Objective To evaluate the relationship between the serum free IGF-1 level and the severity and prognosis in patients with chronic severe hepatitis. Methods Serum free IGF-1 was assessed by ELISA in 44 patients with chronic severe hepatitis, 43 chronic viral hepatitis, 46 liver cirrhosis. At the same time the liver function, prothrombin activity and cholinesterase were also determined. Results Serum free IGF-1 in patients with chronic severe hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and chronic viral hepatitis was 0.24?0.15,0.33?0.17 and 1.06?0.70 (ng/ml), respectively. IGF-1 was significantly decreased in patients with chronic severe hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. IGF-1 level in patients with chronic severe hepatitis at early, middle and advanced stages was 0.28?0.07, 0.27?0.19 and 0.16?0.06 (ng/ml), respectively. The reduction in the value showed a positive correlation with different stages of chronic severe hepatitis. Patients with chronic severe hepatitis having a serum free IGF-1 below 0.2ng/ml had a higher mortality, and those with the value above 0.35ng/ml had a better chance to survive during the follow-up period. There was a significant positive correlation between serum free IGF-1 and prothrombin activity. Conclusion Serum free IGF-1 was decreased in the patients with chronic severe hepatitis. The clinical observation suggested that the serum free IGF-1 might be an important prognostic indicator in patients with chronic severs hepatitis.

Bronchi ; drug effects ; pathology ; Cell Line ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; pathology ; Humans ; Mineral Fibers ; toxicity

Objective To describe epidemiological characteristics of scalp psoriasis in China,and to determine its influencing factors through a hospital-based,multicenter and large-scale survey.Methods An epidemiological survey was conducted on patients with scalp psoriasis in 42 hospitals in 11 provinces and 4 municipalities.A questionnaire was designed to collect general and clinical information of patients,including clinical type,lesion distribution,psoriasis scalp severity index (PSSI),aggravating factors,influence on quality of life,treatment course,degree of satisfaction with treatment,etc.Participants were asked to fill out the questionnaire with the help of well-trained dermatologists.Data were processed with the EpiData software.The WPS system and Epi Info 5.0 statistics software were used for descriptive analysis of the data.Results Totally,3 901 patients participated this study,and 3 586 valid questionaires were obtained.The mean age at onset of scalp lesions was (27.40 ± 13.34) years,and the male to female ratio was 1.6∶1 with a mean PSSI score of 13.61 ± 12.31.The hairline of the forehead was the most frequently affected area with the constituent ratio of forehead psoriasis being 74.3％ (2 663/3 586).The duration of scalp psoriasis reached 3 to 6 months every year in 1 136 (31.7％) patients,and the area affected by scalp psoriasis was less than 25％ of the total surface area of the scalp in 1 649 (46％) patients.The most frequent clinical presentation was scaling (92.1％),followed by erythema (80.6％),itching(76.7％),bunchy hairs (39.9％) and hair loss(18.0％).Disease aggravation was most frequently associated with seasons (76.7％),emotions (47.4％),stress (47.1％) and fatigue (46.6％).The quality of life (especially social,outdoor and entertainment activities) was reported to be negatively influenced by this entity to different degrees in 2 529 (70.5％) patients.Of these patients,583 (17.8％) received combination therapy (topical and systemic),with glucocorticoid ointment (27.5％),calcipotriol scalp solution (22.7％) and glucocorticoid-containing solution (11.9％) being the most commonly used topical drugs; only 38.6％ complied with medication requirements and doctors' advice for 3 to 5 weeks,and 35.2％ believed that the primary reason for poor compliance was unsatisfactory response to drugs.It was considered that an ideal drug for the treatment of scalp psoriasis should be highly effective (50.3％),safe (17.8％) and easy to apply (11％) with a rapid onset of action(11.9％).Conclusions Scalp psoriasis has a predilection for the hairline of the forehead with scaling as the main clinical presentation.Winter and spring seasons appear to be the most common aggravating factor of scalp psoriasis.The quality of life is negatively influenced to different degrees in many patients with scalp psoriasis.Topical corticosteroids plus non-hormonal drugs should be the first choice for the treatment of scalp psoriasis.Patients consider that the ideal drugs for the treatment of scalp psoriasis should be effective,safe,and easy to apply.

Rapid crestal bone resorption following maxillary tooth loss is further accentuated in the posterior regions because of pneumatization and enlargement of the maxillary sinuses. A treatment rationale that allows preservation and augmentation of vertical available bone at the time of posterior maxillary tooth extraction may offer numerous therapeutic benefits which are more short courses of therapy and no needs of additional surgical augmentation. The present study comprised 3 patients who had 4 posterior maxillary teeth with no evident bone between the tooth apex and sinus floor, as estimated through preoperative radiographic analysis. Sinus floor augmentation at the time of tooth extraction was chosen for the ltreatment of these patients. After the tooth was carefully extracted, the empty alveolus was thoroughly debrided and a trephine approach was performed. Particulated autogenous bone was gently pushed beyond the empty alveolus to elevate the sinus membrane using an osteotome. The distance between bone crest and sinus floor was radiographically estimated 4 months after the first procedure. Another procedure was then carried out to place the implants of 11 mm length without another augmentation procedure. All implant were clinically stable, with no sign of infection. The presented surgical procedure performed at the time of extraction of posterior maxillary teeth in close proximity to the sinus floor allowed placement of implants of proper length.
Bone Resorption ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinus ; Membranes ; Sinus Floor Augmentation* ; Tooth Apex ; Tooth Extraction ; Tooth Loss ; Tooth*

BACKGROUND: Using c-fos expression one of the immediate early gene, as a marker of altered neuronal response, we investigated the effect of superior cervical ganglion block (SCGB) exhibiting the same effect of SGB of human on the activity of several brain regions which are considered as located on autonomic neural pathway and neuroendocrine axis in rat. METHOD: The 48 Sprague-Dawley strain rats were divided into 4 groups, as saline/stress (control) group, SCGB/stress (tested) group, saline group, SCGB group. Superior cervical ganglion block was conducted in the SCGB/stress group and SCGB group while saline/stress and saline group were sham operated. After then restraint stress was imposed on the animals of SCGB/stress group and saline/stress group. And 2 hour after injection (saline, SCGB group) or restraint stress (saline/stress, SCGB/stress group), c-fos protein (Fos) was localized by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Much stronger Fos immunoreactivity was induced in the several brain region of control group rats compared to other three groups and the numbers of Fos positive cell count of tested group were significantly decreased in paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (p<0.01), A5 (p<0.01), raphe pallidus (p<0.05), nucleus tractus solitaius (p<0.01) compared to control group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrate that superior cervical ganglion block attenuates stress induced neuronal activities of paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, A5, raphe pallidus, nucleus tractus solitarius.
Animals ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Brain* ; Cell Count ; Genes, vif ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neural Pathways ; Neurons ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Solitary Nucleus ; Superior Cervical Ganglion*

CD44, also known as the Hermes antigen, H-CAM, pgp-1 antigen, and extracellular matrix receptor ECM-III, is a widely distributed integral membrane protein that exists in a variety of forms with different molecular sizes ranging from 85kd to 160kd. A number of evidence implicates CD44 as a cell adhesion molecule with a possible role in tumor progression. To evaluate the possible roles of CD44 in the metastatic process of gastric carcinoma to the regional lymph nodes, we applicated immunohistochemical stains with the CD44H and CD44v6 primary antibodies onto the 2 groups of gastric adenocarcinomas. Each group was comprised of 22 primary tumors extending to the subserosa, and one group showed nodal metastasis, while the other group did not. Seventeen primary tumors (77%) out of the 22 cases with the nodal metastasis demonstrated positivity to the CD44v6, while only 9 primary tumors (41%) out of the 22 cases without nodal metastasis did. However CD44H immunoreactivity was demonstrated in tumor cells of all cases (100%) of both groups as well as in the normal cell components. These results suggest that CD44H form is not related to the metastasis to the regional lymph nodes of gastric carcinoma. However, the expression of CD44v6 seems to play a certain role in the metastatic process of the gastric carcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Antibodies ; Cell Adhesion ; Cellular Structures ; Coloring Agents ; Extracellular Matrix ; Lymph Nodes ; Membrane Proteins ; Neoplasm Metastasis

No abstract available.
Apocrine Glands ; Hidrocystoma*

Intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor has been described in the literature since 1989. It is characterized by the occurrence in ages less than 40 with male predominance, an intra-abdominal location, and small round to oval shaped tumor cells with divergent differentiation in the background of the desmoplastic stroma. We recently experienced this tumor in an inguinal lymph node of a 36-year-old man. It is suspected that it metastasized from a lower intra-abdominal tumor. Immunohistochemical stains for keratin, epithelial membrane antigen, vimentin, S-100 protein and neuron specific enolase were positive. This is the first documented case in Korea. Herein, we report on this tumor with a review of literature.
Male ; Humans

SCUBA diving has become increasingly popular, but it is a sport with high risks. It has been widely accepted that the neurologic sequelae of decompression illness (DCI) are confined to the spinal cord. However, cortical blindness is very rare in the central nervous system DCI. We report a case of DCI who showed cortical blindness and MRI abnormalities. The cortical blindness improved after serial hyperbaric oxygenation therapy with the USN table 6A protocol. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(4):404~406, 2001)
Blindness, Cortical* ; Central Nervous System ; Decompression Sickness* ; Decompression* ; Diving ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Cord ; Sports

No abstract available.
Aneurysm, False* ; Carotid Artery, Internal* ; Epistaxis*