No abstract available.
Extracorporeal Circulation* ; Heart* ; Potassium* ; Thoracic Surgery*

Angiogenesis is an essential process in tumor growth and metastasis. VEGF has been considered a leading candidate inducing tumor angiogenesis. VEGF expression was significantly correlated with clinical stage, lymph node matastasis, and prognosis of cancers of various parts of body. However, little has been known about the correlation between VEGF expression and clinicopathologic parameters in oral squamous cell carcinoma. The aim of this study was to correlate VEGF expression with the clinicopathological parameters and microvessel density. Forty six oral squamous cell carcinomas were analyzed using immunohistochemical method with primary antibodies to VEGF and CD31. VEGF expression was detected in 33 (71.7%) of the 46 cases. The microvessel density was significantly correlated with VEGF expression (P=0.002). There was no correlation between microvessel density and tumour size, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis, respectively. VEGF expression did not correlate with the histological grade of tumour differentiation, tumour size, and clinical stages. The VEGF-positive rate seemed to be higher in patients with cervical lymph nodal metastasis than in those without it, but it was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the overexpression of VEGF in the oral squamous cell carcinoma seemed to be associated with a more aggressive course of the disease. Further study is necessary to define the role of VEGF in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Antibodies ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Microvessels* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

PURPOSE: This study investigated various factors relatied to wandering behavior of Korean elders with dementia (KED). METHODS: A sample of 160 ambulatory residents with dementia from 14 long term care facilities was used to examine demographic, individual, cognitive, physical health, and environmental characteristics by comparing wanderers (N=108) to nonwanders (N=52). Subjects were evaluated by Korean versions of the Mini-mental State Exam (K-MMSE), the Physical and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-PIADL), and the Revised Algase Wandering Scale Nursing Home version (KRAWS-NH) along its six dimensions. Demographic and environmental data were also obtained. Independent sample ttests, Chi-square test, Fisher's Exact tests, and ANCOVAs were used to examine differences between wanderers and nonwanders. RESULTS: Wanderers were significantly (p<.05) older and had more limitations in K-PADL and K-IADL. The degree of overall wandering and certain features of wandering were significantly different (p<.05) by total number of residents in the facility, type of bedroom (i.e., "Ondol"), and color of bedroom and living-room walls (i.e., sky blue). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study may be useful in understanding wandering behavior of KEDs and thus developing more culturally specific management strategies.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Dementia/*psychology ; Demography ; Female ; Homes for the Aged ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Homes ; *Wandering Behavior

Unilateral retinoblastoma has revealed good prognosis after enucleation in long term follow-up period. But unilateral retinoblastoma with delayed diagnosis may result in poor prognosis due to invasion of the optic nerve or choroid or extraocular spread. Medical records of 26 patients(26 eyes) with unilateral retinoblastoma confirmed by biopsy result after enucleation, were reviewed at the Department of Ophthalmology, Yeungnam University College of Medicine from December, 1983 through February, 1998. Age of the patient, ocular findings, diagnostic methods, treatment modality and clinical results were analyzed. Age ranged from 1 to 60 months(average 26 months). Leukocoria was the most prominent ocular sign and retinal detachment or mass was observed by funduscopic examination in most cases. Enucleation was performed in all 26 cases. Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were carried out in 19 cases(73.1%). During the postoperative period of 7 months to 15 years(average 5.8 years), any of 26 eyes has not developed the second tumor, but distant metastases were observed in 4 eyes. The regions of distant metastasis were bone marrow, brain, combined bone marrow and brain, and abdomen. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy were performed in those 4 cases, yet 3 of them were died. Twenty-two patients who did not develop distant metastasis are still alive at the final follow-up.
Abdomen ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Brain ; Choroid ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ophthalmology ; Optic Nerve ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinoblastoma*

