OBJECTIVE: Repeated administration of mannitol in the setting of large hemispheric infarction is a controversial and poorly defined therapeutic intervention. This study was performed to examine the effects of multiple-dose mannitol on a brain edema after large hemispheric infarction. METHODS: A middle cerebral artery was occluded with the rat suture model for 6 hours and reperfused in 22 rats. The rats were randomly assigned to either control (n=10) or the mannitol-treated group (n=12) in which intravenous mannitol infusions (0.8 g/kg) were performed six times every four hours. After staining a brain slice with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride, the weight of hemispheres, infarcted (IH) and contralateral (CH), and the IH/CH weight ratio were examined, and then hemispheric accumulation of mannitol was photometrically evaluated based on formation of NADH catalyzed by mannitol dehydrogenase. RESULTS: Mannitol administration produced changes in body weight of -7.6+/-1.1%, increased plasma osmolality to 312+/-8 mOsm/L. It remarkably increased weight of IH (0.77+/-0.06 gm versus 0.68+/-0.03 gm : p<0.01) and the IH/CH weight ratio (1.23+/-0.07 versus 1.12+/-0.05 : p<0.01). The photometric absorption at 340 nm of the cerebral tissue in the mannitol-treated group was increased to 0.375+/-0.071 and 0.239+/-0.051 in the IH and CH, respectively from 0.167+/-0.082 and 0.162+/-0.091 in the IH and CH of the control group (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Multiple-dose mannitol is likely to aggravate cerebral edema due to parenchymal accumulation of mannitol in the infarcted brain tissue.
Absorption ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Brain ; Brain Edema* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Infarction ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Mannitol Dehydrogenases ; Mannitol* ; Middle Cerebral Artery* ; Models, Animal* ; NAD ; Osmolar Concentration ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Sutures

PURPOSE: Thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy in Korean females and can be treated with good prognosis. However, drugs to treat aggressive types of thyroid cancer such as poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer have not yet been established. To that end, we analyzed the effects of berberine on human thyroid cancer cell lines to determine whether this compound is useful in the treatment of aggressive thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The two thyroid cancer cell lines 8505C and TPC1, under adherent culture conditions, were treated with berberine and analyzed for changes in cell growth, cell cycle duration, and degree of apoptosis. RESULTS: Following berberine treatment, both cell lines showed a dose-dependent reduction in growth rate. 8505C cells showed significantly increased levels of apoptosis following berberine treatment, whereas TPC1 cells showed cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Immunobloting of p-27 expression following berberine treatment showed that berberine induced a little up-regulation of p-27 in 8505c cells but relatively high up-regulation of p-27 in TPC1 cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that berberine treatment of thyroid cancer can inhibit proliferation through apoptosis and/or cell cycle arrest. Thus, berberine may be a novel anticancer drug for the treatment of poorly differentiated or anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Antineoplastic Agents/*pharmacology ; Apoptosis/drug effects ; Berberine/*pharmacology ; Cell Cycle/drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; Humans ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*metabolism

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

Radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer in companion animals is currently administered by using megavoltage X-ray machines. Because these machines are expensive, most animal hospitals do not perform radiotherapy. This study evaluated the ability of relatively inexpensive kilovoltage X-ray machines to treat companion animals. A simulation study based on a commercial treatment-planning system was performed for tumors of the brain (non-infectious meningoencephalitis), nasal cavity (malignant nasal tumors), forefoot (malignant muscular tumors), and abdomen (malignant intestinal tumors). The results of kilovoltage (300 kV and 450 kV) and megavoltage (6 MV) X-ray beams were compared. Whereas the 300 kV and 6 MV X-ray beams provided optimal radiation dose homogeneity and conformity, respectively, for brain tumors, the 6 MV X-rays provided optimal homogeneity and radiation conformity for nasal cavity, forefoot, and abdominal tumors. Although megavoltage X-ray beams provided better radiation dose distribution in most treated animals, the differences between megavoltage and kilovoltage X-ray beams were relatively small. The similar therapeutic effects of the kilovoltage and 6 MV X-ray beams suggest that kilovoltage X-ray beams may be effective alternatives to megavoltage X-ray beams in treating cancers in companion animals.
Abdomen ; Animals ; Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Friends ; Hospitals, Animal ; Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; Pets ; Radiotherapy ; Therapeutic Uses

Extramedullary relapse of acute promyelocytic leukemia is rare and has been reported in 3%- 5% of patients. Relapse in the external auditory canal and the temporal bone is even more uncommon and scarcely reported. We encountered a 69-year-old male who complained about right ear pain and hearing loss. The patient had extramedullary relapse of acute promyelocytic leukemia in the right external auditory canal and in the temporal bone.

Objective: We investigated the effects of fusidic acid (FA) on human cervical, thyroid, and breast carcinoma cell lines to determine the potential usefulness of FA in cancer treatment. Methods: Six cancer cell lines (cervical cancer: Caski, HeLa; thyroid cancer: 8505C, TPC1; and breast cancer: MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) were treated with FA. Furthermore the changes in cell growth, cell cycle duration, and extent of apoptosis were analyzed. Results: After FA treatment, the cancer cells showed a decrease in growth rate. In the cell death assay, the cell populations were similar in each cell type after treatment with FA, indicating that growth inhibition by FA was not related to the induction of apoptosis. FA induced cell cycle arrest at a dose that inhibited growth rate, which varied in different cell types. G0/G1 phase arrest occurs in breast cancer, S phase arrest in 8505C thyroid cancer, and G2/M phase arrest in cervical cancer. These results indicate that FA reduces growth rates by inducing cell cycle arrest. Conclusion FA treatment can interfere with cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest in human cervical, thyroid, and breast carcinoma cell lines. Thus, FA can be useful in treating human cervical, thyroid, and breast carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the presence of high risk-human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) after conization of the cervix was a risk factor for persistence or recurrence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and whether HR-HPV test could be a guideline for post-therapy surveillance. METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed data from 243 patients who underwent LLETZ or CKC of the cervix due to CIN. RESULTS: A positive HR-HPV test result which was performed between 3 and 6 months after procedure was a risk factor for persistent or recurrent cytological (p<0.001, odds ratio [OR]=22.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]=9.74-52.02) and pathological (p<0.001, OR=18.28, 95% CI=5.55-60.20) abnormalities. CONCLUSION: HR-HPV positive patients between 3 and 6 months after procedure should undergo frequent and meticulous post-therapy surveillance, while HR-HPV negative patients do not require such high-level surveillance and could undergo routine surveillance.
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Cervix Uteri ; Conization ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Odds Ratio ; Papilloma ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Viruses

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the feasibility, safety, and survival of laparoscopic surgical staging in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer. METHODS: From Oct 2001 to Jul 2006, a total of 83 consecutive patients were eligible for inclusion and underwent laparoscopic surgical staging. RESULTS: Three patients with intraoperative great vessel injury and 1 patient in whom the colpotomizer was unable to be inserted were excluded. Laparoscopic surgical staging was feasible in 95.2% (79/83). Immediate postoperative complications were noted in 12 (15.2%) patients. Prolonged complications directly related to operative procedures numbered 2 (2.5%), and were trocar site metastases. The mean time from surgery to the start of radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was 11 (5-35) days. All patients tolerated the treatment well and completed scheduled RT or CCRT without disruption of treatment and additional admission. The rate of modification of the radiation field after surgical staging was 8.9% (7/79). Five-year progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) rates were 79% and 89%, respectively. The OS of patients with microscopic lymph node metastases, which were fully resected, were comparable to those of patients without lymph node metastasis. However, the OS of patients with macroscopic lymph node metastases that were fully resected were poorer compared with those of patients without lymph node metastasis. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment laparoscopic surgical staging is a feasible and safe treatment modality. However the survival benefit of debulking lymph nodes or full lymph node dissection is not clear.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Postoperative Complications ; Prospective Studies ; Surgical Instruments ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify the prognostic factors of secondary cytoreductive surgery on survival in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. METHODS: The medical records of all patients who underwent secondary cytoreductive surgery between May 2001 and October 2007 at the National Cancer Center, Korea were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were executed to evaluate the potential variables for overall survival. RESULTS: In total, 54 patients met the inclusion criteria. Optimal cytoreduction to <0.5 cm residual disease was achieved in 87% of patients who had received secondary cytoreductive surgery. Univariate analysis revealed that site of recurrence (median survival, 53 months for the largest tumors in the pelvis vs. 24 months for the largest tumors except for the pelvis; p=0.007), progression free survival (PFS) (median survival, 43 months for PFS> or =12 months vs. 24 months for PFS<12 months; p=0.036), and number of recurrence sites (median survival, 49 months for single recurred tumor vs 29 months for multiple recurred tumors; p=0.036) were significantly associated with overall survival. On multivariate analysis, prognostic factors that correlated with improved survival were site of recurrence (p=0.013), and PFS (p=0.043). CONCLUSION: In the author's analysis, a significant survival benefit was identified for the recurred largest tumors within the pelvis and PFS> or =12 months. Secondary cytoreductive surgery should be offered in selected patients and large prospective studies are needed to define the selection criteria for secondary cytoreductive surgery.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Patient Selection ; Pelvis ; Recurrence