Fity-four patients with head and neck cancers were prospectively examined with the CT to determine its valuein staging cervical lymph nodes metastases and to compare with the clinical staging. The CT staging agreed withthe clinical staging in 61%(33/54), upgraded the clinical staging in 22%(12/54) and downgraded in 17%(9/54). Thepost-surgical confirmation was made in only 11 patients, The possible causes of disagreement between the CT andthe clinical staging, and the diagnostic value of the CT in the evaluation of the cervical nodes metastases werediscussed.
Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Head ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prospective Studies

This report describes clinical cases of a palato-gingival groove on a maxillary lateral incisor with associated localized periodontal disease and pulp necrosis. The tooth of the first case was extracted because of severe bone destruction. The palato-gingival groove of the second case was eliminated using a round bur, and the resulting defect was filled with synthetic graft and covered by an absorbable membrane. Both diagnosis and treatment of palato-gingival groove were very difficult and usually extraction of the involved tooth is the treatment of choice, but combined endodontic-periodontic treatment allowed the tooth to be saved.
Dental Pulp Necrosis ; Diagnosis ; Incisor* ; Membranes ; Periodontal Diseases ; Tooth ; Transplants

Bone formation by osteoblast may be closely related to the increase in intracellular Ca2+ activity of osteoblast. In order to study the effects of changes in Ca2+ activity of osteoblast-like cell on fracture healing, we changed intracellular Ca2+ activity of osteoblast-like cells by vanadate and verapamil. And the process of fracture healing was observed after injection of the treatment osteoblast-like cells into the fracture site by hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) stain and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) stain. The results were as follow: 1) The most effective range of concentration which could facilitate bone formation was 10-6 to 10-5 M. 2) H-E stain showed more abundant osteoblast and osteoid tissues, more active mitotic division of osteoblast, and earlier appearance of chondroblast and chondroid tissue, making the maturation of woven bone faster in the vanadate-treated group than in the control group. The opposite was true in the verapamil-treated group compared with the control group. 3) BrdU labeling index showed more active osteoblastic proliferation in the vanadate-treated than in the control group. The opposite was observed in the verapamil-treated group compared with the control group. From these results, the fracture healing appears to be facilitated and decelerated by vanadate which apparently increase intracellular Ca2+ activity of osteoblast and verapamil which decreases it, repectively. Therefore the change of intracellular Ca2+ activity of osteoblast can be considered to be one of fracture healing mechanisms and expected to be applied for clinical purpose.
Bromodeoxyuridine ; Chondrocytes ; Fracture Healing ; Osteoblasts ; Osteogenesis ; Vanadates ; Verapamil

Intramedullary nailing has become the most popular fixation method in the treatment of the shaft fractures of long bones especially of tibia and femur because it affords most rigid fixation of fracture via closed method which makes early rehabilitation possible. Nowadays intramedullary nailing of the humeral shaft is being performed by many surgeons with good results. Newer implants and better surgical techniques are being developed, which suggests application of this method can be widened. Purpose of this study was aimed to define whether intramedullary nailing could be an effective method or not in the treatment of humeral shaft fractures by documenting the practical points in the application of intramedullary nailing of humerus, effectiveness in fracture healing, any complications or obstacles. We managed thirteen humeral shaft fractures with closed locked intramedullary nailing with distal fanning devices(Seidel nail) from March 1993 to April 1994. Average follow-up period was 14 months(12 months-18 months). The results were as follows; 1, Union of the fracture was obtained at average 12.9 weeks(9 weeks-20 weeks) postoperatively except one case of nonunion, in which case, union was obtained at postoperative 10 months finally. 2. Among the 13 cases, painful limitation of shoulder motion remained in 6 cases. This complication was more common in the cases with protruded proximal end of the nail. Above results suggest that locked intramedullary nailing seemed to be one of the useful method in the treatment of the humeral shaft fractures. However, destruction and irritation of shoulder by the nail was found to be a grave problem, and we found that further investigations should solve this problem.
Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fracture Healing ; Humerus ; Methods ; Rehabilitation ; Shoulder ; Surgeons ; Tibia

PURPOSE: This study describes the CT and MR findings of mucoceles occurred in the post-operative maxillary sinuses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT and/or MR of 19 maxillary mucoceles in 16 patients who had been operated by CaldwelI-Luc procedure were reviewed. CT scans were performed after contrast enhancement in axial and coronal planes with 5mm thickness. Three cases were studied with a 2.0 T or 0.5 T MRI, which demonstrated multi-compartment lesions. RESULTS: The lesions were bilateral in 3 cases. Compartmentalization of the antral cavity was seen in 7 out of 19 involved sinuses. Surgical bone defect of the anterior wall was the most frequent route of extension (11 cases) and extension into the infratemporal fossa with erosion of posterolateral wall was seen in 7 lesions. In 6 cases, the lesions involved orbit. The expansile and erosive bone changes were localized in every case. In one case with multi-compartment lesion, both T1- and T2-weighted MR images showed different signal intensities in each compartment which represented different protein concentration. CONCLUSION: Post-operative maxillary mucocele showed CT findings of localized erosion and bulging most frequently at the anterior wall in which the bone windows were made during the previous surgery. Post-operative compartmentalization of maxillary antrum may cause eccentric expansion of mucocete and each compartment may show different signal intensities on MR.
Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Maxillary Sinus* ; Mucocele* ; Orbit ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVES: We compared the characteristics of the pain threshold and pain experience between demented group and non-demented group. METHODS: This study was part of Gangwon projects for early detection of dementia in 2010. We recruited 8302 local resident ages over 65 years old. Of theses, 1259 people who scored low MMSE were selected and 365 of them completed CERAD-K(Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease). Finally, 90 in non-demented group and 57 in demented group(mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease) were analyzed. Pain threshold was experimentally measured by pressure algometer and we investigated the pain experience, by Brief pain inventory (BPI), a self-report test. RESULTS: In the demographic characteristics, there are more female, higher ages, lower education in the demented group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the pain threshold. On the BPI results, 'shoulder pain', 'the number of pain' and 'interference of working' were significantly more prevalent in non-demented group. However, there are no significant differences between the groups in the 'pain severity', 'prevalence of pain' and 'pain treatment'. CONCLUSIONS: Demented group report less pain experience but, still perceived pain. It support previous studies that patient with dementia have increased pain tolerance but preserved pain threshold. Thus, active pain assessment and treatment for patients with dementia is needed.
Aged* ; Dementia* ; Education ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Pain Measurement ; Pain Threshold*

Caffeine has been known to induce the contraction of rabbit aortic ring resulting from Ca2+ release from the intracellular stores. But in contrast, contraction of aortic ring induced by depolarizing agents or agonist was reported to be suppressed by caffeine. The present study was intended to examine the effect of caffeine on Ca2+ movement across the plasma membrane and actomyosin ATPase activity of vascular smooth muscle to elucidate the modes of action of caffeine on the vascular smooth muscle. Aortic ring preparation were made from the rabbit thoracic aorta and the endothelial cells were removed from the ring by gentle rubbing. The contractilty of the aortic ring was measured under varying conditions, and Ca2+ influx across the membranes of the aortic ring was measured with Ca2+ sensitive electrode with and without caffeine and the effect of caffeine on actomyosin ATPase activity were measured by modified Hartshrone's method. 45Ca wash out curves with and without caffeine were studied by Richard's method. The results were summarized as follows: 1) Caffeine inhibited the contractilty induced by norepinephrine. high K+, and histamine. but caffeine alone induced a transient contraction of vascular smooth muscle. The caffeine induced contraction was demonstrable even in the absence of external Ca2+. 2) Caffeine increased 45Ca efflux from vascular smooth muscle. 3) In the presence of propranolol, the inhibitory effect of caffeine on epinephrine induced contraction still persisted. 4) Caffeine decreased norepinephrine induced Ca2+ influx through the plasma membranes of aortic ring. 5) Caffeine decreased the actomyosin ATPase activity of vascular smooth muscle. From the above results, it is suggested that caffeine induces the contraction of vascular smooth muscle by release of Ca2+ from intracellular Ca2+ stone, but inhibits drug-induced contraction by decrease of Ca2+ influx across the plasma membranes and a decreased Ca2+ sensitivity of contractile protein in vascular smooth muscle.
Actomyosin* ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Caffeine* ; Cell Membrane ; Electrodes ; Endothelial Cells ; Epinephrine ; Histamine ; Membranes ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Myosins* ; Norepinephrine ; Propranolol

No abstract available.
Leptospira interrogans* ; Leptospira*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Cryptococcosis*