No abstract available.
Incidence* ; Nurseries* ; Parenteral Nutrition, Total* ; Pharmacy* ; Sepsis*

We report two cases of hyalinizing trabecular carcinoma (HTC) of the thyroid gland. These two patients were euthyroid women aged 36 and 65 years of age. The tumors were encapsulated and measured 0.8 and 4.0 cm in diameter, respectively. Histologically, the tumors were composed of a compact proliferation of cells in a lobular and trabecular pattern with an intervening hyalinized, fibrotic vascular stroma. Occasionally the cells were arrayed in microfollicles. Multiple and serial sections showed cords of tumor cells invading into the capsule in both cases and vascular invasion in one case. These findings suggested that HTCs are a malignant counterpart of hyalinizing trabecular adenoma, similar to conventional follicular tumor. Positive immunostaining of tumor cells for thyroglobulin and negative staining for high molecular weight cytokeratin, cytokeratin 19, neuron specific enolase, chromogranin, and synaptophysin allowed distinction from medullary carcinoma. Even though HTCs are an heterogeneous group of tumors, the present two cases are probably variants of follicular carcinoma rather than papillary carcinoma.
Adenoma ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Female ; Humans ; Hyalin* ; Keratin-19 ; Keratins ; Molecular Weight ; Negative Staining ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Synaptophysin ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland*

No abstract available.
Citrobacter freundii* ; Citrobacter* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Meningitis*

Median raphe canal is an uncommon disease and represents a defect abnormality of the male genitalia. It occurs along the ventral median raphe from the glans penis to the anus. Histologically the canal is lined by stratified squamous epithelium which dose not communicate with the urethra. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recently we observed a 25-year-old male patient who had had a median raphe canal located in the ventral aspect of penis.
Adult ; Anal Canal ; Epithelium ; Genitalia, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Penis* ; Urethra

BACKGROUND: Several abnormalities of the autonomic regulation of the heart have been noted after acute myocardial infarction(AMI). Measurement of heart rate(HR) variability has been reported to provide indirect, noninvasive estimate of the cardiac efferent parasympathetic activity. The purposes of this study were to get the information on heart rate variability after AMI and to determine its relation to clinical and hemodynamic data. METHODS: We measured HR variability in 28 patients(23 men and 5 women : mean age, 56.6+/-10.4 years) 3-15days after AMI, in 25 patients with unstable angina and in 21 normal subjects by using triangular interpolation of the frequency distribution histogram om normalto-normal RR intervals from Holter tapes. RESULTS: HR variability was lower in AMI than unstable angina patients(357.9+/-118.6 versus 426.1+/-122.5 msec : p<0.05) and normal subjects(525.1+/-137.4 msec : p<0.025). There was no difference for infarct site, thrombolytic therapy, presence of Q-wave. HR variability was significantly related to mean 24-hour HR, left ventricular ejection fraction(all p<0.0001), left ventricular end diastolic diameter(p<0.05). HR varability was lower in patients belonging to Killip class 2-4 and who reqired the use of diuretics or digitalis(all p<0.05). CONCLUSION: After AMI, HR variabillity was reduced and significantly related to clinical and hemodynamic indexes of severity. Measurement of HR variability early after AMI may offer important clinical information for the early high stratification of patients.
Angina, Unstable ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Diuretics ; Female ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Thrombolytic Therapy

PURPOSE: To evaluate the pattern of colonic diverticulosis according to age and sex, and recent trend. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed 120 cases of colonic diverticulosis in 1,020 patients who had undergone a double contrast barium enema examination between January 1st, 1993, and December 31st, 1995, and analyzed the frequency, size, multiplicity and anatomical site, according to age and sex. Diverticulum size was classified into one of three groups : less than 5mm, 5-10mm, over 10mm in diameter. RESULTS: The overall incidence of colonic diverticulosis was 120 cases among 1,020 patients(11.8%) with an incidence 5.3 times higher in males than in females. Peak incidence was in the fifth decade, with 19 cases (15.8%) among males, and after the sixth decade, with four cases(3.3%) among females. Mean age was 57.7 years. Diverticulum size of 5-10mm in diameter was predominant 2% of cases) ; average diameter was 5-6mm. The incidence of colonic diverticulosis was 5.1 times more frequent in the right colon(101 cases) than in the left (20 cases). CONCLUSION: The overal overall incidence of colonic diverticulosis has continually increased; in addition it has also recently increased slightly in left-sided colon. This is thought to be due to various factors, both congenital and acquired, including longer life with good health care, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, stress and the tendency of eating patterns to more closely resemble those of the west.
Barium* ; Colon* ; Constipation ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diverticulosis, Colonic* ; Diverticulum ; Eating ; Enema* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The most common causes of neonatal cholestasis are neonatal hepatitis (NH) and extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA). Since neonatal cholestasis presents with variable expression of same pathologic process and has similar clinical, biochemical, and histologic features between EHBA and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis (NH), differential diagnosis is often difficult. We reviewed the differences of clinical characteristics and laboratory data to find out any correlation between the results of Tc(99m) DISIDA scan and presence of acholic stool. METHODS: Between June 1993 and January 2001, total 29 infants younger than 4 month-old underwent Tc(99m) DISIDA scan. Their biochemical tests and clinical course were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Patients who had negative intestinal activity on Tc(99m) DISIDA scan showed acholic stool and revealed higher serum direct bilirubin and urine bilirubin level. 18.2% of patients with acholic stool showed intestinal activity on Tc(99m) DISIDA scan and 81.8% of them did not. All the patients without acholic stool showed positive intestinal activity on Tc(99m) DISIDA scan. The result of Tc(99m) DISIDA scan and the presence of acholic stool showed high negative correlation (r :-0.858). Patients with acholic stool and negative intestinal activity on Tc(99m) DISIDA scan showed higher serum total bilirubin level. Patients without acholic stool and positive intestinal activity on Tc(99m) DISIDA scan showed higher serum level of ALT. CONCLUSION: Patients with acholic stool and negative intestinal activity showed high correlation, but 18.2% of patients with acholic stool showed positive intestinal activity. So operative cholangiogram or transcutaneous liver biopsy should be performed for confirmation.
Biliary Atresia ; Bilirubin ; Biopsy ; Cholestasis* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Infant ; Liver ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies

Bordetella (B.) bronchiseptica is a causative agent of swine atrophic rhinitis that promotes colonization of the mucous membrane of the swine nasal cavity by Pasteurella (P.) multocida. Mixed infection with B. bronchiseptica and P. multocida leads to growth inhibition of pigs, resulting in significant economic loss. There are many commercial vaccines for atrophic rhinitis, including B. bronchiseptica as a killed vaccine antigen (Ag). However, the immunogenicity of killed B. bronchiseptica Ag has not yet been elucidated; therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the immunogenicity of killed B. bronchiseptica Ag and the type of immune response it induces. In vitro assays using mouse spleen cells and flow cytometry revealed that B. bronchiseptica Ag induced high proliferation capability of lymphocytes, especially B lymphocytes, and the proliferating cells showed a significant response to interleukin (IL)-2. B. bronchiseptica Ag also enhanced the production of IL-12, a representative cytokine for cell-mediated immunity. In vivo experiments using mice showed that the injection of B. bronchiseptica Ag markedly induced Ag-specific antibody. Taken together, these results indicate that B. bronchiseptica Ag has high immunogenicity by itself.
Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Bordetella ; Bordetella bronchiseptica* ; Coinfection ; Colon ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunity, Cellular ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukins ; Lymphocytes ; Mice ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Cavity ; Pasteurella ; Rhinitis, Atrophic ; Spleen ; Swine ; Vaccines

OBJECTIVES: We review the sleep problems of the alcohol dependence patients. Especially we are interested in the prevalence, the severity of symptoms, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in the alcohol dependence patients. METHODS: We recruit 86 alcohol dependence patients who were admitted from October 6th, 2008 to October 17th, 2008. We interviewed each patient and evaluated sleep questionnaires such as the Sleep Disorder Questionnaire (SDQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (IRLSSG) rating scale. The presence of RLS and its severity were assessed using the IRLSSG diagnostic criteria and the IRLSSG severity scale, respectively. Depression and anxiety were evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI). RESULTS: Of all 86 patients, 59 patients have insomnia, 33 patients have RLS, 30 patients have Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), 29 patients have nightmare. RLS patients have more high score in the BAI (21.70+/-10.36 vs 14.67+/-11.98), and their sleep quality was poor in the PSQI (11.09+/-4.08 vs 7.92+/-3.91) than non-RLS patients. CONCLUSION: This study shows that alcohol dependence patients show many sleep problems such as insomnia and RLS. So we should notice that the sleep problems of alcohol dependence patients are important in clinical approach and treatment.
Alcoholism ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Dreams ; Humans ; Nocturnal Myoclonus Syndrome ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Restless Legs Syndrome ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

BACKGROUND: The expression of adhesion molecules contribute to development of systemic diseases. Vascular cell adhesion molecule-l(VCAM-1) is an endothelial cell membrane glycoprotein that has been implicated in leukocyte/endothelial cell interactions in inflammation. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to characterize the surface expression and regulation of VCAM-1 on two different endothelial cells. METHOD: We examined the effects of the expression of VCAM-1 in two different endothelial cells, isolated from human umbilical cords and human glomerulus. Expression of VCAM-1 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and flow cytometry. RESULTS: In human umbilical cord endothelial cells(HUVECs), both interleukin-l B(IL-lB) and tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) increased VCAM-1 expression. VCAM-1 expression increased by TNF-a was higher than that increased by IL-lB. In human glomerular endothelial cells(HGECs), IL-lB and TNF-a markedly increased VCAM-1 expression. Conclusion. The regulation of VCAM-1 appears to be somewhat different in HGECs compared with HUVECs. These differences between the responsiveness of the two cells may possibly indicate inherent differences in endothelial cell derived from different vascular beds.
Cell Adhesion ; Cell Communication ; Cytokines* ; Endothelial Cells* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans* ; Inflammation ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Necrosis ; Umbilical Cord ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1*