PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiological results after meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From October, 2010 to August, 2013, 45 patients, 47 cases who underwent MAT were reviewed. The mean age was 39.9 years and the mean follow-up period was 24.9 months. The clinical results were evaluated using Lysholm score and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score. All cases were evaluated by serial postoperative radiograph. And 18 cases were performed postoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Eighteen cases including the 13 cases that had graft dislocation or subluxation and signal changes in MRI underwent second-look arthroscopy. RESULTS: Lysholm score was elevated from mean 58.4 at preoperative to 92.4 at last follow-up. IKDC score was elevated from mean 50.3 at preoperative to 90.1 at last follow-up. Among the 18 cases who underwent postoperative MRI, subluxation was found in 10 cases (55.6%) and graft dislocation with grade III signal change was found in 3 cases (16.7%). However, the 13 cases showed a well healed state of the graft capsule in second-look arthroscopy. There was no joint space narrowing on radiograph during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: After MAT, 93.6% of cases showed improved the clinical results above good. Thus, it is effective in relatively young and active patients with meniscus functional deficit and minor meniscal degeneration.
Allografts* ; Arthroscopy ; Dislocations ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: AG60 is a complex of acriflavine and guanosine. Our previous study revealed that AG60 had not only in vitro antitumor activities in several human cancer cell lines, but also strong antitumor effects in animal experiments using p388 or S180 cells-implanted mice. METHODS: Antitumor effects of AG60 were compared with those of Adriamycin, acriflavine, guanosine or control group. Body weight, tumor weight change, and survival time were measured in Ehrlich carcinoma cells implanted ICR mice. RESULTS: Body weights in AG60, acriflavine, or Adriamycin treated groups were significantly lower than those in control group during 30 day observation period(p<0.05). The percent tumor growth inhibition of AG60, Adriamycin, acriflavine, or guanosine two weeks after last treatment was respectively 86% (T/C%=14), 83% (T/C%=17), 68%(T/C%=32), 41% (T/C%=59). According to above data, tumor growth inhibition in AG60 treated group was significantly stronger than that in control, acriflavine or guanosine treated group(p<0.01), but there was no significant difference between AG60 and Adriamycin treated group. Mean survival time in control, AG60, Adriamycin, acriflavine, or guanosine treated group was respectively 33+/-3.9 days, 68+/-4.2 days, 54+/-5.8 days, 36+/-3.8 days, 50+/-8.1 days. CONCLUSIONS: The anti-tumor effect of AG60 against Ehrlich tumor was significantly stronger than that of control, acriflavine or guanosine, and comparable with Adriamycin. Mean survival time in AG60 treated group was significantly longer than that in control, acrifavine, guanosine or Adriamysin treated group.
Acriflavine ; Animal Experimentation ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Cell Line ; Doxorubicin ; Guanosine ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Burden

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Thrombosis*

We report here a case of acute hepatitis A, which was complicated by Guillain-Barr? syndrome (GBS). A 32-year old male admitted to our hospital with the symptoms of acute hepatitis and was diagnosed to have acute hepatitis A with positive IgM anti hepatitis A virus antibody. On 9th day after the onset of jaundice, acute progressive, ascending, symmetric motor paralysis were developed and eventually respiratory failure ensued. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed albumino-cytologic dissociation and nerve conduction velocity test suggested a polyradiculopathy. He was diagnosed to have GBS and treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and required a ventilatory support. After 90 hospital days, he recovered in ambulatory condition with the aid of crutches. The clinical course, prognosis and the outcome of neuropathic symptoms of GBS following acute hepatitis A were relatively poor in our case.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome/*diagnosis/etiology/therapy ; Hepatitis A/complications/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use ; Male

The association between nephrotic syndrome and intravascular coagulation has been known for more than a century, but it was not until 1948 that a thrombotic diathesis in nephrotic patients was proposed. The prevalence of thrmbo-embolic complications is much higher in adult patients. Deep vein thrombosis of the leg is the most common complications in nephrotic adult and was responsible for one-third of the thrombo-embolic complications of nephrotic children. Arterial thrombosis occurs less frequently and is seen primarily in childern. We present a case of acute anterior myocardial infarction in a young man with nephrotic syndrome, secondary to minimal change glomerulonephritis, in which thrombosis of the proximal left anterior descanding artery was the actual cause of acute myocardial infarction.
Adult ; Arteries ; Child ; Disease Susceptibility ; Humans ; Leg ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Prevalence ; Thrombosis ; Venous Thrombosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The proto-oncogene c-KIT encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) whose ligand is a stem cell factor. KIT is expressed and critical for the development and growth of mast cells, melanocytes, hematopoetic stem cells, and the interstitial cells of Cajal. In this study, c-kit gene mutations were analyzed in 27 cases of NK/T cell lymphoma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: During 1995 to 2002, 27 patients with NK/T cell lymphoma in the head and neck area were selected for this study. The nasal cavity were predominant sites (15 cases), followed by 6 nasopharynx cases, 4 tonsil 4 cases, and 2 hard palate cases. Gene mutation was analyzed by PCR-SSCP and direct sequencing. RESULTS: c-kit gene mutation was found in 5 of 27 cases by the PCR-SSCP method. Among the 5 cases, 2 cases exhibited no mutation by direct sequencing. Consequently, the mutation of c-kit gene was detected in 3 of 27 cases. CONCLUSION: The frequency of c-kit gene mutation (11%) indicated in the present cases is lower than that reported in north China but higher than that in Japan.
China ; Growth and Development ; Head ; Humans ; Interstitial Cells of Cajal ; Japan ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Mast Cells ; Melanocytes ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasopharynx ; Neck ; Palate, Hard ; Palatine Tonsil ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; Proto-Oncogenes ; Stem Cell Factor ; Stem Cells

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Osteopontin (OPN) is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with postoperative recurrence or extrahepatic metastasis. However, its prognostic value in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is unclear. We investigated the utility of serum OPN levels and changes therein as prognostic markers in HCC patients who have received TACE. METHODS: Forty-six patients with HCC were enrolled. Serum OPN levels were measured before and 4 weeks after TACE. Serum biochemistry and computed tomography (CT) scans were analyzed. We evaluated baseline serum OPN levels and subsequent changes therein in relation to tumor responses and cumulative survival rates following TACE. A decreasing pattern was defined as a decrease after TACE of more than 10% relative to baseline levels. A "responder" was defined as a patient who exhibited a tumor necrosis rate of higher than 50% on the follow-up CT scan. RESULTS: Higher initial serum OPN levels were associated with a large tumor, portal vein invasion, and an advanced tumor stage. Patients who had lower initial serum OPN levels and those who exhibited decreasing patterns after TACE tended to have more favorable tumor responses (P=0.043 and 0.055, respectively) and exhibited better cumulative survival rates (P=0.036 and 0.030, respectively). However, the initial serum OPN level and subsequent changes in serum OPN levels were not independent predictors for survival on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Serum OPN levels were significantly higher in patients with advanced HCC. In addition, HCC patients with low pretreatment serum OPN levels and those for whom serum OPN declined following TACE exhibited better tumor responses and survived for longer.
Adult ; Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism/secondary/*therapy ; *Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism/pathology/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Osteopontin/*blood ; Portal Vein/pathology ; Prognosis ; Severity of Illness Index ; Survival Rate ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Although hepatic resection (HR) is the mainstay for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), high recurrence rate (>60%) is major serious problem. Thus preoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been proposed as a neoadjuvant treatment before HR. However, the effect of preoperative TACE in preventing recurrence for initially resectable HCC remains controversial. This study aims at assessing the role of preoperative TACE on the early and long-term outcome following resection of HCC. METHODS: Retrospective randomized analysis was performed. A total of 366 patients who had HR for HCC between January 1995 and December 2000, were included, 132 patients underwent preoperative TACE (TACE plus HR) and 234 patients did not (HR). Statistically no baseline characteristic difference in two groups. RESULTS: HR group was significantly higher than TACE plus HR group in disease-free survival rate and overall survival rate (p<0.001, p<0.01). In subgroup analysis, the disease-free survival rate of HR group was higher than TACE plus HR group in UICC T1-2 and UICC T3 (p<0.01 for both), whereas the difference in overall survival rate was significant only in UICC T3 (p<0.01). Those who achieved tumor necrosis of more than 95% by preoperative TACE showed comparable overall survival rate with HR group, while it was significantly lower in patients who demonstrated tumor necrosis of less than 95% (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative TACE for initially resectable HCC may promote early and late tumor recurrence and reduces overall survival rate after surgery particularly in patients with advanced- stage tumors.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment result of surgical resection after preoperative chemotherapy in inoperable gastric cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 18 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastric resection after preoperative chemotherapy because they showed some clinical response to chemotherapy (15 with distant metastasis and 3 with locally advanced lesions). The mean postoperative follow-up period was 15.3+/-15.5 (1~56) months. RESULTS: In 15 patients with distant metastasis, 2 (13.3%) showed complete response (CR), 10 (66.7%) partial response (PR), 2 (13.3%) stable disease (SD), and 1 (6.7%) progressive disease (PD). The clinical response rate was 80.0%. Five subtotal gastrectomies, 4 total gastrectomies, and 6 extended total gastrectomies were performed. Two cases of CR were alive without recurrence for 4 and 26 months, respectively. Mean survival period in PR case was 37.7 months, but 2 cases of SD and 1 case of PD died after 11.7, 17.9, and 0.9 months, respectively. Postoperative survival was significantly associated with the response to chemotherapy (P<0.01). The mean survival period of the 10 patients with a complete resection was 44.1 months, which was significantly better than that of the 5 patients with an incomplete resection (9.8 months, P=0.03). Among 3 patients with locally advanced gastric cancer, 2 cases showed PR to chemotherapy, and complete resection was possible only by gastrectomy for those patients. CONCLUSION: In some selected cases, surgical resection was achievable after preoperative chemotherapy for patients with inoperable metastatic or locally advanced gastric cancer.
Drug Therapy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms*