BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Decreasing the time delay for thrombolysis, including intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) with tissue plasminogen activator and intra-arterial thrombectomy (IAT), is critical for decreasing the morbidity and mortality of patients experiencing acute stroke. We aimed to decrease the in-hospital delay for both IVT and IAT through a multidisciplinary approach that is feasible 24 h/day. METHODS: We implemented the Stroke Alert Team (SAT) on May 2, 2016, which introduced hospital-initiated ambulance prenotification and reorganized in-hospital processes. We compared the patient characteristics, time for each step of the evaluation and thrombolysis, thrombolysis rate, and post-thrombolysis intracranial hemorrhage from January 2014 to August 2016. RESULTS: A total of 245 patients received thrombolysis (198 before SAT; 47 after SAT). The median door-to-CT, door-to-MRI, and door-to-laboratory times decreased to 13 min, 37.5 min, and 8 min, respectively, after SAT implementation (P<0.001). The median door-to-IVT time decreased from 46 min (interquartile range [IQR] 36–57 min) to 20.5 min (IQR 15.8–32.5 min; P<0.001). The median door-to-IAT time decreased from 156 min (IQR 124.5–212.5 min) to 86.5 min (IQR 67.5–102.3 min; P<0.001). The thrombolysis rate increased from 9.8% (198/2,012) to 15.8% (47/297; P=0.002), and the post-thrombolysis radiological intracranial hemorrhage rate decreased from 12.6% (25/198) to 2.1% (1/47; P=0.035). CONCLUSIONS: SAT significantly decreased the in-hospital delay for thrombolysis, increased thrombolysis rate, and decreased post-thrombolysis intracranial hemorrhage. Time benefits of SAT were observed for both IVT and IAT and during office hours and after-hours.
Ambulances ; Cerebral Infarction ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Mortality ; Stroke* ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Advances in endoscopic technology seek to improve the accuracy of neoplastic tumor detection. Recently developed endoscopy devices such as narrow-band imaging (NBI) nevertheless have limitations in morphologic diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a novel imaging technique-near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging using a protease-activatable nanoprobe-could provide more accurate neoplastic tumor detection, compared to NBI. METHODS: Images of the intestines of Apc(Min/+) mice were obtained by NIRF using a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-sensing probe, which was based on a nanoparticle platform. Immediately after imaging, endoscopy with NBI capability was performed on the same excised intestine. Macroscopic and microscopic findings in the intestines were assessed, and MMP expression was analyzed by Western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Numerous tiny polypoid lesions were present in the intestines of aged Apc(Min/+) mice. These lesions included adenomas, lymphoid follicles, and protruding normal tissues. When using NIRF imaging with an MMP-activatable nanoprobe, adenomatous polyps showed higher fluorescence, compared to lymphoid follicles or adjacent normal tissues. The expression of MMP was higher in the adenomatous tissue than in the other tissues. The sensitivity and specificity for adenoma detection were 88.9% and 82.2%, respectively, when using NIRF imaging with a MMP-nanoprobe, compared to 77.8% and 66.7%, respectively, when using NBI (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Near-infrared fluorescence imaging with a protease-activatable nanoprobe could aid in the differentiation of tumor characteristics. Clinical application of this approach may improve the endoscopic detection of neoplastic tumors.
Adenoma ; Adenomatous Polyps ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Endoscopy ; Fluorescence* ; Intestines ; Mice ; Molecular Imaging ; Nanoparticles ; Narrow Band Imaging ; Optical Imaging* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro anti-inflammatory effect of hot water extract from Cordyceps militaris fruiting bodies (CMWE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) production, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release in RAW 264.7 cells. The treatment of macrophages with various concentrations of hot CMWE significantly reduced LPS-induced production as well as NO, TNF-alpha and IL-6 secretion in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that CMWE have potent inhibitory effects on the production of these inflammatory mediators.
Cordyceps ; Fruit ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages ; Nitric Oxide ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Water

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Orientia -tsutsugamushi infection is an acute febrile disease due to the accidental transmission through human skin of forest dwelling vector Leptotrombidium larva. The authors observed liver dysfunctions in patients diagnosed with tsutsugamushi disease (Scrub typhus) in the past 3 years and report the data in the hope of bringing attention to this disease in the differential diagnosis of autumn-season hepatitis, especially of non-A, non-B and non-C hepatitis. METHODS: Medical records of 22 patients diagnosed with tsutsugamushi disease by the hemagglutinin method between October 2000 and November 2002 were reviewed. RESULTS: Female gender was dominant in the ratio of 3.4:1. Mean age was 56.4 +/- 2.6. Admission was between 23rd September and 15th November with the peak between mid October and early November. Fever, being the most common symptom, was observed in 21 cases, myalgia in 13, arthralgia in 12, chills in 6, and skin rash in 6. An incubation period of 7-9 days was most common (10 cases), 13-15 days (4), 10-12 days (3), within 3 days (3), and 4-6 days (2). Average ALT, AST and GGTP were increased to 93.2 +/- 17.3 IU/L (18 +/- 345 IU/L), 92.5 +/- 11.7 IU/L (34-255 IU/L) and 132.2 +/- 14.5 IU/L (19-251 IU/L), respectively, but total bilirubin was normal. All the patients improved with doxycycline therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Since it usually shows liver dysfunction, it is important to take Orientia tsutsugamushi into consideration in differential diagnosis of autumn-season, febrile hepatic disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Diagnosis, Differential ; *Disease Outbreaks ; Hepatitis/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Scrub Typhus/complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology

Noonan syndrome is characterized by a Turner-like phenotype and a normal karyotype associated with congenital abnormalities, such as short stature, variable mental retardation, hypertelorism, webbed neck, low posterior hair line, skeletal malformation and congenital cardiovascular defect. Two third of Noonan syndrome have cardiac anormalies, half with pulmonary stenosis. We have experienced two cases of pulmonary stenosis associated with other cardiac anomalies in Noonan syndrome. The first 31-year-old male patient had characteristic appearance of Noonan syndrome with severe infundibular pulmonic stenosis and patent foramen ovale. The second 28-year-old male patient had valvular and subvalvular pulmonary stenosis with typical Noonan's face and stature. Pulmonary valvotomy and hypertrophied muscle bundles in the right ventricular cavity were resected in both cases. Patent foramen ovale was closed directly in the first case. Postoperative follow-up examinations revealed no symptoms and successful outcome.
Adult ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foramen Ovale, Patent ; Hair ; Humans ; Hypertelorism ; Intellectual Disability ; Karyotype ; Male ; Neck ; Noonan Syndrome* ; Phenotype ; Pulmonary Subvalvular Stenosis ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

The surgical closure of VSD in patient with severe pulmonary hypertension has been considered a difficult problem for surgeons, because sudden hemodynamic change after closure of the defect could bring on high perioperative mortality. Recently, it was reported that UVP (unidirectional valve patch), which allows some blood to flow from right to left in case of acute right heart failure, is effective in improving the postoperative hemodynamics after closing septal defects. This 42-year old woman had suffered from VSD for 20 years and recently complained of worsening exertional dyspnea for three months, and was diagnosed of a large VSD (2.0 cm in diameter) with severe pulmonary hypertension (116/38 mm Hg), equal to systemic arterial pressure. We could successfully close VSD with severe pulmonary hypertension using one UVP and the other UVP for the creative ASD to be prepared against possible acute right heart failure. She was discharged on the fourteenth postoperative day and has been well for twelve months with spontanenous closure of UVP patch at the ninth postopeative month.
Adult ; Arterial Pressure ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Heart Failure ; Heart Septal Defects ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Mortality

From January 1990 to March 1994, 61 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer were treated at our institute. We analyzed the medical records retrospectively to find any prognostic factors of esophageal cancer surgery. The age ranged from 36 years to 74 years and the mean age was 58.3 years. The sex ratio of men to women was 14:1. The mean duration of dysphagia was 3.8 months and they mostly suffered from the dysphagia of grade IV. Tumors were staged postoperatively; 2 stage I, 23 Stage II, 27 stage III, 9 stage IV, and the resectability was 78.7%. Fortynine patients underwent curative esophageal resection and 5 patients permitted palliative esophagogastrostomy with incomplete tumor resection. Five patients underwent feeding gastrostomy and 2 patients were managed with Celestin tube. The most common complication was atelectasis and pneumonia, and early mortality rate was 5.6%. There were 9 cases of identified local recurrence or distant metastasis. Estimated overall actuarial survival rate d uring the follow-up was 73.4% in 1 year, 54.7% in 2 years, and 23.1% in 4 years. The tumor stage higher than II(p = 0.02) was confirmed as a poor prognostic factor.
Deglutition Disorders ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Esophagus* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrostomy ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Survival Rate

The therapeutic results of pulmonary resection for metastatic bone and soft tissue sarcomas were analyzed. From 1986 to 1996, 14 patients(11 male and 3 female) underwent 15 pulmonary resections for metastatic sarcomas. One(7.1%) patient had 2 thoracotomies for recurrences. The number of metastatic tumors were from one to five. The primary malignant tumors were from bone in 4 and from soft tissues in 10. Mean survival time after thoracotomy was 29.2 months, and Kaplan-Meier's 5-year survival rate from the first metastasectomy was 33.2%. Three patients who had the tumor free interval period over 3 years were alive(mean survival period 52.6 months), whereas eleven patients of the less than 3 years were dead with disease(mean survival period 17.3 months). These results suggested that pulmonary metastasectomy in bone and soft tissue sarcoma may prolong the survival rate.
Bone Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Male ; Metastasectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma* ; Survival Rate ; Thoracotomy

A large number of studies for genes involved in oncogenesis have been done during last decade. Over 20 oncogenes have been isolated characterized, and the oncogene expressions in human tumors have been examined. The proto-oncogenes of c-Myc, c-Fos and c-Jun, which modulate the transcription factors, have overexpressed in a variety of human cancers. Immunohistochemical method was used in this study to examine c-Myc, c-Fos and c-Jun oncoprotein expression in 31 patients with human pheochromocytoma 28(90.0%) were benign and 3(10.0%) malignant. C-Myc oncoprotein immunoreactivity was found in 24 cases(77.4%), c-Fos in 29(93.5%), and c-Jun in 25(80.6%). Twenty-one(67.7%) showed positive immunoreactivity for all these oncoproteins, six(19.4%) for 2 oncoproteins, 3 for one oncoprotein. Only 1 case showed negative immunoreactivity for all 3 oncoproteins. The oncoprotein immunoreactivity did not correlate with the amount of 24 hour urinary catecholamine excretion. Although the number of malignant pheochromocytomsa was not so many, most of them showed that the immunoreactivity for oncoprotein was more than 30 percent of tumor cells.The expression of c-Myc, c-Fos and c-Jun oncoprotein were frequently found in human pheochromocytoma. These results suggest that the oncoprotein expression may play an important role in tumorogenesis and proliferation of human pheochromocytoma.
Carcinogenesis ; Humans ; Methods ; Oncogene Proteins ; Oncogenes ; Pheochromocytoma ; Proto-Oncogenes ; Transcription Factors

Hyperprolactinemia is the most common hypothalamo-pituitary disorder encountered in clinical endocrinology. Excluding the drug-induced hyperprolactinemia, the most common cause of this disorder is a pituitary tumor. Prolactinoma is mainly made up of prolactin-secreting cells but pseudoprolactinoma is tumor that does not secrete prolactin itself. The pseudoprolactinoma interrupts the flow of prolactin inhibiting factor, dopamine, from the hypothalamus through the pituitary stalk to the normal pituitary. The differentiation prolactinoma from pseudoprolactinoma is vitally important since true prolactinomas are most commonly responded well in terms of tumor shrinkage to medical treatment using dopamine agonist therapy, whereas pseudoprolactinomas do not. Thus surgical treatment is clearly indicated as first-line treatment if we know that a lesion is a pseudoprolactinoma. We compared prolactinoma with pseudoprolactinoma in clinical and endocrinologic characteristics of 48 cases after immunohistochemical diagnosis. We could not find any differential point of both tumors in clinical and radiological characteristics although some differences were exist. But we had found the relationship between the mean level of pretreatment serum prolactin and the presence of positive immunohistochemical stain for prolactin. The pretreatment serum prolactin level was significantly higher in patients with tumors showing many prolactin immunohistochemical staining cells than in those with none(p<0.05). When the pretreatment serum prolactin exceeded 100ng/ml, the tumors contain 94% of prolactin positive cells in stain. So, if the pretreatment serum prolactin exceeds 100ng/ml, we primarily suspect prolactinoma and medical treatment should be considered. If the pretreatment level below 100ng/ml, we suspect pseudoprolactinoma and surgical treatment should be considered.
Diagnosis ; Dopamine ; Dopamine Agonists ; Endocrinology ; Humans ; Hyperprolactinemia ; Hypothalamus ; Pituitary Gland ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Prolactin ; Prolactinoma