No abstract available.
Achondroplasia* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus*

Diagnostic radiologic studies for angiosarcoma are usually non-specific, but selective angiography is notablyexceptional, and there had been a few reports of CT or US featurs of hepatic or splenic angiosarcoma. We recentlyexperienced a case of hepatic and splenic angiosarcoma demonstrated by CT, US and selective angiogram in34-year0old man.
Angiography ; Hemangiosarcoma

A fluorescence bronchoscope system has been developed for detecting early lung cancer including dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. To determine the histologic findings and genetic alterations of the lung tissues, which were biopsied by the fluorescence bronchoscope, we analyzed 104 specimens from 62 heavy smokers for their histopathology, cell proliferation index, and genetic mutations of p53 and K-ras. We used immunohistochemistry for MIB-1 and p53, and PCR-SSCP and direct DNA sequencing for p53 and K-ras. The histology was variable from reactive conditions to invasive cancers, and consisted of basal cell hyperplasia (26.9%), dysplasia (4.8%), carcinoma in situ (1.9%), squamous cell carcinoma (7.7%), adenocarcinoma (4.8%), and small cell carcinoma (10.6%). The cellular proliferation index of the lesions increased as their aggressiveness increased. p53 and K-ras mutations were detected in 33.7% and 14.4% of all tissues, respectively. In dysplasia, p53 and K-ras mutations were observed in 3 of 5 and in 2 of 5 tissues, respectively. However, these genetic alterations were not found in carcinoma in situ. Interestingly, 28.6% of basal cell hyperplasia showed p53 mutations. In conclusion, these data suggest that the biopsy specimens using fluorescence bronchoscopy show variable histologic findings, ranging from reactive conditions to invasive cancers. In addition, some of the dysplastic lesions are related to p53 and K-ras mutations, although these genetic alterations are also seen in basal cell hyperplasia.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy* ; Bronchoscopes ; Bronchoscopy* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Proliferation ; Fluorescence* ; Hyperplasia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Backgrounds: Evaluating quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia has become increasingly valued, especially in assessing the effectiveness of interventions or making treatment decisions. However, limited information exists regarding dementia patients' QoL in Korea. The aim of our investigation was to determine if the severity of dementia could affect the QoL of patients with dementia and the relationship between QoL score and the scores of other cognitive domains, especially, the attention. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty eight subjects with varying degree of cognitive dysfunction underwent assessment of Korean-Mini Mental Status Examination (K-MMSE), digit span, trail making test (TMT), Korean-Instrumental Activity Daily Living (K-IADL), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Clinical Dementia Rating Scale (CDR), attention and their QoL using standardized neuropsychological tests and questionnaires. We administered the QoL in Alzheimer's disease (QoL-AD) scale and attention questionnaire to the subjects. RESULTS: QoL-AD score had a positive correlation with K-MMSE score (r=0.38, p<0.0001) while it showed a negative correlation with GDS (r=-0.62 p<0.0001). QoL-AD score also showed a significant correlation with attention status of the patients with dementia (r=0.48, p<0.0001). QoL-AD score for patient appeared to be affected by educational factors. CONCLUSIONS: QoL-AD may be used as an effective tool to assess QoL as well as cognitive functions of patients with varying degree of dementia.
Alzheimer Disease ; Dementia ; Depression ; Humans ; Korea ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Trail Making Test

Effects of nitroglycerin (NTC), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the hemodynamic and blood gas analysis changes epinephrine (EPI) infusion is air embolized cats were investigated. Under the general anesthesia with pentobarbital and vecuronium cats were given 2~2.5 ml/kg of air via internal jugular vein and were resuscitated with EPI bolus injection. Thirty two cats were divided into 4 groups of 8 each. Each 4 groups, were administered saline (group1), NTG (group 2), ATP (group 3) and SNP (group 4) with EPI continuous infusion, respectively. The air shadow in the heart of cats was visualized C-arm image intensifier throught the study and all three vasodilators augmented the removal of air from the heart on C-arm image. All three vasodilators therapy groups produced statistically significant decrease in rate pressure product (p<0.05) but only NTG therapy group decreased heart rate (p<0.05). Central venous pressure were decreased in all three vasodilators therapy groups but only NTG therapy group was statistically significant (p<0.05). Only NTG therapy group increased both arterial (p<0.05) and venous oxgenation. These results indicate that NTG therapy group produced more prominant hemodynamic and blood oxygenation improvement than the other three groups. It is concluded that NTG with vasopressor therapy coude be recommended in venous air embolism.
Adenosine Triphosphate* ; Adenosine* ; Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Blood Gas Analysis* ; Cats* ; Central Venous Pressure ; Embolism, Air ; Epinephrine* ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Jugular Veins ; Nitroglycerin ; Nitroprusside* ; Oxygen ; Pentobarbital ; Sodium* ; Vasodilator Agents ; Vecuronium Bromide

Effects of nitroglycerin (NTC), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the hemodynamic and blood gas analysis changes epinephrine (EPI) infusion is air embolized cats were investigated. Under the general anesthesia with pentobarbital and vecuronium cats were given 2~2.5 ml/kg of air via internal jugular vein and were resuscitated with EPI bolus injection. Thirty two cats were divided into 4 groups of 8 each. Each 4 groups, were administered saline (group1), NTG (group 2), ATP (group 3) and SNP (group 4) with EPI continuous infusion, respectively. The air shadow in the heart of cats was visualized C-arm image intensifier throught the study and all three vasodilators augmented the removal of air from the heart on C-arm image. All three vasodilators therapy groups produced statistically significant decrease in rate pressure product (p<0.05) but only NTG therapy group decreased heart rate (p<0.05). Central venous pressure were decreased in all three vasodilators therapy groups but only NTG therapy group was statistically significant (p<0.05). Only NTG therapy group increased both arterial (p<0.05) and venous oxgenation. These results indicate that NTG therapy group produced more prominant hemodynamic and blood oxygenation improvement than the other three groups. It is concluded that NTG with vasopressor therapy coude be recommended in venous air embolism.
Adenosine Triphosphate* ; Adenosine* ; Anesthesia, General ; Animals ; Blood Gas Analysis* ; Cats* ; Central Venous Pressure ; Embolism, Air ; Epinephrine* ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Jugular Veins ; Nitroglycerin ; Nitroprusside* ; Oxygen ; Pentobarbital ; Sodium* ; Vasodilator Agents ; Vecuronium Bromide

BACKGROUND: Wake-up tests may be necessary during surgery for kypho-scoliosis to ensure that spinal function remains intact. It is difficult to predict the time when patients can respond to a verbal command. We evaluated the effectiveness of the bispectral index (BIS) and its relation to patients' levels of consciousness in wake-up tests during desflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. METHODS: Eighteen patients each were enrolled in the desflurane and sevoflurane groups for spinal correction surgery. We measured BIS values, blood pressure, heart rate, and consciousness state and time, at the points when patients responded during the wake-up test. RESULTS: The BIS values when patients made fists upon a verbal command (T3) were 86.7 +/- 7.5 for desflurane and 90.3 +/- 5.4 for sevoflurane. Patients in the desflurane group had significantly shorter wake up delays than those in the sevoflurane group (6.9 +/- 1.8 min vs. 11.8 +/- 3.6 min). However, there was no difference between the groups in the time between the response to a verbal command and the time when a patient moved their toes in response to verbal commands. No recall of the wake-up tests occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The values obtained using the BIS index could to some extent predict the time of a patient's and would be informative during desflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. Moreover, desflurane permitted faster responses to verbal commands than sevoflurane, and allowed the wake-up test to be performed sooner.
Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Consciousness ; Dietary Sucrose ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; Methyl Ethers ; Toes

Some circulating cancer cells in the blood play a central role in the metastatic process and may have a major influence on patient progress. Their numbers can be very small and techniques for their detection need to be both sensitive and specific. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been successfully used to detect small numbers of tumor cells in cancer. We used a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect circulating breast cancer cells in venous blood samples before operations and assessed cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) and cytokeratin-20 (CK-20) as target mRNA markers in the blood of healthy donors (n=6) and breast cancer patients (n=30) with American Joint Committee on Cancer stages 0 to IIIa. CK-19 mRNA was expressed in all blood samples of healthy donors and patients. But CK-20 was the only mRNA marker not detected in the blood from healthy donors. Seven of 30 (23%) venous blood isolates of breast cancer patients yielded a CK-20 mRNA with positive results. There was no correlating CK-20 mRNA expression with stage and axillary lymph node status. In conclusion, CK-19 showed no diagnostic value as a mRNA marker in the detection of circulating cancer cells by RT-PCR assay because this was expressed in the blood of healthy donors. CK-20 mRNA was an useful marker to detect circulating cancer cells in breast cancers.
Breast Neoplasms/pathology* ; Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; DNA Primers ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genetic Markers ; Human ; Intermediate Filament Proteins/genetics ; Keratin/genetics ; Neoplasm Circulating Cells* ; RNA, Messenger/analysis ; RNA, Neoplasm/analysis* ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; beta 2-Microglobulin/genetics

Anticipatory dementia is related to anxiety, which is a clinical predictor of early conversion to Alzheimer's disease. The Fear of Alzheimer's Disease Scale (FADS) is a reliable and valid instrument to address anticipatory dementia. The aim of the present investigation was to develop the Korean version of the Fear of Alzheimer's Disease Scale (K-FADS) and to verify its reliability and validity. We developed the K-FADS to consist of 30 items with total scores ranging from 0 to 120, as in the original FADS. One hundred eight healthy volunteer participants, drawn from 3 different university hospitals, were evaluated. The K-FADS revealed good reliability (Cronbach alpha=0.96) and good validity as compared to the Korean version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form (r=0.242, P=0.013). Test-retest reliability was excellent, as the intra-class correlation coefficient comparing the retest to test was 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.99). Our results show that the K-FADS is a suitable and valuable scale to assess anticipatory dementia in elderly Koreans.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease/*diagnosis ; *Anticipation, Psychological ; Anxiety ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Dementia/*diagnosis ; Demography ; Fear ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Translations

PURPOSE: There is little data evaluating the changes of severity of bladder outlet obstruction after 80 W-potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) photoselective laser vaporization prostatectomy (PVP) by pressure-flow study. We evaluated the efficacy of PVP to relieve the obstruction in benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) compared with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, non-randomized single center study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: Men suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) secondary to BPH, age > or =50 years, International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS) > or =13, maximum flow rate (Qmax) < or =15 ml/s, and ability to give fully informed consent. Patients with neurogenic cause or detrusor underactivity were excluded. The IPSS, bother score, Qmax, postvoid residual volume (PVR), detrusor pressure at maximum flow rate (PdetQmax), bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI), and prostate volume were measured before and 6 months after surgery and compared between PVP and TURP. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients (53 in PVP, 14 in TURP) were evaluable. In both groups, the IPSS, bother score, Qmax, and PVR had significantly improved (p<0.05), and there were no differences between the changes in those parameters. PVP could effectively reduce the PdetQmax, prostate volume, and BOOI from baseline (from 68.7+/-23.3 to 40.6+/-11.2 cmH2O, 49.5+/-16.3 to 31.3+/-12.1 ml, 49.8+/-25.6 to 9.8+/-20.7), similar to TURP. There were no differences in postoperative PdetQmax, prostate volume, or BOOI between the two groups. The percentage of patients with BOOI > or =40 was decreased from 64% to 4% in the PVP group and from 86% to 14% in the TURP group. CONCLUSIONS: PVP could reduce the prostate volume effectively and relieve bladder outlet obstruction similar to TURP by the 6-month follow up in men with BPH.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Informed Consent ; Laser Therapy ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Prostate ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Residual Volume ; Stress, Psychological ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; Volatilization