No abstract available.
Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* ; Sofosbuvir*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The utility of asialo-α1-acid glycoprotein (AsAGP) for assessing the fibrotic burden is unknown. This study examined the diagnostic performance of the AsAGP level for advanced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).METHODS: From July to December 2018, 48 patients with CHB and 75 with NAFLD were recruited prospectively. Transient elastography was used as the reference standard for liver fibrosis, and the cutoff liver stiffness values were defined as 10.0 kilopascal (kPa) for ≥F3 and 12.0 kPa for F4 in CHB patients, and 9.0 kPa for ≥F3 and 11.8 kPa for F4 in NAFLD patients.RESULTS: To predict stage ≥F3 and F4 fibrosis, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the AsAGP level in patients with CHB were 0.788 (95% CI 0.647-0.930; p=0.005) and 0.825 (95% CI 0.674–0.976; p=0.004), respectively. The cutoff AsAGP levels in patients with CHB that maximized the sum of the sensitivity and specificity values were 1.31 (sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 52.6%) and 1.55 (sensitivity 75.0%, specificity 80.0%), respectively. In contrast, the AsAGP level was similar regardless of the fibrosis stage in patients with NAFLD (all p>0.05 between the stages).CONCLUSIONS: The AsAGP level showed acceptable diagnostic accuracy in predicting advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with CHB but not in those with NAFLD. Further studies will be needed to validate the diagnostic performance of the AsAGP level in patients with NALFD.
Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Fibrosis ; Glycoproteins ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; Prospective Studies ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVE: To report an observational investigation of small high attenuated foci in computed tomography (CT) scan followed by brain parenchymal catheterization. METHODS: From January 2011 to March 2015, we retrospectively reviewed the 381 patients who had undergone brain catheterization in our clinic and enrolled the patients who had newly developed high attenuation foci in the postoperative CT scans. The brain CT scans were reviewed about the lesion location, Hounsfield Unit (HU) and the time of appearance. RESULTS: Twenty seven of 381 patients had high attenuation foci in CT scans after the procedure. The location of high density lesions was as follows: parenchyma in 9 (33.3%) cases, ventricle in 5 (18.5%), combined in parenchyma and ventricle in 13 (48.1%). The lesions were identified in the catheter tract in parenchymal type, and catheter-lodged frontal horn or choroid plexus in ventricular type. We could not find the calcific foci before the catheter removal, and those were found after removal in all cases. The time of appearance after the removal was variable from 0 to 14 days (mean 4.2, median 3). The regular rules of HU change in CT scans were not found as times go on. CONCLUSION: The high attenuation foci in CT scans were bone dust originated from skull during operation. Although these lesions did not make troubles, we should clean the operation field before the insertion of brain catheter and we may use another material, like Surgicel to seal up the burr hole instead of bone dust in the end of operation.
Animals ; Bone Transplantation ; Brain* ; Calcinosis ; Catheterization* ; Catheters* ; Choroid Plexus ; Dust ; Horns ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Background and objectives: Carvedilol is a cardiovascular drug, beta- and alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, currently approved for the treatment of hypertension, angina, congestive heart failure by FDA. Carvedilol has been shown to attenuate oxygen free radical-initiated lipid peroxidation and to inhibit neointimal formation of aorta following vascular injury by balloon angioplasty. We have investigated the effect of carvedilol on DNA synthesis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) stimulated by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Rat aortic smooth muscle cells were obtained by the combined collagenase and elastase methods. Cells between the 4th and 8th passages were used for the experiments. Incorporated radioactivity of [3H]-thymidine was measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry. RESULTS: PDGF-BB (1 nM) increased [3H]-thymidine incorporation about 70-100% over basal value in cultured VSMC. PDGF-stimulated increase in DNA synthesis was significantly suppressed by simultaneous administration of carvedilol. In contrast, propranolol did not significantly affect 3[H]-thymidine uptake in rat aortic VSMC. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrate that carvedilol significantly inhibits the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cell in our condition. These results indicate that carvedilol may be effective in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases principally associated with abnormal vascular smooth muscle growth.
Angioplasty, Balloon ; Animals ; Aorta ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagenases ; DNA ; Heart Failure ; Hypertension ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Oxygen ; Pancreatic Elastase ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; Propranolol ; Radioactivity ; Rats ; Spectrum Analysis ; Vascular System Injuries

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bond strength of reline resin to pressure injection type thermoplastic denture base resin.The denture base resins used in this study were Hipolycarbonate(High Dental Co.,Japan),Acetal dental(Pressingdental s.r.l.,Repubblica di San Marino)of thermoplastic resin and Acron MC(GC Dental Industrial Co.,Japan)of heatcured resin.The reline resins used were Lucitone 199(Dentsply international Inc.,USA),Tokuso rebase(Tokuyama Corp.,Japan),and Lightdon-U(Dreve-Dentamid-Gmbh,Germany).The reline resins are representative of heat-cured,self-cured,and light-cured resin respectively.Bond strength was examined by use of a three-point transverse flexural strength test. The results were as follows: 1.The bond strength of Lucitone 199 to Acron MC was the highest. 2.The bond strengths of Lucitone 199 and Tokuso rebase to Hi-polycarbonate resulted in a value of approximately one half that of Lucitone 199 to Acron MC,and there were no significant differences between these and the bond strength of Tokuso rebase to Acron MC(p<0.05). 3.The bond strengths of reline resins to Acetal dental were lower than those of reline resins to Hi-polycarbonate. 4.For all base resins Lightdon-U showed lower bond strength than the other reline resins.
Denture Bases* ; Dentures* ; Polymethyl Methacrylate

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a slowly progressive cholestatic liver disease. In cases of PSC, liver transplantation is the only effective treatment that can delay the disease's natural course. We report a case of rapidly progressive PSC requiring liver transplantation. A 52-year-old woman visited our hospital with abdominal pain. There was no evidence of PSC, as there was no elevation in cholestatic liver enzymes at her first visit. Although her total bilirubin was in a normal range at the initial visit, liver dysfunction progressed rapidly. Despite endoscopic procedures and ursodeoxycholic acid intake, total bilirubin levels rose to 18.9 mg/dL, and liver transplantation was performed 17 months after her first visit. PSC was pathologically confirmed after liver transplantation.
Abdominal Pain ; Bilirubin ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Transplantation ; Reference Values ; Ursodeoxycholic Acid

BACKGROUND: Mutations of p53 gene, rarely found in leukemia, result in accumulation of mutated p53 protein in the nuclei of tumor cells, which can be detected by immunohistochemistry. Lately, anti-p53 antibodies were found in the sera of patients who had solid tumors as a result of immune response to accumulation of mutated p53 protein in tumor cells. METHODS: For investigation of the clinical implication of cellular p53 protein overexpression and serum p53 antibody, immunohistochemical staining for p53 protein of B-5 fixed paraffin embedded bone marrow biopsies and enzyme immunoassay for the presence of anti-p53 antibodies of sera were performed simultanously; in 58 cases of AML, 34 cases of ALL, 11 cases of acute leukemia at relapse, 13 cases of CML in chronic phase and 5 cases of CLL. RESULTS: Overexpression of p53 protein was found in 9.1%(11/121) of all leukemias, with 8.6% of AML with predominance of M6, 5.9% of ALL, 18.2% of acute leukemia at relapse and 40% of CLL, but not found in CML. Serum anti-p53 antibodies were found in 5.8%(7/121) of all leukemias, with 6.9% of AML and 5.9% of ALL, 9.1% of acute leukemia at relapse, but not found in chronic leukemias. In AML and ALL, age, sex, hemoglobin, leukocyte count, platelet count and blast % were not related with p53 protein expression. The AML patients with p53 protein overexpression have more unfavorable karyotypes(complex karyotype, -5, -7 and t(10;11)), with shorter overall survival as compared to those without p53 protein overexpression. The presence of serum anti-p53 antibodies was not related with clinical findings of leukemias. CONCLUSIONS: The indications are that p53 gene alterations will contribute to disease development and progression in some specific patients with leukemia, due to the rare frequency of overexpression of p53 protein and serum anti-p53 antibodies in leukemia. Analysis of the p53 protein and serum p53 antibodies could screen p53 gene mutation and predict prognosis for some leukemias.
Antibodies* ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Immunohistochemistry ; Karyotype ; Leukemia* ; Leukocyte Count ; Paraffin ; Platelet Count ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: To evaluate the enhancing pattern of gastric carcinomas at dynamic incremental CT and to correlate it with pathologic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the enhancement pattern of stomach cancer on dynamic incremental CT of the 78 patients. All the lesions had been pathologically proved aftersurgery. The enhancement pattern was categorized as good or poor in the early phase ; homogeneous, heterogeneous or ring enhancement ; the presence or absence of delayed enhancement. There were 16 cases of early gastriccancer(EGC), and 62 cases of advanced gastric cancer(AGC). The Borrmann type of AGC were 1(n=1), 2(n=20), 3(n=32),4(n=8) and 5(n=1). The histologic patterns of AGC were tubular(n=49), signet ring cell(n=10), and mucinous(n=3). The enhancing patterns were compared with gross and histologic findings and delayed enhancement was corrrelated with pathologic evidence of desmoplasia. RESULTS: Good enhancement of tumor was seen in 24/41cases (58.5%) with AGC Borrmann type 3-5, in 6/21(28.6%) with AGC Borrmann type 1-2, and in 3/16(18.8%) with EGC (P<.05). By histologic pattern, good enhancement of tumor was seen in 8/10(80%) with signet ring cell type, in 21/49(42.9%)with tubular type, and in 1/3(33.3%) with mucinous type(P<.05). EGC was homogeneously enhanced in 14/16cases(87.5%), but AGC was heterogeneously enhanced in 33/62(53.2%), respectively(P<.01). There was no significant correlation between delayed enhancement and the presence of desmoplasia. CONCLUSION: AGC Borrmann type 3-5 andsignet ring cell type have a tendency to show good enhancement and EGC is more homogeneously enhanced at dynamicincremental CT.
Humans ; Mucins ; Retrospective Studies

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: In order to increase preload with reducing the friction coefficient, abutment screws coated with pure gold and Teflon as dry lubricant coatings have been introduced. But the reported data indicate that if screw repeated tightening and loosening cycle, an efficiency of increasing preload was decreased by screw surface wearing off. PURPOSE: This study was to evaluate the influence of tungsten carbide/carbon coating, which has superior hardness and frictional wear resistance, on the preload of abutment screws and the stability of coating surface after repeated closures. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The rotational values of abutment screws and the compressive forces between abutment and fixture were measured in implant systems with three different joint connections, one external butt joint and two internal cones. Moreover, the stability and the alteration of coating surface were examined by comparison of the compressive force and the removable torque values during 10 consecutive trials, observation with scanning electron microscope and analyzed the elemental composition with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 1. Application of coating resulted in significant increase of compressive force in all implant systems(P<.05). The increasing rate of compressive force by coating in external butt joint was greater than those in internal cones(P<.05). 2. Coated screw showed the significant additional rotation compared to non-coated screw in all implant systems(P<.05). There were no significant differences in the increasing rate of rotation among implant systems(P>.05). 3. Removable torque values were greater with non-coated screw than that with coated screw (P<.05). 4. Coated screw showed insignificant variations in the compressive forces during 10 consecutive trials(P>.05). 5. After repeated trials, the surface layer of coated screw was maintained relatively well. However, surface wearing and irregular titanium fragments were found in non-coated screw.
Friction ; Hardness ; Joints ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission ; Titanium ; Torque ; Tungsten*