PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spectrum of MR characteristics of cystic acoustic neurinomas and to correlate with pathologic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the MR findings of 12 patients with cystic acoustic neurinomas. The signal intensity and enhancement pattern of the cystic components as well as the location relative to the tumors were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 30 cysts were found in 15 acoustic neurinomas;28 were intratumoral cysts and the remaining two were extratumoral cysts. The signal intensity of all 28 intratumoral cysts was higher than that of CSF on Tl-weighted images, and isointense to CSF on T2-weighted images, while the signal intensity of the two extratumoral cysts was same as CSF on both Tl-weighted and T2-weighted images. Rim enhancement was seen in 27 of 28 intratumoral cysts but in none of the two extratumoral cysts. CONCLUSION: We concluded that intratumoral cyst was due to tumoral necrosis, hemorrhage or degenerative change and extratumoral cyst due to secondary arachnoid cyst formation.
Acoustics* ; Arachnoid ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Neuroma, Acoustic* ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: To review the radiological findings of retroanastomotic hernia and to derive the useful US and CT criteria to assist in the diagnosis of the condition in patients who had previously undergone gastrojejunostomy. METHODS: During a recent period, 8 consecutive cases of retroanastomotic hernia were encountered. Of the patients involved, seven underwent US and CT imaging. The US and CT scans were reviewed retrospectively to determine the abnormal findings. Surgical confirmation was available in all cases. RESULTS: The efferent loop was herniated through the defect created behind the anastomosis in seven cases, and the afferent loop in one case. Retroanastomotic hernia was suggested prospectively in all cases. Among the seven cases of efferent loop herniation, the US and CT signs of retroanastomotic hernia included whirling of the mesenteric vessels, jejunal loops, and mesentery in the periumbilical abdomen (7/7); mural thickening of the herniated bowel loops (5/7); dilatation of the herniated bowel loops (2/7); and US showed decreased peristalsis of the herniated bowel loops (2/6). In one case, the US and CT signs of retroanastomotic hernia of the afferent loop included dilatation and whirling of a short length of the afferent loop behind the anastomosis. One out of the eight patients had reVersible bowel ischemia, and one had bowel necrosis. CONCLUSION: Retroanastomoic hernia is an important condition, and the US and CT findings might be used for its diagnosis.
Abdomen ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Gastric Bypass* ; Hernia* ; Humans ; Intestines ; Ischemia ; Mesentery ; Necrosis ; Peristalsis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a cardiovascular disease with high mortality. Acute MI is usually divided into ST-segment elevation MI (STEMI) and non ST-segment elevation MI (NSTEMI) based on the electrocardiogram (ECG). NSTEMI is often misdiagnosed in patients presenting to emergency departments with acute chest pain because its clinical course varies and is atypical compared to STEMI. The symptoms can be vague and the ECG is often not diagnostic. In this setting, an early accurate diagnosis and risk stratification could improve the mortality of patients with NSTEMI. Cardiac biomarkers such as high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) help to diagnose NSTEMI. Serial hs-cTn assays should be considered to differentiate other conditions, especially in an ambiguous clinical situation. If acute MI is strongly suspected based on the symptoms, ECG, and cardiac biomarkers, catheterization laboratory activation should be timely considered to evaluate the coronary arteries and possible revascularization with percutaneous or surgical strategies depending on risk factors. After successful revascularization, antianginal medications, risk factor control, and early recognition of heart failure are essential to improve the cardiovascular prognosis.

