On the basis of the electrocardiographic ST-T changes, 46 patients with hypertensive heart disease were evaluated with echocardiography and classified into three groups; Those without any ST-T changes(group I, 6 patients) ; those with various nonspecific ST-T changes(group II, 20 patient); and those with full-blown LVh strain pattern (group III, 20 patients). In group III, left ventricular posterior wall thickness (p<0.01). interventricular septal thickness(p<0.05) and cardiac muscle mass(p<0.02) increased significantly and end-systolic dimension(p<0.05), relative wall thickness(p<0.02) also in creased significantly but ejection fraction decreased significantly (p<0.05). These results suggest that LVH strain pattern is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy or thickening, left ventricular dilatation and/or functional deterioration and that left ventricular wall thickness increase progressively even in the stage of LVH strain pattern on electrocardiogram.
Dilatation ; Echocardiography* ; Electrocardiography* ; Heart Diseases* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Myocardium

A case of malignant synovioma of the right knee joint is presented. Microscopically it showed sarcomatous growth of spindle cells and irregular slit spaces which were lined by tumor cells. A–K amputation has carried out on 10th hospital day and discharged on 30th hospital day without any complications.
Amputation ; Knee Joint ; Sarcoma, Synovial

Gliosarcoma is a distinct disease entity that is characterized by a biphasic tissue pattern with alternating areas displaying glial and mesenchymal differentiation. The tumor in our case was a rare morphologic variant of gliosarcoma with components of anaplastic oligodendroglioma and unclassifiable spindle cells. Spindle cells showed CD34 and S-100 protein immunoreactivity, which was possibly related to peripheral nerve sheath differentiation. This unique feature has not been described previously and so this case expands the spectrum of possible divergent mesenchymal differentiation, and it lends support to pluripotential stem cells being the origin of this tumor.

The aim of the study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of calcium against intestinal cancer in vitro and in vivo. We first investigated the effects of calcium treatment in HCT116 and HT29 human colon cancer cells. At the concentration range of 0.8-2.4 mM, calcium significantly inhibited cell growth (by 9-29%), attachment (by 12-26%), invasion (by 15-31%), and migration (by 19-61%). An immunofluorescence microscope analysis showed that the treatment with calcium (1.6 mM) for 24 h increased plasma membrane beta-catenin but decreased nuclear beta-catenin levels in HT29 cells. We then investigated the effect of dietary calcium on intestinal tumorigenesis in ApcMin/+ mice. Mice received dietary treatment starting at 6 weeks of age for the consecutive 8 weeks. The basal control diet contained high-fat (20% mixed lipids by weight) and low-calcium (1.4 mg/g diet) to mimic the average Western diet, while the treatment diet contained an enriched level of calcium (5.2 mg calcium/g diet). The dietary calcium treatment decreased the total number of small intestinal tumors (by 31.4%; P < 0.05). The largest decrease was in tumors which were > or = 2 mm in diameter, showing a 75.6% inhibition in the small intestinal tumor multiplicity (P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis showed significantly reduced nuclear staining of beta-catenin (expressed as nuclear positivity), but increased plasma membrane staining of beta-catenin, in the adenomas from the calcium-treated groups in comparison to those from the control group (P < 0.001). These results demonstrate intestinal cancer inhibitory effects of calcium both in human colon cancer cells and Apc Min/+ mice. The decreased beta-catenin nuclear localization caused by the calcium treatment may contribute to the inhibitory action.
Adenoma ; Animals ; beta Catenin ; Calcium ; Calcium, Dietary ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Diet ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; HT29 Cells ; Humans ; Hydrazines ; Intestinal Neoplasms ; Mice

Viral infections are known to be a predisposing factor for subacute (De Quervain's) thyroiditis. In this report, we document a novel case of thyroiditis, with an atypical presentation, following an influenza B infection. A 13-year-old previously healthy female visited the outpatient clinic complaining of right neck pain. She had been diagnosed with an influenza B infection at a local clinic 3 weeks earlier. All laboratory tests were normal. A thyroid ultrasound showed an ill-defined hypoechoic mass (1.0×0.5×1.5 cm) in the right lower thyroid, and scintigraphy of the thyroid with Technetium-99m (99m-Tc) demonstrated the normal uptake of the radiotracer. Fine-needle aspiration from the nodule showed the presence of a few neutrophils. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of atypical thyroiditis associated with an influenza B infection described in the literature. Influenza B infection should be considered as a possible cause of atypical thyroiditis.
Adolescent ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Causality ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza, Human* ; Neck Pain ; Neutrophils ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroiditis* ; Ultrasonography

