INTRODUCTION: Premature ejaculation is the most prevalent form of male sexual dysfunction, but its cause has not been well established. Recently some studies indicated that penile sensitivity is decreased in men with premature ejaculation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To clarify the association between penile sensitivity and premature ejaculation, we evaluated penile sensitivity in 18 patients with premature ejaculation without erectile dysfunction and neurologic deficit, and 15 normal potent male volunteers by SMV-5 digital vibrometer (Teknologue, Tokyo, Japan), which has higher precision and reproducibility than analogue type biothesiometers. Vibration thresholds were recorded at the glans penis, penile shaft, and frenulum of the penis in flaccid and erectile state induced by PGE1 10 ug. We also recorded those at ulnar process and medial maleolus of the tibia. RESULTS: There was no difference in vibration threshold at the ulnar process and the medial maleolus of the tibia between the two groups (p>0.05). And we found no difference in penile sensitivity at the glans penis, penile shaft, frenulum of the penis between the two groups, in both erectile and flaccid states (p>0.05). Penile sensitivity was decreased in erectile state compared to flaccid state, but it is not statistically significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Based on our results, penile hypersensitivity measured by SMV-5 vibrometer does not appear to be a major factor contributing to premature ejaculation. And further study aimed at other somatic or cognitive factors awaits implementation.
Alprostadil ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Male ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Penis ; Premature Ejaculation* ; Tibia ; Vibration ; Volunteers

Myxoma is a rare nonepithelial neoplasm of the larynx frequently misdiagnosed as a large vocal polyp due to its slow-growing nature. Myxoma is a benign but often infiltrating neoplasm of uncertain mesenchymal cell origin, characterized by irregular round, spindle or stellate cells within a matrix containing abundant mucoid material, scant vascularity and a variable meshwork of reticulum and collagen. We report one case of myxoma with life-threatening dyspnea requiring tracheotomy.
Case Report ; Critical Illness ; Human ; Laryngeal Neoplasms/complications* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Myxoma/complications* ; Respiration Disorders/surgery ; Respiration Disorders/etiology* ; Tracheotomy

Malignancy may cause variable musculoskeletal symptoms which resemble connective tissue disorder. This symptoms as a fine sign of hidden neoplasm can precede the diagnosis of underlying malignancy. But only one case of stomach cancer associated with cancer arthritis was reported in the world. This fact is very interesting in Asia which has high prevalence of stomach cancer. We experienced one case of gastric adenocarcinoma with oligoarthritis involving both knee and right elbow. A 48-year-old man was diagnosed stomach cancer by gastric endoscope and biopsy. After then, he complained pain, tenderness, heating sensation, swelling of both knee and right elbow with high fever. Both knee MRI showed abundant synovial effusion and soft tissue edema. Full dose of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug was not effective to control fever and arthritis. But fever and arthritis were gone after resection of tumor.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Arthritis ; Asia ; Biopsy ; Connective Tissue ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Elbow ; Endoscopes ; Fever ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Knee ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Sensation ; Stomach Neoplasms

With the increasing use of PD as a replacement therapy in chronic renal failure, the number of complications related to PD also has increased. One of these is hydrothorax associated with pleuroperitoneal communications. Diagnosis is based upon confirming that the fluid in pleural space is dialysate. The chemical characteristics of the pleural fluid can help diagnose dialysate in pleural space. One can use dialysate mixed with dye (methylene blue, indigo). Peritoneographies with contrast and radionucleotides are safe, accurate, and reliable methods of diagnosing peritoneal defects. While these substances do not damage the peritoneum, their diffusion is low. We report 2 cases of hydrothorax associated with pleuroperitoneal communications in CAPD patients. We employed CT peritoneography and peritoneoscintigraphy to diagnose the hydrothorax associated with pleuroperitoneal leak.
Diagnosis ; Diffusion ; Humans ; Hydrothorax* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritoneum

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ultrasonographic and CT findings of hepatosplenic tuberculosis MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the ultrasonographic and CT findings of confirmed hepatosplenic tuberculosis in 12patients. Six were men and six were women ; their average age was 41, and most were in their twenties. Lesions ofthe liver and spleen, as well as associated findings such as abdominal tuberculosis and other organ involvement oftuberculosis were analyzed. RESULTS: There were three cases of hepatic tuberculosis, seven of splenictuberculosis, and two of hepatosplenic involvement of tuberculosis. On the basis of the ultrasonographic and CTfindings, hepatosplenic tuberculosis was classified as one of two patterns : miliary or micronodular, ormacronodular. The micronodular type was more common (9/12 cases) being characterized by innumerable micronodules,and with easy coalescence in the liver and spleen in five of the nine cases. The macronodular type of low densitymass was noted in the other three patients. Splenomegaly was noted in 12 cases and hepatomegaly in ten. Pulmonarytuberculosis-including the miliary type(n=5)-was noted in eight patients. Associated abdominal tuberculosis suchas lymphadenopathy with central low density and peripheral rim enhancement (n=6), tuberculous peritonitis(n=3),highly attenuated ascites(n=6), adrenal tuberculosis(n=1), renal tuberculosis(n=1), ovarian abscess(n=1), psoasabscess(n=1), and systemic tuberculosis such as central nervous system tuberculoma(n=2), cervicallymphadenopathy(n=4) and tuberculous spondylitis(n=1) were noted. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography and CT werevaluable in the detection and diagnosis of hepatosplenic tuberculosis
Central Nervous System ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Spleen ; Splenomegaly ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal ; Tuberculosis, Hepatic ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The effect of PTK inhibitors (herbimycin A and genistein) on the induction of radiation-induce d apoptosis in Ph-positive K562 leukemia cell line was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: K562 cells in exponential growth phase were irradiated with a linear accelerator at room temperature. For 6 MV X-ray irradiation and drug treatment, cultures were initiated at 2x10' cells/mL. The cells were irradiated with 10 Gy. Stock solutions of herbimycin A and genistein were prepared in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). After incubation at 37C for 0-48 h, the extent of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis and TUNEL assay. The progression of cells throughth the cel l cycle after irradiation and drug treatment was also determined with flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to monitor bcl-2, bcl-X and bax protein levels. RESULTS: Treatment with 10 Gy X-irradiation did not result in the induction of apoptosis. The HMA alone (500 nM) also failed to induce apoptosis. By contrast, incubation of K562 cells with HMA after irradiation resulted in a substantial induction of nuclear condensation and fragmentation by agarose gel electro-phoresis and TUNEL assay. Genistein failed to enhance the ability of X-irradiation to induce DN A fragmentation. Enhancement of apoptosis by H MA was not attributable to downregulation of the bcl-2 or bcl-X anti-apoptotic proteins. When the cells were irradiated and maintained with HMA, the percentage cf cells in G2/M phase decreased to 30-40% at 48 h. On the other hand, cells exposed to 10 Gy X-irradiation alone or maintained with genistein did not show marked cell cycle redistribution. CONCLUSION: We have shown that nanomolar concentrations of the PTK inhibitor HMA synergize with X-irradiation in inducing the apoptosis in Ph (+) K562 leukemia cell line. While, genistein, a PTK inhibitor which is not selective for p2 10""'' failed to enhance the radiation induced apoptosis in K562 cells. It is unlikely that the ability of HMA to enhance apoptosis in K562 cells is attributable to bcl-2 family. It is plausible that the relationship between cell cycle delays and cell death is essential for drug development based on molecular targeting designed to modify radiation-induced apoptosis.
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; Apoptosis* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Death ; Cell Line ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Down-Regulation ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Flow Cytometry ; Genistein ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; K562 Cells* ; Leukemia ; Particle Accelerators ; Sepharose

PURPOSE: We assessed the usefulness of magnetic resonance angiography(MRA) and its techniques for differential diagnosis of hemorrhagic causes in patients with non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhagic disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 74 patients with non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhagic diseases, which were confirmed by radiological examinations(36 cases) and operations(38 cases). We compared the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) alone from MRI with MRA in evaluation of hemorrhagic causes. MRA was obtained by Time-of-Flight(TOF) and Phase Contrast(PC) technique. We investigated the usefulness of TOF and PC technique. RESULTS: MRI with MRA for detection of hemorrhagic causes(89%, 66 cases) was better than MRI only (64%, 47 cases). PC was better than TOF for evaluation of arteriovenous malformation and aneurysm due to subtraction of background noise(hemorrhage). CONCLUSION: MRI with MRA in more useful than MRI alone for evaluation of non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhagic causes.
Aneurysm ; Angiography* ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Intensive Care Units ; Sepsis ; Critical Illness ; Chronic Disease ; Hospital Mortality

A case of laryngeal carcinoid in a 54-year-old Korean female is reported and discussed. This tumor is extremely rare in the larynx and there have been just over twenty cases reported in the literature to date. The case showed an initial histologic finding of epithelial dysplasia and was finally confirmed to be a carcinoid tumor. Laryngeal carcinoids are often atypical histologically and may be misdiagnosed as undifferentiated carcinoma. An electron microscopic study revealed neurosecretory-type granules. Although the patient underwent a total laryngectomy and radical neck dissection, multiple hepatic metastasis was noted postoperatively.
Carcinoid Tumor/diagnosis/*pathology ; Case Report ; Female ; Human ; Laryngeal Neoplasms/diagnosis/*pathology ; Middle Age

PURPOSE: Immunotherapy with tumor cell vaccines has shown limited success in established tumors, for reasons including suppressed expression of MHC molecules or absent tumor associated antigens, and active production of immunosuppressive molecules of tumor cells. The development of a vaccine targeting tumor angiogenesis might overcome the limitation of tumor cell vaccines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC) were infected with 20MOI of Ad-CMV-mGMCSF, and GM-CSF expression was measured by ELISA assay. One million mouse bladder cancer cells (MBT-2) were subcutaneously inoculated in C3H mice. The growth of tumors was measured after weekly intraperitoneal injection of saline(group I), HUVEC cells(group II), and HUVEC cells infected with Ad-CMV- mGMCSF(group III). At 4 weeks, the tumors were immunostained with anti-CD31 and the microvessel density(MVD) was measured. To evaluate the mechanism of this vaccine, flow cytometry analysis for activated CD4 and CD8 was performed. RESULTS: The mean expression of GM-CSF was 215ng/106 HUVEC cells at 24 hours after infection. There was no significant difference in tumor growth between groups I and II. However, the tumor growth in group III was significantly suppressed compared to that in groups I and II(p<0.05), as was MVD(p<0.05). In flow cytometry analysis, activated CD4 and CD8 cells were increased in group III compared to those of groups I and II. CONCLUSIONS: GM-CSF producing endothelial cell vaccine suppressed the growth of established bladder tumors, which may be explained by specific T cell mediated immune reaction to the tumor angiogenesis.
Animals ; Endothelial Cells* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Microvessels ; Umbilical Veins ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Vaccines