No abstract available.
Delusions* ; Schizophrenia*

PURPOSE: To determine the necessity of site-specific bone mineral density(BMD) measurement and the difference between the BMD of the two femora using DXA in the evaluation of osteoporosis. MATERIALS & METHODS: Total BMD and regional BMD(Lumbar spine, femoral neck, Ward's area, intertrochanter area) were measured on seventy-eight healthy persons without previons diseases, and the statistical significance analyzed. RESULTS: Total BMD did not reliably reflect the site-specific BMD. There was a high correlation between BMD in opposing femora. Correlation coefficients between the femoral neck, Ward's area, trochanter area were 0. 939, 0.874 and 0.916 respectively. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a measuremnt of site-specific BMD is necessory because the total BMD can not reliably predict the regional BMD. The measurement of BMD in one femur can predict the BMD of the contralateral femur. If there is no history of femoral neck disease, unilateral BMD measurement is recommended for femoral evaluation.
Absorptiometry, Photon* ; Femur ; Femur Neck ; Humans ; Osteoporosis ; Spine

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Phospholipase A (PLAq) is an rate-limiting enzyme hydrolyzing arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of membrane phospholipids. In vitro studies demonstrated that the enzyme could be secreted into extracellular mileu by pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin which were reported to have important roles in chronic liver diseases. This study was performed to know whether the enzyme is involved in the pathophysiology of the diseases. METHODS: The subjects were composed of 24 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 26 patients with liver cirrhosis and 14 healthy individuals. The PLAp activities wem measured in the sera of the subjects by detecting radioactivity of "C-fatty acid hydrolyzed from "C-labeled phosphotadylethanolamine by the enzyme. RESULTS: The activities of PLA were increased in the patients with chronic liver diseases, especially in the chronic hepatitis B patients with acute exacerbation and in the decompensated cirrhosis patients. Furthermore, their activities were closely related with the levels of transaminase in hepatitis group and with the levels of serum albumin in cirrhosis group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that extracellular PLA might be involved in the exacerbution and progression of the chronic liver diseases.
Arachidonic Acid ; Cytokines ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Membranes ; Phospholipases A2* ; Phospholipases* ; Phospholipids ; Radioactivity ; Serum Albumin

A total of 162 patients with invasive cervical cancer was investigated retrospectively with a view to elucidate the efficacy of pretreatment staging procedures of application with intravenous pyelography, cystoscopy, rectosigmoidoscopy. All 72 intravenous pyelograms, 155 sigmoidoscopies, 158 cystoscopies were normal. Of 111 patients with stage Ib who had paraaortic lymph node biopsies, two patients had a positive node(0.02%). Of 51 patients with stage II who had paraaortic lymph node biopsies, five patients had positive paraaortic lymph node(10%). And the accuracy of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of invasive cervical cancer was assessed. In evaluating stage of cervical cancer, clinical staging had an accuracy of 78.9%, compared with 65.7% for CT and 58.9% for MRI. And for detection of parametrial invasion, clincal staging had an accuracy of 85.9%, compared with 85.1% for CT and 78.9% for MRI. Both modalities were comparable in evaluating lymph node metastasis ( 76.1% for CT, 74.4% for MRI ). IVP, cystoscopy and sigmoidoscopy for staging procedure evaluated in this study are unnecessary and should no longer be performed in patients with early stage cervical cancer. In addition, paraaortic lymph node biopsies in the absence of clinically suspicious nodes are not warranted. Compared with CT and MRI, pelvic examination offered improved evaluation of cervical cancer staging, parametrial invasion, but CT and MRI was useful in detecting the pelvic lymph node metastasis which was nearly impossible by clinical evaluation.
Biopsy ; Cystoscopy ; Gynecological Examination ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sigmoidoscopy ; Urography ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans ; Internship and Residency*

Histoid leproma usually occur in pat.ients with lepromatous leproy who have had relapsed after being undcr treatment(usually sulfones) for a long time and who have shown variable improvement. A 56 year old female patient who had been suffering from lepromatous leprosy and had been treated which clapsone relatively regularly for approximately 28 years had a history of several shiny rice grain t.o peanut sized nodules on the face and right flank. Histopathologic examination of a specimen taken from a nodular lesian revealed a well circirmscrihed nodule composed mainly of spindle-shaped cells and epithe:ioi 1 cells on the upper and mid-levmis, and granuloma composed of epithelioid cells, multinucleated wait cells and foamy histiocytes on the lower dermis. In AFB stain, numerous acid-fast bacilli were scatt red dermis and epidermis, especially stratum corneum. This study opplied a polymease chain reaction(PCR) on sections of biopsy tissues and peripheral blood of pat.ient. Positive amplification of a 530 bp fragment was deteated not only in the lesion tissues but also in the per ipher al blood.
Biopsy ; Edible Grain ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Epithelioid Cells ; Female ; Granuloma ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium leprae* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

Leukemia cutis is defined as infiltration of the skin by malignant leukocytes that have originated from the bone marrow. The cutaneous eruption of leukcmia may be divided into the specific and non-specific lesion (leukemid). These may occur separately or in combination. True leukemia infiltrations of the skin consist of nodular, diffuse, or plaque-like infiltrations with swelling, macules, papules, ecchymoses, palpable purpura, erythroderma, and ulceration. A 55-year-old man presented with multiple as mptomatic dark-brown nodules on the whole body with recurrent gingival bleeding. The patient developed seoticemia and died 6 months after the onset of the disease.
Bone Marrow ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative ; Ecchymosis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukemia* ; Leukocytes ; Middle Aged ; Purpura ; Skin ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents*

bcl-2 and c-myc protein expression were studied in 44 epidermal (8 seborrheic keratoses, 21 squamous cell carcinomas, and 15 basal cell carcinomas), and 26 melanocytic tumors(8 nevi, and malignant melanomas) by immunohistochemistry using the specific anti-bcl-2 and anti-c-myc monoclonal antibodies. 14 out of 15 basal cell carcinomas(BCC) (93.3%) showed expression of bcl-2 protein, 12 of which (85.7%) showed coexpression of c-myc protein. In the melanocytic tumors, 7 out of 8 nevi showed bcl-2 expression (87.5%). Five of these 7 cases (62.5%) also showed c-myc protein expression. Eight of 18 malignant melanomas(MM) (44.4%) showed expression of bcl-2 protein and 7 of these 8 cases (38.9%) also showed c-myc protein expression. All seborrheic keratoses and squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) were negative for bcl-2 proteins. 12 of 15 SCCs(80%) were positive for c-myc protein. In conclusion, bcl-2 and c-myc proteins were coexpressed in BCCs, nevi, and MMs. Coexpression of bcl-2 and c-myc proteins in these tumors was statistically significant(p<0.01), while no considerable differences of bcl-2 and c-myc expression were found between nevi and MMs. These results suggests that bcl-2 may cooperate with c-myc to promote tumorigenesis of BCCs, nevi, and MMs(p<0.01).
Cell Transformation, Neoplastic