A case of malignant epithelial mesothelioma of the peritoneum diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology is described. The smear showed many individually scattered or clustered large round malignant epithelial cells intermingled with relatively small nonneoplastic mesothelial and mesenchymal cells. Papillary configurations with thick fibrous core were also seen. The malignant cells were virtually reminiscent of reactive mesothelial cells but they were larger in size and had more prominent nucleoli and more frequent binucleated or multinucleated cell formations than reactive mesothelial cells. The characteristic features of malignant cell of mesothelioma compared with the metastatic adenocarcinoma were relatively uniform cellular size, prominent round nucleoli, large round vesicular nuclei with finely granular chromatin pattern, smooth nuclear membrane, abundant glassy cytoplasm rather than bubbly mucin-containing cytoplasm and fuzzy cell border.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Chromatin ; Cytoplasm ; Epithelial Cells ; Mesothelioma* ; Nuclear Envelope ; Peritoneum*

No abstract available.
Otitis Media* ; Otitis*

A 20-year-old woman presented with 2-year history of low back pain. She is a basketball player. There was neither major traumatic episode nor history of febrile illness, On plain roentgenograms, sclerosis and slightly decreased height of L5 vertebral body was detected while the intervertebral disc spaces were intact. We found that L5 body was destructed by materials showing high signal intensity on T2 weighted images and connecting the two adjacent disc spaces on MRI. The initial diagonsis included bone tumors. Vertebrectomy was done and the intravertebral material was revealed as degenerated nucleus pulposus.
Basketball ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Sclerosis ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus*

The T cell responses to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were analyzed in acute hepatitis patients, chronic active hepatitis (CAH) patients and asymptomatic carriers. Neither proliferative responses nor substantial cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in response to HBsAg was detected. For further studies, HBsAg- reactive T cell lines were prepared from PBMC of the hepatitis patients and asymptomatic carriers. No proliferative response of the T cell lines was observed. Interestingly, however, T cell lines obtained from acute hepatitis patients were found to produce IFN-r, but not IL- 4, in response to HBsAg stimulation, whereas T cell lines obtained from CAH patients and carriers were not. Results of this study suggest that HBsAg-reactive T cells producing Thl type cytokines may play an important role in the viral clearance during acute infections, while defects in those T cells may be responsible for the viral persistency.
Cell Line ; Cytokines ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes*

The gene expressions of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) from human peripheral blood lymphocytes (HPBL) stimulated by C. albicans were investigated by using ELISA (Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and northern blotting. HPBL (1 X 10'/ml) obtained from normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes were cultured with live C. albicans (LCA) or heat killed C. albicans type A 311 (KCA, 3 X 10/ml) for various times (0.5, 1, 4, 8, 18, 24, 48 and 72 hours). On the purpose of this experiment, we also used lipopolysacchalide (LPS, 10 ug/ml), zymosan (1, 10, 100 ug/ml) as a polysacchaide component of the wall of yeast cells or TNFa (50, 100 ng/ml) as a IL-6 inducers. For observation of the level of IL-6 gene expression, actinomycin D (AD, 5 pg/ml) or cyclohexamide (CHX, 25 ug/ml) was added to HPBL stimulated with LCA for 0.5, 2, 4 hours and the HPBL were assessed for IL-6 mRNA. The highest value for IL-6 activity by LCA were observed at 48 hours reaction, but in the case of KCA, highest value of IL-6 activity was observed at 72 hours reaction and the value was also higher (500 pg/ml) than that of LCA (188 pg/ml). 1L-6 mRNA induced by LCA were detected up to 48 hours but in the case of KCA, the band for IL-6 mRNA were far stronger and appeared until lately than that of LCA. Therefore, the results of IL-6 gene expression agreed with that of ELISA.
Blotting, Northern ; Dactinomycin ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression* ; Hot Temperature ; Humans* ; Interleukin-6 ; Lymphocytes* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; RNA, Messenger ; Yeasts ; Zymosan

Aberrant left-sided pulmonary artery(pulmonary artery sling) is an uncommon anomaly, which may cause significant respiratory abnormality. We report a case of pulmonary artery sling which is combined with persistent left superior vena cava and dextrocardia. This case was identified by esophagogram and CT and confirmed by MRI and angiography. We consider that MRI is a valuable new method for the diagnosis of aberrant left-sided pulmonary artery.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Dextrocardia ; Diagnosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methods ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Vena Cava, Superior

BACKGROUND: Whether the changes of risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol) can precipitate stroke remains unknown, and antecedent infection and psychologic stress are described insufficiently as predisposing risk factors for cerebral infarction. Therefore, we attempted to examine the roles of recent infection, psychologic stress, and the changes of risk factors as potential precipitants in each stroke subtypes. We also tested the temporal relationship between preceding exposure to coldness and stroke onset. METHODS: In this case-control study, 113 consecutive patients with acute cerebrovascular disease (38 small vessel disease, 43 large vessel disease, 11 cardiogenic infarction, 4 infarction of undetermined cause, and 17 intracerebral hemorrhage) and 23 control subjects were evaluated. Changes of the risk factors (and their management) were interviewed. A sign/symptom based questionnaire was used to characterize the prevalence of recent prior infection and exposure to coldness. Psychologic stress was measured with the use of Social Readjustment Rating Scale. RESULTS: The negative change of alcohol drinking was significantly higher in the stroke group. However, there was no significant difference between stroke and control groups in the changes of the other risk factors. The prevalence of previous (within 1 month) infection was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.03). However, there were no significant differences among the stroke subtypes in the prevalence of infection(p=0.08). Upper respiratory tract infections constituted the most common type of infection. The exposure to coldness was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.002). The level of stress within the prior 1 month/1 year was significantly higher in the stroke group than control group (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that preceding infection, exposure to coldness, psychologic stress, and the negative change of alcohol drinking may be com.
Alcohol Drinking ; Case-Control Studies ; Cerebral Infarction ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Infarction ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stress, Psychological* ; Stroke*

Reflex ileus in acute abdominal disease were produced frequently due to cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, abscess in pelvic, appendiceal and diaphragmatic etc. But we found that a functional type of paralytic ileus due to ureteral stonetr renal stone was commonly seen on the plain roentgenogram. In these functional type of reflex ileus due to urinary stone, distension of the small intestine withgas may interfere with an accurate detection of the stone. It may lead to confusion in detecting ureteral stone and obstructive ileus. In this report, we analyzed how many cases would show a functional type of reflex ileus in urinary stone cases. 1. In 200 cases of urinary stone, reflex ileus with urinary stone were produced in 49 cases(21. 5%) 2. Many cases of ureteral stone were found on lower third of the ureter. (99 cases) 28 reflex ileus cases in 99 cases were produced (29.2%) 3. In reflex ileus due to urinary stone, we classified them by sex, age, location and stone size. The stone was often masked by nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention and reflex ileus on plain roentgenogram. So it is necessary to perform a complete urological study to detect urinary stone.
Abscess ; Cholecystitis ; Cholelithiasis ; Ileus* ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Intestine, Small ; Masks ; Nausea ; Reflex* ; Ureter ; Urinary Calculi* ; Urolithiasis ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Frontal Lobe* ; Neuropsychological Tests*