No abstract available.
Animals ; B-Lymphocytes* ; Mice* ; Sarcoma*

Compared with osteosarcoma of bone, primary osteosarcoma of the soft tissue is very rare. Extraskeletal osteosarcoma is also a highly malignant pleomorphic sarcoma composed of cells exhibiting primarily osteoblastic, and to a lesser extent, chondroblastic differentiation. A case of extraskeletal osteosarcoma in the right sole is presented in a 67 year old male. The patient had noticed a progressively enlarging soft tissue mass, during about 14 months. This sarcoma was located in the soft tissues without attachment to the skeleton, as determined by examination of the X-Ray findings. The mass of right plantar portion was simply excised and pathologically confirmed to be an extraskeletal osteosarcoma. The clinical and pathological features of this sarcoma are described, and brief review of the literature is made.

AHCC (Active Hexose Correlated Compounds), which was at first extracted from cultured broth of Basidiomycotina, is known to be one of the Biological Response Modifiers (BRM). We examined the protective effects of AHCC on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver injury in mice. The AHCC pretreatment prevented the suppression of several physiological and biochemical parameters in the mice injected with CCl4 or TAA for 5 days. The liver weights and serum ALT and AST levels were increased by CCl4 or TAA, the degree of which was significantly reduced with the AHCC pretreatment. The AHCC pretreatment induced increasing activity of GST (glutathione s-transferase) and showed an increasing tendency of P450 and EROD (ethoxyresorufin o-dealkylation). The AHCC pretreatment also showed negative effects against the suppression of drug metabolizing enzymes, such as P450, EROD, and GST induced by CCl4 or TAA. AHCC pretreatment showed protective effects with significant inhibition of fatty change, inflammation, and necrosis in CCl4 and TAA intoxicated mice liver. The present study suggests that the protective effect of AHCC pretreatment might be related to the protection of liver from the drug induced liver injury in mice model.
Animals ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury* ; Immunologic Factors ; Inflammation ; Liver ; Mice* ; Necrosis ; Thioacetamide ; Weights and Measures

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss(ISHL) is defined as an abrupt onset of sensorineural hearing loss without definite cause. The causes of sudden sensorineural hearing loss have not determined with precision until recently, but viral infections and vascular insufficiencies, such as vascular spasm, occlusion of sludging of erythrocytes were considered as major factors. The treatment has not been determined with precision until recently. But recently, as a effective regimen, diatrizoate meglumine(Hypaque) was introduced that fills the broken membrane pores and activated the sodium pump to restore the normal DC potential. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a regimen for the treatment of the sudden sensorineural hearing loss with Hypaque, steroid and bed rest by retrospective review.
Bed Rest ; Diatrizoate* ; Erythrocytes ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Membranes ; Retrospective Studies ; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase ; Spasm

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD) has been used effectively as the palliative treatment for malignant biliary obstruction. In high grade strictures, endoscopic stenting can be achieved by dilating devices such as dilating or balloon catheters. Subgroup of malignant biliary obstructions are too stenotic to allow passage of plastic or metal stents. In cases of failure of conventional stenting, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of the 7-Fr Soehendra stent retriever (SSR) used as a dilator. METHODS: From January 1999 to September 2001, 14 patients with malignant pancreaticobiliary stirictures (2 pancreatic, 12 biliary) that could not be traversed with plastic or metal stents, underwent stricture dilation with SSR. An endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed and a guide wire was inserted beyond the stricture. Then the SSR was introduced over the guide wire via duodenoscope. Then the stricture was traversed by torquing the SSR clockwise while pushing it. The SSR was removed and then the plastic or metal stents were inserted above the stricture. RESULTS: Of the 14 patients, 13 patients (93%) underwent successful stenting using SSR. Symptom relief was observed in all patients after endoscopic biliary stenting. One patient (7%) went on to percutaneous biliary drainage because we failed to insert the metal stent into the stenotic left hepatic duct after traversing the stricture with SSR. There were no significant complications such as bile duct or duodenal perforation and bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: The Soehendra stent retriever is useful and safe for dilation with subsequent stent placement of malignant pancreaticobiliary stirictures resistant to conventional stenting. However, this device may be difficult to pass a tortuous or small-diameter hilar stricture.
Bile Ducts ; Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Drainage* ; Duodenoscopes ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Palliative Care ; Plastics ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic ; Stents*

Menetrier' disease is a rare disease characterized, histologically, by epithelial hyperplasia involving the surface and foveolar mucous cells, accompanied by atrophic or normal oxyntic glands of the stomach. The 48 year-old man with epigastric discomfort and peripheral edema was admitted to St. Paul Hospital. Gastrofiberscopic examination revealed extremely thickened mucosal fold in fundus and body especially greater curvature of stomach, and microscopically there was marked hyperplasia of foveolae and cystic dilatation. Serum albumin concentration was decreased and clearance of a1-antitrypsin was markedly increased in the stool, suggesting the protein-losing enteropathy. He was diagnosed to Menetrier's disease and treated with H2 blocker, antacids, diuretics and albumin replacement.
Antacids ; Dilatation ; Diuretics ; Edema ; Esophagus* ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Intestines* ; Middle Aged ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies ; Rare Diseases ; Serum Albumin ; Stomach*

Nasopharyngeal tuberculosis is a very rare condition and mainly secondary infection from pulmonary tuberculosis by contagious, hematogenous or lymphatic spread. However, nasopharyngeal tuberculosis may arise as a primary infection in adults without active pulmonary disease and is frequently associated with involvement of the cervical lymph node. The nasopharynx may be a portal entry for mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients who develop cervical lymphadenitis. But, involvement of the nasopharynx by tuberculosis may be underdiagnosed because it does not produce obvious symptoms or physical signs. Recently authors experienced a case of primary nasopharyngeal tuberculosis of immigrant woman from Vietnam. Here, we report a case that was confirmed by punch biopsy under telerhinoscopy and improved by combination chemotherapy.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Coinfection ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphadenitis* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Nasopharynx ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Vietnam*

OBJECTIVES: Hemophagocytic syndrome (HS) is a fatal complication of nasal angiocentric lymphoma (AL) and difficult to distinguish from malignant histiocyosis. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated HS is frequently observed in lymphoma of T-cell lineage and EBV is highly associated with nasal AL. Clinicopathologic features of 10 nasal ALs with HS were reviewed to determine the clinical significance and the pathogenetic association with EBV. METHODS: Ten patients of HS were identified from a retrospective analysis of 42 nasal ALs diagnosed from 1987 to 1996. Immunohistochemical study and in situ hybridization were performed on the paraffin-embedded tumor specimens obtained from 10 patients. Serologic study of EBV-Ab was performed in 3 available patients. RESULTS: Five patients had HS as initial manifestation, 3 at the time of relapse and 2 during the clinical remission of AL. Four patients were treated by combination chemotherapy (CHOP) and others had only supportive care. The median survival of all patients with HS was 4.1 months (range 2 days-36.5 months) and all had fatal outcome regardless of the treatment-modality. All cases were positive for UCHL1 (CD45RO) and EBV by EBER in situ hybridization. The data of serologic tests indicated the active EBV infection. CONCLUSIONS: HS is a fatal complication of nasal AL and has a high association with EBV. Reactivation of EBV may contribute to HS and further investigation of predictive factors and effective treatment of HS should be pursued in the future.
Adult ; Epstein-Barr Virus Infections/complications ; Female ; Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell/pathology ; Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell/complications* ; Human ; Lymphoma/pathology ; Lymphoma/complications* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Nose Neoplasms/pathology ; Nose Neoplasms/complications* ; Syndrome

We described a case of a 54-year-old male who presented with dizziness and dyspnea due to cardiac metastasis of leiomyosarcoma. Cardiac metastasis of leiomyosarcoma caused both bradyarrhythmia and tachyarrhythmia in the patient. He was treated with implantation of a permanent pacemaker for management of complete atrio-ventricular block and anti-arrhythmic drug that suppressed ventricular tachycardia successfully.
Bradycardia ; Dizziness ; Dyspnea ; Heart ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Tachycardia ; Tachycardia, Ventricular*

We experienced a Korean patient with complete form of pachydermoperiostosis. He presented with typical features consisting of clubbing with spade like enlargement of the hand and feet, thickening of facial skin and scalp, irregular thickening of cortex with periosteal new bone formation involving radii, ulnae, tibiae, and fibulae. Classically, pachydermoperiostosis is characterized by a triad of finger clubbing, periostitis, skin and soft tissue changes, giving an acromegaloid look. A variety of associated abnormalities have been described such as cranial suture defects, female escutcheon, bone marrow failure. There are a few reports documenting gastric ulcer, hypertrophic gastropathy and Crohn's disease as accompanying diseases. The patient had upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by hemorrhagic gastritis and duodenal ulcer. A case is herein reported of pachydermoperiostosis accompanied by peptic ulcer disease.
Acromegaly ; Bone Marrow ; Cranial Sutures ; Crohn Disease ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Female ; Fibula ; Fingers ; Foot ; Gastritis ; Hand ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Osteoarthropathy, Primary Hypertrophic* ; Osteogenesis ; Peptic Ulcer* ; Periostitis ; Scalp ; Skin ; Stomach Ulcer ; Tibia ; Ulna