No abstract available.
Autopsy* ; Endocarditis* ; Thromboembolism

Verrucous carcinoma is a highly differentiated variant of squamous cell carcinoma and is very rare in the uterine cervix. It infiltrates locally but practically never metastasizes. Authors present a case of verrucous carcinoma arising in the uterine cervix of a 48 year-old Korean female and review literatures about the verrucous carcinoma reported.
Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Health Promotion*

Met protein is a transmembrane 190 kD heterodimer with tyrosine kinase activity, encoded by c-Met oncogene. It serves as a high affinity receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/scatter factor (SF), a cytokine which stimulates cell proliferation, motility, and invasion. In this study, we immunohistochemically evaluated the expression of Met/hepatocyte growth factor receptor in colorectal cancers. Met protein was expressed in 31 of 72 patients (43.1%). The staining pattern was cytoplasmic in nature, present throughout the tumor, and showed variable intensity from case to case. The relationship between the expression rate and intensity, and age and sex of patients, tumor size (p=0.645), tumor site (p=0.902) and tumor differentiation (p=0.844) was not statistically significant. The expression rate and intensity were significantly correlated with lymphovascular invasion (p=0.001), lymph node metastasis (p=0.010), depth of invasion (0.019), and stage (p=0.023). Cytoplasmic accumulation of Met protein was not associated with enhanced PCNA index of tumor cells (p=0.052). These results suggest that Met protein may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer cells.
Cell Proliferation ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Cytoplasm ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oncogenes ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases

Meridian massage is originated from oriental medical manipulation, and it has been mainly applied to as pain and paralysis. The purpose was to develop new method of nursing care for help hemiplegic patients to recover their functions of upper limbs and to reduce depressions. This study was carried out between 8. March, and 8. June. 2000 and the subjects of the study were .60 hemiplegic stroke patients who were participants at a hospitalized in K oriental medical center. The experimental group(30) and the control group(30) were assigned by means of participation order. The experimental group took meridian massage on affected upper limb for 10 minutes daily for 2 weeks. We evaluated muscle power and endurance with band from AVIVA company.: range of motion with goniometer: shoulder pain with visual analogue scale: swelling with Jeweiers ring measurement of Dirette: depression with self-rating depression scale translated into Korean by Yang(1982). Data were analyzed by SPSS PC and the results are described below. The experimental group showed better muscle power and endurance than control group. Range of motiont of affected shoulder improved significantly in experimental group. Also, the experimental group showed less shoulder pain. hand edema. depression than control group. In this study, we observed that meridian massage is an effective nursing care in improving the function of upper limb and managing depression of stroke patients.
Depression* ; Edema ; Hand ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing Care ; Paralysis ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Shoulder ; Shoulder Pain ; Stroke ; Upper Extremity*

Chordoid meningioma is a recently established meningeal tumor and is characterized by a chordoma like histologic appearance, peritumoral lymphoplasma cell infiltrates causing systemic manifestations similar to Castleman syndrome and having a good prognosis. We experienced a case of chordoid meningioma in a 25 year-old woman. The patient preoperatively manifested iron-resistant hypochromic microcytic anemia, polyclonal gammopathy with beta-gamma bridging and detected a huge mass in the right temporo-parietal convexity of the brain. Microscopically, the mass was composed of nests and cords of cuboid, partly vacuolated cells in a mucoid matrix, simulating chordoma. The tumor was surrounded by masses of lymphoplasma cells around vessels, many of the plasma cells contained Russell bodies. Ultrastructural findings showed intranuclear cytoplasmic invaginations, microvilli protruding from cytoplasmic surfaces and well formed desmosomes. Some portions of tumor cell surface were covered by stretches of basal lamina.
Female ; Humans ; Meningioma

The author studied 20 healthy adults (20 hands) as a control and 30 patients (40 hands) with carpal tunnel syndrome to evaluate the clinical usefulness of measuring nerve conduction velocity after wrist flexion in diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve conduction velocity over wrist to finger segment was measured before and after wrist flexion for 1, 2 and 5 minutes, using belly-tendon method for motor nerve distal latency (MNDL) and antidromic method for sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). The results were as follows: 1. In control group, MNDL increased in 1 hand and SNCV decreased in 2 hands after wrist flexion. In patient group, MNDL increased in 2 hands and SNCV decreased in 3 hands after wrist flexion. 2. In both control and patient group, there were no significant changes in mean values of SNCV and MNDL between before and after wrist flexion. 3. Phalen's wrist flexion test was positive in 5 percent of control and 60 percent of patient group. 4. Tinel's sign was present in 10 percent of control and 33 percent of patient group.
Adult ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Diagnosis ; Fingers ; Hand ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Methods ; Neural Conduction* ; Wrist*

Thyrotoxic crisis is a life-threatening exacerbation of hyperthyroidism seen during periods of stress, which requires early recognition and adequate treatment. A 52-year-old female who suffered from severe right thoracic pain due to postherpetic neuralgia with hyperthyroidism, has been initially treated with antiviral agent and anticonvulsant in the department of neurology. She was transfered to our pain clinic because of uncontrolled severe pain. In our pain clinic, continuous thoracic epidural administration of bupivacaine and clonidine and oral analgesic medications produce visual analog scale from 8-9 to 5-6. She was admitted because of partially controlled pain and she was performed intercostal neurolysis with 10% phenol. As a result, visual analog scale was decreased from 5-6 to 2-3. After 3 days admission, extreme irritability, delirium, tachypnea, mild fever and tachycardia(heart rate: 160-180/min) were developed suddenly. Three hours later of proper treatment with oxygen inhalation, rapid fluid administration, diazepam 10 mg injection and antithyroid drug medication, heart rate and consciousness were returned to normal. Thoracic sympathetic ganglion neurolysis with absolute alcohol was performed without any sequelaes for the treatment of remnant visceral pain. And then, she was discharged with the relief of pain. The purpose of the present report is to review our experience with the clinical manifestations and management of thyrotoxic crisis developed during the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, and to review of the treatment of thyrotoxic crisis and postherpetic neuralgia.
Bupivacaine ; Clonidine ; Consciousness ; Delirium ; Diazepam ; Ethanol ; Female ; Fever ; Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Inhalation ; Middle Aged ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic* ; Neurology ; Oxygen ; Pain Clinics ; Phenol ; Tachypnea ; Thyroid Crisis* ; Visceral Pain ; Visual Analog Scale

Angiomyofibroblastoma is a rare, benign mesenchymal tumor of the vulva. Since it was described in 1992 by Fletcher, 15 cases have been reported in literature. We recently experienced a recurred angiomyofibroblastoma of the vulva. A 45-year-old woman was presented initially in 1991 with a mass of labium major and local excision of tumor mass had been performed. A histologic diagnosis was made of angiomyxoma, but this diagnosis was revised to angiomyofibroblastoma by the authors. The recurred mass was well circumscribed, measuring 2.5x1.6x1.5cm in dimensions. Microscopically the tumor was characterized by high cellularity, numerous blood vessels(which lack prominent hyalinization), and plump stromal cells. Immunohistochemically, the stromal cells were reactive for vimentin and desmin, but not alpha-smooth muscle actin, or S-100 protein. We thought that this case was a recurred angiomyofibrblastoma of the vulva due to incomplete surgical excision.
Female ; Humans

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatic fibrosis is known to be a predisposing condition of cirrhosis for which there is no proven effective therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pentoxifylline and ciprofloxacin on biochemical and histological features of rat hepatic fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN). METHODS: Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups including control (n = 10), DMN (n = 20), DMN plus pentoxifylline (n = 20) and DMN plus ciprofloxacin (n = 20). The rats were injected intraperitoneally with normal saline in the control group and the aforementioned chemicals in the study groups three times a week for 3 weeks. Two rats of the control group, and fives of each study group were sacrificed weekly after the beginning of experiment. From sacrified rats the following parameters of hepatic fibrosis were determined: AST, ALT, cytokines IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and INF-gamma, and histological features of hepatic tissue. RESULT: Rat weight, serological and histological findings were distinctively improved in two treated groups compared with untreated DMN group(p<0.05), The antifibrogenic activity between treated groups was rather better in the group treated with pentoxifylline than in the group treated with ciprofloxacin. During the first and second weeks after experiment the distribution of hepatic stellate cells in treated groups was limited, whereas DMN group showed their diffuse distribution. At the third week DMN group displayed micronodular cirrhosis, but treated groups showed only mild centrilobular fibrotic areas without developing cirrhosis. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that pentoxifylline and cirprofloxacin may be protective against DMN induced rat hepatic fibrogenesis, while accompanying the inhibition of hepatic stellate cells during the early stage of hepatic fibrogenesis.
Animals ; Ciprofloxacin* ; Cytokines ; Dimethylnitrosamine ; Fibrosis* ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; Humans ; Male ; Pentoxifylline* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha