PURPOSE: Results of 181 percutaneous needle aspiration biopsies performed with an 18-gauge needle during a period of 3 years were analyzed to determine efficacy and safety of the procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biposies were performed in patients that could not be diagnosed by bronchoscopy or sputum cytology. The biopsy procedure with 18-gauge Crown needle was guided by fiuoroscopy. The biopsy specimen placed in 10% formalin solution were histologically confirmed. RESULTS: In 160 patients(89%), the positive diagnosis was made by percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy. There were 153 lung lesions(120 malignant and 33 benign lesions) and 7 mediastinal lesions. the diagnostic accuracy of malignant and benign disease was 91% and 80% respectively. Complications included pneumothorax(n=11) and hemothorax(n=l):six of them required treatment with chest tube and the remainder showed spontaneous resporption. CONCLUSION: PCNB with an 18-gauge needle provided a reliable, relatively safe diagnostic tool to establish the diagnosis of both malignant and benign chest lesions.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle* ; Bronchoscopy ; Chest Tubes ; Crowns ; Diagnosis ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Lung ; Needles* ; Sputum ; Thorax*

PURPOSE: Results of 181 percutaneous needle aspiration biopsies performed with an 18-gauge needle during a period of 3 years were analyzed to determine efficacy and safety of the procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biposies were performed in patients that could not be diagnosed by bronchoscopy or sputum cytology. The biopsy procedure with 18-gauge Crown needle was guided by fiuoroscopy. The biopsy specimen placed in 10% formalin solution were histologically confirmed. RESULTS: In 160 patients(89%), the positive diagnosis was made by percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy. There were 153 lung lesions(120 malignant and 33 benign lesions) and 7 mediastinal lesions. the diagnostic accuracy of malignant and benign disease was 91% and 80% respectively. Complications included pneumothorax(n=11) and hemothorax(n=l):six of them required treatment with chest tube and the remainder showed spontaneous resporption. CONCLUSION: PCNB with an 18-gauge needle provided a reliable, relatively safe diagnostic tool to establish the diagnosis of both malignant and benign chest lesions.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle* ; Bronchoscopy ; Chest Tubes ; Crowns ; Diagnosis ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Lung ; Needles* ; Sputum ; Thorax*

BACKGROUND: Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is the most common type of pattern hair loss in women. It has been suggested that FPHL is associated with several serological abnormalities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and serological abnormalities of the Korean FPHL patients and to compare them with the data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V and other relative reports. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the age, duration and comorbidities in 264 Korean patients who have been diagnosed with FPHL. Serum levels of serum iron, total iron binding capacity, ferritin, hemoglobin, free thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone, testosterone and 25-(OH) vitamin D were being investigated. RESULTS: FPHL was most commonly found in patients aged from 20 to 29 years old and 55% of the patients visited the hospital one year after the onset of FPHL. In FPHL patients, the levels of testosterone, hemoglobin, serum ferritin, 25-(OH) vitamin D, thyroid stimulating hormone were all significantly higher than the average Korean adult women. And, the free thyroxine level was significantly lower than the average Korean adult women. When analyzed according to the menopausal status, premenopausal FPHL patients showed significantly higher serum levels of hemoglobin, ferritin, and 25-(OH) vitamin D than those of the Korean adult women. But, the postmenopausal FPHL patients showed significantly higher serum levels of 25-(OH) vitamin D than those of Korean adult women. CONCLUSION: The levels of ferritin, testosterone and vitamin D of FPHL patients were elevated higher than those of the Korean adult women. To confirm these results in the future, further large scaled evaluation is suggested.
Adult ; Comorbidity ; Female* ; Ferritins ; Hair* ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Retrospective Studies ; Testosterone ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine ; Vitamin D

About 40% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis show extra-articular manifestations. The presence of rheumatoid nodules is the most common extra-articular manifestation, which is commonly seen at pressure points. Rheumatoid nodules can also occur in the lung, heart, and larynx. Laryngeal rheumatoid nodules may lead to phonatory and respiratory symptoms and can be mistaken for other medical conditions such as inflammation and neoplasm. Recently, we encountered a case of rheumatoid nodules involving the larynx in a 56-year-old woman with a 3-year history of rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome. Herein, we report the case with a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death, and adenocarcinoma is the most common histologic subtype. MicroRNA is a small non-coding RNA that inhibits multiple target gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and is commonly dysregulated in malignant tumors. The purpose of this study was to analyze the expression of microRNA-374a (miR-374a) in lung adenocarcinoma and correlate its expression with various clinicopathological characteristics.METHODS: The expression level of miR-374a was measured in 111 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded lung adenocarcinoma tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. The correlation between miR-374a expression and clinicopathological parameters, including clinical outcome, was further analyzed.RESULTS: High miR-374 expression was correlated with advanced pT category (chi-square test, p=.004) and pleural invasion (chi-square test, p=.034). Survival analysis revealed that patients with high miR-374a expression had significantly shorter disease-free survival relative to those with low miR-374a expression (log-rank test, p=.032).CONCLUSIONS: miR-374a expression may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for predicting recurrence in early stage lung adenocarcinoma after curative surgery.
Adenocarcinoma ; Disease-Free Survival ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; MicroRNAs ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recurrence ; RNA, Small Untranslated

In branchial lymphoepithelial cyst (BLEC), which is also known as branchial cleft cyst, the remnants of a branchial arch develop into a cyst, causing swelling. The first case of BLEC in the parotid gland was reported by Hildebrant in 1895. Since then, BLEC in the parotid gland has continued to be reported, but in rare cases. A 45-year-old man presented to our hospital with a swelling of the left cheek of approximately 6 months’ duration. The patient underwent a superficial parotidectomy and was pathologically diagnosed with BLEC. Of note, this was the first case of non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related BLEC of the parotid gland in South Korea. BLEC is a benign condition, but its treatment depends on the presence of HIV infection. In HIV-negative patients, BLEC does not require a further work-up to evaluate metastasis. Our case report describes the diagnosis and treatment of BLEC in a patient without HIV.
Branchial Region ; Branchioma ; Cheek ; Diagnosis ; HIV ; HIV Infections ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Parotid Gland ; Salivary Glands

Purpose: Mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) is a proto-oncogene that encodes a heterodimerictransmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase for the hepatocyte growth factor. Aberrant METsignaling has been described in several solid tumors—especially non-small cell lung cancer—and is associated with tumor progression and adverse prognosis. As MET is a potentialtherapeutic target, information regarding its prevalence and clinicopathological relevanceis crucial. Materials and Methods: We investigated MET expression and gene amplification in 113 gallbladder cancers usingtissue microarray. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate MET overexpression, andsilver/fluorescence in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to assess gene copy number. Results: MET overexpression was found in 37 cases of gallbladder carcinoma (39.8%), and geneamplification was present in 17 cases (18.3%). MET protein expression did not correlatewith MET amplification. MET amplification was significantly associated with aggressive clinicopathologicalfeatures, including high histological grade, advanced pT category, lymphnode metastasis, and advanced American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. There was nosignificant correlation between any clinicopathological factors and MET overexpression. Nodifference in survival was found with respect to MET overexpression and amplification status. Conclusion Our data suggested that MET might be a potential therapeutic target for targeted therapyin gallbladder cancer, because MET amplification was found in a subset of tumors associatedwith adverse prognostic factors. Detection of MET amplification by ISH might be a usefulpredictive biomarker test for anti-MET therapy.

The present study was attempted to investigate the effect of strychnine on catecholamine (CA) secretion evoked by ACh, high K+, DMPP and McN-A-343 from the isolated perfused rat adrenal gland. The perfusion of strychnine (10-4 M) into an adrenal vein for 20 min produced great inhibition in CA secretory responses evoked by ACh (5.32X10-3 M), DMPP (10-4 M for 2 min) and McN-A-343 (10-4 M for 2 min), but did not alter CA secretion by high K+ (5.6X10-2 M). Strychnine itself did also fail to affect basal catecholamine output. Furthermore, in adrenal glands preloaded simultaneously with strychnine (10-4 M) and glycine (an agonist of glycinergic receptor, 10-4 M), CA secretory responses evoked by ACh, DMPP and McN-A-343 were considerably recovered to some extent when compared with those evoked by treatment with strychnine only. However, CA secretion by high K+ (5.6X10-2 M) was not affected. Taken together, these results demonstrate that strychnine inhibits greatly the CA secretory responses evoked by stimulation of cholinergic (both nicotinic and muscarinic) receptors, but does not affect that by membrane depolarization. It is suggested that strychnine-sensitive glycinergic receptors are localized in rat adrenal medullary chromaffin cells.
(4-(m-Chlorophenylcarbamoyloxy)-2-butynyl)trimethylammonium Chloride ; Adrenal Glands* ; Animals ; Chromaffin Cells ; Dimethylphenylpiperazinium Iodide ; Glycine ; Membranes ; Perfusion ; Rats* ; Receptors, Cholinergic* ; Strychnine* ; Veins

A 50-year-old man with liver cirrhosis and esophageal varix for 3 years was diagnosed with hematemesis and treated for a bleeding varix. However, bleeding recurred 11 days later, and he developed drowsiness with left hemiparesis. His left upper and lower extremity muscle strengths based on the manual muscle test at the onset were grade 2/5 and 1/5, respectively. The Babinski sign was positive. His serum ammonia level was elevated to 129.9 microg/dL (normal, 20-80 microg/dL). Magnetic resonance imaging revealed restriction on diffusion and T2-hyperintensities with decreased apparent diffusion coefficient values in the bilateral frontoparietooccipital cortex. The effect was more severe in the right hemisphere and right parietooccipital cortices, which were compatible with hepatic encephalopathy. Although the patient's mental status recovered, significant left-sided weakness and sensory deficit persisted even after 6 months. Diffusion tensor tractography (DTT) performed 3 months post-onset showed decreased volume of the right corticospinal tract. We reported a patient with hepatic encephalopathy involving the corticospinal tract by DTT.
Ammonia ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Diffusion* ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Encephalopathy* ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Lower Extremity ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Strength ; Paresis ; Pyramidal Tracts* ; Reflex, Babinski ; Rehabilitation ; Sleep Stages ; Varicose Veins

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors affecting rehabilitation outcomes in children with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 347 patients who were clinically suspected as having CMT and performed neck ultrasonography to measure sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle thickness. Fifty-four patients met the inclusion criteria. Included were demographic characteristics as well as measurements of cervical range of motion (ROM), SCM muscle thickness, and the abnormal/normal (A/N) ratio, defined as the ratio of SCM muscle thickness on the affected to the unaffected side. RESULTS: Subjects were divided into three groups depending on degree of cervical ROM (group 1A: ROM>60, n=12; group 1B: 60> or =ROM>30, n=31; group 1C: ROM< or =30, n=11), the SCM muscle thickness (Th) (group 2A: Th<1.2 cm, n=23; group 2B: 1.2< or =Th<1.4 cm, n=18; group 2C: Th> or =1.4 cm, n=13), and the A/N ratio (R) (group 3A: R<2.2, n=19; group 3B: 2.2< or =R<2.8, n=20; group 3C: R> or =2.8, n=15). We found that more limited cervical ROM corresponded to longer treatment duration. The average treatment duration was 4.55 months in group 1A, 5.87 months in group 1B, and 6.50 months in group 1C. SCM muscle thickness and the A/N ratio were not correlated with treatment duration. CONCLUSION: Infants with CMT who were diagnosed earlier and had an earlier intervention had a shorter duration of rehabilitation. Initial cervical ROM is an important prognostic factor for predicting the rehabilitation outcome of patients with CMT.
Child ; Humans ; Infant ; Medical Records ; Muscles ; Neck ; Prognosis ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Retrospective Studies ; Torticollis ; Treatment Outcome