Residual pain is the crucial factor that incapacitates the victims of stable fractures of the dorsolumbar vertebral bodies. This paper was designed to investigate the incidence and location of the residual pain and to confirm the mechanism of it. Forty-two patients with old, stable fractures of the dorso-lumbar vertebral bodies have been analysed clinically and rediologically. Results obtained were as follows: 1. Thirty-two (76.2%) out of fourty-two patients complained of residual pain. 2. In fracture group of the dorso-lumbar junction, the residual pains appeared at both site of lumbar area. But in fracture group of the lower lumbar spine, the residual pain predominantly localized at the site of fracture. 3. In fracture group of the dorso-lumbar junction, the lordotic curvature of the lumbar spine and Ferguson angle increased. On the contrary, in the fracture group of the lower lumbar spine they decreased. 4. In group complaining of the residual pain, simple oblique view and flexion-extension view of the lumbar spine revealed facet subluxation of one or more than one facet joint. When the subluxation was at the joint between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebra and the first sacral vertebra, the pars interarticularis was impinged by articular processes of the adjacent vertebrae. In addition, the sclerosis and narrowing of the pars interarticularis were noted. 5. It was suggested as the one of possible mechanism of the residual pain that compensatory hyperlordosis of the lumbar spine and subluxation of the facet joint resulted in so-called “facet syndrome” brought about the residual pain.
Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Sclerosis ; Spine ; Zygapophyseal Joint

When the effusion and pain of the joint caused by rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and non-specific synovitis is persistent in spite of various conservative measures, the intra-articular injection of radioactive colloidal gold is recommended. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis and similiar types of inflammatory arthritis is not well known, the basic pathology appears to be in the synovium Colloidal particles of radioactive coiloidal gold injected into an inflamed joint are phagocytosed and dispersed uniformly on the superficial layers of the synovium Radioactive colloidal gold was first introduced in the malignant peritoneal effusions by Muller in 1950, and it was later used by Andrew and Mackay in malignant pleural effusion in 1953 and 1957. The malignant ascite, pleural effusion, and synovial effusion are collections of fluid in closed cavities lined by a thin sensitive endothelial layers; and apart from repeated aspirations, accepted forms of treatment frequently fail to cure or even control the effusions. Because of this resemblance it was decided in 1957 to attempt to treat persistent synovial effusions by intra-articular injection of radioactive colloidal gold. 198Au has a half-life of 2.7 days and emits both beta and gamma rays, Beta rays, which produce 90% of the therapeutic effect, penetrate tissue to an average depth of 1 to 2 mm. The particle of colloidal suspension of 198Au is 20 to 50 mu. The colloidal state of the preparation aids in limiting radiation to the synovial surface, and it has been shown that large colloidal particles are not absorbed into the blood or lymphatic systems after intra-articular injection and penetrate no deeper than the synovial tissues as a result of phagocytic activity. Good results have been reported since the radioactive colloidal gold was introduced in the treatment of persistent effusion of the human knee by Makin in 1963. The knee is chosen as the most suitable joint for this trial because of the ease of performing accurately intra-articular injections and the ease with which knee effusions can be recognized and measured. Furthermore, the knee joint is superficial and distant from vital structures which may be radio-sensitive. In this study, thirty-nine knee and three ankle effusions and pains unresponsive to the usual methods of therapy were treated by intra-articular injection of radioactive colloidal gold from November 1964 to January 1979 with follow up. Thirteen cases had classical rheumatoid arthritis; ten osteoarthritis; fifteen non-specific synovitis; two pigmented villonodular synovitis; one post-synovectomy, and one tuberculous arthritis. The results were as follows; 1. In eleven cases(84.6%) of rheumatoid arthritis, fourteen cases (93.3%) of nonspecific synovitis, and five cases(50.0%) of osteoarthritis, the effusion disappeared. 2. In twelve cases(92.3%) of rheumatoid arthritis thirteen cases(86.7%) of non-specific synovitis, and only two cases(20.0%) of osteoarthritis, the pain disappeared. 3. As a whole, in thirty-three cases(78.6%), the effusion disappeared and in twenty-eight cases (66.7%), the pain disappeared.
Ankle ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Ascitic Fluid ; Aspirations (Psychology) ; Beta Particles ; Colloids ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gamma Rays ; Gold Colloid ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Injections, Intra-Articular ; Joints ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Lymphatic System ; Osteoarthritis ; Pathology ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant ; Synovial Membrane ; Synovitis ; Synovitis, Pigmented Villonodular

The development of immuohistochemistry and the application of electron microscopy have revolutionized our understanding of the pathopysiology of pituitart adenoma. The clinical value of functional characterization of pituitary adenoma has been realized. Immunohistochemical stains using polyclonal antibodies to six pituitary hormones (GH, PRL, ACTH, TSH, FSH & LH) were performed to classify the pituitary adenoma and to investigate the relationship between the results of the immunohistochemical study and pared to the serum hormone level. The results are summarized as follows: The Most common clinical type of pituitary adenoma was prolactinoma and the second was nonfunctioning adenoma. However, the most common immunohistological type of pituitary adenoma was null cell adenoma, the second one, lactotrope adenoma and the third one, mixed sommatotrope & lactotrope adenoma. In the clinically nonfunctioning adenoma cases, null cell adenoma were present in 75%; gonadotrope adenoma and corticotrope adenoma were present in 25%, while the serum prolactin level was increased in ten of the twenty cases(50%) of the null cell adenoma. When the serum prolactin level was increased above the 150ng/ml, the tumor cells gave positive reactions in 95.2% of cases immunohistochemically. But in the cases of GH, FSH & LH, the tumor cells gave positive reactions in 100%, 75%, and 66.7%, respectively. In the case of increased serum prolactin level, more than 50% and 30% proportion of tumor cells showed positive reactions in the micro- and macroadenoma, respectively.
Adenoma

Ependymomas constitute no more than 5 to 7% of all primary CNS neoplasm and their biologic behavior is difficult to predict by microscopic appearances. Recently, many studies have attempted to correlate biologic behavior with tumor proliferation index, tumor suppressor gene and oncogene using immunohistochemical stains. We evaluated 25 cases of surgically resected intracranial ependymomas for the proliferation activity using Ki-67, and expression of p53 and bcl-2 protein with regard to the prognosis. The cases were divided into 17 ependymomas (WHO Grade II), 3 papillary ependymomas (WHO Grade II), and 5 anaplastic ependymomas. Clinically, the patients were divided into two groups, recurrent (18 cases) or non-recurrent (7 cases). The Ki-67 proliferation index was significantly higher in the recurrent group (p<0.05) and in the younger ages (correlation index=0.534). Although Ki-67 proliferation index was higher in anaplastic ependymoma, it was not significant statistically (p>0.05). p53 protein expression tended to increase in the patients who had anaplastic ependymoma and in the recurrent group. bcl-2 expression was not correlated with histologic grade or recurrence of the tumor. We conclude that Ki-67 proliferation index and p53 expression are important markers for predicting biologic behavior of ependymoma.
Coloring Agents ; Ependymoma* ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Oncogenes ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

The posterior fossa, containing roughly 6ne fourth of the intracranial contents, is the site of about 30-35% of the intracranial tumors. The incidence of primary tumors in the posterior fossa is quite different from that of the cerebivm. We analysed 124 cases of posterior fossa tumor, over a 10 year period, to understand the status of posterior fossa tumor and its histologic characteristics. Medulloblastoma was most common(37cases, 29.8%), followed by astrocytoma, hemangiobla-stoma, ependymoma, meningioma, metastatic tumor, arteriovenous malformation and choroid plexus papilloma in descending order of frequency. Tumors were found most frequently between the ages of two and ten years(28.2%) and sixty seven(54.0%) cases were diagnosed before the age of fifteen. The ratio of male to female was 60 : 64. Astrocytoma revealed a characteristic juvenile pilocytic type and a microcystic change. Hemangioblastoma showed higher frequency(17.7%) than previous reports and the origin of tumor cells is still equivocal. Other tumors revealed the same histologic features as other intracranial tumors.
Child ; Adolescent ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Symptomatic parasellar granular cell tumor is a very rare tumor. To the best of our knowledge, 43 cases was be found in the English literatures. We recently experienced a case of a parasellar granular cell tumor in a 61-year-old female who had bilateral temporal hemianopsia and severe panhypopituitarism. The tumor was composed of diffuse sheets of polygonal cells with abundant eosinophilic PAS positive granular cytoplasm. In the immunohistochemical and ultrastructural examinations, the tumor failed to show any evidence of Schwann cell or glial differentiation. These findings suggest that granular cell tumor has heterogenous cell types of origin.
Cytoplasm ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Granular Cell Tumor ; Hemianopsia ; Humans ; Middle Aged

Angiogenesis depends on the net balance between positive and negative angiogenic factors. Tumor cells are angiogenic resulting from increased production of positive factors and decreased production of negative factors. Among these, vascular endothelial growth factor and glioma- derived angiogenesis inhibiting factor are related to glioblastoma multiforme. The p53 gene is more frequently mutated than any other known oncogene or tumor suppressor gene in human tumors including glioblastoma multiforme. Angiogenesis is reported to be controlled by p53 regulation in recent studies. To examine the effect of p53 overexpression on angiogenesis in glioblastoma multiforme, we performed immunohistochemical staining in 51 cases of glioblastoma multiforme, using monoclonal antibodies to p53 protein and factor VIII. 20 cases of low grade astrocytoma were used as control. p53 overexpression was present in 15(75%) of 20 cases of low grade astrocytoma and the mean vessel count was 37.7+/-9.9 at x200 field and 17.5+/-5.8 at x400 field. p53 overexpression was present in 35(68%) of 51 cases of glioblastoma multiforme and the mean vessel count was 91.9 45.8 at x200 field and 40.7 19.1 at x400 field. Mean vessel count in low grade astrocytoma with p53 overexpression was 39.4 10.2 at x200 field and 18.9 5.7 at x400 field, while in cases without p53 overexpression it was 32.4+/-7.6 at x200 field and 13.2 3.5 at x400 field. Mean vessel count in glioblastoma multiforme with p53 overexpression was 94.5+/-51.8 at x200 field and 42.1+/-16.8 at x400 field, while in cases without p53 overexpression it was 86.1+/-29.5 at x200 field and 37.1+/-16.8 at x400 field. The mean survival time was 12.4 months in the 39 cases of glioblastoma multiforme in which follow-up studies were possible. Significant prognostic factors were age, p53 overexpression and adjuvant therapy. These results show that p53 gene mutation is one of the many contributing factors to angiogenesis in glioblastoma multiforme. In addition, other oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, as well as growth factors may be involved. Age, p53 overexpression and adjuvant therapy proved to be significant prognostic factors, while microvessel density was not.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Astrocytoma ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Factor VIII ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genes, p53* ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Glioblastoma ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Microvessels ; Oncogenes ; Survival Rate ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Optic nerve sheath meningioma arises from the arachnoid cap cell of optic nerve sheath and comprises most of primary orbital meningioma. We experienced a rare case of optic nerve sheath meningioma originating in the left orbit. A 44-year-old woman had suffered from visual disturbance in the left eye for 3 years and had only light perceptibility for the recent 6 months. The right eye was normal. Brain CT scan and MRI revealed a 2x0.8 cm sized fusiform solid mass in the left retrobulbar area. Under the impression of optic nerve tumor. excision of the mass including a small segment of the optic nerve was performed. The tumor was a yellowish firm, relatively well demarcated mass that encircled the optic nerve without infiltrating it. Microscopically it was a typical meningioma, meningothelial type. The recovery of visual acuity was impossible due to resection of optic nerve but there was no evidence of recurrence for u months.
Female ; Humans ; Meningioma

Ovarian carcinoma is a serious disease in women. Some reports revealed all-trans-retinoic acid (tRA) inhibited the proliferation of ovarian carcinoma cell lines and induced apoptosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anticancer and apoptotic effects of tRA and the expression of the retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha, beta, gamma, p53, bcl-2, and c-myc genes on the ovarian carcinoma cell lines, NIH OVCAR3 and SKOV3. In both cell lines, the proliferation of tumor cells was inhibited and characteristic morphologic patterns of apoptosis were shown after treatment of tRA. The number of apoptotic cells and the percentage of apoptosis were increased after treatment of tRA. The gel electrophoresis revealed the DNA ladder pattern in the NIH OVCAR3. Gene expressions were observed using northern blotting. There was no RARalpha expression in both cell lines. In NIH OVCAR3, there was no changes in the expression of RARbeta and bcl-2 gene. The RARgamma gene expression of tRA treated group was slightly increased, but p53 gene expression was decreased, and c-myc gene was not expressed. In SKOV3, the expressions of RARbeta, gamma, and p53 genes were increased and that of bcl-2 was decreased in the tRA treated group. There was no change in c-myc gene expression. These results suggest tRA has anticancer and apoptotic effect on both ovarian carcinoma cell lines. RARbeta, RARgamma, bcl-2, and p53 gene expressions were correlated with these effects of tRA on SKOV3 but not on NIH OVCAR3.
Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Northern ; Cell Line* ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Genes, bcl-2 ; Genes, myc ; Genes, p53 ; Humans* ; Receptors, Retinoic Acid ; Tretinoin*

The origin of the stromal cell of cerebellar hemangioblastoma has long been studied electron microscopically and immunohistochemically. The results and theories about the stromal cell origin are variable and plentiful. However, the exact origin of the stromal cell remains controversial. The present study is aimed to elucidate the nature of the stromal cell of cerebellar hemangioblastoma. Ten cases of hemangioblastoma in Severance Hospital were used for immunohistochemical analysis of the stromal cell. The immunohistochemical staining of GFAP, S-100 protein, NSE, alpha-l-antichymottypsin, cytokeratin, CD 68, factor VIII related antigen, and synaptophysin were performed. The results were as follows; GFAP and S-100 protein were stained mainly but weakly in bellar capillary spindle cell and cellular process. NSE was stained mainly in foam cells, and 6 cases among them revealed strong reaction. ct-l-antichymotrypsin was stained in a few foam cells of 5 cases. Cytokeratin, CD 68, factor VIII related antigen, and synaptophysin showed negative reaction. Based on these results, it is considered that the origin of the stromal cell is histiocytic or neurogenic rather than glial. The weak positivity of GFAP and S-100 protein may support the neurogeriic origin but ct-l-antichymotrypsin positivity does not support the possibility. The positivity of GAP and S-100 protein supports the phagocytic action of histiocytic cell and suggests histiocytic origin rather than neurogenic.