No abstract available.
Animals* ; Hypertension, Portal* ; Models, Animal*

Global incidence of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) is rapidly increasing, but the diagnosis of these diseases at their early stage is challenging. Therefore, the availability of reproducible and reliable biomarkers to diagnose such diseases is more critical than ever. In addition, biomarkers could be used not only to diagnose diseases but also to monitor the development of disease therapeutics. Urine is an excellent biofluid that can be utilized as a source of biomarker to diagnose not only several renal diseases but also other diseases because of its abundance in invasive sampling. However, urine was conventionally regarded as inappropriate as a source of biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases because it is anatomically distant from the central nervous system (CNS), a major pathologic site of NDD, in comparison to other biofluids such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma. However, recent studies have suggested that urine could be utilized as a source of NDD biomarker if an appropriate marker is predetermined by metabolomic and proteomic approaches in urine and other samples. In this review, we summarize such studies related to NDD.

No abstract available.
Rhinoplasty*

BACKGROUND: Cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are rare tumors that constitute about 10% of all cystic lesions of the pancreas and less than 1% of all pancreatic neoplasms. This study was conducted to investigate the diagnostic accuracy and postoperative results for these rare tumors. METHODS: The authors reviewed retrospectively 7 patients with cystic neoplasms of the pancreas who had been treated surgically in the period from 1986 through 1998 at the Department of Surgery, Paik Hospital, Seoul. RESULTS: There were 3 serous cystadenomas, 3 mucinous cystadenomas, and 1 papillary and cystic neoplasm. All 7 patients were women. The mean age of the patients was 36.7 years, 45 years for the serous tumors and 37 for the mucinous tumors. Two patient had diabetes mellitus. Major symptoms were abdominal pain (71%) and an abdominal mass (29%). One patient with a mucinous cystadenoma presented with bleeding from gastric varix which developed as a consequence of a splenic vein obstruction by the tumor. The positive rate for CEA was 33.3%, and that for CA 19-9 was 50.0%. No patient showed an abnormally elevated serum amylase level. Computed tomography was helpful in differentiating cystic tumors from pseudocysts or adenocarcinomas of the pancreas. The sites of the lesions were the tail in 3 cases, the body in 2cases, and the head in 2 cases. A distal pancreatectomy was performed in 5 cases, a pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy in 1 case, and enucleation of the cyst in 1 case. All the patients were alive at 3 to 145 months postoperatively and showed no evidence of disease. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the prognosis for resected cystic neoplasms of the pancreae is good. The correct preoperative differential diagnosis of pancreatic cystic lesions is important for planning the appropriate management, even though the clinical and the radiological features of these lesions are not always reliable.
Abdominal Pain ; Adenocarcinoma ; Amylases ; Cystadenoma ; Cystadenoma, Mucinous ; Cystadenoma, Serous ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Female ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mucins ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Cyst ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Splenic Vein

OBJECTIVE: We studied the expression of epidermal growh factor(EGF) and transforming growth factor(TGF)-a and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) in human trophoblast and decidua at the first and third trimester. METHODS: To confirm the expression of EGF, TGF-a and EGFR immunohisochemically in human trophoblast and decidua, we used monoclonal antibodies to EGF, TGF-a and EGFR. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical stainings using anti-EGF, anti-TGF- a and anti-EGFR antibodies showed a specific stainings in human trophoblast and decidua at the first and third trimester. The staining intensity of EGF in the trophoblast was light to moderate at the first trimester and moderate at the third trimester, and that in the decidua was light to moderate at the first trimester and light at the third trimester. The patterns of expression of TGF- a in the trophoblast and decidua were similar to that seen with EGF in the trophoblast and that of EGFR in trophoblast and decidua were similar to that seen with EGF in decidua. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that EGF, TGF-a and EGFR may play an important role in human trophoblast and decidua during gestation.
Antibodies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Decidua* ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Trophoblasts*

BACKGROUND: Propafenone is a new class Ic antiarrhythmic compound.This study was performed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of propafenone by double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over comparison of propafenone and disopyramide in patients with stable ventricular ectopy. METHODS: All patients were included in the study if they had an average of at least 30 PVC/hr on a 24-hour Holter recordings. During the 1st 7 days, two placebo tablets(identical in apperance to the propafenone and the disopyramide tablets) were administrated in a double-blind manner(run-in period). Then 1st treatment period lasting 1 week with one verum and the other placebo, wish-out period of 3 day,2nd treatment period lasting 1 week with cross-over drugs were followed. RESULTS: Twenty patients were enrolled. During the run-in period, VPCs were reduced to 18%, compared to the baseline data before the administration of placebo.During the treatment period,propafenone 600mg/day reduced VPCs by 43% and disopyramide 400mg/day reduced VPCs by -10% Propafenone was effective(80% or greater reduction of VPCs) in 7 of 20 patients. Disopyramide was not effective in all patients. Propafenone and disopyramide produced no significant change of paired VPCs and VT events. Propafenone had no effect on heart rate. It increased the PR interval(7.9%;p<0.01) and QRS interval(5.2%;p<0.01). The drug did not change QTc interval(-1.1%) significantly. There were no cardiovascular side effects. Propafenone produced nausea in one patient. Disopyramide produced dysuria in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Propafenone was more effective in controlling VPC than disopyramide, and there was no major limiting side effects.
Cross-Over Studies* ; Disopyramide* ; Dysuria ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Nausea ; Propafenone* ; Ventricular Premature Complexes*

Indocyanine green (ICG) could be applied for multiple functions such as fluorescent tumor localization, fluorescence lymph node mapping (FLNM), and intraoperative angiography in colorectal cancer surgery. With the near-infrared (NIR) systems, colonoscopic ICG tattooing can be used to define the early colorectal cancer that cannot be easily distinguished through the serosal surface. The lymphatic pathways can be visualized under the NIR system when ICG is injected through the submucosal or subserosal layer around the tumor. Intraoperative ICG angiography can be applied to find a favorable perfusion segment before the colon transection. Although all fluorescence functions are considered essential steps in image-guided surgery, it is difficult to perform multifunctional ICG applications in a single surgical procedure at once because complex protocols could interfere with each other. Therefore, we review the multifunctional ICG applications for fluorescent tumor localization, FLNM, and ICG angiography. We also discuss the optimal protocol for fluorescence-guided colorectal surgery.

No abstract available.
Thyroiditis, Autoimmune ; Turner Syndrome

Indocyanine green (ICG) could be applied for multiple functions such as fluorescent tumor localization, fluorescence lymph node mapping (FLNM), and intraoperative angiography in colorectal cancer surgery. With the near-infrared (NIR) systems, colonoscopic ICG tattooing can be used to define the early colorectal cancer that cannot be easily distinguished through the serosal surface. The lymphatic pathways can be visualized under the NIR system when ICG is injected through the submucosal or subserosal layer around the tumor. Intraoperative ICG angiography can be applied to find a favorable perfusion segment before the colon transection. Although all fluorescence functions are considered essential steps in image-guided surgery, it is difficult to perform multifunctional ICG applications in a single surgical procedure at once because complex protocols could interfere with each other. Therefore, we review the multifunctional ICG applications for fluorescent tumor localization, FLNM, and ICG angiography. We also discuss the optimal protocol for fluorescence-guided colorectal surgery.

No abstract available.
Cleft Palate* ; Humans