Struma ovarii (SO) is a rare ovarian teratoma, which is diagnosed when thyroid tissue accounts for more than 50% of the teratoma. The majority of SO are benign, but malignant tumors have been reported in a small percentage of cases. Five percent of SO cases have been proven to be malignant and, as in the thyroid gland, papillary carcinoma is the most common histotype arising in SO. Because this tumor is rare, there are no guidelines regarding the management of this cancer. Usually, total thyroidectomy followed by radioiodine treatment is the treatment of choice in metastatic malignant struma ovarii, but therapeutic decisions should be made individually based on clinical and pathological data. We recently experienced a case of a 45-year-old woman finally confirmed as malignant struma ovarii with cervical thyroid cancer. Therefore, we present this unique case with a review of the literature.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to compare scanning trueness and precision between an abutment impression and a stone model according to dental computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) evaluation standards. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate trueness, the abutment impression and stone model were scanned to obtain the first 3-dimensional (3-D) stereolithography (STL) file. Next, the abutment impression or stone model was removed from the scanner and re-fixed on the table; scanning was then repeated so that 11 files were obtained for each scan type. To evaluate precision, the abutment impression or stone model was scanned to obtain the first 3-D STL file. Without moving it, scanning was performed 10 more times, so that 11 files were obtained for each scan type. By superimposing the first scanned STL file onto the other STL files one by one, 10 color-difference maps and reports were obtained; i.e., 10 experimental scans per type. The independent t-test was used to compare root mean square (RMS) data between the groups (α=.05). RESULTS: The RMS±SD values of scanning trueness of the abutment impression and stone model were 22.4±4.4 and 17.4±3.5 µm, respectively (P < .012). The RMS±SD values of scanning precision of the abutment impression and stone model were 16.4±2.9 and 14.6±1.6 µm, respectively (P=.108). CONCLUSION: There was a significant difference in scanning trueness between the abutment impression and stone model, as evaluated according to dental CAD/CAM standards. However, all scans showed high trueness and precision.

Coprinopsis cinerea was employed to investigate the fungal response to gravity. Mycelium growth revealed a consistent growth pattern, irrespective of the direction of gravity (i.e., horizontal vs. perpendicular). However, the fruiting body grew in the direction opposite to that of gravity once the primordia had formed. For the proteomic analysis, only curved-stem samples were used. Fifty-one proteins were identified and classified into 13 groups according to function. The major functional groups were hydrolases and transferases (16%), signal transduction (15%), oxidoreductases and isomerases (11%), carbohydrate metabolism (9%), and transport (5%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a proteomic approach to evaluate the molecular response of C. cinerea to gravity.
Carbohydrate Metabolism ; Fruit ; Gravitation* ; Hydrolases ; Isomerases ; Mycelium ; Oxidoreductases ; Proteome ; Signal Transduction ; Transferases

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and infarct severity in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed thyroid hormone levels, infarct severity, and the extent of transmurality in 40 STEMI patients evaluated via contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: The high triiodothyronine (T3) group (> or = 68.3 ng/dL) exhibited a significantly higher extent of transmural involvement (late transmural enhancement > 75% after administration of gadolinium contrast agent) than did the low T3 group (60% vs. 15%; p = 0.003). However, no significant difference was evident between the high- and low-thyroid-stimulating hormone/free thyroxine (FT4) groups. When the T3 cutoff level was set to 68.3 ng/dL using a receiver operating characteristic curve, the sensitivity was 80% and the specificity 68% in terms of differentiating between those with and without transmural involvement. Upon logistic regression analysis, high T3 level was an independent predictor of transmural involvement after adjustment for the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and the use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (odds ratio, 40.62; 95% confidence interval, 3.29 to 502; p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The T3 level predicted transmural involvement that was independent of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor use and DM positivity.
Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Biological Markers/blood ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Contrast Media/diagnostic use ; Coronary Angiography ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Cine ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction/blood/*diagnosis/pathology/radiography ; Myocardium/*pathology ; Odds Ratio ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Thyroxine/blood ; Triiodothyronine/*blood

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study characterized the cisplatin nephrotoxicity occurring in patients treated with chemotherapy for lung cancer. METHODS: In all, 124 patients with lung cancer received cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on day 1 every three weeks for up to six cycles with preventive hydration using 3 L of 0.45% saline. Acute and chronic cisplatin nephropathy were defined as an increase in serum creatinine > or =30% at 3 weeks after each cisplatin administration and an increase in serum creatinine > or = 50% after the six cycles of chemotherapy, respectively. RESULTS: Acute cisplatin nephropathy occurred in 23 of 124, 8 of 110, 6 of 92, 10 of 68, 7 of 59, and 7 of 45 patients after the 1st to 6th cycle of chemotherapy, respectively. In all, 51 patients (51.5%) experienced acute cisplatin nephropathy. Chronic cisplatin nephropathy occurred in 25 out of 45 patients (55.5%). The occurrence of chronic cisplatin nephropathy was significantly associated with that of acute cisplatin nephropathy (p<0.01). In chronic cisplatin nephropathy, the serum creatinine increased to 1.82+/-1.18 mg/dL from the basal 0.82+/-0.11 mg/dL (p<0.01). It was 1.60+/-1.05 mg/dL at the end of the follow-up period (112+/-90 days). CONCLUSIONS: Despite prophylactic hydration, the incidence of cisplatin nephropathy in patients with lung cancer is still high. Acute cisplatin nephropathy may predispose patients to chronic cisplatin nephropathy, but the latter does not seem to be progressive.
Cisplatin ; Creatinine ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Renal Insufficiency

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the characteristics of patients who suffered from an injury associated with a maritime accident. METHODS: Using reviews of medical records, we retrospectively investigated the characteristics of maritime accident related injured patients that visited the emergency center of Inha University hospital. Variables analyzed were age, sex, sailor or passenger, type of accident, time required to arrive at the hospital, type of injury, site of injury, submersion or not, level of submersion, severity of injury, disposition of injury, type of ship, gross tonnage of ship, and distance from shore. RESULTS: Between January 1999 and December 2009, a total of 85 patients who were injured because of a maritime accident visited the emergency center of InHa Univ. hospital. The mean age of patients was 45.7+/-15.1 years old. Fifty four were male and 31 were female. The most common types of injury were submersion (40.0%) and contusion (38.8%). Submersed patients as a group had a higher injury severity and higher mortality than those not submersed. The most frequent sites of injury were the extremities (62.9%) and the head and neck (35.5%). The mean injury severity scale were 4.63+/-13.05 units?. Almost all patients (85.9%) had a mild degree of injury. The mortality rate was 10.6%; the most common cause of death was drowning. CONCLUSION: Submerged patients have a higher injury severity and mortality than non-submerged patients. Capsizing and sinking is associated with a higher severity of injury and mortality according to the type of accident, because submersion confers high risk for injury and mortality. Prevention of submersion is important for reducing injury severity and mortality in patients who have maritime accidents.
Cause of Death ; Contusions ; Emergencies ; Extremities ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Immersion ; Male ; Medical Records ; Military Personnel ; Neck ; Oceans and Seas ; Retrospective Studies ; Ships

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is little information available about the effects of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) hospital notification on transfer and intrahospital processing times in cases of acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This study retrospectively investigated the real transfer and imaging processing times for cases of suspected acute stroke (AS) with EMS notification of a requirement for intravenous (IV) tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and for cases without notification. Also we compared the intra-hospital processing times for receiving t-PA between patients with and without EMS prehospital notification. RESULTS: Between December 2008 and August 2009, the EMS transported 102 patients with suspected AS to our stroke center. During the same period, 33 patients received IV t-PA without prehospital notification from the EMS. The mean real transfer time after the EMS call was 56.0+/-32.0 min. Patients with a transfer distance of more than 40 km could not be transported to our center within 60 min. Among the 102 patients, 55 were transferred via the EMS to our emergency room for IV t-PA. The positive predictive value for stroke (90.9% vs. 68.1%, p=0.005) was much higher and the real transfer time was much faster in patients with an EMS t-PA call (47.7+/-23.1 min, p=0.004) than in those without one (56.3+/-32.4 min). The door-to-imaging time (17.8+/-11.0 min vs. 26.9+/-11.5 min, p=0.01) and door-to-needle time (29.7+/-9.6 min vs. 42.1+/-18.1 min, p=0.01) were significantly shorter in the 18 patients for whom there was prehospital notification and who ultimately received t-PA than in those for whom there was no prehospital notification. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that prehospital notification could enable the rapid dispatch of AS patients needing IV t-PA to a stroke centre. In addition, it could reduce intrahospital delays, particularly, imaging processing times.
Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

PURPOSE: This study proposes the keyhole method in order to improve the time resolution of the proton resonance frequency(PRF) MR temperature monitoring technique. The values of Root Mean Square (RMS) error of measured temperature value and Signal-to-Noise Ratio(SNR) obtained from the keyhole and full phase encoded temperature images were compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PRF method combined with GRE sequence was used to get MR temperature images using a clinical 1.5T MR scanner. It was conducted on the tissue-mimic 2% agarose gel phantom and swine's hock tissue. A MR compatible coaxial slot antenna driven by microwave power generator at 2.45GHz was used to heat the object in the magnetic bore for 5 minutes followed by a sequential acquisition of MR raw data during 10 minutes of cooling period. The acquired raw data were transferred to PC after then the keyhole images were reconstructed by taking the central part of K-space data with 128, 64, 32 and 16 phase encoding lines while the remaining peripheral parts were taken from the 1st reference raw data. The RMS errors were compared with the 256 full encoded self-reference temperature image while the SNR values were compared with the zero filling images. RESULTS: As phase encoding number at the center part on the keyhole temperature images decreased to 128, 64, 32 and 16, the RMS errors of the measured temperature increased to 0.538, 0.712, 0.768 and 0.845degrees C, meanwhile SNR values were maintained as the phase encoding number of keyhole part is reduced. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the keyhole technique is successfully applied to temperature monitoring procedure to increases the temporal resolution by standardizing the matrix size, thus maintained the SNR values. In future, it is expected to implement the MR real time thermal imaging using keyhole method which is able to reduce the scan time with minimal thermal variations.
Hot Temperature ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Microwaves ; Protons ; Sepharose ; Tarsus, Animal ; Thermography

Retroperitoneal schwannomas are rare tumors difficult to diagnose preoperatively. It may originate at the cranial nerves or nerves of the upper extremities, but origin along the nerves of the retroperitoneal space is very rare. Most of the retroperitoneal schwannomas are benign neoplasm. These tumor can be misdiagnosed as adnexal mass or carcinoma. Venous thromboembolism or pulmonary embolism is increasingly recognized as a common complication in patients with malignant disease. We report a 37-year-old woman presented with pulmonary thromboembolism and a pelvic mass which was incidentally found and misdiagnosed as ovarian cancer. Histopathologic results of the extirpated mass turned out to be a benign schwannoma.
Adult ; Cranial Nerves ; Female ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Retroperitoneal Space ; Thromboembolism ; Upper Extremity ; Venous Thromboembolism

Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP) is a rare disorder characterized by a diffuse infiltration of the alveolar space, interstitium by lymphocytes, plasma cells, and reticuloendothelial cells. Although its etiology is unknown, LIP has been associated with autoimmune disorders and with viral infections. Because it's clinical and radiographic features are nonspecific, a confirmatory diagnosis is performed by open lung biopsy. A 59-year-old female presented dry cough, which had been present for 1 month. On initial findings of multifocal consolidation at the right middle lobe on both lower lobes in chest radiography, the first diagnosis of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia was suggested. On open lung biopsy, LIP was diagnosed. The patient had no autoimmune disease, viral infection or monoclonal gammopathy. After 3 months of corticosteroid treatment, the patient experienced improved symptoms, reduced abnormalities on chest radiography, and improved pulmonary function testing.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Cough ; Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia ; Female ; Humans ; Lip ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lymphocytes ; Middle Aged ; Paraproteinemias ; Plasma Cells ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Thorax