No abstract available.
Dyspepsia/physiopathology/*radionuclide imaging ; Fundoplication ; Human ; Obesity/physiopathology/*radionuclide imaging ; Observer Variation ; Postprandial Period/*physiology ; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m/diagnostic use ; Stomach/physiopathology/*radionuclide imaging/surgery ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon/*methods

Autopsy ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Head ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mandible ; Mandibular Osteotomy ; Mouth ; Neck ; Osteosarcoma ; Parents ; Pediatrics ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; Sarcoma ; Sublingual Gland ; Submandibular Gland ; Ultrasonography

This study was designed to investigate the differences of histologic gastritis according to the endoscopic diagnosis, and between H. pylori positive and negative gastritis, using the Sydney system. A total of 122 patients (42 duodenal ulcer, 31 chronic gastritis, 35 gastric ulcer and 14 gastric cancer) underwent endoscopy with biopsies from the antrum and body. Among the 122 patients, 104 (85%) were H. pylori positive. H. pylori density of the antrum was significantly higher in duodenal ulcer than in chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, and gastric cancer. The positivity of intestinal metaplasia was lowest in duodenal ulcer and highest in gastric cancer. H. pylori density as well as grade of activity, inflammation and atrophy were significantly higher in the antrum than in the body in duodenal ulcer, while in chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer and gastric cancer there was no difference of H. pylori density, activity, inflammation and atrophy between the antrum and body. The grade of activity and chronic inflammation were significantly higher in H. pylori positive patients than in H. pylori negative patients in both the antrum and body. In conclusion, the gastritis of duodenal ulcer was mainly localized to the antrum, while the gastritis of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer or gastric cancer was rather uniform in the antrum and body. H. pylori seemed to be related to the development of chronic inflammation and activity.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chronic Disease ; Comparative Study ; Duodenal Ulcer/pathology* ; Female ; Gastritis/pathology* ; Helicobacter pylori/isolation & purification ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Stomach Ulcer/pathology*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Qualitative oculomotor abnormalities have been reported in parkinsonian patients for many years, but conflicting results have been obtained. This study was performed to evaluate the correlation between the severity of the disease and the abnormalities of the ocular movements in idiopathic parkinson's disease. METHODS: We gave the vestibular function tests in patients with idiopathic parkinson's disease and normal controls. Eye movement recordings were made with automated electronystagmography and rotation test was performed. A total of 46 patients (mean age : 61.2+/-6.7) and 24 controls (mean age : 60.5+/-4.3) were studied. The severity of the disease was divided into two groups by modified Hoehn & Yahr staging ; H-Y stage 1 and 2 as a mild group and stage 3 and 4 as a severe group. RESULTS: Saccadic latency and accuracy, pursuitic gain and velocity, vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) suppression by vision were significantly altered in patients, whereas mean velocity of optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) and VOR gain in darkness were normal. Alteration of saccadic latency and accuracy, pursuitic gain and velocity, VOR suppression by vision were profound in the severe group compared with a mild group and controls, but the above parameters did not differ between a mild group and controls. In a hemiparkinson's group, saccadic latency and accuracy, pursuitic gain, OKN mean velocity and gain was not different between the both sides. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that severe Parkinson's disease damages nigrostriatal or other specific pathways which were involved in the regulation of the saccadic, pursuitic and pursuitic-mediated visual fixation system. In a hemiparkinson's group asymmetric damage of dopaminergic innervation which was involved in the regulation of ocular movements was not found.
Darkness ; Electronystagmography ; Eye Movements ; Humans ; Nystagmus, Optokinetic ; Parkinson Disease* ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; Vestibular Function Tests

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of acute withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs in epileptic patients during continuous BEG monitoring. One hundred sixty-five withdrawals in 134 patients who were candidates for epileptic surgery were included for this study. Clinical features and frequency of seizure were observed after drug withdrawal with daily monitoring of serum drug level. The phases after withdrawal of antiepileptics were divided into phase of therapeutic drug level, phase of falling drug level, and phase of subtherapeutic or undetectable(zero) drug level. There were significant increase in frequency of seizure and seizure of secondary generalization after acute withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs. Number of seizure during the period of drugs withdrawals was not correlated with onset age of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, duration of medication, and number of administrated antiepiteptic drugs. The number of frequency of seizure before drug withdrawal was correlated with the number of frequency of withdrawal seizure. The number of seizure frequency after carbamazepine withdrawal was significantly higher during the phase of subtherapeutic or zero drug level, and not during phase of rapid falling antiepileptic drug level.
Age of Onset ; Anticonvulsants* ; Carbamazepine ; Epilepsy ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Humans ; Seizures*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A histological finding that is the most characteristic of cholesteatoma is the proliferation of the squamous cell. Signal transduction through phospholipase C(PLC) participates in the regulation of epidermal cell growth and differentiation. EGF, PDGF, and TGF-alpha bind to their receptors and thereby induce tyrosine phosphorylation of the phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1). PLC-gamma1 is a substrate for several receptor tyrosine kinases and its catalytic activity is increased by tyrosine phosphorylation. Tyrosine kinase phosphorylation of PLC-gamma1 stimulates PLC activation and cell proliferation. The G-protein has been shown to specifically activate PLC-beta1. However, the signal transduction pathway and the significance of PLC in cholesteatoma is unknown. This study attempted to provide some evidence that PLC plays a role in cholesteatoma by investigating the distribution and quantity of PLC-beta1 and PLC-gamma1 in the posterior auricular skin and cholestsatoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Western blotting and immunohistochemical study were performed for 20 cholesteatoma specimens obtained from patients who underwent operation. RESULTS: Western blot analyses revealed that PLC-beta1 protein and PLC-gamma1 protein were detectable in cholesteatoma and that these proteins were in higher levels compared with the control. In the imm-unohistochemical study, PLC-gamma1 was detected in the horny cell layer of posterior auricular skin but not in the suprabasal layer and the horny cell layer of cholesteatoma. PLC-beta1 was detected in the primary basal layer and a minor reaction was also noted in the spinous layer of posterior auricular skin. However, there were detactable reactions in both the basal and the suprabasal layers of cholesteatoma. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that there are signal transduction pathways through PLC, over-expression of PLC, the different signaling mechanism by PLC in the basal and the suprabasal layer of cholesteatoma.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Proliferation ; Cholesteatoma* ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Humans ; Phospholipase C beta* ; Phospholipases* ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Signal Transduction ; Skin ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha ; Tyrosine

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To further understand the relationship between the cagA gene and gastric cancer, the positive rates of the cagA gene in cancer and non-cancer tissues were investigated separately in patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: The cagA gene was detected by PCR and the ureC gene was analyzed as a positive control for the presence of Helicobacter pylori. Each of two endoscopic biopsies were obtained from cancer and non-cancer tissues of 41 patients with gastric cancer. RESULTS: 1) The positive rate of the cagA gene in cancer tissues was 29.3% (12/41), which was significantly lower than that in non-cancer tissues (63.4%). 2) Twelve (29.3%) out of 41 were positive for the cagA gene in both cancer and non-cancer tissues, 14 were positive in only non-cancer tissues, none were positive in only cancer tissues, and 15 (36.6%) were negative in both sites. 3) The ureC gene was negative in cancer tissue in 12 (85.7%) among 14 cases who were cagA gene negative in the cancer tissue but positive in the non-cancer tissue. 4) There was no difference in the positive rate of the cagA gene according to age, stage, site, and pathologic cell type. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that the positive rate of the cagA gene in cancer tissue was lower than that in non-cancer tissues and this might be related to a low infection rate of H. pylori in cancer tissue rather than the presence of cagA negative H. pylori in cancer tissues.
Biopsy ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stomach Neoplasms*

This study was conducted to get normal data of derrnatomal somatosensory evoked potentials (DSEP) from the lumbosacral dermatome and to evaluate the efficacy of DSEP in the diagnosis of lumbosacral radiculopathy. We examined scalp-recorded DSEP from stimulation of L4. L5 and Sl derrnatomes. DSEP was tested on 26 healthy adult volunteers (11 men and 15 women), age ranging from 22 to 66 years and 12 patients (7 men and 5 women) with lumbosacral radiculopathies. Norrnal values of P latenc! Of DSEP from stimulation of L4. L5 and S1 derrnatomes were 41.3+24.9 msec. 46.4+3.30 msec and 46.8+3.04 msec and the interside differences of the P, latency uere 1.57+1.06 msec, 1.06+0.93 msec and 1.38+0.89 msec, respectively. The latencies of DSEP were significantly influenced by age and height. But the amplitudes were not. In the seven of the twelve patients with lumbosacral radiculopathies the DSEP findings concurred with clinical, CT and/or MRI findings. In 5 cases DSEP gave different information, indicating no abnormality in three patients, more extended radiculopathy in one, and more reduced radiculopathy in one, compared with clinical and radiological findings. Above observations suggest that DSEP test is a simple. Noninvasive. Economic and useful alternative test for the diagnosis of lumboscral radiculopathy.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Radiculopathy* ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Although benign childhood epilepsy with controtemporal spikes (BCECT) has been well characterized and extensively studied, the clinical findings and prognosis of benign childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms (BCEOP) have been less well understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical manifestations, responses to antiepileptic drugs, and longterm. Prognosis of BCEOP. METHODS AND SUBJECTS: We studied 10 BCEOP patients seen between 1985 and 1995 and followed up from 2 to 14 years(7.2+/-2.9). RESULTS: In 10 patients, there were 7 females and 3 males. The age of onset ranges from 4 to 9 year-old(6.4+/-1.5). In the cases whose age of onset was below 6 year-old, the main clinical manifestations were tonic deviation of eye bal1, ictal vomiting and frequent development of status epilepticus in the sleep. In the cases whose age of onset was above 7 year-old, the main clinical manifestations were visual symptoms (blurring or blindness) associated with ictal vomiting/headache and complex visual hallucination evolved to automatism. The typical EEG findings were occipital paroxysms, characterized by repetitive high amplitude spike or sharp and slow wave complexes in the occipital area, mainly when the eyes were closed. Except one patient, the seizures responded well to anticonvulsant therapy and did not occur after the age of 11. CONCLUSION: Although the number of cases was small and the follow-up period was not long enough, our data indicated that BCEOP had a good prognosis and showed diverse clinical manifestations, which might be dependent on the age of onset.
Age of Onset ; Anticonvulsants ; Automatism ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis ; Seizures ; Status Epilepticus ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Smoking is regarded as one of the factors that bring about nonspecific hypersensitivity in allergic nasal mucosa. But it is uncertain how chronic smoking affects hypersensitivity in nasal mucosa. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between smoking and nasal hypersensitivity. In this study, histamine is used since it is commonly used to evaluate nasal hypersensitivity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve smokers and 9 nonsmokers were participated in this study. Nasal mucosae of each subjects were stimulated by thiorphan followed by substance P. After stimulation, several dilutions of 10 to 5X104 ng/ml of histamine was instilled to both nasal cavity at intervals of 10 minutes. We measured the volume of nasal cavity by acoustic rhinometry in each step and counted the number of sneezing and nasal blowing at every 10 minute intervals. Changes in volume after each dillutions of histamine instillations were compared with the values measured after the stimulation by thiorphan and substance P., and this value was expressed as the percentage volume change. RESULTS: The nasal volume of smoker group was increased upto 100 ng/ml of histamine and decreased from 1000 ng/ml of histamine. The nasal volume of nonsmoker group decreased more than the smoker group with each dilution of histamine. The number of sneezing and nasal blowing increased in each group with each dilution of histamine. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic smoking may decrease susceptibility of hypersensitivity to histamine in nasal mucosa.
Histamine ; Hypersensitivity* ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Mucosa ; Rhinometry, Acoustic ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sneezing ; Substance P ; Thiorphan