BACKGROUND: Preservation of antigen determinants while retaining morphological detail is prerequisite for high quality immunohistochemistry. Conventional formalin fixation and paraffin embedding procedures are useful in preserving tissue architecture and cytologic detail. However, they destroy the antigenicity of many proteins is tissue samples. On the other hand, fresh frozen section preserve the antigenicity of most proteins, but vield poor morphological preservation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the AMeX method as to the ability to preserve both antigenicity and morphologic details of the skin basement membrane zone so that precise localization of antigens can be attained in immunohistochemistry. METHODS: Tissues were fixed in acetone at -20degrees C over night, then cleared in methyl benzoate and xylene, consecutively, and embedded in ordinary paraffin at 58-60degrees C. Sections made from this paraffinembedded tissue were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for a morphologic study and immunolabelled with antibodies against major basement membrane antigens to evaluate antigenic preservation. The staining intensity and preservation of the morphology by the AMeX method were compared with conventional formalin processed tissues and frozen tissues. RESULTS: Morphological preservation of the AMeX method-processed sections was good throughout the epidermis, basement membrane, and dermis, and as good as that of routinely formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections. Frozen sections usually revealed revealed various degrees of damage by ice crystal formation throughout the epidermis to the dermis. The AMeX method-processed sections showed better or same antigenic preservation comparing the frozen sections when the sections were immunolabelled with specific monoclonal antibodies. But, when the sections were immunolabelled with patient's sera, the AMex method showed less antigenic preservation than the frozed sections. The anti-type IV collagen monoclonal antibody exhibited immunoreactivity only conventional formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded skin sections, but the intensity of the staining was weaker than the AMeX processed sections and the frozen sections. CONCLUSION: The AMeX method can be utilized for the demonstration of skin basement membrane antigens and is superior to the fresh-frozen method in that the histologic figures are more distinct and antigencity can be preserved for a long time.
Acetone* ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Basement Membrane* ; Benzoates* ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Epidermis ; Formaldehyde ; Frozen Sections ; Hand ; Hematoxylin ; Ice ; Immunohistochemistry ; Paraffin ; Paraffin Embedding ; Skin* ; Xylenes*

The gout is a hereditary condition of disturbed uric acid metabolism. There are medical and surgical management in tophaceous gout for prevention of recurrence of acute attack and creation of a negative uric acid balance. The surgical management is removal of tophaceous material in the soft tissue and osseous structure. Aditionally, the resection of bone and joint, arthrodesis and bone graft improve the functional capacity of the gouty patients. A 53 years old man was managed by removal of tophaceous materials in both prepatellar area, left olecranon area and both feet and arthrodesis of left first metatarsophalangeal joint with autogenous iliac bone graft and supportive medication with probenecid and indomethacine, and was followed up from March, 1986 to April, 1987. There was no significant difference in duration between the union of nonpathologic fracture and the union of arthrodesis area in this gouty patient. We found the progressive recovery of normal trabeculation in previous destructive bone lesions with drug therapy, but there was no specific change in the soft tissue lesions.
Arthrodesis ; Drug Therapy ; Foot ; Gout ; Humans ; Indomethacin ; Joints ; Metabolism ; Metatarsophalangeal Joint ; Olecranon Process ; Probenecid ; Recurrence ; Transplants ; Uric Acid

Fracuture-dislocation of the cuboid is an extremely rere injury compared with fracture-dislocation of other tarsal bones. We report a case of the fracture-dislocation of the cuboid treated by open reduction and internal fixation.
Tarsal Bones

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequecy(RF) catheter ablation is the choice of treatment of refractory supraventricular tachycardia. Althogh catheter ablation is invasive, it is well-known that this procedure is safe. However RF catheter ablation may provoke some adverse conditions. The purpose of this study was to assess functional and morphologic changes shortly after radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with supraventricular tachycardia by means of two-dimensional echocardiography. METHOD: Echocardiogram underwent 1 day before and within 3 days after RF catheter ablation. Cardiac chamber size, wall thickness, and valve motion in the M-mode were Measured. Left ventricular volume, area, dimension, pericardial effusion and segmental wall motion were measured by means of two-dimensional echocardiography and valve incompetence were also measured with color Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: New echocardiographic abnormalities were observed in 4(5.4%) among 73 patients. One mild aortic regurgitation,one increase in severity of tricuspid imcompetence, one increase in severity of mitral regurgitation and one mild pericardial effusion were found. CONCLUSION: We concluded that echocardiographic changes after radiofrequency ablation are rate and of minor significance.
Catheter Ablation ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler, Color ; Humans ; Methods ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Pericardial Effusion ; Tachycardia, Supraventricular

Kimura's disease is an uncommon, chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. It is an important category of reactive lymphadenopathy in the oriental population. The most common sites are the subcutis of the head and neck, and parotid gland. It's clinical course is benign nature. The treatment modalities for this disease are steroid therapy, radiation therapy and surgical excision. We experienced a case of soft tissue mass in the left arm. It was slightly tender and relatively movable. We excised the mass, which was turned out to be Kimura's disease on microscopic examination.
Arm ; Head ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neck ; Parotid Gland

No abstract available.
Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Prednisolone*

No abstract available.
Hypothyroidism* ; Myasthenia Gravis*

PURPOSE: This study was performed to find out the natural history of lung cancer in Pusan-Kyungnam area and changing of that in previous report. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We studied retrospectively 508 patients with pathologically proven lung cancer from January 1991 to December 1995. We analysed age and sex distribution, initial symptoms before diagnosis, first method yielding histologic diagnosis, cell types of lung cancer, initial stage of lung cancer, schema of overall patients, survivial of lung cancer patients, and prognostic factors affecting survival of lung cancer patients.. RESULTS: The overall male to female ratio was 4.5: 1 and the age distribution ranged from 20 to 86 years, and the median age of overall patients was 60 years. Histologic classification revealed that the most prevalent type was squamous cell carcinoma (251 cases, 49.4%), followed by adenocarcinoma (141 cases, 27.8%), small cell carcinoma (91 cases, 17.9%), and large cell carcinoma (3 cases, 0.6%). In non-smali cell lung cancer 56.8% were stage IIIb and IV, therefore curative operation was done in 18.7% of all cases, but in small cell lung cancer 65.6% were extended disease. Meidan survival of overall patients was 11.8 months. There was a quite difference in survival among the stages. In non-small cell lung cancer, median survival was 59.7 months, 27.3 months, 18.5 months, 12.7 months, 5.9 months in stage I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IV in each. In small cell lung cancer, median survival of limited disese was 12.2 months and median survival of extended disease was 6.7 months. The stage and the performance status were independent prognostic factors in both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of patients with lung cancer was still grave, but the survival was better than that of a previous report. This may be accorded to increase in early diagnosis and operation and advance in supportive care.
Adenocarcinoma ; Age Distribution ; Busan* ; Carcinoma, Large Cell ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Male ; Natural History ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Distribution ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

PURPOSE: We investigated incidence of feeding intolerance and time when normal enteral feeding can be established in full term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 61 full term infants with HIE who were admitted to St. Paul's Hospital from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 2001. The incidence of feeding intolerance, day of first feeding, and day of full enteral feeding were studied in respective to Sarnat stages. RESULTS: Among the full term with HIE, 32 were classified into stage I, 20 into stage II, and 9 into stage III. The incidence of feeding intolerance was 6%, 30%, and 89% for stages I, II and III, respectively. There was only one case of necrotizing enterocolitis among infants of stage III HIE. Feeding first began on 0.13+/-0.01 postnatal day (PND) in normal infants compared to 0.15+/-0.03 PND in infants of stage I, 3.24+/-1.82 PND in stage II and 5.58+/-2.50 PND in stage III. The incidence of feeding intolerance, day of first feeding, and day of normal enteral feeding achieved in infants with stage I were not different from those of normal infants but significantly higher and delayed in infants with more severe degrees of encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: The first feeding should vary according to severity of encephalopathy so as to lower the incidence of feeding intolerance and the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis. We suggest that infants of stageIencephalopathy be first fed as same as normal infants, but precaution is in order when deciding an appropriate time to start feeding in infants of stage II, III encephalopathy.
Enteral Nutrition ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain* ; Incidence* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Medical Records

PURPOSE: We investigated incidence of feeding intolerance and time when normal enteral feeding can be established in full term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 61 full term infants with HIE who were admitted to St. Paul's Hospital from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 2001. The incidence of feeding intolerance, day of first feeding, and day of full enteral feeding were studied in respective to Sarnat stages. RESULTS: Among the full term with HIE, 32 were classified into stage I, 20 into stage II, and 9 into stage III. The incidence of feeding intolerance was 6%, 30%, and 89% for stages I, II and III, respectively. There was only one case of necrotizing enterocolitis among infants of stage III HIE. Feeding first began on 0.13+/-0.01 postnatal day (PND) in normal infants compared to 0.15+/-0.03 PND in infants of stage I, 3.24+/-1.82 PND in stage II and 5.58+/-2.50 PND in stage III. The incidence of feeding intolerance, day of first feeding, and day of normal enteral feeding achieved in infants with stage I were not different from those of normal infants but significantly higher and delayed in infants with more severe degrees of encephalopathy. CONCLUSION: The first feeding should vary according to severity of encephalopathy so as to lower the incidence of feeding intolerance and the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis. We suggest that infants of stageIencephalopathy be first fed as same as normal infants, but precaution is in order when deciding an appropriate time to start feeding in infants of stage II, III encephalopathy.
Enteral Nutrition ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain* ; Incidence* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Medical Records