No abstract available.
Myocutaneous Flap* ; Pressure Ulcer*

No abstract available.
Achilles Tendon*

No abstract available.
Achilles Tendon*

Alpasia cutis congenita is an anomaly characterized by absence of localized areas of the integument. The most common type of aplasia cutis congenita is Aplasia cutis congenita limited to the scalp, although other areas of the body may also be involved. We experienced a case of aplasia cutis congenita in a male newborn infant. The skin defects were extensive with symmetrical involvement of lower extremities. The multiple bullae were found on the both fingers and toes. No similar conditions and other associated congeital anomalies were found in the family membes of this particular case. The light microscopic examinaton of the denuded skin areas how absence of epidemis and the demis contain atrophic and hypoplastic adnexa. The bullae have a split within the dermis below lamina densa on electron microscopy. The skin defects were healed by supportive therapy for 4weeks.
Dermis ; Ectodermal Dysplasia* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Fingers ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Scalp ; Skin ; Toes

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of contrast-enhanced MRI with first-pass and delayed images in prediction of myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients (M:F=:4, mean age =6 5 years) with acute myocardial infarction underwent first-pass image after bolus injection of gadolinium (one image/sec for 120sec)and delayed image (7 2 minutes later). According to 60 segments on midventricular level, the assessment of MRI were concerned about location of lesion, depth of lesion, enhancement on first-pass image and enhancement pattern on delayed image. MRI findings were compared with wall motion on resting echocardiography and stress or follow-up echocardiography. RESULTS: 1) MRI findings were classified into 4 types: normal enhancement on first-pass and delayed images (type 1), normal enhancement on first-pass image and nontransmural hyperenhancement on delayed image (type 2), non-transmural enhancing defect on first-pass image and transmural enhancement with endocardial non-enhancing defect on delayed image (type 3), and transmural enhancing defect on first-pass image and transmural hyperenhancement on delayed image (type 4).2) Type 2 suggested viable myocardium and type 3 had high porbability of viability. Type was compatible with non-viable myocardium. CONCLUSION: Enhancing defect on first-pass image and involving thickness on both the first-pass image and delayed image in contrast enhanced MRI may predict myocardial viability.
Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gadolinium ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium

No abstract available.
Consensus ; Hyperthyroidism ; Thyroid Gland

Purpose: To investigate the effects of simultaneous soft and hard tissue augmentation and the addition of polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) on regenerative outcomes. Materials and Methods: In five mongrel dogs, chronic ridge defects were established in both mandibles. Six implants were placed in the mandible, producing buccal dehiscence defects. The implants were randomly allocated to one of the following groups: 1) control: no treatment; 2) GBR: guided bone regeneration (GBR) only; 3) GBR/PDRN: GBR+PDRN application to bone substitute particles; 4) GBR/CTG: GBR+connective tissue grafting (CTG);5) GBR/VCMX: GBR+soft tissue augmentation using volume stable collagen matrix (VCMX); and 6) group GBR/VCMX/ PDRN: GBR+VCMX soaked with PDRN. The healing abutments were connected to the implants to provide additional room for tissue regeneration. Submerged healing was achieved. The animals were euthanized after four months. Histological and histomorphometric analyses were then performed. Results: Healing abutments were gradually exposed during the healing period. Histologically, minimal new bone formation was observed in the dehiscence defects. No specific differences were found between the groups regarding collagen fiber orientation and density in the augmented area. No traces of CTG or VCMX were detected. Histomorphometrically, the mean tissue thickness was greater in the control group than in the other groups above the implant shoulder (IS). Below the IS level, the CTG and PDRN groups exhibited more favorable tissue thickness than the other groups. Conclusion Failure of submerged healing after tissue augmentation deteriorated the tissue contour. PDRN appears to have a positive effect on soft tissues.

Parathyroid cysts are uncommon lesions of the neck and superior mediastinum, rarely large enough to be of clinical significance. They frequently present as a clinical diagnostic problem. They may mimic solitary thyroid nodule. They can be classified as either functioning or non-functioning depending on whether or not they are associated with hypercalcemia. Non-functioning or "true" cysts are those associated with normocalcemia (85%), whereas functioning or "pseudocysts" are those associated with hypercalcemia (15%). The presence of a high content of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) in the cystic fluid on fine-needle aspiration (FNA), in conjunction with elevated serum levels of calcium and iPTH is diagnostic of a functional parathyroid cyst, which usually requires surgical removal. We report herein two cases of such a functional parathyroid cyst and present a review of the literature.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Calcium ; Hypercalcemia ; Mediastinum ; Neck ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Thyroid Nodule

BACKGROUND: The importance and usefulness of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) have been emphasized, and analysis of drugs has been increased in clinical laboratories. We evaluated the analytical performance and clinical usefulness of a recently introduced enzyme multiplied immunoassay instrument, Viva-E Drug Testing System (Dade Behring Inc., USA). METHODS: Using patients' samples and quality control material, we evaluated the analytical performance of Viva-E for a total of 11 drugs (cyclosporine, tacrolimus, mycophenolic acid, valproic acid, digoxin, theophylline, carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, vancomycin, and gentamicin) with respect to linearity, precision, and correlations with other methods according to CLSI guidelines. Cobas Integra 800 (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland) and API 4000 LC-MS/MS System (Applied Biosystems, USA) were used to make a comparison. In addition, we analyzed analysis time. RESULTS: Viva-E showed a good linearity (r2 > or = 0.97) for all items. Within-run CVs were within 5% and total CVs were within 10% for all drugs except for tacrolimus and digoxin at low concentrations. The system correlated well with the other methods (r=0.9283-0.9778). The time required for reporting the first sample was 11 min and the analysis time was 1.1 min. CONCLUSIONS: Since Viva-E showed a good analytical performance required for TDM in its linearity, precision, and accuracy with its wide drug menus including cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and mycophenolic acid, stat and random accessing functions, and the consolidation to a single workstation, it could be very useful in the clinical laboratory for various needs.
Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Drug Monitoring/*instrumentation/methods ; Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Technique/*instrumentation ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Pharmaceutical Preparations/*analysis ; Quality Control ; Reference Standards ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is characterized by a rapid growing mass of the neck and an early infiltration into the surrounding tissue. Because of its mature expression in elderly patients who have a poor general physical condition, a difficulty in diagnosis and the lack of effective treatment, it is one of the most lethal cancers that occur in human. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic character of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and analyze the prognostic factors affecting the survival rate. METHODS: The history of twenty patients who were diagnosed as having anaplastic thyroid carcinoma at Seoul National University Hospital between 1985 and 1999 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The most common symptom was a rapidly enlarging neck mass. Ten (55.5%) of 18 patients had concomitant well differentiated thyroid carcinomas and 5 (27.8%) patients had benign thyroid disease on the basis of the presenting pathologic features. The median survival time was 5.5 months and the 2-year survival rate was 27.3%. Among several factors that were analyzed, a tumor size smaller than 5 cm (p<0.001), the absence of distant metastases at presentation (p=0.020), patients that were selected for curative surgical resection (p=0.002), and postoperative radiotherapy (p=0.003) were associated with prolonged survival time. CONCLUSION: In the selected patients (tumor size<5 cm, the absence of distant metastases at presentation, young age (<55)), curative surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy may result in an increased survival time.
Aged ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Survival Rate ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*