No abstract available.
Estradiol* ; Female ; Ovary*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune activation occurs early in the course of many infectious disease. Laboratory investigations have shown that immune activation can be quantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products in serum. Soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 are major immune activation products. Soluble CD8 and CD4 are indices of CD8+ T cell and CD4+T cell activity, respectively. OBJECTIVE: We estimated the concentrations of these molecules in patients with leprosy. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with tuberculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy(32 cases of M. leprae negative patients and 39 cases of M. leprae positive patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The levels of serum soluble CD25 were significantly raised in leprosy patients as compared to control and did not vary signficantly between tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy. The soluble CD8 levels in the serum of patients with leprosy did not differ from the levels of the control. The levels of serum soluble CD4 were significantly decreased in the patients with lepromatous leprosy, but not in the patients with tuberculoid leprosy. However, there was no significant correlation between CD25, CD8, and cD4 and bacterial indices in patients with lepromatous leprosy. CONCLUSIONs: There data suggest that non-specific immune activation occurs the spectrum in leprosy, while CD4+ T cell activity is significantly decreased in patients with lepromatous leprosy.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid

Carotid endarterectomy is superior to medical treatment in preventing secondary stroke in patients with symptomatic high grade carotid stenosis. Transluminal angioplasty is a promising procedure as an alternative treatment for these patients. We report two cases of carotid angioplasty with Palmaz-Schatz stent in patients with carotid artery occlusive disease. One patient presented with decreased right visual acuity because of retinal arterial embolism. The angiogram demonstrated a discrete tight stenosis of right internal carotid artery carotid stenting with Palmaz-Schatz coronary stent was performed without any significant complications. The other patient presented with recurrent episodes of cerebral infarction, for which he had undergone left carotid erdarterectomy 3-years ago. The carotid angiogram demonstrated tight stenoses of both internal carotid arteries. Carotid artery stenting was performed at left and right internal carotid arteries without any complications. We suggest that stenting may be an effective and safe therapeutic alternative to surgical treatment in some selected patients with carotid artery occlusive disease.
Angioplasty* ; Carotid Arteries* ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Carotid Stenosis* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Embolism ; Endarterectomy, Carotid ; Humans ; Retinaldehyde ; Stents* ; Stroke ; Visual Acuity

The adequate treatment of tibia fracture is one of the most difficult due to severe commiuntion, open wound, delayed union, angulation deformity and infection. We treated 38 fractures of the tibia by Interlocking intramedullary nail from Feb. 1983 to Mar. 1993. 35 cases of the tibia fracture were fresh, 13 cases of fracture were open. The other 3 cases were delayed union and nonunion. The Mean follow-up was 14.0 months. The results were as followings. 1. Of the 38 fractures, 37 fractures united and the mean union time was 18.7 weeks. 2. Interlocking intramedullary nail could be used to the majority of fractures of the proximal & distal tibia shaft. fractures. 3. The Im erlocking nail had rigid rotational stability and was appropriate for the treatment in severe unstable fractures, commninution and open-with bone loss. 4. Delayed union or nonunion was a good indication for intramedullary nailling. 5. The major-complication were valgus deformity of 2 cases, varus deformity of 1 case, 1 case deep infection. 6. Interlocking intramedullary nailing provided rigid fixation of . fracture and then made early joint motion exercise and ambulation.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary* ; Joints ; Tibia ; Tibial Fractures* ; Walking ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Candidiasis* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the findings of the transligamnetous type of the herniated lumbar disc (HLD) with magnetic resonance MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the MR images of surgically proven 20 cases of transligamentous type of HLD from January 1, 1992 to August 20, 1992. The MR imaging was performed with 1. 0T MR unit, using sagittal spin echo (SE) and axial gradient echo (GE) techniques. RESULTS: The results were as follows;1) the interruption of black line of the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) was identified in 19 levels and 17 levels in sagittal SE and axial GE images, retrospectively;2) the widening of adjacent epidural fat space was demonstrated in 16 cases of central or posterolateral HLD. The herniated disc material, as compared with the parent intervertebral disc, showed intermediate signal intensity (SI) in 19 and low SI in 1 level on T1WI, high SI in 10, intermediate SI in 7, low SI in levels on T2WI, and high SI in 10, intermediate SI in 9, low SI in 1 level on GE images. CONCLUSION: The most important sign of the transligamentous type HLD on MRI was the interruption of the black line with additional finding of the widening of adjacent epidural fat space. The MR signal intensity of the herniated disc was variable. Axial GE image was valuable for the evaluation of the direction of HLD and it relationship with neural structure, but had no addiational information for the degree and biochemical change of HLD over SE image.
Financial Management* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Parents ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: To evaluate the value of fast field echo(FE) technique in accesing temporOmandibular joint(TMJ) dynamics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A series of 120 TMJ MRI examinations of 60 symptomatic patients was performed. The fast FE technique was used to provide dynamic images of the TMJs in various phase of mouth opening with a step-bite-block. RESULTS: Among 120 cases, there were 30 cases which were normal, 21 cases of anterior displacement with reduction, 66 cases of anterior displacement without reduction, 11 cases of deformity of menisci, 23 cases of bony deformity, and 3 cases of medial displacement. The menisci and condyles were clearly delineated and the motions of the menisci during jaw opening were well evaluated in both normal and pathologic conditions. CONCLUSION: The dynamic TMJ MRI scan using fast FE technique permits both fast scanning and study of joint dynamics as well as TMJ anatomy.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Jaw ; Joints ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mouth ; Temporomandibular Joint*

One hundred eighty-six cases of ovarian common "epithelial" tumor including 28 endometriosis were reviewed, from the pathology file of the department of pathology of the National Medical Center during a period of 8 years and 6 months from January 1976 to June 1984. The study consisted of 14 cases(77.4%) of benign tumor including 28 cases of ovarian endometriosis, and 21 cases(11.3%) of borderline malignancy and 21 cases(11.3%) of invasive malignant tumors. Among benign common "epithelial" tumors, mucinous cystadenoma(69 cases) was the most frequent tumor, followed by serous cystadenoma (42 cases) and Brenner tumor (5 cases). Of borderline tumor, borderline mucinous tumor (18 cases) was more frequent than serous tumor (3 cases). Serous cystadenocarcinoma(9 cases) was the most frequent malignant tumor, followed by mucinous cystadenocarcinoma(6 cases), endometrioid carcinoma(3 cases) and undifferentiated carcinoma(3 cases). Most ovarian common "epithelial" tumors were prevalent during the reproductive age, but malignant tumors were more prevalent after the age of 40. Although right side was more frequently found (85 vs. 67) there is no significant site predilection. Bilaterality was the most common in undifferentiated carcinoma(66.7%), followed by serous cystadenocarcinoma(44.4%) and Brenner tumor(40%). The size of tumor tended to be larger in malignant tumor than benign. Mucinous tumor were usually larger than serous tumor. There were 7 intrauterine and 1 ectopic tubal prognancy which were associated with ovarian common "epithelial" tumors. Three cases of tumors were excised during Cesarian section. In summary these findings are comparable to other reports in Korea and English literatures. Histologic analysis of borderline and malignant epithelial tumor was done to emphasize their biologic behavor. Further study is required to compare their histological grading and clinical staging with thier survival rate.

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Intussusception*