No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: Owing to advances in laparoscopic technique and equipment, a single-port laparoscopic surgery has been applied in various fields of surgery. However, the application of a single-port laparoscopic surgery for pregnant women has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to emphasize the feasibility of single-port laparoscopic appendectomy in pregnant women. METHODS: In seven pregnant women who underwent abdominal ultrasonography and physical examination, surgery was performed under the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. In all the patients, single-port laparoscopic appendectomy was performed in the same way. The laparoscopic surgical devices used during surgery were same as those in conventional laparoscopic appendectomy. RESULTS: Age ranged from 25 to 33 years (mean, 29.7 years), gestational age ranged from 7 weeks 3 days to 17 weeks 6 days (mean gestational age, 14 weeks 3 days). The mean operation time was 19 minutes (range, 16–22 minutes). No surgical related complications and any issues occurred. CONCLUSION: Single-port laparoscopic appendectomy for pregnant women is considered one of the treatment methods.
Appendectomy* ; Appendicitis ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Physical Examination ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Ultrasonography

The omphalomesenteric duct is a link between the primitive midgut and the yolk sac. Normally, the duct obliterates around 6 weeks of gestation, yet varying degrees of incomplete obliteration can take place in 1%–4% of infants. This study described the case of a newborn with a patent omphalomesenteric duct remnant fistula identified at birth with meconium in the umbilical cord. At birth, the infant presented meconium staining and meconium discharged within the umbilical cord. Physical examination and other examinations showed no other specific findings. The omphalomesenteric duct fistula was confirmed through the imaging study (abdominal ultrasonography, gastrografin enema). A surgery was carried out where the remnant was resected. The patient did well and was discharged soon after without complication.
Diatrizoate Meglumine ; Fistula ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Meconium ; Parturition ; Physical Examination ; Pregnancy ; Ultrasonography ; Umbilical Cord ; Umbilicus ; Vitelline Duct ; Yolk Sac

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant*

OBJECTIVES: Clinical symptoms and related psychological problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with low self-control and problematic interpersonal relationship between family members. A therapeutic narrative treatment based on "Treating Huckleberry Finn" by David Nylund was reported to be effective in reduction of individual or family conflicts. We hypothesized that therapeutic narrative treatment would improve self-control and parent-child relational problems. METHODS: Sixteen children who were diagnosed as ADHD participated in the current study. They were classified according to two groups, narrative treatment group and medication treatment group. The narrative treatment group (NTG) was asked to participate in 6 weeks combined therapy of medication and 11 sessions of narrative therapeutic treatment. The medication group (MG) was asked to participate in 6 weeks combined therapy of medication and education for behavior controls in ADHD children. RESULTS: During the 6-week treatment period, the clinical symptoms in NTG improved at a trend level, compared to MG [F(1,16)=4.32, p=0.054]. During the 6-week treatment period, the sub-scale of respecting for children in parent-child interaction scores [F(1,16)=8.65, p=0.010] and self-control scores [F(1.16)=3.78, p<0.01] in NTG improved significantly, compared to MG. CONCLUSION: Based on the current results, therapeutic narrative treatment can be a complementary trial for improving self-control and parent-child interaction in children with ADHD.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Behavior Control ; Child* ; Education ; Family Conflict ; Huckleberry Plant ; Humans ; Narrative Therapy*

PURPOSE: There are two surgical procedures for proximal early gastric cancer (EGC): total gastrectomy (TG) and proximal gastrectomy (PG). This study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of PG with those of TG. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2001 and December 2008, 170 patients were diagnosed with proximal EGC at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, of which 64 patients underwent PG and 106 underwent TG. Clinicopathologic features, postoperative complications, blood chemistry data, changes in body weight, and oncological outcomes were analyzed and retrospectively compared between both groups. RESULTS: Tumor size was smaller and the number of retrieved lymph nodes was lower in the PG group. The postoperative complication rate was 10.9% in the TG group and 16.9% in the PG group. The incidence of Los Angeles grade C and D reflux esophagitis was significantly higher in the TG group. Hemoglobin level was higher and body weight loss was greater in the TG group at 2, 3, and 5 years postoperatively. The albumin levels at 3 and 5 years were lower in the TG group. There was no significant difference in the 5-year overall survival rates between the two groups (P=0.789). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative complications and oncologic outcomes were observed to be similar between the two groups. The PG group showed better laboratory data and weight loss than did the TG group. Moreover, severe reflux esophagitis occurred less frequently in the PG group than in the TG group. PG can be considered as an effective surgical treatment for proximal EGC.
Body Weight ; Chemistry ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: Placenta growth factor (PlGF) is a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family. PlGF is implicated in several pathologic processes, including the growth and spread of cancer and tumor angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression and the clinical implications of PlGF in colorectal cancer. METHODS: In order to ascertain the clinical significance of PlGF expression in colorectal cancer, the researcher analyzed the expression pattern of PlGF by using an immunohistochemical method and attempted to establish if a relationship existed between PlGF expression and microvessel density (MVD), and subsequently between PlGF expression and the predicted prognosis. A total of 83 patients with colorectal cancer were included for immunohistochemical staining. Clinicopathological characteristics were defined according to the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) criteria of the Union for International Cancer Control. Clinicopathologic factors, such as age, sex, histological types of tumors, tumor cell grade, TNM stage, lymphovascular invasion, and lymph-node metastasis, were reviewed. RESULTS: In this study, the PlGF protein expression level was significantly correlated with MVD, patient survival, and clinicopathological factors such as lymph-node metastasis, TNM staging, lymphatic invasion and vascular invasion. CONCLUSION: PlGF may be an important angiogenic factor in human colorectal cancer, and in this study, PlGF expression level was significantly correlated with positive lymph-node metastases, tumor stage, and patient survival. These findings suggest that PlGF expression correlates with disease progression and may be used as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Pathologic Processes ; Placenta ; Pregnancy Proteins ; Prognosis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

PURPOSE: To identify novel proteins which bind to myocilin, using a yeast two-hybrid screening system. METHODS: A bait plasmid of myocilin was constructed, and then transformed into yeast AH109. The transformed yeast cells were mated with yeast Y187 containing human skeletal muscle cDNA library plasmids in 2 X YPD medium. Mated diploid yeasts were plated on synthetic dropout medium (SD/-Trp-Leu-His and SD/-Trp-Leu-His-Ade). The positive clones grown on the selective medium were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed using the database of GenBank. The expression of selected genes in trabecular meshwork (TM) cells was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The expression of bait protein in yeast was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Extensive screening of a cDNA library led to the selection of twenty-four positive clones which represent eight genes, including six of cytoskeleton associated proteins such as alpha-actin, myosin regulatory light chain 2A, dynactin, syntrophin alpha1, microtubule associated protein 1B, and myosin binding protein C. CONCLUSIONS: Myocilin may interact with cytoskeleton associated proteins in TM cells. Further studies on their interactions will provide functional clues of myocilin.
Actins ; Blotting, Western ; Carrier Proteins ; Clone Cells ; Cytoskeleton ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Diploidy ; Gene Library ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Microtubules ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myosin Light Chains ; Myosins ; Patient Dropouts ; Plasmids ; Trabecular Meshwork ; Yeasts

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Mandible* ; Myofibroma*

BACKGROUND: Vimentin is the major intermediate-size filament in the cytoplasm of cells from mesenchymal origin. The HL-60 cell is a unique human leukemic cell line capable of terminal differentiation with several chemical inducers, and then the cell line becomes a fre#quently described model system for cell differentiation in vitro. Vimentin mRNA is reduced during all-trans retinoic acid (retinoic acid) -dependent differentication but increased by 12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). In this paper, we have investigated on the mechanism of transcriptional repression of vimentin gene during retinoic acid-dependent differentication of HL-60 cell. METHODS: HL-60 cells were grown in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum and antibiotics in a humidified 5% CO at 37C. Total RNA was prepared by a modification of the method of Karlinsey et al. Northern blot hybridization was performed by the method of Virca et al. EcoRI fragment of pVIM-GEM was used as probe for vimentin mRNA. DNA mobility shift assay was performed by the method of Lim et al. End labeled DNA probe (Upper strand, 5-CGCITGATGAGTCAGCCG-3) for AP-1 binding activity was mixed with nuclear extracts in a 20 pL reaction volume containing 300 mM KCI, 60 mM HEPES, pH 7.9, 25mM MgC1, 1mM EDTA, 1mM DTT, 60% glycerol, and 2 pg of poly[dI-dC]. RESULTS: The level of vimentin mRNA was decreased at 12 hours after retinoic acid treatment, and not detected at 48 hours. The level of vimentin mRNA was reduced in proportion to concentration of retinoic acid, Retinoic acid-reduced vimentin mRNA was no change in cells treated with cycloheximide. Retinoic acid-dependent decrease of vimentin mRNA was partially recovered by staurosporin pretreatment. In DNA mobility shift assay, AP-1 binding activity was reduced at 48 hr during retinoic acid-induced differentiation. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the transcriptional repression of vimentin gene during retinoic acid-induced differentiation in HL-60 cells is correlated with reduction of DNA binding activity of AP-1.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Blotting, Northern ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line ; Cycloheximide ; Cytoplasm ; DNA ; Edetic Acid ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Glycerol ; HEPES ; HL-60 Cells* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Repression, Psychology* ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Transcription Factor AP-1 ; Tretinoin ; Vimentin*