Congenital Constriction Band of the Trunk

Congenital constriction band of the trunk is a rare congenital malformation. A 14-year-old girl with a congenital circumferential constriction band around the waist is described. Seven other cases of congenital constriction band on the trunk are reviewed in the literature. This malformation is probably related to the amniotic band syndrome such as constriction band on the limbs. The surgical treatment of this constriction band was W-plasty and produced good cosmetic results.

Clinical Significance of Lymphocyte Subpopulations in Peripheral Blood from Gastric Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND : There are plenty of documented observations of gastric cancer patients having suppressed cellular immunity, and this immunity may be correlated to recurrence. We studied the changes in the peripheral T-lymphocyte subpopulations in gastric cancer patients and their predictive roles for recurrence. METHODS : Lymphocyte subpopulations in peripheral blood from thirty-eight gastric cancer patients who were operated on at Taegu Catholic Medical Center from September 1995 to February 1997 were measured by 3-color direct immunofluorescence analysis with a Coulter S-plus IV automatic counter. RESULTS : CD4 significantly increased with tumor size and depth of invasion although other immune parameters, such as CD8, CD19, the CD4/CD8 ratio, and total lymphocyte count did not changed. In the patients with lymph-node metastasis, increases in CD3 and CD4 and a decrease in CD19 were observed. CD19 and the B lymphocyte count also decreased in advanced gastric cancer patients. However, T-lymphocytes subpopulations did not significantly change with stage. There were significant decreases in CD8 and in the T- & B-lymphocyte counts, without changes in CD4 and the CD4/CD8 ratio in the postoperative immune parameters.The preoperative values of the T- & B-lymphocyte counts and CD8 and CD19 were lower in patients who had recurrences during six months to two years of follow up, compared to recurrence-free patients. CONCLUSIONS : On the basis of these results, we found changes of T-lymphocyte subpopulations with size, depth of invasion, and regional lymph node metastasis, but not with stage. Postoperatively, there were significant decreases in the T- & B-lymphocyte counts. Suppressed immunity correlated with recurrence, and preoperative evaluation of peripheral T-cell subpopulations may be helpful for predict recurrence and for postoperative prognosis.