PURPOSE: Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been widely used to treat neutropenia caused by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The efficacy of recombinant human hematopoietic growth factors in improving oral mucositis after chemotherapy or radiotherapy has been recently demonstrated in some clinical studies. This study was designed to determine whether G-CSF can modify the radiation injury of the intestinal mucosa in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and five BALB/c mice weighing 20 grams were divided into nine subgroups including G-CSF alone group (I : 10 microgram/kg or II : 100 microgram/kg), radiation alone group (7.5 or 12 Gy on the whole body), combination group with G-CSF and radiation (G-CSF I or II plus 7.5 Gy, G-CSF I or II plus 12 Gy), and control group. Radiation was administered with a 6 MV linear accelerator (Mevatron Siemens) with a dose rate of 3 Gy/min on day 0. G-CSF was injected subcutaneously for 3 days, once a day, from day -2 to day 0. Each group was sacrificed on the day 1, day 3, and day 7. The mucosal changes of jejunum were evaluated microscopically by crypt count per circumference, villi length, and histologic damage grading. RESULTS: In both G-CSF I and II groups, crypt counts, villi length, and histologic damage scores were not significantly different from those of the control one (p>0.05). The 7.5 Gy and 12 Gy radiation alone groups showed significantly lower crypt counts and higher histologic damage scores compared with those of control one (p<0.05). The groups exposed to 7.5 Gy radiation plus G-CSF I or II showed significantly higher crypt counts and lower histologic damage scores on the day 3, and lower histologic damage scores on the day 7 compared with those of the 7.5 Gy radiation alone one (p<0.05). The 12 Gy radiation plus G-CSF I or II group did not show significant difference in crypt counts and histologic damage scores compared with those of the 12 Gy radiation alone one (p>0,05). Most of the mice in 12 Gy radiation with or without G-CSF group showed intestinal death within 5 days. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that G-CSF may protect the jejunal mucosa from the acute radiation damage following within the tolerable ranges of whole body irradiation in mice.
Animals ; Drug Therapy ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Intestinal Mucosa ; Jejunum ; Mice* ; Mucous Membrane* ; Neutropenia ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiation Injuries ; Radiotherapy ; Stomatitis ; Whole-Body Irradiation

PURPOSE: Quality of life in patients with cancer may be influenced by various kinds of variables, such as personal, environmental, and medical factors. The purpose of this study was to identity the influencing factors on the quality of life in patients with cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty seven patients, who were taking medical therapy or following up after surgery for cervix cancer, participated in the present study. Quality of life, medical variables (cancer stage, types of treatment, follow-up status, and symptom distress), and psychosocial variables (mood disturbance, orientation to life, and social support) were measured. The obtained data were computed using multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: The medical-and-psychosocial variables explained 63.3% of the total variance in the quality of life (R2=0.633, F=16.969, p=.000). Cancer stage, symptom distress, mood disturbance, social support (family), and optimistic orientation to life were significant factors influencing on the quality of life in patients with cervix cancer. CONCLUSION: An integrative care program which includes medical - and - psychosocial characteristics of patients is essential to improve quality of life in patients with cervix cancer.
Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: allergic disease is an inflammatory disease, whose main inflammatory cells are eosinophils, mast cells, and T lymphocytes. From that point, new therapeutic targets on allergic inflammation focusing on them are under investigation. We extracted four isoflavonoids from sophorica japonica such as sophi, orobol, genistin and genistein which are known PTK antagonists. We documented that these iso-flavonoids except genistein had an antagonism on IL-5 and IL-3 in vitro eosinophil activation and also in allergic mouse model sensitized by OA(ovualbumin). Their common action is due to the common beta chains. GM-CSF also share common beta chains, through which it activates eosinophils. OBJECTIVES: From the above results, We observed the antagonistic effects of these compounds on GM-CSF using eosinophil activation in vitro. METHODS: LTC4 which was detected by RIA and ECP by UniCAP were activation markers. RESULTS: Among those compounds, sophi was the most potent antagonist on GM-CSF induced LTC4 release and even on degranulation and orobol and genistin also had antagonism on them but genistein an antagonist of PTK did not show any antagonistic effects. CONCLUSION: From these results, We concluded these three iso-flavonoids were GM-CSF antagonists and the mechanism might not be through PTK signaling.
Animals ; Eosinophils ; Genistein ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-3 ; Interleukin-5 ; Leukotriene C4 ; Mast Cells ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes

PURPOSE: This study validated the musculoskeletal model of the human lower extremity by comparative study between calculated muscle parameters through simulation using modified hill-type model and measured muscle parameters through isokinetic exercise. The relationship between muscle forces and moments participated in motion was quantified from the results of simulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For simulation of isokinetic motion, a three-dimensional anatomical knee model was constructed using gait analysis. The EMG-force model was used to determine muscle activation level exciting muscles. The modified Hill-type model was used to calculate individual muscle force and moment in dynamic analysis. This method was validated by comparing analytical data with experimental data. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant correlation between calculated torques from simulation and measured torque from isokinetic motion experiments (R=0.97). We also found that muscle forces and moments during knee flexion and extension have nonlinearly proportional or inversely proportional relationship, since lower extremity muscles were simultaneously involved in flexion/extension motion and inner/outer rotation. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the simulation by using musculoskeletal model may be a useful mean to predict and recover musculoskeletal-related diseases, and analyze complicated experiment such as clash condition.
Gait ; Humans ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Lower Extremity ; Muscles ; Torque

Socialization is the process of moving from one social role to another by gaining knowledge, skills and behaviors to participate in a group. Nurses who graduate from nursing school, enter the work force, and develop a career undergo socialization as they become insiders in the hospital. This study was designed to identify experiences of the nurses' socialization process in the hospital setting. The subjects were 6 nurses. Data were collected by recording and transcribing interviews and analyzed in the framework of grounded theory as mapped out by Strauss and Corbin(1990). The core category in the analysis of the experiences of nurses' socialization process was "being beyond". In the process of data analysis, 22 categories were identified. These categories were again grouped into 13. Based upon these results, it is recommended that development of resocialization models to establish nursing identity are necessary.
Nursing ; Schools, Nursing ; Socialization* ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It is well known that N-nitrosobis(2-oxopropyl)amine(BOP)-induced pancreas cancer and cholangiocarcinoma in Syrian hamster is similar to that of humans in morphological, biological and immunological aspects. The cyclic administration of BOP and ethionine, choline-deficient diet and methionine is known to rapidly induce the ductal type of carcinoma in pancreas and bile duct. Authors studied whether the rapid production of this cancer can occur in Syrian hamster and what its features are. METHODS: Sixteen Syrian hamsters aged 6-7 weeks and weighing 100 gm were used. All hamsters received 70 mg/kg body weight of BOP followed by three cycles of dl-ethionine, choline-deficient diet, l-methionine and 20mg/kg BOP. Hamsters were killed 9, 10 and 11 weeks after the beginning of the experiment and their gross and histologic features were observed. RESULTS: Nine cases, killed withan 10weeks after the begining of experiment, showed no development of cancer. Of seven Syrian hamsters, killed more than 10weeks after the begining of experiment, the incidences of BOP-induced cancer included one case(14.3%) of pancreas cancer and five cholangiocarcinomas( 71.4%). The morphological change of pancreas carcinogenesis was shown at first in cell mitosis and atypia(6 weeks) and then in atypical ductal hyperplasia(9 weeks) and carcinoma in situ(10 weeks). The change in cholangiocarcinoma, first progressed with ductular proliferation and surrounding fibrosis(6 weeks) followed by focal cholangiocarcinoma(10 weeks) and multiple invasive cholangiocarcinomas( 11 weeks). CONCLUSION: Pancreas cancer and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas can be induced rapidly within 10 weeks by cyclic injections of carcinogens in Syrian hamsters initiated with Nnitrosobis( 2-oxopropyl)amine and the morphologic changes can be observed.
Animals ; Bile Ducts ; Body Weight ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinogens* ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Cricetinae* ; Diet ; Ethionine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mesocricetus ; Methionine ; Mitosis ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatic Neoplasms*

Twin-twin transfusion syndrome(TTTS) is a serious complication of monozygotic mu-ltiple pregnancy. TTTS is associated with high perinatal mortality rate. The acute form has been attributed to rapid transfer of blood through superficial artery-to-artery or vein-to- vein anastomoses during labor and delivery, resulting in a hypovolemic, anemic donor twin and a hypervolemic, plethoric recipient twin of similar birth weight. The authors present a case of acute twin-twin transfusion syndrome with a review of literature.
Birth Weight ; Humans ; Hypovolemia ; Perinatal Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Tissue Donors ; Veins