BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is unclear whether rhinovirus infections promote mucus secretion in airway epithelial cells. Increase of mucin gene expression and mucin production is associated with mucus hypersecretion. We therefore investigated the effect of rhinovirus infection on mucin gene expression in airway epithelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The effect of rhinovirus-16 infection on the gene expression of MUC- 5AC, MUC5B, MUC6, MUC7, and MUC8 was evaluated using semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in A549 cells. RESULTS: Rhinovirus significantly increased MUC5AC, MUC7, and MUC8 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions in A549 cells, but it did not significantly affect the expression of MUC5B and MUC6 mRNA. CONCLUSION: This results show that rhinovirus may induce mucus secretion in airway epithelial cells.
Epithelial Cells ; Gene Expression ; Mucins ; Mucus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Rhinovirus ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger

Tuberculomas of the lung are rare in children and one of the more common lesions presenting a solitary pulmonary nodule roetgenorgraphically. We are reporting of a 3-year-old child with a tuberculoma in left upper lobe. The patient was initially diagnosed as the benign mediastinal tumor but in the end as tuberculoma in left uper lobe. Wedge resection including the mass was done. The tumor had brown smooth external surfaces on sectioning including the mass was done. The tumor had brown smooth external surfaces on sectioning show pale gray and soft cut surface was shown. In light electromicroscopy chronic granulomas with multinucleated giant cells and central caseous necrosis were observed which are the characteristics of tuberculoma. The postopeative course was smooth and uneventful and patient has been well for 4 months postoperatively.
Child* ; Child, Preschool* ; Giant Cells ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Lung ; Necrosis ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; Tuberculoma*

Many patients with upper abdominal organ cancers, including pancreatic cancer, suffer from severe pain, and various methods and techniques have been used for relieving this pain. We present here two cases of patients with pancreatic cancer and they were both successfully relieved of their abdominal pain by performing video-assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy and splanchnicectomy. This minimally invasive procedure offers promise in carefully selected patients with severe pain from pancreatic cancer and other conditions.
Abdominal Pain ; Humans ; Pain, Intractable ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Sympathectomy ; Thoracoscopy

PURPOSE: Acute liver failure after massive partial hepatectomy is critical condition with high mortality. To prevent postoperative liver failure from being induced by a massive partial hepatectomy, many doctors do a minimal resection on the single lobe of the liver that might cause postoperative bleeding from the remaining ruptured parenchyma. The objective of this study was to assess clinical experience with postoperative hepatic arterial embolization to control bleeding from the remaining ruptured liver during the postoperative period. METHODS: This retrospective 4-year study was conducted from May 2002 to April 2006 and included consecutive patients who had sustained massive hepatic injuries and who had undergone a laparotomy, followed by postoperative hepatic arterial angiographic embolization to control bleeding. Data on the injury characteristics, the operative treatment and embolization, and the amount of transfused packed red cells (PRBC) were gathered and analyzed. In addition, data on the overall complications and survival rate were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Every case showed severe liver injury, higher liver injury scaling grade IV. Only ten cases involved a ruptured bilateral liver lobe. A lobectomy was done in 6 cases, a left lobectomy was done in 3 cases, and a primary suture closure of the liver was done in 2 cases. Suture closure was also done on the remaining ruptured liver parenchyma in cases of lobectomies. The postoperative hepatic arterial embolizations were done by using the super-selection technique. There were some cases of arterio-venous malformations and anomalous vessel branches. The average amount of transfused PRBC during 24 hours after embolization was 2.36+/-1.75, which statistically significantly lower than that before embolization. Among the 11 cases, 9 patients survived, and 2 died. There was no specific complications induced by the embolization. CONCLUSION: In cases of postoperative bleeding in severe hepatic injury, if there is still a large amount of bleeding, postoperative hepatic arterial embolization might be a good therapeutic option.
Hemorrhage* ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Liver ; Liver Failure ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Mortality ; Postoperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Sutures

We performed thoracoscopic resection for diagnosis in a 41 year-old-female presenting with multiple pulmonary nodules in both lung fields, which was detected incidentally on routine chest x-ray and followed by additional exmaminations including chest CT scan and percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy under the presumptive diagnosis of metastatic cancer. During thoracoscopy, the result of the frozen section analysis of multiple masses revealed strong evidence of leiomyoma. In her past medical history, she had undergone myomectomy, and hysterectomy, 7 years ago and 10 years ago, respectively. Based on permanent, special staining of specimen, estrogen receptor assay and review of past specimen of uterine myoma, the final diagnosis was benign metastasizing leiomyomata from uterine myoma, the report was very uncommon in Korean and English literatures. The patient has been followed up for 2 years without special therapy, such as hormonal therapy.
Biopsy, Needle ; Diagnosis ; Estrogens ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Leiomyoma* ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Multiple Pulmonary Nodules ; Needles ; Thoracoscopy ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Endoscopic removal is acceptable for the treatment of endotracheal/endobronchial mass, because it is less invasive in high-risk patients and a conservative procedure for benign tumors. Two benign tumors in the lumen of the trachea (pure lipoma) and in the intermediate bronchus (hamartoma) were completely eradicated by our procedures, which involved diathermic snaring and residual mass removal with biopsy forceps under the guidance of fiberoptic bronchoscopy. No tumor recurrence was evident after extended follow-up (6 years for endotracheal lipoma and 2.5 years for endobroncheal hamartoma). Our method is safe and less invasive for the patient and provides the surgeon with better view during procedure.
Biopsy ; Bronchi ; Bronchial Neoplasms ; Bronchoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lipoma ; Recurrence ; SNARE Proteins ; Surgical Instruments ; Trachea ; Tracheal Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Tumors of the trachea are rare despite their histologic similarity to tumors of the main stem bronchus and lung. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen patients with tracheal tumor underwent surgical, radiational, or laser photocoagulation therapy from March 1981 to July 1996. Nine patients were malignant and five patients were benign. The most common malignant tumor was adenoid cystic carcinoma. RESULTS: Age ranged from 10 to 65 years with mean age of 45.9 years. Most tumors were located middle and lower one-third of trachea. Surgery was done through collar incision, or collar incision with vertical partial sternal division, or left posterolateral thoracotomy, or sternal division with laryngeal release. Two patients died after operation, because of the disruption of anastomosis and airway obstruction,and laryngeal edema after suprahyoid release. Only one patient died after 8 month of diagnosis. The other patients were doing well during the follow-up period.
Bronchi ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laryngeal Edema ; Light Coagulation ; Lung ; Thoracotomy ; Trachea ; Tracheal Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Tricuspid regurgitation has been considered as a secondary lesion when it is combined with left valvular heart diseases. However, there have been some reports which show that tricuspid regurgitation keeps going and results in congestive heart failure even after a successful operation for left valvular heart disease. So far, there are no definite operation indications and predictive factors for the tricuspid regurgitation which is resulted from the left sided valvular heart disease. We designed this study to evaluate the effects of pulmonary artery pressure and left ventricular ejection fraction on the prognosis of tricuspid regurgitation, and to make an operation indication for the patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We reviewed the medical records of patients who underwent surgery for the left sided valvular heart disease with tricuspid regurgitation and were followed for more than 1 year with echocardiograms. There was a total of 114 cases. We compared the grades of tricuspid regurgitations and pulmonary artery pressures and left ventricular ejection fractions on the basis of echocardiograms which were checked preoperatively and on the last follow up. RESULT: There were 43 cases of tricuspid annuloplasty. In these patients, the grades of tricuspid regurgitations were improved in 42 cases (97.7%). But in 71 cases without annuloplasty, 29 cases (41%) were improved, 32 cases (45%) had no change, and 10 cases (14%) were aggravated. This finding shows significant differences in the prognoses of tricuspid regurgitations between the two groups (p<0.05). There was no difference in pulmonary artery pressures and ejection fractions between the patients who showed progression of tricuspid regurgitations and those who didn't (p>0.05). The improvements of tricuspid regurgitations are not statistically related to the changes of pulmonary artery pressures or left ventricular ejection fractions. CONCLUSION: This study shows that it is impossible to predict the prognoses of tricuspid regurgitations with preoperative pulmonary artery pressures or left ventricular ejection fractions. Also, the excellent results of tricuspid annuloplasty is proven in controlling the secondary tricuspid regurgitations. Therefore, when tricuspid regurgitation is detected preoperatively, the procedures to correct the tricuspid regurgitation at the time of the operation for the left-sided valvular heart disease must be considered positively, regardless of the grades of tricuspid regurgitations, to prevent significant tricuspid regurgitation that may develop later.
Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Heart Valve Diseases* ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Prognosis* ; Pulmonary Artery ; Stroke Volume ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency*

PURPOSE : Several lines of evidence have indicated that deregulation of apoptosis is involved in the mechanism of cancer development. Caspase-8 activation plays a central role in the initiation phase of apoptosis, while caspase-7 is one of the main execution phase caspases of apoptosis. The aim of this study was to explore the possibility that genetic alterations of the caspase-8 and caspase-7 genes are involved in the development of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS : We have analyzed the entire coding region of both the caspase-7 and caspase-8 genes to detect the somatic mutations in 100 NSCLCs by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)- single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). RESULTS : The PCR-SSCP analysis detected no mutations in the entire coding regions of both the caspase-7 and caspase-8 genes in the NSCLCs. CONCLUSION : The data presented here suggests that both the caspase-7 and caspase-8 genes may not be somatically mutated in human NSCLCs
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Caspase 7* ; Caspase 8 ; Caspases ; Clinical Coding ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: The pulmonary nodules (PN), when indicated, need thoracoscopic resection, especially in cases of non-diagnostic or technically infeasible PCNA (percutaneous needle aspiration). In the difficult situations of small or deeply seated PN, several techniques facilitating thoracoscopy have been used for detecting them. Our new protocol for managing PN was developed and prospectively reviewed. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In the procedure of PCNA, we firstly placed the tip of the needle in the center of, or just in contact with PN under CT guidance, and loaded one or two segments of platinum radiomarker inside the needle after removing the stylet. Then, we forced the radiomarker to move to the tip of the needle by pushing the stylet. Finally, if the tip of the needle was not within PN, it was reoriented to the their center to obtain the sample for PCNA. RESULT: Between May 1999 and May 2000, radiomarkers were successfully placed in 28 PN of 26 patients, with the exception of one. In 18 (85%) of 21 nodules needing throacoscopy, intraoperative fluoroscopy was used to detect them or guide stapling resection during thoracoscopy. CONCLUSION: The advantages of this technique are that there is that there is no need for further localization for thoracoscopy even in cases of unsuccessful PCNA, and it was more effective in respect to both cost and time. Therefore, this strategy for PN expecting thoracoscopy will be helpful to patients and medical staff alike.
Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Medical Staff ; Needles ; Platinum ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Prospective Studies ; Thoracoscopy