No abstract available.
Giant Cell Tumors* ; Giant Cells* ; Ribs*

This study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic value of colposcopy by comparing colposcopic findings with cytology, histology of colposcopically directed biopsy and final biopsy result on hysterectomy. From January 1, 1988 to August 31, 1996, the colposcopic examinations was undertaken in 1200 patients, excluding grossly visible carcinoma of the cervix. The result were as follows : 1. Colposcopic examinations were satisfactory in 95.4% and unsatisfactory in 4.58%. 2. The accuracy rate of cytologic diagnosis was 73.1% and colposcopic impression was 93.1%. 3. The false negative rate of colposcopic impression was 2.6%, much less than 24,7% of cytologic examination. 4. The cytologic accuracy rate in cervicitis was higher than that of colposcopic impression but the accuracy rate of colposcopic impression in diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia was higher than that of cytology. 5. Among 97 cases in which colposcopically directed biopsy were performed, more advanced lesion were disclosed in 12 cases(12.4%).
Biopsy ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Cervix Uteri ; Colposcopy* ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* ; Uterine Cervicitis

Cerulein-induced pancreatitis is similar to human edematous pancreatitis, characterized by the dysregulation of digestive enzyme production, edema formation, and an infiltration of inflammatory cells into the pancreas. We previously showed that the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/STAT3 pathway mediates inflammatory signaling in cerulein-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells. PPAR-γ has been implicated in the regulation of inflammatory responses in several cells. In the present study, we investigated the role of PPAR-γ in cerulein-induced activation of JAK2/STAT3 in pancreatic acinar cells. Treatment with cerulein induced the activation of JAK2/STAT3 and PPAR-γ expression in AR42J cells. Cerulein-induced PPAR-γ expression was inhibited by AG490, a JAK2/STAT3 inhibitor, in AR42J cells. An immunoprecipitation analysis showed that PPAR-γ binds to STAT3 in cerulein-stimulated AR42J cells. Down-regulation of PPAR-γ by siRNA increased STAT3 phosphorylation in AR42J cells stimulated with cerulein. These results show that PPAR-γ inactivates STAT3 by directly interacting with STAT3 in cerulein-stimulated pancreatic acinar cells. Overexpression of PPAR-γ may be beneficial for preventing pancreatitis by suppressing the activation of STAT3 in pancreatic acinar cells.
Acinar Cells* ; Ceruletide ; Down-Regulation ; Edema ; Humans ; Immunoprecipitation ; Janus Kinase 2 ; Pancreas ; Pancreatitis ; Peroxisomes* ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Small Interfering

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the ultrasonographic findings of chronic lateral epicondylitis of elbow with partial tear of common extensor tendon before and after prolotherapy. METHOD: The subjects were 12 cases of chronic lateral epicondylitis with partial tear of common extensor tendon, which were confirmed by ultrasonography. We examined the common extensor tendon with ultrasonography at initial visit. After injecting 15% dextrose solution monthly for five times, follow up ultrasonography was performed one month after last injection. RESULTS: Before prolotherapy, every case had anechoic focus without normal fibrillar pattern, which represented partial tear of tendon. Seven cases showed focal or diffuse hypoechoic foci with loss of normal fibrillar pattern of tendon, which represented tendinosis. After prolotherapy, initial anechoic foci were changed to smaller size with diffuse fibrillar pattern inside in 6 cases, to the same the sized hypoechoic foci with diffuse fibrillar pattern inside in 2 cases. And a few fibrillar pattern were seen within the initial anechoic focus in 1 case and most of anechoic foci were filled with fibrillar pattern except small anechoic foci in 3 cases. CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy can help the recovery process of chronic lateral epicondylitis. And ultrasonography can be a useful method to evaluate the therapentic effect of lateral epicondylitis.
Elbow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucose ; Tears* ; Tendinopathy ; Tendons ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of prolotherapy on lateral epicondylitis, and the difference of treatment effect according to the findings of ultrasonography. METHOD: The subjects were 84 patients who were diagnosed as lateral epicondylitis. The pain score was evaluated by using VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) before treatment and 1 month and 6 months after the 3rd injection. Ultrasonography was done to 49 patients who were suspicious of tendinous tear. RESULTS: In the comparison of the VAS before treatment and after the 3rd injection, it was 6.79+/-0.88, 2.95+/-1.90, respectively, which demonstrated statistical significant decrease (p<0.01). We found more significant reduction of VAS in the subjects without tendinous tear (7.08+/-0.91 to 2.16+/-1.57) than those with partial tendinous tear (6.90+/-0.93 to 3.67+/-1.76) (p<0.01). Among 71 patients whose symptom was improved after the treatment, 57 patients (80.2%) demonstrated sustained improvement at 9 months and 14 patients (19.7%) relapsed at 9 months. CONCLUSION: Prolotherapy is an effective treatment method in the lateral epicondylitis of elbow. Ultrasonography could be a useful diagnostic method which could predict the effect of prolotherapy.
Elbow* ; Humans ; Tears ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To know the accuracy of caudal epidural steroid injection procedure without fluoroscopy guidance, and determine ascending level of injected solution according to injection volume. METHOD: The subjects were 35 patients with low back pain. Needle insertion was performed without fluoroscopy, then we confirm the position of needle with fluoroscopy. The level of injected solution was measured with fluoroscopy and x-ray after injecting every 5 ml of solution, which is mixture of triamcinolone, 2% lidocaine, contrast medium, and normal saline. The effect of treatment was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULTS: Successful needle placement occurred in 27 cases without fluoroscopy. After injecting 20 ml of solution, the ascending level of solution were S1 in 8 cases, L5 in 12 cases, L4 in 8 cases, L3 in 1 case, L2 in 4 cases, L1 in 2 cases. In the comparison of the VAS before and after treatment, it was 6.3+/-1.2 and 2.9+/-1.3 respectively, which demonstrated statistically significant decrease (p+/-0.05). CONCLUSION: Caudal epidural injection could be performed more accurately under the fluoroscopic guidance. After injecting 20 ml of solution, the ascending level of the solution were restricted at lower lumbosacral area in most of cases.
Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Injections, Epidural* ; Lidocaine ; Low Back Pain ; Needles* ; Triamcinolone

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neurocardiogenic syncope is believed to be caused by a transient imbalance of autonomic nervous system. Actually, there were significant differences in heart rate variability (HRV) indices during head-up tilt test between patients with neurocardiogenic syncope and normal controls. But there was no definite evidence for it during daily activity. So, we tried to evaluate HRV during daily activity with 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography monitoring. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 27 patients with neurocardiogenic syncope or presyncope (mean age 45+/-3) and 25 normal volunteers (mean age 47+/-2) comparable for age and sex underwent 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography. Head-up tilt test was used to diagnose neurocardiogenic syncope or presyncope in patients group. HRV was analysed over the whole 24 hours, using time and frequency domain parameters. Student's t-test was applied. ResultsThere were no significant differences in HRV measures between two groups, over 24-hour period and day-time and night-time period. But the hourly HRV measures showed a transient decrease of LF, LFnorm and LF/HF ratio in patients group compared to normal control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that patients with neurocardiogenic syncope or presyncope suffer from temporarily decreased sympathetic tone with normal parasympathetic tone. So, transient additive change of autonomic nervous tone may cause syncope or presyncope in these patients. (Korean Circulation J 2000;30 (6):716-723)
Autonomic Nervous System ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Healthy Volunteers ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Syncope* ; Syncope, Vasovagal*

Ventricular arrhythmia is known as a major cause of sudden death in patients with heart disease, especially in patients with myocardial infarct. Programmed electrical stimulation (PES) is used in order to identify patients with high risk of ventricular arrhythmia, but it is invasive. So ventricular late potential is studied, which can be performed safely. Ventricular late potential was measured in the 65 normal subjects, 17 patients with in-hospital period acute myocardial infarction and 29 patients with old myocardial infarction using signal-averaged high resolution EKG, Mac-15. The positive criteria of ventricular late potential was one of the following : The duration of TQRS is more than 120 msec, or the amplitude of RMS is less than 25microV, or the duration of LP 40 is more than 40 msec. The results are as follows : 1) Among 65 normal subjects(male ; 33, female ; 32), total QRS duration(TQRS)was 103.9+/-8.3msec(mean S.D), terminal 40msec root mean square amplitude(RMS) 47.8+/-24.3uV and terminal 40msec mean amplitude was 32.5+/-15.4uV. Variables of ventricular late potential showed no significant difference by age. 10 subjects showed positive ventricular late potential. 2) Among 17 patients with in-hospital period myocardial infarction, there was no significant difference in variables of ventricular late potential between patients with ventricular arrhythmia(3 subject) and patients without ventricular arrhythmia(14 subjects). 3) Among 29 subjects with old myocardial infarction, TQRS showed significant differrence between patients with ventricular arrhythmia(3 subjects) and patients without ventricular arrhythmias(26 subjects). All of the patients with ventricular arrhythmia(100%) and 6 subjects(24%) of the patients without ventricular arrhythmia showed positive ventricular late potential, and the difference was significant statistically between groups(p value<0.05). This showed that ventricular late potential is helpful in predicting the risk of ventricular arrhythmia among patients with old myocardial infarction.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Death, Sudden ; Electric Stimulation ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction*

PURPOSE: Recently established in 1997, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine was the first medical school in Korea to adopt problem-based learning (PBL) as a core curriculum from the very beginning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the PBL curriculum from the viewpoint of the medical students. METHODS: This study used a qualitative approach to understand students' perceptions of the positive aspects of PBL. A total of 22 second-year medical students at Sungkynkwan medical school were surveyed. Student perceptions were obtained from questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. The interview was designed to evoke more personal and in-depth responses. RESULTS: Students' perceptions of the effects of PBL were found to be very favorable. Most students showed positive responses on the issues of more active learning attitude, self-directed learning, motivation to study, improved problem solving, and integrated learning. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that the students had a good understanding of PBL and experienced its positive aspects of PBL approach. It might be concluded that PBL was successfully implemented into the curriculum and specific and expected effects of PBL accomplished.
Curriculum* ; Evaluation Studies as Topic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Learning ; Motivation ; Problem Solving ; Problem-Based Learning* ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires