No abstract available.
Skull*

Sacrococcygeal chordoma is a rare malignant tumor which is believed to take its origin from remnants of the fetal notochord, and presents in the sacral hollow or occasionally posteriorly. The growth is leisurely and it is invasive rather than metastatic. In treatment, there is evidence that early diagnosis of sacrococcygeal chordoma followed by radical resection c palliative radiotherapy does provide the opportunity for cure. We have experienced two cases of sacrococcygeal chordoma, which were treated with one case of a complete surgical resection and the other case of only biopsy.
Biopsy ; Chordoma ; Early Diagnosis ; Notochord ; Radiotherapy

Histiocytosis X patients present with a variety of clinical manifestations and outcomes. The principal difficulty in the establishment of a definite protocol for treatment is based on the poor understanding of the basic nature of this disease, the absence of reliable prognostic criteria, and the problems with nomenclature. The objectives of this study were to analysis the course of the disease and the results of treatment in patients who had Langerhans cell histiocytosis and to suggest prognostic factors and guidelines for management. We reviewed the thirty patient who had Langerhans cell histiocytosis for past ten years. These patients were followed for an average 4.8 years (range, excluding patients who died of the disease, two to eleven years). The patients were divided into tow group; eighteen patients who Langerhans cell histiocytosis localized in skeleton (group I) and twelve patients who had Langerhans cell histiocytosis disseminate in both skeleton and extra-skeleton (group II). Methods of treatment included curettage with or without bone graft, radiotherapy, or watchful observation alone in group I; chemotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, or curettage in group II. All eighteen patients in group I had a complete response to the therapy. Seventeen of these eighteen patients had not a recurrence by the time of the latest follow-up examination; one had a recurrence. Four of twelve patients in group II had a complete response to the therapy, four had a partial response, and four had no response. Eight of these twelve patients had a recurrence; four did not. Two patients in group II died of the disease. The significant prognostic factor was the extent of the disease, limited to the skeleton or not, and the age of onset was an indirect prognostic factor predictin multiple organ involvement.
Age of Onset ; Curettage ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Skeleton ; Transplants

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is rare but freuently fatal complication of renal parenchymal infection, mostcommonly occurs in diabetic patients and is often associated with urinary obstruction, prior urologicalabnormality or infection. From 1898 to 1984 , about 50 cases of empysematous pyelonephritis have been reporteduniversally. The diaignosis of emphysematous pyelonephritis can be made only roentgenographically. In the last 2years, we have had two cases of emphysematous pyelonephritis at our hospital. It is our purpose to report twopatients who have survived wtih a brief review of the previous literature.
Humans ; Pyelonephritis

No abstract available.
Congenital Hypothyroidism*

Animal study was performed to determine the changes in rat lung permeability in hyperoxic condition. 3 groups of rats (n=8 each) were exposed to 100% oxygen for 24 hr(group 2), 48 hr(group 3) and 72 hr(group 4), respectively, and compared with control (group 1 at room air, n=8). The time course of development of solute flux was evaluated by the clearance of 99mTc-labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetate ( 99mTc-DTPA) from the lung, Afterwards, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed to measure the concentration of albumin and determine the evidence of cell injury and inflammation in lung. BAL fluids were analyzed to determine several markers of cell injury and inflammation including total and differential cell counts, lactate dehydrogenase (LD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), extracellular potassium (K+) and globulin (total protein minus albumin). 99mTc-DTPA clearance was significantly increased by exposure for 48 hours of hyperoxia. Albumin concentration ratio (BAL albumin concentration divided by serum albumin concentration) was increased sharply after 48 hr. Significant changes in WBC counts and differential counts were not found until 48 hr of hyperoxia. Elevated LD concentration was observed at 48 hr and thereafter, and ALP, K+, and globulin concentration ratio (BAL globulin /serum globulin) was significantly high only in group 4. Mortality was not observed until 72 hr when 3 of 8 rats were dead. It is concluded that significant 99mTc-DTPA clearance, and cellular and biochemical findings of BAL could not be observed until 48 hr in rats exposed to 100 % oxygen.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Cell Count ; Hyperoxia ; Inflammation ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Lung* ; Mortality ; Oxygen* ; Permeability ; Potassium ; Rats* ; Serum Albumin ; Therapeutic Irrigation*

Although the incidence of epidemic encephalitis has decreased mardekly nowadays, sporadic cases are stillobserved in Korea. In this study, CT findings of 17 patients with clinically and serologically proven epidemicencephalitis were analized. In principle, CT scans were done at the acute and subacute stage, whithin 20 days fromonset. The results were follows; 1. Of all 17 patients with CT scan, normal scan were demonstrated in 3 cases andabnormal scans in 14 cases. 2. The abnormal CT findings were ; area of low density in 9 cases, brain edema in 7cases, nodular and gyral contrast enhancement in 3 cases, central brain atrophy in 3 cases and hemorrhagic highdensity in 2 cases in order of frequency. 3. The CT findings, according to date of CT scan from onset, were; brainedema and are of low density within 10 days from onset, normal or central brain atrophy between 11 days and 20days, are of hemorrhagic high density and contrast enhanced lesions at both stage. 4. The locational distributionswere; thalamus and cerebral white matter in 7 cases respectively, basal ganglia in 5 cases, cerebral cortex in 4cases and septum pellucidum in 1 case in order of frequency.
Atrophy ; Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Brain Edema ; Cerebral Cortex ; Encephalitis, Arbovirus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Septum Pellucidum ; Thalamus ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; White Matter

Status epilepticus (SE) can be induced with homocysteine after pretreatment with cobalt. In order to investigate the pattern of neuronal changes in the hippocampus in cobalt/homocysteine-induced SE, H-E staining and immunohistochemistry for c-Jun were performed in the brain after SE. Neuronal damage was not seen in the hippocampus in cobalt-treated control rats. Neuronal injury occurred in 14% of the cells in the hilus 24 hrs after SE. The neuronal injury was minimal in the dentate gyrus (DG), CA3, and CA1 24 hrs after SE. c-Jun immunoreactivity was detected strongly in the DG and CA3 2 hrs after SE, and then c-Jun immunoreactivity was decreased to that of control rats in the hippocampus 24 hrs after SE. These results suggest that upregulation of c-Jun expression in the hippocampus is not related to neuronal death in cobalt/homocysteine-induced SE, secondary generalized epilepsy originating from the cerebral cortex does not cause significant hippocampal cell injury.
Animals ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex ; Cobalt ; Dentate Gyrus ; Epilepsy, Generalized ; Hippocampus ; Homocysteine ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neurons ; Rats ; Status Epilepticus* ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Hyruan(sodium hyaluronate) in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. METHODS: A 12-week open study of Hyruan was conducted in 48 patients with osteoarthritis(OA) of the knee. Hyruan was injected into knee joints weekly for 5 weeks. Clinical evaluations were performed using visual analog scale(VAS) for pain, Lequesne's index, tenderness and swollen joint counts weekly for the first 5 weeks and then monthly up to 3 months post-injection. RESULTS: Significant improvements in VAS, Lequesne's index, tenderness and swollen joint counts were noted from the first week and maintained until the end of 3 month follow-up period. At 3 months post-injection, 68.8% of patients had >20mm reduction in the VAS. The patients with Kellgren stage lIl showed significant response in VAS and Lequesne's index as patients with Kellgren stage I and II. The clinical improvement after treatment was slower in patients(n=16) with late(>5 years) OA than in patients(n=32) with early(<5 years) OA, but it was statistically significant in either groups, compared to baseline. There were no severe adverse reactions to Hyruan therapy and laboratory examinations revealed no evidence of toxicity. CONCLUSION: Hyruan has been shown to be effective and safe in the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Knee* ; Osteoarthritis*

OBJECTIVE: Autoantibody against glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) has been shown to be present in both the serum and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether GPI serves as a specific autoantigen in the SF of patients with RA and to investigate the relationship of anti-GPI antibody with clinical parameters of RA. METHODS: SF was collected from 34 patients with RA and 34 patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The samples were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human recombinant GPI as antigen. Patients with RA were classified according to rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, the presence of RA shared epitope, the presence of extraarticular manifestations, and evidence of bony erosive changes. RESUTLS: SF levels of anti-GPI antibody were higher in patients with RA than in patients with OA (631.12+/-534.02 AU versus 112.38+/-90.45 AU, p<0.001). In RA, there was no significant difference in SF anti-GPI antibody levels according to RF positivity, the presence of extraarticular manifestations, and evidence of bony erosive changes. CONCLUSION: Autoantibodies to GPI in SF have more related with patients with RA compared with those with OA. In patients with RA, autoantibodies to GPI in SF are not associated with the poor prognostic factors and disease activity of RA.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Autoantibodies* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase* ; Glucose-6-Phosphate* ; Humans ; Osteoarthritis ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Synovial Fluid*