We report a case of disseminated cutaneous metastatic carcinoma from stomach carcinoma in a 66-year-old male who complained chiefly of widespread cutaneous nodules. He had been admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine for stomach carcinoma. A radiological examination revealed a diffuse stomach wall thickening from the fundus to the antrum, and enlargement of paraaortic and pericaval lymph nodes during an abodominal CT scan. The clinical findings manifested above may suggest cutaneous metastasis from stomach carcinoma. A histological examination of the skin and stomach biopsies showed atypical cells with pleomorphic, hyperchromatic nuclei and bubble-like cytoplasm, which are consistent with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical stainings showed that these cells were positive for epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and low molecular weight cytokeratin.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Keratins ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Molecular Weight ; Mucin-1 ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Skin ; Stomach* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The caudal anesthsia is most commonly used for benign anorectal surgery, The combination of long-acting anesthetics and opiates has been used for longer duration and successful control of postoperative pain. But the side effects of peridural anesthesics and morphine have commonly occured in caudal anesthesia. This study was performed to assess the difference in clinical effects between peridural mepivacaine and bupivacaine with morphine. METHODS: We evaluated the clinical effects in 60 patients who had anal operation with Jack-Knife position under caudal anesthesia. We divided randomly these 60 patients into two groups, M and B groups (in each group, 30 patients included). Group M (n=30) was given 2% mepivacaine 20 ml with morphine 2 mg caudally, and Group B (n=30) was given 0.5% bupivacaine 20 ml with morphine 2 mg in the same manner. We measured the onset time, duration, postoperative analgesia, and side effects including urinary retention. RESULTS: The onset time for analgesia was significantly shorter in group M than in group B. The duration of postoperative pain complaints was significantly longer in group M than in group B. The postoperative analgesic effects and side effects were not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Caudal mepivacaine and morphine mixture is effective for control of postoperative pain without significant side effects.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia, Caudal* ; Anesthetics ; Bupivacaine* ; Humans ; Mepivacaine* ; Morphine* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Urinary Retention

BACKGROUND: All though the cause of alopecia areata is not known, many studies have recenty focused on the autoimmunity of alopecia areata. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to detect autoantibodies against hair follicular antigens and compare the autoantibody level before and after treatment of alopecia areata. METHODS: We collected serum from: (a) 7 alopecia areata patients with good therapeutic responses, (b) 5 alopecia areata patients with poor therapeutic responses (c) 5 normal control people. First, we detected the antigens of hair follicles with SDS-PAGE. Secondly we reacted the antigens with the patients' and normal control serums by Western blotting. RESULTS: The follicular antigens were seen in the range of 44kD-57kD. Autoantibodies obviously apparent in patients of alopecia areata but not in the normal control. High concentrations of were Autoantibodies against follicular antigens seemed to be present in the patients with good therapeutic responses and as they had been treated well, the level of autoantiboies has decreased. Autoantibodies, however, were present in small amounts and were almost an changed between before and after treatment in the patients with poor therapeutic responses except for one case. CONCLUSION: There are kinds of autoantibodies against hair follicles in the serums of alopecia areata patients, and the titers of antibodies may be correlated with therapeutic responses.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Antibodies ; Autoantibodies* ; Autoimmunity ; Blotting, Western ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Hair Follicle* ; Hair* ; Humans

Malignant histiocytosis is a rare, usually fatal malignant neoplasm of reticuloendothelial systems. The disease is associated with fever, malaise, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pancytopenia, jaundice, and purpura. A 44-year-old female patient is described who had multiple, purple crusted nodules and plaques in the skin. In the laboratory study, pancytopenia was noted on the peripheral blood. In addition many atypical histiocytes were seen on the bone marrow aspiration. A lesional biopsy showed nodular infiltrations of atypical histiocytes in the dermis and some erythrophagocytosis was seen. Immunohistochemically, the histiocytes were weakly stained for lysozyme and α-l-antichymotrypsin, but were unstained for S-100 protein, cytokeratin, CEA(carcinoembryonic antigen), pan T/B marker CD30(ki-1), UCHL-1 LCA(leukocyte common antigen), and α-l-antitrypsin.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Dermis ; Female ; Fever ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytic Sarcoma* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Keratins ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mononuclear Phagocyte System ; Muramidase ; Pancytopenia ; Purpura ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Weight Loss

Twenty-nail dystrophy is an idiopathic nail dystrophy in which all twenty nails are uniformly and simultaneously affected with excess longitudinal ridging and loss of lustre. The pathogenesis is controversial, and the treatment is unsuccessful. It is thought to have a self-limiting and reversible nature when it develops in childhood, but in adults, it is unusual and exists persistently. We re-port here two cases of adult patients with dystrophy of all twenty nails, whose ages were 58 and 55. The disease had been present for one year and may be associated with alopecia areata in the 58 year old and an idiopathic condition in the 55 year old. Negative results were obtained on mycological studies. Biopsies taken from the nail bed revealed marked hyperkeratosis consistent with nail dystrophy.
Adult ; Alopecia ; Alopecia Areata ; Biopsy ; Humans

No abstract available.
Foreign Bodies* ; Skull Base* ; Skull*