A survey for nematode and cestode parasites of rodents in Korea has been carried out at the areas of Chulwon, Kumwha, Pochon, Paju and Chungpyong, Kyunggi-Do. A total of 300 rodents of seven species was examined, comprising of 219 A. agrarius, 33 R. norvegicus, 8 R. alexandrinus, 14 Mus musculus yamashinai, Microtus fortis pellceus, 21 Crocidura russula and a Cricetulus trition nester. The following fifteen species belonging to thirteen genera were identified: NEMATODA: Heterakis spumosa, Syphacia obvelata, Nippostrongylus muris, Protospirura muris, Capillaria hepatica, Capillaria sp., Heligmosomum sp., Heligmosomoides sp., Rictularia sp. and Gongylonema sp. CESTODA: Hymenolepis nana, Hymenolepis diminuta, Raillietina coreensis, Paranoplocephala sp. and Cysticercus fasciolaris(the larva of Taenia taeniaeformis).
parasitology-helminth-nematoda-cestoda ; Heterakis spumosa ; Syphacia obvelata ; Nippostrongylus muris ; Protospirura muris ; Capillaria hepatica ; Capillaria sp. ; Heligmosomum sp. ; Cysticercus fasciolaris ; Taenia taeniaeformis ; epidemiology ; rodent

Forty five patients with inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis were studied with the use of ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT). Thirty seven cases were cased by tumor extension and the primary neoplasms were hepatocellular Ca. (26cases), renal cell Ca. (6 cases), Wilms' tumor (1 case), IVC leiomyosarcoma (1 case) and retroperitoneal metastatic tumor (3 cases). Non-tumor thrombus were 8 cases which included 5 cases of Budd-Chiari syndrome and 3 cases of thrombophlebitis. US and CT both were good for the diagnosis of IVC thrombosis. Cranial extension was better demonstrated by US whereas CT yielded better delineation of the lower extension. Even though, differentiation of tumor non-tumor thrombi by the echogenecity and density of the thrombus was not possible, the finkdings of adjacent tumor mass, complete obstructive thrombus within dilated lumen with bulging wall, and nontapered acute margin of thrombus made the possibility of tumor thrombus more likely.
Budd-Chiari Syndrome ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma ; Thrombophlebitis ; Thrombosis* ; Ultrasonography ; Vena Cava, Inferior* ; Wilms Tumor

A 29 year old woman with unresectable leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cave extending into the right atrium of the heart was presented. The upper and middle inferior vena cava involved and there were both intrinsic and extrinsic tumor growth components. The diagnosis was made by a combination of radiological studies including ultrasound, CT, inferior vena cavography and arteriography and the diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasound guided rumor biopsy. The clinical and radiological presenting features were reviewed.
Angiography ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Ultrasonography ; Vena Cava, Inferior*

A 29 year old woman with unresectable leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cave extending into the right atrium of the heart was presented. The upper and middle inferior vena cava involved and there were both intrinsic and extrinsic tumor growth components. The diagnosis was made by a combination of radiological studies including ultrasound, CT, inferior vena cavography and arteriography and the diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasound guided rumor biopsy. The clinical and radiological presenting features were reviewed.
Angiography ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Ultrasonography ; Vena Cava, Inferior*

PURPOSE: The chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been reported to be aberrantly expressed in human cancer and has been shown to participate in cancer metastasis. We compared the expression of CXCR4 in conventional high-grade and low-grade central osteosarcomas, and determined if an association between CXCR4 expression and prognosis could be made. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed the immunohistochemistry for CXCR4 in a total of 63 patients with osteosarcoma and determined the relationships according to the clinicopathologic variables and overall survival rates. RESULTS: CXCR4 was detected in 76.3% of conventional high-grade osteosarcoma patients and in 36% of low-grade central osteosarcomas. Diffuse expression was noted in 47.4% of the high-grade osteosarcomas and all low-grade cases were focal positive. CXCR4 expression was significantly correlated with histologic grade (p<0.0001). While overall survival rate was reduced significantly with increased CXCR4 expression (p=0.0058), higher histologic grade (p<0.0001), and younger age (p=0.0140), survival rate did not correlate with gender, tumor size, or AJCC stage. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that CXCR4 expression is associated with higher-grade tumors and with poor prognosis for osteosarcoma patients.
Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

The anthelminthic effect of phenylene-diisothiocyanate-(1,4)(=Jonit) was studied on the eighty three cases infected with Ancylostoma duodenale. For the evalution, the number of eggs per gram of feces on all these cases was calculated before treatment. The follow-up for the egg reduction was carried out over a period of four weeks. The sixty-seven cases were treated in dosage schedule of 3 x 100 mg every 12 hours. The cure rates - the rate of negative conversion of eggs - was 74.6 percent and the total egg reduction rate of 94.2% was obtained. The ten out of 14 cases treated in the dosage schedule of 2 x 100 mg every 12 hours showed 100% egg reduction and the cure rate was 71.4%. In this group. the total egg reduction rate of 78.6% was noted. In the dosage schedule of 2 x 50 mg every 12 hours the remainder, two out of total 83 cases showed 100% egg reduction. Side effects were observed as being mild, 51 cases (56.6%) were free of side reactions and the most frequently noted side effects were vertigo and diarrhea. From the above results, it is concluded that Jonit is an effective antheminthic against Ancylostoma duodenale and its effectiveness is quite equivalent to that of a known recommended anti-hookworm products.
parasitology-helminth-nematoda ; Ancylostoma duodenale ; chemotherapy ; phenylene-diisothiocyanate ; Jonit

Background: Some epidemiological studies have indicated that weather and air pollution can cause adverse health conditions and that these effects can exhibit regional variation. The prevalence of headache is so high and it is a common cause of morbidity. Therefore, this study evaluated whether weather and air pollution were associated with the prevalence of headaches. Methods: A symmetric bidirectional case-crossover design was applied, using conditional logistic regression models to determine the association between headaches and weather and air pollution. From January 2006 to August 2007, a total of 245 patients with headaches were recruited. Headache subtypes were classifi ed as migraine, tension-type headaches, and others. Meteorological data (average temperature and relative humidity) and values related to air pollutants (CO, NO2 , O3 , SO2 , and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm) were obtained. Results: Higher average temperatures were associated with the total number of headaches (hazard ratio 1.124-1.130; P<0.001). With regard to headache subtype, O3 seems to provoke headaches, especially those related to tension and those listed as other headache varieties. Conversely, other pollutants, especially CO and SO2 , showed the opposite association. Conclusions: These fi ndings indicated that temperature and some air pollutants are able to affect headaches, suggesting that weather and air pollution levels seem to have an effect on the risk of headache.

BACKGROUND: Sex steroid hormones are believed to play an important role in the genesis and growth of uterine myoma. Several studies suggest a possible role of insulin-like growth factor(IGF) as a mediator of estradiol in uterine myama. We have recently demonstrated that some IGF binding proteins(IGFRPs) messenger ribonucleic acid(mRNA) expressions in myoma are dependent on the in vivo esttogen status. The purposes of this study are to evaluate the in vitro effects of sex steroid hormones including estrogen on the IGFBPs gene expression in tissues from uterine myoma and adjacent normal myometrium. METHODS: Tissues from myoma and adjacent normal myometrium of patients with uterine myoma during early proliferative phase of menstrual cycle were cultured in the absence(control) and presence of 17b-estradiol(10M/L) or/and progesterone(10M/L) for 3 days. The IGFBPs mRNA expressions in these explants were analyzed by Nothern blot using specific human complementary deoxyribonucleic acid(cDNA) probes. RESULTS: The addition of 17b-estradiol, progesterone alone and in combination to conditioned media of explants from myoma and adjacent normal myornetrium did not result in any changes in the expression of IGFBP-2, IGFBP-4, IGFBP-5, and IGFBP-6 mRNA. With progesterone addtion, lGFBP-3 rnRNA expression was significantly reduced in myoma explant but not in adjacent ncemal myometrium explant. There was no significant change in the IGFBP-3 mRNA expression with 17b-estradiol and with the combination of both 17b-estradiol and progesterone. CONCLUSION: 17b-estradiol does not affect IGFBPs gene expression in the myoma and adjacent normal myometrium explant regardless of the presence of progesterone in vitro. However progesterone alone induces a decrease in IGFBP-3 synthesis in myoma explant.
Animals ; Culture Media, Conditioned ; Estradiol ; Estrogens ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones ; Humans* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 2 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 4 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 6 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins ; Leiomyoma* ; Menstrual Cycle ; Mice ; Myoma ; Myometrium* ; Progesterone ; RNA, Messenger*

A 21-year-old woman presented with productive cough and hemoptysis. Chest radiograph shows a large thin-walled cystic lesion with an air-fluid level in medial portion of the left lower lung zone and opacity in paravertebral area of the right lower lung zone. Chest CT scan shows a thin-walled cavitary lesion in the posterior basal segment of left lower lobe with an air-fluid level. Area of consolidation containing air-filled cysts was also observed in medial aspect of right lower lobe. Selective angiogram obtained from aberrant artery arising from descending abdominal aorta showed two main branches of the artery supplying bilateral pulmonary lesions.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Arteries ; Bronchopulmonary Sequestration* ; Cough ; Female ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Carbonic anhydrase IX (CA9) is reportedly overexpressed in several types of carcinomas, but little is known about the expression pattern of CA9 in osteosarcoma. We aimed to assess the prevalence of CA9 expression and its prognostic implications in osteosarcoma patients. METHODS: We compared immunohistochemical expression of CA9 between conventional, high-grade and low-grade, central osteosarcomas. Specimens were obtained before chemotherapy and stained with anti-human CA9 antibody. We also evaluated the histologic grade, presence of metastasis, and patient prognosis. RESULTS: Among 38 samples of conventional high-grade osteosarcoma, 22 (57.9%) tumors displayed CA9 overexpression. Twenty-five cases of low-grade central osteosarcomas were all negative (p < 0.0001). CA9 expression was significantly associated with the presence of metastasis (p = 0.0010). The overall survival rate was significantly reduced with increased CA9 expression (p = 0.0012), higher histologic grade (p < 0.0001), and younger age (p = 0.0140). However, the overall survival rate was not significantly correlated with gender, tumor size, or American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. CONCLUSIONS: CA9 expression is a frequent and tumor-specific event in osteosarcoma. CA9 expression is associated with higher grade tumors, metastasis and poor prognosis for the osteosarcoma patients.
Antigens, Neoplasm ; Carbon ; Carbonic Anhydrases ; Humans ; Joints ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate