The endoscopic fine needle aspiration cytology may add to the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic biopsy and brush cytology. It is also of particular value in submucosal, infiltrative and ulceronecrotic tumors. Endoscopic fine needle aspiration cytology was done with sclerotherapy needle(23 gauge) in. the 17 patients with submucosal tumor(18 cases), extrinsic compression(2 cases), infiltrative gastric cancer(one case) and cancer of the ampulla of Vater(one case) on the upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Endoscopic fine needle aspiration cytology established the diagnosis in 6 cases(submucosal tumor of the stomach; 2 cases, submucosal tumor of the duodenum; one case, extrinsic mass of the duodenum; one case, infiltrative cancer of the stomach; one case, and the cancer of ampulla of Vater; one case) of 17 cases. There were negative results for malignancy in 7 cases and material insufficiency in 4 cases. Five cases of the positive results with endoscopic fine needle aspiration cytology were not diagnosed with endoscopic forceps biopsies. There was no complication. We conclude that endoscopic fine needle aspiration cytology is a simple and safe technique and is of particular value in submucosal tumor, extrinsic compression of the upper gastrointestinal tract by tumor, and infiltrative gastric cancer.
Ampulla of Vater ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Diagnosis* ; Duodenum ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Humans ; Sclerotherapy ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Surgical Instruments ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy of impression body taking by the closed and the open tray impression technique with 3 types of impression tray. Individual tray, metal stock tray and polycarbonate tray were used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine closed tray impressions were taken by individual tray, metal stock tray and polycarbonate stock tray, respectively with polyether impression material. 9 open tray impressions were also acquired by same manner. Precision analysis on the master models was performed by attaching the reference frameworks with alternate single screws and measuring the vertical fit discrepancy of respective analogues in working cast with a stereo microscope. Data were analyzed by 1 way ANOVA and independent t-test. RESULTS: The average fit accuracy of impression bodies was calculated. With the closed tray impression technique, there were significant statistical differences in vertical fit discrepancy according to the types of tray. The individual tray group showed the lowest value and the polycarbonate stock tray group represented the highest. With the open tray impression technique, there was no significant difference in vertical fit discrepancy. Significant statistical difference in vertical fit discrepancy was found between the open and the closed impression technique with the polycarbonate stock tray. CONCLUSION: From the results above, more precise impressions could be acquired by the rigid individual tray compared with the polycarbonate stock tray. It was hard to get consistent accuracy impressions by the closed tray impression technique with polycarbonate stock trays.
Dental Impression Technique ; Polycarboxylate Cement

No abstract available.
Humans ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens*

No abstract available.
Genes, ras* ; Humans

Acute changes of the bilateral basal ganglia shown in the brain MRI a diabetic uremic patient have been rarely reported. We report a 52-year-old diabetic uremic patient who had neurological disturbances. At admission, axial diffusion-weighted images and T2-weighted images showed high signal intensities in the bilateral basal ganglia, and axial T1-weighted images visualized low signal intensities in same area. The underlying mechanism may be associated with metabolic as well as vascular factors.
Basal Ganglia* ; Brain ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Uremia

No abstract available.
Amino Acids* ; Blastocyst* ; Embryonic Structures*

BACKGROUND: Splenectomy is often performed for the patients with refractory chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Still, there are no generally accepted guidelines for the minimum level of platelet count and the average requirement of platelet transfusion so that the patients can safely undergo splenectomy. We evaluated the changes of platelet count and transfusion requirements around the splenectomy in patients with chronic ITP. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 25 patients with chronic ITP. We compared the platelet counts at admission, immediately pre-op and several post-op days. We also investigated the number of platelet concentrates transfused around splenectomy. We determined the effect of splenectomy according to Difino's classification. RESULTS: The median platelet counts of the patients was 18x109/L (7-238x109/L) on admission and recovered to 108x109/L (22-460x109/L) on preoperation day by platelet transfusion and immunosuppressive treatment. The platelet counts were rapidly recovered after splenectomy from the day of operation. Only 3 patients needed platelet transfusion after splenectomy. Thirteen among twenty five patients (52%) underwent operation without platelet transfusion support. Most transfusions were done before the surgery and 80% (12/15) of the patients required transfusion of more than 10 units of random donor platelet concentrate. Twenty one patients (84%) showed the complete remission after splenectomy. CONCLUSION: Splenectomy can lead to rapid remission even in most cases of refractory chronic ITP. Many cases can undergo the operation only with treatment modalities other than transfusion such as immunosuppressive agents and/or immunoglobulin. The minimum level of platelet counts for splenectomy may be safe over 50x109/L and about 10 units of platelet concentrate may be enough for preparation of splenectomy.
Blood Platelets* ; Classification ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Medical Records ; Platelet Count ; Platelet Transfusion* ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic* ; Splenectomy* ; Tissue Donors

In this article, on page 115, the title has been spelled incorrectly in this article.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the perceptions of healthcare staff of the health risks of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). METHODS: In total, 328 healthcare workers (e.g., physicians, nurses, medical students, and paramedics) completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the following: risk perceptions of 17 environmental factors as potential health threats; EMF sources; information for the potential risks of EMF; and thoughts on how to protect the public from potential EMF-related health risks. RESULTS: Of the included environmental factors, high-tension power lines and mobile phone handsets were ranked as the second and fourth lowest perceived risk, respectively. Approximately 60% of respondents were concerned about the potential health risks of EMF and dissatisfied with the information they received. The main reason for dissatisfaction was insufficient information. The most frequently cited action was that the government should review the available scientific evidence on potential EMF-related health risks. CONCLUSIONS: Having scientific basis through well-designed researches and providing accurate information to the public on the potential health risks of EMF will be important in the future.
Cellular Phone ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Electromagnetic Fields* ; Humans ; Students, Medical

BACKGROUND: It is controversial that an electrocardiography (EEG) is valuable in evaluation of patients with headache. The purpose of this study was to determine whether EEG brain mapping can be a useful indicator for evaluating the analgesic efficacy of treatment on the patient with an occipital headache. METHODS: We did an EEG on 20 patients with occipital headaches at the peri-laser application period. The laser was radiated for 3 minutes a third of the total distance from the external occipital protuberance to the mastoid process on the superior nuchal line. An EEG was taKen before laser radiation as control use, and at 10, 30 and 60 minutes after laser radiation by 32 channel electrodes (international 10 20 system). The EEG mapping was red for the high electric potential and blue for the low electric potential. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the alpha wave increased significantly in parieto-occipital and occipital region at 60 minutes after laser radiation (P < 0.05). DarK red color was increased especially in occipital region at 60 minutes after laser radiation, compared with EEG mapping before laser radiation. Good and Fair improvements were observed in 55% of the patients with occipital headaches. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that EEG can be a valuable indicator in the evaluation of analgesic efficacy of treatment in the patients suffering from occipital headaches. Pain scores were assessed by the patient with the visual analogue scale (VAS).
Brain Mapping ; Electrocardiography ; Electrodes ; Electroencephalography* ; Headache* ; Humans ; Mastoid