No abstract available.
Catheters* ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the complications, duration of admission, cost effectiveness, radiologic stabilization of the anterior cervical bone fusion in the treatment of cervical disc disease with and without plating. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-two surgically treated patients for cervical disc disease were reviewed. Group I consisted of consecutive treated patients with iliac auto-bone graft without instrumentation after anterior cervical discectomy. Group II consisted of consecutive treated patients with iliac autologous-bone graft with CASPER cervical plate fixations. Radiologic fusion was decided when loss of end plate boundary between graft bone and vertebral body and immobile, maintenance of the disc space were evident on simple dynamic plain films. The patients were discharged after the stabilization of cervical motion by films was of tained. These groups were analysed multiple variably with Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: Group I consisted of 18 patients, group II consisted of 34 patients. Mean age was 49.0+/-8.1 years, mean duration of admission was 17.27+/-10.51 days, mean costs for treatment was 1,970,000+/-475,000 won. In group I, mean age was 47.7(34-60) years, 16 patients had undergo on one-level operation, 2-patients had undergo on two-level operation, mean duration of admission was 28.7+/-10.4 days, mean costs for treatment was 2,194,473+/-561,639 won. The periods of stabilization was 6.6+/-3.36 weeks on radiologic study. Mean periods of out patient follow up was 16.8(6-64) weeks after discharge. Mean period of radiologic follow up was 17.3(4-6) weeks after surgical operation. In group II, mean age was 49.7(37-62) years and 18 patients one-level operation, 14-patients had undergo on two-level operation and 2-patients three-level operation. Mean duration of admission was 11.24+/-3.29 days, mean costs for treatment was 1,850,823+/-389,372 won. The periods of stabilization was 5.88+/-7.07 weeks on radiologic study. Mean period of out patients follow up was 16.7(4-60) weeks after discharge. Mean period of radiologic follow up was 12.4(3-52) weeks after surgical operation. The duration of admission showed statistical significance in Group II but other items showed no significant difference between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The more economic, early life return and effective method of cervical disc disease in our series were evident in patients who had undergone, iliac bone graft and plate fixations after anterior discectomy.
Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Diskectomy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Transplants*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of malocclusion on the self-esteem of female university students. METHODS: The subjects were composed of 67 female university students who showed Class I molar relation, no missing or supernumerary teeth and has had no orthodontic treatment experience. Each subject was evaluated with Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale to measure the level of self-esteem and also evaluated the degree of anterior crowding and lip protrusion through model analysis and cephalometric soft tissue profile analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that a protrusive profile and crowding of upper anterior teeth had significant reducing effects on the level of self-esteem. The protrusion and crowding groups showed no significant differences in self-esteem between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Malocclusion had significant negative effects on the self-esteem of female university students. Further research to investigate the negative psychological influence of malocclusion and the education of lay people about this influence is necessary.
Crowding ; Female ; Humans ; Lip ; Malocclusion ; Molar ; Tooth ; Tooth, Supernumerary

PURPOSE: Thallium (TI+) autometallography is often used for the imaging of neuronal metabolic activity in the rodent brain under various pathophysiologic conditions. The purpose of this study was to apply a thallium autometallographic technique to observe changes in neuronal activity in the forebrain of rats following acute carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication. METHODS: In order to induce acute CO intoxication, adult Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 1100 ppm of CO for 40 minutes, followed by 3000 ppm of CO for 20 minutes. Animals were sacrificed at 30 minutes and 5 days after induction of acute CO intoxication for thallium autometallography. Immunohistochemical staining and toluidine blue staining were performed to observe cellular damage in the forebrain following intoxication. RESULTS: Acute CO intoxication resulted in significant reduction of TI+ uptake in major forebrain structures, including the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, and striatum. In the cortex and hippocampal CA1 area, marked reduction of TI+ uptake was observed in the cell bodies and dendrites of pyramidal neurons at 30 minutes following acute CO intoxication. There was also strong uptake of TI+ in astrocytes in the hippocampal CA3 area following acute CO intoxication. However, there were no significant histological findings of cell death and no reduction of NeuN (+) neuronal populations in the cortex and hippocampus at 5 days after acute CO intoxication. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that thallium autometallography can be a new and useful technique for imaging functional changes in neural activity of the forebrain structure following mild to moderate CO intoxication.

A 69-year-old woman presented with right abducent nerve paresis caused by an ectopic pituitary adenoma invading the posterior wall of the sphenoid sinus. The tumor was removed via transsphenoidal approach. The histological diagnosis was invasive pituitary adenoma with bony destruction. The symptom was improved without complication. The authors present a rare case of ectopic pituitary adenoma with a literature review.
Abducens Nerve ; Aged ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Paresis ; Pituitary Neoplasms* ; Sphenoid Sinus*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Supraglottic laryngectomy is a well established technique for the treatment of appropriate carcinoma of supraglottic larynx. The purpose of this study was to determine factors that may contribute to postoperative aspiration related to deglutition problem following supraglottic laryngectomy. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A retrospective analysis of medical records of 19 patients who consecutively underwent supraglottic laryngectomy was undertaken. Contribution of the following factors was investigated: age, T stage, pack-years of smoking, and parameters of pulmonary function test. The authors used a computerized acoustic analysis program (CSL-MDVP) to measure fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and noise to harmonics ratio. RESULTS: Eleven patients had no problem, 5 patients had clinically insignificant problem, and 3 patients had moderate problem in postoperative 6 months. A greater number of pack-years of smoking and decreasing FEV1/FVC were significantly correlated with poor outcome with regards to postoperative aspiration and deglutition problem. No statistically significant difference was seen between patients with supraglottic laryngectomy and the control group. CONCLUSION: This study showed that less than 60% FEV1/FVC signifies a greater risk for postoperative aspiration.
Acoustics ; Deglutition ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Laryngectomy* ; Larynx ; Medical Records ; Noise ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vital Capacity ; Voice

Cardiac manifestations of hypereosinophilic syndrome rarely include left ventricular thrombosis leading to peripheral emboli. And the cases of thrombectomy in patients with left ventricular thrombus and hypereosinophilic syndrome are extremely rare. Recently we experienced a 58-years-old woman with hypereosinophilic syndrome, the history of thalamic infarction and a huge thrombi in left ventricle. We report this case with literatures.
Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome* ; Infarction ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombosis*

BACKGROUND: To decide the optimal antibiotics and application of chest tube, examination of pleural fluid is fundamental in the management of empyema. Some criteria for drainage of pleural fluid have been recommended but some controversies have been suggested. Recently, newer radiologic methods including ultrasound and computed tomography scanning, have been applied to the diagnosis and management of pleural effusions. We undertook a retrospective analysis of 30 patients with pleural effusion who had CT scans of the chest in order to apply the criteria of Light et at retrospectively to patients with loculation and to correlate the radiologic appearance of pleural effusions with pleural fluid chemistry. METHOD: We analyzed the records of 30 out of 147 patients with pleural effusion undergoing chest CT scans. RESULTS: 1) Six of the pleural fluid cultures yielded gram negative organisms and three anaerobic bacterias and one Staphylococcus aureus and one non-hemolytic Streptococci. No organism was cultured in nineteen cases(63.0%). 2) The reasons for taking chest CT scans were to rule out malignancy or parenchymal lung disease(46.7%), Poor response to antibiotics(40.0%), hard to aspirate pleural fluid(10.0%) and to decide the site for chest tube insertion(3.3%). 3) There was no significant correlations between ATS stages and loculation but there was a tendency to Inoculate in stage III. 4) There was a significant inverse relationship between the level of pH and loculation(P<0.05) but there appeared to be no relationship between pleural fluid, LDH, glucose, protein, loculation and pleural thickening. 5) In 12 out of 30, therapeutic measures were changed according to the chest CT scan findings. CONCLUSION: We were unable to identify any correlations between the plerual fluid chemistry, ATS stages and loculations except pH, and we suggest that tube thoracotomy should be individualized according to the clinical judgement arid serial observation. All patients with empyema do not need a chest CT scan but a CT scan can provide determination of loculation, guiding and assessing therapy which should decrease morbidity and hospital stay.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; Chemistry ; Chest Tubes ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Empyema* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Length of Stay ; Lung ; Pleural Effusion ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed* ; Ultrasonography

The effects of chimeric monoclonal antibodies (cMAbs), prostaglandin E, (PGE,), and indomethacin (INDO) on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against human squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN) cell line were examined. Using the PCI-50 SCCHN cell line as target and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells as effector, ADCC was enhanced by the treatment of cMAbs (1.25 p,g/ml), but was inhibited by exogenous PGE (5 X 10' M). The effects of cMAb and PGE were dose-dependent. Maximal suppression of activity occured when PGE was present during the entire 4-hr 'Cr-release assay period, whereas pretreatment of effector cells with PGE had minimal inhibitory effect after washing. These results indicate that decreased ADCC seen with SCCHN targets treated with PGE is related to post-binding events, such as binding of effector and target cells. Pre-treatment of effector cells with INDO (1 ug/ml) resulted in restoration of NK activity which was inhibited by PGE. Our in vitro results suggest that INDO can increase tumor cell killing by the reversal of the suppression for many imrnune functions by PGE.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Line ; Head* ; Homicide ; Humans* ; Indomethacin ; Neck* ; Prostaglandins E

BACKGROUND: T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing 3 protein (Tim-3) expressed on terminally differentiated Th1 cells plays a suppressive role in Th1-mediated immune responses. Recently, it has been shown that N-glycosylation affects the binding activity of the Tim-3-Ig fusion protein to its ligand, galectin-9, but the binding properties of non-glycosylated Tim-3 on CD4+CD25+ T cells has not been fully examined. In this study, we produced recombinant Tim-3-Ig fusion proteins in different cellular sources and its N-glycosylation mutant forms to evaluate their binding activities to CD4+CD25+ T cells. METHODS: We isolated and cloned Tim-3 cDNA from BALB/C mouse splenocytes. Then, we constructed a mammalian expression vector and a prokaryotic expression vector for the Tim-3-Ig fusion protein. Using a site directed mutagenesis method, plasmid vectors for Tim-3-Ig N-glycosylation mutant expression were produced. The recombinant protein was purified by protein A sepharose column chromatography. The binding activity of Tim-3-Ig fusion protein to CD4+CD25+ T cells was analyzed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: We found that the nonglycosylated Tim-3-Ig fusion proteins expressed in bacteria bound to CD4+CD25+ T cells similarly to the glycosylated Tim-3-Ig protein produced in CHO cells. Further, three N-glycosylation mutant forms (N53Q, N100Q, N53/100Q) of Tim-3-Ig showed similar binding activities to those of wild type glycosylated Tim-3-Ig. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that N-glycosylation of Tim-3 may not affect its binding activity to ligands expressed on CD4+CD25+ T cells.
Animals ; Bacteria ; CHO Cells ; Chromatography ; Clone Cells ; Cricetinae ; DNA, Complementary ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunoglobulins ; Ligands ; Mice ; Mucins ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Plasmids ; Proteins ; Sepharose ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; T-Lymphocytes ; Th1 Cells