The thyroid gland is an interesting endocrine organ where a spectrum of tumors with different behavior arise. At one end of spectrum there is differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) with excellent prognosis, whereas at the other end of the spectrum is anaplastic thyroid cancer which has universally poor outcome. Radioiodine (I-131) therapy has been in use for the treatment of thyroid diseases since 1946. It was introduced by Seidlin et al. 1) Although the use of I-131 has been vouge for a long time, its use in therapy for well differentiated thyroid cancer is still controversial 2). This is because, thyroid cancers (TC) are generally slow growing tumors, with low mortality and normal spans of survival. To record recurrence and mortality, long term follow up studies over a period of two to three decades are needed to establish definite conclusions on the acceptable mode of treatment. The incidence of the disease being very low a large number of cases needed to establish a meaningful statistical data is lacking as most published reports deal with small series. Here again in the problem encountered are the differing protocols for treatment with I-131, the indications for treatment which may include or exclude ablation of residual thyroid tissue, cervical nodal and distal metastases. The dosage of I-131 used for ablation of residual thyroid tissue and metastatic disease also vary. The most reliable conclusion regarding I-131 treatment are obtained from studies reported on a large series of patients followed over a period of 2 decades or more from a single institute with a more or less unchanged protocol of management.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

The present study was performed to observe tegumental ultrastructure of Echinoparyphium recurvatum according to developmental stages. Worms (1, 3, 5 and 15-day old) were recovered from chicks experimentally infected with metacercariae from Radix auricularia coreana. One-day old worms were elongated and ventrally concave, and covered with peg-like tegumental spines except the adjecent areas of the head crown and excretory pore. Type I sensory papillae were distributed on the lip of the oral sucker, and grouped ciliated papillae were around the oral sucker. Peg-like tegumental spines were densely distributed on the anterior surface of the ventral sucker level. The ventral sucker had an aspinous tegument and no sensory papillae. Tegumental spines on the posterior surface of the ventral sucker level were sparsely distributed and disappeared posteriorly. In 3 and 5-day old worms, the tegument around the oral sucker was aspinose and wrinkled concentrically. The ventral sucker had a wrinkled tegument and many bulbous papillae. Type I sensory papillae were distributed between the bulbous papillae. Tegumental spines were spade-shaped with a terminal tip. A total of 45 collar spines including 4 end group ones on both ventral corners was alternately arranged in 2 rows. The 15-day old worms were very stout and their tegumental spines were tongue-shaped without a terminal tip. From the above results, it is confirmed that the surface ultrastructure of E. recurvatum was generally similar to that of other echinostomatid flukes. However, some features, i.e., morphological change of tegumental spines and appearence of sensory papillae on the ventral sucker according to development, and number, shape and arrangement of collar spines, were characteristic, which may be of taxonomic and bioecological significance.
Animals ; Chickens ; Echinostomatidae/anatomy & histology/growth & development/*ultrastructure ; Life Cycle Stages ; Lymnaea/parasitology ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach*

PURPOSE: The measurement of radiation absorbed dose is useful to predict the response after I-131 labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy and determine therapy dose in patients with unresectable or malignant pheochromocytoma. We estimated the absorbed dose in tumor tissue after high dose I-131 MIBG in a patient with pheochromocytoma using a gamma camera and Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) formula. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 64-year old female patient with pheochromocytoma who had multiple metastases of mediastinum, right kidney and periaortic lymph nodes, received 74 GBq (200 mCi) of I-131 MIBG. We obtained anterior and posterior images at 0.5, 16, 24, 64 and 145 hours after treatment. Two standard sources of 37 and 74 MBq of I-131 were imaged simultaneously. Cummulated I-131 MIBG uptake in tumor tissue was calculated after the correction of background activity, attenuation, system sensitivity and count loss at a high count rate. RESULTS: The calculated absorbed radiation dose was 32-63 Gy/ 74 GBq, which was lower than the known dose for tumor remission (150-200 Gy). Follow-up studies at 1 month showed minimally reduced tumor size on computed tomography, and mildly reduced I-131 MIBG uptake. CONCLUSION: We estimated radiation absorbed dose after therapeutic I-131 MIBG using a gamma camera and MIRD formula, which can be peformed in a clinical nuclear medicine laboratory. Our RESULTS suggest that the measurement of radiation absorbed dose in I-131 MIBG therapy is feasible as a routine clinical practice that can guide further treatment plan. The accuracy of dose measurement and correlation with clinical outcome should be evaluated further.
3-Iodobenzylguanidine ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gamma Cameras ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lymph Nodes ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nuclear Medicine ; Pheochromocytoma

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of [18F]FDG PET in the diagnosis of recurrent head and neck cancer after the completion of surgery and radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In fifty-nine patients with head and neck cancers, whole body [18F]FDG PET studies were performed. According to the different therapeutic modalities, patients were divided into four groups (Group I; pre-treatment, Group II; surgery, Group III; radiotherapy, Group IV; both surgery and radiotherapy). [18F]FDG PET images were compared with clinical, CT and histopathologic findings. RESULTS: For detection of metastatic lymph nodes in 14 patients of pre-treatment group (group I), the sensitivity and specificity of PET were 100% (10/10) and 75% (3/4), and those of CT were 80% (8/10) and 100% (4/4). For detection of recurrence in 45 patients of post-treatment group, overall sensitivity and specificity of PET were 96.2% (25/26) and 78.9% (15/19) [(100% and 75% in group II, 80% and 50% in group III, and 100% and 100% in group IV)] without significant difference from pre-treatment group (p>0.1). In detecting recurrence, the sensitivity and specificity of [18F]FDG PET were 90.9% (10/11) and 20% (1/5) in 16 patients who underwent [18F]FDG PET within 2 months after the completion of treatment. The specificity of these patients was significantly lower than that of 29 patients (100% of sensitivity and specificity) who underwent [18F]FDG PET 2 months after treatment (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: [18F]FDG PET is an accurate diagnostic modality for the detection of recurrence in head and neck cancer. Post-therapy [18F]FDG PET should be obtained at least 2 months after the completion of surgery or radiotherapy.
Diagnosis ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Head* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck* ; Radiotherapy* ; Recurrence ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Aspirin* ; Epithelial Cells*

As gastroduodenoscopy performed more frequently, case reports of human echinostomiasis are increasing in Korea. A Korean woman presented at a local clinic with complaints of abdominal pain and discomfort that had persisted for 2 weeks. Under gastroduodenoscopy, two motile flukes were found attached on the duodenal bulb, and retrieved with endoscopic forceps. She had history of eating raw frog meat. The two flukes were identified as Echinostoma hortense by egg morphology, 27 collar spines with 4 end-group spines, and surface ultrastructural characters. This report may prove frogs to be a source of human echinostome infections.
Animals ; Duodenal Diseases/*parasitology ; Duodenum/*parasitology ; Echinostoma/*isolation & purification ; Echinostomiasis/*diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged

This study was performed to observe the infection status of sweetfish, caught from Kwangjung-stream and Namdae-stream in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon-do in August 1989, with the metacercariae of Metagonimus yokogawai. All of 28 sweetfish from Kwangjung-stream were infected with the metacercariae of M. yokogawai. The number of metacercariae in a fish ranged 89-521(224 on average), and the number of larvae/g of flesh was 12 approximately 55 (22 on average). On the other hand, no metacercariae were detected in the fish from Namdae-stream. It has been confirmed that the Kwangjung-stream in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon-do is one of the endemic foci of metagonimiasis in Korea.
English-Abstract ; Fish-Diseases-parasitology ; Heterophyidae-isolation-and-purification ; Korea-epidemiology ; Trematode-Infections-parasitology ; *Fish-Diseases-epidemiology ; *Fresh-Water ; *Heterophyidae- ; *Trematode-Infections-epidemiology

This study was performed to observe the infection status of sweetfish, caught from Kwangjung-stream and Namdae-stream in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon-do in August 1989, with the metacercariae of Metagonimus yokogawai. All of 28 sweetfish from Kwangjung-stream were infected with the metacercariae of M. yokogawai. The number of metacercariae in a fish ranged 89-521(224 on average), and the number of larvae/g of flesh was 12 approximately 55 (22 on average). On the other hand, no metacercariae were detected in the fish from Namdae-stream. It has been confirmed that the Kwangjung-stream in Yangyang-gun, Kangwon-do is one of the endemic foci of metagonimiasis in Korea.
English-Abstract ; Fish-Diseases-parasitology ; Heterophyidae-isolation-and-purification ; Korea-epidemiology ; Trematode-Infections-parasitology ; *Fish-Diseases-epidemiology ; *Fresh-Water ; *Heterophyidae- ; *Trematode-Infections-epidemiology

No abstract available.
Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*