We analysed 8 cases of gastrointestinal cytomegalovirus(CMV) infection including one autopsy, three surgically resected and four endoscopic biopsy cases. Involved sites were colon in four,stomach in three and small intestine in one. Three of them were associated with immu-nosuppressed condition but others had no clinical evidence of immune deficiency. Multiple aphthous mucosal ulceration was a common presentation, but one revealed a mucosal ulcer with segmental narrowing and thickening of wall. Microscopically, six showed cytomegalic inclusions in endothelial cells and fibroblasts, one in mucosal epithelial cells and the remaining one in both endothelial cells and mucosal epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal antibody against CMV confirmed postive result in seven cases. Serum IgM anti-CMV antibody was elevated in one case. We conclude that gastrointestinal CMV infection is currently not a rare condition and frequently associated with non-immunosuppressed condition, and thus a thorough histologic examination is required especially in the gastrointestinal ulcerative lesion. Once cytomegalic inclusion is suspected, immunohistochemical identification of CMV seems essential for specific diagnosis.
Biopsy

Cytologic findings of malignant cells obtained by fine needle aspiration from a huge retroperitoneal malignant fibrous histiocytoma were described. The smears contained numerous malignant cells, isolated or in clusters, in a bloody background. The malignant cells had abundant pleomorphic foamy or acidophilic cytoplasm with occasional multilobated vesicular nuclei and prominent nucleoli. Dual differentiation, both histiocytic and fibroblastic types, and neutrophilic inflammatory background were diagnostic of this neoplasm. The report indicated that study of aspiration cytology specimen from a soft tissue tumor was a valuable adjunct to histologic examination.
Biopsy

BACKGROUND: Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia (PEH) is a reactive proliferation of surface epithelium and can be confused with invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in head and neck biopsy specimens. To distinguish PEH from invasive SCC, immunohistochemical staining for claudin-1, E-cadherin and p53 was performed. METHODS: Eighteen cases of PEH and 29 invasive SCC from head and neck lesions were immunostained and examined. RESULTS: The invasive SCC showed increased staining of claudin-1 (p<0.001) and p53 (p<0.001) and decreased staining of E-cadherin (p=0.005) compared to the PEH specimens. The combined score calculated by adding the positive sum of claudin-1 and p53 and subtracting E-cadherin was useful for the differentiation of SCC from PEH (89.7% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The combined immunostaining for claudin-1, p53 and E-cadherin may help differentiate PEH from invasive SCC. The results of this study suggest that the increased expression of claudin-1 and p53 and the decreased expression of E-cadherin maybe markers for the aggressive growth of invasive SCC.
Biopsy

In this study, the prevalence of Hepatitis B virus(HBV) DNA in the needle biopsied paraffin embedded liver tissues of chronic hepatitis B patients by rapid nested PCR was examined. DNA was extracted by NaOH with boiling, and amplified by rapid air thermocycler with glass capillary tubes and nested PCR with two primer sets specific for the surface and the core genes of HBV. The PCR results were compared to that of serum HBeAg, serum HBV DNA by dot blot hybridization with a radioactive DNA probe, and tissue immunohistochemical (HBsAg/ HBcAg) studies. Among 44 patients with chronic hepatitis with serum HBsAg positivity, HBV DNA could be detected by PCR in 43 liver tissues (98%). This results were comparable to the positive rates of 94%(31/33) for serum HBV DNA, 80%(35/44) for serum HBeAg, and 59%(26/44) and 75%(33/44) for tissue HBsAg and HBcAg, respectively. The accordance rate between tissue PCR and serum DNA probe testing was 91%. The results indicate that HBV DNA detection by rapid nested PCR of paraffin embedded liver tissues by needle biopsy is a more sensitive method to detect the HBV DNA carrier than the serum HBeAg or tissue HBsAg/HBcAg status, and is well correlated with the result of serum HBV DNA probe testing. Therefore this method is a practical indicator for the diagnosis and replication status in retrospective analysis.
Biopsy

Although methotrexate(MTX) has been known to have many side effects, especially toxicity on the hemopoietic cells and the liver, it has been used as a potent anticancer drug and for the treatment of psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis. The severity of hepatotoxicity varies from mild fatty change to chronic active hepatitis(CAH) and cirrhosis. We experienced two cases of MTXinduced CAH in patients with psoriasis, which prompted us to report in view of the absence of biopsy proven MTX hepatotoxicity in the Korean literature. Microscopically, the liver showed a distorted lobular architecture with portal fibrous expansion, piecemeal necrosis and bridging necrosis/fibrosis. The hepatic lobules revealed fatty changes of hepatocyte, focal hepatocytolysis, delicate collagen deposits along the space of Disse and the characteristically marked polyploid nuclear change of hepatocytes.
Biopsy

The authors developed a computer program for use in report printing as well as data storage and retrieval system at the surgical pathology and its efficacy was evaluated at the Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Hospital. This program used IBM PC XT and was written in DBASE III plus language. The main features of the program included an automatic coding and decoding of the diagnosis, automatic searching of the previous biopsy during gross dictation, powerful word processing function and flexibility of the program. The data storage was carried out during the typewriting of the report, so that the typist's workload became markedly reduced. Two kinds of data files wer stored in the hard disk ; the temporary file contained full informations and the permanent file contained the core data only. Searching of a specific case was performed by pathology accession number, chart number, patient's name or by SNOMED code within a second. All the cases were arranged by copied to the diskette during the daily service automatically, with which data were easily restored in case of hard disk failure. The advantages of this program using a persosnal computer were discussed with comparison to those of larger computer system. Based on the experience of 8 months usage in Seoul National University, we assume that this program gives a sufficient solution to the surgical pathology service of many institutes where a large computer system with well designed software is not available yet.
Biopsy

Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection is considered the most important cause of chronic active gastritis and peptic ulcer. To determine the prevalence, distribution and it's relationship to degree of inflammation, gastric biopsy specimens were obtained from 331 nonulcer dyspepsia(NUD) patients consisting of 52 H. pylori negative normal volunteers and 279 H. pylori infected patients. Lymphoid follicles, degree of acute and chronic inflammation(Grade 0 to 3), and degree of H. pylori(Grade 0 to 4) were observed. The prevalence of H. pylori in NUD was 84.29%. The lymphoid follicles were found in 138 patients(41.7%) and only 5 patients(l.5%) without H. pylori showed lymphoid follicles. There was strong a relationship between lymphoid follicles and degree of acute and chronic inflammation and intensity of H. pylori infection(P<0.001). Acute and chronic inflammation were more serious in the antrum than body in H. pylori infected patients. There was no relationship between lymphoid follicles and the site in the stomach of H. pylori infection(P<0.078), but the body portion had an increased frequency of lymphoid follicles compared to the in antrum. Our results indicate that the prevalence of H. pylori infection in Korea is higher than in Western people and the degree of acute and chronic inflammation are strongly correlated with the presence of lymphoid follicles. The lymphoid follicles are believed to be absent from the normal stomach and their presence is strongly associated with H. pylori infection. The fact there is an that increased frequency of lymphoid follicles in H. pylori infected patients, and that they are more prevalent in the body of the antrum, support the concept that H. pylori may be a precursor in the development of primary gastric lymphoma.
Biopsy

Laryngeal leukoplakia is seen in a number of pathologic settings such as keratosis without atypia(KWOA), keratosis with atypia(KWA), squamous cell carcinoma in situ(CIS) and invasive squamous cell carcinoma, and it continues to be a confusing and controversial topic for both otolaryngologist and pathologist. This is largely due to the use of ambiguous and inconsistent terminology, the lack of unanimous agreement on the definition of these terms, failure of the clinician to obtain a representative biopsy, and the subjectivity of the pathologist interpreting the biopsy. To evaluate the applicability of the expression pattern of p53 and PCNA in borderline cases of histopathologic classification, we performed a histopathologic analysis of leukoplakia to includ clinical follow-up, correlation of disease progression and degree of atypia, and expression of p53 and PCNA according to the degree of atypia. Histologically, laryngeal leukoplakia included seven cases of KWOA, fourteen cases of KWA (mild-2, moderate-8, severe-4), three cases of CIS, and one case of invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Keratosis with atypia, a moderate degree or more, showed a strong tendency to progress to invasive carcinoma(p<0.05). The degree of p53 and PCNA expression correlated with the degree of atypia(p<0.05). p53-positive cases at the initial biopsy clearly tended to recur and develop into invasive carcinoma(p<0.01).
Biopsy

No abstract available.
Biopsy*

Antiphospholipid syndrome(APS) is characterized by vascular thrombosis in association with elevated titers of antiphospholipid antibodies. Leg ulcers are a considered to be a cutaneous manifestation of APS due to thrombosis of small to medium sized vessels. We report a case of necrotic non-healing, ankle ulcers mimicking pyoderma gangrenosum associated with APS in 50-year-old man. He had a past history of autoimmune thrombocytopenia and cerebral infarction. Laboratory findings showed a circulating lupus anticoagulant, positive anticardiolipin antibodies as well as anti-dsDNA and anti-Sm antibodies. Skin biopsy of ulcer lesions showed thrombotic vasculopathy of medium sized vessels with minimal leukocyte infiltration. Ulcers were successfully treated with surgical debridement and subsequent skin graft along with anticoagulation therapy.
Biopsy