Correction of funding statement.

Correction of funding statement.

No abstract available.
Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis*

We evaluated the role of endoseopic balloon dilatation for esophageal strictures caused by postoperative anastomosis in 5 cases, sclerotherapy in 4 cases, caustic injury in 6 cases, and malignancy in 16 cases. The success rate of balloon dilatation was 100% in postoperative anastomotic and post-scle- rotherapy strictures, 16.7% in caustic stricture, and 62.5% in malignant stricture. The addition of bougienage increased the final success rate of dilatation therapy from 16.7 to 66.7% in caustic stricture, and 62.5 to 93.8% in malignant stricture. The overall one-year recurrence rate in benign stricture was 34.5%. All of the recurrent strictures were successfully retreated by balloon dilatation. In conclusion, endoscopic balloon dilatation is a safe, effective, and easy method for the management of benign esophageal strictures except longstanding caustic stricture, and can be used as an auxiliary therapy prior to more definitive treatments such as esophageal intubation in malignant stricture.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation ; Esophagus ; Intubation ; Recurrence ; Sclerotherapy

Authors have previously experienced the effect of balloon dilation at the vallecular by utilizing the video-fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) and the urethral catheter to physically stretch and spread in the direction of the posterior inferior towards the patients who have claimed for dysphagia symptoms due to epiglottic dysfunction. A 72-year-old male patient has been diagnosed with rectal cancer and have been treated with an ileocolostomy after the intubation. After the removal of tracheal intubation, the patient complained of dysphagia. Foods and drinks could not be transmigrated into the esophagus due to the inability of the epiglottis to bend backward in the direction of posterior inferior on VFSS. The epiglottis was physically stretched and spread in the direction of posterior inferior by utilizing the balloon attached to a urethral catheter. After stretching and spreading the epiglottis in the direction of posterior inferior, the bolus remaining in the epiglottic vallecula was decreased. For a patient who is experiencing dysphagia due to an epiglottis disorder, it seems that an epiglottis balloon dilation supported by VFSS and a urethral catheter may be appropriate for the treatment of dysphagia symptoms.
Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Epiglottis ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Intubation ; Male ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Urinary Catheters

Cancer tissues are characterized by increased glucose uptake. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG), a glucose analogue is used for the diagnosis of cancer in PET studies. This study was aimed to compare the glucose uptake and glucose transporter l(GLUT1) expression in various human colon cancer cells. We measured FDG uptake by cell retention study and expression of GLUTI using Western blotting. Human colon cancer cells, SNU-C2A, SNU-C4 and SNU-C5, were used. The cells were incubated with 1micro Ci/ml of FDG in HEPES-buffered saline for one hour. The FDG uptake of SNU-C2A,SNU-C4 and SNU-C5 were 16.8+/-1.36, 12.3+/-5.55 and 61.0+/-2.17cpm/microgram of protein, respectively. Dose-response and time-course studies represent that FDG uptake of cancer cells were dose dependent and time dependent. The rate of FDG uptake of SNU-C2A, SNU-C4 and SNU-C5 were 0.29+/-0.03, 0.21+/-0.09 and 1.07+/-0.07cpm/min/microgram of protein, respectively. Western blot analysis showed that the GLUT1 expression of SNU-C5 was significantly higher than those of SNU-C2A and SNU-C4. These results represent that FDG uptake into human colon cancer cells are different from each other. In addition, FDG uptake and expression of CLUT1 are closely related in human colon cancer cells.
Blotting, Western ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Diagnosis ; Glucose ; Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative ; Humans*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 2 gene and fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) genes are associated with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). METHODS: A total of 157 patients with OPLL and 222 controls were recruited for a case control association study investigating the relationship between SNPs of FGF2, FGFR1, FGFR2 and OPLL. To identify the association among polymorphisms of FGF2 gene, FGFR1, FGFR2 genes and OPLL, the authors genotyped 9 SNPs of the genes (FGF2 : rs1476217, rs308395, rs308397, and rs3747676; FGFR1 : rs13317 and rs2467531; FGFR2 : rs755793, rs1047100, and rs3135831) using direct sequencing method. SNPs data were analyzed using the SNPStats, SNPAnalyzer, Haploview, and Helixtree programs. RESULTS: Of the SNPs, a SNP (rs13317) in FGFR1 was significantly associated with the susceptibility of OPLL in the codominant (odds ratio=1.35, 95% confidence interval=1.01-1.81, p=0.048) and recessive model (odds ratio=2.00, 95% confidence interval=1.11-3.59, p=0.020). The analysis adjusted for associated condition showed that the SNP of rs1476217 (p=0.03), rs3747676 (p=0.01) polymorphisms in the FGF2 were associated with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and rs1476217 (p=0.01) in the FGF2 was associated with ossification of the ligament flavum (OLF). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study revealed that an FGFR1 SNP was significantly associated with OPLL and that a SNP in FGF2 was associated with conditions that were comorbid with OPLL (DISH and OLF).
Case-Control Studies ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hyperostosis, Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal ; Ligaments ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor ; Receptors, Growth Factor

No abstract available.
Tinea*

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play an important role in the normal morphogenesis, maintenance, and repair of matrix and also have important functions in pathologic conditions characterized by excessive degradation of extracellular matrix, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, periodontitis and in tumor invasion and metastasis. In this study, expression of MMP-1 and -2 mRNA in retrodiscal tissue of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) was examined and compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surgical findings. MMP mRNAs in the retrodiscal tissue samples were detected by reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction. TMJ internal derangement (ID) was categorized as normal disc position, disc displacement with reduction, early stage of disc displacement without reduction (DDsR) and late stage of DDsR. TMJ osteoarthrosis (OA) was classified with normal, mild and advanced OA. The amount of synovial fluid collection was divided into not detected, small, large and extremely large amount on MR T2-weighted imaging. Perforation and adhesion were examined during open surgery of the TMJ. Six out of 37 samples were excluded because of little amount of extracted total mRNA. MMP-2 mRNA was detected whole joints, and so the MMP-2 mRNA seems to be expressed normally in retrodiscal tissue. However, MMP-1 mRNA was expressed in 8 of 31 joints. Frequencies of MMP-1 mRNA expression according to the TMJ IDs, amount of synovial fluid and surgical findings made no significant difference. MMP-1 mRNA was detected more frequently in OA groups (7/16 joints, 43.8%) than in normal bony structure group (1/15,joints, 6.7%). Expression of MMP-1 mRNA in retrodiscal tissue might be related with OA of the TMJ.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Collagenases ; Extracellular Matrix ; Gelatinases ; Joints ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 1* ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Morphogenesis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteoarthritis ; Periodontitis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; RNA, Messenger* ; Synovial Fluid ; Temporomandibular Joint*

No abstract available.
Follow-Up Studies* ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung*