Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma is histologically characterized by marked cellular pleomorphism of lipid-laden neoplastic astrocytes and bizarre giant cells showing mitotic figures and high cellularity. Inspite of its ominous-looking microscopic features, howerver, the prognosis is usually favorable. This tumor develops mainly in the supratentorial area of young people and frequently involves the leptomeninges. We experienced a case of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma in 18 year-old-male. In addition to the cellular pleomophism, the prominent reticulin fibers surround the individual tumor cells or the tumor cells nests. Immunohistochemical staining and electron microscopy revealed glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) expression and pericytoplasmic basal lamina in the tumor cells.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the corelation between an expression of lectins and survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix. METHODS: The cell surface carbohydrate profile of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue section of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix was evaluated using ulex europaeus agglutinin(UEA-1), peanut agglutinin(PNA), dolichos biflorus agglutinin(DBA), soybean agglutinin(SBA) and lotus tetragonobus lectin(LTL) by the avidin-biotin complex method. Fifty-one cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 10 cases of normal squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix were selected from the file which were treated during Jan. 89 to 31 Dec. 1992 in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University Hospital. RESULTS: UEA-1 and LTL were negative in normal cervix while positive in 76.5%, 47.1% of squamous cell carcinoma respectively, and useful markers for differential diagnosis between normal and squamous cell carcinoma. SBA and LTL were useful for differential diagnosis of keratinizing and non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. UEA-1 may play an important role in lymphovascular invasion of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. CONCLUSIONS: There was no correlation among clinical staging, patient's survival and lectins binding in squamous cell carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dolichos ; Epithelium ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Korea ; Lectins* ; Lotus ; Obstetrics ; Paraffin ; Soybeans ; Ulex

BACKGROUND: Epinephrine used in surgery to provide hemostasis may elicit ventricular arrhythmias. A desirable anesthetic would not sensitize the myocardium to exogenously administered epinephrine. So the effect of sevoflurane, which was introduced to clinical anesthesia recently, on cardiac arrhythmias induced by the infusion of epinephrine was compared with those of halothane which was already known to epinephrine-induced arrhythmia in the 14 mongrel dogs. METHODS: The authors compared the arrhythmogenicity (three or more premature ventricular contractions, PVCs)of intravenously administered epinephrine in 14 mongrel dogs who were randomly assigned to receive sevoflurane (1.7 vol%) or halothane (0.75 vol%) anesthesia equipotently. The arrhythmogenic doses of epinephrine determined in this comparative study were expressed by both infusion rates of epinephrine during sevoflurane and halothane anesthesia. RESULTS: The mean values of the arrythmogenic infusion rates of epinephrine were 27.1 7.6 g/kg for sevoflurane and 2.7 0.8 g/kg for halothane. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the arrythmogenic doses of epinephrine during sevoflurane were significantly higher than those during halothane anesthesia.
Anesthesia* ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Dogs* ; Epinephrine* ; Halothane* ; Hemostasis ; Myocardium ; Ventricular Premature Complexes

Total hip replacement arthroplasties(THRA) have been done in 19 patients(31 hips), who were diagnosed ad ankylosing spondylitis from January, 1984 till July, 1993 at Seoul National University Hospital. All patients were male; 12 patients were affected bilaterally. Modified New York criteria was used as diagnostic criteria. HLA B27 antigen was positive in 18 cases(95%). The thoracolumbar spine and sacroiliac joint were affected in all cases and cervical spine was affected in five patients, among them, fiberoptic laryngoscopic intubation was needed in four cases. The trastrochanteric approach was used in 19 cases, which have severe limitation of motion and deformity of the acetabulum. For the prevention of postoperative heterotopic ossification, low dose radiation therapies were done in 10 cases of the risk group. The average follow-up period was three year and eleven months(two year-seven year and 10 months). Harris hip score and radiographs were obtained at each follow-up. The mean preoperative Harris hip score was 50(19–90), and finally, the mean Harris hip score was 87(68–96). Loosening of endoprothesis was noted in 3 cases and heterotopic ossification in 5 hips. Ischial enthesopathy was observed in 13 cases. Among the hips which had heterotopic ossification, four were class Ι by Brooker's classification and only one was class Ⅲ. No nonunion was observed in the cases which had trochanteric osteotomy expect breakage of wire in 4 cases. In THRA of ankylosing spendylitis, we obtained good result clinically and radiologically. In severely affected cases, we had used transtrochanteric approach and obtained good result due to better operative field. The incidence of heterotopic ossification was not significant and the prophylactic low dose radiation therapy seems to be effective in risk group.
Acetabulum ; Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Classification ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; HLA-B27 Antigen ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Male ; Ossification, Heterotopic ; Osteotomy ; Rheumatic Diseases ; Sacroiliac Joint ; Seoul ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing

We have reviewed ovarian mature cystic teratomas with features of chronic thyroiditis that were diagnosed at the department of pathology, Seoul National University Hospital during 7 years, 1984-1991. Twenty three case(8%) containing thyroid tissue among 285 ovarian mature teratomas were available for histopathologic examination. Among these, 4 cases(1.4%) showed lymphocytic infiltration with lymphoid follicle formation. These four cases were examined according to the strict histologic criteria of autoimmune thyroiditis and reactive non-autoimmune thyroiditis for the purpose of differentiation of pathogenesis. Two cases were similar to autoimmune in nature and the other two cases simply seemed to reflect reactive features to adjacent stimulating elements. In conclusion, thyroid tissue present in ovarian cystic teratoma may have histologic features of chronic thyroiditis of either autoimmune or non-autoimmune origin.

Pleomorphic (undifferentated) carcinoma is a rare histologic type of carcinomas of the gallbladder and an atypical carcinoid is thought to be an intermediated type between carcinoid tumor and small cell carcinoma. Dense core "neurosecretory" granules can be found in the above mentioned tumors. We experienced a case of a double tumor of the gallbladder in a 51-year old male patient. Grossly, a large solid mass, about 5.0 cm in diameter, was found in the fundic portion and the neck portion also had a small 1.5 cm-sized polypoid mass. Microscopically, these lesions had features of pleomorphic carcinoma and atypical carcinoid, respectively. Immunohistochemically, they manifested reactivity for neuron specific enolase. Ultrastructural study revealed neurosecretory granules in the cytoplasms of tumor cells of the fundic and neck masses. Although light microscopic features of these tumor masses are quite different, we consider that these tumors represent a spectrum of neuroendocrine differentiation.
Male ; Humans

We report the results of field operation of TELEACE system between Kyung-Pook National University Hospital and Ul-Jin Goon Health Care Medical Center from December, 1990 to September, 1991, which had been operated as a kind of Integrated Services Digital Nework projects by KOREA TELECOMMUNICATION Inc. Ul-Jin Goon Health Care Medical Center transmitted 414 plain radiographs to our hospital in speed of 9600BPS. Each image was composed of 1024X1024 pixelsX8 bits/pixel. In our hospital, the image files were displayed on high resolution monitor (1280×1024 pixets). Text files of image interpretations were transmitted to the health care medical center. The two radiologists who had interpreted the transmitted images, went to the health care medical center and read radiographic film with blind test method. We obtained the following results: false negative rate of 6.3%, false postitve rate of 2.4%, mean sensitivity of 81.4%, mean specificity of 96.3%, and mean accuracy of 91.3%. In predictive value of 0.05, there was no significant difference between results of these two types of radiographs. In conclusion, TELEACE system was valuable to the clinicians isolated from services of radiologists.
Delivery of Health Care ; Korea ; Methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Telecommunications ; X-Ray Film

Lovastatin, a competitive inhibitor of the rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis was administered to 34 patients with primary hypertlipidemia, 20 mg once daily with the evening meal. Patients experienced mean total and LDL cholesterol reductions of 30.9% and 34.0% respectively. HDL cholesterol level was significantly increased by 15.4% and plasma triglyceride level was decreased by 11.2%. maximal hypocholesterolemic effects were evident at 8 weeks, after which the effects were stable. Adverse effects were noted in 2 patients who had mild gastrointestinal symptoms, that subsided after discontinuing the drug. We concluded that lovastatin is a well tolerated and effective agent for the treatment of primary hyperlipidemia.
Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias* ; Lovastatin ; Meals ; Plasma* ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes toward death according to personality types and to suggest the need to develop related hospice programs. METHODS: Personality types were identified by the Korean version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Form G. A questionnaire with 26 five-point Likert items was used to survey participants' attitudes toward death. RESULTS: The ESFP personality type was most common (20%) among available 100 participants. Significant differences were observed in the attitudes towards death preparation according to personality type s. Participants with personality preference types E, T and J showed positive attitudes (P<0.05) toward death, but no significant differences were shown based on the SN index. CONCLUSION: The attitudes toward death differed by personality types. Therefore, this study points to the need to develop diverse hospice programs based on the personality types.
Hospice Care ; Personality Inventory ; Surveys and Questionnaires

A retrospective study was designed to determine the diagnostic contribution of oblique view in 740 consecutive lumbar spine examinations done in adults. In 12 cases (1.62%) there was a change in the radiographic interpretation when the oblique views were used for diagnosis. Considering the significant gonadal radiation, additional cost, and limited diagnostic value, the authors feel that the oblique view should not be a routine part of the initial lumbar spine examination in adults.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Gonads ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine