No abstract available.
Tinnitus*

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography*

No abstract available.
Knee Joint* ; Knee*

The anterior approach to arthrodesis of the cervical spine has become a widely accepted. However, anterior interbody fusion in the presence of the posterior instability may be complicated by the bone graft dislodgement, kyphotic deformity or nonunion. As an attempt to prevent this complications, anterior cervical plate after graft placement was introduced. Although, anterior cervical plates provide excellent fixation for the anterior column, potential risk for injury to the spinal cord, soft tissues or screw loosening leading to dysphagia has been reported. Morscher, of Switzerland, has developed an anterior cervical spine locking plate(CLSP) system that attempts to prevent the migration and looseing of screw by using a cross-split screw head that can be locked into the plate. The secondary advantage of this system is the limination of the required posterior cortex purchase. The authors reviewed 42 patients in whom the CLSP system was applied for the treatment of degenerative disease or trauma. With a mean followup of 18 months, all 42 patients went on to fusion. One patient had screws placed in the discal space, hardware failure occurred in two patients. There was no iatrogenic injury to the spinal cord or esophagus. In conclusion, the CLSP system provides a reliable fusion with minimal complications. It should be considered in multilevel anterior cervical arthrosis and cervical fractures.
Arthrodesis ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Deglutition Disorders ; Esophagus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Spinal Cord ; Spine ; Switzerland ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Pneumothorax*

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Aspergillosis*

Inflammatory mediators, such as oxidants, TNF-alpha, and IL-6, play a major role in the systemic response to bum injury It has been known that a continuing inflammatory response cause a sepsis and subsequent multiple organ failure. Recent studies have shown that burn patients receiving recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH) therapy have an improvement of the general condition, but the mechanism by which rhGH exerts its effects has not been clearly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of rhGH on the early bum injury. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups : control group, bum group, burn plus rhGH treated group, and rhGH only treated group. Animals were killed at 30min., 3, 6, 24, and 48 hours after treatment. Histology and biochemical changes including malondialdehyde(MDA) content, tissue reduced glutathione(GSH) and catalase activity in the lung and liver, and plasma TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels were examined. Lung histology in the bum plus rhGH treated group showed decreased inflammtory response such as neutrophil and lymphocyte infiltrations, interstitial thickening, and edema compared with the bum group. Liver histology in the bum group revealed mild neutrophil and lymphocyte infiltrations, vacuolization .of hepatocytes, disrupted lobular structures, and dilated sinusoids. But liver histology of the bum plus rhGH was similar to control group. Lung and liver MDA in the burn plus rhGH and rhGH only treated groups were decreased with time compared with the burn group. Lung and liver GSH and catalase activities in the bum plus rhGH and GH only treated groups remained significantly increased compared with the bum group for the 48-hours period. Plasma TNF-alpha levels in the bum group remained elevated for the 48-hours period compared with the bum plus rhGH and rhGH only treated groups. Plasma IL-6 levels in the burn group were significantly increased only at first compared with the bum plus rhGH and rhGH only treated groups. These results suggested that rhGH showed inhibitory effects on the inflammatory cell infiltration and lipid peroxidation in the lung and liver after bum injury. Increased GSH levels and catalase activities seemed to be associated with the antioxidant effect of rhGH. But the inhibitory effect of rhGH on plasma TNF- and R-6 levels was not clearly demonstrated.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; Burns ; Catalase ; Edema ; Female ; Hepatocytes ; Human Growth Hormone* ; Humans* ; Interleukin-6* ; Lipid Peroxidation* ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymphocytes ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Neutrophils ; Oxidants ; Plasma* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sepsis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Even in patients undergoing an optimal surgical technique (e.g., total mesorectal excision), radiotherapy provides a significant benefit in the local control of rectal cancer. Compared with postoperative treatment, chemoradiotherapy given preoperatively has been shown to decrease local recurrence rates and toxicity. Additionally, preoperative chemoradiotherapy permits the early identification of tumor responses to this cytotoxic treatment by surgical pathology. Pathological parameters reflecting the tumor response to chemoradiotherapy have been shown to be surrogate markers for long-term clinical outcomes. Post-chemoradiotherapy downstaging from cStage II-III to ypStage 0-I indicates a favorable prognosis, with no difference between ypStage 0 and ypStage I. Research is ongoing to develop useful tools (clinical, molecular, and radiological) for clinical determination of the pathologic chemoradiotherapeutic response before surgery, and possibly even before preoperative treatment. In the future, risk-adapted strategies, including intensification of preoperative therapy, conservative surgery, or the selective administration of postoperative chemotherapy, will be realized for locally-advanced rectal cancer patients based on their response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy.
Biomarkers ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Humans ; Pathology, Surgical ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Recurrence

No abstract available.
Erythema Multiforme* ; Erythema* ; Lymphoma*

PURPOSE: The serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level has been recognized as a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer, and associated with response of rectal cancer to radiotherapy. This study aimed to identify CEA-interacting proteins in colon cancer cells and observe post-irradiation changes in their expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CEA expression in colon cancer cells was examined by Western blot analysis. Using an anti-CEA antibody or IgG as a negative control, immunoprecipitation was performed in colon cancer cell lysates. CEA and IgG immunoprecipitates were used for liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis. Proteins identified in the CEA immunoprecipitates but not in the IgG immunoprecipitates were selected as CEA-interacting proteins. After radiation treatment, changes in expression of CEA-interacting proteins were monitored by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: CEA expression was higher in SNU-81 cells compared with LoVo cells. The membrane localization of CEA limited the immunoprecipitation results and thus the number of CEA-interacting proteins identified. Only the Ras-related protein Rab-6B and lysozyme C were identified as CEA-interacting proteins in LoVo and SNU-81 cells, respectively. Lysozyme C was detected only in SNU-81, and CEA expression was differently regulated in two cell lines; it was down-regulated in LoVo but up-regulated in SNU-81 in radiation dosage-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: CEA-mediated radiation response appears to vary, depending on the characteristics of individual cancer cells. The lysozyme C and Rab subfamily proteins may play a role in the link between CEA and tumor response to radiation, although further studies are needed to clarify functional roles of the identified proteins.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cell Line ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoprecipitation ; Mass Spectrometry ; Membranes ; Muramidase ; Radiotherapy ; Rectal Neoplasms