No abstract available.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Drug Therapy*

No abstract available.
Glomerulonephritis* ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging findings of cerebral venous angiomas, and to compare those findings with those of cerebral angiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the findings of gadolinium-enhanced MR images of 11 cases with angiographically proved cerebral venous angiomas. We obtained Tl-and T2-weighted images with gadoliniumenhanced Tl-weighted images at a 0.5 T MR imager with a spin-echo technique. We analyzed the location and signal intensity of the lesion, pattern of contrast enhancement, the distribution of draining veins and medullary veins before and after contrast enhancement, and then compared with the findings of cerebral angiography. RESULTS: The characteristic central tubular signal void structure showed low signal intensity on Tl-weighted images and high signal intensity on T2-weighted images in all cases. After gadolinium enhancement, we could find a characteristic enhancement of all medullary and central veins in 7 cases. CONCLUSION: Gadolinium-enhanced MR image was useful in the diagnosis of venous angiomas especially in the detection of medullary veins. The invasive cerebral angiography could be replaced by this technique in this disease.
Central Nervous System Venous Angioma* ; Cerebral Angiography* ; Diagnosis ; Gadolinium ; Gadolinium DTPA* ; Hemangioma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Veins

Subtrochanteric fracture is well known for its difficulty in management, though various devices of rigid fixation have been developed. Each internal fixation device requires a lot of surgical instruments and the surgeon must be skillful in using them. Osteo self-compression plate which was preoperatively bent to fit the contour of the lateral surface of the subtrochanteric region was proved to be technically easy to fix these fractures without causing major complication. Present authors recommend to use this prebent Osteo self-compression device to treat this fracture when the surgical instruments are not fully equipped, and suitable fixation devices are not available, and/or the surgeon has no experience in handling the newly developed surgical instruments for the subtrochanteric fracture.
Internal Fixators ; Surgical Instruments

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Humans ; Polycythemia Vera* ; Polycythemia*

The multidisciplinary approach to treat squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cancer is evolving and complex. Induction chemotherapy has been used in resectable disease for organ preservation, and has shown similar survival when compared with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Thus, concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy is considered as standard treatment for organ preservation for larynx, hypopharynx, and oropharynx cancers. Given that recent evidence of survival benefits with taxane-containing combination chemotherapy for induction chemotherapy, the concept of induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemotherapy is being revised. Also, with advances in molecular biology of cancer, a new molecular targeted agent, epidermal growth factor inhibitor (EGFR) antagonist such as EGFR monoclonal antibody showed promising results in the treatment of patients with both locoregionally advanced and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cancer. Trials with incorporation of this agent are ongoing. In this article, some recent advances in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cancer, in particular the expanding role of chemotherapy in organ preservation will be reviewed.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Head and Neck Neoplasms* ; Head* ; Humans ; Hypopharynx ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Larynx ; Molecular Biology ; Organ Preservation* ; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms

High-dose cytotoxic therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation has been proposed as a novel treatment modality for severe autoimmune disease. The rationale of autologous stem cell transplantation in autoimmune diseases has been based on the autoimmune animal models that marked improvement or complete eradication of autoimmune disease after syngeneic marrow transplantation. In addition, several clinical data showed that allogeneic marrow transplantation has been reported to eradicate concurrent autoimmune disease, suggesting that high-dose cytotoxic therapy may be sufficient to eradicate autoaggressive lymphocytes. Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is widely used compared to bone marrow transplantation due to rapid marrow recovery and less treatment-related mortality. Recently, immunoablative high-dose cytotoxic therapy without stem-cell rescue also can induce complete remission in patients with refractory, severe autoimmune disease. Although several clinical data of autologous stem transplantation can achieve durable remission in severe autoimmune disease, long-term efficacy has not been fully determined yet. Further studies are needed to assess the exact role of stem cell transplantation in the treatment of severe autoimmune disease through well-designed clinical trials.
Autoimmune Diseases* ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Models, Animal ; Mortality ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Stem Cells*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the expression of the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-)-cotransporter 2 (NKCC2) in the ischemic rat retina. METHODS: Retinal ischemia was induced by pressures 90 to 120 mmHg, above systemic systolic pressure. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis were performed. RESULTS: NKCC2 is expressed in the normal retina and its expression is increased by ischemia caused by intraocular pressure elevation. NKCC2 immunoreactivity was observed mainly in axon bundles of ganglion cells and horizontal cell processes in the retina. NKCC2 expression continuously increased with a peak value 3 days (to 415% of normal levels) after ischemic injury, and then gradually decreased to 314% of controls until 2 weeks post injury. The mean density of NKCC2-labeled ganglion cells per mm2 changed from 1,255 +/- 109 in normal retinas to 391 +/- 49 and 185 +/- 37 at 3 days and 2 weeks after ischemia, respectively (p < 0.05), implying cell death of ganglion cells labeled with NKCC2. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results suggest that NKCC2, which is expressed in retinal ganglion and horizontal cells, may contribute to cell death by ischemic injury in the retina, although the molecular mechanisms involved remain to be clarified.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Disease Models, Animal ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intraocular Pressure ; Ischemia/etiology/*metabolism ; Male ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Ocular Hypertension/*complications/metabolism/physiopathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retinal Diseases/etiology/*metabolism ; Retinal Ganglion Cells/*metabolism/pathology ; Sodium-Potassium-Chloride Symporters/*biosynthesis

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*