PURPOSE: The main purpose of bypass surgery in unresectable distal gastric cancer is the improvement in the quality of life (QOL) of the patient. However, the results of a conventional gastroenterostomy are very dismal often as a consequence of continuous bleeding due to the contact of food material on the tumor surface and early obstruction of the stoma by the tumor growth. The development of more effective surgery is warranted for the improvement of the QOL in such patients. METHODS: Surgery was performed in 1, 158 cases gastric cancer, between March 1993 and July 2002, at the Hanyang University Medical Center. 54 of these cases (4.7%) were unresectable. Various kinds of gastro-jejunostomy (G-Jstomy) including conventional G-Jstomy (CGJ)(n=18), antral exclusion G-Jstomy (AEGJ) (n=7), and gastric partitioning G-Jstomy (GPGJ) (n=17) were performed. In this study, comparisions of the survival and postoperative QOL were performed between the CGJ and GPGJ group. RESULTS: The median survival durations were 120 and 209 days in the CGJ and GPGJ groups, respectively, and the difference the 2 groups was statistically significant (P=0.046). The postoperative body weight losses were 9.3% and 3.1% in the CGJ and GPGJ groups, respectively, with the differences showing borderline significance (P=0.067). In the GPGJ group, the volume of the blood transfusion during the postoperative period was much decreased compared to that of the preoperative period, but this was not found in the CGJ group. Although the numbers of cases were small and the clinicopathological profiles between two groups differnt, a GPGJ could minimize the food contact on the tumor surface, resulting in a decrease in the volume of postoperative blood transfused, smaller weight losses, and longer survival duration, compared to those with a CGJ. CONCLUSION: A gastric partitioning gastrojejunostomy can be recommended as the choice of bypass surgery in unresectable distal gastric cancer due to the superiority of the various clinical aspects.
Academic Medical Centers ; Blood Transfusion ; Body Weight ; Gastric Bypass* ; Gastroenterostomy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Postoperative Period ; Preoperative Period ; Quality of Life ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: The tumor suppressor gene p53 has been shown to be a factor in the carcinogenesis or progression of gastric cancer. The mutant p53 has been reported to cause a higher risk of lymph-node metastasis. Futhermore, mutation of the p53 has been linked to a poor prognosis for gastric cancer. The heat shock protein-27 (HSP27), a stress protein, has also been reported to be a poor prognostic factor in ovarian and breast cancers. However, in gastric-cancer patients, controversies exist as to its influence on the prognosis. In the present study, we used an immunohistochemical stain to observe the effects of p53 and HSP27 on the clinicopathological factors and on the prognosis for gastric-cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the significance of p53 and HSP27 in gastric cancer patients, we analyzed 212 cases of gastric cancer (stage I~IV). Tissue samples of 212 patients were stained immunohistochemically for the mutant p53 protein and for HSP27. The correlations between protein expression and the clinicopathological factors were investigated. RESULTS: The overall expression rates for p53 and HSP27 were 36.9% and 27.8%, respectively. p53 and HSP27 were correlated to each other because the HSP27 expression rate was higher in the p53-positive group (P=0.046). Statistically, the p53 and the HSP27 expression rates were significantly increased in the case of tumor invasiveness, lymphatic metastasis and vessel involvement. Therefore, they play a role in cancer progression. The 5-year survival rates of the p53-positive and the p53-negative groups were 62.8% and 60.1%, respectively (P=0.793) while the 5-year survival rates for the HSP27-positive and HSP27-negative groups were 54.2% and 63.1%, respectively (P=0.090). CONCLUSION: p53 and HSP27 were correlated to each other in our immunohistochemical study of gastric carcinomas and they were not independent prognostic factors in gastric- cancer patients. However, further studies are needed to determine their prognostic values for gastric-cancer patients.
Breast ; Carcinogenesis ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Hot Temperature ; HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Shock ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Survival Rate

No abstract available.

We report a case using cerebral oxygen saturation (rCbO2) for off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (OPCAB) surgery in a patient with co-existing Moyamoya disease. The rCbO2 with the routine monitoring for OPCAB surgery were monitored intraoperatively. In spite of infusing nimodipine (0.2 microgram/kg/min) and maintaining the end-tidal CO2 tension at 35-40 mmHg, a sudden reduction in the right-side rCbO2 from the base line value of 70-80%/78-83% (Left/Right) to 70-72%/65-70% was developed during the harvesting of the vascular graft. We increased the rate of phenylephrine infusion to increase systemic and cerebral perfusion pressure, and both rCbO2 values were elevated to 80%/70% within 3 minutes. However, the preferential reduction in the right-side rCbO2 compared with the left-side value was not corrected. While suspecting cerebral ischemia due to cerebral vascular spasm, we administered nimodipine 2 mg bolus and increased infusion rate to 0.5 microgram/kg/min. Finally, the preferential rCbO2 reduction in the right-side was corrected and both rCbO2 reached 84%/91%. We concluded rCbO2 monitoring is useful for detecting an intraoperative episode of cerebral ischemia and maintaining the optimal cerebral perfusion during OPCAB surgery with Moyamoya disease.
Brain Ischemia ; Coronary Artery Bypass, Off-Pump ; Humans ; Moyamoya Disease ; Nimodipine ; Oxygen ; Perfusion ; Phenylephrine ; Spasm ; Transplants

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is an uncommon disease characterized by eosinophilic infiltration in the bowel wall and presents various symptoms depending on the affected site and bowel layer. Pseudomembranous colitis is an antibiotic-associated infection caused by abnormal overgrowth of the toxin-producing Clostridium difficile in the large bowel. A 16-year-old boy was admitted with abdominal pain for 6 days. On admission, we performed an endoscopy and diagnosed gastroduodenitis. Then, we prescribed gastritis medication but he still presented with diffuse abdominal pain and fever above 38.0degrees C after admission. We considered infectious enterocolitis, so we prescribed an antibiotic. The next day, he presented with bloody diarrhea. A diagnosis of pseudomembranous colitis was confirmed by a colonoscopic examination with a biopsy. We also obtained a diagnosis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis through a histological diagnosis. This is the first case of the simultaneous occurrence of eosinophilic gastroenteritis and pseudomembranous colitis in the Korean medical literature. We report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Clostridium ; Clostridium difficile ; Diarrhea ; Endoscopy ; Enteritis ; Enterocolitis ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Fever ; Gastritis ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is not infrequently a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. Common infectious causes include endocarditis and abscesses in adults, and noninfectious causes include neoplasms and certain collagen vascular diseases. Endocrine causes of FUO are rare. The only endocrine disorder likely to present as FUO is subacute thyroiditis. Subacute thyroiditis usually occurs in middle-aged women as viral prodrome, neck tenderness, classic symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The patient may have abrupt onset of fever and chills with complaints of thyroid pain, or only low-grade fever with poorly characterized anterior neck pain. We present a case of FUO in a 48-year-old female who had had fever and neck pain for more than one month. Despite an extensive evaluation, the patient had persistent fever and no cause was found, with the exception of subacute thyroiditis. The fever resolved from the second day of treatment with low-dose steroid (prednisolone, 10 mg per day). This case illustrates that subacute thyroiditis should be considered in cases of FUO.
Abscess ; Adult ; Blood Sedimentation ; Chills ; Collagen ; Endocarditis ; Female ; Fever ; Fever of Unknown Origin ; Humans ; Neck ; Neck Pain ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Subacute ; Thyrotoxicosis ; Vascular Diseases

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a cytotoxin-producing anaerobic gram-positive rod that is responsible for pseudomembranous colitis (PMC). The incidence of C. difficile is increasing in ulcerative colitis (UC) and inflammatory bowel disease patients and is associated with a more severe course, a longer hospital stay, higher financial costs, a greater likelihood of colectomy, and high mortality. PMC may occur anywhere along the intestinal tract, but it is often found in the distal colon. PMC involving the proximal colon with rectosigmoid sparing is rarely reported in patients with UC. We describe the case of a 35-year-old woman in remission from UC who presented with frequent diarrhea and abdominal pain. She was treated with ciprofloxacin for infectious enterocolitis at a local hospital; however, her symptoms did not improve. A colonoscopy revealed yellow-white plaques with edematous, erythematous from the proximal ascending colon to the cecum, and feces positive for C. difficile toxin. She was treated with metronidazole (500 mg, three times a day) for two weeks, and improved rapidly. Physicians should carefully examine the entire colon via colonoscopy, and perform stool exams for C. difficile in patients with UC who have been treated with antibiotics and in those who develop prolonged diarrhea despite medical treatment.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cecum ; Ciprofloxacin ; Clostridium difficile ; Colectomy ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Colonoscopy ; Diarrhea ; Enterocolitis ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous ; Feces ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Length of Stay ; Metronidazole ; Ulcer

Copper sulfate ingestion is a rare cause of corrosive gastrointestinal injury in the Republic of Korea. In developing countries, copper sulfate is chiefly used for agricultural purposes as a pesticide and in the leather industry. It is also used in school science classes in the form of bright blue crystals. Copper sulfate is a powerful oxidizing agent that is corrosive to mucous membranes. Concentrated solutions are acidic, with a pH of 4. We report a case of corrosive gastritis and esophagitis due to accidental copper sulfate ingestion in a 12-year-old boy.
Burns ; Child ; Copper ; Copper Sulfate ; Developing Countries ; Eating ; Esophagitis ; Gastritis ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mucous Membrane ; Republic of Korea

OBJECTIVE: To determine the utility of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 antibody-conjugated gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA-anti-ICAM-1) as a targeted contrast agent for the molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three groups of mice were used: non-arthritic normal, CIA mice in both the early inflammatory and chronic destructive phases. The MR images of knee joints were obtained before and after injection of Gd-DTPA-anti-ICAM-1, Gd-DTPA, and Gd-DTPA-Immunoglobulin G (Ig G) and were analyzed quantitatively. The patterns of enhancement on the MR images were compared with the histological and immunohistochemical ICAM-1 staining. RESULTS: The images obtained after injection of Gd-DTPA-anti-ICAM-1 displayed gradually increasing signal enhancement from the moment following injection (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]: 424.3 +/- 35.2, n = 3) to 24 hours (532 +/- 11.3), rather than on pre-enhanced images (293 +/- 37.6) in the early inflammatory phase of CIA mice. However, signal enhancement by Gd-DTPA and Gd-DTPA-IgG disappeared after 80 minutes and 24 hours, respectively. In addition, no significant enhancement was seen in the chronic destructive phase of CIA mice, even though they also showed inflammatory changes on T2-weighted MR images. ICAM-1 expression was demonstrated in the endothelium and proliferating synovium of the early inflammatory phase of CIA mice, but not in the chronic destructive phase. CONCLUSION: Molecular MRI with Gd-DTPA-anti-ICAM-1 displays specific images targeted to ICAM-1 that is expressed in the inflamed synovium of CIA. This novel tool may be useful for the early diagnosis and differentiation of the various stages of rheumatoid arthritis.
Animals ; Arthritis, Experimental/*metabolism ; Collagen ; Contrast Media ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gadolinium DTPA/diagnostic use ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1/*metabolism ; Knee Joint/*metabolism/radiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Mice ; Synovial Membrane/*metabolism/radiography