One hundred and fifty two patients presenting with palpable primary breast cancer were studied to evaluate accuracy of clinical assessment, mammography, and ultrasonography in measuring tumor size. The clinical, mammographic, and ultasonographic diameter of tumor size was compared to histological diameters. The histological diameter of tumors was 27.9+/-12.7mm. The average diameter of tumor on clinical assessment was 33.8+/-13.1mm and its correlation coefficient to the histological size was 0.73. The average size on the mammography was 21.4+/-9.0m and its correlation coefficient to the histological size is 0.71. The tumor size on the ultrasonography in 22 patients was is 22.3+/-10.4mm. The sonographic measurement dimonstrated the highest correlation coefficient (0.83). The clinical assessment overstimated the tumor size, but the mammogaphic and sonographic measurement understimated it compared with histological size. The combined measurement with clinical and ultrasonography could be useful method to estimate tumor size preoperatively. And when it is combined with clinical assessment, it is the most reliable and accurate technique.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Humans ; Mammography ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Tumor size is a prognostic factor, as well as an important factor, in staging. Also, tumor size is a major factor in determining if a woman is a suitable candidate for various treatments, including a mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery. Thus, an accurate assessment of breast tumor size is important in making a prognosis and in planning treatment. METHODS: One hundred fifty-two patients presenting with palpable primary breast cancer were studied to evaluate the accuracies of clinical assessment, mammography, and ultrasonography in measuring tumor size. The clinical, mammographic, and ultrasonographic diameters of the tumors were compared to histological diameters. RESULTS: The average histological diameter of the tumors was 27.0+/-12.9 mm. The average diameter of the tumors on clinical assessment was 33.8+/-13.1 mm, and its correlation coefficient to the histological size was 0.73. The average size on mammography was 21.4+/-9.0 mm and its correlation coefficient to the histological size was 0.71. The tumor size on ultrasonography in 22 patients was 22.3+/-10.4 mm. The sonographic measurement demonstrated the highest correlation coefficient (0.83). The clinical assessment overestimated the histological tumor size, but the mammographic and sonographic measurement underestimated it. A combined measurement using both the clinical and the ultrasonographic methods slightly improved the correlation with the histological size (0.86). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography could be a useful method for estimating tumor size preoperatively, and when it is combined with clinical assessment, it is the most reliable and accurate technique.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Female ; Humans ; Mammography ; Mastectomy ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Prognosis ; Ultrasonography

No abstract availble.
Aged ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/radiography/*radionuclide imaging/*secondary ; Male ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/*radionuclide imaging ; *Positron-Emission Tomography ; Rectal Neoplasms/pathology/*radionuclide imaging ; Sigmoidoscopes

PURPOSE: To assess the CT and histological findings after cryoablation in the normal lung of rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After performing chest CT on rabbits, we inserted a cryoneedle toward the lower lobe of the right lung. We performed percutaneous cryoablation that was composed of freeze-thaw-freeze cycles (25 minutes) for group 1 animals and one cycle of variable freezing time (10-20 minutes) for group 2 animals. We measured the longest (Dl) and shortest diameter (Ds) of the ablated zones that were determined after cryoablation for all of the CT images. After cryoablation, we performed a pathological examination. RESULTS: The mean Dl and Ds of the ablated zone was 28.1+/-3.9 mm and 16+/-1.6 mm, respectively, for group 1 rabbits. For group 2 rabbits, the mean Dl and Ds was 28.7+/-6.3 mm and 14.4+/-3.8 mm, respectively, for one cycle of 20 minutes freezing time. Based on the histological findings, the ablated zone was composed of a necrotic, hemorrhagic, and inflammatory area, in order from the center to the outside. Although each area was well differentiated in group 1 rabbits, only freezing for one cycle of 20 minutes for the group 2 rabbits gave the same results as for the group 1 rabbits. CONCLUSION: A total freezing time of at least 20 minutes and two more freeze-thaw-freeze cycles might be important factors for providing a sufficient area of the ablated zone and uniform necrosis during cryoablation.
Animals ; Catheter Ablation ; Cryosurgery ; Cryotherapy ; Freezing ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Necrosis ; Rabbits ; Thorax

