Santonin-kainic acid complex was evaluated as a chemotherapeutic of the mass treatment of the Ascaris lumbricoides infection in Korea. The results could be summarized as follows: The negative conversion rate was 82.9% in average in 4 treated groups. Some variations of negative conversion rate among the treated groups were noticed. The egg reduciton rate was 97.7% in average and the results were rather uniform among the three evaluated groups. By the analysis of egg reduction, it seems that the lightly infected cases whose E.P.G. were under 5,000 were resistant to treatment with the less reduced egg output. After the treatment with this complex, the number of egg discharged cases were reduced to 1.84% and the average number of discharge eggs per incompletely treated or untreated cases were reduced to 12.5% compared with the level of before-treatment egg output. The successive observations of the pattern of worm expulsion after drug intake was made. The worms were mostly expelled in the stool within 3 days, and 58.9% of total expelled worms were collected within 24-hour stool. The minimum length of the immature worms expelled was 7.6cm. Among the 659 Ascaris collected in the first-day stool from 91 rural people, 8.5% were in the range of 7.6-12.2 cm-long, immature worms. The sex ratio, male: female= 0.69: 1.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Ascaris lumbricoides ; chemotherapy ; Santonin ; kainic acid

Two cases of synovial hemangioma have been experienced at the Department of Orthopedic surgery, Seoul National University Hospital. In the first case, synovial hemangioma about 1.5cm in diameter was found to be attached to the anterior aspect of the medial condyle of the left femur, which was excised completely with good follow-up result. In another case, cavernous hemangioma was observed diffusely invading tendon sheaths, lower one third of the tibia and also synovium of the ankle joint. Because of diffuse involvement, complete removal was not possible. After partial removal, a total 800 r Roentgen therapy was taken.
Ankle Joint ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioma ; Hemangioma, Cavernous ; Orthopedics ; Seoul ; Synovial Membrane ; Tendons ; Tibia

PURPOSE: The residual intrahepatic stones with biliary strictures are difficult to remove percutaneously via T-tube tract after surgery in patients with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. We evaluated the effectiveness of percutaneous balloon dilatation of benign biliary strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The balloon dilatations with 6-12mm angioplasty balloon catheter and stone extractions were performed via a T-tube tract after surgical treatment in 15 patients with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. The balloons were inflated for 3-4minutes under 5 atm. until disappearance of waist of the stricture site, from one to seven session. After balloon dilatation, residual stones were extracted with saline irrigation or stone basket. RESULTS: Among total 42 strictures, the balloon dilatation was succesful in 27 strictures(64.3%), partially successful in 12 strictures(28.6%), and failed in three strictures(7.1%). Single or central biliary strictures were dilated easily rather than multiple ductal strictures. Of 26 sites with residual intrahepatic stones, stone extraction was complete in 17 sites(65.4%), incomplete in seven sites(26.9%) due to impacted or large stone and acute ductal angulation, and failed in two sites(7.7%). CONCLUSION: Percutaneous balloon dilatation of benign biliary strictures is an effective procedure for extraction of residual intrahepatic stones associated with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis.
Angioplasty ; Catheters ; Cholangitis ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation* ; Humans

Animal experiment was carried out to measure the physiologic changes of thoracic or thoracolumbar spine that occurred as a result of electrical stimulation, and to evaluate the usefulness of electrical stimulation as a possible treatment for scoliosis. Unilateral electrical stimulations were applied to the back muscle of immature rabbits.They were subgrouped into medial, intermediate, and lateral muscle stimulated groups in order to observe the effects of various electrode placements. The radiograms were taken every other week to observe the changes of the spinal curvatures for the period of 12 weeks. The histological studies of the muscles, which were obtained from the stimulated(right) and the nonstimulated(left) sides at the same level, also were carried out to determine the response of the muscles to the electrical stimulation. The results were as follows. l. A significant scoliotic curvature was observed two weeks after electrical stimulation, and those curvatures did not change more for the next six weeks in spite of prolonged stimulation. 2. Scoliotic curvature induced by electrical stimulation for eight weeks remained unchanged for another four weeks after stopping stimulation. 3. There were no statistical differences in the induced scoliotic curvature among the three groups stimulated at different sites of the medial, intermediate, and lateral regions respectively. 4. A prolonged unilateral electrical stimulation could induce the scoliosis, and may be used as a method for treatment of scoliosis.
Animal Experimentation ; Back Muscles ; Electric Stimulation ; Electrodes ; Methods ; Muscles ; Scoliosis ; Spinal Curvatures ; Spine

Retinoic acid has been used as a trial of chemotherapeutic agent in the field of cancer therapy and resulted some success in leukemia and breast cancer. Recently, it is being tried on the malignant astrocytoma. We evaluated the effect of all-trans and 13 cis-retinoic acid on C6 cell line cultures(14 day incubation) using MTT assay and counting of cell numbers for establishing the basis of clinical trial. The cell number counting showed 51.6% and 43.1% of control in the cell number at 10 -6M concentration of all-trans and 13 cis-retinoic acid. MTT assay showed 56.4% and 46.1% of control in the optical absorbance at 10 -6M concentration of all-trans and 13 cis-retinoic acid. These results indicate the possiblity of both drug as effective chemotherapeutic agents for glial cell tumors but in-vivo study will be needed for clinical trial.
Astrocytoma ; Brain Neoplasms ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Count ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line* ; Glioma ; Leukemia ; Tretinoin*

PURPOSE: It has been reported that retinoic acid, one of the most popular agents for chemoprevention could inhibit the proliferation of many cancer cells including neuroblastoma and glioblastoma. However, there is increasing demand reaccessing its in vitro inhibitory effect on the tumor proliferation because of the poor results from recent clinical trials of retinoic acid in the malignant brain tumor. Retinoicacid ptomoted the diffferentiation and apoptosis of tumor cell so that its effect might be obvious in the pediatric brain tumor. Therefore we are going to confirm the effectiveness of retinoic acid to inhibit the proliferation of the tumor cells; glioblastoma and medulloblastoma in childhood. METHODS: Medulloblastoma cells were derived from the primary culture of the patient's specimen, and glioblastoma cells were cell lines of 373-MG and 87-MG. We estimated growth inhibition rate of each tumor cells using MTT assay in the concentration from 10 M to 10((-5))M of all-trans and 13-cis retinoic acid. RESULTS: 13-cis retinoic acid in the concentration of 10 6M inhibited cell growth rate 10-22% on the 4th day of incubation, 10% on the 7th day, and 0-12% on the 14th day in the concentration from 10((-6))M to 10((-5))M. All-trans retinoic acid inhibited cell growth rate less than 5% in the concentration less than 10((-5))M though the whole incubation period, but 42% on the 4th day, 37% on the 7th day, and 0% on the 14th day in the concentration of 10((-5))M. 13-cis retinoic acid inhibited cell growth rate 30% on the 4th day, 20% on the 7th and 14th day in the concentration between 10((-6))M and 10((-5))M. Alltrans retinoic acid inhibited cell growth rate less than 5% on the 4th and 7th day. Medulloblastoma cells showed growth inhibition more than 25% by all-trans and 13-cis retinoic acid in the concentration less than 10((-6))M. 13-cis retinoic acid showed 25% growth inhibition in the concentration above 10((-6))M, but all-trans retinoic acid showed 40% growht inhibition in the same concentration. CONCLUSION: We could not find the effect of retinoic acid in the glioblastoma cells due to variable responses of the tumor cell growth inhibition in the concentration of maximum tolerable dose. However, there ia a significant inhibitory effect of medulloblastoma cell proliferation both in the 13-cis and all-trans retinoic acid.
Apoptosis ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cell Culture Techniques* ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Chemoprevention ; Glioblastoma* ; Isotretinoin* ; Medulloblastoma* ; Neuroblastoma ; Tretinoin

Several cases of pulmonary air embolisms during surgery have been reported. However, such incidences are very rare during endoscopic surgeries. A 5-year-old boy with third ventricular arachnoid cyst and hydrocephalus underwent endoscopic third ventriculostomy under the general anesthesia, during which continuous intraventricular irrigation was maintained with normal saline. During the procedure, arterial and transcutaneous oxygen tension and end-tidal carbon dioxide tension became suddenly decreased while arterial carbon dioxide tension increased. Within 3 minutes after the inspired gas mixture was changed to 100% oxygen, the patient's respiratory variables returned to near base line. The second attack occured about 10 minutes later and decreased arterial oxygen tension with increased arterial carbon dioxide tension continued for about 5 minutes. After waking up from anesthesia, the patient suffered a generalized seizure attacks that was managed with anticonvusant therapy. We believe that we are the first to report an attack of pulmonary air emblism during brain endoscopic procedure. It was reported with the review of literatures.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Arachnoid ; Brain ; Carbon Dioxide ; Child, Preschool ; Embolism, Air* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Incidence ; Male ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Seizures ; Ventriculostomy*

We studied thirty benign and twenty-one malignant brain tumors in order to investigate the relationship between p53, bcl-2, apoptosis and histologic grade of brain tumors. For the study of p53 and bcl-2 gene expression, we used immunohistochemical staining method using monoclonal antibodies to p53 and bcl-2; and, for apoptosis, In-situ end labeling technique was used. The malignant group showed significantly higher p53 and apoptosis positive index(PI) than the benign group(mean p53 PI, malignant: 16.0 benign: 0.9/mean apoptosis PI, malignant: 2.3 benign: 0.2)(p=0.003); but bcl-2 positive index was not significantly different between two groups (p=0.118). Correlation between p53 mutation and apoptosis PI was statistically significant(p=0.012, Pearson coefficient=0.349); but correlation between bcl-2 expression and apoptosis PI was not(p=0.318). Moreover, correlation between p53 mutation and bcl-2 expression was not statistically significant(p=0.583). These results suggest that higher p53 mutation tends to exist in the group of tumors with higher malignant histologic grades. Furthermore, it can be concluded that greater DNA damage reflected by higher frequency of apoptosis tends to exist in the group of higher malignant histologic grade.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Apoptosis* ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; DNA Damage ; Genes, bcl-2

Bronchial artery aneurysm is a rare but life-threatening disease when it ruptures, and it requires prompt treatment to prevent from catastrophic ruptures.A 78-year-old woman was referred to our hospital to evaluate mediastinal massfound on chest computed tomography. We did a selective bronchial artery angiography and diagnosed as bronchial artery aneurysm. Aneurysmectomy with division of afferent and efferent arteries was performed through standard thoracotomy without cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on postoperative 8th day without any complications.
Aged ; Aneurysm* ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Bronchial Arteries* ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Female ; Humans ; Rupture ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax

No abstract available.