No abstract available.
Hyperamylasemia*

PURPOSE: This study was initiated to establish the hazard ratios for risk of urinary stone formation in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 140 male patients who were injured before 1987 were eligible for this investigation and they were followed up on a yearly basis from January 1987 and December 2003. RESULTS: Over the 17 years, 39 patients (27.9%) and 21 patients (15.0%) were diagnosed with bladder and renal stones for a total of 59 and 25 episodes, respectively. On multivariate analysis, bladder stone was more common for the patients who were injured at 24 years old or older than is was for those patients who were injured at less than 24 years old (odds ratio [OR]: 2.490; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.092-5.677; p=0.030). In another model, the patients with complete injury had a greater risk of renal stone formation than those with incomplete injury (OR: 4.095; 95% CI: 1.295-12.944; p=0.016). We also found that renal stone was more common for the patients with urethral catheterization (UC) than for the patients who could spontaneous void (OR: 5.668; 95% CI: 1.306-24.604; p=0.021), and for patients with bladder stone than for those without bladder stone (OR: 4.678; 95% CI: 1.447-15.126; p=0.010). CONCLUSIONS: Injury characteristics are important for the development of urinary stone in chronic traumatic SCI patients. In addition, our findings suggest that for the cases who cannot undergo intermittent catheterization or when the bladder cannot empty spontaneously, suprapubic cystostomy is better than UC is regards to renal stone formation in this population.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Cystostomy ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Male* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Calculi ; Urinary Calculi* ; Urinary Catheterization ; Urinary Catheters ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Humans ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin*

PURPOSE: To compare the usefulness of echo-planar imaging (EPI) and fast spin-echo (FSE) in routine brain MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with various intracranial diseases were prospectively examined with T2-weighted MR imaging on a 1.5T unit using FSE, spin echo singl-shot EPI (SS-EPI) and multi-shot EPI (MS-EPI) techniques. For qualitative assessment, overall image quality, discrimination between cortical gray-white matter and between basal ganglia-white matter, lesion conspicuity, image distortion and artifacts (motion, ghost, flow, and susceptibility) were all evaluated using a subjective scoring system ranging from 1 to 4 (1 for the worst and 4 for the best). For quantitative assessment, contrast and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated for cortical gray-white matter, basal ganglia-white matter, and lesion-white matter. RESULTS: Overall image quality, discrimination between cortical gray-white matter, basal ganglia-white matter, and lesion-white matter, lesion conspicuity, image distortion and susceptibility artifacts showed the highest value in FSE and the lowest in SS-EPI. Motion artifacts were seen only in FSE, while flow and ghost artifacts were most commonly seen in SS-EPI. Contrast and CNR of anatomical and pathologic structures showed the highest value in FSE, especially for cortical gray-white matter and basal ganglia-white matter . CONCLUSION: With regard to overall image quality, image distortion, susceptibility artifacts, contrast and CNR, EPI is far inferior to FSE. In routine brain MR imaging., the usefulness of EPI techniques would therefore be very limited.
Artifacts ; Brain* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Echo-Planar Imaging ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Cabergoline is typically effective for treating prolactinomas; however, some patients display cabergoline resistance, and the early characteristics of these patients remain unclear. We analyzed early indicators predicting long-term response to cabergoline. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 44 patients with macroprolactinomas who received cabergoline as first-line treatment; the patients were followed for a median of 16 months. The influence of various clinical parameters on outcomes was evaluated. RESULTS: Forty patients (90.9%) were treated medically and displayed tumor volume reduction (TVR) of 74.7%, a prolactin normalization (NP) rate of 81.8%, and a complete response (CR; TVR >50% with NP, without surgery) rate of 70.5%. Most patients (93.1%) with TVR > or =25% and NP at 3 months eventually achieved CR, whereas only 50% of patients with TVR > or =25% without NP and no patients with TVR <25% achieved CR. TVR at 3 months was strongly correlated with final TVR (R=0.785). Patients with large macroadenomas exhibited a low NP rate at 3 months, but eventually achieved TVR and NP rates similar to those of patients with smaller tumors. Surgery independently reduced the final dose of cabergoline (beta=-1.181 mg/week), and two of four patients who underwent surgery were able to discontinue cabergoline. CONCLUSION: Determining cabergoline response using TVR and NP 3 months after treatment is useful for predicting later outcomes. However, further cabergoline administration should be considered for patients with TVR >25% at 3 months without NP, particularly those with huge prolactinomas, because a delayed response may be achieved. As surgery can reduce the cabergoline dose necessary for successful disease control, it should be considered for cabergoline-resistant patients.
Dopamine ; Humans ; Hyperprolactinemia ; Prolactin ; Prolactinoma* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tumor Burden

No abstract available.
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia*

PURPOSE: To compare the lesion conspicuity of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) zones among MR sequences according to time in the normal rabbit liver. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RFA zones were created in 12 rabbit livers with a 17-gauge internally cooled electrode (1-cm active tip, 30 Watts, 3 minutes). Three rabbits were sacrificed immediately, three days, two weeks, and six weeks after the RFA procedure, respectively. Before sacrifice, T1-, T2-weighted images (WI), and gadolinium-enhanced (GE)-T1WI images were obtained. The lesion conspicuity of the RFA zone and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the RFA zone to the liver parenchyma were analyzed and compared among the MR sequences according to time. RESULTS: On T1WI, the RFA zones were only clearly seen on acute phase. On T2WI, the RFA zones were clearly seen on all phases except the hyperacute phase. On GE T1WI, the RFA zones were clearly seen on all phases. The CNRs of the RFA zone to the liver parenchyma of GE-T1WI (8.1-12.4) were significantly higher than the CNRs of TIWI (1.6-2.7) and T2WI (1.7-6.3) on all phases (p < 0.05), but the visual lesion conspicuity between GE T1WI and T2WI were similar. CONCLUSION: On hyperacute phase, GE T1WI showed better lesion conspicuity of the RFA zone than T1WI and T2WI. On other phases, GE T1WI and T2WI showed similar lesion conspicuity.
Catheter Ablation* ; Electrodes ; Liver* ; Rabbits ; Radiology, Interventional

Humans ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sterilization, Tubal*

No abstract available.
46, XY Disorders of Sex Development* ; Humans ; Male*

A retrogpective review of hematologic rnonitoring involving aggressive chemotherapy was careiyd out ta assese whetber there ia a predictable relatiorship between the white blood ce11 count end the platelet count as a refleetion of bone marrow toxicity and when maximum myeloauppression occur during a treatment program. This data revealed that the white blood cell and granulocyte levels are closely related and that myeloeuppression can oceur during any course of CAP(cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and cisplatin), VBP(vinblastine, bleomycin, and cisplatin) chemotherspy in gynecological cancer. Thus, for these treatment regimena in gynecoldgical malignancies, the white blood cell and granulocyte count is sufficient for momtoing toxicity and adjusting future courses of chemotherapy. There are no bone merrow depresaions by the treatment regirnens for the gestational trophoblastic disease.
Bleomycin ; Bone Marrow ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy* ; Equidae ; Gestational Trophoblastic Disease ; Granulocytes ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Platelet Count