No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Osteoblasts*

In modern society we have been gradually interested in the elderly and easily come into contact with many medical favors to enhance the quality of life, and the elderly are gradually increasing owing to the development of the basic science such as new diagnostic machinery, operative technique and development of the therapeutics. However, the variation of the environment has increased the possibility to be exposed to the dangerous factors, and it has given rise to the problems about the quality of the elderly life. It has also greatly enlarged in medical as well as social. Therefore, the frequency of the elderly reconstructive surgery to increase the quality of the elderly life by operation without life or death has increased in plastic surgery. So authors thought that the safe operative study is necessary. We reviewed the case of 102 elderly patients (65 years of age), who were operated during the period from 1988 to 1995, and analyzed the age & sex distribution, classification & distribution of diseases in elderly, operation of plastic & reconstructive surgery in elderly, anesthetic, methods, underlying diseases, and postoperative complications through the patient records. We also examined postoperative function, aesthetic improvement, progression of the quality of life by telephone and analyzed the elderly classification and elderly plastic & reconstructive surgery. The results are as follows : 1. There were benign neoplasm, facial bone fracture, aesthetic surgery, skin and soft tissue defect, complicated diabetic mellitus, malignant ulcer, malignant neoplasm, pressure sore in elderly diseases of plastic & reconstructive surgery. 2. We mainly performed skin graft, flap surgery, ORIF, aesthetic surgery. 3. The recovery rate after postoperative evaluation shows that ; 1) 52% of total interviewee feel that their QOL has improved. 2) 24% of total interviewee feel that their QOL has not changed. 3) 24% of total interviewee feel that their QOL has deteriorated. We report the point at issue and statistical examination with record investigation.
Aged* ; Classification ; Dermatologic Surgical Procedures ; Facial Neoplasms ; Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Pressure Ulcer ; Quality of Life ; Sex Distribution ; Skin ; Surgery, Plastic* ; Telephone ; Transplants ; Ulcer

Onychomycosis can be diagnosed by mycological examination, but it is not easy to detect its causative organisms because the positive rate of culture is lower and its scores are variable due to the contamination inherently introduced in the current method used in sampling the ovychomycosis organisms. It was suggested that the scores depended upon the handicraft of operates and the gainning method of nail material, so we modeled the watch mending drivers into the punching instruments, and holed deeply & widly through the nail plate, from the surface to the bottom. Afterward, the KOH mount & culture were performed to compare this new punch method used with that of standard scrapping method. Through the KOH examination more numerous hypaes were found in the punch methods sample than the scrapping methods sample. Also, the punch methods positive culture rate was found to be 2. 5 times higher than that of the scrapping methods culture rate, with a 5 to 5. 5 times lower amount of contamination. In conclusion, the punch method was found to be a more precise and effective method of obtaining onychomycosis organisms. Although this method required a slight greater time to perform than the standard scrapping method, I believe it will be a valuable aid in the detection of causative organisms of onychamycosis.
Onychomycosis*

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been widely used in the clinic because of the benefit of high spatial and temporal resolution, and the excellent anatomical tissue contrast. Cancer-targeted MR molecular imaging comprises 3 major components: a relevant molecular target which is specifically highly expressed on the membrane of the cancer cell; a target specific imaging probe which is composed of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle coreconjugated target specific ligand such as antibody, peptide, and molecules; MR imaging hardware and software which are sensitive to the imaging probe. Among the various molecular targets, HER2/neu receptor antibody, folic acid, and arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) are well known targeting ligands. The sensitivity of the cancer-targeted MR imaging is affected by the magnetic susceptibility of the T2 contrast agent, resolution of the image, targeting efficiency of the imaging probe, and image acquisition pulse sequence. Recently, successful cancer-targeted MR imaging with T1 contrast agent and cancer-specific molecular MR imaging using innate contrast of the cancer cell by chemical exchange phenomenon without using the imaging probe has been introduced. Cancer-targeted MR molecuar imaging is a robust diagnostic method to detect cancer at the cellular stage of the cancer development and it would help improve early detection rate of the cancer.
Ferric Compounds ; Folic Acid ; Iron ; Ligands ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Membranes ; Molecular Imaging ; Nanoparticles

