No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Holmium* ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Lithotripsy* ; Ureter* ; Ureteral Calculi*

PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to identify preoperative predictive factors of prolonged bladder catheterization after anterior vaginal wall sling operation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-seven patients who had undergone vaginal wall sling to treat stress urinary incontinence were reviewed retrospectively. All had got preoperative evaluations that included history, physical examination, voiding cystourethrography and urodynamic study. Voiding difficulty was the main outcome measure. This was determined by the time of suprapubic catheter removal. According to the catheter removal time, we divided the patients into 3 groups: Group A(<10 days), Group B(10-20days), Group C(>20 days). Fourteen parameters of the patients in 3 groups were compared. RESULTS: Median duration of postoperative catheterization was 10 days (range 2 to 50). There was no case of permanent urinary retention. Forty-five patients(52%) were free of catheter within 10 days after operation(Group A). Group B consisted of 24 patients (27%) and group C consisted of 18 patients(21%). There was no significant relationship between preoperative parameters and the duration of catheterization. CONCLUSIONS: We could not find any preoperative predictive factors that prolonged the duration of postoperative catheterization. Risk of prolonged catheterization did not depend on the patients characteristics. Other factors which have not been assessed in this study, such as the amount of tension applied to the sling, should be evaluated as the predictive factors in the further study.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Humans ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urinary Retention ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: Many pediatric urologists perform diagnostic laparoscopy for the evaluation of the patients with impalpable testis. While laparoscopic procedure is very useful for accurate localization of the impalpable testis, it has potentially significant complications especially in the less experienced hands. Previous studies demonstrated that the contralateral testicular hypertrophy (CTH) could be induced by hemicastration in prepubertal animals. The CTH can occur in the cases of the testicular nubbin (TN), which is usually removed by inguinal approach. If we can perfectly predict the TN by confirming the CTH, the diagnostic laparoscopic procedure could be omitted in case of unilateral impalpable testis with the CTH. Therefore, we studied to determine the correlation between CTH and TN in children with unilateral impalpable testis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 1995 to May 1998, 22 boys (1-13y) with unilateral impalpable testis were evaluated at our institution. Preoperative ultrasonography was performed to measure the size of the descended palpable testis. The CTH was defined if the longitudinal diameter of the descended testis was greater than the mean +2 S.D. of the normal testicular size in Korean children. RESULTS: In cases with the CTH, the sensitivity and specificity for prediction of the TN were 82% and 91%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values for TN using the CTH were 90% and 83%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between CTH and TN in unilateral impalpable testis was significantly high (p=0.015), but there were a few exceptional cases. Therefore, we could not replace the diagnostic laparoscopic procedure using the CTH in the evaluation of the children with unilateral impalpable testis.
Animals ; Child ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypertrophy* ; Laparoscopy ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Testis* ; Ultrasonography

Bone morphogenetic proteins have been shown to possess significant osteoinSductive potential, but in order to take advantage of this effect for tissue engineering, carrier systems are essential. Successful carrier systems must enable vascular and cellular invasion, allowing BMP to act as a differentiation factor. The carrier should be reproducible, non-immunogenic, moldable, and space-providing, to define the contours of the resulting bone. The purpose of this study was to review available literature, in comparing various carriers of BMP on rat calvarial defect model. The following conclusions were deduced. 1. Bone regeneration of ACS/BMP, beta-TCP/BMP, FFSS/BMP, FFSS/beta-TCP/BMP, MBCP/BMP group were significantly greater than the control groups. 2. Bone density in the ACS/BMP group was greater than that in beta-TCP, FFSS, FFSS/beta-TCP carrier group. 3. Bone regeneration in FFSS/BMP group was less than in ACS/BMP, beta-TCP/BMP, MBCP/BMP group. However, New bone area of FFSS/beta-TCP/BMP carrier group were more greater than that of FFSS/BMP group. ACS, beta-TCP, FFSS, FFSS/beta-TCP, MBCP were used for carrier of BMP. However, an ideal carrier which was reproducible, non-immunogenic, moldable, and space-providing did not exist. Therefore, further investigation are required in developing a new carrier system.
Animals ; Bone Density ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins* ; Bone Regeneration ; Rats* ; Tissue Engineering

Genetically engineered mice have provided much information about gene function in the field of developmental biology. Recently, conditional gene targeting using the Cre/loxP system has been developed to control the cell type and timing of the target gene expression. The increase in number of kidney-specific Cre mice allows for the analysis of phenotypes that cannot be addressed by conventional gene targeting. The mammalian kidney is a vital organ that plays a critical homeostatic role in the regulation of body fluid composition and excretion of waste products. The interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells are very critical events in the field of developmental biology, especially renal development. Kidney development is a complex process, requiring inductive interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal cells that eventually lead to the growth and differentiation of multiple highly specialized stromal, vascular, and epithelial cell types. Through the use of genetically engineered mouse models, the molecular bases for many of the events in the developing kidney have been identified. Defective morphogenesis may result in clinical phenotypes that range from complete renal agenesis to diseases such as hypertension that exist in the setting of grossly normal kidneys. In this review, we focus on the growth and transcription factors that define kidney progenitor cell populations, initiate ureteric bud branching, induce nephron formation within the metanephric mesenchyme, and differentiate stromal and vascular progenitors in the metanephric mesenchyme.
Animals ; Body Fluids ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Developmental Biology ; Epithelial Cells ; Gene Expression ; Gene Targeting ; Hypertension ; Kidney ; Kidney Diseases ; Mesoderm ; Mice ; Morphogenesis ; Nephrons ; Phenotype ; Stem Cells ; Transcription Factors ; Ureter ; Waste Products

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate T2 relaxation time change using axial T2 mapping in a rabbit degenerated disc model and determine the most correlated variable with histologic score among T2 relaxation time, disc height index, and Pfirrmann grade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Degenerated disc model was made in 4 lumbar discs of 11 rabbits (n = 44) by percutaneous annular puncture with various severities of an injury. Lumbar spine lateral radiograph, MR T2 sagittal scan and MR axial T2 mapping were obtained at baseline and 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the injury in 7 rabbits and at baseline and 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 6 weeks after the injury in 4 rabbits. Generalized estimating equations were used for a longitudinal analysis of changes in T2 relaxation time in degenerated disc model. T2 relaxation time, disc height index and Pfirrmann grade were correlated with the histologic scoring of disc degeneration using Spearman's rho test. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in T2 relaxation time between uninjured and injured discs after annular puncture. Progressive decrease in T2 relaxation time was observed in injured discs throughout the study period. Lower T2 relaxation time was observed in the more severely injured discs. T2 relaxation time showed the strongest inverse correlation with the histologic score among the variables investigated (r = -0.811, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: T2 relaxation time measured with axial T2 mapping in degenerated discs is a potential method to assess disc degeneration.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Intervertebral Disc/injuries/*pathology ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/*pathology ; Lumbar Vertebrae/*pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Punctures ; Rabbits

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the colon is very rare and its incidence is 0.025% to 0.05% among all colon cancers. We report a case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the sigmoid colon in a 65year-old man. He had bowel habit change and hematochezia for 3 months. Colonoscopy with biopsy and left inguinal lymph node biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma. We confirmed the diagnosis of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the sigmoid colon with lymph node metastasis by diagnostic criteria. The patient was discharged against advice and expired.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colonoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis