No abstract available.
Creatinine* ; Plasma*

PURPOSE: To determine whether neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT) improves clinical outcomes in patients with prostate cancer treated with definitive radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 201 patients with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy between January 1991 and December 2008. Of these, 156 patients with more than 3 years of follow-up were the subjects of this study. The median duration of follow-up was 91.2 months. NADT was given in 103 patients (66%) with median duration of 3.3 months (range, 1.0 to 7.7 months). Radiation dose was escalated gradually from 64 Gy to 81 Gy using intensity-modulated radiotherapy technique. RESULTS: Biochemical relapse-free survival (BCRFS) and overall survival (OS) of all patients were 72.6% and 90.7% at 5 years, respectively. BCRFS and OS of NADT group were 79.5% and 89.8% at 5 years and those of radiotherapy alone group were 58.8% and 92.3% at 5 years, respectively. Risk group (p = 0.010) and radiation dose > or =70 Gy (p = 0.017) affected BCRFS independently. NADT was a significant prognostic factor in univariate analysis, but not in multivariate analysis (p = 0.073). Radiation dose > or =70 Gy was only an independent factor for OS (p = 0.007; hazard ratio, 0.261; 95% confidence interval, 0.071-0.963). CONCLUSION: NADT prior to definitive radiotherapy did not result in significant benefit in terms of BCRFS and OS. NADT should not be performed routinely in the era of dose-escalated radiotherapy.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Radiotherapy* ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Jaw* ; Osteoradionecrosis*

No abstract available.
Jaw* ; Osteoradionecrosis*

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to review the etiologies, phathophysiology, clinical presentations and to compare the results of the surgical methods of subdural empyema especially in infants. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the clinical data of five infantile subdural empyemas experienced in our hospital from 1993 to 1998 which were all surgically treated by craniotomy or burr hole trephination. We experienced five cases of infantile subdural empyema: two males and three females. The ages ranged from 40 days to 11 months. RESULTS: The etiologies of all five cases were unproven but all five cases had meningitis before the subdural empyemas were diagnosed. The causative organism in one was streptococcus pneumoniae, and the other were unknown. Two were treated with craniotomy(one with a good outcome and the other died) and three were treated with burr hole trephination(all three had a good outcome). CONCLUSION: Subdural empyema is a rapid progressing disease and it is important to detect and treat in the early stages of disease. The choice of surgical method must be based on the stage of the disease and its location in the cranial cavity.
Craniotomy ; Empyema, Subdural* ; Female ; Humans ; Infant* ; Male ; Meningitis ; Streptococcus pneumoniae ; Trephining

No abstract available.
Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed*

The function of the meniscus and subsequently the importance of meniscus preservation are well known. Thirty-two patients who underwent arthroscopic meniscus repair between 1993 and 1995 were studied retrospectively. Twenty menisci were repaired using modified Henning inside-out technique and the remaining twelve meaisci, outside-in technique. The average delay in surgery was two hundred days. Follow-up was done from 1 year to 3 years (average 22.4 months). The medial meniscus was repaired in 22 cases and the lateral meniscus including two saucerized discoid meniscus in 10 cases. Fourteen patients had anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and other associated knee injuries were lateral condyle fra'cture of femur in one case and lateral condyle &acture of tibia in one case. Assessment of the result was based on the evaluation form of the International Knee Documentation CommitteegKDC). Twenty-seven patients (84.3%) were normal to nearly normal. Abnormal and severely abnormal results were mainly affected by the result of treatment of ACL tear.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Knee Injuries ; Menisci, Tibial ; Retrospective Studies ; Tibia

No abstract available in English.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of dynamic CT during the hepatic arterial phase with rapid IV injection ofcontrast material in distinguishing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICAC) asthe cause of biliary obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed two-phase dynamic incrementalCT or helical CT findings in 22 patients with intrahepatic duct obstruction secondary to pathologically provenHCCs (n=12) or ICACs (n=10). Two-phase CT scans were obtained 20-45 seconds (hepatic arterial phase) or 2 minutes(equilibrium phase) after the initiation of a bolus injection of contrast material (5 mL/sec, 150 mL). Theenhancement patterns of tumors, as seen on two-phase images, were classified as hypo-, iso-, or hyperattenuated,relative to surrounding liver parenchyma. Two-phase images were compared and correlated with pathologic findings. RESULTS: During the hepatic arterial phase, diffuse high-enhancement was seen in nine HCCs (75%) and partialenhancement in three (25%); five (50%) of the ten ICACs were hypodense and five (50%) were hypodense withperipheral enhancement. During the equilibrium phase, however, all HCCs were hypodense and capsular enhancementwas seen in four cases (33.3%). All ICACs were hypodense with mild peripheral or central heterogeneousenhancement. Contrast enhancement patterns of HCCs during the hepatic arterial phase were significantly different(P<.0001) from those of ICACs. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that dynamic CT during the hepatic arterial phase,with rapid IV injection of contrast material, is useful for the differentiation of HCC from ICAC as the cause ofbiliary obstruction.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Humans ; Liver ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The mechanism of vasodilation induced by fentanyl was investigated using isolated rat thoracic aortic rings. Rings were contracted with norepinephrine(10(-7) M, NE) and potassium chloride(40 mM, KC1) with and without endothelium Fentanyl (10(-9)-10(-5) M) produced dose-dependent relaxation and had no significant effect from endothelium(intact and denuded rings, test with 3X10(-4) M LNAME, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester). Pretreatment of indomethacin(2.5X10(-3) M, inhibitor of cyclooxygenase) failed to influence of cumulative dose-response curves. RD(50)(50% relaxation dose) and KC1/NE ratio as potency difference of fentanyl, verapamil(10(-8)-10(-5) M, Ca2+ channel blocker), nitroglycerin(10(-10)-10(-5) M, activator of guanylate cyclase) were not similar. Fentanyl and control(distilled water) were not demonstrated any different contraction produced by incremental addition of Ca2+ to aortic rings exposed to Ca2+ free, K+ -depolarized(100 mM KCl) solution(extracellular Ca2+ influx). But fentanyl had effect on intracellular Ca2+ release elicited by caffeine(20 mM) and NE(10(-7) M) indicated by dose-dependent inhibition of contraction in Ca2+ free solution. We conclude that, in rat aorta, fentanyl-induced relaxation is endothelium-independent but mediated by inhibition of alpha-adrenoceptors operated intracellular Ca2+ release (inhibition of contraction by NE) and caffeine-induced Ca2+ release from store.
Animals ; Aorta* ; Endothelium ; Fentanyl* ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Potassium ; Rats* ; Relaxation* ; Vasodilation