Most studies on the pathophysiology, natural history, diagnosis by imaging and outcomes after operative or nonoperative treatment of rotator cuff tear have focused on those of full-thickness tears, resulting in limited knowledge of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. However, a partial-thickness tear of the rotator cuff is a common disorder and can be the cause of persistent pain and dysfunction of the shoulder joint in the affected patients. Recent updates in the literatures shows that the partial-thickness tears are not merely mild form of full-thickness tears. Over the last decades, an improved knowledge of pathophysiology and surgical techniques of partial-thickness tears has led to more understanding of the significance of this tear and better outcomes. In this review, we discuss the current concept of management for partial-thickness tears in terms of the pathogenesis, natural history, nonoperative treatment, and surgical outcomes associated with the commonly used repair techniques.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Natural History ; Rotator Cuff* ; Shoulder Joint

No abstract available.
Scrub Typhus*

Renal dysplasia results from aberrant metanephric histogenesis caused fundamentally by a defect in inducer tissue or responding tissue. Dysplastic kidneys vary tremendously in gross and microscopic appearance but are characterized by abnormal organization and a mixed population of primitive structures, such as fetal or immature cartilage, dysplastic ducts, immature tubules, and undifferentiated mesenchyme. We report a case of unilateral multicystic renal dysplasia associated with an ipsilateral ectopic ureteral orifice entering a seminal vesicle cyst in a 33-year-old man. He was admitted due to primary infertility which had developed three years ago. The his semen analysis revealed oligospermia. No evidence of a family history of renal dysplasia was reported. Microscopic examination showed that the entire kidney was composed of cysts lined by flattened cells, dysplastic ducts and immature tubules surrounded by collars of spindle cells, primitive mesenchyme, and a few aberrantly formed glomeruli.
Adult ; Cartilage ; Humans ; Infertility ; Kidney ; Male ; Mesoderm ; Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney* ; Oligospermia ; Semen Analysis ; Seminal Vesicles* ; Ureter*

No abstract available.
Korea* ; Orientia tsutsugamushi* ; Rickettsia*

BACKGROUND: The safety of ergonovine provocation for coronary vasospasm (CVS) performed outside the catheterization laboratory has been questioned. We sought to address the issues of safety, feasibility and clinical impact of noninvasive diagnosis of CVS. METHOD AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of bedside ergonovine provocation testing with monitoring of left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs) by 2-dimensional echocardiography (ergonovine echocardiography, Erg Echo). After confirmation of no significant fixed epicardial coronary artery disease, 1,504 Erg Echo were performed in 1,372 patients from July 1991 to December 1997. Erg Echo was prematurely terminated in 13 patients (0.9%) due to limiting side effects unrelated with myocardial ischemia. Among 1,491 completed tests, 32% (477) showed positive results with development of RWMAs in 467 tests (98%) or ST displacement in ECG in 10 tests (2%). During the test, transient arrhythmias developed in 1.7% (26/1491) including transient ventricular tachycardia (2) and atrioventricular block (4), which were promptly reversed with nitroglycerin. There were no procedure-related death or development of myocardial infarction. On the basis of angiographic criteria in 218 patients, who also underwent invasive spasm provocation test during coronary angiography, the sensitivity and specificity of Erg Echo for the diagnosis of CVS were 93% and 91% respectively. From 1990 to 1997, total 2,073 spasm provocation tests were performed either during invasive coronary angiography in the catheterization or in the echocardiography laboratory. Since 1994, noninvasive Erg Echo became a more popular diagnostic method and comprised more than 95% of all spasm provocation tests in recent 3 years. Erg Echo was also performed safely in outpatient clinic setting without hospital admission in 34% (500/1491). CONCLUSIONS: Erg Echo is highly feasible, accurate and safe for diagnosis of CVS and can replace the invasive spasm provocation test during coronary angiography in the catheterization laboratory.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrioventricular Block ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vasospasm* ; Diagnosis* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Electrocardiography ; Ergonovine* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Nitroglycerin ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spasm ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

BACKGROUND: The safety of ergonovine provocation for coronary vasospasm (CVS) performed outside the catheterization laboratory has been questioned. We sought to address the issues of safety, feasibility and clinical impact of noninvasive diagnosis of CVS. METHOD AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of bedside ergonovine provocation testing with monitoring of left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMAs) by 2-dimensional echocardiography (ergonovine echocardiography, Erg Echo). After confirmation of no significant fixed epicardial coronary artery disease, 1,504 Erg Echo were performed in 1,372 patients from July 1991 to December 1997. Erg Echo was prematurely terminated in 13 patients (0.9%) due to limiting side effects unrelated with myocardial ischemia. Among 1,491 completed tests, 32% (477) showed positive results with development of RWMAs in 467 tests (98%) or ST displacement in ECG in 10 tests (2%). During the test, transient arrhythmias developed in 1.7% (26/1491) including transient ventricular tachycardia (2) and atrioventricular block (4), which were promptly reversed with nitroglycerin. There were no procedure-related death or development of myocardial infarction. On the basis of angiographic criteria in 218 patients, who also underwent invasive spasm provocation test during coronary angiography, the sensitivity and specificity of Erg Echo for the diagnosis of CVS were 93% and 91% respectively. From 1990 to 1997, total 2,073 spasm provocation tests were performed either during invasive coronary angiography in the catheterization or in the echocardiography laboratory. Since 1994, noninvasive Erg Echo became a more popular diagnostic method and comprised more than 95% of all spasm provocation tests in recent 3 years. Erg Echo was also performed safely in outpatient clinic setting without hospital admission in 34% (500/1491). CONCLUSIONS: Erg Echo is highly feasible, accurate and safe for diagnosis of CVS and can replace the invasive spasm provocation test during coronary angiography in the catheterization laboratory.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrioventricular Block ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vasospasm* ; Diagnosis* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Electrocardiography ; Ergonovine* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Nitroglycerin ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spasm ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

No abstract available.
Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Neoplasm Metastasis*

Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes may play an important role in many human cancers including breast. This study was done to determine the relationship between the expression of p53 and Rb protein and prognostic factors such as histopathologic differentiation, tumor size, and lymph node metastasis. In 57 cases of breast invasive ductal carcinomas, the immunohistochemical staining with p53 and Rb protein gave the following results: p53 protein was detected in 45.6% (26/57) of cases. Tumors with large size, poor differentiation or lymph node metastases tended to show increased expression of p53 protein. However, p53 protein expression did not show any significant correlation with prognostic factors such as tumor size (p value 0.25), histologic grade (p value 0.75), and positive lymph node status (p value 0.26). Rb protein was detected in 57.9% (33/57) of cases. Rb protein also did not show any significant correlation with prognostic factors such as tumor size (p value 0.56), histologic grade (p value 0.71), and positive lymph node status (p value 0.98). There was no significant correlation between p53 expression and Rb protein expression (p value 0.80).
Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal* ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retinoblastoma Protein*

Aconitine is a main component of Aconitum carmichaeli, a Chinese herb known to be effective for arthritis and neuralgia. Many senior citizens consume the herb as a folk remedy. Aconitine-associated cardiogenic toxicity has been observed but aconitine-induced cerebrovascular event has not been reported so far. We report two elderly patients who became unconscious and showed neurological dysfunction soon after ingesting aconitine for pain control. We speculate that the aconitine induced cardiac arrhythmia. This resulted in cardiogenic emboli formation with subsequent large territory cerebral infarction.
Aconitine

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease of young or middle aged adults, characterized by destructive and proliferative changes in the synovial membrane, periarticular structures, skeletal muscle and perineural sheath. Eventually joints are destroyed, ankylosed and deformed. Therefore the aim of treatment is to keep the inflammatory process at a minimum, thereby preserving joint motion, maintaining health of muscles supplying motor power about the joint, and preventing secondary joint stiffness and deformity. Much of the increasing enthusiasm for surgical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis revolves around preventing the destruction of cartilage and tendon simply by excising as much as possible of the tissue that produces the destruction, namely the inflamed synovial membrane. Synovectomy probably is the earlient and most rewarding procedure that can be done in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. For the period of 11 yesrs from March 1966 to December 1977, 16 cases of rheumatoid knees were treated by synovectomy and the results of clinical observation was as follows. 1. Synovectomy was performed in 16 knees of 13 patients and 11 patients were followed up. 2. Of 13 patients, 10 patients were female and 3 patients were male. 3. Peak age incidence was in the third decade (38.4%) and the postoperative results were more satisfactory in younger patients than in older patients. 4. Post operative range of motion was not specifically correlated to the duration of symptom. 5. Postoperative results were not specifically correlated to the laboratory findings. 6. Postoperative range of motion was satisfactory in 6 cases and was unsatisfactory in 5 cases.
Adult ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cartilage ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Knee ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Reward ; Synovial Membrane ; Tendons