I deeply regret but request a retraction of our paper published in Immune Network.

I deeply regret but request a retraction of our paper published in Immune Network.

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is believed to be pivotal hormone in hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis and the hypothalamus is believed as the exclusive organ producing GnRH and pituitary is for GnRH re ceptor until recently. Some reported the exptra-hypothalamic GnRH or extra-pituitary GnRH receptors from decades ago. The aims of this study are to confirm the existence of the GnRH receptor in bladder epithelial cancer cell, HT-1197 and HT-1376, and evaluated the possible role of the GnRH on cell cycle. The GnRH and GnRH receptor were detected by immunohistochemical staining and the effect of GnRH on cell cycle change in both cell line were studied by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). The control cells were cultured at media supplemented with normal serum, and experimental group were cultured at media supplemented with charcoal stripped serum (CSS) which excluding peptide hormones except exogenous GnRH with different concentration. The GnRHs and GnRH receptors were detected at both cell lines and the cell cycle analysis showed that there were little difference in proportion of cell cycle among examined 10,000 cells in both cell lines, neither control nor experimental groups. This study shows that the GnRHs and GnRH receptors exist in bladder cancer cells and GnRH did not influence on the cell cycle progression. With this study, we suppose that the bladder cancer cells produce the GnRH and GnRH receptors and the role of the GnRF produced from the bladder cancer cells might be the autocrine rather than endo-or paracrine factor.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cell Cycle* ; Cell Line ; Charcoal ; Fluorescence ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Gonadotropins* ; Gonads ; Hypothalamus ; Peptide Hormones ; Receptors, LHRH ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

The reconstruction of soft tissue defects with open fracture around the knee joint is limited by its unique location. Free tissue transfer is hindered by the selection of the recipient vessel and problems of microsurgery. The arc of rotation, defect size, and location must be taken into consideration in the use of regional muscle transfer such as gastrocnemius. According to Mathes et al, the flap survival can be enhanced by selective division of the dominant segmental pedicles, only a part of which can normally be transposed safely on its minor segmental pedicle. Neovascularization, vascular proliferation, and dilatation have also been produced by the delay procedure using silicone sheets. The authors have used the delay procedures with wrapping of the gracilis or sartorius muscle which enabled distally-based transposition of these muscles. The method showed satisfactory outcome in resurfacing the wound around the knee joint. The indictions for this procedure were defects of moderate size and those difficult to reach with conventional muscle flaps. The flap could reach the upper one-third of the lower leg. Other merits are relative simplicity and reliability without significant extension of hospital stay. The drawbacks are the two operative procedures necessary and the risk of infection due to silicone sheets.
Dilatation ; Fractures, Open ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Leg ; Length of Stay ; Microsurgery ; Muscles ; Silicones ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Wounds and Injuries*

Since 1954 when the first biodegradable polymer, polyglycolic acid(PGA), was synthesized, many different biodegradable and tissue-tolerant materials have been invested and studied for internal fixation devices. The use of biodegradable materials for the internal fixation of fractures would avoid the need for later removal of the implant. However, problems of a physical and chemical nature have delayed the development of biodegradable implants applicable to fracture management. The authors reviewed 17 cases in which the absorbable pins made of poly-p-dioxanone were used for internal fixation at Seoul National University Hospital between December, 1987 and September, 1989, and report on 11 patients who had at least 6 months follow-up(average 9.1 months). The results were graded as excellent(5 cases), good(4 cases), poor(0 case), and questionable(2 cases). In the 9 cases where the absorbable pins were used for internal fixation of the intraarticular fractures or defects, satisfactory(excellent or good) results were obtained. In the 2 cases where the absorbable pins were used for intramedullary nailing, the role of the pins was questionable. There were no complications such as wound sinus formation, secondary displacement of the fragemts and delayed union or nonunion.
Absorbable Implants ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Intra-Articular Fractures ; Polymers ; Seoul ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Shock, Hemorrhagic*

