The Carnegie stage is widely applied in the field of human embryology, and it is more logical to analyze the embryos by this stage than CR length or menstrual age. In this study, the early development of the pancreas is studied by tissue observation and reconstruction using serial sections of 33 human embryo ranging from Carnegie stages 11 to 23. The dorsal pancreas develops from the dorsal wall of the duodenum in stage 12, and the ventral pancreas from the proximal part of the cystic primordium in stage 13 or 14 as a single epithelial thickening, but in one case, as a bilateral thickening which contains some isolated spaces. The rotation of the ventral pancreas starts in stage 15, and completes in stage 17. Surrounding connective tissue differentiates in stage 18.
Female ; Human ; Pancreas/*embryology ; Pregnancy

5-fluorouracil(5-FU) and its derivatives have been prescribed preoperatively in Korea for oral administration to patients with gastric cancer as an adjuvant therapy. Since the conditions of the patients after gastrectomy may be different and thereby influence the absorption of 5-fluorouracil, we were interested in the pharmacokinetic changes of 5-fluorouracil absorption after gastric resection. Fourteen of 40 gastric cancer patients, who underwent radical subtotal gastrectomy with D2 lymphnode dissection for gastric cancer, were selected at Ewha Womans University Mok-Dong Hospital from May 1996 to December 1996. The plasma concentrations of 5-fluorouracil were determined before oral administration of 5-FU(500 mg/M2) at 15-min intervals for two hours, and then at 30-min intervals for two hours after oral administration during the pre- and the post-operative periods. High pressure liquid chromatography was used to determine the plasma concentrations of 5-FU. The pharmacokinetic indices included the area under the curve (AUC), the peak concentration (Cmax), and the time to peak concentration (Tmax). The mean postoperative AUC for 5-FU was 25.8+/-14.8% of the mean preoperative AUC, which was a significant decrease in the amount of 5-FU absorption postoperatively. The mean postoperative Cmax was 33.4+/-30.2% of the mean preoperative Cmax, which also meant a significant decrease of the peak concentration postoperatively. The Tmax of most patients were delayed postoperatively, but there was no significant change statistically. In conclusion, we found that the amount of absorbed 5-FU, as calculated by the AUC and the Cmax, significantly decreased after a subtotal gastrectomy by as much as 75 percent compared to the preoperation. Hence, it may be necessary to increase the dose of 5-FU after a subtotal gastrectomy by more than 75% of the preoperative dose. The subtotal gastrectomy did not have a significant effect on the absorptive velocity of 5-FU.
Absorption* ; Administration, Oral ; Area Under Curve ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Female ; Fluorouracil* ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Korea ; Pharmacokinetics ; Plasma ; Stomach Neoplasms

5-fluorouracil(5-FU) and its derivatives have been prescribed preoperatively in Korea for oral administration to patients with gastric cancer as an adjuvant therapy. Since the conditions of the patients after gastrectomy may be different and thereby influence the absorption of 5-fluorouracil, we were interested in the pharmacokinetic changes of 5-fluorouracil absorption after gastric resection. Fourteen of 40 gastric cancer patients, who underwent radical subtotal gastrectomy with D2 lymphnode dissection for gastric cancer, were selected at Ewha Womans University Mok-Dong Hospital from May 1996 to December 1996. The plasma concentrations of 5-fluorouracil were determined before oral administration of 5-FU(500 mg/M2) at 15-min intervals for two hours, and then at 30-min intervals for two hours after oral administration during the pre- and the post-operative periods. High pressure liquid chromatography was used to determine the plasma concentrations of 5-FU. The pharmacokinetic indices included the area under the curve (AUC), the peak concentration (Cmax), and the time to peak concentration (Tmax). The mean postoperative AUC for 5-FU was 25.8+/-14.8% of the mean preoperative AUC, which was a significant decrease in the amount of 5-FU absorption postoperatively. The mean postoperative Cmax was 33.4+/-30.2% of the mean preoperative Cmax, which also meant a significant decrease of the peak concentration postoperatively. The Tmax of most patients were delayed postoperatively, but there was no significant change statistically. In conclusion, we found that the amount of absorbed 5-FU, as calculated by the AUC and the Cmax, significantly decreased after a subtotal gastrectomy by as much as 75 percent compared to the preoperation. Hence, it may be necessary to increase the dose of 5-FU after a subtotal gastrectomy by more than 75% of the preoperative dose. The subtotal gastrectomy did not have a significant effect on the absorptive velocity of 5-FU.
Absorption* ; Administration, Oral ; Area Under Curve ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Female ; Fluorouracil* ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Korea ; Pharmacokinetics ; Plasma ; Stomach Neoplasms

Objectives: . Endoscopic tympanoplasty (ET) provides minimally invasive transcanal access to the middle ear and improves middle ear visibility for the treatment of tympanic membrane (TM) perforations. However, the literature on surgical outcomes for large TM perforations is lacking and limited to small series. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical benefits of ET for large TM perforations. Methods: . This retrospective cohort study was conducted at nine tertiary referral hospitals in South Korea, where 252 patients who underwent ET as primary surgery from September 2019 to August 2021 were included. The outcome measures included the graft success rate and pre- and postoperative audiometric data. Results: . In 239 patients, the graft success rate of ET for large or subtotal perforations was 86.2% (206 patients), while the graft failure rate was 13.8% (33 patients). The graft failure rate was directly correlated with surgical techniques, including overlay and medial or lateral underlay tympanoplasty (P=0.027). Lateral underlay tympanoplasty showed the most favorable results. Sex, laterality, etiology, site and size of perforation, operation time, and graft materials did not vary significantly between the graft success and failure groups (P>0.05). The mean air-bone gap (ABG) improved significantly in both groups (graft success group: 10.0±0.6 dB and graft failure group: 7.7±0.3 dB; P<0.001). However, the ABG improvement did not significantly differ between the groups. Analysis of covariance revealed that the postoperative 500-Hz bone conduction threshold improved after successful ET (adjusted coefficient, –11.351; 95% confidence interval, –21.491 to –1.212; P=0.028). Conclusion . This study involved the largest population to date of large TM perforations treated by ET. The study findings suggest that ET is feasible and effective in treating large TM perforations.

Sequencing depth, which is directly related to the cost and time required for the generation, processing, and maintenance of next-generation sequencing data, is an important factor in the practical utilization of such data in clinical fields. Unfortunately, identifying an exome sequencing depth adequate for clinical use is a challenge that has not been addressed extensively. Here, we investigate the effect of exome sequencing depth on the discovery of sequence variants for clinical use. Toward this, we sequenced ten germ-line blood samples from breast cancer patients on the Illumina platform GAII(x) at a high depth of ~200x. We observed that most function-related diverse variants in the human exonic regions could be detected at a sequencing depth of 120x. Furthermore, investigation using a diagnostic gene set showed that the number of clinical variants identified using exome sequencing reached a plateau at an average sequencing depth of about 120x. Moreover, the phenomena were consistent across the breast cancer samples.
Breast Neoplasms ; Exome* ; Exons ; Genetic Variation ; Humans

Schwannoma is a tumor that arises from neural sheath Schwann cells of peripheral nerves. Schwannoma is mostly solitary, except when it occurs in association with Von Recklinghausen's disease. Solitary schwannoma can occur in association with a nerve anywhere within the body, but rarely occurs in the pelvis. Microscopically, the tumors can be divided into hypercellular bundles of spindle-shaped cells (Antoni A area) and areas of lower cellularity, with loose myxomatous arrangement of cells and fibers (Antoni B area). Complete resection of pelvic schwannoma is a curative treatment. We report a case of benign presacral cystic schwannoma that caused recurrent acute urinary retention in a 79-year-old woman, along with a review of the literature.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Pelvis ; Peripheral Nerves ; Schwann Cells ; Urinary Retention*

