No abstract available.
Blood Platelets* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Phototherapy* ; Platelet Count*

There have been increasing interests of diabetes in the realm of plastic surgery due to problems like foot ulcer as a complication, delayed wound healing or higher failure rates of flap surgery. Main pathology in diabetes is microvascular compromise as well as metabolic derangements. The disturbance in microvascular circulation results in ischemic environments in the body and acts as a main factor that determines the limit of reconstructive or aesthetic plastic surgery. A useful method to overcome such problems is the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is known to be effective in the treatment of ischemic skin ulcer or osteoradionecrosis. However, there have been few studies on the survival of diabetic random skin flap or the effects of hyperbaric oxygenation directed to increase survival of such flap. In our study, we supposed that the survival of diabetic random skin flap was diminished owing to compromised microvascular pathology and blood rheology, and metabolic derangements, so we hypothesized that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has both reversible and irreversible effects on the survival of ischemic random skin flap in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Increase of local transcutaneous oxygen concentration, O2 affinity in blood and dysmorphogenesis of red blood cells are reversible and relatively short-term effects and promotion of neoangiogenesis is irreversible or long-term effects. We intended to confirm that hyperbaric rats and to compare the effects between preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygenation on the survival of such flap. And we expect the additional effects of hyperbaric oxygenation on metabolism in diabetic rat, such as lowering the blood glucose level and solving the arrested weight gain. We divided Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats into three groups: the first was non-treatment diabetic group, the second was preoperative hyperbaric oxygen treated diabetic group(100% O2, 2 atm, 90min, 15sessions, twice a day), and the third was postoperative hyperbaric oxygen treated group(100% O2, 2atm, 90min, 15sessions, twice a day). After elevation of random skin flap on dorsum of diabetic rats, we evaluated the extent of flap survival by measuring the necrotic areas at 3rd, 7th, 10th, and 13th postoperative days. At that time, we intended to evaluate both effects on flap survival by preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy. As a result, flap survival of non-treated diabetic group was 41% at 13th postoperative days. In diabetic groups with preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy, flap survival were increased to 64.6% and 62.4% respectively. Diabetic groups with hyperbaric oxygen therapy have a tendency of meaningful decrement in blood glucose level. However, there were no meaningful differences between preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has no effective correlations with body weight changes. We conclude that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has some useful effects on the survival of diabetic random skin flap.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Body Weight Changes ; Erythrocytes ; Foot Ulcer ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation* ; Metabolism ; Osteoradionecrosis ; Oxygen ; Pathology ; Rats* ; Rheology ; Skin Ulcer ; Skin* ; Surgery, Plastic ; Weight Gain ; Wound Healing

During the microsurgery or during the postoperative period, the occurrence of the vascular spasm increases the failure rate of microvascular anastomosis,and in cases of trauma, the thrombogenic possibility is increased by the endothelial damage. The author thought that the vascular freezing of crushed vessels could improve the patency rate of microvascular anastomosis. Vascular freezing destroys most of the cells in the intima and media. There by causing degeneration of adrenergic fibers. Even though regeneration occurs after 2-3 weeks, regeneration in the smooth muscle layer is still incomplete. So vascular freezing has beneficial effects on relief of vasospasm. Fifteen Sprague-Dawley rats weighing approximately 300 g each were inflicted with crushing injury on the femoral arteries of the right side and the crushing injury with vascular freezing on the femoral arteries of the left side. The gross and histologic findings, as well as the patency rates, were observed at the postoperative 2nd, 10th, and 30th day,and the results were compared between the crushed and crush-freezing groups. The left side (crush-freezing group) showed less vasospasm and less thrombogenesis than the right side (crushed group). There were no significant differences in the patency rate between the crushed group and crush-freezing group. Vascular freezing is suggested to be effective on a potentially thrombogenic, endothelial damaged vessel as a prophylactic treatment method against vasospasm. Clinical application of vascular freezing awaits further experimentation.
Adrenergic Fibers ; Endothelium* ; Femoral Artery ; Freezing* ; Microsurgery ; Muscle, Smooth ; Postoperative Period ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Spasm

No abstract available.
Neck*

No abstract available.
Arnold-Chiari Malformation* ; Meningomyelocele*

We report two cases of eccrine hidrocystoma, one in a 13-year-old-female and the other a 56-year-old male. In the first case, rnultiple pale blue, translucent, discrete yellow papules of one years duration were noted on the nose tip of the nose. The second case presented with a tiny asympt,omatic papule superimposed on a slightly erythematous 2cm-sized, round patch on the forehead for 2 months. In both cases, the histopathology demonstrated a cystic space filed with eosinophilic amorphous material. The cyst wall was lined by two layers of cuboidal pithelial cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm. PAS staining showed PAS-positive materials in he cytoplasm of cyst wall epithelium, lumen, and eccrine gland cells. Topical application of 10% atropine sulfate and surgical excision were performed in the each cases with improvernent.
Atropine ; Cytoplasm ; Eccrine Glands ; Eosinophils ; Epithelium ; Forehead ; Hidrocystoma* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nose

No abstract available.
Chondrogenesis* ; Ear*

Many breast cancer patients develop minimal residual disease that becomes resistance to treatments, and finally are faced with relapse and progression of disease. Currently, immunotherapy has become a potential therapy in treating minimal residual disease and preventing cancer occurrence. Cancer vaccines provide a unique therapeutic modality in that they initiate a dynamic process of activating the host's own immune system. A lot of tumor specific antigens as a target of immune system were identified and some have been applied for cancer vaccine. Mucin 1 (MUC1) oncoprotein, which is overexpressed in breast cancer in contrast with normal mammary tissue, is one of the first tumor antigens shown to be a target for human tumor-specific T cells and thus a valid target for immunotherapy. MUC1 is a high-molecular-weight glycoprotein rich in serine and threonine residues that are O-glycosylated. MUC1 is expressed on glandular epithelia and on epithelial tumors. But, tumor MUC1 differs from normal MUC1 by modified glycan side chains. Over-expression and aberrant glycosylation of MUC1 antigen by epithelial tumors results in endogenous antibody responses in cancer patients to MUC1 antigen. This finding has led to the identification of MUC1 derived peptide epitopes that induce T-cell responses. MUC1 based clinical trials have used peptides, protein, DNA, pulsed dendritic cells, or glycopeptide. This review will summarize the potential utility of breast cancer immunotherapy of MUC1, as well as the structure and function.
Antibody Formation ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cancer Vaccines ; Dendritic Cells ; DNA ; Epitopes ; Glycoproteins ; Glycosylation ; Humans ; Immune System ; Immunotherapy ; Mucin-1 ; Mucins ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Peptides ; Recurrence ; Serine ; T-Lymphocytes ; Threonine

Endometriosis represents extrauterine nonneoplastic endometrial tissue. It is most commonly diagnosed in women of childbearing age, with a peak age of 40 to 44 years. The incidence of genitourinary involvement ranges from 1% to 2%. Ureteral endometriosis is a rare entity, and its diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. We report a case of ureteral endometriosis in a 44-year-old multiparous woman with a brief review of literature.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Incidence ; Ureter*

PURPOSE: We investigated if there are some differences in clinical charecteristics of acute epididymitis between child and adult and if ordinary therapeutic regimen based on antibiotics is the most appropriate one. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 64 patients with acute epididymitis retrospectively, who took admission treatment from July, 1996 to June, 1998 at our hospital. These patients were divided into two groups, child and adult group, younger and older than 16 years respectively. The diagnosis of acute epididymitis was made by symptoms, physical examinations, doppler sonography, and/or radionuclide scan. Chronic epididymitis, recurrent epididymitis, patients taken antibiotics before admission, and surgical epididymis were excluded from this study. We investigated the age of the patients, symptoms, symptom duration and signs. Complete blood count, urinalysis, and urine culture were performed. Independent-samples T-test was used for the comparative analysis of the results. RESULTS: Symptoms including scrotal swelling and pain were not different between two groups significantly. Signs including scrotal tenderness, fever, and leucocytosis were not different between two groups significantly. However, there were statistically significant differences between two groups in studies of urine. Pyuria or positive urine culture were 20.8%(5 of 24) in child group and 52.5%(21 of 40) in adult group(p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In acute epididymitis, evidences of urinary tract infection were significantly lower in children than in adults. So, although further studies are needed to find out the exact cause of acute epididymitis, at least ordinary therapeutic regimen based on antibiotics would not be the best one for the majority of children without evidence of urinary tract infection.
Adult* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Blood Cell Count ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Epididymis ; Epididymitis* ; Fever ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Physical Examination ; Pyuria ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinalysis ; Urinary Tract Infections