Here we report a case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection of the gastric and pancolonic mucosa in a 79-year-old female with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Endoscopic biopsies were performed in gastric antrum, cecum, distal ascending colon, and hepatic flexure of the colon. On microscopic examination, there were many adult worms, larvae and eggs in the gastric and colonic mucosa. Worms, larvae, and eggs were located in the crypts and within the lumen of the crypts. The body wall of the adult worm was composed of cuticle and a weak muscle layer. A routine stool examination failed to detect larvae or ova. Based on the histopathologic examination, these parasites were confirmed as S. stercoralis.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Cecum ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Eggs ; Female ; Humans ; Larva ; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance ; Mucous Membrane ; Muscles ; Ovum ; Paraproteinemias ; Parasites ; Pyloric Antrum ; Stomach ; Strongyloides stercoralis ; Strongyloidiasis

Here we report a case of Strongyloides stercoralis infection of the gastric and pancolonic mucosa in a 79-year-old female with a monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Endoscopic biopsies were performed in gastric antrum, cecum, distal ascending colon, and hepatic flexure of the colon. On microscopic examination, there were many adult worms, larvae and eggs in the gastric and colonic mucosa. Worms, larvae, and eggs were located in the crypts and within the lumen of the crypts. The body wall of the adult worm was composed of cuticle and a weak muscle layer. A routine stool examination failed to detect larvae or ova. Based on the histopathologic examination, these parasites were confirmed as S. stercoralis.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Cecum ; Colon ; Colon, Ascending ; Eggs ; Female ; Humans ; Larva ; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance ; Mucous Membrane ; Muscles ; Ovum ; Paraproteinemias ; Parasites ; Pyloric Antrum ; Stomach ; Strongyloides stercoralis ; Strongyloidiasis

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess attenuation correction algorithms with the 137Cs point source for the brain positron emission tomography (PET) imaging process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four different types of phantoms were used in this study for testing various types of the attenuation correction techniques. Transmission data of a 137Cs point source were acquired after infusing the emission source into phantoms and then the emission data were subsequently acquired in 3D acquisition mode. Scatter corrections were performed with a background tail-fitting algorithm. Emission data were then reconstructed using iterative reconstruction method with a measured (MAC), elliptical (ELAC), segmented (SAC) and remapping (RAC) attenuation correction, respectively. Reconstructed images were then both qualitatively and quantitatively assessed. In addition, reconstructed images of a normal subject were assessed by nuclear medicine physicians. Subtracted images were also compared. RESULTS: ELAC, SAC, and RAC provided a uniform phantom image with less noise for a cylindrical phantom. In contrast, a decrease in intensity at the central portion of the attenuation map was noticed at the result of the MAC. Reconstructed images of Jaszack and Hoffan phantoms presented better quality with RAC and SAC. The attenuation of a skull on images of the normal subject was clearly noticed and the attenuation correction without considering the attenuation of the skull resulted in artificial defects on images of the brain. CONCLUSION: the complicated and improved attenuation correction methods were needed to obtain the better accuracy of the quantitative brain PET images.
Brain ; Noise ; Nuclear Medicine ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Skull

Schwannomas arise from the neural crest-derived Schwann cells. Their most common locations are the extremities, neck, mediastinum, retroperitoneum, and cerebellopontine angle. They have rarely been reported to occur in the breast. We herein report on a case of schwannoma of the breast in a 30-year-old woman. The ultrasonographic examination showed a well defined ovoid hypoechoic mass in the upper outer quadrant of her left breast. A presumptive diagnosis of fibroadenoma was made, and the mass was then removed. The histopathologic and immunohistochemical features confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma of the breast.
Adult ; Breast* ; Cerebellopontine Angle ; Diagnosis ; Extremities ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; Humans ; Mediastinum ; Neck ; Neurilemmoma* ; Schwann Cells

No abstract available.
Infection Control* ; Jeollanam-do*

PURPOSE: Acute diarrhea in young children is a major problem in pediatric hospitals worldwide. We evaluated the clinical efficacy of orally administered Lactobacillus acidophilus in the treatment of acute diarrhea in children. METHODS: From September 2002 to July 2003 at National Police Hospital 41 children aged 3 months to 5 years with acute diarrhea were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized to one of two groups to receive either 0.5 x 10(8) colony forming unit (CFU) of L. acidophilus or matching placebo on admission and every 8 hours during hospitalization. RESULTS: The mean duration of diarrhea in all 41 children was decreased (p=0.001) in the L. acidophilus (40.5 hours) group compared to the placebo (56.6 hours) group. Stool frequency was also reduced (p=0.01) on the 3rd day in the L. acidophilus group. Rotavirus was identified in 58% of the patients. The decrease of duration of diarrhea was more significant in rotavirus-negative patients (p=0.002) compared to the rotavirus-positive patients (p=0.027). CONCLUSION: L. acidophilus shows to be an effective therapeutic agent in acute diarrhea in children. Further studies are needed to confirm the present findings.
Child* ; Diarrhea* ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Pediatric ; Humans ; Lactobacillus acidophilus* ; Lactobacillus* ; Police ; Probiotics ; Rotavirus ; Stem Cells

In our study we estimated mitral orifice area by use of two dimensional echocardiography in 59 patients with mitral stenosis form February 1979 till June 1981. We classified them to 3 subgroups by severity of mitral stenosis as Cope was done in 1975. and investigated correlationship between the severity and other various echo-cardiographic findings indices such as mitral valve calcification, posterior mitral leaflet motion, doming of mitral valve, EF slope, ED amplitude, LA dimension, LA/Ao ratio and especially mitral valve closure index. The following results were obtained. 1) We could accurately estimate mitral orifice area by two dimensional echocardiography. 2) Except EF slope and MVCI, we could find that various echocardiographic findings were poorly correlated with mitral orifice area measured from two-dimensional echocardiography. 3) MVCI was overlapped less frequently than EF slope in severe, moderate and mild mitral stenosis, and we could find that MVCI reflected the extent of mitral stenosis more accurately than EF slope.
Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis*

PURPOSE: Abutted scatter energy windows used for a triple energy window (TEW) method may provide wrong estimation of scatter. This study is to propose an extended TEW (ETEW) method, which doesn't require abutted scatter energy windows and overcomes the shortcomings of TEW method. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ETEW is a modification of the TEW which corrects for scatter by using abutted scatter rejection windows, which can overestimate or underestimate scatter. The ETEW is compared to the TEW using Monte Carlo simulated data for point sources as well as hot and cold spheres in a cylindrical water phantom. Various main energy window widths (10 %, 15 % and 20 %) were simulated. Both TEW and ETEW improved image contrast, % recovery coefficients and normalized standard deviation. RESULTS: Both of TEW and ETEW improved image contrast and % recovery coefficients. Estimated scatter components by the TEW were not proportional to the true scatter components over the main energy windows when ones of 10 %, 15 %, and 20 % were simulated. The ETEW linearly estimated scatter components over the width of the main energy windows. CONCLUSION: We extended the TEW method into the method which could linearly estimate scatter components over the main energy windows.
Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Water

The usefulness of a nondepolarizing muscle relaxant for endotracheal intubation is limited by its relatively slow onset of neuromuscular block compared to that achieved with succinylcholine. Several attempts have been made to produce a more rapid onset of muscle relaxation for endotracheal intubation. A large dose of nondepoarizing muscle relaxant may produce rapid onset but cauae undesirable side effects and a prolonged duration of neuromuscular block. The authors observed the degree of vocal cord relaxation and intubation condition 2 minutes after administration of atracurium and measured changes in mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate at the time of arrival in the operating room, just before abministration of atracurium, 2minutes after administration, and 5mins after intubation. The 40 of patients in this observation were divided into four groups. Group 1; 10patients, received 0.3 mg/kg of atracurium Group 2; 10patients, received 0.4 mg/kg of atracurium Group 3; 10patients, received 0.5 mg/kg of atracurium Group 4; 10patients, received 0.6 mg/kg of atracurium The results were as follows; 1) There were better intubating conditions in Group 3 and 4 than in Group 1 and 2(p<0.001). 2) Mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate did not change significantly after administration of atracurium in all four groups. From the above results we conclude that 0.5~0.6 mg/kg of atracurium provides satisfactory intubation condition 2 minutes after administration without hemodynamic changes.
Arterial Pressure ; Atracurium* ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal* ; Muscle Relaxation ; Neuromuscular Blockade ; Operating Rooms ; Relaxation ; Succinylcholine ; Vocal Cords

BACKGROUND: While qualitative analysis of methylation has been reviewed, the quantitative analysis of methylation has rarely been studied. We evaluated the methylation status of CDKN2A, RARbeta, and RASSF1A promoter regions in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) by using pyrosequencing. Then, we evaluated the association between methylation at the promoter regions of these tumor suppressor genes and the clinicopathological parameters of the NSCLCs. METHODS: We collected tumor tissues from a total of 53 patients with NSCLCs and analyzed the methylation level of the CDKN2A, RARbeta, and RASSF1A promoter regions by using pyrosequencing. In addition, we investigated the correlation between the hypermethylation of CDKN2A and the loss of p16INK4A immunoexpression. RESULTS: Hypermethylation of CDKN2A, RARbeta, and RASSF1A promoter regions were 16 (30.2%), 22 (41.5%), and 21 tumors (39.6%), respectively. The incidence of hypermethylation at the CDKN2A promoter in the tumors was higher in undifferentiated large cell carcinomas than in other subtypes (p=0.002). Hyperrmethylation of CDKN2A was significantly associated with p16INK4A immunoexpression loss (p=0.045). With regard to the clinicopathological characteristics of NSCLC, certain histopathological subtypes were found to be strongly associated with the loss of p16INK4A immunoexpression (p=0.016). Squamous cell carcinoma and undifferentiated large cell carcinoma showed p16INK4A immunoexpression loss more frequently. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves analysis showed that methylation level and patient survival were barely related to one another. CONCLUSION: We quantitatively analyzed the promoter methylation status by using pyrosequencing. We showed a significant correlation between CDKN2A hypermethylation and p16INK4A immunoexpression loss.
Carcinoma, Large Cell ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; DNA Methylation ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Genes, p16 ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lung ; Methylation ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Receptors, Retinoic Acid ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins