No abstract available.
Anterior Temporal Lobectomy* ; Seizures*

In order to study the effects of welding fume on ventilatory function, forced expiratory spirogram was performed on 563 male workers exposed to welding fume in motor vehicles industry and 589 male control workers. Ventilatory indices such as forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV(1)), the ratio of one-second forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity (FEV(1)%= FEV(1)/FVC) and maximal mid-expiratory flow(MMF) were obtained by analyzing forced expiratory spirogram which were measured by Vitalograph in standing position. The results were as follows: 1. Mean values of FVC, FEV(1), FEV(1)%, and MMF expressed as percent of the predicted were significantly lower in exposure group than in control group. 2. No significant differences for mean ventilatory indices were demonstrated between smokers and nonsmokers both in exposure group and control group. However, mean MMF of welders tended to reduce in smokers (77.4 %) than in nonsmokers (82.4 %). 3. In exposure group mean FEV(1) was significantly lower in more than 20 years than those of control group. However, mean MMF, FEV(1)% were significantly reduced with increasing exposure duration compared to control group, indicating 90.8 %; and 62.2 % of the predicted in more than 20 years group. 4. In exposure group workers with obstructive ventilatory impairment (7.5 %) was markedly higher than that with restrictive ventilatory impairment (2.0 %). 5. In exposure group the proportion of workers with low ventilatory indices was' the highest in MMF (26.8 %), and followed by FEV(1)(11.9 %), FEV(1)%(7.6 %) and FVC (2.1 %) in descending order. Workers with low MMF and PEV^% were significantly increased with increasing exposure duration compared to control group, indicating 64.3 % and 32.1 % in above 20 years group. With the above considerations in mind it suggested that the exposure to welding fume be associated with reduced pulmonary function and obstructive ventilratory impairment, increasing exposure duration be associated with reduced pulmonary function, and MMF be the most sensitive index in the evaluation of venfcilatory impairments of workers exposed to welding fume.
Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Male ; Motor Vehicles ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Vital Capacity ; Welding*

No abstract available.
Lipomatosis*

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Fallopian Tubes* ; Female

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of laser cystectomy for the treatment of patients with dacryocystitis and sump syndrome. METHODS: Thirteen patients (13 eyes) diagnosed with acute or chronic dacryocystitis, and nine patients (9 eyes) who developed sump syndrome after dacryocystorhinostomy from 2005 to 2006 underwent laser cystectomy and endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy. RESULTS: Pain and swelling around the orbit improved immediately after the operation in patients with acute dacryocystitis, and all symptoms of sump syndrome disappeared by 1 month postoperatively. Epiphora reduced in all patients. During the follow-up period, functional nasolacrimal duct obstruction occurred in one eye and membranous obstruction developed in two eyes. In these two eyes with membranous obstruction, revisional surgery was performed successfully. No recurrence of dacryocystitis was noticed. CONCLUSIONS: Laser cystectomy with endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy is a simple and effective treatment modality for patients with dacryocystitis and sump syndrome that minimizes the risk of recurrence.
Cystectomy ; Dacryocystitis ; Dacryocystorhinostomy ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Orbit ; Postcholecystectomy Syndrome ; Recurrence

The majority of neurocritically ill patients have disorders of consciousness. Both level and content of consciousness should be assessed repeatedly throughout the course of patient care. In this review, we describe the definition and diagnostic criteria for disorders of consciousness, and the neurological examination and standardized neurobehavioral assessment tools as methods of assessing consciousness. Next, we will discuss neurophysiological and neuroimaging tests as tools for assessing consciousness: automated quantitative pupillometry, electroencephalogram, evoked potentials, brain imaging, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and biomarkers. We discuss the clinical utility of each assessment tool and the importance of a multimodal approach in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognostication of disorders of consciousness.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a systemic bone-forming disease, and its pathogenesis remains unknown. Moreover, the incidence of DISH increases with age. DISH may be an age-related disorder that occurs more frequently in degenerative spines than in healthy spines. Most patients with DISH of the cervical spine are asymptomatic; however, mechanical compression of the esophagus by the cervical spine can induce dysphagia, hoarseness, and dyspnea. In most cases, dysphagia progresses slowly. Most cases of postoperative dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery occurred within 1 month, and most patients recovered spontaneously. Severe dysphagia is relatively uncommon. Here, we report a case of acute-onset dysphagia with DISH that occurred immediately after anterior cervical discectomy. We should consider the possibility of dysphagia occurring immediately after anterior cervical discectomy in patients with DISH, even in those without dysphagia before surgery. Furthermore, surgical treatment for severe postoperative dysphagia associated with DISH may be a good option.

