No abstract available.
Cyclophosphamide*

PURPOSE: The object of this study is to investigate sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, psychology, self-esteem and quality of life in cancer patients on radiation therapy and to provide useful information for therapeutic approach to cancer patients on radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects were 36 patents who had been treated with radiation therapy and 20 normal people. Sociodemographic information and clinical characteristics of cancer patients on radiation therapy were investigated, and symptom checklist-90-revised, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale for self esteem, World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument for quality of life were administered to subjects. And Spearman's correlation analysis was used among these. Result: The tendency of somatization, depression, anxiety and hostility in cancer group were significantly higher than normal group. Self esteem and quality of life in cancer group were significantly lower than normal group. No significant difference was found in comparison of psychology, self esteem and quality of life according to sociodemographic variables. Among clinical characteristics, in the presence of metastasis in cancer patients, the scores of anxiety, phobia and paranoid ideation were higher. In patients with pain, the score of somatization was higher. And in case of weight loss, the score of somatization was higher. The higher score of depression, anxiety and hostility were significantly associated with lower self-esteem. And higher score of somatization, depression, anxiety and hostility were significantly associated with lower quality of life. CONCLUSION: Understanding and management of psychological symptoms, such as somatization, depression, anxiety, and hostility, and pain control are necessary to improve quality of life in cancer patients on radiation therapy.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Hostility ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phobic Disorders ; Psychology* ; Quality of Life* ; Self Concept ; Self Psychology ; Weight Loss ; World Health Organization

In order to evaluate the confounding factors of neurobehavioral tests and the neurobehavioral effects in the workers exposed to organic solvents, NCTB was carried out on 100 workers. 46 workers had never been exposed to neurotoxic substances, and the others were being exposed to the solvents, mainly toluene. Simple reaction time, digit symbol, Santa Ana dexterity test and persuit aiming were different with age in non exposure group. Simple reaction time was carried out well in males, and digit symbol and persuit aiming were in females. There was no difference at educational level when the subject was educated over 12 years. Santa Ana dexterity and Benton visual test differed according to exposure level to toluene, however simple reaction time didn't. The acute neurotoxic effect was not excluded in this study. But, NCTB could be used to evaluate and prevent neurobehavioral changes in workers exposed to neurotoxic solvents in Korea.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Reaction Time ; Solvents* ; Toluene

PURPOSE: We performed the retrospective analysis to find the outcome of external beam radiotherapy alone in advanced esophageal cancer patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One hundred and six patients treated with external beam radiotherapy alone between July 1990 and December 1996 were analyzed retrospectively. We limited the site of the lesions to the thoracic esophagus and cell type to the squamous cell carcinoma. Follow-up was completed in 100 patients (9 4%) and ranged from 1 month to 92 months (median; 6 months). RESULTS: The median age was 62 years old and male to female ratio was 104:2. Fifty-three percent was the middle thorax lesion and curative radiotherapy was performed in 83%. Mean tumor dose delivered with curative aim was 58.6 Gy (55-70.8 Gy) and median duration o f the radiation therapy was 53 days. The median survival of all patients was 6 months and 1-year and 2-year overall survival rte was 27% and 12%, respectively. Improvement of dysphagia was obtained in most patients except fo 7 patients who underwent feeding gastrostomy. The complete response rate immediately after radiation therapy was 32% (34/106). The median survival and 2-year survival rate of the complete responder was 14 months and 30% respectively, while those of the nonresponder was 4 months and 0% respectively (p=0.000). The median survival and 2-year survival rate of the patients who could tolerate regular diet was 9 rnonths and 16% while those of the patients who could not tolerate regular diet was 3 months and 0%, respectively (p=0.004). The survival difference between the patients with 5 cm or less turnor length and those with more than 5 cm tumor length was rnarginally statistically significant (p=0.06). However, the survival difference according to the periesophageal invasion or mediastinal lymphadenopathy in the chest CT imaging study was not statistically significant in this study. In a multivariate analysis, the statistically significant covariates to the survival were complete response to radiotherapy, tumor length, and initial degree of dysphagia in a decreasing order. The complication was observed in 10 patients (9%). CONCLUSION: The survival outcome for advanced esophageal cancer patients treated by external be am radiotherapy alone was very poor, In the treatment of these patients, the brachytherapy and chemotherapy should be added to improve the treatment outcome.
Brachytherapy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Deglutition Disorders ; Diet ; Drug Therapy ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Esophagus ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Higenamine is known to possess stimulatory activity on beta-receptor of the heart. Chronotropic actions of higenamic were studied in spontaneously beating right atrial muscle isolated from rabbits. The frequency of spontaneous beating and the relative threshold voltage of the right atrium were examined. The relative threshold voltage was defined as the minimal voltage of the given impulse above which the right atrium could be paced at the frequency of 20% of higenamine was also observed. Higenamine caused the postive chronotropic effect. This response became prominent as the ca2+ concentration in the bathing solution lowered. When tetrodotoxin was added to the bathing solution, the effect of higenemine altered and became similar to that of epinephrine. Higenamine reduced the relative threshold voltage of the right atrium in the bathing solution with [ca2+] of 0.5mM. Such effect was abolished by tetrodotoxin. The effects of verapamill on the spontaneous rate and the relativel threshold voltage were inhibited by higenemine. The above results suggest that, aithough the main action og higenamine is on the Ca channel, higenamine also have a minor effect of augmenting the Na channel.
Baths ; Epinephrine ; Heart ; Heart Atria* ; Heart Rate ; Rabbits ; Tetrodotoxin ; Verapamil

