This study was designed to investigate the effect of local hyperthermia on contact hypersensitivity (CHS) and elucidate it's mechanism through assessment of number of epidermal LCs and transfer of spleen cells. Depilated dorsal skin of mouse was immersed into controlled water bath at 52 ℃ for 30 seconds in vivo. The number of epidermal LCs was counted by adenosine triphosphate staining, and CHS to 2,4-dinitro-l-fluorobenzene was assessed by ear swelling and transfer of spleen cells. The number of LCs was significantly reduced 1 to 3 days after the hyperthermia treatment and recovered to normal 5 days after the treatment. CHS was significantly suppressed in mice sensitized 5,7, or 10 days after hyperthermia treatment, but the suppression was meager in mice sensitized 1 or 3 days after the treatment. There is a discord between the number of LCs and degree of CHS. When mice received spleen cells from hyporesponsive donors, CHS was remarkably sup-pressed in the recipient mice compared with positive control. These findings suggest that tfeatment of local hyperthermia suppress CHS in mice, which may be associated with the induction of suppressor cells. The nature of the discord between the the number of LCs and degree of CHS in this investigation remains to be cleared by further studies.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Animals ; Baths ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Ear ; Fever* ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Langerhans Cells* ; Mice* ; Skin ; Spleen ; Tissue Donors ; Water

No abstract available.

Leiomyomas of vagina and vulva are rare solid tumors, but most common mesenchymal tumors in adult woman. Most of the reported cases have been benign. The tumors were firm, well-defined submucosal masses in a majority of patients. We experienced two cases of vulvar and vaginal leiomyoma, thus it is presented with a brief review of the cases and its literatures.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Leiomyoma* ; Vagina* ; Vulva*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the surgical results and prognostic factors for patients with soft cervical disc herniation with myelopathy. METHODS: During the last 7 years, 26 patients with cervical discogenic myelopathy were undertaken anterior discectomy and fusion. Clinical and radiographic features were reviewed to evaluate the surgical results and prognostic factors. The clinical outcome was judged using two grading systems (Herkowitz's scale and Nurick's grade). RESULTS: Male were predominant (4:1), and C5-6 was the most frequently involved level. Gait disturbance, variable degree of spasticity, discomfort in chest and abdomen, hand numbness were the most obvious signs. Magnetic resonance(MR) images showed that central disc herniation was revealed in 16 cases, and accompanying cord signal changes in 4. Postoperatively, 23 patients showed favorable results (excellent, good and fair) according to Herkowitz's scale. CONCLUSION: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion effectively reduced myelopathic symptoms due to soft cervical disc herniation. The authors assured that the shorter duration of clinical attention, the lesser the degree of myelopathy and better outcome in discogenic myelopathy.
Abdomen ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Diskectomy ; Female ; Gait ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Intervertebral Disc ; Male ; Muscle Spasticity ; Spinal Cord Diseases* ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: The authors report a retrospective analysis of the clinical effect of dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning for neuropathic intractable pain. METHODS: Fourteen patients who underwent dorsal root entry zone lesioning for various types of pain between September 1995 and August 2001 were evaluated retrospectively. Eleven male and three female patients whose ages ranging from 35 to 70 were studied. According to causes of intractable pain, patients were divided into paraplegic pain(7 patients), peripheral nerve injury pain(3), cancer pain(3), phantom limb pain(1) and root avulsion pain(1). Other preoperative pain managements showed no benificial effects. The changes in painful symtoms were closely observed during follow up period. The mean follow period after operation was 32.4 months. RESULTS: Postoperatively, the decrease in level of pain was classified into four groups : excellent, good, fair, poor. Excellent represented no pain without medication : Good, pain tolerable with non-opiate medicine ; Fair, pain tolerable with opiate medicine ; Poor, pain sustained. After operation, three patients were in excellent group, eight in good, one in fair, and two in poor. Twelve patients were in medically tolerable pain group accounting for 85.7%. There were no serious operation releated side effects. CONCLUSION: DREZ lesioning, in our series, provided substantial pain relief and this may be considered an option in management of these types of intractable neuropathic pain.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Neuralgia ; Pain Management ; Pain, Intractable* ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries ; Phantom Limb ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Nerve Roots*

No abstract available.
Arteries* ; Intracranial Aneurysm*

The incidence rate of calcaneal fracture consists about 2% of all fractures, and, of the fracture, calcaneal tubercle avulsion fracture is known to be rare. To treat non-displaced calcaneal tubercle avulsion fracture, conservative treatment such as cast fixation is applied. However, most cases accompany displacement of the avulsion fragment, and, usually, surgery is necessary to treat the displaced fracture. Although surgical fixation simply by cancellous screw or tension wire is widely used, fixation failure is potential complication in this method. Thus, this study wants to introduce a prospective and useful method that further strengthens the calcaneal fixation by using both cannulated screw and tension band wiring.
Displacement (Psychology) ; Incidence

PURPOSE: To find the experience about clients with hypertension and to help them to care for themselves in the community. METHOD: All data was collected from August 1999 to October 1999, through in-depth interviews, observation, and telephone interview with 7 participants who have been diagnosed with hypertension for 1 to 10 years. According to Strauss and Corbin's Methodology, the data was continuously coded into concepts and categories, and then new data was analyzed simultaneously by a constant comparative method. RESULTS: There are 171 concepts, and then they were grouped into 34 the lower categories and 15 to the upper categories. The course of the coping of fear in hypertensive client consisted of 6 processes. The awareness of seriousness was context, and the fear was core phenomenon about the coping experience. We also found that hypertensive clients have 3 patterns, depending on the awareness degree of seriousness and the fear about hypertension. CONCLUSION: Our nurses should recognize the importance of effective management and seriousness about hypertension, offer clients the importance of family support and the information of etiology, symptoms and signs of hypertension, and provide the correct information on hypertensive medication. We should be able to guide their fear about hypertension to positive self-management, so that they may manage their disease thoroughly and effectively.
Humans ; Hypertension ; Interviews as Topic ; Self Care

Somatostatinoma is rare endocrine tumor that was first described in 1977 by Ganda et al. and Larsson et al. simultaneously. It seems nonfunctioning at clinical level. But it may present with diabetes, diarrhea, cholelithiasis, steatorrhea, indigestion, hypochlorhydria, and anemia. In contrast with pancreatic somatostatinoma, duodenal somatostatinoma, in general, is clinically silent. Duodenal endocrine tumors show similar histologic pattern. Therefore, the definite diagnosis is performed by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopic examination. We have experienced a case of somatostatinoma of duodenum in a 62-year-old male. He has complained generalized pruritus for one year and jaundice for 2 weeks. Grossly, the mass was a intraluminary protruding, polypoid lesion with focal mucosal erosion at immediately distal to Ampulla of Vater. Histologically, it showed tall, cylindrical cells with distinct cell membranes, having granular cytoplasm and small innocent looking nuclei. No mitosis was seen. The tumor cells were arraged in small solid groups and trabeculae, separated by fibrovascular stroma. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were strongly positive with somatostatin and negative with several other hormonal and neuroendocrine markers. Ultrastructurally, the cytoplasm contains numerous, homogeneous low electron dense secretory granules, which are essentially similar to those seen in normal delta cells.

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical results between early fixation group and delayed fusion group in treatment of intraarticular fracture of 4th, 5th metacarpal base. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2002 to December 2006, 21 cases of early fusion and 11 cases of delayed fusion of 4, 5th carpometacarpal joint were reviewed retrospectively or were included in this study. Average follow up period is 39.9 months. Bony union was checked by plain films at follow up. DASH-questionnaire, VAS pain scale, grip power and range of motion of 4th, 5th metacarpophalangeal joint were also checked at last follow up. RESULTS: In radiologic study, bony union was confirmed in all cases of two groups. Early fixation group showed better outcomes than delayed fusion group in range of motion, DASH-questionnaire and VAS pain scale with statistical significant (p<0.004). CONCLUSION: Because early fixation group showed better clinical outcomes than delayed fusion group, early diagnosis and proper surgical treatment are important for better outcomes in treatment of intraarticular fracture of 4th, 5th metacarpal base.
Carpometacarpal Joints ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand Strength ; Intra-Articular Fractures ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Retrospective Studies