We measured fasting Serum Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (SACE) in 100 healthy controls and 75 coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) patients by a commercial kits (ACEcolor®, Fujirio Inc., Japan) and evaluated this manual method. The linear range extends to an activity of 80U/L. Precision on a commercial control serum (ACE control-N®, Sigma Co.) with a mean value of 9.47U/L yielded a within-run and between-run CVs are 5.6% (N=15) and 6.9% (N=14) respectively. Save in 75 CWP was 20.3±5.7U/L (mean±s.d.); higher than in healthy controls (13.4±3.9U/L, P<0.01). No correlation was found between SACE, sex, and age. The results suggest that the measurement for SACE and follow-up SACE in coal workers may be a useful diagnostic tools for CWP.
Anthracosis* ; Coal* ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Methods

Experiments were conducted to define the optimal constituents of culture medium and atmospheric condition for growth of Campylobacter pylori. Two clinical isolates were streaked onto various media, incubated in two different atmospheric conditions (microaerophilic condition and carbon dioxide incubator), and growth was assessed semiquantitatively according to relative colony size and extent of growth through the streak. The growth obtained on Campy media, composed of GC agar base plus 1% hemoglobin, 0.2% activated charcoal, 1% IsoVitaleX, vancomycin 6mg /L nalidixic acid 20mg/L and amphotercin 2 mg/L, was used as reference. Our conclusions were as follows: Tryptic soy agar base was not acceptable for the growth of C. pylori. The organism grew in both atmospheric conditions, but generally showed a scantier growth in the carbon dioxide incubator than under the microaerophilic condition, however GC agar containing 1% hemoglobin and 0.2% activated charcoal supported well the growth of C. pylori in the carbon dioxide incubator. The authors have found that the GC agar base supplemented with 1% hemoglobin and 0.2% charcoal was the most satisfactory medium and a microaerophilic condition was optimal atmospheric condition for the growth of Campylobacter pylori in this study.
Agar ; Biopsy* ; Campylobacter* ; Carbon Dioxide ; Charcoal ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Incubators ; Nalidixic Acid ; Vancomycin

The usually stable body temperature of homeothermic animals can be affected by innumerable biolagical and physical agents. Neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, synthetic drugs will cause an elevation or depression in body temperature depending on the dose, species and route of administration. The effects of clonidine (0.15 mg/kg), hydralazine (1 mg/kg), nifedipine (1 mg/kg) and verapamil (5 mg/kg) on rectal temperature in Sprague-Dawley rats were assessed 15, 30 and 45 min. After intraperitoneal injection of drugs. The results were as follows; 1) Rectal temperature of rats was significantly increased in clonidine group compared with hydralazine group. However, there were no significant changes in other groups. 2) In hydralazine group, there was highly significant decrease in rectal temperature of rats compared with control, clonidine and nifedipine group. 3) Rectal temperature of rats was significantly increase in nifedipine group compared with hydralazine group. However, there were no significant differences in changes of rectal temperature between nifedipine and other groups. 4) Rectal temperature of rats no significantly changes in verapamil group compared with other groups.
Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents* ; Body Temperature* ; Clonidine ; Depression ; Hydralazine ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Nifedipine ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Verapamil

A thymoma often occurs in patients with myasthenia gravis, but the development of multiple thymoma is very rare. The authors report the radiologic and pathologic findings of multiple invasive thymoma in a 59-year-old male with myasthenia gravis.
Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Thymoma*

Male breast cancer is very rare, with the incidence of 0.15-1% of all breast cancers and less than 1% of all cancers in men. The prognosis of male breast cancer is poorer than that of female because the median age of detection of the disease is in more late stage. It usually involves higher axillary lymph nodes. We report two cases of male breast cancer to describe characteristic mammographic and ultrasonographic findings and to compare with the findings of gynecomastia.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms, Male* ; Female ; Gynecomastia ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Male* ; Prognosis

No abstract available.
Pemphigus*

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify pain perception (P-PER) by nurses and pain expression (P-EXP) by patients in critical care units (ICUs) and degree of agreement between nurses' P-PER and patients' P-EXP. METHODS: Nurses' P-PER was measured with a self-administered questionnaire completed by 99 nurses working in ICUs during May, 2013. Patients' P-EXP was measured with the Critical Care Non-Verbal Pain Scale through observations of 31 ICU patients during nine nursing procedures (NPs) performed between May and July, 2013. RESULTS: Nurses' P-PER was from 4.49 points for nasogastric tube (NGT) insertion to 0.83 for blood pressure (BP) measurement based on a 9-point scale, Patients' P-EXP was 4.48 points for NGT to 0.18 for BP measurement based on a 10-point scale. Eight NPs except oral care showed higher scores for nurses' P-PER than for patients' P-EXP. Position change (p=.019), subcutaneous injection (p<.001), blood sugar test (p<.001), and BP measurement (p<.001) showed significant differences between nurses' P-PER and patients' P-EXP. CONCLUSION: Nasogastric tube (NGT) insertion was scored highest by both nurses and patients. Eight NPs except 'oral care' showed nurses' P-PER was higher or similar to patients' P-EXP, which indicates that nurses may overestimate procedural pain experienced by patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Airway Extubation ; Female ; Humans ; *Intensive Care Units ; Intubation, Gastrointestinal ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Assessment ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Pain Measurement ; *Pain Perception ; Questionnaires

Malignant eccrine poroma, or eccrine porocarcinoma, is a rare malignant cutaneous appendageal tumor arising from the intraepidermal eccrine sweat duct(acrosyringium), and usually develops ia an eccrine poroma of long-standing. We report a case of malignant eccrine poroma on the left buttock in a 72 year-old female. She was presented with a slightly pruritic, well-defined, reddish, firm, 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.7cm sized, protruding, ulcerated tumor. Histopathological examination revealed well-defined tumor cell nests in the epidermis and dermis. The tumor nests consisted of areas of eccrine poroma cells with benign appearance adjoining areas of anaplastic cells. Duct-like structures were observed within the tumor nests and showed a PAS-positive, diastase-resistant reaction. On immunohistochemical staining, the tumor cells were, positive for EMA, and most of tumor cells were negative but the duct-like structures were positive for CEA. She was treated with surgical excision. During the three year follow up period after excision, there was no recurrence.
Aged ; Buttocks ; Dermis ; Eccrine Porocarcinoma* ; Epidermis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Poroma ; Recurrence ; Sweat ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: Three-dimensional(3D) magnetic resonance(MR) projection imaging was evaluated as a noninvasive alternative to direct cholangiography for the assessment of its reliability in patients with obsructive jaundice. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A heavily T2-weighted gradient-echo sequence(PSIF) was used for 3D MR projecion imaging of the biliary system in five healthy volunteers and 25 patients with obstructive jaundice. The 3D images of the bile ducts were formed by stacking consecutive coronal MR images obtained with a fast imaging method to a maximum-intensity projection algorithm. RESULTS: In the volunteers, MR cholangiography could demonstrate the anatomy of the biliary tract in only two subjects. The extrahepatic and intraheparic bile ducts were well visualized in 23 patients with obstructive jaundice. The leve of obstruction and the grade of dilatation were dipicted with MR cholangiography in all cases. And the cause of obstruction could be determined with MR cholangiography in 18 cases, MR cholangiography was successful in two patients in whom ERCP failed. The gallbladder or dilated pancreatic duct not demonstrated by means of direct cholangiography was demonstrated with MR cholangiography in six cases.
Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiography* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Dilatation ; Gallbladder ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive* ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Volunteers

No Abstract Available.