No abstract available.

PURPOSE: We assessed the usefulness of resistive index(RI) on spectral analysis of Doppler sonography for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 29 benign and 22 malignant lesions of breast, which were examined preoperatively with color and duplex Doppler andwere confirmed by histopathologically after operation. We analyzed the average and distribution of RI in benignand malignant lesions. RESULTS: Although, there was no difference in the average values of RI in benign and malignant breast lesions, the distribution of RI was below 0.7 in eighteen cases (62%) of benign lesions, and above 0.7 in eighteen cases (82%) of malignant lesions. Thus, RI is valuable for differentiation between benignand malignant lesions of breast. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of RI in breast disease using color and duplex Dopplerstudy is useful modality adjunct to the conventional ultrasonographic differentiation of benign and malignantlesions.
Breast Diseases ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Retrospective Studies

The intestinal lesions were studied in dog metagonimiasis by reinfection. The metacercariae of M. yokogawai were collected from naturally infected sweetfish. A total of twenty dogs were divided into three groups; control, primary infection and reinfection groups. The 18 dogs were infected with 10,000 metacercariae; the 5 dogs in primary infection group were killed at the 5 days in 1 week, 4 weeks, 6 weeks after the infection. The remaining 13 dogs were kept for nine weeks, and challenged again with 5,000 metacercaricae. The reinfected dogs were killed at the 1 day, 3 days, 5 days and 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks respectively. The chronologic changes of the intestinal lesions in both groups, the worm recovery rate, and distribution patten were examined by gross observation, light and scanning electron microscopies. From the results, it was inferred that the so-called spontaneous and/or self cure phenomena were of negligible importance in metagonimiasis in dogs. In the chronologic observations of pathologic process in intestine, it was also suggested that the host immunity tend to recover the intestinal integrity. And early invasion of young worm to the Lieberkuhn's crypt was considered as the primary cause of lesions of vill(Abstract is summarized again.)
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Metagonimus yokogawai ; metagonimiasis ; dog ; histology ; pathology ; electron microscopy ; intestine

Neovesical-urethral anastomotic stricture is a complication of orthotopic neobladder, with a reported incidence of 2.7% to 8.8%. Strictures of the neovesico-urethral anastomotic site can be treated with regular self-dilation, but high-grade strictures require a surgical procedure involving incision by electrocautery or cold knife. Here we describe a grade III neovesical-urethral anastomotic stricture after an orthotopic bladder substitution that was successfully treated by use of a ureteral dilation balloon catheter.
Catheters ; Cold Temperature ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Electrocoagulation ; Incidence ; Ureter ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Diversion

Acute calcific tendinitis (ACT) is a benign painful inflammatory disorder characterized by resorptive process of calcific deposits following the formation of calcium hydroxyapatite crystals in the tendons. It can occur at various sites, especially in the shoulder or hip joint. ACT involving the lateral epicondyle of the humerus and the cervical spine is very rare. Few reports have demonstrated successive ACT at different sites. We report three cases of successive ACT in women, occurring at the subscapularis followed by the lateral epicondyle, flexor carpi ulnaris followed by the supraspinatus, and longus colli followed by the iliopsoas, respectively.
Durapatite ; Female ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Humerus ; Shoulder ; Spine ; Tendinopathy ; Tendons

It is difficult to distinguish Hirayama disease (HD) from other mimicking disorders in adolescent patients with distal upper limb weakness. The prevailing theory of HD postulates that the lower cervical cord is susceptible to compression during neck flexion because of insufficient growth of the dura relative to the spinal column. Confirmation of a dynamic change in the dorsal epidural space on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during neck flexion is essential for diagnosing HD. However, neck flexion MRI has not been routinely performed in juvenile patients with distal upper limb weakness in the absence of suspected HD. We report two cases of HD that were initially confused with other diseases because of insufficient or absent cervical flexion during MRI. Full-flexion MRI showed typical findings of HD in both cases. Our cases suggest that dynamic cervical MRI in the fully flexed position is necessary for evaluating suspected HD.
Adolescent ; Cervical Cord ; Diagnosis ; Epidural Space ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine ; Upper Extremity

Bezoars are collections or concretions of indigestible foreign material that accumulate and coalesce in the gastrointestinal tract. Treatment options include dissolution with enzymes, endoscopic removal or aspiration, and surgery. The outcome differs according to the treatment method. A 57-year-old man was admitted with a 1-month history of epigastric pain. On gastrofiberscopy, an approximately 2-cm deep ulcer was seen on the lesser curvature of the antrum and three huge bezoars were found. In order to remove the first one, we injected Coca-Cola into it directly. It took 20 minutes to cut up and 1 hour to remove completely. To decrease the procedure time, we changed the injection fluid to urokinase for the remaining two bezoars. It took 9 and 10 minutes to cut up the second and third bezoars, respectively, and 1 hour to remove them completely. We report a case of phytobezoars treated successfully by endoscopic injections of Coca-Cola and urokinase.
Bezoars ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Ulcer ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

Actinomycosis is an indolent infectious disease characterized by pyogenic response and necrosis, followed by intense fibrosis. The main forms of human actinomycosis are cervicofacial, pulmonary, and abdominopelvic type. Pulmonary actinomycosis accounts for 15% to 20% of total cases and unfortunately, clinical manifestations and radiologic findings are nonspecific. Small pleural effusion or empyema may develop in advanced disease but massive empyema is infrequent and rarely reported. We report a case of huge empyema caused by pulmonary actinomycosis in a 55 year-old man, presented with one-month history of productive cough and fever. The CT scan revealed a huge cavity with air-fluid level occupying the left hemithorax. Empyema caused by actinomycosis was confirmed microscopically by demonstration of sulfur granules in empyema sac through thracotomy. Decortication and surgical resection of empyema sac and destructed lung was accomplished and followed by intravenous infusion of penicillin G.
Actinomycosis* ; Communicable Diseases ; Cough ; Empyema* ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Penicillin G ; Pleural Effusion ; Sulfur ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Oral testosterone undecanoate and transdermal testosterone gel are the testosterone formulas widely prescribed as hormonal replacement for tesosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) in male patients. We evaluated the changes in serum testosterone level and the effects of these medicines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The medical records of 162 patients who were diagnosed with TDS based on serum testosterone (<2.55 ng/ml) and prescribed testosterone formula were analyzed retrospectively. In the 111 patients of group I, tablets of oral testosterone undecanoate were initially given. If the follow up serum testosterone level had not increased enough, the dosages were increased up to 6 tablets. In the 51 patients of group II, one pack of transdermal testosterone gel (5 gm) daily without dosage adjustment was prescribed. Statistical analysis was done to identify any correlations among age, initial and final aging male's symptoms scale (AMS) score, initial, peak and final testosterone level, and duration of therapy. RESULTS: The mean ages of group I and II were 53.4+/-14.5 and 55.2+/-11.9, respectively (p>0.05). The initial and final testosterone levels of the two groups were not significantly different. However, the peak level during treatment was significantly higher in group II (p<0.05). The maximal increment of testosterone level was also significantly higher in group II. Initially, group II reached its peak testosterone level earlier than group I. The final serum levels were not significantly different after adjustment of dosages in group I. Testosterone replacement significantly decreased the AMS scales in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Both oral testosterone undecanoate and transdermal testosterone gel improved the serum testosterone level and symptom score for those with TDS. Transdermal testosterone gel may reach the peak serum testosterone level faster than oral testosterone undecanoate. Large prospective studies are required to assess the precise role of testosterone replacement therapy.
Aging ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Sorbitol ; Tablets ; Testosterone ; Tyramine ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: We screened more than 350 compounds with an endoperoxide ring structure in search of an anti-leukemic drug and found that compound 127 (c-127) could induce significant cytotoxicity in HL-60 cells. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of compound 127-induced antitumor activity on HL-60 cells. METHODS: HL-60 cells were cultured in Rosewell Park Memorial Institute 1640 and cell viability was measured by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide], a tetrazole assay. Apoptosis was assessed by a DNA fragmentation test. Apoptotic machineries were determined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: C-127 could induce a cytotoxic effect at 24 h and apoptosis at 6 h, which was demonstrated with MTT assay and DNA fragmentation test, respectively. The apoptotic effect of this drug was caused by the activation of the intracellular caspase-8,3 activation, the cleavage of pro-apoptotic Bid, and the increase of c-Jun expression accompanied with JNK (Jun N-terminal kinases) phosphorylation. On the contrary, it increased the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 levels, leading to the induction of the induction of anti-apoptotic effect. Taken together, the present study demonstrated that c-127 was a potent inducer of cytotoxicity on HL-60 cells through apoptotic mechanisms, which included the activation of caspase family, the regulation of Bcl-2 family, and the activation of JNK signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that c-127 has a strong antitumor activity through the regulation of various apoptotic machineries on HL-60 cells. The compound may be utilized as an effective and potentially therapeutic drug in leukemia.
Apoptosis ; Artemisinins ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Survival ; DNA Fragmentation ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Leukemia ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Phosphorylation ; Tetrazoles