PURPOSE: This is to examine the neurodevelopmental outcomes of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants by Korean infant developmental screening test. METHODS: 29 VLBW infants and 39 normal term infants, at their corrected age of 1 to 3 years, were included for the study. Risk factors which influence neurodevelopmental outcomes were analyzed. RESULT: The mean levels of developmental quotients for VLBW infants were lower than those of term infants (P<0.001); gross motor 99.3+/-27.28 vs. 121.3+/-19.08, fine motor 95.9+/-27.22 vs. 118.3+/-17.77, social-personality 100.2+/-28.01 vs. 126.3+/-21.31, language 99.5+/-27.34 vs. 120.1+/-18.82, cognitive-adaptive 101.4+/-28.60 vs. 122.7+/-19.59, and total developmental quotient is 99.3+/-27 vs. 121.7+/-19.18. Nevertheless, the mean levels of the individual developmental quotients for VLBW infants were in normal range. There were five VLBW infants (17%) those who scored lower than 80, also showed neurologic sequelae. The infants who had the more risk factors during hospitalization scored the less developmental quotient (R(2)=0.35, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Although the mean levels of the individual developmental quotient for VLBW infants, assessed by Korean infant developmental screening test, were lower than those of term infants, they are in normal range.
Child ; Child Development* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Mass Screening* ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors

This study was performed to evaluate the tensile strength of solder joint in titanium and the wettability of 14K gold solder on titanium. Two pieces of titanium rod 30 mm in length and 3mm in diameter were butt-soldered with a 14K gold solder using the electric resistance heating under flux-argon atmosphere, the infrared heating under argon atmosphere, and the infrared heating under vacuum-argon atmosphere. A tensile test was performed at a crosshead speed of 0.5mm/min, and fractere surfaces were examined by SEM. To evaluate the wettability of 14K gold solder on titanium, titanium plates of a 17x17x1mm were polished with #80-#2000 emery papers, and the spreading areas of solder 10mg were measures by heating at 840 * for 60 seconds. The solder-matrix interface regions were etched by the solution of 10% KCN-10%(NH4)2S2O8, and analyzed by EPMA. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. The maximun tensile strength was obtained when the titanium surface was polished with #2000 emery paper and soldered using the electric resistance heating under fluxargon atmosphere. Soldering strengths showed the significant difference between the electric resistance heating and the infrared heating(p<0.05). 2. The fracture surfaces showed the aspect of brittle fracture, and the failure developed along the interfaces of solder-matrix reaction zone. 3. The EPMA data for the solder-matrix interface region revealed that the diffusion of Au and Cu occurred to the titanium matrix, and the reaction zone showed the higher contents of Au, Cu and Ti than others.
Argon ; Atmosphere ; Diffusion ; Electric Impedance ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Joints* ; Tensile Strength* ; Titanium* ; Wettability

Some circulating cancer cells in the blood play a central role in the metastatic process and may have a major influence on patient progress. Their numbers can be very small and techniques for their detection need to be both sensitive and specific. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been successfully used to detect small numbers of tumor cells in cancer. We used a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect circulating breast cancer cells in venous blood samples before operations and assessed cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) and cytokeratin-20 (CK-20) as target mRNA markers in the blood of healthy donors (n=6) and breast cancer patients (n=30) with American Joint Committee on Cancer stages 0 to IIIa. CK-19 mRNA was expressed in all blood samples of healthy donors and patients. But CK-20 was the only mRNA marker not detected in the blood from healthy donors. Seven of 30 (23%) venous blood isolates of breast cancer patients yielded a CK-20 mRNA with positive results. There was no correlating CK-20 mRNA expression with stage and axillary lymph node status. In conclusion, CK-19 showed no diagnostic value as a mRNA marker in the detection of circulating cancer cells by RT-PCR assay because this was expressed in the blood of healthy donors. CK-20 mRNA was an useful marker to detect circulating cancer cells in breast cancers.
Breast Neoplasms/pathology* ; Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; DNA Primers ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genetic Markers ; Human ; Intermediate Filament Proteins/genetics ; Keratin/genetics ; Neoplasm Circulating Cells* ; RNA, Messenger/analysis ; RNA, Neoplasm/analysis* ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; beta 2-Microglobulin/genetics

No abstract available.
Animals ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger* ; Testis*

No abstract available.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Aneurysm ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Coronary Vessels

Peri-implantitis, in which inflammation caused by plaque and biofilm on the implant surface spreads to the hard tissue, can be treated by decontamination of the implant surface and reconstruction of the lost hard tissue through surgical methods. We have described the management of 3 peri-implantitis cases by decontamination of the implant surface using a round titanium brush and regenerative therapy. All cases showed clinical improvements, and no further radiographic bone loss was observed during a 2-year follow-up. This treatment method can be effective for clinical improvement and bone regeneration. However, a longer follow-up period is necessary to support these outcomes.