BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to compare clinical and radiological outcomes between trans-acromial fixation with Kirschner's wire (K-wire) and AO locking hook plate fixation for acute acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation. METHODS: This study included 61 patients who underwent either closed reduction and trans-acromial fixation with K-wire (group A, 23 patients) or open reduction and internal fixation with AO locking hook plate (group B, 38 patients). Pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS) score, the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder score, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and active range of motion (ROM) were used in the functional evaluation. For radiological evaluation, coracoclavicular distance (CCD) was measured on both clavicular anteroposterior view and compared between groups. RESULTS: At one-year follow-up, no significant differences in VAS pain score, UCLA shoulder score, ASES score, and active ROM were observed between groups, despite five cases (22.7%, 5/23) of complication in group A. The side-to-side difference between normal and affected CCD was 2.4 ± 2.2 mm in group A and 0.2 ± 0.7 mm in group B. This difference showed a statistical significance between groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: For the treatment of acute AC joint dislocation, the K-wire trans-acromial fixation group showed a significantly greater CCD than the AO locking hook plate group. In addition, during the follow-up period, much higher incidence of complication related to implant was observed in the trans-acromial fixation group. Although clinical outcomes between groups were not significantly different, these results should be interpreted carefully.
Acromioclavicular Joint* ; California ; Dislocations* ; Elbow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Shoulder ; Surgeons

No abstract available.
Encephalitis*

No abstract available.
Encephalitis*

Lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid gland is a hallmark of the human thyroid autoimmune disease. Enhanced expression of immunoglobulin and adhesion molecules are consistently found in patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. And cytokines are implicated in enhancing the expression of adhesion molecules.It has been suggested that adhesion-molecule expression within thyroid glands mediates lymphocyte homing events to the target of the autoimmune process. The expression of ICAM-1 was shown to be up-regulated on thyroidal perifollicular endothelial cells and thyrocytes in autoimmune thyroid diseases both in vitro and in vivo.Therfore, we investigated the correlation between thyroid hormone, TSH receptor antibodies, Interleukin-6 and soluble ICAM-1 in patients with Graves' disease before and 2 months after treatment with prophylthiouracil(PTU).Serum concentrations of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1(sICAM-1), T_3, T_4, TSH-receptor antibodies(TSH-R-Ab) and Interleukin-6(IL-6) of peripheral blood monocytes were measured in patients with Graves' disease.Serum levels of sICAM-1 were elevated in patients with Graves' disease before treatment with PTU, but serum levels of sICAM-1 did not correlate with the serum concentration of thyroid hormone and TSH-R-Ab before and after treatment. In addition, no correlation between serum levels of sICAM-1 and IL-6 of peripheral blood monocyte.We conclude that although the elevated serum levels of sICAM-1 may contribute to the autoimmune process in Graves' disease, we need more future studies for the role of sICAM-1 and correlation between adhesion molecule and thyroid hormone or cytokines in patients with Graves' disease.
Antibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Cytokines ; Endothelial Cells ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; In Vitro Techniques ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Interleukin-6 ; Lymphocytes ; Monocytes ; Receptors, Thyrotropin ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Hormones

No abstract available.
Rectal Prolapse*

The development of tophi in th absence of prior episodes of gauty arthritis is unusual. We report a case of extensive tophi in a 31 year-old man, whose initial skin lesion had started without arthritis.
Adult ; Arthritis ; Gout* ; Humans ; Skin

PURPOSE: There have been numerous retrospective and uncontrolled study of laparoscopic appendectomy. Although most of these have concluded that the laparoscopic appendectomy is at least as good as open appendectomy, there has been considerable controversy as to whether laparoscopic appendectomy is superior. METHODS: We performed total 47 cases of laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) during one year from January 1997 to December 1997 and these were compared with 50 cases of open appendectomy (OA) in same period to assess the clinical usefulness. RESULTS: The sex, male to female ratio and severity of appendicitis were similar in both groups. The anesthetic time was longer in the LA group (P<0.05) but operative time was similar. Gas-passing time and diet-intake time in postoperative period were earlier in LA group (P<0.05). The LA group required less analgesics in postoperative period. In LA group, no case was converted to open appendectomy and overall complication rate was lower in LA group but this was not statistically significant. Among the postoperative complication, the wound infection rate was absolutely lower in LA group (P<0.05). The diagnostic rate for acute abdomen including acute appendicitis was superior in LA group, especially in reproductive women. The hospital stay was shorter in LA group (P<0.05) and hospital charges was not different in both group. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic appendectomy offers considerable advantages over open appendectomy because this has ability to reduce postoperative complications and shorten recovery times and is useful for detecting the cause of acute abdomen other than acute appendicitis. So we expect this technique will be alternative operation or new standard operation in selected cases for suggestive acute appendicitis.
Abdomen, Acute ; Analgesics ; Appendectomy* ; Appendicitis ; Female ; Hospital Charges ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Operative Time ; Postoperative Complications ; Postoperative Period ; Retrospective Studies ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Administration, Oral* ; Animals ; Intestine, Large* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Administration, Oral* ; Animals ; Intestine, Large* ; Rats*