Radiation therapy is an effective cancer treatment modality as a primary treatment in early cancer and as an adjuvant treatment in advanced cancer, especially in head and neck lesions, but it also causes irreversible chronic damages to overlying normal tissues that may lead to wound complications. As well, at the microscopic level, radiation injury causes both stasis and occlusion of small vessels. Therefore, surgical reconstruction of previously-irradiated lesions in the head and neck poses a great problem. Fifth-six patients with head and neck lesions underwent 57 microsurgical reconstructions between 1990-1998. Thirteen patients were irradiated before surgery. The previous radiation dose was 30-75.6 Gy. The free tissue transfer was successful in 52 of the 57 microsurgical reconstructions(91.2%). The success rate was 92.3%(12/13) in previously-irradiated patients and 90.9%(40/44) in nonirradiated patients. Postoperative complications, such as flap loss, fistula, and infection, developed in 4 irradiated patients and 8 nonirradiated patients. Overall complication rate was 30.8%(4/13) in previously-irradiated patients and 18.2%(8/44) in nonirradiated patients. Although the failure rate of previously-irradiated patients was higher than that of nonirradiated patients, there was no statistically significant difference between them. Thus, free tissue transfers in patients with previously-irradiated head and neck lesions are suitable for one-stage reconstruction.
Fistula ; Head* ; Humans ; Neck* ; Postoperative Complications ; Radiation Injuries ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: To investigate long-term visual outcomes and prognostic factors to predict visual outcomes in patients with anatomic success after macular hole surgery. METHODS: Medical records of 36 eyes with successfully repaired stage 3 or 4 idiopathic macular hole and with at least 24 months of follow-up were reviewed. Hole height, stage of macular hole, base diameter, minimum diameter, hole form factor, macular hole index, and hole closure type were measured or calculated, and the correlations of visual outcomes with variables of preoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) were analyzed. RESULTS: The patients were classified into 3 groups according to the time period necessary to achieve the best corrective visual acuity. The visual acuity of 16 eyes (44.4%) recovered in a mean of 6 months, 13 eyes (36.1%) improved slowly and continuously, and 7 eyes had no improvement despite successful anatomical closure. There were no statistical differences in hole height, base diameter, minimum diameter, hole form factor, macular hole index, or closure type among the 3 groups. CONCLUSIONS: The improvement in visual acuity after successful macular hole surgery persisted at the 24-month follow-up and after. There were no correlations between delayed visual acuity after macular hole surgery and minimum diameter, base diameter, hole height, hole form factor, macular hole index, or closure type.
Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retinal Perforations ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity

A Malignant mixed miillerian tumor of uterus is rare and highly malignant containing epithelial and mesenchymal components. A case of mixed germ cell tumor was exprienced and presented with a brief review of concerned literature.
Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Uterus*

Bony defect is one of the most common problems in craniomaxillofacial surgery. Although aurogenous bone graft is the best choice for the treatment of bone defect, it provides many problems such as donor site morbidity, irregular absorption, and limited amount of harvest. To overcome the shortcomings of autogenous bone graft many bone substitutes have been introduced. The ideal bone substitution is to have characteristics such as cheap, easy to obtain, rapid fusion to recipient bone, hard structure, long maintenance of shape and volume, low infection rate, and low exposure rate. Among those bone substitutes which have been widely used we chose lyophilized cartilage allograft because of low antigenecity, low resorption rate, easiness of carving and ling term preservation. From August 1993 to August 1997, 66 patients had been performed craniomaxillofacial reconstruction with lyophilized cartilage allograft. Orbital wall reconstruction and correction of enophthalmos were 24, correction of cleft lip and nose deformity were 19, temporal augmentations were 7, and others 16. Complications such as infection, exposure were not common. And partially removed cartilage was proved some calcification. Radiologic follow-up presented well positioned lyophilized cartilage allograft. Two radiologic works revealed haziness of bone density at the site of cartilage allograft. This suggests the ossification of lyophilized cartilage allograft. Together with liw infection rate, low exposure rate, and good framework for osteoconduction, lyophilized cartilage allograft are regarded as one of the good bone substitutes.
Absorption ; Allografts* ; Bone Density ; Bone Regeneration ; Bone Substitutes ; Cartilage* ; Cleft Lip ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Enophthalmos ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Nose ; Orbit ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants