This is to report two unusual cases of plasma cell myeloma, in each respective case presumptive diagnosis of chronic inflammatory disease of cervical spine and tuberculosis of 11th thoracic vertebra was made.
Diagnosis ; Multiple Myeloma ; Plasma Cells ; Plasma ; Spine ; Tuberculosis

Cystadenoma of the liver is a rare neoplasm. Although many cystadenomas are asymptomatic, symptoms can include abdominal pain, postprandial epigastric discomfort, and nausea. Dramatic changes in hepatic imaging techniques have been helpful for diagnosing cystic lesions of the liver, such as simple cyst, hydatid cyst, cystadenoma, cystadenocarcinoma, and metastatic neuroendocrine tumors. However, it remains difficult to differentiate cystadenoma from cystadenocarcinoma for multiseptated cystic hepatic lesions with papillary projection on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here we report the case of a 47-year-old woman with several months of postprandial discomfort and abdominal fullness. CT and MRI revealed multiseptated cystic lesions with papillary excrescences. A left hemihepatectomy was performed. Histology showed a benign mucinous cystic tumor with ovarian-like stroma.
Abdominal Pain ; Cystadenocarcinoma ; Cystadenoma ; Cystadenoma, Mucinous ; Cystadenoma, Papillary ; Echinococcosis ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Mucins ; Nausea ; Neuroendocrine Tumors

PURPOSE: To evaluate types of gray matter heterotopias, associated brain anomalies, and its correlation with the patterns of seizure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated retrospectively 19 patients(male :female=10:9, mean age 21 years) with gray matter heterotopias on brain MRI. Using 1.0T superconducting MR unit, spin echo TI-, proton-density- and T2-weighted images in axial, coronal and sagittal planes were obtained. RESULTS: Types of gray matter heterotopias were single subependymal in four patients, multiple subependymal in one, focal subcortical in eight, diffuse subcortical in two, mixed multiple subependymal and focal subcortical in four. Associated anomalies were seen in 11 patients:other neuronal migration anomalies in eight patients, corpus callosum agenesis in two, and combined holoprosencephaly and Dandy-Walker malformation in one. Fifteen patients had seizure. The patterns of seizure were not correlated with the types of heterotopias. CONCLUSION: In addition to subependymal, focal subcortical, and diffuse subcortical types, gray matter heterotopias included mixed variant of of multiple subependymal and subcortical type. Schizencephaly was the most common form of accompanying anomalies, and patterns of seizure were not correlated with types of gray matter heterotopias, even though main clinical menifestation was seizure.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; Brain ; Dandy-Walker Syndrome ; Holoprosencephaly ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; Neurons ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures

No abstract available.
Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch* ; Scarlet Fever*

In view of the potential of replicase protein as a diagnostic reagent for human caliciviruses (HuCVs), we have cloned and over-expressed this gene from the Snow Mountain-like Korean strains in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST, and described the preliminary antigenic characterization of the recombinant products. Each 470bp fragment corresponding to highly conserved region of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was generated by RT-PCR from stools of two diarrheal children, cloned in pMOSBlue T-vector, and subcloned between the EcoRI and SalI restriction sites of pGEX-47-3, a GST gene fusion vector, yielding pGCVpol. This construct expressed a Snow Mountain-like HuCV replicate under the control of the IPTG-inducible pac promoter. An extract prepared by sonication of the E. coli cell inclusion bodies bearing pGCVpol products was purified and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. After Coomassie blue staining, it was shown that the recombinant replicase migrated on the gels with an approximate molecular mass of 46.5 kDa, that was subsequently cleaved into a 26 kDa GST fragment and a 20.5 kDa replicase protein upon digestion with thrombin protease. The replicase was recognized on immunoblotting with the sera from symptomatic children with the HuCV-associated diarrhea but not by asymptomatic sera from adults. The results presented the first biological activity of individually expressed HuCV replicase subunit and provided important reagents for diagnosis of HuCV infection.
Adult ; Child ; Clone Cells ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Digestion ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Escherichia coli ; Gels ; Gene Fusion ; Glutathione Transferase ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Inclusion Bodies ; Indicators and Reagents ; RNA Replicase ; Snow* ; Sonication ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; Thrombin

PURPOSE:To evaluate the factors influencing the prognosis in avascular necrosis(AVN) of the femoral head by MR. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Radiographic and MRI findings of twenty-three patients(30 cases, aged 23-67 years) with AVN identified clinically and radiologically were evaluated. The radiography included follow up study for at least 6 months. The mean age of these patients was 43 years and M: F ratio was 20: 3. MR imaging was performed at 1. 5T unit using T1- and T2-weighted coronal and Tl-weighted sagittal and axial spin echo sequences. We categorized the changes of the femoral head on radiographic follow-ups to three grades of mild, moderate and severe. We also analyzed the changes of the signal intensity and sizes of the lesion at sagittal and coronal MR images. On MR imaging we classified the extent of AVN of the fernoral head to 2 grades according to the size of lesion. RESULTS:In the cases of mild changes in fernoral head on radiography, the mean age of the patient was 37 years and the extent of AVN was below 1/2 in eleven out of seventeen cases. In the cases of moderate changes, the mean age was 43 years and the extent was above 1/2 in five out of seven cases. In the cases of severe changes, the mean age was 60 years and the extent was above 1/2 in all 6 cases. With 95% confidence coefficient, comparisons in the age and necrosis extent revealed statistical significance in severe versus moderate changes and in severe versus mild changes. Comparisons in the change of signal intensity on T1 and T2 weighted images showed no statistical relationship between each other. CONCLUSION: We conclude that if patient is younger and has smaller extent of the AVN, bone destruction is slower that these factors may be helpful in predicting the prognosis of AVN. However, the modes of the changes of the signal intensity on T1- and T2- weighted images may not be useful in predicting the prognosis of AVN.
Follow-Up Studies ; Head* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Necrosis* ; Prognosis ; Radiography

A 26-year-old man presented with a 7-month history of hyperkeratotic skin lesions on both elbows and heels. He also had marked subungal hyperkeratosis and splinter hemorrhage on the finger and toe nails. A biopsy specimen from the elbow revealed lichenoid re-actions with areas of epidermal atrophy with alternating acanthosis and foci of parakeratosis. We made a diagnosis of keratosis lichenoides chronica based on the characteristic clinicopathologic findings. We have treated the patient with etretinate, but only the skin lesions on the elbows and heels responded to treatment.
Acitretin ; Adult ; Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Elbow ; Etretinate ; Fingers ; Heel ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Keratosis* ; Nails, Malformed* ; Parakeratosis ; Skin ; Toes

Left ventficular ejection times were measured by four different methods in 200 healthy males and females from the polygraphic tracings including an apexcardiogram, a phonocardiogram and a carotid pulse tracing. The results obtained by each method were compared and the adequacy of each method was critically reviewed. It was felt that the method measuring the left ventricular ejection time from the carotid pulse tracing was the most reasonable. However, there was a significant correlation between the carotid-derived values and those obtained by other methods, thus, regression equations for the relationship of the latter values to the fromer were obtainable.
Female ; Humans ; Male

The authors experienced a case of gastroduodenojejunal trichobezoar detected by ultrasongraphic examination. We thought that tricholbezoar had relatively specific ultrasonographic findings such as a broad hyperechogenic superficial bandlike rim with a complete posteior sonic shadowing and multiple linear echogenic strands on its surface representing hairs, which were better seen after water ingestion. So we were able to get the correct diagnosis of trichobezoar prior to conventional barium studies in a patient who could not be suspected suspected clinically.
Barium ; Bezoars* ; Diagnosis ; Eating ; Hair ; Humans ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Ultrasonography* ; Water

Subsepsis allergica's main characteristics are high intermittent fever, irregular recurring exanthemata of different types, neutrophil leukocytosis, increased sedimentation rate, negative culture, no demonstrable cause and good prognosis. This disease usually oecurs in children under age of fifteen. We had opportunity to observe a case in 30 year-old fernale presenting most of the above mentioned charactristics and presumably belonging to this disease entity. Other fever producing diseases were excluded by clinical featuree, serologic tests and skin biopsy. It was treated by antibiotics and salicylate without effect, but it responded to corticosteroid.
Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Child ; Fever ; Humans ; Leukocytosis ; Neutrophils ; Prognosis ; Serologic Tests ; Skin