No abstract available.
alpha-Fetoproteins* ; Mass Screening*

Hydatid disease is Echinococcus granulosus infection in its larva form. It is endemic in many sheep- and cattle-raising countries throughout the world. In Korea seventeen cases have been reported but relapsed case is not. We report relapsed hydatid disease in pelvic cavity 10 years after primary surgery for Echinococcal cysts in the liver and pelvic cavity. The cysts were surgically removed and the patient was managed with postoperative adjuvant treatment with albendazole and followed with serologic test for anti-echinoccocus antibodies by ELISA.
Albendazole ; Antibodies ; Echinococcosis* ; Echinococcus ; Echinococcus granulosus ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Korea ; Larva ; Liver ; Serologic Tests

Interstitial pneumonia is a heterogenous group of inflammatory and fibrosing lesions that manifest themselves as infiltrative lung disease. Of these, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia is characterized as a variable degree of interstitial inflammation with or without fibrosis and is distinguished from usual interstitial pneumonia and desquamative interstitial pneumonia, histologically. The influx of inflammatory cells and the responses of immune effector cells injury to the alveolar wall and these initial injuries results in alveolitis and fibrosis. Consequently, the gas exchange throughout the alveolar wall is impaired and the patients suffer from lung diseases of a restrictive pattern. The chief complaints represented are dyspnea and dry cough. We experienced a case of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia in a 10-year old girl. The patient had been healthy and had not been exposed to organic dusts or other toxic materials. The pathology of lung biopsy tissue showed that the alveoli were thickened by a mixture of chronic inflammatory cells and collagen type fibrosis. High resolution computed tomography(HRCT) found the patchy areas of ground-glass opacity with patchy consolidation and irregular reticular opacity, and diffuse distribution without zonal predominance. The forced vital capicity(FVC) was 31%, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) 29% and FEV1/FVC 90%, so a restrictive pulmonary insufficiency was found.
Biopsy ; Child* ; Collagen ; Cough ; Dust ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Fluconazole ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Inflammation ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Pathology

Henoch-Shonlein(H-S) purpura, or anaphylactoid purpura is a hypersensitivity vasculitis characterized by palpable purpura usually on buttock and low extremities; arthralgia mostly polyarhtralgia in the absence of frank arthritis; gastraintestinal involvement with colicky abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and bleeding; and renal involvement, manifested chiefly by hematuria and proteinuria. Gastrointestinal involvement is seen in 70 percent of pediatric patients and one third of adult patients. Any portion of the gastrointestinal tract distal to the esophagus maybe involved, but most frequently affected sites are jejunum and ileum. We report one case of H-S purpura with duodenal involvement observed in 16, male patient.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Arthralgia ; Arthritis ; Buttocks ; Constipation ; Diarrhea ; Esophagus ; Extremities ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ileum ; Jejunum ; Male ; Nausea ; Proteinuria ; Purpura* ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous ; Vomiting

Therapy-related ALL (t-ALL) is a rare secondary leukemia that develops after chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy for primary malignancies. Chromosomal 11q23 abnormalities are the most common karyotypic alterations in t-ALL. The t(11;19)(q23;p13) aberration is extremely rare and has not been confirmed at the molecular genetic level. Here, we report a case of t-ALL with t(11;19)(q23;p13.3) and MLL-MLLT1 (alias ENL) gene rearrangement confirmed by cytogenetic analysis, multiplex reverse transcription-PCR (multiplex RT-PCR), and DNA sequencing in a patient who had undergone treatment for breast cancer. A 40-yr-old woman developed acute leukemia 15 months after undergoing 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (doxorubicin 60 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2), radiation therapy (dose, 5,900 cGy), and anticancer endocrine therapy with tamoxifen. The complete blood cell counts and bone marrow examination showed increased blasts and the blasts showed B lineage immunophenotype (positive for CD19, CD34, and cytoplasmic CD79a). Cytogenetic analysis revealed the karyotype 47,XX,+X,t(11;19)(q23;p13.3)[4]/46,XX[16]. FISH analyses, multiplex RT-PCR, and DNA sequencing confirmed the MLL-MLLT1 gene rearrangement. The patient underwent induction chemotherapy with fractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (Hyper-CVAD) and achieved complete remission. Subsequently, she underwent consolidation chemotherapy, but died of brain ischemia in the pons and the region of the middle cerebral artery. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of t-ALL with t(11;19)(q23;p13.3) and the MLL-MLLT1 gene rearrangement.
Adult ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Base Sequence ; Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy/radiotherapy ; *Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; *Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use ; Female ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Karyotyping ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein/*genetics ; Neoplasm Proteins/*genetics ; Nuclear Proteins/*genetics ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/*diagnosis/genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Tamoxifen/therapeutic use ; Transcription Factors/*genetics ; *Translocation, Genetic

BACKGROUND: Aims A neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) of the pancreas is rare, and can be divided into functioning and nonfunctioning NEN. This study was carried out to determine the characteristics and surgical outcomes of NEN of the pancreas experienced in a single institution. METHODS: The medical records of patients diagnosed with NEN of the pancreas (pancreatic islet-cell neoplasm) between June 1900 and June 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients with NEN of the pancreas were examined. Nineteen patients (57.6%) had a nonfunctioning NEN and 14 (42.4%) had a functioning NEN. By comparison, the tumor size (p=0.001), distant metastasis (p=0.042), malignant characteristics (p=0.010) and survival (p=0.002), were significantly different. Surgical resections were almost always possible in the cases of functioning NEN. Patients with functioning NENs of the pancreas had a significantly higher survival than those patients with nonfunctioning NENs (p=0.002). A curative resection provided a better survival outcome in patients with nonfunctioning NENs (p=0.005) and offered a more than 80% disease-free survival in those with functioning NENs of the pancreas. CONCLUSION: Nonfunctioning NENs of the pancreas appeared to be more aggressive than functioning NENs. A complete resection of the NENs of the pancreas can provide a good prognosis.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Carcinomas of the ampulla of Vater have a higher resection rate, lower recurrence rate and more favorable prognosis than other malignant tumors of the periampullary region. This is because they usually presents with symptoms at an early stage due to their special anatomic location. Because of their relative low incidence, there have been few reports on the patterns and risk factors of a recurrence after a curative resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patterns and risk factors of a recurrence after a curative resection of ampulla of Vater cancer. METHODS: The medical records of 87 regularly followed-up patients from a total of 102 patients with a carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater, who had undergone a curative surgery between January 1992 and December 2002, were retrospectively reviewed. Of these patients, 37 were diagnosed as recurrent, with the patterns and clinicopathological risk factors of the recurrence analyzed. RESULTS: The average time to recurrence after a curative resection was 29.3+/-35.3 months, with liver metastasis being the most frequent (40.5%). The mean age of the patients in which a recurrence occurred was 54.9+/-10.1 years. There were 18 male and 19 female patients. The average tumor size in the recurred group was 2.5+/-2.0 cm. The recurrences were classified as early and late if they occurred within 18 months and after 18 months, respectively. The risk factors affecting an early recurrence were the gross morphology of tumor(ulcer formation) and cell differentiation (poorly differentiated). A univariate analysis showed lymph node metastasis to be a statistically significant risk factor, but age, gender, degree of tumor invasion depth and cell differentiation were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Lymph node metastasis is the most important risk factor affecting a recurrence after a curative resection of ampulla of Vater cancer, with the tumor gross morphology and cell differentiation important factors in an early recurrence. Further study on postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy in patients with lymph node metastasis, an ulcerative tumor type or poorly differentiated cell type, with a long-term follow-up on many patients will be needed.
Ampulla of Vater* ; Cell Differentiation ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Ulcer

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of physical properties of foods on the changes of viscosity and mass as well as the particle size distribution after mastication. METHOD: Twenty subjects with no masticatory disorders were recruited. Six grams of four solid foods of different textures (banana, tofu, cooked-rice, cookie) were provided, and the viscosity and mass after 10, 20, and 30 cycles of mastication and just before swallowing were measured. The physical properties of foods, such as hardness, cohesiveness, and adhesiveness, were measured with a texture analyzer. Wet sieving and laser diffraction were used to determine the distribution of food particle size. RESULTS: When we measured the physical characteristics of foods, the cookie was the hardest food, and the banana exhibited marked adhesiveness. Tofu and cooked-rice exhibited a highly cohesive nature. As the number of mastication cycles increased, the masses of all foods were significantly increased (p<0.05), and the viscosity was significantly decreased in the case of banana, tofu, and cooked-rice (p<0.05). The mass and viscosity of all foods were significantly different between the foods after mastication (p<0.05). Analyzing the distribution of the particle size, that of the bolus was different between foods. However, the curves representing the particle size distribution for each food were superimposable for most subjects. CONCLUSION: The viscosity and particle size distribution of the bolus were different between solid foods that have different physical properties. Based on this result, the mastication process and food bolus formation were affected by the physical properties of the food.
Adhesiveness ; Deglutition ; Hardness ; Mastication ; Musa ; Particle Size ; Rheology ; Soy Foods ; Viscosity

OBJECTIVES: Pneumoconisis and noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL) have been reported as main occupational diseases by the Special Health Examination. The Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance has reported various work-related diseases, however, these two diseases occupied almost a half of compensated cases. Therefore, it was not well known about the status of occupational diseases other than pneumoconiosis, NIHL, and cardiocerebrovascular accident(CVA). This study was conducted to analyze claimed cases as an occupational disease, that was requested to the Korea Industrial Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA). METHODS: The local office of the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation(KLWC) has asked the KOSHA for confirmation of claimed cases as an occupational disease. We analyzed 379 cases requested from KLWC, the Ministry of Labor, employers, unions and occupational health agencies from 1992 to 1999. RESULTS: Male was 80. 7 % of the requested cases. Their mean age was 42 years old and 75. 5 % of them were more than 35 years old. The requested cases were increased rapidly from 25 cases in 1992 to 108 cases in 1999 and the accept rate was 50. 7 %. The majority of requested cases were respiratory diseases(22.4 %), cancers(18.5 %), Neuropsychiatric problems (14. 5 %), and musculoskeletal problems (13. 5 %). The accept rate was high in reproductive, respiratory, musculoskeletal and digestive disorders and low in neuropsychiatric, renal and otologic problems and occupational cancers. 73. 6 % of them were caused by chemical agents, especially 28. 5 % were by organic solvents. 67 % of them were clinically confirmed at university hospitals. A half of the cases were from KyongIn area, even the request came from the whole country. CONCLUSIONS: A claim was common in workers whose age was over 35 years old and exposure history was over 10 years. The respiratory diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders were still main problems in occupational health and occupational cancers was increasing even though its accept rate was not high yet.
Accidents, Occupational ; Adult ; Compensation and Redress ; Hearing ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Male ; Occupational Diseases* ; Occupational Health* ; Pneumoconiosis ; Solvents

We report a patient of left atrial huge myxoma presenting with severe pulmonary hypertension in adolescents. A patient was a 14-year-old boy presented with sudden onset dyspnea. Transthoracic echocardiographic study revealed the presence of a nodular, 4.34 x 8.11 cm sized, mobile, hyperechoic mass in the left atrium and severe pulmonary hypertension with tricuspid insufficiency. After surgical therapy, tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension was decreased and the patient was stabilized and had an uneventful clinical course.
Adolescent ; Dyspnea ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Myxoma ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency