No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

No abstract available.

Tuberculous lymphadenitis is easily mistaken for an infection by only mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, many cases reveal atypical mycobacterium. Treatment of atypical mycobacterium differs from that of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis. Usual anti-tuberculous medication is the response to M. tuberculosis and M. bovis, but not to atypical mycobacterium. Excision and antibiotic therapy is the known treatment of choice for atypical mycobacterium. We used the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) for differential diagnosis of tuberculosis from lymphadenitis, and by using PCR we were able to differentiate the infecting organism as typical or atypical mycobacterium. We excised 50 case of cervical lymphadenitis, and PCR was done with Primer I(IS6110), which is specific for M. tuberculosis and M. bovis, and with Primer II(65 KDa Ag), which covers all mycobacterium species. The results obtained by PCR were compared with the pathologic results(control): sensitivity 81.8%, specificity 88.9%, false positive ratio 11.1%, false negative ratio 18.2%, typical mycobacterium 45.5%, and atypical mycobacterium 45.5%. These findings suggest that PCR is a good diagnostic tool for the early detection of tuberculous lymphadenitis and for differentiation of mycobacteria in cervical lymphadenitis.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Lymphadenitis ; Mycobacterium ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node*

No abstract available.

In the present study, we investigated whether tussilagone, a natural product derived from Tussilago farfara, significantly affects the production and gene expression of airway MUC5AC mucin. Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with tussilagone for 30 min and then stimulated with EGF (epidermal growth factor) or PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) for 24 h or the indicated periods. The MUC5AC mucin gene expression was measured by RT-PCR. Production of MUC5AC mucin protein was measured by ELISA. To elucidate the action mechanism of tussilagone, effect of tussilagone on PMA-induced NF-κB signaling pathway was investigated by western blot analysis. Tussilagone significantly inhibited the production of MUC5AC mucin protein and down-regulated the expression of MUC5AC mucin gene, induced by EGF or PMA. Tussilagone inhibited PMA-induced activation (phosphorylation) of inhibitory kappa B kinase (IKK), and thus phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitory kappa Ba (IκBα). Tussilagone inhibited PMA-induced phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65. This, in turn, led to the down-regulation of MUC5AC protein production in NCI-H292 cells. These results suggest that tussilagone can regulate the production and gene expression of mucin by acting on airway epithelial cells through regulation of NF-κB signaling pathway.
Blotting, Western ; Down-Regulation ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Epithelial Cells* ; Epithelium ; Gene Expression* ; Mucins* ; NF-kappa B ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Tussilago

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated whether lobetyolin, lobetyol, and methyl linoleate derived from Codonopsis pilosula affect MUC5AC mucin secretion, production, and gene expression from airway epithelial cells. METHODS: Confluent NCI-H292 cells were pretreated with lobetyolin, lobetyol, or methyl linoleate for 30 minutes and then stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 24 hours. The MUC5AC mucin gene expression, and mucin protein production and secretion were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. RESULTS: Lobetyolin, lobetyol, and methyl linoleate inhibited the gene expression of MUC5AC mucin induced by PMA; lobetyolin did not affect PMA-induced MUC5AC mucin production. However, lobetyol and methyl linoleate inhibited the production of MUC5AC mucin; lobetyolin and lobetyol did not significantly affect PMA-induced MUC5AC mucin secretion from NCI-H292 cells. However, methyl linoleate decreased the MUC5AC mucin secretion. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that among the three compounds, methyl linoleate can regulate gene expression, production, and secretion of MUC5AC mucin by directly acting on the airway epithelial cells.
Codonopsis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epithelial Cells* ; Gene Expression* ; Linoleic Acid* ; Mucins* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription

The endoscopic assisted approach for the treatment of condylar fracture is a less invasive alternative treatment modality and is considered to be able to overcome the limited access to the operation field to obtain an accurate reduction and fixation. Six patients with condylar neck and subcondylar fracture underwent the endoscopic assisted open reduction and internal fixation through the transoral approach at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Seoul National University Dental Hospital. The endoscope was inserted through an intraoral incision and the reduction of fracture fragment was performed via a transbuccal approach with two transcutaneous stab incisions. Five patients showed anatomic reduction without any complications. One patient, whose fracture site was fixed with a single plate, showed displacement of fractured condylar segment during the follow up period. No patient had any facial nerve damage.
Endoscopes ; Endoscopy ; Facial Nerve ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neck ; Seoul ; Surgery, Oral

Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is widely accepted as a standard treatment for early gastric cancer or gastric adenoma. However, EMR inevitably results in the formation of large iatrogenic ulcer at the resected area. Although the characteristics of EMR-induced ulceration are not fully understood, this type of ulcer is thought to heal faster and to recur less often than non-iatrogenic gastric ulcer. Current available evidences have suggested that EMR-induced ulcers heal within 2-3 months. Herein, we report two cases of non-healing persistent gastric ulcers after EMR. One is a case of gastric carcinoma which developed at the same site of previous EMR site for the low grade dysplasia. The other is a case in which persistent EMR-induced ulcer was healed in the long run after Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy.
Aged ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Gastric Mucosa/pathology/*surgery ; Helicobacter Infections/complications/drug therapy ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Iatrogenic Disease ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/complications/diagnosis/*surgery ; Stomach Ulcer/diagnosis/*etiology/pathology

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament(OPLL) is a degenerative disease of the spine, usually found in the cervical vertebrae. The etiology and pathogenesis have not been clarified, and its natural course is still unknown. The choice of operative approach, anterior vs. posterior, is still controversial. During the past 13 years, we have operated on 116 patients with myelopathy associated with cevical OPLL; 34 cases(29.3%) were of the continuous type, 30(25.9%) were segemental, 37(31.9%) were mixed, and 15(12.9%) were other type respectively. Forty-six patients underwent anterior cervical decompression by corpectomy, disectomy, and removal of the OPLL, and in these patients, segmental and other types of OPLL were more common and were found in 73% of these cases. On the other hand, 70 patients underwent posterior cervical decompression by cervical laminectomy or expansive laminoplasty; among them, the continuous and mixed type were more common and accounted for 84% of these cases. Surgical outcome was better in patients in whom the duration of pre-operative symptoms was shorter(p<0 .05). Age at surgery, trauma history and surgical approach did not, however, significantly affect the outcome. In conclusion, anterior cervical decompression was seen to give the best results, but was limited to patients with segmental or other types of OPLL, single or two levels of OPLL, and OPLL with herniated cervical disc. The posterior approach, on the other hand, was palliative, and gave better results in patients with continuous or mixed type of OPLL, OPLL of more than level three, and generally compromised patients.
Cervical Vertebrae ; Decompression ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Longitudinal Ligaments* ; Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spine*

PURPOSE: To describe systemic complications of unconscious patients' survival six hours following cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and to evaluate the relationship between several variables and death. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 153 cases of non-traumatic cardiac arrest that received CPR in a tertiary emergency department from April 1997 to June 2007. We carried out analyses on survival cases, and studied general characteristics and systemic complications to ascertain relationships between the survival and death groups. RESULTS: Sixty of 153 patients initially survived, but the survival rate quickly decreased to 30.1% within the first three days and then decreased slowly thereafter. In the 153 patients, hyperamylasemia occurred in 101 patients (66.0%), acute liver injury in 75(49.0%), sepsis in 67(43.8%), seizure and refractory shock in 66(43.1%), pneumonia in 65(42.5%), acute renal failure (ARF) in 64(41.8%), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in 30(19.6%), and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in 26(17.0%). Of nine types of complications encountered, the incidences of hyperamylasemia, ARDS, ARF, refractory shock and DIC were significantly higher in patients who died than in those who survived (73.1% vs 55.0%, 28.0% vs 6.7%, 54.8% vs 21.7%, 66.7% vs 6.7%, and 23.7% vs 6.7%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Systemic complications occurred with high frequency in comatose survivors after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Hyperamylasemia, ARDS, ARF, refractory shock and DIC were significantly associated with death.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Coma ; Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Emergencies ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hyperamylasemia ; Incidence ; Liver ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Survival Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Survivors ; Unconscious (Psychology)