes. RESULTS: Mean cervical length of pregnant women at 38 weeks' of gestation was 25.8 (+/-10.0) mm and mean cervical gland thickness was 4.3 (+/-1.2) mm. Funnelings of uterine cervix were detected in 13 cases (13.7%), canal formations in 6 cases (6.3%). All four cervical changes were statistically valuable to predict delivery within 7 days and the cervical length showed highest sensitivity. When the cervical length was measured under 20 mm, the possibility of delivery within 7 days was 78.6% (p<0.001). The cervical gland thickness less than 4 mm could predict the delivery within 7 days with sensitivity of 57.1% (p<0.01). Sensitivities of funneling and canal formation for delivery within 7 days were 54.5%, 36.4% each. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonographic examination of the cervical changes in low risk singleton pregnancy at 38 weeks' of gestation are valuable for predicting spontaneous labor onset delivery within 7 days. Among four cervical changes, cervical length is most sensitive ultrasonographic marker.
Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Labor Onset ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Prospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Sclerosing panniculitis refers to the skin induration and hyperpigmentation of the legs that often occurs in patients who have venous insufficiency. Sclerosing panniculitis is similar to those described under the designations hypodermitis sclerodermiformis or lipodermatosclerosis. Histologically the septa of the subcutis become thickening by inflammation and fibrosis. Adipocytes coalesce to form small and large pseudocysts. Some of these are lined by refractile, amphophilic crenulated membranes. This alteration was referred to as lipomembranous change. We report a case of sclerosing panniculitis in a 40-year-old female patient presented as induration and depression of the skin and subcutaneous tissues of the lower third of the leg.
Adipocytes ; Adult ; Depression ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Inflammation ; Leg ; Membranes ; Panniculitis* ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Venous Insufficiency

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to investigate whether expression of angiogenic cytokines including IL-8 and MCP-1 is induced in the cultured RPE by oxidative stress. METHODS: ARPE-19 cells were exposed to H2O2 and paraquat for 24, 48, and 72 hours and then assayed for the detection of IL-8 and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 expression by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. To determine whether the antioxidant overcame the oxidative stress, we observed expression of IL-8 and MCP-1 gene after ARPE cells were treated by paraquat and antioxidants including N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) at the same time for 72hr. RESULTS: Expressions of the angiogenic cytokines, IL-8 and MCP-1 were increased by incubating with paraquat for 72hr. Antioxidants including NAC and PDTC decreased the expression of IL-8 and MCP-1 gene by counteracting the paraquat effect. CONCLUSIONS: Oxidative stress stimulates angiogenic cytokines including IL-8 and MCP-1 in the cultured RPE. These results may be significant for understanding the cause of age-related macular degeneration and its treatment.
Acetylcysteine ; Antioxidants ; Cytokines* ; Interleukin-8 ; Macular Degeneration ; Monocytes ; Oxidative Stress* ; Paraquat ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction