Cutis verticis gyrata (CVG) is a descriptive term for a scalp condition that is convoluted folds and deep furrows that resemble the surface of the cerebral cortex. It is categorized by the underlying etiology, as primary essential, primary non-essential and secondary. Alopecia areata (AA) is a common, organ specific autoimmune disease, and most AA cases are sporadic. There is clearly a strong genetic component. There is no established relationship between CVG and AA. We report one case which was affected with essential primary CVG and alopecia areata, and suggest a possibility of genetic association between CVG and AA, possibly both being related to mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2).

Foreign body granuloma is a chronic, proliferative, inflammatory reaction caused by persistent poorly biodegradable tissue irritants. Currently, many injectable materials are being used extensively for soft tissue augmentation. Although considered biologically inert, these materials can evoke adverse reactions such as foreign body granuloma. Mainly these complications are a result of the use of unproven products injected by unlicensed or unqualified practitioners. Here we report a case of foreign body granuloma in the left lower eyelid secondary to injection of extracts from safflower seeds.
Carthamus tinctorius ; Eyelids ; Foreign Bodies ; Granuloma, Foreign-Body ; Irritants ; Seeds

OBJECTIVE: We investigated influence of choice of pain control method on analgesic effect and postoperative course after cesarean section. METHODS: Ninety parturients were randomly allocated to three groups and each group had 30 women. The postoperative pain was controlled with classical intramuscular injection in IM group and PCA (patient-controlled analgesia)device in meperidine (D) and meperidine+diclofenac (DV) group for up to 48 hours after Cesarean section when the parturients awoke and complained pain. The parturients received intramuscular diclofenac 75 mg every 12 hours in DV group. We evaluated usefulness and safety of each pain control method on postoperative opioid requirement, numerical rating score of pain, side effect and first ambulation time for 48 hours after operation. RESULTS: Total opioid requirement was decreased almost 40-50% in DV group. Pain score lowered significantly at 6, 12 and 24 hours in DV group(p<0.05). Nausea,Vomiting and Dizziness were increased in IM group than PCA group(p<0.05). There was no difference in laboratory data including hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet count and bleeding time in diclofenac used group. Ambulation was started earlier significalty in DV group after Cesarean section(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We concluded that diclofenac combined PCA is the most effective and safe method in pain control after cesarean section. But it is necessary to try further evaluation of hemostatic effect of diclofenac.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Bleeding Time ; Cesarean Section* ; Diclofenac ; Dizziness ; Female ; Hematocrit ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Meperidine ; Pain, Postoperative ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Platelet Count ; Pregnancy ; Walking

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery using a radial artery interposition graft (RAIG) for surgical management of cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: The study involved a retrospective analysis of 13 patients who underwent EC-IC bypass surgery using RAIG at a single neurosurgical institute between 2003 and 2009. The diseases comprised intracranial aneurysm (n=10), carotid artery occlusive disease (n=2), and delayed stenosis in the donor superficial temporal artery (STA) following previous STA-middle cerebral artery bypass surgery (n=1). Patients were followed clinically and radiographically. RESULTS: Bypass surgery was successful in all patients. At a mean follow-up of 53.4 months, the short-term patency rate was 100%, and the long-term rate was 92.3%. Twelve patients had an excellent clinical outcome of Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 5, and one case had GOS 3. Procedure-related complications were a temporary dysthesia on the graft harvest hand (n=1) and a hematoma at the graft harvest site (n=1), and these were treated successfully with no permanent sequelae. In one case, spasm occurred which was relieved with the introduction of mechanical dilators. CONCLUSION: EC-IC bypass using a RAIG appears to be an effective treatment for a variety of cerebrovascular diseases requiring proximal occlusion or trapping of the parent artery.
Arteries ; Carotid Arteries ; Cerebral Arteries ; Cerebral Revascularization ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glasgow Outcome Scale ; Hand ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Parents ; Radial Artery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Spasm ; Temporal Arteries ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants*

Papillary cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are uncommon. They occurs almost entirely in young women. Generally, the lesion averages 10 cm 17 size and are usually located in the pancreatic tail, resulting in displacement of the pancreatic duct. A varialbe amount of hemorrhage and liquefaction necrosis occurs, resulting in pseudopapillae cysts. Resection of the tumor is usually associated with a excellent prognosis because of the lack of metastases and rare recurrences. In this report present a case of a papillary cystic neoplasm of the pancreas with a review of references. Unlike most, the neoplasm we discovered was small (about 1.5 x 1.5 cm), and, occured in the pancreatic head of eldcrly woman. Moreover it was communicated by the main pancreatic duct via a side branch.
Female ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreas* ; Pancreatic Ducts* ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

Linear focal elastosis (LFE) is characterized by several asymptomatic, yellow, palpable, irregularly indurated, striae-like lines extending horizontally across the middle and lower back. A focal increase in elastic fibers is a hallmark of the disease as seen from biopsy specimens. The pathogenesis of LFE is unclear, as is the association between LFE and striae distensae (SD). However, the prevailing opinion is that LFE represents an excessive regenerative process of elastic fibers and is analogous to keloidal repair of SD. Although the timing of onset of LFE and SD was not synchronous in our patient, the triggering factor was the same, which was the growth spurt. This case is supporting the putative association between LFE and SD.
Biopsy ; Elastic Tissue ; Humans ; Keloid ; Striae Distensae

Early stage mycosis fungoides (MF) is known to be responsive to various topical and systemic therapies such as corticosteroids and ultraviolet light radiation, photochemotherapy with psoralens and whole-body electron beam irradiation. However, these treatments have all revealed a high relapse rate. Thus, we suggest that more invasive therapy, including PUVA combined with interferon-gamma, is one of the possible treatments for early MF because this treatment displays a reduced relapse rate. We report here on a case of early stage MF (Stage Ib) that was successfully treated with PUVA (total dose: 105.7 J/cm2) and intravenous administration of recombinant human interferon-gamma (total 5.4x10(6) IU), and the patient has been without relapse 1 year after treatment.
Administration, Intravenous ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Electrons ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; Mycosis Fungoides ; Photochemotherapy ; Psoralens ; Recurrence ; Ultraviolet Rays

PURPOSE: This experimental study verified the effect of adipose-tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) on the healing of ischemic colonic anastomoses in rats. METHODS: ASCs were isolated from the subcutaneous fat tissue of rats and identified as mesenchymal stem cells by identification of different potentials. An animal model of colonic ischemic anastomosis was induced by modifying Nagahata's method. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats (10-week-old, 370 +/- 50 g) were divided into two groups (n = 30 each): a control group in which the anastomosis was sutured in a single layer with 6-0 polypropylene without any treatment and an ASCtreated group (ASC group) in which the anastomosis was sutured as in the control group, but then ASCs were locally transplanted into the bowel wall around the anastomosis. The rats were sacrificed on postoperative day 7. Healing of the anastomoses was assessed by measuring loss of body weight, wound infection, anastomotic leakage, mortality, adhesion formation, ileus, anastomotic stricture, anastomotic bursting pressure, histopathological features, and microvascular density. RESULTS: No differences in wound infection, anastomotic leakage, or mortality between the two groups were observed. The ASC group had significantly more favorable anastomotic healing, including less body weight lost, less ileus, and fewer ulcers and strictures, than the control group. ASCs augmented bursting pressure and collagen deposition. The histopathological features were significantly more favorable in the ASC group, and microvascular density was significantly higher than it was in the control group. CONCLUSION: Locally-transplanted ASCs enhanced healing of ischemic colonic anastomoses by increasing angiogenesis. ASCs could be a novel strategy for accelerating healing of colonic ischemic risk anastomoses.
Anastomotic Leak ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Collagen ; Colon ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Ileus ; Ischemia ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Models, Animal ; Polypropylenes ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Stem Cells ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Transplants ; Ulcer ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is little information available about the effects of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) hospital notification on transfer and intrahospital processing times in cases of acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This study retrospectively investigated the real transfer and imaging processing times for cases of suspected acute stroke (AS) with EMS notification of a requirement for intravenous (IV) tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and for cases without notification. Also we compared the intra-hospital processing times for receiving t-PA between patients with and without EMS prehospital notification. RESULTS: Between December 2008 and August 2009, the EMS transported 102 patients with suspected AS to our stroke center. During the same period, 33 patients received IV t-PA without prehospital notification from the EMS. The mean real transfer time after the EMS call was 56.0+/-32.0 min. Patients with a transfer distance of more than 40 km could not be transported to our center within 60 min. Among the 102 patients, 55 were transferred via the EMS to our emergency room for IV t-PA. The positive predictive value for stroke (90.9% vs. 68.1%, p=0.005) was much higher and the real transfer time was much faster in patients with an EMS t-PA call (47.7+/-23.1 min, p=0.004) than in those without one (56.3+/-32.4 min). The door-to-imaging time (17.8+/-11.0 min vs. 26.9+/-11.5 min, p=0.01) and door-to-needle time (29.7+/-9.6 min vs. 42.1+/-18.1 min, p=0.01) were significantly shorter in the 18 patients for whom there was prehospital notification and who ultimately received t-PA than in those for whom there was no prehospital notification. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that prehospital notification could enable the rapid dispatch of AS patients needing IV t-PA to a stroke centre. In addition, it could reduce intrahospital delays, particularly, imaging processing times.
Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

PURPOSE: To investigate the hemodynamic risk factors for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), we analyzed the characteristics of descending aorta (DA) blood flow in preterm neonates, who later developed NEC. METHODS: This was an observational case-control study on 53 preterm neonates at a tertiary referral center. Clinical and echocardiographic data were collected from 23 preterm neonates with NEC (NEC group), and compared with those of 30 preterm neonates without NEC (control group). Echocardiography was done at a median (interquartile range) of 5 (3–9) days after birth and 2 (1–2.5) days before the diagnosis of NEC. RESULTS: Basic clinical characteristics including gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, breast feeding status, use of umbilical catheters, and mode of invasive ventilator care were similar between the groups. Compared with the control group, the lowest diastolic velocity of DA was significantly decreased, whereas the diastolic reverse flow and the ratio of diastolic reverse to systolic forward flows were significantly increased in the NEC group. In addition, the resistive index (RI) of DA was significantly increased in the NEC group and showed a positive association with the development of NEC. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increasing RI of DA was an independent risk factor for the development of NEC (P=0.008). CONCLUSION: Significant changes in DA flow characteristics including decreased diastolic velocity and increased diastolic reverse flow along with increased peripheral vascular resistance were observed before the development of NEC in preterm neonates. These findings may help clinicians stratify in advance neonates at a risk of developing NEC and may help improve outcomes in these neonates.
Aorta, Thoracic* ; Apgar Score ; Birth Weight ; Breast Feeding ; Case-Control Studies ; Catheters ; Critical Care ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing* ; Gestational Age ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Logistic Models ; Parturition ; Risk Factors ; Splanchnic Circulation ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Vascular Resistance ; Ventilators, Mechanical