A mediastinal mass was aspirated by fluoroscope-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy in a 47 years old female patient. The first aspiration smears were not diagnostic, because of hemorrhagic background and cell paucity. On the second aspiration, the smears were composed of some clusters of benign epithelial cells in hemorrhagic background. Cells were arranged in mostly solid sheets and tended to form glandular lumina in part. Their nuclei were round and vesicular. Nucleoli were not prominent. These findings were suggestive of benign glandular tissue, which was finally confirmed as mediastinal thyroid gland by open thoracotomy specimen.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis* ; Nephritis* ; Risk Factors* ; Thoracotomy ; Thyroid Gland

No abstract available.
Female* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Measles*

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: As a result of exposure to human leukocyte antigen(HLA) by pregnancy, blood transfusion and previous organ transplantation, many patients awaiting renal transplantation can develop HLA antibodies. The level of HLA sensitization is determined by PRA(panel reactive antibody) test using a lymphocyte panel from HLA phenotyped selected donors. In Korea, PRA tests have not been performed routinely for organ transplantations. and there is no available data about HLA sensitization in renal transplantation. METHODS: PRA test was done in 136 sera of chronic renal failure(CRF) patients receiving dialysis (hemodialysis 108, peritoneal dialysis 28) by NIH standard microlymphocytotoxicity method with a frozen lymphocytes panel from 36 HLA-typed donors. PRA positive sera were re-tested after dithiothreitol(DTT) treatment and analyzed for HLA antibody specificities. RESULTS: Thirty five out of 136 sera(25.7%) showed positive PRA values in HLA antibody screening test. The PRA(%) values of the 35 positive sera were distributed into 1-10%(n=8), 10-20%(n=7), 20-50%(n=12) and 50%-100%(n=8). respectively. After DTT treatment, the change of PRA reactivity was divided into three groups. The PRA values of Group A(22 sera: 63%) showed no change, Group B(7 sera: 20%) declined, and Group C(6 sera. 17%) completely disappeared after DTT treatment. The specificities of HLA antibodies were identified in 19 out of 35 sera(54%). The success rate in defining antibody specificities was 0 at PRA values of 1-10% and 70-100%, and high at PRA values of 20-70%. CONCLUSION: We observed that about a quarter of CRF patients have developed HLA antibodies of immunoglobulin class-IgG, mixed IgG and IgM, and IgM HLA antibody in decreasing order of frequency.
Antibodies ; Antibody Specificity ; Blood Transfusion ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Isoantibodies* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Kidney Transplantation ; Korea ; Leukocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Mass Screening ; Organ Transplantation ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Pregnancy ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Tuberculosis*

Five adult cases of post-laminectomy swan-neck deformity are reported. The factors causing the deformity, prophylactic measures, and treatment of the deformity are discussed. It is strongly adviced to the neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons that they should be aware of this unwanted complication of the multi-level cervical laminectomies, and that they should provide every preventive measures before post-laminectomy swan neck deformity develops. Anterior interbody fusion spanning the entire unstable segments is preferably recommended together with application of pre-fusion traction.
Adult ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Neck ; Neurosurgeons ; Orthopedics ; Surgeons ; Traction

No abstract available.

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to examine factors of poor outcome by analyzing the outcomes of bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease after 3 years. Methods: We assumed that patients who could not manage independent life in their best stimulationon/medication-on condition after a defi ned period might not have been a good surgical candidate. A poor outcome is defi ned as a failure to maintain functional independence at three years during a stimulation-on/medication-on state. Results: A total of 84 patients underwent bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation and all were followed up for 3 years. We excluded one patient who had intracranial hemorrhage. Twenty-one patients of the 83 patients could not keep up independent life even during their best condition for the following reasons: freezing in 15 patients, dementia in 5, depression in 3, musculoskeletal problems in 7, and cancer in one patient. Conclusions: Many patients could not keep up independent life during their best condition as early as three years after deep brain stimulation. Musculoskeletal problems were one major cause of disabilities, as were freezing and dementia. We emphasize that musculoskeletal problems need more attention in the preoperative screening of deep brain stimulation candidates and during the follow up.

Thrombomodulin (TM) is thrombin receptor present on the luminal surface of endothelial cells. Because the thrombin-TM complex acts as an anticoagulant, the functional variants or deficiency of TM may lead to increment of thrombotic tendency. In this study, we screened the genetic variants of the TM gene in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and analyzed the genotype to elucidate the effects of genetic variations of TM gene on the development of the MI. We screened a promoter region and coding sequence of the TM gene using single strand conformation polymorphism-heteroduplex analysis and identified three common genetic variants: those were TM G-33A, TM Ala455Val, and TM C1922T. The genotype frequencies were investigated in the patients with MI (n=234) and control subjects (n=291) by the method of allele-specific oligomer hybridization. The frequencies of mutant genotypes (TM -33A, TM 455Val, and TM 1922T) were higher in patient group compared to the control subjects in males while there were no significant differences in females. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, TM 455Val and TM 1922T alleles were independent risk factors for MI (OR[95% CI: 1.799[1.125-2.878] p=0.014 and 5.624[1.019-31.025], p=0.048, respectively) in males. However, the genetic variations were not independent risk factors for MI in females. There were significant linkage disequilibriums among three genetic variants. These linkage disequilibriums explain the similar effects of three genetic variants on the development of MI. To investigate the effect of the TM G-33A mutation on TM promoter activity, the two TM promoter constructs (pTM-355 and pTM-125, bearing TM -33G or TM -33A) containing of firefly luciferase gene were transfected into HepG2, BAE, and CHO cells. The promoter activities were higher in the promoter constructs with TM -33G compared to the constructs with TM -33A in pTM-355. These results suggest the possibility of the positive predisposing effect of TM -33A allele on MI in males. The functional study for TM Ala455Val and TM C1922T should be followed to elucidate the genotype effects of these mutations on the development of MI. In this study, we identified three genetic variants of TM gene and showed the significant associations between genetic variants and MI in males. These results proposed that TM gene is an attractive candidate for genetic risk factor for MI in Koreans.
Alleles ; Animals ; CHO Cells ; Clinical Coding ; Cricetinae ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Fireflies ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Logistic Models ; Luciferases ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phenobarbital ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Receptors, Thrombin ; Risk Factors* ; Thrombomodulin

A total of 0.3ml of 100% sulfur hexafluoride(SF6) was injected into vitreous cavity with a single shot or two 0.15ml shots, and the time dependent intraocular pressure changes were compared. Intraocular pressure was monitored at 5 minute intervals for 60 minutes after injection. Immediately after a single shot injection, remarkable intraocular pressure elevation(85mmHg, mean)was observed, which returned, however, to normal level within 15 minutes. Intraocular pressure elevation was milder when a smaller bolus of gas(0.15ml)was separately injected twice. No re-elevation of intraocular pressure was noted with either method after the initial return to normal.
Intraocular Pressure* ; Sulfur