PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of stereotaxic breast core biopsy using a prone table system, and theeffects of operator experience, lesion characteristics and number of samples on biopsy results in cases involvingnonpalpable breast lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed stereotaxic core biopsies of 62 nonpalpablemammographic lesions in 61 patients. Subsequent surgical excision was performed in 11 cases with micro calcifications and one case with a mass. We equally divided patients with micro calcifications into two groups(early and late periods) and analyzed the mammographic findings. Correlation of the pathologic results of corebiopsy with those of surgical excision were investigated. RESULTS: In two patients, stereotaxic biopsy wasimpossible due to poor visibility of micro calcifications and thinness of the compressed breast. In 59 patients,core biopsy was successfully performed and specimens were adequate for pathologic examination. The average numberof micro calcifications seen on specimen mammography in the two groups was 1.8 (range: 0~8) and 2.5 (range:0~4)respectively. In patients from whom less than five and five or more samples were taken, the average number of micro calcifications seen on specimen mammography was 1.5 (range: 0~6) and 2.6 (range: 0~8), respectively,throughout the whole period. The pathologic findings were fibrocystic change in 50 cases, fibroadenoma in four,ductal carcinoma in situ in four, invasive ductal carcinoma in one, and atypical ductal hyperplasia in one. Theagreement rate of pathologic results between core biopsy and surgical excision was 83% (10/12) for malignancy and75% for histology. In three cases with disagreement between core and surgical pathologic results, the samplingnumber was small (3~4 times) and in two of the three cases, micro calcifications were not visible on mammography. CONCLUSION: Operator experience and sampling numbers larger than five results in an increased number of micro calcifications in specimens and more reliable core biopsy.
Biopsy* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Fibroadenoma ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Mammography ; Thinness

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia is reported as a specific disease entity. But, it is different from chronic eosinophilic pneumonia in its onset, clinical course and recurrence. Badesh et al reported the following diagnostic criteria os acute eosinophilic pneumonia a less than one-month history of symptoms prior to diagnosis, no evidence of asthma, the absence of other organic disease, no obvious etiology and an evidence of recurrent disease. We experienced a case of acute eosinophilic pneumonia in 37 old male. Pathologically eosinophilic pneumonia is confirmed and other features meet Badesh's criteria.
Asthma ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils* ; Humans ; Male ; Pulmonary Eosinophilia* ; Recurrence

Mediastinal interfaces on a chest radiograph result from contact between mediastinal structures and the adjacent lung, while mediastinal lines result from contact between the two lungs across the midline. A variation of mediastinal interface is mediastinal stripe, a narrow band produced by contact of both sides of a mediastinal structure with the lungs. Alterations in mediastinal interfaces and lines may be due to variations in normal anatomy, or may reflect the presence of abnormalities within the mediastinum. Familiarity with the various normal mediastinal interfaces and lines, and the changes that occur with disease is important for the interpretation of the chest radiograph and in the diagnosis of mediastinal abnormalities. The purpose of this pictorial essay is to illustrate the most important normal and abnormal interfaces and lines and also to correlate radiographic and CT findings.
Diagnosis ; Lung ; Mediastinum ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Recognition (Psychology)

Takayasu's arteritis is one of the most important causes of the renovascular hypertension in orientals. Among the multiple treatment modalities, percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty(PTRA) has become the treatment of the choice for major renal artery stenosis and is a safe, repeatable, effective procedure for the treatment of renovascular hypertension due to Takayasu's arteritis. We experienced a case of percutaneous transluminal balloon angioplasty of Takayasu's arteritis involving the proximal left renal artery. After PTRA, clinical and angiographical improvements were achieved.
Angioplasty* ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Hypertension, Renovascular ; Renal Artery Obstruction* ; Renal Artery* ; Takayasu Arteritis*

PURPOSE: To describe CT and MR findings of Primary nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma and to evaluate the usefulness ofCt and MR imaging for initial diagnosis and during follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients withbiopsy-proven primary nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma (M:8, F:5;age 30-78, mean:47.3 years) were included in this study.CT scans were obtained in seven patients and MR images in ten, and both CT and MR images in four. Duringfollow-up, CT images were obtained in four patients, MR images in eight, and both types of image in two. Signalintensity or attenuation, location, and shape of the tumor were assessed on CT and MR images, which were alsocompared in terms of evaluation of the extent of the tumor and the assessment of residual tumor during follow-up. RESULTS: Enhanced CT scans showed slightly lower(6/7) or iso-attenuation (1/7) or the tumor than of the wall ofthe nasal cavity. In all cases, the tumor was of slightly lower signal intensity on T2WI and gadolinium-enhancedT1WI than nasal cavity mucosa. Infiltrative wall thickening of the nasal cavity (13/13) and a polypoid mass (5/13)were demonstrated on CT and MR images. The tumor margin was partially indistinct (6/7) or distinct (1/7) oninitial CT, but distinctily identified on initial MR images in all cases. During follow-up, MR was superior to CTfor the assessment of residual tumor in two patients. CONCLUSION: Infiltrative wall thickening of the nasalcavity may be a characteristic feature of primary nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma, and MR images were superior to CT forthe assessment of tumor extent and for the diagnosis of residual tumor during follow-up.
Diagnosis* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Cavity ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Twelve plant species were collected from the east coast of Korea to identify culturable endophytes present in their roots. The fungal internal transcribe spacer (ITS) region (ITS1-5.8SrRNA-ITS2) was used as a DNA barcode for identification of fungi. A total of 194 fungal strains were identified and categorized into 31 genera. The genus Penicillium accounted for the largest number of strains, followed by the genus Aspergillus. Furthermore, using 5 statistical methods, the diversity indices of the fungi were calculated at the genus level. After comprehensive evaluation, the endophytic fungal group from Phragmites australis ranked highest in diversity analyses. Several strains responsible for plant growth and survival (Penicillium citrinum, P. funiculosum, P. janthinellum, P. restrictum, and P. simplicissimum), were also identified. This study provides basic data on the sheds light on the symbiotic relationship between coastal plants and fungi.
Aspergillus ; DNA ; Endophytes* ; Fungi ; Korea ; Penicillium ; Plants

Regulation of proper gene expression is important for cellular and organismal survival, maintenance, and growth. Abnormal gene expression, even for a single critical gene, can thwart cellular integrity and normal physiology to cause diseases, aging, and death. Therefore, gene expression profiling serves as a powerful tool to understand the pathology of diseases and to cure them. In this study, the difference in gene expression in Flammulina velutipes was compared between the wild type (WT) mushroom and the mutant one with clogging phenomenon. Differentially expressed transcripts were screened to identify the candidate genes responsible for the mutant phenotype using the DNA microarray analysis. A total of 88 genes including 60 upregulated and 28 downregulated genes were validated using the realtime quantitative PCR analysis. In addition, proteomic differences between the WT and mutant mushroom were analyzed using two–dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF). Interestingly, the genes identified by these genomic and proteomic analyses were involved in stress response, translation, and energy/sugar metabolism, including HSP70, elongation factor 2, and pyruvate kinase. Together, our data suggest that the aberrant expression of these genes attributes to the mutant clogging phenotype. We propose that these genes can be targeted to foster normal growth in F. velutipes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and pulsed-spraypharmacomechanical thrombolysis (PSPMT) using urokinase for the management of insufficient hemodialysis access. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between September 1996 and May 1998, 21 insufficient hemodialysis accesses were treated in16 patients (3 artificial arteriovenous fistulae, AVF ; and 13 arteriovenous graft, AVG). PTA and PSPMT were performed in 6 and 15 and 15 cases, respectively, and success and long-term patency rates were evaluated. RESULTS: The overall success rate of PTA and PSPMT for insufficient hemodialysis access was 76.2%(16/21). The success rates of PTA and PSPMT were 83.3%(5/6) and 73.3%(11/15), respectively. the primary patency rates of PSPMT were 69+/-12.8% at 6 months and 38+/-18.6% at 12 months. One of the two initially successful PTAs had been patent for 7months, and the second PTA was performed at that time due to venous stenosis. The other was patent for 15 months throughout the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: PTA and PSPMT are effective primary methods for the treatment of insufficient hemodialysis access ; success and patency rates were high, and the procedures can be performed repeatedly.
Angioplasty* ; Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Renal Dialysis* ; Transplants* ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator*

BACKGROUND: We investigated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among the health care workers (HCWs) and analyzed its risk factors in South Korea. METHODS: A standard questionnaire regarding the baseline demographics and risk factors for LTBI was given to each participant and tuberculin skin test (TST), QuantiFERON-TB GOLD In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay, and chest radiography were performed. RESULTS: A total of 493 participants, 152 (30.8%) doctors and 341 (69.2%) nurses were enrolled in eight tertiary referral hospitals. The mean age of the subjects was 30.6 years old, and 383 (77.7%) were female. Of the 152 doctors, 63 (41.4%) and 36 (23.7%) were positive by TST and by QTF-GIT, respectively, and among the 341 nurses, 119 (34.9%) and 49 (14.4%) had positive TST and QFT-GIT results, respectively. Overall, the agreement between the two tests was 0.22 by the chance corrected proportional agreement rate (kappa coefficient) in 493 subjects. Experience of working in tuberculosis (TB)-related departments was significantly associated with positive LTBI test results by QFT-GIT assay, not by TST. In multivariate analysis, only age was independently associated with increased risk of a positive TST result, while age and experience of working in TB-related departments (odds ratio, 2.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-5.12) were independently associated with increased risk of a positive QFT-GIT result. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of LTBI was found among South Korean HCWs. Considering the association between the experience of working in TB-related departments and high risk of LTBI, QFT-GIT may be a better diagnostic test for LTBI than TST in HCWs.
Delivery of Health Care ; Demography ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Female ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Latent Tuberculosis ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Skin Tests ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Thorax ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculin Test ; Tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the outcomes of using vascular closure devices following percutaneous transfemoral endovascular procedures in the patients who were treated with heparin, abciximab or thrombolytics (urokinase or t-PA) during the procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 28, 2003 to August 31, 2004, we conducted a prospective and randomized study in which 1,676 cases of 1,180 patients were treated with one of the two different closure devices (the collagen plug device was Angio-SealTM; the suture-mediated closure device was The Closer STM) at the femoral access site after instituting percutaneous endovascular procedures. Among the 1,676 cases, 108 cases (the drug group) were treated with heparin only (n = 94), thrombolytics only (n = 10), heparin and thrombolytics (n = 3), or abciximab and thrombolytics (n = 1) during the procedures; 1,568 cases (the no-drug group) were treated without any medication. We compared the efficacy and complications between the two groups. Of the drug group, 42 cases underwent arterial closures with the collagen plug devices and 66 cases underwent arterial closures with the suture-mediated closure devices. We also compared the efficacy and complications between these two groups. RESULTS: The immediate hemostasis rates were 92.9% (1,456/1,568) in the no-drug group and 91.7% (99/108) in the drug group. Early complications occurred in four cases of the drug group. These included two episodes of rebleeding with using the Closer S, which required manual compression for at least 10 minutes, and two episodes of minor oozing with using one Angio-Seal and one Closer S, which required two hours of additional bed rest. There was no late complication. So, the total success rates were 90.8% (1,423/1,568) in the no-drug group and 88.0% (95/108) in the drug group. These results were not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.34). In the drug group, the difference of the successful hemostasis rate between the collagen plug devices and the suture-mediated devices was also not statistically significant (92.9% vs. 84.8%, respectively; p = 0.21). CONCLUSION: Arterial closure of the femoral access site with using vascular closure devices is both safe and effective, even in the patients who received heparin, abciximab or thrombolytics.
Sutures ; Prospective Studies ; Postoperative Complications ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hemostatic Techniques/*instrumentation ; Hemostasis/*drug effects ; Fibrinolytic Agents/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Femoral Artery/*surgery ; Female ; Collagen ; Anticoagulants/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology/*therapeutic use