No abstract available.
Cisplatin* ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing*

Peroxiredoxins (Prx's) are a superfamily of peroxidases that are ubiquitous in all super-kingdoms. Previous biochemical and structural studies have suggested that Prx's could be divided into five subfamilies (1-Cys, Typical 2-Cys, Atypical 2-Cys C-, L- and R- types). In this work, we have developed a set of regular expression patterns describing subfamily-specific spatial constraints of the key catalytic residues. Using these patterns, 1,016 Prx's available in public databases were classified into the five subfamilies. Our method performed well for most of the types except for Atypical 2 Cys R type.
Classification* ; Peroxidases ; Peroxiredoxins*

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in cirrhotic patients is a serious emergency which is associated with high mortality. Cirrhotic patients commonly have, in additian to esophageal varices, other upper gastrointestinal lesions which accont for occasional bleeding episodes. Since the theapy of bleeding esophageal varices differs from the treatment of nonvariceal bleeding, delay and inaccuracy in determining the source of bleeding contribute ta high mortality. (continue...)
Emergencies ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality

The causes of jaundice in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are usually attributed to the underlying liver diseases or extensive hepatic destruction by tumor. Obstructive jaundice by the intraluminal tumor fragment of intrahepatic and/or extrahepatic bile duct in hepatocellular carcinoma is exceedingly rare and usually diagnosed by operation or autopsy. Recently, we observed a patient in whom the fragment of tumor from the primary hepatocellular carclnoma obstructed the common hepatic duct, which was confirmed by peroral choledochoscopy. Using peroral choledochoscopy. we could see the mass located at the common hepatic duct and diagnose histologically by cytologic examination of aspirated material of common bile duct. We describe here this rare case with review the literature on primary hepatocellular carcinoma with jaundice caused by biliary obstruction.
Autopsy ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Common Bile Duct ; Hepatic Duct, Common* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive* ; Liver Diseases

Endoscopic injection therapy using various different agents(ethanol, polidocanol, epinephrine with and without hypertonic saline, etc.) is considered as the least expensive and effective technique to obtain hemostasis in peptic ulcer bleeding, however most of these agents induce tissue necrosis or degeneration. Theoretically the injection of fibrin glue in peptic ulcer bleeding may be safer than that of other agents, however, to date, there have been no data from randomized clinical trials on the comparison of the efficacies between these agents. To compare the hemostatic efficacy between FG[Beriplast P, Behring, Germany] and HSE[3% saline and epinephrine(1: 10,000)], we conducted a prospective, randomized, clinical trial among one hundred twenty-seven patients with peptic ulcer bleeding from March, 1992 to December, 1993 and in whom a visible vessel or active bleeding was identified.
Epinephrine* ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive* ; Fibrin* ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Peptic Ulcer* ; Prospective Studies*

Primary gallbladder cancer is a highly malignant tumor and is characterized by early metastasis and rapid progression of disease. Since the majority of patients have unresectable disease, laparotomy, instead of providing relief of symptoms, often adds to the morbidity and needs to be avoided in patients with advanced disease. Clinical features, peritoneoscopic findings, and comparison of peritoneoscopy with radiologic studies were reviewed in 29 patients, who underwent peritoneoscopy, with primary gallbladder cancer at Severaace Hospital, College of Medicine, Yonsei University between Aug. 1982 and Mar. 1994. (continue...)
Gallbladder Neoplasms* ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy* ; Laparotomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Knowledge about the mechanism and factors that influence olfaction in laryngectomees remains unclear. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of nasal airflow on olfactory ability, as measured by sniff alone and laryngeal bypass with sniff ; to evaluate varying olfactory abilities according to the status of the speech mechanisms in esophageal speakers (ES) and tracheoesophageal shunt speakers (TES) ; and to assess the relationship between speech acceptability and olfactory ability in laryngectomees. Two laryngectomee groups, consisting of ES and TES, and age-matched controls were analyzed through questionnaires, tests applying a Japanese T&T olfactometer to measure thresholds of odor detection and recognition, intravenous alinamin injection tests, and measures of speech acceptability. The findings that laryngeal bypass with sniff and the TES group demonstrated lower olfactory thresholds and shorter latent times than sniff alone and the ES group was informative about the importance of nasal airflow to the olfactory ability in laryngectomees. Furthermore, the close relationship found between olfactory threshold and speech acceptability showed that the ability to transport airflow through the nasal cavity during speech had a strong influence on olfactory ability in laryngectomees.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; Odors ; Smell* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Several hypotheses have been proposed in the etiopathogenesis of otitis media with effusion (OME). The bacterial or fungal infection may also play a major role in the pathogenesis of OME. To investigate the relationship between bacteria and fungi as pathogens in OME and to analyze the incidence, the authors evaluated the pathogens of OME using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, which is known to be more sensitive and specific than conventional bacterial and fungal culture. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Twenty-three children (thirty ears), who were diagnosed with OME and had underwent ventilation tube insertion, were evaluated in the department of ORL-HNS, University Hospital, from May 2006 to March 2007. The middle ear effusion, obtained during the procedure, was evaluated for the identification of bacteria and fungi by PCR. RESULTS: Among 30 ears, viable pathogenic bacteria were detected in 20 ears (66.6%) and fungi in 13 ears (43.3%). The bacterial pathogens included Haemophilus influenzae (13 ears), followed by Streptococcus pneumonize (6 ears). The fungi detected from PCR were Candida albicans (4 ears-30.8%), Aspergillus niger (2 ears-15.4%) and Paecilomyces lilacinus (2 ears-15.4%). Additional pathogens include Basidiomycete yeast, Saccharamycete sp., Eurotium rubrum, Dothioraceae sp. and Stemphylium solani. Detection of fungal DNA was more common in patients with cleft palate and in recurrent cases with statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The use of PCR of middle ear effusion is effective for the detection of pathogens in patients with OME. While bacteria were thought to be the causative pathogen, this study suggests the etiological role of fungi in the pathogenesis of OME. However, the relationship between fungi and OME requires further studies.
Aspergillus niger ; Bacteria ; Basidiomycota ; Candida albicans ; Child ; Cleft Palate ; DNA, Fungal ; Ear ; Eurotium ; Fungi ; Haemophilus influenzae ; Humans ; Incidence ; Otitis ; Otitis Media ; Otitis Media with Effusion ; Paecilomyces ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Streptococcus ; Ventilation ; Yeasts

This was a clinical trial study to aid the recovery of elderly female alcoholic liver disease patients by providing a balanced nutritional supplement comprising soymilk. All patients gave their consent before enrolling. The average demographics of the subjects were age 81.57 years, height 150.43 cm, weight 52.67 kg, and body mass index 24.15 kg/m2 . An increase in the daily consumption of fruits and fruit juice was observed after the patients had started taking the balanced meal as compared to before. Intakes of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and cholesterol decreased after consuming soymilk, whereas vitamin B 12, niacin, folic acid, and dietary fiber significantly increased (P<0.05). Blood cholesterol and BUN levels showed a decreasing tendency.Our results indicate that consuming soymilk in a balanced diet for female patients afflicted with alcoholic liver disease helps improve their nutritional status by increasing the nutrients lacking in the body.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a useful diagnostic method for diagnosing local invasion and lymph node metastasis of primary gastric lymphoma including mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, but the role of follow-up EUS after histologic regression of MALT lymphoma has not been well established until now. Therefore the usefulness of EUS in initial and follow up studies after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy was investigated. METHODS: From January 1995 to October 1998, nineteen MALT lymphoma patients were investigated. All but four patients underwent EUS exam at diagnosis and 3~23 months thereafter. 17 patients recieved H. pylori eradication therapy and 2 patients recieved operations without medical treatment. RESULTS: 16 of the 17 patients (94%) were cured of H. pylori infection after antimicrobial therapy. but on the histologic criteria, 13 of the 16 cases (81%) who were cured of H. pylori infection showed complete regression of MALT lymphoma. Histologic regression of MALT lymphoma was observed 6 weeks to 23 months after H. pylori eradication. In follow up EUS exam, gastric wall abnormalities returned to normal in 9 cases (69%) and remained abnormal in 4 cases (31%) among the completely regressed 13 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable portion (31%) of follow up EUS exam showed persistent abnormalities of gastric wall such as thickening of mucosa and/or submucosa after histologic regression of MALT lymphoma. To evaluate the usefulness of EUS, follow up EUS exam with regular interval for longer periods after histologic regression is needed.
Diagnosis ; Endosonography* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm Metastasis