The author has investigated the protective effects of systemic Heparin and intrathecal Urokinase in the multi-hemorrhage canine model of severe chronic cerebral vasospasm. Each of 20 adult mongrel dogs was assigned to one of three experimental groups. All animals received a total of 12ml of fresh unheparinized autologous blood via three cisternal injections. Selective vertebral angiograms were obtained before and 8 days after the initial subarachnoid blood injection. Seven animals were treated by systemic Heparin for 7 days, the other seven were treated by intracisternal Urokinase for 3 days, and the remaining were not treated. Comparisons were based on the percentage of reduction in basilar artery diameter(% RBAD). The ultrastructural changes were studied by transmission electron microscopy(TEM). There was a mean reduction(+/-standard deviation) of 65+/-7% in control dogs, 53+/-5% in dogs with systemic Heparin(difference significant t-test, p<0.01), 37+/-6% in dogs with intrathecal Urokinase(difference signignificant, t-test, p<0.01). The preventive effects of intrathecal Urokinase was superior to systemic Heparin. There was a stroung trend toward reduction of medial necrosis in the basilar artery in dogs with intrathecal Urokinase(p<0.01), and with systemic Heparin(0.05 Adult ; Angiography ; Animals ; Arteries ; Basilar Artery ; Dogs ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Muscle, Smooth ; Necrosis ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator* ; Vasospasm, Intracranial*

The root of Panax ginseng, is a Korea traditional medicine, which is used in both raw and processed forms due to their different pharmacological activities. As part of a continued chemical investigation of ginseng, the focus of this research is on the isolation and identification of compounds from Panax ginseng root by open column chromatography, medium pressure liquid chromatography, semi-preparative-high performance liquid chromatography, Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins were isolated from Panax ginseng root by open column chromatography, medium pressure liquid chromatography, and semi-preparative-high performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were identified as protopanaxadiol ginsenosides [gypenoside-V (1), ginsenosides-Rb1 (2), -Rb2 (3), -Rb3 (4), -Rc (5), and -Rd (6)], protopanaxatriol ginsenosides [20(S)-notoginsenoside-R2 (7), notoginsenoside-Rt (8), 20(S)-O-glucoginsenoside-Rf (9), 6-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-20-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-3beta,12beta, 20(S)-dihydroxy-dammar-25-en-24-one (10), majoroside-F6 (11), pseudoginsenoside-Rt3 (12), ginsenosides-Re (13), -Re5 (14), -Rf (15), -Rg1 (16), -Rg2 (17), and -Rh1 (18), and vinaginsenoside-R15 (19)], and oleanene ginsenosides [calenduloside-B (20) and ginsenoside-Ro (21)] through the interpretation of spectroscopic analysis. The configuration of the sugar linkages in each saponin was established on the basic of chemical and spectroscopic data. Among them, compounds 1, 8, 10, 11, 12, 19, and 20 were isolated for the first time from P. ginseng root.
Chromatography ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Ginsenosides ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Panax* ; Saponins*

Background: Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy has become the major surgical option for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Endoscopic instruments such as stapler cartridges are essential for VATS procedures. In this study, we investigated the factors that affect the number of stapler cartridges used in VATS lobectomy. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of patients who underwent complete VATS lobectomy for NSCLC from January 2013 to December 2015. Results: In total, 596 patients underwent complete VATS lobectomy. The average number of stapler cartridges used for VATS lobectomy was 5.3±1.9. The number of stapler cartridges used for VATS lobectomy was higher in men (5.5±1.9 vs. 5.0±18, p=0.006), those aged older than 70 years (5.5±2.1 vs. 5.1±1.7, p=0.038), those who underwent upper or middle lobectomy procedures (5.7±1.9 vs. 4.1±1.2, p<0.001), those with a higher fissure sum average (p<0.001), and those in whom surgery was performed by a surgeon with a preference for staplers (5.6±2.0 vs. 4.9±1.6, p<0.001). Conclusion The number of stapler cartridges required to perform VATS lobectomy in NSCLC patients appears to be influenced by sex, age, the location of the tumor, the degree of fissure development, and the surgeon’s preference.

To investigate the mutual relationship between angiotensin II (Ang II) and nitric oxide (NO) in paraventricular nucleus (PVN), Ang II receptor type Ia (AT1A), type Ib (AT1B), endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS), and neuronal constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ncNOS) mRNA levels of rat PVN were measured after unilateral carotid artery ligation. AT1A and AT1B mRNA levels were markedly elevated 6 hrs after unilateral carotid artery ligation. Losartan injection (10 microgram/0.3 microliter) into the PVN augmented of the increment of AT1A and AT1B mRNAs It also increased ecNOS gene expression. In addition, AT1B mRNA levels increased after N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) injection (50 microgram/0.3 microliter) into the PVN. These results suggest that Ang II and NO in the rat PVN may interplay, at least in part, through regulation of gene expression of ecNOS and AT1B, respectively.
Angiotensin II* ; Angiotensins* ; Animals ; Carotid Arteries ; Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Ligation ; Losartan ; Neurons ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Nitric Oxide* ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus* ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger