No abstract available.
Adrenalectomy* ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia* ; Pheochromocytoma*

PURPOSE:To evaluate the role of unenhanced CT in diagnosing the acute appendicitis. METHOD AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively analyzed conventional contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scans of 197 normal patients and barium enemas of 26 out of the 197 patients. Additional unenhanced CT scans of right lower abdomen were performed on 30 patients who were suspected of having acute appendicitis;barium enema was performed in 26 patients. RESULTS: in the analysis of the conventional CT scans, we could detect 132(67%) normal appendicies. On barium enema of 26 out of 197 patients, abruptly narrowed appendix was visualized in 5 cases and luminal irregularity in 4 cases but all 26 cases showed normal appendix on CT. In the 30 cases of unenhanced CT, all appendicies were visualized. Among 12 Cases which were proved as acute appendicitis, barium enenma was done in 10 case;abruptly narrowed appendix was shown in 3 and luminal irregularity in 1. Among 18 cases which were diagnosed as normal appendix, nonvisualization of appendix' was in 1 case, abruptly narrowed lumen in 3, and luminal irregularity in 9. CONCLUSION:Unenhanced CT in the area of the cecum may be an effective and safe diagnostic tool for acute appendicitis.
Abdomen ; Appendicitis* ; Appendix ; Barium* ; Cecum ; Enema* ; Humans ; Phenobarbital ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: It is not easy to determine the cause of pulmonary consolidative lesion. Even without any definite mass, malignancy cannot be ruled out. And sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate tuberculosis from pneumonia. To differentiate malignant consolidative lesion from benign one, we studied patterns of air bronchogram, mucoid impaction, and computed tomographic anglogram etc. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty seven cases of pulmonary consolidative lesions(23 cases of malignancy,34 cases of benign lesion) were retrospectively reviewed by three radiologists. RESULTS: Among the 28 cases which showed a little air bronchogram(less than 1/3 of the whole lesion in volumetric measure with the eye) 19 cases were malignancy and nine cases were benign lesions. All of the 12 cases which showed profound air bronchogram over 2/3 of the whole lesion were benign lesions. Bronchiectasis was detected in 31 cases(four of malignancy and 27 of benign lesions). Among the 20 cases which didn't show the mucoid impaction five cases were malignancy and 15 cases were benign lesions. Out of eight cases with mucoid impaction filling the long segments(branching tree shape), seven cases were malignancy and one case was benign lesion. So called CT anglogram was detected in nine cases of malignancy and two cases of benign lesions. All of nine cases of malignancy showed CT anglogram which was like arborizing tree. CONCLUSION: Scanty air bronchogram, profound arborizing mucoid impaction and/or CT angoigram within consolidative lesion could suggest malignancy.
Bronchiectasis ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed* ; Tuberculosis

In order to investigate the dietary intakes and physical characteristics in college women smokers, interviews using questionnaires were done on 33 smokers and 42 nonsmokers residing in seoul area. General living habits, dietary habits, food consumption frequency and nutrient intake by quick estimation were investigated through direct interviews with subjects. Subjects height, weight and blood pressure were measured, and body fat percentage were statistically analyzed using Bio-electrical Impedence Fatness Analyzer(GIF-891). All data were statistically analyzed by SAS PC package program ; percentage or mean and standard error were examined for each item, and the significant difference was evaluated by chi-square test or Student's t-test at alpha=0.05. In the analysis of taste and food preference, smokers consumed larger amount of alcohol and coffee than nonsmokers ; they also disliked sweet taste. The results of food consumption frequency data also showed that smokers consumed less fish, milk and fruits but consumed more instant foods than nonsmokers. As a result of anthropometric measurements, height, age, and body fat percentage showed no difference, but there was a significant difference in weight, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure. Energy intake in nonsmokers was 1640 kcal/day(CHO : Pro : Fat=66.0 : 14.7 : 19.3), in smokers. Intakes of calcium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and niacin in smokers were not significantly different from those of nonsmokers.
Adipose Tissue ; Ascorbic Acid ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium ; Coffee ; Energy Intake ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Fruit ; Humans ; Iron ; Milk ; Niacin ; Nutritional Status* ; Riboflavin ; Seoul ; Thiamine ; Vitamin A ; Surveys and Questionnaires

We conducted a retrospective study of 20 penetrating keratoplasty (19patients) for corneal opacity due to herpes simplex keratitis from January 1992 to February 1997 at National Medical Center. We exaniined f requeuey of graft rejection and recurrence of herpetic keratitis after penetrating keratoplasty. The patients were grouped into control & treatinent, group according to the use of antivirial drug after penetrating keratoplasty and we examined the difference in rate of recurrence between two groups. The follow-up period was from 8 months to 68 months, mean follow-up period being 29.6 months. Graft rejection was seen in 3 eyes out of 20 eyes (15.0%) and recurrence was developed 3 eyes out of 20 eyes (15.0%). Recurrent herpetic keratitis developed in 15.4%(2 of 13) of the eyes in control group and 14.3% (1 of 7) of the eyes in treatment group. There was no statistically significant difference in recurrence rate between two groups (p)0.05). Postoperative prophylactic antiviral treatment is not associated with decreased rate of herpes simplex keratitis recurrence.
Corneal Opacity ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft Rejection ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Keratitis, Herpetic* ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

The authors have evaluated the effect of topically applied 1% cyclosporine A for four weeks after limbal allograft transplantation for ocular surface stability in severely ocular surface damaged rabbits. A total eleven severely damaged rabbits were subdivided into three groups of four limbal autograft (AUTO), three limbal allograft (ALLO), four limbal allograft with topical application of 1% cyclosporine A five times daily for four weeks (ALLO-C). We examined ocular surface smoothness, clarity, corneal vascularization before surgery and three months after surgery, and classified three grade (success, partial success, failure) according to result. In AUTO, three eyes were success, one eye was failure. In ALLO, one eye showed inferior graft detachment and one eye was success, two eyes were failire. In ALLO-C, no graft detachment detected and one eye was success, two eyes were partial success, one eye was failure. We knew that. ALLO-C show more effective ocular surface stability than ALLO. These result suggest ALLO-C can be used as alternative treatment of AUTO in ocular surface reconstruction. But, rnore study for duration and concentration of cyclosporin A will be need.
Allografts ; Autografts ; Cornea* ; Cyclosporine* ; Rabbits ; Transplants

Inflammatory pseudotumor, originally described in the lung, is a relatively rare tumor-like lesion that occurs in various organs and tissues. It is usually well demarcated from the surrounding tissue, however it can be unfortunately resected as a malignant tumor. A few inflammtory pseudotumor in the kidney have been reported in English literature, but there have been no reports in Korea. We report a case with inflammatory pseudotumor of the kidney. A 48 year old woman had an intermittent flank pain on the right side. An ultrasonographic study suggested a renal cell carcinoma and a nephrectomy was done. Grossly, there were two separate masses with a well demarcated yellowish appearance, measuring 2.3 cm and 1.3 cm in diameter, respectively. Histologically, they were composed of smooth muscle actin positive spindle cells and a large number of foamy histiocytes, lymphocytes, and plasma cells in the fibrotic backgound.
Actins ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell* ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Korea ; Lung ; Lymphocytes ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Nephrectomy ; Plasma Cells

BACKGROUND: N-acetylcysteine(ACE) is used both orally and intravenously in a variety of experimental pathologies resembling human disease states which exhibit endothelial toxicity as a result of oxidative stress, including acute pulmonary oxygen toxicity, septicemia and endotoxin shock. Despite these observations in vivo, it is not certain how this thiol drug produces its protective effects. ACE is a cysteine derivative which is able to directly react with oxygen radicals and may also act as a cysteine and glutathione(GSH) precursor following deacetylation. In this paper, we tried to know whether the therapeutic doses of ACE can modify the inflammatory function of the neutrophils and can increase the glutathione level of plasma in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) patients. In addition, the effect of ACE to the purified neutrophil in terms of superoxide release and glutathione synthesis were observed. METHOD: Firstly, we gave 600mg of ACE for seven days and compare the release of superoxide, luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence from the neutrophils, neutrophil chemotaxis, and plasma GSH levels before and after ACE treatment in COPD patients. Secondly, we observed the dose dependent effect of ACE to the purified neutrophil's superoxide release and GSH levels in vitro. RESULTS: 1) Usual oral therapeutic doses(600mg per day) of ACE for seven days did affect neither on the neutrophils superoxide release, chemiluminescence, chemotaxis, nor on the plasma GSH concentration in the COPD patients. 2) ACE decreases the purified neutrophil's superoxide release and increase the GSH production in dose dependent fashion in vitro. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that oral ACE treatment did not affect on the neutrophil's inflammatory function and plasma GSH concentration in COPD patients in usual therapeutic doses, it decreases the superoxide release and increases the GSH production from the isolated neutrophils in high molar concentrations. These findings suggest that to obtain an antioxidative effects of ACE, it might be needed to increase the daily dosage of ACE or therapeutic duration or change the route of adminisration in COPD patients.
Acetylcysteine* ; Chemotaxis* ; Cysteine ; Glutathione* ; Humans ; Luminescence ; Molar ; Neutrophils* ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxygen ; Pathology ; Plasma* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Superoxides*

BACKGROUND: Infiltration of eosinophils and activated T cells into the airway is a characteristic feature of allergic inflammation such as asthma. IL-4 has been shown to mediate adhesion of eosinophils and T cells to endothelial cells by inducing VCAM-1 expression on endothelial surface. IL-13 shares a number of biologic properties with IL-4. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the effects of IL-13 on the adhesion of eosinophils to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and on the expression of VCAM-1 in HUVEC. METHOD: HUVEC was incubated for 24h with IL-13 (10ng/ml), IL-4 (10ng/ml) and TNF-a (10ng/ml). Surface expression of VCAM-1 in HUVEC was detected using irnmuno-cytochemical stain and reverse transcription-polymearse chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the adhesion of eosinophils to HUVEC was quantitated using eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) assay. RESULTS: The VCAM-1 expression on IL-13-treated HUVEC increased more than in the expression on medium-treated HUVEC (p<0.05). The adhesion of eosinophil to IL-13- treated HUVEC also increased more than in the adhesion to medium-treated HUVEC (p<0.05). The VCAM-1 expression was synergistically induced by TNF-a and IL-13 (p<0.05). IL-13 induced VCAM-1 expression and adhesion of eosinophils to HUVEC, similar to IL-4. IL-13 also induced VCAM-1 mRNA expression, with greater expression than with medium and TNF-a(p<0.05). IL-13-induced surface VCAM-1 was associated with expression of mRNA transcripts and adhesion of eosinophils to HUVEC(r=0.89, r=0.93, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that IL-13 stimulates HUVEC to express surface VCAM-1 and has a possible role in promoting VCAM-1/VLA-4 dependent accumulation of eosinophils during allergic and other inflammatory responses.
Asthma ; Endothelial Cells* ; Eosinophil Peroxidase ; Eosinophils* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-13* ; Interleukin-4 ; RNA, Messenger ; T-Lymphocytes ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

PURPOSE: This study was a cross-sectional study comparing differences in self-management knowledge, self-management, physiologic indexes, and symptoms experience for two methods of dialysis. METHODS: Participants were 90 patients on hemodialysis and 91 on peritoneal dialysis at A hospital. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups for knowledge of self-management. A comparison of the categories in the evaluation of self-management showed that patients in the peritoneal dialysis group took better care of their dialysis access route (F=17.61, p < .001) and dialysis schedule (F=4.30, p=.040). The physiologic indexes between the two dialysis groups showed that hemoglobin levels were higher in the hemodialysis group (F=5.28, p=.023). The product of serum calcium and phosphate was higher in the peritoneal dialysis group (F=11.42, p=.001). Serum sodium level was also higher in the peritoneal dialysis group (t=5.36, p < .001) while serum albumin level (t=−3.36, p=.001) and mean arterial blood pressure (t=−2.50, p=.013) were higher in hemodialysis patients. There were no significant differences in the proportion of uncomfortable experiences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Medical personnel should consider differences in self-management knowledge/self-management, physiologic indexes, and symptoms experience for hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis populations, and should provide adequate education accordingly and promote behavioral change to improve physiologic indexes and reduce symptoms.
Appointments and Schedules ; Arterial Pressure ; Biomarkers ; Calcium ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dialysis* ; Education ; Humans ; Methods* ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Renal Dialysis ; Self Care* ; Serum Albumin ; Sodium ; Symptom Assessment