Gaoxiong yi xue ke xue za zhi = The Kaohsiung journal of medical sciences最新文献

We described a case of acute promyelocytic leukemia with O blood type who received bone marrow transplantation during a second remission from his HLA identical, B blood type sibling. Using PCR genotyping of the ABO group and analysis of the variable number of tandem repeats of the D1S80 locus, we could quickly document the successful early engraftment in this patient. We emphasize that the use of PCR ABO genotyping is a quick and valuable method which could be applied to assess the engraftment and its follow up in those transplant cases with donors of mismatched blood groups.

The aim of this study is to make serial BAEPs and PNCS in hypothyroid rats in order to provide objective and quantitative methods of detecting dysfunction of the central and peripheral nervous system in hypothyroid status and elucidating the relationship between the recovery potential and the duration of hypothyroid status. Thyroidectomy was performed in eighteen naive 5-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats in order to induce hypothyroid status, which was confirmed by RIA study 1-2 months after the surgery. Initial BAEP and PNCS were performed in two groups of the hypothyroid animals 1 and 3 months after thyroidectomy. Following the initial examination, thyroxin replacement therapy was given to each hypothyroid group, and then followed by BAEPs and PNCS at two month intervals, up to twice normal studies or six months after the initiation of therapy. In the BAEP study, the prolonged I-V inter-peak latency was the most consistent abnormal finding in all hypothyroid rats. Delayed peak latencies as well as prolonged I-III and III-V inter-peak intervals occurred when the hypothyroid status was longer than one month. We noted that the longer the hypothyroid status, the more severe the central conduction dysfunction. Nonetheless, these abnormalities always returned to normal after the replacement therapy if the hypothyroid state was shorter than 3 months in duration. For the PNCS study, all groups of thyroidectomized rats showed the normal results. We think the peripheral nervous system of rats may be more resistant to damage by hypothyroidism than the central nervous system.

Simple hepatic cysts are now being diagnosed more frequently with the widespread availability of sonographic imaging. Among the general population, the prevalence was reported to be between 0.1 and 2.5%, more so in women, and more often in the right lobe. We conducted this large scale community-based sonographic screening on simple hepatic cysts to explore the age- and sex-specific prevalence in Taiwan. We also conducted another hospital-based study to record the size of simple hepatic cysts. A total of 3,600 subjects in 8 communities were recruited and 156 simple hepatic cysts in 132 study subjects were detected. The overall prevalence is 3.60%. An increasing prevalence with age is demonstrated, ranging from 0.83% from below the age of 40 up to 7.81% of patients over 60 years old. The sizes of 219 simple hepatic cysts of 167 patients out of the hospital-based 5,893 patients were recorded in detail; 53% of cysts were of a diameter of between 1 and 3 cm, and only 7% were larger than 5 cm.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common malignant tumor of the oral cavity, and it accounts for about 90% of malignant oral tumors. We have retrospectively reviewed 211 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma which were confirmed by histopathological examination at Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital in the period between 1987 and 1991. There were 194 males and 17 females, with a male to female ratio of 11.4 to 1. The age of the patients ranged from 23 to 95 years, mean 51.96 years, with the greatest incidence of disease in the ages between 40 and 59 years (63.3%). Squamous cell carcinoma occurred most often on the buccal mucosa. There were 40.8% of cases which occurred on the buccal mucosa, 25.6% on the tongue, 17.1% on the gingiva of mandible, 9.5% on the maxilla, 5.2% on the lower lip and 1.9% on the floor of mouth. 195 cases with a recorded history of habits in the patient's medical records were evaluated for the relationships between habits, patient's age and the location of the tumor involved. We have used a general factorial ANOVA to examine the relationship of habits and patients' age. A Hierarchical Loglinear Analysis was used to determine whether there was an association between habits and the location of tumor involved. Of the 195 cases, 144 (73.85%) chewed betel nut regularly. The mean age of the patients with betel nut chewing habits (49.04 years) was significantly younger than that of the patients without betel nut chewing habits (59.27 years) (p = 0.006).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Traditionally, superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) has been recognized as an oncologic emergency, and with clinical suspicion of the syndrome, tissue diagnosis was often delayed due to possible complications in diagnostic procedures and immediately threatening of life. Previously, local radiotherapy was regarded as the best immediate strategy for management of the condition. We have analyzed 54 lung cancer patients with SVCS in the past 6 years. Our results show that dyspnea (34 cases, 63%) and facial swelling (29 cases, 54%) are the two most common symptoms. The most frequent physical finding was venous distension of the neck (35 cases, 65%). The chest X-ray findings also showed a large ratio of superior mediastinal widening (26 cases, 48%). Fine needle aspiration of palpable lymph node (20 cases, 37%) and trans-thoracic needle aspiration guided by ultrasound (US) (8 cases, 14%) made diagnosis of at least half of the cases possible (28 cases, 51%). Both of these procedures are safer and easier than other invasive methods of examination. Of the 54 patients, small cell carcinoma constituted the majority of the cases (23 cases, 43%) and, with combination chemotherapy, there was a good response rate and a longer survival time (7.4 months) as compared to that of non-small cell carcinoma (3.7 months) treated by radiotherapy. We conclude that lung cancer with SVCS could be quickly and safely diagnosed by needle aspiration of the palpable lymph node or trans-thoracic needle aspiration guided by US, and that with combination chemotherapy the SVCS in small cell carcinoma can be effectively relieved.

Testicular tumor metastasis from transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the ureter is very rare. Herein, we report a case who presented with a palpable mass of left testis, after he underwent radical nephroureterectomy and bladder cuff excision and adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the TCC of left ureter tumor for 5 months. We performed left radical orchiectomy and histology revealed a TCC identical to the original ureteral tumor. In a review of the literature, we found this case was the second case of metastatic testicular tumor from the ureteral TCC. In patients presenting the symptom of a palpable testicular mass, if they are known to have a ureteral TCC, metastatic neoplasm should be considered in the differential diagnosis, even if in the absence of other systemic metastasis.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the attitudes toward amphetamine use and some forms of behavior related to it. Two different kinds of junior high schools from southern Taiwan participated in this study. Five hundred and sixty-nine students supplied urine samples and filled in questionnaires. The results indicated that the prevalence rate of amphetamine use was 4.0% and the subjects had a fair level of cognition and very negative beliefs toward amphetamine use. Discriminant analyses indicated that access to amphetamine and the unlikelihood of being caught when using amphetamine were the two most important and meaningful variables in the distinction of previous using experience. School, grades, opinions about amphetamine use, the ease with which amphetamine could be obtained, and the severity of misbehavior were the most important variables in the prediction of the probable intention to use it, if amphetamine were available. However, because of the limited number of amphetamine users found in the study, any conclusions based on the results should be used cautiously. Strategies of prevention are suggested.