The authors investigated the incidence of stratum corneum and upper epidermal cytoplasmic antibodies with 30 untreated and 20 treated psoriasis sera, and normal human sera using normal human skins of 5 different sites and psoriatic lesion by the method of indirect immunofluorescence in order to evaluate immunologic responses i n psoreasis. The results are summarized as follows . I) The positivity of stratum corneum antibodies in untreated psoriasis sera(78.7%) was si, nificantly higher than that in normal sera(64.0%). The incidence of stratum corneum antibodies in untreated psoriasis sera was found to be the highest in the arm, followed by the scalp, leg, abdomen, and face as substrate. 2) The positivity of stratum corneum antibodies in psoriasis and normal human sera was significantly higher when tested with the psoriatic lesion as substrate than norma! skin as substrate, 3) The titer of stratum corneum antibodies in 5 sera using human skin obtained from 5 different sites on the body as substrate are the highest in the arm, and leg, and(in decreasing order of frequency) the scalp, abdomen, and face. 4) The positivity of upper epidermal cytoplhsmic antibodies in normal human sera (40.7%) was significa.ntly higher than that in untreated psoriasis sera(21.3%). 5) Ir.. the majority of cases, upper epidermal cytoplasmic antibodies coexisted with straturn corneum antibodies in the sera of patients with psoriasis and in the sera of normal humans.
Abdomen ; Antibodies* ; Arm ; Cytoplasm* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Humans* ; Incidence* ; Leg ; Psoriasis* ; Scalp ; Skin

After the stabilization using unreamed intramedullary interlocking nails for the management of fractures of the tibial shaft, a large percentage of patients whose fractures would proceed to delayed bony union may be subject to secondary surgical procedure. The purpose of this study is to determine whether ultrasound, through its potential early assessment of the presence or absence of callus at the fracture site, can be used to predict the need for secondary surgical procedure. Fourteen tibial fractures (5 open, 9 closed) were treated with unreamed interlocking intramedullary nailing. Radiographs were obtained to monitor the maintenance of reduction and fracture healing. The results of ultrasound studies were obtained at two-week intervals for 10 weeks postoperatively and read by a radiologist. In prospective study of 14 patients, tibial fractures treated with unreamed interlocking intramedullary nailing were analyzed from June 1995 to February 1997 and following results were obtained. 1. Ultrasound correctly predicted fracture healing in all 10 fractures that subsequently progressed to fracture union. 2. Of the 4 fractures that did not heal, ultrasound was able to predict delayed union before it was radiographically evident. 3. Ultrasound predicted fracture healing at an average of 42 days (range, 22-70 days). In comparison, the plain radiographs showed fracture healing at an average of 126 days (range, 70 - 180 days). In conclusion, the tibia was ideal for ultrasound study because of the thin overlying soft tissue. Furthermore, the presence of the intramedullary nail facilitated evaluation of the intervening tissue. And there were several advantages of ultrasound over other imaging modalities. It was noninvasive, easy to use, and painless method of evaluation that does not use ionizing radiation.
Bony Callus ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Fracture Healing* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Tibia* ; Tibial Fractures ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Subcutaneous Tissue* ; Tissue Donors* ; Ultrasonography*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the optimal pulse sequences in the detection of erosions and for the discrimination of theeffusion from pannus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR studies were performed in thirteen patients with clinical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. We used a 1.5T MR unit with single or dual 3 inch coil. We compared coronal images at the same location, obtained with pulse sequences of T2, T2 with fat saturation, and postcontrast T1 with fat suppression. Erosions were assessed by comparing the count of the numbers of erosions depending on each imaging method. A four point scoring systems was used for the comparison of conspicuitof lesion. RESULTS: T2WI with fat suppression and postcontreat T1WI with fat suppresison were better than conventional T2WI in the detection of erosions. The pannus had a heterogeneous signal on T2WI, some of which were enhanced after the intravenous injection of MR contrast a gents. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the fat suppression TIWI with enhacnement or the fat suppression T2WI were better than conventional T2WI for detecting both bone erosion and pannus. The postcontrast MR imaging may often be helpul in distinguishing pannus from the effusion.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Diagnosis ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Wrist*

Annular elastolytic giant cell granuloma(AEGC(3) has been called as atypical necrcibiosis lipoidica, Mieschers granuloma of the face and scalp, and actinic granu- Joma and needs differen(iation from granuloma annulare, elastosis perforans serpiginosa and nerrobiosis lipoidica. We report a case of AECCG occurring in a 53-year-old male. The patient. had an annular erythematous plaque measuring 4 cm in diameter with serpiginous raised edges and slightly atrophic centers on the right forearm for 5 years. The histopathologic finding showed patchy dermal infiltration of lymphocytes, histiocytes, and multinucleated giant cells engulfing elastic fibers. The. skin lesion cleared after intrader mal injection cf cortieosteroids.
Actins ; Elastic Tissue ; Forearm ; Giant Cells* ; Granuloma ; Granuloma Annulare ; Granuloma, Giant Cell* ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; Skin

No abstract available.
Adenosine Triphosphatases* ; Animals ; Langerhans Cells* ; Mice* ; Oxygen*