No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Angiography ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography* ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*

PURPOSE: Tamoxifen has been well known as an effective anti-tumor agent against breast cancer. The important role of bcl-2 and p53 proteins in tamoxifen-induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells has been suggested. However, the paradoxical fact that bcl-2 over-expression is assdegrees Ciated with better prognosis in clinic has not yet been clearly explained. To investigate this paradox, we analyzed the effect and dynamics of bcl-2 and p53 on the apoptosis after treatment of breast cancer cells with tamoxifen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MB MDA-468 were treated with 17-betaestradiol (E2) and tamoxifen. RESULTS: Following tamoxifen treatment, MCF-7 cells underwent apoptosis accompanied by reduced bcl-2 expression. E2 pre-treatment led to the inhibition of tamoxifen-mediated apoptosis and bcl-2 down-regulation. When MB MDA-468 cells were treated with E2 or tamoxifen, bcl-2 and p53 protein expression did not change and apoptosis did not develop. CONCLUSION: We observed that the down-regulation of bcl-2 by tamoxifen treatment can facilitate the apoptosis of breast cancer cells without p53 mutations. This finding was consistent with clinical experiences in which bcl-2 positive tumors were assdegrees Ciated with more indolent phenotypes in breast cancer.
Apoptosis* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cell Line* ; Down-Regulation ; Humans* ; MCF-7 Cells ; Phenotype ; Prognosis ; Tamoxifen

No abstract available.
Child* ; Heart* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: In congenital heart disease, the lung perfusion through stenosed pulmonary artery is usually decreased. And this decrement of lung perfusion also occurs with diaphragmatic palsy after the operation of congenital heart disease. It is difficult to delineate the amount of lung perfusion in case of combination of pulmonary artery stenosis and diaphragmatic palsy. We examined the change of lung perfusion after the induction of diaphragmatic palsy in rabbits. METHODS: We dissected left phrenic nerves in 20 rabbits to induce left diaphragmatic palsy. The lung perfusion scan was performed with 99mTc-MAA and the movement of diaphragm was examined with fluoroscopy. They were performed as baseline data and on 3rd and 10th day postoperatively. The amount of left lung pefusion before and after diaphragmatic palsy was compared and analysed in 12 rabbits which definitely had diaphragmatic palsy. RESULTS: Weight of the rabbits was 1.65+/-0.26 kg. Left lung perfusion percent was 45.93+/-6.42% before operation and these were 32.48+/-6.09% and 37.62+/-3.39% on the 3rd and 10th postoperative day, respectively. Left lung perfusion was significantly decreased just after diaphragmatic palsy but it was not changed thereafter. The decrement of lung perfusion was not affected by the body weight. The decreased amount of left lung perfusion was reciprocally correlated with the body weight of the rabbits on the postoperative 3rd day but not 10th day. CONCLUSION: Left lung perfusion percent of the rabbits was decreased 7% with the induction of diaphragmatic palsy and the decreased amount was reciprocally correlated with the body weight just after the diaphragmatic palsy was induced.
Body Weight ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diaphragm ; Fluoroscopy ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Lung* ; Paralysis* ; Perfusion* ; Phrenic Nerve ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rabbits

PURPOSE: We compared the prophylatic effects and complications of intravesical instillation of the epirubicin and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in patients with stage T1 bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total 87 patients with stage T1 bladder cancer were treated with transurethral resection (TUR) between January 1992 and April 1998. Of them, 51 patients received BCG (Connaught strain, 81mg), 16 patients received 50mg epirubicin and 20 patients underwent TUR alone. The patients were followed for 18-78 months (mean 40 months). Recurrence rates, progression rates, mean months to tumor recurrence, recurrence free survival rate using Kaplan-Meier curve and complications were compared among three groups. RESULTS: The overall recurrence rate was 27.5% in BCG group, 37.5% in epirubicin group and 65% in control group. Mean months to tumor recurrence and recurrence free survival rate showed that both drugs were superior to TUR alone. The incidence of complications was 94% in BCG group and 12.5% in epirubicin group. CONCLUSIONS: BCG and epirubicin were superior to TUR alone in the prophylaxis of recurrence in stage T1 bladder cancer. Although the prophylactic efficacy of BCG was a little higher than that of the epirubicin, the toxicity rate of epirubicin was much lower than that of BCG. Therefore, epirubicin may be regarded as an alternative treatment of the BCG, especially for the patients who cannot tolerate the side effects of BCG.
Administration, Intravesical ; Bacillus* ; Epirubicin* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

No abstract available.
Hyponatremia* ; Hypopituitarism*

Arthroscopy assisted anterior cruciate ligament(ACL) reconstruction with the autogenous bone-patellar tendon-bone(BPB) graft showed more favorable results in the hand of experienced surgeon, but it requires long leaming curve for skillful techniques. On the contrary, open method is very easy to learn, but it needs more soft tissue dissection affecting rehabilitation and morbidity. Arthrotomy through the patellar tendon harvest site provide good surgical approach without supplementary incision, and hence short operation time and good clinical result can be expected. The purpose of this study is to introduce this technique and compares the results with arthroscopic one. We performed 67 cases of ACL reconstruction with autogenous BPB graft through the patellar tendon harvest site. We recorded and analysed the physical findings, Lysholm score and Cybex test at preoperative and postoperative 3, 6, 12 months. Average Lysholm score was 58.0 preoperatively and 90.5 at postoperative one year. Cybex test at one year follow-up showed decreased muscle strength of quadriceps, which was nearly the same result with arthroscopic technique. In conclusion, this technique provided similar excellent clinical results comparing with the arthroscopy assisted ones. Furthermore, this technique had merits of short learning curve and short operation time.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction* ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament* ; Arthroscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Learning Curve ; Muscle Strength ; Patellar Ligament* ; Rehabilitation ; Transplants

Gastrointestinal motility disorders have a wide range of symptoms and affect patients’ quality of life. With the advancement of endoscopy, the diagnostic and therapeutic roles of endoscopy in motility disorders is becoming more significant. Endoscopy is necessary to rule out possible organic diseases in patients with suspected motility disorders and provide significant clues for their diagnosis. Moreover, interventional endoscopy may be a primary or alternative treatment option for selected patients with motility disorders, and it is becoming a promising field as new therapeutic applications are developed and utilized for various motility disorders. This review may provide suitable indications for the use of endoscopy in diagnosing and treating motility disorders of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

No abstract available.
Transposition of Great Vessels*