No abstract available.
Autoantibodies* ; Child* ; Humans ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital*

No abstract available.
Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: To directly examine the function of the endothelial cell(EC) and smooth muscle cell in umbilical arteries acquired from preeclampsia patients between June 1998 to November 1999, using a conventional tension measurement and bioassay experiment. RESULTS: Relaxation responses to EC-dependent relaxing agents including bradykinin and A23187 in human umbilical artery rings were significantly decreased in preeclampsia(p<0.01). Relaxation responses to EC-independent agents(SNP and SNAP) were also inhibited in umbilical artery rings acquired from preeclampsia patients(p<0.01). To test the change of endothelial cell function in preeclampsia without involvement of smooth muscle dysfunction, we used human umbilical artery and rabbit femoral artery as a donor and detector, respectively, in bioassay experiment. Relaxation responses to EC-dependent agents(A23187 and bradykinin) showed similar results to conventional tension measurement (p<0.01). Relaxation responses to 8-bromo-cGMP in human umbilical artery rings were also significantly decreased in preeclampsia(p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that increased vascular resistance in preeclampsia is not only due to the disturbance of endothelial function, but also to smooth muscle dysfunction.
Biological Assay ; Bradykinin ; Calcimycin ; Endothelial Cells ; Femoral Artery ; Humans ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Pre-Eclampsia* ; Relaxation* ; Tissue Donors ; Umbilical Arteries* ; Vascular Resistance

PURPOSE: To perform a medical audit of screening mammography for breast cancer and to determine the benefit of this procedure for the early detection of this condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We reviewed the results of 43,329 instances of mammography in 36,802 women [18-86 (mean, 46) years old] who underwent the procedure at our health promotion center between January 1995 and December 1998. After reviewing the mammographic reports, we selected ACR BI-RADS assessment cate-gories 0, 4, 5, and then reviewed the follow-up studies and the pathologic results thus obtained. By comparison with the total number of patients diagnosed with breast cancer during the same period, false negative cases were confirmed, and from these data a medical audit was performed. RESULTS: The percentage of women undergoing mammographic examination has increased in recent years (from 64.5% in 1995 to 97.4% in 1998), and cases of breast cancer among those aged 30 to 69 has tended to increase. A total of 1,879 cases were assessed as BI-RADS categories 0, 4, 5, and of these, 155 were recommended for biopsy or surgery. A confirmatory pathologic diagnosis was obtained in 106 cases, and in 43 of these, breast cancer was pathologically proven. The recall rate was 5.1%, and the cancer detection rate was 1.2/1000 population. Positive predictive value 1(PPV1) was found in 2.3% of cases, PPV2 in 27.7%, and PPV3 in 40.6%. The most common mammographic finding was microcalcification (40.5%), and a pathological finding of invasive ductal carcinoma was found in 66.7% of cases. Patients diagnosed with breast cancer totalled 47 (four cases were false negative); the estimated sensitivity was 91.5%, with a specificity of 95.0%. The percentage of minimal cancers found was 48.8, while that of axillary node-positive invasive cancers was 33.3. The total rate of axillary nodal metastasis was 22.0%, and the rate of stages 0 and I was 73.2%. CONCLUSION: When appropriate interpretation and follow-up monitoring of screening mammography is per-formed, the procedure is effective for the early detection of breast cancer.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Diagnosis ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Mammography* ; Mass Screening* ; Medical Audit ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: To determine patient's use of alternative cancer therapies, as well as the characteristics of the patients who used these therapies, descriptive study was conducted at the one college hospital in Seoul. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 950 eligible patients who discharged from October 1, 1996 to Febrary 28, 1997, 283 patients were completed semistructured questionnaire telephone survey finally(response rate is 29.8%). RESULTS: Alternative therapies were used by 53.0% of patients. The preferred was dietary therapies and oriental(herbs, acupucture) therapies, folk therapies, drug therapies were other popular methods. Any patient characteristics except time prolongation after diagnosis were not associated with use of alternative therapies. The patients were seeking for alternative therapy because they thought conventional medical treatments were not enough to expect to improve their health, The major source of information was relatives and friends, not the mass media. 46.6% of the patients used althenative therapy said that it were not effective but 30.4% of them said it would help to slow the progression of their disease or strengthen their resistance. 45.0% of them were satisfied with it. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of cancer patients use one or more forms of alternative therapy. The physicians should recognize and give due consideration to the patients underlying desire for better control of his disease, and should be able to advise his patients on the use of alternative therapy.
Complementary Therapies* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Friends ; Humans ; Mass Media ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Telephone

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of breath-hold fast MR imaging of liver with fat suppression (FS) by application of chemical saturation technique in the diagnosis of regional fatty changed suspected in sonography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients who had focal lesions with diffuse, homogeneous signal changes after FS through chemical saturation technique without additional changes of imaging parameter during MR imaging of liver were selected. T1-weighed fast low-angle shot and T2-weighted turbo spin-echo sequences were obtained with or without FS during each single breath-holding session. Subjective changes of signal intensity between the pre-FS and the FS images were compared with the sonographic findings in each lesion. RESULTS: Seven lesions of decreased signal intensity after FS on T1 or T2-weighted images, including three lesions only at FS T1 images, were regarded as focal fat infiltration. All seven lesions had compatible sonographic findings as homogenously echogenic areas. Another six lesions of subjectively increased signal intensity including two lesions only at FS T2 images were regarded as focal fat sparing. All six lesions had sonographic findings as homogenous echo poor areas suggesting focal fat sparing. In cases regarded as fat infiltration, score changes were more prominent at FS T1 images than FS T2 images(p=0.0002). In cases regarded as fat sparing, score changes were more prominent at FS T2 images than FS T1 images(p=0.042). CONCLUSION: Breath-hold fast T1 and T2-weighted MR imaging with and without chemical saturation pre-pulse may be sufficient for characterization of regional fatty changes in the different ferential diagnosis of focal hepatic lesion found at sonography.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Liver* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: The safety of radiation therapy after breast reconstruction using transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous(TRAM) flap is still being debated, and few studies exist on the outcome of irradiation after immediate TRAM breast reconstruction. Some authors presented satisfactory outcomes after adjuvant radiation therapy on reconstructed breast with pedicled TRAM flap, while others reported significant post radiation changes of the flap. Effect of radiation therapy on TRAM flap was evaluated to see whether adjuvant radiation therapy was tolerable. METHODS: 1000 immediate TRAM breast reconstruction was done by a single surgeon from July, 2001 to December, 2009. Among them 105 patients required adjuvant radiation therapy because of advanced disease or locoregional recurrence. Fat necrosis, radiation fibrosis, mastectomy skin flap necrosis, need for secondary touch up procedures, patient satisfaction were evaluated. RESULTS: The incidence of fat necrosis was 10.5% and significant radiation fibrosis occurred in only one patient. Delayed wound problem did not occur during or after irradiation. Secondary touch-up procedures were performed in 12.3%, the most common being fat graft(8.6%). Average patient satisfaction score was 8.62/10, which was not significantly different from the authors' previous report involving all the TRAM patients(8.50). CONCLUSION: Radiation therapy did not increase the complication rate significantly. Aesthetic result was affected but was tolerated in most cases. The fear of adjuvant radiation is not a negative factor in selecting immediate breast reconstruction with TRAM flap.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Fat Necrosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mammaplasty ; Mastectomy ; Necrosis ; Patient Satisfaction ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Rectus Abdominis ; Recurrence ; Skin

Pulmonary asbestosis is defined as bilateral diffuse interstitial fibrosis of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos. Many occupations are at risk for asbestos exposure, particularly in the mining, milling, manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding, and automotive industries. Therefore, the prevalence of asbestosis should be fairly widespread. The diagnosis of asbestosis can be made on either clinical or pathological grounds. We recently encountered one case of asbestosis which was confirmed histologically. On HRCT, there was ground-glass opacity with irregular linear shadows, subpleural curvilinear lines and parenchymal bands. Neither plaque nor calcification were noted. The histologic findings observed on open-lung biopsy specimen were well in accord with those in HRCT. Many asbestos-coated bodies were present along with black dust.
Asbestosis/radiography* ; Asbestosis/pathology* ; Biopsy ; Case Report ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy is known to be a useful diagnostic method for the diagnosis of various pulmonary diseases. Its diagnostic yield is high, and it is safe, but complications such as pneumothorax can occasionally occur. We reviewed the complications arising after needle aspiration biopsy and analyzed the risk factors of pneumothorax. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records and radiographic studies of 157 patients with various pulmonary diseases who underwent needle aspiration biopsy of the lung between 1990 and 1996 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical features, treatment, and courses of complications were reviewed, and risk factors of pneumothorax such as depth and size of lesion, diameter of needle, number of punctures, and obstructive pulmonary abnormalities were analyzed. RESULTS: Complications occurred in 40 of 157 cases (25.5%), namely pneumothorax in 26 (16.6%), hemoptysis in 11 (7%), hemothorax in two (1.3%), and recurrence of malignancy at the site of aspiration in one (0.6%). When the patients were divided into three groups according to depth of lesion, there were significant difference in the incidence of pneumothorax ; the results were as follows : less than 2cm, 12.9% ; between 2 and 4cm, 24.1% ; and larger than 4cm, 57.1% (p<0.05). In pulmonary function testing, FVC (forced vital capacity) of patients with pneumothorax was less than that of patients without (2.6+/-0.9L vs 3.1+/-0.8L, p<0.05), but FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second), FEV 1% (percentage of predicted FEV1), FEV1/FVC,and FVC%(percentage of predicted FVC) were not different between the two groups. The incidence of pneumothorax in patients with pleura-attached lesion (9%) was lower than that of those with non-attached lesion (26%, p=0.01). The age of patients, size of lesion, diameter of the needle, guidance methods and number of aspirations showed no significant relationship with pneumothorax. CONCLUSION: In needle aspiration biopsy of the lung, depth of lesion and passage of a needle through aerated lung are significant risk factors of pneumothorax.
Aspirations (Psychology) ; Biopsy* ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Biopsy, Needle ; Diagnosis ; Hemoptysis ; Hemothorax ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lung Diseases ; Lung* ; Medical Records ; Needles ; Pneumothorax* ; Punctures ; Recurrence ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors*