PURPOSE: Laparoscopic pyeloplasty is an alternative, minimally invasive approach for the repair of an ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). However, it has a technical difficulty, and various laparoscopic approaches are available. We present our initial experience of laparoscopic pyeloplasty using a transperitoneal approach in patients with an UPJO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2002 and January 2004, 11 patients underwent laparoscopic pyeloplasty using a transperitoneal approach. Of these 11, 10 patients were followed up and enrolled in this study. They were comprised of 6 males and 4 females, with a mean age of 44 years (19-62). The chief complaints were flank pain in 8 patients, with a further 2 incidental detected. Three patients had had previous abdominal surgeries. The mean length of stricture was 1.1cm in the radiologic studies, and the degree of hydronephrosis was grade 3/4 in 6 patients and grade 4/4 in 4. An obstructive pattern in the 99mTc-MAG3 renal scan was present in 9 patients. RESULTS: Eight patients were treated with dismembered Anderson-Hynes pyeloplasty and 2 patients with Fenger pyeloplasty. The mean operating time and hospital stay were 225 minutes (120-450) and 7.4 days (5-10), respectively. During the operation, crossing vessels were found in 4 patients and an ureteral polyp in 1. One patient had an ascending colon injury, which was postoperatively detected and repaired. The mean follow- up period was 42.5 weeks (26-135). Follow-up excretory urography and a 99mTc-MAG3 renal scan showed improvements in 8 of the 10 patients (80%) at the 3 month follow-up. The flank pain disappeared in all the patients (100%) who had previously complained of this symptom. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic pyeloplasty could be an alternative treatment for an ureteropelvic junction obstruction, especially using a transperitoneal approach, which seems to have a technical convenience over that of the retroperitoneal approach.
Colon, Ascending ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Kidney Diseases ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Polyps ; Technetium Tc 99m Mertiatide ; Ureter ; Ureteral Obstruction ; Urography

A complicated urachal cyst requires surgical excision to prevent symptom recurrence and complications, most notably malignant degeneration. However, a traditional open excision is associated with significant morbidity and prolonged convalescence, especially in children. A seven year old male, with a complicated urachal cyst, underwent a laparoscopic excision of the urachal remnant. Through a transperitoneal approach, using three ports, the urachus was excised and separated from the bladder dome. We report our experience of a laparoscopic excision of an urachal cyst, with a review other reports, to find the efficacy and outcome of this approach as a minimally invasive alternative.
Child* ; Convalescence ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Recurrence ; Urachal Cyst* ; Urachus ; Urinary Bladder

BACKGROUND: As single donor platelets (SDP) has been increasingly used, the quality of SDP, especially apheresis-induced platelet activation, has become a major issue. This study evaluated the activation of SDP platelets prepared with three different cell separators that are currently being used at the Korean Red Cross. METHODS: CD62p, CD63 and CD42 were measured in 35 units of SDP prepared with Amicus (Baxter, Deerfield, IL, USA), MCS+ (Haemonetics, Braintree, MA, USA), or Trima (Gambro BCT, Lakewood, USA) using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Expression of CD62p gradually increased with storage time, but no difference in expression was noted between cell separators. Expression of CD63 also increased with storage time and platelets prepared with the Amicus displayed significantly higher CD63 expression 72 and 120 hours after collection compared to those prepared with MCS+ and Trima. Expression of CD42b tended to decrease with storage time, but this was only significant for Amicus 120 hours after collection. No difference in CD42b expression was noted between cell separators. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet activation increased with storage time, and platelet activation was more pronounced in the platelets prepared with the Amicus. However, because in vitro results of platelet activation does not necessarily reflect in vivo platelet function and survival, additional studies are needed to clarify clinical effectiveness of activated platelets.
Blood Platelets* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Platelet Activation* ; Plateletpheresis* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: To evaluate the qualitative immunologic changes by ionizing radiation, we studied the altered capacities of the macrophages and lymphocytes to produce cytokines in conjunction with resistance to Listeria monocytogenes (LM) infection in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BALB/c mice and Listeria monocytogenes were used. The mice were infected intraperitoneally with 105LM at 1 day after irradiation (300cGy) and sacrificed at 1, 3, 5 days after infection, and then the numbers of viable LM per spleen in the irradiated and control group were counted. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and nitric oxide (NO) were assessed after irradiation. RESULTS: Under gamma-ray irradiation with a dose range of 100-850cGy, the number of total splenocytes decreased markedly in a dose-dependent manner, while peritoneal macrophages did so slightly. Cultured peritoneal macrophages produced more TNF-alpha in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) during the 24 hours after in vitro irradiation, but their capacity of TNF-alpha production showed a decreased tendency at 5 days after in vivo total body irradiation. With 100cGy and 300cGy irradiation, cultured peritoneal macrophages produced more NO in the presence of LPS during the 24 hours after in vitro irradiation than without irradiation. Activated splenocytes from irradiated mice (300cGy) exhibited a decreased capacity to produce IL-2 and IFN-gamma with Concavalin-A stimulation at 3 days after irradiation. When BALB/c mice were irradiated to the total body with a dose of 300cGy, they showed enhanced resistance during early innate phase, but a significant inhibition of resistance to LM was found in the late innate and acquired T-cell dependent phases. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that increased early innate and decreased late innate and acquired immunity to LM infection by ionizing radiation (300cGy) may be related to the biphasic altered capacity of the macrophages to produce TNF-alpha and the decreased capacities of the lymphocytes to produce IL-2 and IFN-gamma in addition to a marked decrease in the total number of cells.
Adaptive Immunity ; Animals ; Cytokines ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-2 ; Listeria monocytogenes* ; Listeria* ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Peritoneal ; Mice* ; Nitric Oxide ; Radiation, Ionizing* ; Spleen ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Whole-Body Irradiation

No abstract available.
Erythromycin*

PURPOSE: To investigate the usefulness of evaluating liver cirrhosis through the measurement of liver volume. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a control group(20 normal subjects) and 20 cirrhotic patients, variations in liver volume before and after a meal were obtained. A case-control study was conducted between the two groups. RESULTS: In the control group, the range of increased liver volume after the meal was 67-186ml. Mean increased liver volume was 119.3ml, the range of percentage increase was 6-12% and the mean percentage increase was 9.89%. In cirrhotic patients, the range of increased liver volume after the meal was 1-20ml. Mean increased liver volume was 6.9ml, the range of percentage increase was 0-1.9% and the mean percentage increase was 0.65%. Compared with the control group, cirrhotic patients showed a much smaller increase in liver volume (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Difference in variation of liver volume between a control group and cirrhotic patients before and after a meal can be used for the evaluation of liver cirrhosis.
Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Meals ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

OBJECTIVES: Since Mountain proposed the new staging system of non-small cell lung cancer in 1986, the indications for operation of NSCLC have been extended. However, operative mortality is from 3 to 6%. Therefore it is important to reduce unnecessary operation and to evaluate unresectability of tumor correctly, preoperatively The purpose of this study is to find out the causes of unresectability in patients who were initially thought to be resectable preoperatively. METHODS: By retrospective analysis, 64 patients out of 291 NSCLC patients who were undergone operation for curative resection in Seoul National University Hospital from Jan. of 1987 to Dec. of 1991, ware found to be unresectable at operating roost were selected for this study. Out of 64 patients,42 were evaluable. The analysis was focused on the change of pre- & post-operative staging and the causes of unresectability of tumors. RESULTS: Among B2 patients with unresectable tumor who could be evaluated, preoperative CT finding showed resectable tumors in 55% (23 patients) and suspicious for unresectable tumors in 45% (19 patients). The causes of unresectability were technically unresectable T3 lesions in 7% (3 patients), T4 lesions in 62% (26 patients), N2 lesions in 17% (7 patients) and N3 lesions in 14% (6 patients). CONCLUSION: The major causes of unresectability of NSCLC were pulmonary artery invasions. It is suggested that careful evaluation of mediastinal structure, especially great vessels by additional imaging technique other than CT (like MRI) is indicated in selected NSCLC cases.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Humans ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Artery ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Since tumor necrosis factor was discovered in 1975, TNF has been well known about its cytotoxic effect on tumor cells in vivo and in vitro. According to the recent improvement of molecular biological techinques, it is possible that exogenous TNF gene is transferred to tumor cells and is expressed in theirs. By virtue of TNF gene transfer, we have expected that TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cells would kill tumor cells in vivo without systemic side effect. The expected mechanisms in which antitumor effects of TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cells are working would be as followings. In the first mechanism, TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cells would kill tumor cells around (like homicide). In the second mechanism, TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cells would kill themselves (like suicide). In the third mechanism, TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cells would recruit immune effector cells and kill tumor cells indirectly. In the last mechanism, TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cells would augment cytokine such as interferon-γ to kill tumor cells. Among these four mechanisms of antitumor effect, only the second mechanism has not been established yet. Therefore, to elucidate the second mechanism, We performed this study. METHOD: We transferred TNF-α gene to NCI-H2058, a human mesothelioma cell line and WEHI164, a murine fibrosarcoma cell line by using retroviral vector(pLT12SNTNF). And, We determined by using MTT assay whether TNF expressed in TNF-gene-transferred tumor cell lines would kill themselves like suicide or not. Then, if TNF-gene-transferred tumor cell lines would not suicide themselves, 1 would know more about the TNF sensitivity of TNF-gene-transferred tumor cell lines to exogenous TNF also by MTT assay. RESULT: NCI-H2058 and WEHI164 which were sensitive to TNF, became far less sensitive to endogenous and exogenous TNF after being transferred TNF-α gene to. CONCLUSION: TNF-gene-transfer to NCI-H2058 and WEHI164 gaffe them resistance to TNF.
Cell Line ; Cell Line, Tumor* ; Fibrosarcoma ; Humans ; Mesothelioma ; Necrosis* ; Retroviridae* ; Suicide ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Virtues ; Zidovudine

PURPOSE: Glyphosate-surfactant herbicide (GSH) is a widely used herbicide that is generally thought to be safe. When ingested in large quantities, however, it can result in serious toxicity and even lethality. The purpose of this study was to identify predictive factors for early hospital discharge in GSH poisonings. METHODS: GSH poisoning patients were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of patients who were discharged earlier, within 48 hours, without any complication since ED admission. Group B included patients who were admitted to the ED more than 48 hours earlier and/or who died within 48 hours of ED admission. Patient demographics, drug intoxication information, chest X-ray (CXR) findings and laboratory data during the first 24 hours on ED admission were collected. Those data were analyzed for their effect on the two groups. Univariate and odds ratio analysis were done. Predictive factors for early hospital discharge were then determined using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Seventy three patients (51 males, 22 females) were enrolled in our study; 39 patients in group A, and 34 patients in group B. By univariate and odds ratio analysis, the following variables showed statistically significant differences between groups A and B: estimated amount of poison ingested?, GSC score, CXR findings, arterial pH, PO2, bicarbonate, BUN, creatinine, amylase and potassium. In the analysis of clinical symptoms and signs, mental change, dyspnea and voice change were the significant findings in group B (p<0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict early discharge in GSH poisonings, 3 variables (normal CXR finding, no metabolic acidosis, BUN level < or = 23) were found to be highly associated with early discharge. We established the following multiple logistic regression model: Log(p/1-p) = -3.02+1.85(normal CXR)+1.98(no metabolic acidosis)+1.46(BUN< or =23) CONCLUSION: Although GSH poisoning causes multi-organ toxicity, its mortality rate is relatively low (5.5%). Acid-base status, chest X-ray finding, and serum BUN level during the first 24 hours are useful predictive factors for early discharge from the hospital in GSH poisonings.
Acidosis ; Amylases ; Creatinine ; Demography ; Dyspnea ; Glycine ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Potassium ; Thorax ; Voice

No abstract available.