BACKGROUND: Cell-cell adhesion in tissue is mainly regulated by hornotypic interaction of cadherin molecules, which are anchored to the cytoskeleton via cytoplasmic proteins, including a-and / 3-catenin. Loss of E-cadherin and catenin have been attributed a pathogenetic role in tumor invasion. METHODS: We examined the expression of E-cadherin and a-catenin in human thyroid carcinoma by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Normal tissue strongly expressed E-cadherin and a-catenin. However, E-cadherin and a-catenin expression were frequently reduced in thyroid carcinoma (E-cadherin: 62.5%, a-catenin: 81.3%). But the expression of E-cadherin and a-catenin in tumors with metastatic spreading were not different with tumors without metastasis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that reduced E-eadherin and a-catenin expression may be a sensitive marker for disturbance in the adhesive function of the junctional complex, but further evaluation with more cases is needed for confirmation of the result of the same degree of expression in tumors with metastasis.
Adhesives ; Cadherins* ; Cytoplasm ; Cytoskeleton ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Orthognathic Surgery ; Recurrence

No Abstract Available.

No abstract available.
Oxidoreductases*

Although the incidence of tuberculosis of the bone and joints is being decreased with good nutrition, hygine and the development of preventive medicine, it is still a common disease in our clinic. One hundred and ninty-eight cases of tuberculosis of the bone and joints were studied in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital for 10 years from January, 1966 to December. 1975. The results were as follows: 1. Total cases of tuberculosis of the bone and joints were 588 Among them, peripheral bone and joints excluding the spine occupied 198 cases (34%). 2. Sex ratio was 1.7 : 1 (male : female). Age distribution showed the group below 10 years was 78 cases (39%). On the other hand, 7 cases were over 51 years old. 3. More than 50% of patients visited hospital after one year from the onset. 4. One-third of all cases had been given some management before admission and the most common treatment was anti-tuberculous chemotherapy (25%). 5. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was definitly increased in 41%. 6. Associated tuberculous lesionsoe of extraskeletal system were confirmed in 66 cases (33%). Among them, active pulmonary tuberculosis were 51 cases (77%) 7. Various treatments (conservative, curettage, synovectomy, arthrodesis, etc.) had been carried out. However, surgical managements for saving the range of motion must be considered always before arthrodesis.
Age Distribution ; Arthrodesis ; Blood Sedimentation ; Clinical Study ; Curettage ; Drug Therapy ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Orthopedics ; Preventive Medicine ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Spine ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The concept of surface replacement arthroplasty of the hip is to replace the diseased joint surface with artificial plastic and metal cup in the acetabular and femoral head respectively, and to restore the normal anatomy and gain biomechanical function. Ten cases of Wagner type's surface replacement arthroplasty performed in Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital since July 1979 are reviewed, and their minimum follow up is two months. In terms of the Pain control and improvement of range of motion in the hip, surface replacement arthroplasty showed about the same result compared with conventional total hip. In our cases there was no one complicatian, even though it is too short to evaluate the result of this operation. Wagner recommends surface replacement arthroplasty to perform through anterior approach, but 2 cases of our ten patients that have relatively good range of motion of the hip could be operated on this surgery by anterolateral approach (oblique skin incision) without trochanteric osteotomy, because of high incedence of myositis ossification with anterior approach. It is our conclusion that surface replacement arthroplasty of the hip may be used as an interim procedure to gain time in young patient who needs conventional total hip replacement which reveals increasing complication with the lapse of time.
Acetabulum ; Arthroplasty, Replacement ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Hip ; Humans ; Joints ; Myositis ; Orthopedics ; Osteotomy ; Plastics ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Seoul ; Skin

Twelve neglected congenital dislocations of the hip in ten patients over the age of eight years were treated by open reduction and chiari osteotomy. Reduction was aided by preoperative traction only in two hips, by femoral shortening with preoperative traction in three and by femoral shortening only in seven. The average follow up period in our series is 3 years, ranging from 1 year and 2 moths to 4 years and 5 months. The overall results were good but one case of avascular necrcsis and one case of redislocation were seen. By our experience it is thought that all old and congenitally dislocated hip in the growing age can be reduced by femoral shortening with soft tissue release, and preoperative traction for its reduction is not undispensable. The most problem in the treatment of the old congenital dislocation of the hip is the postoperative partial ankylosis in the affected hip and this problem would be overcome by delicate operative technique and meticulous hemostasis.
Ankylosis ; Dislocations ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemostasis ; Hip ; Humans ; Moths ; Osteotomy ; Traction

BACKGROUND: As undergoing general anesthesia for Cesarean Section, we usually maintain a light anesthesia until delivery. It provokes the high incidence of waketulness for the mothers. We surveyed the incidence of maternal wakefulness when thiopental was used as an induction agent. METHODS: Forty pregnant women (ASA class I or II) at term who underwent general anesthesia and cesarean section received thiopental, 4mg/kg. As the 'isolated forearm technique', a pressure cuff was inflated to isolate one arm from the the effects of succinylcholine so that wakefulness during anesthesia could be assessed by asking the patient to move her hand. To assess wakefulness,the patient was commanded to squeeze the investigator's hand a specified number of times. If the patient promptly squeezed the investigator's hand the appropriate number of times, the command was repeated but a different number of times specified. Only if the patient responded correctly both times, then we noted as a positive response. This test was repeated at 1 minute intervals beginning 1 minute after thiopental injection through the delivery. RESULTS: Five of the forty patients (12.5%) showed wakefulness. Twenty nine of the forty patients showed 'reaching movements'. One patient showed both wakefulness and 'reaching movements'. CONCLUSIONS: When we undergo general anesthesia for Cesarean Section, especially using thiopental as an induction agent, we should consider the maternal wakefulness seriously.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Obstetrical ; Arm ; Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Forearm* ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental ; Wakefulness*

We retrospectively studied 60 amblyopic patients who had been treated for 12 months or more. They were divided into three age groups; below 5.5 years, 5.5 years to 8 years and 8 years or more, and visual improvements were compared with three age groups. The visual improvements were 5 line increase in both of below 5.5 year group and 5.5 year to 8 year age group and 3 line increase in 8 year and older group. In all three age groups, two-thirds of the improvements were achieved during the first three months of treatment There was no difference in visual improvement according to amblyopic type(strabismic, anisometropic, strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia). Treatment failures seemed to be the later onset of treatment, eccentric fixation and large anisometropic difference.

54-year-old male patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia was consulted to our department. He had had a few painful erythematous necrotic plaques on the chest, which suggested initslly vasculitis or pyoderma. On histological examination, characterisitic histological findings of non-septated large hyphae were observed in the dermis and subcutaneoustissue, Although organism was not isolated on Sabouraud agar media containing cycloheximide, the diagnosis of cutaneous mucormycosis was made by the characteristic histological nattlre. He died after 2 weeks with amphotericin B intravenous injections so that additional fungus culture was not performed.
Agar ; Amphotericin B ; Cycloheximide ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucormycosis* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Pyoderma ; Thorax ; Vasculitis