PURPROSE: The objectives of this study is to evaluate the role of microsatellite instability(MI) and p53 gene inactivation in transitional cell carcinoma(TCC) of the bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total 31 cases of TCC patients, not treated with radiation or anticancer chemotherapy, were included in this study. Fifteen out of 31 patients were superficial and 16 were invasive TCC according to pathologic stage, while 16 were low grade and 15 were high grade TCC according to Ash grading system. The presence of MI was investigated in 3 loci of 9p site(D9S162, IFNA, D9S1747), and 6 loci of 17p site(D17S261, D17S513, D17S654, D17S695, D17S796, TP53) using a method based on the polymerase chain reaction(PCR). And the p53 point mutations were detected using polymerase chain reaction-single stranded conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis. The p53 protein overexpression was determined by immunohistochemical stain using DO-7 primary antibody on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissue sections. RESULTS: On MI analysis, altered band pattern were detected in 16 of 31 case(51.6%) in 9p region and 15 of 31 cases(48.4%) in 17p region. MI of the 9p region showed no association with tumor grade or stage. MI of the 17p site also showed no difference between superficial and invasive tumor group, but were higher in high grade(73.3%) than low grade tumor group(25.0%). On PCR-SSCP analysis, total 8 mutations were found in 6 cases(19.4%) and 4 of 8 mutations(50%) were at exon 8. On immunohistochemical staining, p53 nuclear overexpressions were found in 18 cases(58.1%) and more common in high grade and invasive tumor group(p<0.05). Fifteen out of 18 cases(83.3%) showed MI of the 9p or 17p regions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the p16 alterations may occur in the early stage of tumorigenesis and p53 alterations are more associated with high grade/invasive tumor. And DNA mismatch repair system may play an important role in tumorigenesis of bladder tumor. MI analysis can be a useful method to detect early genetic alterations in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; DNA Mismatch Repair ; Drug Therapy ; Exons ; Formaldehyde ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Microsatellite Instability* ; Microsatellite Repeats* ; Paraffin ; Point Mutation* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder*

It has been known that the immunological functions against cancer cells were diminished, and these phenomena result from the inhibition of cell-mediated immunity by substance(s) secreted from cancer cells. It was also reported that the immunological functions decreased in patients with stomach cancer, which is the most frequent cnacer in Korean. However, the nature and function of the inhibitory factor(s) orignated from stomach cancer have not been identified. To elucidate effects of immuological inhibitory factor(s) secreted from cancer cells, SNU-1 (stomach cancer) and SW480 P109/R3P2 (colon cancer) were used in this study. Jurkat T cell line, an acute T cell leukemia, was pre-incubated with fractionated cancer cell culture supernatant for 3 days, then was stimulated with PMA, PWVanti-CD28 mAb or PMA/ionomycin for 8 hrs respectively. Fraction of SNU-1 (3 - 10 kDa) and above 10 kDa of SW480 P109/R3P2 inhibited the expression of IFN-r mRNA when Jurkat T cell was stimulated with PMA. However, there were no difference in IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression response to either PMA/anti-CD28 mAb or PMA/ionomycin. These results show that cancer cells secret some inhibitory factor(s) acting on the immune response, especially IFN-r gene expression of the Jurkat T cells response to PMA. Therefore, it suggests that the inhibitory factor(s) secreted from cancer cells influences on. the PKC-dependent pathway related to the signal transduction by PMA.
Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; Leukemia, T-Cell ; RNA, Messenger ; Signal Transduction ; Stomach Neoplasms ; T-Lymphocytes

BACKGROUND: Neuronal cell death after brain ischemia occurs predominately by necrosis, whereas only a minor fraction of cell death may occur through apoptosis. Authors investigated DNA fragmentation and apoptotic morphology in the brain cell to determine whether apoptosis contributes to the progression of an ischmic lesion. This study was conducted to determine the effects of dexamethasone and hypothermia on moderate brain ischemic injury by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. METHODS: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats (220 - 280 g) were used. Anesthesia was induced and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. MCAO was induced by intraluminal monofilament nylon. All rats were divided randomly into three groups. In group I (n = 10), normal saline 1 ml was injected intravenously 10 minutes before MCAO. In group II (n = 10), dexamethasone 3 mg/kg was administered and in group III (n = 10), body temperature was maintained at 32degreesC. After 60 minutes of MCAO, all rats that recovered from anesthesia were returned to cages. After 24 hour reperfusion, brain tissue was quickly removed and cerebral hemispheres were separated. Lesion volumes were measured by TTC staining. TUNEL reactivity was examined in the cortical infarction lesion, and rat brain DNA was run on agarose gel electrophoresis to detect DNA fragmentation. RESULTS: Apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in the nucleus developed in the hippocampal area after transient ischemia in rats. Dexamethasone did not prevent the development of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in transient brain ischemic rats. Moderate hypothermia could prevent the development of apoptosis and DNA fragmentation in transient brain ischemic rat. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis may represent a mode of ischemic cell death, and dexamethasone couldn't prevent apoptotic change in the ischemic brain insult. Moderate hypothermia (32degreesC) was a specifically effective procedure to reduce the development of apoptotic change in ischemic insults.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Body Temperature ; Brain ; Brain Ischemia ; Cell Death ; Cerebrum ; Dexamethasone ; DNA Fragmentation* ; DNA* ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Hypothermia* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Infarction ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Ischemia ; Isoflurane ; Necrosis ; Neurons ; Nylons ; Oxygen ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion