A total of 66 cases of thymoma(57 surgically resected cases and 9 incisional biopsy cases) were reviewed with an attempt to correlate pathomorphologic features and clinical presentations. Criteria of benign or invasive thymoma were primarily determined by operative clinical and pathologic findings. Of them, 21 cases were invasive thymomas. The mean age of patients at the time of surgery was 47 years and it occurred largely in the sixth decade. Myasthenia gravis was accompanied in 29 cases(43%). One patient died during folow-up period, and five of the remainder suffered from recurrence. Microscopically, mixed type was the most common one(33 cases), being followed by predominantly epithelial type(17 cases) and predominantly lymphocytic type(16 cases). Thirty four cases of thymomas were cortical type, 29 mixed type, and the remaining 3 medullary type. None of the histologic type were significantly correlated with tumor invasiveness, Myasthenia gravis was more frequently associated with mixed and cortical type, respectively.
Biopsy

A 59-year-old male farmer, an alcohol addict, has experienced repeated bullous skin lesions on the erythematous base over the exposed areas of tbe skin, especially on the face and hands, after sun-light exposure. The face showed hyperpigmenation, hypertrichosis and sclerodermoid changes. And also there were hypopigmented scars on the dorsum of the hands and cIaw-1ike fingers. Characteristic laboratory findings were as follows: Urine appeared portwine color and fluoresced under the Woods Iight. A 24-hour urine collection contamed 4l32ug of uroporphyrin and 3815ug of corproporphyrin. BSP retention(7% in 45 Min.) was increased, and A/G ratio(0. 8:1) was inverted. Gamma globulin(44, 9%) was markedly increased on serum electrophoresis. Roentgenograms revealed minimal tuberculosis on the chest P-A and superficial gastritis on the upper G-I series. Electrocardiogram showed left ventricular hypertrophy. Pathological findings of the specimen obtained from sclerodermoid lesion of the forehead revealed hypermelanosis in the basal cell layer and amorphous, basophilic collagen degeneration in the upper dermis, on the other hand loss of sinusoids due to swelling of hepatocytes and chomic inflammatory cell infiltrate in the interlobular septa were noticed on the specimen taken from the liver. For treatment, phlebotomy and metabolic alkalinization were trjed.
Basophils ; Cicatrix ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Electrocardiography ; Electrophoresis ; Fingers ; Forehead ; Gastritis ; Hand ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Hypertrichosis ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Liver ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phlebotomy ; Skin ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Urine Specimen Collection ; Wood

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This descriptive correlation study was done to identify the hardiness, coping behavior, and organizational commitment of general hospital employees and show how these variables affect increases in role performance and problem solving ability to have a positive influence on organizational harmony. METHODS: A quantitative, descriptive research design was used with a sample of 368 employees working in general hospitals in M and C cities. A survey was used to collect the data. RESULTS: The score for perception of hardiness of general hospital employees was 2.85, and coping behavior was 2.40, both out of a possible 4 points, and organizational commitment, 3.03 out of a possible 5 points. There were statistically significant positive correlations between hardiness and coping behavior (r=.33, p<.001), also between hardiness and organizational commitment (r=.51, p<.001), and also between coping behavior and organizational commitment (r=.22, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that hardiness, coping behavior, and organizational commitment in general hospital employees have positive correlations, and thus hospital administrators should explore ways of increase individual employee hardiness and coping behavior, and make efforts to harmonize their organizations by enhancing organizational commitment.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Hospital Administrators ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Problem Solving ; Research Design ; Statistics as Topic

We reviewed the 43 medical records of patients with cellulitis or erysipelas who had been admitted at the depar1ment of dermatology of Seoul National University Hospital and followed them up for mean 21.6 months. The results were as follows. 1. The sex ratio of patients with cellulitis was 1:1.4 and the average age was 49 years. 2. The lower extremity as the most frequently invloved site of cellulitis with the frequency of 58.1% (25 cases), with the head and neck being involved in 16 cases(37.2%) and trunk and upper extremity in 1 case each(2.3% ). 3. The portals of infecticin were suspected in 33 cases(76% ), where tinea pedis was detect,ed in 18 cases(41.9%), previous skin infeection 10 cases(23.3%) and trauma in 9 cases(20.9%). 4. Initial systemic symptoms were fever(76.7%), chill(65.1%) and headache(37.2%). Erythema(100%), local heating(90,7%), tenderness(88.4%), swelling(86.0%), ulcer(16.3%), bulla(14.0%), lymphangitis(9.2%) and lymphadenit,is(9.2%) were found in the skin lesions. 5. The laboratory findings revealed leukocytosis in 35.7%, elevaed ESR in 86.8% positive 6. ASO titer in 63.0% and positive CRP in 80%, Microorganism. were detected in only 1 of 15 blood cultures, in 2 of 4 bulla fluid cultures and in 7 of 9 bus cultures. There was no growth of causative microorganisms in 3 tissue cultures and 9 saline needle aspiration cultures. Penicillin was used as primary antibiotics in 19 cases, which changed to another antibiotics due to lack of improvement in 3 cases and cefazolin was used in 21 cases, which changed in 2 cases due to the same reason. 7. Average admission priod was 11 days(range from 3 to 20 days) and 30.2% of patients wit.h cellulitis experienced recurrence, but 48% on low extrernity in contrast with 6.7% on head and neck.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cefazolin ; Cellulitis* ; Dermatology ; Erysipelas ; Head ; Humans ; Leukocytosis ; Lower Extremity ; Medical Records ; Neck ; Needles ; Penicillins ; Recurrence ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Skin ; Tinea Pedis ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND: For the purpose of early detection of breast cancer, a localization biopsy is necessary in case of mammographically or ultrasonographically suspicious, but nonpalpable, breast lesions. METHODS: One hundred nine consecutive localization biopsies for nonpalpable lesions of the breast were performed upon 101 patients from May 1992 to September 1998. RESULTS: The localizations were done in 48 cases under the guidance of mammography and in 61 cases under the guidance of ultrasonography. Complications occurred in 15 cases (13.7%). The mean volume of the excised specimens was 11.6 cm3. The miss rate was 3.6% (4 cases). Malignant lesions of the breast were found in 16 cases (14.7%). Among the malignant lesions, 10 cases involved invasive ductal cancer. Among the patients diagnosed as having breast cancer, 8 patients were treated with a conservative operation, 5 patients with a modified radical mastectomy, and 2 patients with observation; 1 patient was discharged. The chance of a biopsy containing a malignant lesion was 16.7% if the biopsy was done because of mass, 9.8% for a microcalcification, and 11.1% for an abnormal asymmetric density. CONCLUSIONS: A needle localization biopsy can be performed accurately under local anethesia, and the volume of the excised specimen can be minimized, so the cosmetic effect is excellent and proper early treatment is possible in diagnosed cases of breast cancer.
Biopsy* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Humans ; Mammography ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Needles* ; Ultrasonography

Double contrast arthrography has been widely accepted as a method to diagnose the internal derangement of the knee. It is a safe and technically simple procedure permitting accurate diagnosis of lesions of the menisci. In 20 cases operated upon, with the diagnosis of internal derangement of the knee, we performed double contrast arthrography before surgery. We analysed the cases concerning the diagnostic accuracy of arthrography, its clinical significance and discrepancies between arthrographic findings and postoperative lesions. The results were as follows: 1. The cases consisted of 16 cases of meniscal lesion, 4 cases of ligamentous lesion and 3 cases of loose body. 2. In the meniscal lesions, 14 of the 16 cases (87.5%) were diagnosed accurately by arthrography, Therefore arthrography was more useful in diagnosing meniscal lesions as compared with clincal symptoms (69%). 3. In cases of ligamentous lesions arthrography was not significant-ly helfpful, in contrast clinical signs afforded important clues. 4. We encountered 1 case of false positive and 1 case of false negative.
Arthrography ; Diagnosis ; Knee ; Ligaments ; Methods

No abstract available.
Cystitis* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Dependent receptor can transmit both positive signal: proliferation, differentiation or migration; and negative signal: apoptosis. It depends on the presence of its ligand. This study was performed to determine the effects of transfection of dependent receptors in human colon cancer cell lines. METHODS: Two dependent receptors (rearranged during transfection [RET]9 and RET51) were transfected into three human colon cancer cell lines: SW48, RKO and V400. Then, half of them were treated with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Using ELISA and caspase assay, apoptosis was measured. Dose-response relation between GDNF and apoptosis was also analyzed. A pcDNA was used as an empty vector. RESULTS: After transfection of RET51, apoptosis was increased in SW48 (70% with ELISA and 119% with caspase assay) and RKO (255% with ELISA and 106% with caspase assay) cell lines when compared with the pcDNA group. V400 cell line did not show increased apoptosis. Transfection of RET9 did not induce apoptosis in all of the three human colon cancer cell lines. Treatment with GDNF 12 hours after transfection of RET51 decreased apoptosis in SW48 (66% with ELISA and 60% with caspase assay) and RKO (39% with ELISA and 57% with caspase assay) when compared with the cell lines transfected with RET51 only. Apoptosis was down-regulated with increasing concentration of GDNF in RKO cell line. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the apoptosis of human colon cancer cell line can be controlled by manipulating the dependent receptors and its ligands. We present the possibility of therapeutic method using dependent receptor in colon cancer.
Apoptosis ; Cell Line ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Humans ; Ligands ; Transfection

PURPOSE: In this retrospective study, we attempted to evaluate the treatment outcome and the prognostic factors of thymoma treated with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 1979 and 1998, 55 patients with thymoma were treated at the Seoul National University Hospital. Of these, 11 patients underwent surgery only, 33 patients received postoperative radiotherapy and 11 patients received radiotherapy only. Twenty-three patients had gross total resection and 21 patients subtotal resection. For postoperative radiotherapy, the radiation dose consisted of 41.4-55.8 Gy. The average follow-up was 64 months, and ranged from 2 to 160 months. The sex ratio was 1:1 and the median age was 48 years (15-74 years). Overall survival and disease-free survival were determined via the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank was employed to evaluate for differences in prognostic factor. RESULTS: The five- and 10-year survival rates were 87% and 65% respectively, and the median survival was 103 months. By univariate analysis, only stage ( p=0.0017) turned out to be significant prognostic factors of overall survival. Also, stage ( p=0.0007) was significantly predictive for overall survival in mutivariated analysis. CONCLUSION: This study showed the stage was found to be important prognostic factors, which influenced survival. Especially, as incomplete resection is related with poor results, complete resection is important to cure the invasive thymoma.
Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Survival Rate ; Thymoma* ; Treatment Outcome*