Since the introduction of MRI, the arachnoiditis could easily haute been diagnosed by confirming the abnormal distribution of the roots in the dural sac. But the arachnoiditis-like pattern of nerve root distribution in a degenerative disc disease has been regarded as a an incorrect diagnosis of arachnoiditis. The arachnoiditis has been one of the most serious complication in the failed back surgery syndrome. MR images of 32 patients with acute or chronic radicular pain syndrome were investigated by a radiologist and a orthopedc surgeon. 17 patients had lumbar disc herniation; 13 patients, pure spinal stenosis; 2 patients, spondylolisthesis. The discriminant analysis was used to calculate the cutting point of clumping for the abnormal nerve root distribution and to assess the relationship between the arachnoiditis-like pattern of nerve root distribution and other factors According to the result of calculation, the cutting point of clumping In spinal stenosis was 9mm and that in a disc herniation was 6mm. Central clumping of nerve roots in the durn is considered as a characteristic finding at the constricted level of the lumbar degenerative disease. However, the appearance is not a differentiating factor between the adhesive arachnoiditis and constriction in the lumbar degenerative disease. Clinically, the adhesive arachnoiditis should be suspected in the lumbar degenerative disease with the nerve root clumping at multiple level, not associated with remarkable constriction of spinal canal. In the disc herniation with their sagittal diameter over 6mm, the clumping seems to imply the possibility of association with adhesive arachnoiditis.
Adhesives ; Arachnoid ; Arachnoiditis ; Constriction ; Diagnosis ; Failed Back Surgery Syndrome ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spondylolisthesis

No abstract available.
Arm* ; Glomus Tumor*

Arachnoid cyst of the velum interpositum is unusual and causes symptoms similar to those seen with a third ventricular mass. This report describes a case in which the arachnoid cyst occupied the cistern of the velum interpositum and was coincident with multiple cranial neuropathies. The patient was treated by endoscopic fenestration of the cyst. The surgery resulted in decreased in the size of the cyst but aggravation of cranial neuropathies. The patient underwent methylprednisolone pulse therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin administration under the impression of the multiple cranial neuropathies and recovered completely 3 months later. The authors conclude that combined neurological disease that needs medical treatment should be differentiated and priority of the treatment should be determined carefully if arachnoid cyst is associated with unrelated or ambiguous neurological symptoms and signs. Careful considerations of cause and effect may avoid an unnecessary surgical manipulation
Arachnoid* ; Cranial Nerve Diseases* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Methylprednisolone

No abstract available.
Hand*

The antigenic domain of the major surface protein (Nc-p43) of Neospora caninum was examined by polymerase chain reaction of its gene fragments and recombinant expression as GST fusion proteins. The fragments of Nc-p43 were as follow: a total open reading frame (OFR), T; OFR without signal sequence and C-terminal hydrophobic sequence, S; N-terminal 2/3 parts of S, A; C-terminal 2/3 parts, P; N-terminal 1/3 part, X; middle 1/3 part, Y; and C-terminal 1/3 part, Z, respectively. The DNA fragments were cloned into pGEX-4T vector. Recombinant plasmids transformed into Escherichia coli of BL21 pLysS (DE3) strain were induced to express GST or GST fused fragments of Nc-p43 such as 69 kDa protein for T, 66 kDa for S, 52 kDa for A, 53 kDa for P, and 40 kDa proteins for X, Y, and Z, respectively in SDS-PAGE. The Nc-p43 fragments of T, S, and P reacted with a bovine serum of neosporosis while those of A, X, Y, and Z together with GST did not in the western blot. These findings suggest that the antigenic domain of Nc-p43 of N. caninum may be localized in the C-terminal 2/3 parts. Together with A19 clone in SAG1 of Toxoplasma gondii (Nam et al., 1996), the P fragment of Nc-p43 could be used as efficient antigens to diagnose and differentiate those infections with both species.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Biological Markers/analysis ; Blotting, Western ; Cells, Cultured ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; Coccidiosis/diagnosis ; Neospora/*immunology ; Protozoan Proteins/*analysis/genetics/immunology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Vero Cells/parasitology

An ELISA was established to measure bovine IgG directed against the recombinant antigenic determinant of Nc-p43, a major surface antigen of Neospora caninum. In a previous study, two thirds of the Cterminal of the molecule was expressed as a 6 x His tagged protein (Ncp43P) for ELISA using 2/3 of the N-terminal of SAG1 from Toxoplasma gondii as a control (TgSAG1A). Among 852 cattle sera collected from stock farms scattered nation-wide, 103 sera (12.1%) were found to react with Ncp43P positively, but no positive reaction was observed with TgSAG1A. This study shows that Ncp43P could be available as an efficient antigen for the diagnosis of neosporosis in cattle. Furthermore, it together with TgSAG1A, could be useful for the differential diagnosis of N. caninum and T. gondii infections in other mammals.
Animals ; Antibodies, Protozoan ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Coccidiosis/diagnosis/epidemiology/veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods/*veterinary ; Immunoglobulin G/*analysis ; Neospora/*immunology ; Protozoan Proteins/*immunology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies

Differentiation between benign and malignant hepatic lesions was attempted according to the shape of the lesion, internal architecture and characteristics of signal intensity on MR images. MR images. We retrospectively analyzed 20 cases of hemangiomas, 12 cases of hepatomas and 5 cases of cysts which were diagnosed by clinical, radiological and surgical methods (33 patients). On T1-weighted, proton weighted, and T2-weighted images, most hemangiomas (70%) and cysts (100%) had smooth margin and were round or oval in shape, while hepatocellular carcinomas had irregular (67%) or lobulated (33%) borders. Ninety percent of hemangiomas and 100% of cysts had homogeneous signal intensity, but 67% of hepatocellular carcinomas were inhomogeneous. Signal intensities of hepatocellular carcinomas were more variable. However, hemangionmas were isointense or hyperintense on proton weighted images, and markedly hyperintense on T2-weighted images . In conclusion, inhomogenous, irregular border, and variable signal intensity lesions had high likelihood of malignancy, while homogenous and markedly hyperintense lesions were more likely benign.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis* ; Hemangioma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Protons ; Retrospective Studies

Differentiation between benign and malignant hepatic lesions was attempted according to the shape of the lesion, internal architecture and characteristics of signal intensity on MR images. MR images. We retrospectively analyzed 20 cases of hemangiomas, 12 cases of hepatomas and 5 cases of cysts which were diagnosed by clinical, radiological and surgical methods (33 patients). On T1-weighted, proton weighted, and T2-weighted images, most hemangiomas (70%) and cysts (100%) had smooth margin and were round or oval in shape, while hepatocellular carcinomas had irregular (67%) or lobulated (33%) borders. Ninety percent of hemangiomas and 100% of cysts had homogeneous signal intensity, but 67% of hepatocellular carcinomas were inhomogeneous. Signal intensities of hepatocellular carcinomas were more variable. However, hemangionmas were isointense or hyperintense on proton weighted images, and markedly hyperintense on T2-weighted images . In conclusion, inhomogenous, irregular border, and variable signal intensity lesions had high likelihood of malignancy, while homogenous and markedly hyperintense lesions were more likely benign.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis* ; Hemangioma ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Protons ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia* ; Infant, Newborn*

The trachea is a cartilagenous and membranous tubular midline structure with parallel walls. Tracheal deviation may be caused either by traction toward the diseased hemithorax or by compression toward the normal side. Unless an obvious mass is observed radiographically, occasionally it can be difficult to decide whether the trachea has been pushed or pulled from its normal position in the mediastinum. We studied the differences between tracheal deviation patterns in 23 patients with fibroatelectatic pulmonary tuberculosis and 35 patients with elongated and dilated aortas. In cases of retraction of the trachea by fibroatelectatic pulmonary tuberculosis, the diameter of the deviated segment was greater than that of the normal segment and deviation of the wall adjacent to the fibroatelectasis from its normal position was greater than that of the opposite wall. In cases of compression of the trachea by the elongated and dilated aorta, the diameter of the diviated segment was smaller than that of the normal segment and deviation of the wall adjacent to the aortic arch from its normal position was greater than that of the opposite wall. We conclude that these differences between tracheal deviation patterns are useful signs for discriminating retraction from compression. Thus when the trachea is retracted, the deviation of the juxtalesional wall is greater than that of the lesion-free wall, and vice versa.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Humans ; Mediastinum ; Trachea* ; Traction* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary