Angiogenesis is an essential process for the growth, invasion and metastasis of cancer. However, it is uncertain that antiangiogenic effects can be a major treatment strategy of oral cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate whether thalidomide, which is known to be a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis, have inhibitory effect on the growth and antiangiogenic effects of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC) xenografted in nude mice and whether antiangiogenesis of thalidomide can be included as a major treatment strategy of oral cancer. After human oral squamous cell carcinoma strain KB was subcutaneously implanted in 20 nude mice, the volume of tumor was measured every three days. When the tumor mass reached 75~100mm3, thalidomide(200mg/kg/d) was administered into 10 experimental nude mice and the same volume of distilled water was administered into 10 control nude mice and the tumor volume was measured every three days. The excised tumor masses on the 30th day after administration were frozen and processed for immunohistochemistry using vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and CD31. We evaluated microvessel density and VEGF expression. The results were as follows ; 1. Thalidomide retarded the growth of human OSCC as compared with the control group, but it was not statistically significant. 2. A statistically significant lower microvessel density was observed in the thalidomide-treated group than in the control group(p<0.01) and thalidomide significantly reduced VEGF expression (p<0.01). Thalidomide exhibited significantly antiangiogenic effect, but did not inhibit the growth of human OSCC effectively. Antiangiogenic therapy of thalidomide alone is not likely to be effective in the treatment of human OSCC, but might be regarded as adjuvant chemotherapeutic strategy.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Heterografts* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Nude* ; Microvessels ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thalidomide* ; Tumor Burden ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Water

Lasers are used increasingly in the surgical field. As far as plastic surgery is concerned, CO2 lasers are the most frequently used lasers especially in removing superficial skin lesions. But the traditional continuous mode CO2 lasers causes thermal injury in the surrounding tissues by heat diffusion, thus preventing the widespread clinical use. However, CO2 lasers of the continuous mode are being replaced by pulsed type, which emit high-energy pulse in a short period of time. Keeping the pulse length below the thermal relaxation time, these pulsed CO2 lasers vaporize tissues with less thermal injuries in the surrounding tissues. We irradiated Clearpulse and Ultrapulse lasers on the back of two swine models, Seven spots with 3 mm diameter were measured. We observed the histological changes of injuries and regeneration, and analyzed the depth of the thermal injury and the thickness of the regenerating epidermis quantitatively with image analyzer according to the time sequence(immediate, 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4weeks). In Clearpulse group, there was epidermolysis and the depth of thermal injury was 432 +/- 12.7micrometer, whereas in Ultrapulse group, the epidermis showed just coagulation necrosis and the depth of thermal injury was measured as 217 +/- 8.7micrometer. Clearpulse group showed the healing pattem of dermis, while Ultrapulse group showed the healing pattern of epidermis. That means Ultrapulse group is superior to Clearpulse group considering healing time. But all specimens obtained the complete healing of skin around 4th week after ablation.
Dermis ; Diffusion ; Epidermis ; Hot Temperature ; Lasers, Gas ; Necrosis ; Regeneration* ; Relaxation ; Skin* ; Surgery, Plastic ; Swine ; Wound Healing

Cushing's syndrome in pregnant women is rare and difficult to be diagnosed because of the syndrome's association with oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea and the changes in cortisol metabolism during normal pregnancy. Cushing syndrome in pregnancy is usually confused with complicated pregnancy, such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes, and its rarity leads to a low degree of clinical suspicion, often delaying diagnosis. We experienced a case of Cushing's syndrome in pregnancy, which had been considered as the severe preeclampsia and gestational diabetes due to uncontrolled hypertension and hyperglycemia. The pregnancy was terminated with an emergency cesarean operation at 30 weeks of gestation because of severe preeclampsia. In consequence of the evaluation about the Cushing's syndrome after delivery, the adrenal cortical adenoma of right adrenal gland was diagnosed and laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed.
Adenoma, Adrenal Cortical/*complications/radiography/surgery ; Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms/*complications/radiography/surgery ; Adrenalectomy ; Adult ; Cushing Syndrome/*etiology/radiography/surgery ; Female ; Human ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic/*radiography ; Pregnancy Outcome

The clinical features of HIV/AIDS-related ocular manifestations in Korean patients were investigated in this study. Data on 200 consecutive Korean patients diagnosed with AIDS who visited the Seoul National University Hospital from January 2003 to June 2008 were reviewed. Fifty-seven patients (28.5%) had ocular manifestations, and they showed significantly lower CD4+ T cell count than patients without ocular manifestations. Among them, 23 (40.3%) patients showed retinal microvasculopathy, and 22 (38.5%) patients showed cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. Other manifestations included retinal vein occlusion (n = 4), herpes zoster ophthalmicus (n = 4), syphilitic uveitis (n = 2), acute retinal necrosis (n = 1), and progressive outer retinal necrosis (n = 1). The mean CD4+ lymphocyte counts of the patients with retinal microvasculopathy and cytomegalovirus retinitis were 108.5 cells/microL and 69.4 cells/microL, respectively. In conclusion, ocular manifestations including CMV retinitis are common complications in Korean patients with AIDS even in the era of highly active anti-retroviral therapy. Compared to previous reports in western countries, prevalence of CMV retinitis is relatively low and CD4+ lymphocytes count at the time of diagnosis is relatively high.
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*etiology ; Adult ; Aged ; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology ; Cytomegalovirus Retinitis/epidemiology/etiology ; Eye Diseases/etiology ; Eye Infections, Viral/etiology ; Female ; HIV Infections/*complications/drug therapy/metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis/etiology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retinitis/etiology ; Uveitis/etiology ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal circulation (ECC) can induce alterations in blood viscoelasticity and cause red blood cell (RBC) aggregation. In this study, the authors evaluated the effects of pump flow pulsatility on blood viscoelasticity and RBC aggregation. METHODS: Mongrel dogs were randomly assigned to two groups: a nonpulsatile pump group (n=6) or a pulsatile pump group (n=6). After ECC was started at a pump flow rate of 80 mL/kg/min, cardiac fibrillation was induced. Blood sampling was performed before and at 1, 2, and 3 hours after ECC commencement. To eliminate bias induced by hematocrit and plasma, all blood samples were adjusted to a hematocrit of 45% using baseline plasma. Blood viscoelasticity, plasma viscosity, hematocrit, arterial blood gas analysis, central venous O2 saturation, and lactate were measured. RESULTS: The blood viscosity and aggregation index decreased abruptly 1 hour after ECC and then remained low during ECC in both groups, but blood elasticity did not change during ECC. Blood viscosity, blood elasticity, plasma viscosity, and the aggregation index were not significantly different in the groups at any time. Hematocrit decreased abruptly 1 hour after ECC in both groups due to dilution by the priming solution used. CONCLUSION: After ECC, blood viscoelasticity and RBC aggregation were not different in the pulsatile and nonpulsatile groups in the adult dog model. Furthermore, pulsatile flow did not have a more harmful effect on blood viscoelasticity or RBC aggregation than nonpulsatile flow.
Adult ; Animals ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Blood Viscosity ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Dogs ; Elasticity ; Erythrocytes* ; Extracorporeal Circulation* ; Hematocrit ; Hematology ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Plasma ; Pulsatile Flow ; Viscosity

It is well known that the hippocampal formation requires primary vestibular sensory information to generate spatial memory during self motion in human. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of unilateral deafferentation of vestibular sensory information on cFos and FosB proteins, a family of immediate early gene-related proteins known as metabolic marker for neural excitation in the hippocampal formation of rats. Adult Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250 - 300 g were surgically ablated of the peripheral vestibular system in the inner ear and sacrificed at 2, 6, 24, 48, 72 hours after surgical operation. Immunohistochemical staining and Western blot method were adapted to see change in expression of cFos and FosB proteins in the hippocampal formation. A significant change of Fos B immunoreactivity was observed in granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus, CA1 subfield of the hipocampus at 2 hours after unilateral labyrinthectomy. Thereafter, the number of FosB like immunoreactive neurons in these areas increased rapidly, peaked at 48 hours post operatively time. Western blot for FosB protein supported further time-dependent change of FosB revealed by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, granular cell layer showed more significant expression of FosB LI neurons in the caudal dentate gyrus than the rostral one. In contrast, moderate number of cFos LI neurons was detected in polymorphic cell layer of the dentate gyrus, pyramidal cell layer of CA1, and subiculum but not in granular cell layer of the dentate gyrus at 2 hours after labyrinthectomy. The number of cFos LI neurons in the hippocampal formation was rapidly decreased at 6 hours and then returned to basal value 24 hours after operation. These results suggest that unilateral ablation of the peripheral vestibular sensory information elicit spatio-temporal differences of cFos and FosB expressions in the hippocampal formation of rats.
Adult ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Dentate Gyrus ; Ear, Inner ; Hippocampus* ; Humans ; Memory ; Neurons ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND: Ketorolac has been used as a postoperative analgesia in combination with opioids. However, the use of ketorolac may produce serious side effects in vulnerable patients. Propacetamol is known to induce fewer side effects than ketorolac because it mainly affects the central nervous system. We compared the analgesic effects and patient satisfaction levels of each drug when combined with fentanyl patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). METHODS: The patients were divided into two groups, each with n = 46. The patients in each group were given 60 mg of ketorolac or 2 g of propacetamol (mixed with fentanyl) for 10 minutes. The patients were then given 180 mg of ketorolac or 8 g of propacetamol (mixed with fentanyl and ramosetron) through PCA. We assessed the visual analogue pain scale (VAS) at the time point immediately before administration (baseline) and at 15, 30, and 60 minutes, and 24 hours after administration. Also, the side effects of each regimen and each patient's degree of satisfaction were assessed. RESULTS: There was a significant decline in the VAS score in both groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the VAS scores between the groups at each time point. Satisfaction scores between the groups showed no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of propacetamol is comparable to that of ketorolac in postoperative PCA with fentanyl.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Analgesics, Opioid ; Central Nervous System ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Ketorolac* ; Pain Measurement ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Patient Satisfaction

BACKGROUND: Paraquat causes severe tissue toxicity when ingested, but has no effective treatment modality. We have shown that high dose vitamin C has effective antioxidant activities against the paraquat intoxication in a previous animal experiment. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of antioxidant therapy with high dose vitamin C and vitamin E in human cases of paraquat intoxication. METHODS: From August 1999 to August 2001, 19 paraquat intoxication patients who visited the emergency department of the Seoul National University Hospital and the Kyounghee University Hospital were enrolled to this study. They were devided into two groups, a control group(9 patients) and a study group(10 patients). The control group received only conservative managements including gastro-intestinal decontaminati-on. The study group received conservative managements plus the antioxidant therapy which was composed of vitamin C 24 gm/day intravenously and 20 gm/day orally, and vitamin E 1.6 gm/day orally. RESULTS: In the study group, 5 of 10 patients(50%) survived, but all patients of the control group died(p=0.003). There were no significant differences in age, sex, and usage of gastric lavage and activated charcoal between the two groups. Difference in ingested amount of paraquat between the two groups could not be analyzed due to the inexact and subjective measuring methods based on patients'histories. CONCLUSION: Antioxidant therapy with high dose vitamin C and vitamin E is effective in improving survival rate in paraquat intoxicated patients.
Animal Experimentation ; Ascorbic Acid ; Charcoal ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Gastric Lavage ; Humans ; Paraquat* ; Seoul ; Survival Rate ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and limitation of intra-arterial urokinase (IAUK) infusion for treatment of acute cerebral stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven acute cerebral stroke patients treated with IAUK infusion within six hours of stroke onset were reviewed. All patients showed normal initial brain findings on CT.In 21 patients, urokinase(5-15 X 105IU) was administered through a microcatheter placed into or proximal to occluded segment. Mechanical disruption of thrombus by guidewire was performed in 17 patients. Angiographic and clinical responses and complications after IAUK infusion, were evaluated and the results were compared with thoseof intravenous heparin(N=19) and urokinase infusion(n=19). RESULTS: Complete or partial angiographic recanalization of occluded segment was found in 18 patients(67%), and neurologic improvement was followed in 14patients(52%). The degree of improvement on the stroke scale score after IAUK infusion was statistically more significant(p<0.05) than that shown after intravenous heparin and urokinase infusion. Complications after IAUK infusion were large(15%) and small amount intracerebral hemorrhage(15%), contrast leakage into brain parenchyma(11%), and gastrointestinal bleeding(4%). Between the IAVK and the intravenous urokinase infusion group, differences in extent and types of complications were statistically insignificant, but were significantly higherin those two groups than in the intravenous heparin infusion group. CONCLUSION: IAUK infusion may be effectivefor the treatment of acute cerebral stroke.
Brain ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Stroke* ; Thrombosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) are common diseases caused by human adenoviruses (HAdV) and enteroviruses, respectively, in South Korea. However, there are limited studies on the molecular epidemiology of viral conjunctivitis in South Korea. The main objective of this study was to characterize the genotypes of adenoviruses and enteroviruses causing viral conjunctivitis in the southwest region of South Korea. We collected conjunctival swabs from 492 patients with suspected cases of viral conjunctivitis from 6 ophthalmic hospitals in Gwangju Metropolitan City, in South Korea, between 2012 and 2016. Of the 492 samples tested, HAdVs and enteroviruses were detected in 249 samples (50.6%) and 19 samples (3.9%), respectively. The genotype analysis detected HAdV-8 in 183 samples (73.5%), HAdV-37 in 14 samples (5.6%), and HAdV-3, and HAdV-4 in 9 samples (3.6%) each. We detected coxsackievirus A24 (CVA24) and coxsackievirus B1 (CVB1) in 8 samples (42.0%) and 4 samples (21.0%), respectively. We also reported for the first time HAdV-56-infected cases of EKC in South Korea. Furthermore, we found three cases of coinfection with HAdV and enterovirus genotypes in our samples. HAdV-8 and CVA24, the main causes of EKC and AHC, respectively, worldwide, were also found to be the predominant genotypes in our study.
Adenoviridae ; Adenoviruses, Human ; Coinfection ; Conjunctivitis, Acute Hemorrhagic ; Conjunctivitis, Viral* ; Enterovirus ; Genotype ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Keratoconjunctivitis ; Korea* ; Molecular Epidemiology*