The effects of toluene in dimethylformamide (DMF)-induced hepatotoxicity were investigated with respect to the induction of cytochrome P-450 (CYP) and the activities of related enzymes. The rats were treated intraperitoneally with the organic solvents in olive oil (Single treatment groups: 450 [D1], 900 [D2], 1,800 [D3] mg DMF, and 346 mg toluene [T] per kg of body weight; Combined treatment groups: D1+T, D2+T, and D3+T) once a day for three days, while the control group received just the olive oil. Each group consisted of 4 rats. The activities of the xenobiotic metabolic enzymes and the hepatic morphology were assessed. The immunoblots indicated that the expression of CYP2E1 was considerably enhanced depending on the dosage of DMF and the CYP2E1 blot densities were significantly increased after treatment with both DMF and toluene, compared to treatment with DMF alone. The activities of glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase were either decreased or remained unaltered after treatment with DMF and toluene, whereas the lipid peroxide levels were increased with increasing dosage of DMF and toluene. The liver tissue in the D3 group (1,800 mg/kg of DMF) showed signs of microvacuolation in the central vein region and a large necrotic zone around the central vein, in rats treated with both DMF (1,800 mg/kg) and toluene (D3T). These results suggest that the expression of CYP2E1 is induced by DMF and enhanced by toluene. These changes may have facilitated the accelerated formation of N-methylformamide (NMF) from toluene, and the generated NMF may directly induce liver damage.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; Dimethylformamide* ; Formamides ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Lipid Peroxides ; Liver ; Olea ; Plant Oils ; Rats* ; Solvents ; Toluene* ; Veins ; Olive Oil

Myxoma is a relatively rare tumor of mesenchymal origin that can be found in numerous sites throughout the body including heart, skin, and subcutaneous tissue along with various sites in the head and neck. It is presumed to be originated from dental malformation or missing teeth, but occasionally myxoma without dental abnormalities is found giving arguments for its embryogenesis. Myxoma in the head and neck is usually managed by radical operation in order to prevent the possible recurrence. A case of recurrent myxoma of maxilla is described, which was treated with en-bloc removal via lateral rhinotomy incision. The purpose of this article is to present a case of myxoma of maxilla with a review of the literature and is to give a special emphasis on the proper modalities of treatment which minimizes recurrence and functional deficit.
Embryonic Development ; Female ; Head ; Heart ; Maxilla* ; Myxoma* ; Neck ; Pregnancy ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Tooth

Congenital dermal sinuses result from a failure of separation of the cutaneous epithelial ectoderm from the neuroepithelial ectoderm along the dorsum of the embroy during the first month of intra-uterine life. These sinus tracts can occur at any level of the cerebro-spinal axis, but are located predominantly in the occipital and lumbosacral regions and occasional cases involving the cervical and thoracic regions. The dermal sinus tract is lined by stratified squamous epithelium and extends from the surface through the deeper tissues into the cranial or spinal cavity, usually ending on the dura or within the dura in conjunction with a terminal epidermoid or dermoid cyst. An intra-medullary epidermoid or dermoid with a dermal sinus is an unusual association. We have been able to find a previously reported coincidence of these malformations although there are many definitive papers on these uncommon entities. We are experienced in one case who are 14 months old boy with a intra-medullary dermoid cyst associated with a congenital dermal sinus at the T4 level, and reviewed related reports.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Ectoderm ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Infant ; Lumbosacral Region ; Male ; Spina Bifida Occulta*

Ninety patients of esophageal cancer treated with radiation since November 1985 to June 1990 at the Deprtment of Therapeutic Radiology, Chonnam University Hospital, were analysed retrospectively regarding survival. Seventy five patients (94.9%) revealed squamous cell carcinoma in its histologic type, and most ofpatients were in advanced stage with 25 patients (27.8%) of T2 and 64 patients (71.1%) of T3 Minimum follow up period was 12 months and median was 5 months. Overall actuarial 2 year survival rate was 11.6%. Two year survival rates according to the parameters such as treatment aim, T stage, site, length, radiation dose and response were compared and resulted that survival by tumor length only had statistically significant impact on survival of esophageal carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Radiation Oncology ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

Five hundred and fifty patients treated for carcinoma of the uterine cervix at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital from 1979 to 1986, were analyzed retroepectively for late rectal complications. Of them, 468 patients received primary radiotherapy for the cervix cancer in intact uterus, and the other eighty two patients were treated postoperatively. The cumulative incidence of radiation induced rectal complication of grade 2 or 3 was 6.7% at five years. The mean rectal dose for the group of patients with complication was higher than the group without complication, and the difference was statistically significant (p< 0.01). But relationship between mean rectal dose and severity of complication was not found. The frequency of complication (grade 1, 2, 3) increased as a function of radiation dose to rectum; from 16.1% for patients with rectal dose less than 6,000 cGy to 71.2% for patients with rectal dose higher than 8,000 cGy. Among various factors analyzed, history of diabetes mellitus, number of intracavitary irradiation, size of ovoid, retroflexion of uterus and the total dose delivered to rectum turned out to have significant effect on the complication.
Cervix Uteri* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Radiation Oncology ; Radiotherapy ; Rectum ; Seoul ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Uterus