OBJECTIVES: ICAM-1 has been shown to be required for leukocyte migration into inflammed area and plays a significant role in inflammatory disease including bronchial asthma, and various infectious disease such as tuberculosis and malaria. Although, the significance of soluble ICAM-1(sICAM-1) in rickettial disease has not been recognized. The present investigation was designed to evaluate the sICAM-1 levels in patients with tsutsugamushi disease, and the correlation factors between sICAM-1 level and subject characteristics including clinical and laboratory indices. METHODS: Eight normal controls and thirteen patients with tsutsugamushi disease underwent serum sampling for sICAM-1 level, which was measured by using ELISA kit. RESULTS: 1) sICAM-1 level is significantly elevated in patients group. 2) sICAM-1 level is a significantly correlation with AST level, titer of anti-tsutsugamushi antiboby, and leukocyte counts, but other factors such as age, sex, differential fraction of leukocyte, ALT, duration of fever, and total hospital day etc, are not. CONCLUSION: These results show that sICAM-1 may be a role in the pathogenesis of tsutsugamushi disease.
Asthma ; Communicable Diseases ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fever ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1* ; Leukocyte Count ; Leukocytes ; Malaria ; Scrub Typhus* ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The anatomy of the distal ends of the common bile duct and the main pancreatic duct has received attention becauwe of its importance in pancreaticobiliary disense. The two ducts open into the duodenum either separately or via a common channel. But basie data about the pancreaticabiliary ductal union system has not existed in Korea until now. METHODS: In this study all cases performed with an ERCP were reviewed over the past 5 years (1992.1.1 1996.12.31). Among 3,234 cases, 307 were selected and analyzed because of their clear identification by the pancreaticobiliary ductal union system.
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Duodenum ; Korea ; Pancreatic Ducts

Coronavirus causes an infectious disease in various species and crosses the species barriers leading to the outbreak of zoonotic diseases. Due to the respiratory diseases are mainly caused in humans and viruses are replicated and excreted through the respiratory tract, the nasal fluid and sputum are mainly used for diagnosis. Early diagnosis of coronavirus plays an important role in preventing its spread and is essential for quarantine policies. For rapid decision and prompt triage of infected host, the immunochromatographic assay (ICA) has been widely used for point of care testing. However, when the ICA is applied to an expectorated sputum in which antigens are present, the viscosity of sputum interferes with the migration of the antigens on the test strip. To overcome this limitation, it is necessary to use a mucolytic agent without affecting the antigens. In this study, we combined known mucolytic agents to lower the viscosity of sputum and applied that to alpha and beta coronavirus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), respectively, spiked in sputum to find optimal pretreatment conditions. The pretreatment method using tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP) and BSA was suitable for ICA diagnosis of sputum samples spiked with PEDV and MERS-CoV. This sensitive assay for the detection of coronavirus in sputum provides an useful information for the diagnosis of pathogen in low respiratory tract.

PURPOSE: In this study, we attempted to characterize capsaicin's effects with regard to the apoptosis of murine bladder cancer cells (MBT-2) as well as the pharmacodynamics of nano-encapsulated capsaicin formulation for intravesical instillation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We assessed the viability of the MBT-2 cells via MTT staining, agarose gel electrophoresis, and flow cytometric apoptosis analysis. Intravesical reagents were instilled into 3 groups of male white New Zealand rabbits. Instillation agents were nano-encapsulated capsaicin dissolved in saline, capsaicin dissolved in saline, and capsaicin dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). We also determined the pharmacokinetics of urine, plasma, and bladder tissue after intravesical capsaicin instillation. RESULTS: Capsaicin treatment was determined to reduce cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The capsaicin concentrations in the urine of the rabbits decreased in each of the treatment groups, but we noted a more profound reduction of capsaicin concentration in the nano-encapsulated capsaicin group. Plasma concentrations were definitely lower as compared with the levels measured in the bladder tissue and urine. We noted distinctive differences in patterns of concentration change between the capsaicin with normal saline solution (NSS) or DMSO and the nano-encapsulated capsaicin groups. The concentration of nano-encapsulated capsaicin in the tissue appeared to increase directly with tissue depth. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that capsaicin can induce apoptosis in MBT-2 cells, as well as the excellent permeation properties of nano-encapsulated capsaicin. Treatment with intravesical capsaicin may be a promising alternative therapeutic modality for the treatment of bladder cancer.