PURPOSE: The Purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of Helical CT in the preoperative staging of gastric carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed Helical CT on 66 patients with pathologically proved gastric carcinoma. The findings were prospectively analyzed and correlated with surgical and histopathologic findings. RESULTS: The detection rate for gastric carcinoma was 88%(58/66). The rates of accuracy, understaging, and overstaging of Helical CT according to TNM staging in determining the depth of tumor invasion were 68%(45/66),23%(15/66), and 9%(6/66), respectively. In early and less advanced carcinomas(T1 & T2), the depth of tumor invasion was correctly determined in only 44%(11/25) of cases, whereas in more advanced carcinomas (T3 & T4), the corresponding figure was 83%(34/41). In lymph node staging, accuracy, understaging, and overstaging rates were 62%(41/66), 21%(14/66), and 17%(11/66), respectively. Helical CT showed a sensitivity of 48%, a specificity of97%, and an accuracy of 92% in assessing metastasis to lymph nodes. One of five cases of peritoneal carcinomatosis(20%) was correctly diagnosed by Helical CT. CONCLUSION: In the preoperative evaluation of gastriccarcinoma, Helical CT is useful in the detection of tumours and for determining the depth of tumor invasion, particularly in cases where there is serosal and adjacent organ invasion; for the evaluation of metastasis tolymph nodes and peritoneal carcinomatosis its usefulness is limited, however. Further resech will therefore be necessary.
Carcinoma ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome(HPS) is a systemic disease that is caused by a newly discorved and characterized virus of the Hantavirus genus, which is most frequently referred to as the sin nombre virus. The clinical syndrome resembles other hantavirus syndromes worldwide, except that it is characterized by a brief prodromal illness followed by rapidly progressive, noncardiogenic edema, and that it is more deadly than any previously recognized hantavirus infection. The clinical manifestations of HPS are characterized by four clinical phases prodrome, pulmonary edema and shock, diuresis, and convalescence. Mortality is greatest in the first 24 hours of the pulmonary edema and shock phase of the illness. These phases are strikingly similar to the clinical phases of Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) induced by Hantaan virus, except that HPS has not been associated with renal failure and Disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC). We here report a case of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome developed in a 58 year-old man. He had a flu-like illness followed by the rapid onset of respiratory failure due to noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. HPS was diagnosed by clinical manifestations, identification of high titer antibody to Hantaan virus antigen and histologic finding of transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) specimen. The patient was treated with mechanical ventilation and initial corticosteroid pulse therapy resulting in successful outcome.
Biopsy ; Convalescence ; Diuresis ; Edema ; Fever ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus Infections ; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome* ; Hantavirus* ; Humans ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Edema ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Shock ; Sin Nombre virus

PURPOSE: The aim of this research was to establish the effect and variation in differing convergence angle and length of abutment on the retention of full veneer casted gold crown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two different length,5 mm and 10 mm in height with convergence angles of 5, 10, 15 and 25 degrees crowns were fabricated. Cementation was done using cements; zinc phosphate cement (Fleck's zinc phosphate cement), resin-modified glass ionomer cement (Vitremer) and resin cement (Panavia 21). These were tested for tensile force at the point of separation by using Instron Universal Testing Machine. Statistical analysis was done by SAS 6.04 package. RESULTS: In all cements the mean retention decreased with significant difference on increase of convergence angle (P<.05). Increase in every 5 degree-convergence angel the retention rate decreased with resin-modified glass ionomer cement of 15.9% and resin cement of 14.8%. With zinc phosphate cement, there was largest decreasing rate of mean retention of 25.5% between convergence angles from 5 degree to 10 degree. When the crown length increased from 5 mm to 10 mm, the retention increased with the significant difference in the same convergence angle and in all types of cement used (P<.05). CONCLUSION: The retention was strongly dependent on geometric factors of abutment. Much care is required in choosing cements for an optimal retention in abutments with different convergence angles and crown lengths.
Acrylic Resins ; Cementation ; Collodion ; Crowns ; Dental Cements ; Glass Ionomer Cements ; Phenothiazines ; Phosphates ; Resin Cements ; Retention (Psychology) ; Silicon Dioxide ; Zinc ; Zinc Compounds ; Zinc Phosphate Cement

BACKGROUND: It is known that HLA molecule can restrict specific IgE responses, but few studies have documented the association between HLA and sensitization to house dust mite(HDM). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a specific HLA type can be a risk or protective factor for the development of HDM sensitivity. METHOD: Total 146 subjects were genotyped for HLA-DRB1 using PCR-SSP technique and HDM sensitivity, determined by skin prick test using two mite allergens, D. pteronyssinus (Dp) and D. farinae (Df). Subjects were grouped according to Dp or Df sensitivity and linkage analysis between HDM sensitivity and HLA-DRB1 genotype was performed. RESULTS: The data revealed higher allele frequencies of DRB1*07 in Dp or Df sensitive groups compared to insensitive groups (11.6% vs. 2.6% in Dp, 11.5% vs. 3.3% in Df group, p<0.05), but the other allele frequencies showed no difference. CONCLUSION: There was a significant association between HLA-DRB1*07 genotype and HDM sensitization. These results indicate that antigen presentation by HLA class II molecule restricts the development of specific IgE response to HDM.
Allergens ; Antigen Presentation ; Dust* ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype* ; HLA-DRB1 Chains* ; Immunoglobulin E ; Mites ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Skin

Three patients development subdural pneumocephalus after undergoing posterior fossa surgery performed in sitting position. The mechanism for entry of air into the intracranial compartment is analogous to the entry of air into an inverted bottle. As the fluid pours out, air bubbles to the top of the container. A brow-up lateral skull radiograph with a horizontal beam provided prompt diagnosis and confirmed brain displacement as well as computerized tomography did. Tension pneumocephalus appears to be another potential complication of posterior fossa surgery in sitting position. This condition is easily diagnosed and treated, and should be considered whenever a patient fails to recover as expected following posterior fossa surgery.
Brain ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Pneumocephalus* ; Skull

Thirty two cases of the cervical spinal injury have been collected except those which associated with the injury on the other sites, such as head or internal organs. Nine cases of them were managed with surgery anterior and/or posterior approaches. The others were only immobilized by traction. Independent of operative method, we acquired slight to moderate improvement in all operative cases. Two cases with skeletal traction, however, became more aggravated. Indication of operation has much controversies as yet. A Major problem at present falls on the difficulty of functional recovery.
Head ; Immobilization ; Laminectomy ; Spinal Injuries ; Spine* ; Traction

OBJECTIVES: To prevent progression to fatal asthma it is essential to assess the severity of asthma and treat adequetely. But there was no objective index to evaluate the severity of airway inflammation in asthmatic patients, So we evaluated that serum ECP concentration is a objective parameter of airway inflammation in patients with acute severe asthmatic attack. METHODS: We measured the parameters of asthamtic severtity(clinical parameter, FEV1, arterial blood gas, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, and serum ECP levels) before and after antiasthmatic treatment in 9patients with acute severe asthmatic attack, And we compared serum ECP concentrations of severe asthmatic patients with those of control patients with mild to moderate severity. RESULTS: 1) The serum ECP levels in patients with acute asthmatic attacks compared to patients with mild to moderate, asthmatic severity were significantly increased. 2) The serum ECP levels and pheriperal blood eosinophil counts 2hours after antiasthmatic treatment were significantly lower than the value before treatment, but the total scores of clinical parameter, FEV1, and scores of arterial blood gases were not significantly different from the basal values, CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the serum ECP level is a objective parameter as a response to antiasthmatic treatment as well as a severity of airway inflammation in patients with acute asthmatic attack.
Asthma ; Eosinophil Cationic Protein* ; Eosinophils ; Gases ; Humans ; Inflammation

OBJECTIVE: To know when human papillomavirus (HPV) testing should be done after conization. METHODS: Between 1997 to 2004, Large Loop Excisions of the Transformation Zone (LLETZ) were done for conization to women with cervical pathology at A University Hospital. The Pap and HPV typing were done before LLETZ procedures. After conizations, HPV typing were planned to be done every 3 months. Every HPV typing was done by HPV oligonucleotide microarray (Biomedlab Co., Seoul, South Korea). RESULTS: For 8 years, 120 LLETZ were enrolled in this study. There were 8 cases of no neoplasm, 9 cases of CIN 1, 17 cases of CIN 2, 74 cases of CIN 3, 10 cases of microinvasive cervix cancer, and 2 cases of adenocarcinoma in situ. HPV DNA before LLETZ procedures was found about 85.0% and subtype 16 was the most common type among the patients with cervical lesion (40.8%). After LLETZ, 190 HPV typing were done through 1,307 total months (average, 6.9 months/typing). 95 (79.2%) cases had negative results, and 25 (20.8%) cases had positive results. Our data showed that, after conization, about 80% turned out to negative in 6 months. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested HPV DNA testing should be done after 6 months of LLETZ, as about 80% were destined to negative in 6 months.
Adenocarcinoma ; Conization* ; DNA ; Female ; Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests ; Humans* ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Pathology ; Seoul ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate abnormal findings of social brain network in Korean children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with typically developing children (TDC). METHODS: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed to examine brain activations during the processing of emotional faces (happy, fearful, and neutral) in 17 children with ASD, 24 TDC. RESULTS: When emotional face stimuli were given to children with ASD, various areas of the social brain relevant to social cognition showed reduced activation. Specifically, ASD children exhibited less activation in the right amygdala (AMY), right superior temporal sulcus (STS) and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) than TDC group when fearful faces were shown. Activation of left insular cortex and right IFG in response to happy faces was less in the ASD group. Similar findings were also found in left superior insular gyrus and right insula in case of neutral stimulation. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that children with ASD have different processing of social and emotional experience at the neural level. In other words, the deficit of social cognition in ASD could be explained by the deterioration of the capacity for visual analysis of emotional faces, the subsequent inner imitation through mirror neuron system (MNS), and the ability to transmit it to the limbic system and to process the transmitted emotion.
Amygdala ; Brain* ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Child* ; Cognition ; Humans ; Limbic System ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Mirror Neurons

A case of ganglioglioma is presented. A 2-year-old Korean male was admitted with chief complaint of generalized seizure from the age of 15 days. Neurologically, delayed speech development and mild monoparesis of right upper extremity he had. Brain CT revealed the ill defined round calcific density on left frontal lobe with mild dilatation of frontal horn of left lateral ventricle. EEG showed the single and poly spike wave on left cerebral hemisphere. The tumor mass was grayish white in color and rubbery hard in consistency with relatively good demarcation from the adjacent normal brain cortex. Histological diagnosis was a ganglioglioma with calcification. Following subtotal removal, the patient had an uneventful recovery.
Animals ; Brain ; Cerebrum ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Electroencephalography ; Frontal Lobe ; Ganglioglioma* ; Horns ; Humans ; Lateral Ventricles ; Male ; Paresis ; Seizures ; Upper Extremity