As an optimal quality of the restorations, there should be a least amount of seating discrepancy between the casting and abutment teeth. However, high viscosity of the cementing medium and its resulting thickness ay prevent complete seating of the restoration. The use of die spacing material provides adequate internal relief for the cementing medium. The purpose of this study is to compare the thickness of three commonly used die spacing materials. Materials and Methods : Stone plates were fabricated and divided into 12 sections to be painted with die spacers. Tru-Fit, Whip-Mix and Belle de St. Claire die spacer which are commonly used in dental practice were tested in this study. Each die spacers were painted layer by layer according to the manufacturer's recommendation. The average thickness of each die spacers were measured with light microscope(x100) and compared between them. Results and Conclusions: A silver-colored Tru-Fit die spacer has the lowest value of thickness without statistical significance comparing with a gold-colored Tru-Fit die spacer and a gray layer of Whip-Mix die spacer has the highest value of thickness without any statistical significance comparing with Belle de St. Claire die spacer. Three and four layers of Tru-Fit die spacer and two layers of Whip-Mix and Belle de St. Claire die spacers seem to be in the acceptable range of thickness of 25 to 45micrometer for optimal seating of the restorations. The standard experimental design and method should be further evaluated for more consistent and objective results.
Paint ; Research Design ; Tooth ; Viscosity

No abstract available.
Alcoholics* ; Evoked Potentials, Visual* ; Humans

A 13-year-old male presented a single, elevated, oval, walnut sized, soft mass on the left retroauricular ares which has increased in size since birth, Histopathologic examination revealed a cyst in the subcutaneus area. Cyst wall is lined by normal epiderrnis and cyst cavity contains hairs and keratinous materials.
Adolescent ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Hair ; Humans ; Juglans ; Male ; Parturition

BACKGROUND: T cell mediated immune destruction is an important mechanism of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R) seem to serve as a marker for the T cell activation and progressive liver injury, This study examined serum levels of sIft-2R and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in patients with chronic HCV infection to determine the correlation with the severity of chronic hepatocellular damage. METHODS: Serum levels of sIft-2R in 73 patients with HCV infection (chronic hepatitis 52, liver cirrhosis 9, hepatocellular carcinoma 12) and 40 healthy controls were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassay (CELLFREE, T Cell Sciences, USA). HCV RNA was quantified by QUANTIPLEX(TM) HCV RNA 2.0 assay (Chiron, USA) with duplication. This assay is a sandwich nucleic acid hybridization procedure using branched DNA amplification for the quantitation of HCV RNA. RESULTS: The sIL-2R levels of 52 patients with chronic hepatitis (591.4+/-238.7U/mL), 9 with liver cirrhosis(949.4+/-721.9 U/mL), and 12 with hepatocellular carcinoma (1,167.4+/- 554.4 U/mL) were significantly higher than those of healthy controls(370.8+/-71.8 U/mL) (p<0.001). A progressive and significant increase occurred in sIL-2R levels with chronic hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in order (p(0.001). The HCV RNA was detected in all patients and the means of HCV viral load were 3.3 MEq/mL in chronic hepatitis, 2.8 MEq/mL in cirrhosis, and 3.7 MEq/mL in HCC. There was no significant correlation between HCV RNA and the severity of liver injury in chronic HCV infection. There were no correlations among sIL-2R, HCV RNA and serum ALT. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that chronic hepatocellular injury by HCV progress mainly by T cell mediated immune response, not by direct cytopathic injury. Also, sIL-2R can be useful as a marker in monitoring the patients with HCV infection at high risk of getting HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; DNA ; Fibrosis ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic* ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Interleukin-2* ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization ; RNA ; Viral Load

BACKGROUND: T cell mediated immune destruction is an important mechanism of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Serum levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R) seem to serve as a marker for the T cell activation and progressive liver injury, This study examined serum levels of sIft-2R and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in patients with chronic HCV infection to determine the correlation with the severity of chronic hepatocellular damage. METHODS: Serum levels of sIft-2R in 73 patients with HCV infection (chronic hepatitis 52, liver cirrhosis 9, hepatocellular carcinoma 12) and 40 healthy controls were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassay (CELLFREE, T Cell Sciences, USA). HCV RNA was quantified by QUANTIPLEX(TM) HCV RNA 2.0 assay (Chiron, USA) with duplication. This assay is a sandwich nucleic acid hybridization procedure using branched DNA amplification for the quantitation of HCV RNA. RESULTS: The sIL-2R levels of 52 patients with chronic hepatitis (591.4+/-238.7U/mL), 9 with liver cirrhosis(949.4+/-721.9 U/mL), and 12 with hepatocellular carcinoma (1,167.4+/- 554.4 U/mL) were significantly higher than those of healthy controls(370.8+/-71.8 U/mL) (p<0.001). A progressive and significant increase occurred in sIL-2R levels with chronic hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in order (p(0.001). The HCV RNA was detected in all patients and the means of HCV viral load were 3.3 MEq/mL in chronic hepatitis, 2.8 MEq/mL in cirrhosis, and 3.7 MEq/mL in HCC. There was no significant correlation between HCV RNA and the severity of liver injury in chronic HCV infection. There were no correlations among sIL-2R, HCV RNA and serum ALT. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that chronic hepatocellular injury by HCV progress mainly by T cell mediated immune response, not by direct cytopathic injury. Also, sIL-2R can be useful as a marker in monitoring the patients with HCV infection at high risk of getting HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; DNA ; Fibrosis ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic* ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Interleukin-2* ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization ; RNA ; Viral Load

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell*

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relation between diagnostic clinical parameters and the depth of trophoblastic invasion in tubal pregnancy and decide the most predictable parameter. Methods: Total 50 patients who were confirmed as tubal pregnancy pathologically, from Jan. to Dec. 1997, were included in this study. Menstrual missed periods was calculated by clinical history, volume of gestational mass was calculated as sphere, beta-hCG was titered with preoperative blood sample. All surgical specimens were examined pathologically and divided into two groups such as intraluminal and extraluminal, defined as intact tubal musculature and trophoblastic invasion beyond musculature, n=22 and n=28, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed among three parameters and between each parameter and the depth of trophoblastic invasion. Statistical analysis included were Student's t-test, Chi square, linear regression, and linear correlation analysis using SPSS statistical package and statistical significance was determined as p<0.05. RESULTS: There was a correlation between volume of gestational mass and beta-hCG(p<0.05), but not between beta-hCG and missed period or volume of gestational mass and missed period. beta-hCG level was 1843.7+/-1524.7 mIU/ml(Mean+/-SD) in intraluminal and 12144.3+/-10561.6 mIU/ml(Mean+/-SD) in extraluminal. There was a predictive correlation between beta-hCG and the depth of trophoblastic invasion(p<0.05), and cut off level 3,500 mIU/ml showed the highest sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, 0.79, 0.86, 0.88, 0.76, respectively. Two parameters(volume of gestational mass and missed period) had no ability to predict whether intraluminal or extraluminal. CONCLUSION: We suggest that successful medical treatment of tubal pregnancy depend on lesional intactness of vasculature for drug delivery. In patient selection for medical treatment, it should be important to predict intraluminal type because of intact vasculature. Of clinical parameters, beta-hCG is single most predictive parameter, cut off level of 3,500 mIU/ml was the most reasonable level in this study.
Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Patient Selection ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Tubal* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Trophoblasts*

Clear cell hidradenoma, generally as an eccrine sweat gland origin, is a fairly uncommon tumor and occurs as a slowly growing, usually solitary nodule. The histological patterns vary from one tumor to another and in different parts of the same tumor. We experienced three cases of clear cell hidradenoma which were diagnosed by the histopathologic examination of the tumor mass removed by surgical excision. Clinical and histopathologic features of each case were reviewed and compared.
Acrospiroma* ; Sweat Glands

No abstract available.