This purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible prognostic factors of physeal bar resection in the treatment of partial physeal growth arrest. From January 1979 to October 1993, 23 skeletally immature patients (16 males, 7 females) underwent physeal bar resection and fat graft interposition. The age was ranged from 1 year 8 months to 16 years 9 months (average 8 years 9 months). The follow-up period was ranged from 12 months to 10 years 6 months (average 3 years 4 months). The results of the surgery were categorized into 4 groups on the basis of relative growth ratio (RGR), spontaneous angular correction after physeal bar resection, disappearance of converging growth arrest lines, and the viability & proximal migration of the interposed fat verified by follow-up MRI. The RGR was assessed as a percentage of the contralateral limb segment: change in length of operated limb segment divided by change in length of unoperated limb segment multiplied by 100. The angular correction was calculated as the difference of the degrees of angular deformity between the preoperative and the latest follow-up visit. In the sixteen cases which required concomitant operations (osteotomy, Ilizarov method of for lengthening or deformity correction), their contribution to the angular correction was excluded in the calculation. The etiology of partial physeal arrest consisted of fracture (17), infection (5), and leukemia (1). In 10 of 17 fracture cases in which initial radiographs were available, the Salter-Harris types were assessed. There were type II (2), type III (2) and type IV (6) fractures. Distal femur was the most common site of physeal arrest (13), followed by distal tibia (7), proximal tibia (2), and distal radius (1). There were peripheral (9), combined (6), central (5) and linear (3) types of physeal bar. The nine variables including preoperative limb length discrepancy and degree of angulation, age, onset, etioloty of physeal arrest, Salter-Harris type of epiphyseal injury, site of the arrested physis, type and size.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Extremities ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ilizarov Technique ; Leukemia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Radius ; Tibia ; Transplants

The DNA ploidy using fresh tissues from 304 cervial cancer were analyzed by flow cytometry in order to evaluate the correlation between DNA ploidy patterns and prognostic factors of uterine cervical cancer. There were l67 diploid cases(55%) and 137 aneuploid(45%). No significant correlation was noted in stage, age and lymph node metastases between diploid and aneuploid tumor. But S-phase fraction and DNA index were higher slightly in cases of lymph node metastases cornpaired to non-metastases. This results suggest that the DNA ploidy cannot be used as an independent prognostic fac- tor, but further evaluation will be needed in order to conclude definite relationship between prognoseic factor and S-phase fraction or DNA index.
Aneuploidy ; Diploidy ; DNA* ; Flow Cytometry ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ploidies ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Neck*

No abstract available.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone* ; Animals ; Hypothalamus* ; Neurons* ; Rats*

Mesenchymal Chondrcsarcoma is a rare malignant tumor originally described by Lichtenstein and Bernstein in 1959. Since the original description, several other reports of this tumor have been published, bringing the total numbers of cases in the literature to about Sixty-five. We report a case of Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma in an 11-year-old boy who complained of a palpable mass in the region of the left iliac crest.
Child ; Chondrosarcoma, Mesenchymal ; Humans ; Male

The antiarrhythmic effect of oral amiodarone was evaluated by 24-hr Holter monitoring in 12 patients with frequent and/or complex ventricular ectopy. Amiodarone was administered as following schedule; 600mg a day for the 1st week, 400mg a day for the 2nd week and 200mg a day, 5 days a week from the 3rd week. In 9 patients, the frequency of VPC decreased significantly or the grade of VPC changed to the more benign grade, so we considered them as "Effective Group" (75%). In 7 patients, both the frequency and the grade of VPC improved, so we considered them as "Excellent Group" (58%). No significant side effect was observed during investigation. We concluded that amiodarone is very effective antiarrhythmic drug and has no serious side effect during a short-term observation.
Amiodarone* ; Appointments and Schedules ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Humans

In vitro culture of Toxoplasma gondii in HL-60 cells cnd cell-mediated immunity against Toxoplasma in dimethylsulfoxide(DMSO)-induced HL-60 cells, i.e., differentiation into granulocytes, were pursued. HL-60 cells were treated with various concentrations of DMSO, and 1.3%(v/v) for 3 day incubation was chosen as the optimal condition for differentiation into granulocytes. The degree of differentiation was assayed in physiological and functional aspects in addition to morphological point. When treated with 1.3% DMSO for 3 days, HL-60 cells did not synthesize DNA materials beyond background level, and showed active chemotactic response to chemotactic peptide, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine(FMLP). Morphologically promyelocytes of high nuclear/cytoplasmic(N/C) ratio changed to granulocytes of relatively low N/C ratio. The relationships between HL-60 cells or DMSO-induced HL-60 cells and Toxoplasma were examined after stain with Giemsa and fluorescent dye (acridine orange). HS-60 cells did not show any sign of toxoplasmacidal activity but showed intracellular proliferation of Toxoplasma to form rosette for 72 hr co-culture. In contrast, DMSO-induced HL-60 cells phagocytosed Toxoplasma within 1 hr, and performed a process of intracellular digestion of Toxoplasma thereafter. With the above results, it is suggested that phagosome-lysosome fusion is one of the critical events for the parasitism by Toxoplasma or for susceptibility of host cells. The in vitro culture system of this study has offered a defined condition to study the protozoan parasite-host cell interactions.
parasitology-protozoa ; Toxoplasma gondii ; HL-60 cells ; dimethylsulfoxide ; in vitro culture ; dimethylsulfoxide

Spinal dysraphism, first described by Lichtenstein in 1940, is a congenital anom- aly due to incomplete fusion or malformation of the midline dorsal embryonic structures including the ectoderm, mesoderm, and neuroectoderm. Spina bifida occulta is a spinal dystraphism and a manifestation of a midline defect of osseous spine and related structures without cyst formation. Spinal dysraphism may be associated with hypertrichosis, lipoma, dimpling, pigmentation, hemangioma, congenital scar, sinus, cyst, or skin defect in the midline dorsal area. We observed a 23-year-old female patient with spina bifida occulta who had a blue scar surrounded by circumscribed hair growth of the lumbosacral area since 1-montb-old age. Histopathologic finding of the blue scar revealed common blue nevus showing intradermal melanocytes and melanophages. Spine X-ray showed hemivertebra of L5 and spina bifida occulta of Sl. There were no abnormal neurologic signs.
Cicatrix ; Ectoderm ; Embryonic Structures ; Female ; Hair ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Hypertrichosis* ; Lipoma ; Melanocytes ; Mesoderm ; Neural Plate ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Nevus, Blue* ; Pigmentation ; Skin ; Spina Bifida Occulta* ; Spinal Dysraphism* ; Spine ; Young Adult

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by hyperproliferation and incomplete differentiation of keratinocytes. Mounting scientific evidence suggests that this epidermal alteration occurs as a response to an immunologic injury, giving rise to the concept that psoriasis is a skin-specific autoimmune disease. Indeed, many effective therapeutic agents for psoriasis are immunosuppressive in nature, lending further support to this view. The well known ability of calcipotriene and 1,25(OH)2D3 to inhibit keratinocyte proliferation and to induce its differentiation is certainly compatible with their antipsoriatic actions. In addition, topical calcipotriene has been shown to correct, at least in part, the local cytokine imbalance observed in psoriatic lesions. Interleukin (IL)-8 is a proinflammatory cytokine that is chemotactic for polymorphonuclear cells and T lymphocytes. It also promotes proliferation of keratinocytes and endothelial cells. In lesional psoriatic skin, IL-8 and its receptor levels are markedly elevated. IL-10 is an immunosuppressive cytokine, which as a type2 (T2) cytokine antagonizes cell-mediated immunity. Indeed, IL-10 administration has been shown to improve psoriasis. Topical calcipotriene markedly reduces elevated levels of IL-8 while simultaneously increasing IL-10 levels in lesional skin of psoriasis. These changes occur very early, within the first three days of therapy, prior to significant clinical improvement of psoriasis, indicating that the cytokine alterations are not simply secondary to resolution of psoriatic plaques. Therefore, elaboration of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 and a concomitant reduction in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-8 may mediate the immunopharmacological improvementin psoriasis by calcipotriene.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Cholecalciferol ; Cytokines ; Endothelial Cells ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunosuppression ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-8 ; Interleukins ; Keratinocytes ; Psoriasis ; Skin Diseases ; Skin* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Vitamin D* ; Vitamins*

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental deaths worldwide, but its pathological diagnosis remains a challenge for forensic pathologists owing to a lack of pathognomonic findings in drowning deaths and inconclusive autopsy findings caused by postmortem changes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathway taken by inhaled drowning medium through the airway after death in a variety of experimental conditions, including underwater pressurization. We used methylene blue dye to monitor the spread of drowning medium to the lungs. Results of theses experiments demonstrated that it is possible for a significant amount of downing medium to enter the airway during immersion after death. Our results suggest that autopsies of immersed bodies and interpretation of these findings should be performed with special care.
Animal Experimentation* ; Animals* ; Autopsy ; Diagnosis ; Drowning* ; Immersion ; Inhalation* ; Lung ; Methylene Blue* ; Postmortem Changes