BACKGROUND: bcl-2 is a newly characterized proto-oncogen that has been shown to suppress programmed cell death(apoptosis), which is involved in tumorigenesis, and its expression has been demonstrated within tumor cells in a variety of neoplasms. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether there are differences in bcl-2 expression in basal cell carcinoma and several epidermal keratinocytic tumors. In addition, we evaluated bcl-2 expression according to histological types of basal cell carcinoma as well as the interaction of expression of bcl-2 and MIB-1 protein in BCC subtypes. METHODS: Routine paraffin sections of formalin-fixed sixty tissues(20 BCC, 10 Bowen disease, 10 keratoacanthoma, and 20 SCC) were labelled with anti-bcl-2 monoclonal antibody and MIB-1 using a labelled streptavidin-biotin complex. RESULTS: 1. Twenty cases of basal cell carcinoma were examined and all expressed cytoplasmic bcl-2. Three out of 20 cases of squamous cell carcinoma were focally positive. None of the 10 Bowen disease cases and the 10 keratoacanthoma cases expressed bcl-2. 2. In BCC, bcl-2 immunoreactivity was great in the superficical subtypes which had an indolent growth variant, moderate in the circumscribed types, and weak in the infiltrative types which had aggressive growth variants. 3. Evaluation of the distribution of bcl-2 immunoreactive categories and MIB-1 grades revealed a negative correlation tendency, but no statistical significance. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest the presence of a protection mechanism from apoptosis mediated by bcl-2 protein involved in the neoplastic growth mechanism of BCC. In addition, the observed findings in the expression pattern of bcl-2 and MIB-1 in the BCC subtypes may be due to interaction between bcl-2 and other apoptotic-related oncogens.
Apoptosis ; Bowen's Disease ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinogens ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cytoplasm ; Keratoacanthoma ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Paraffin

A case of tinea unguium caused by Aspergillus sydowi in 45 year old female was described. Through the literature this was the first case report in Korea, The characteristic clical findings noted the yellowish discoloration of the affeced nail which including KOH wet mount and culture. However, animal inoculation was failed.
Animals ; Aspergillus* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Onychomycosis*

Primary cutaneous CD30+ large cell lymphoma(LCL) is a rare cutaneous peripheral T cell lymphoma with a favorable prognosis. This lymphoma characteristically presents itself as a solitary or localized skin tumor with frequent cutaneous relapses and partial or complete spontaneous remission. Recently we saw a sixty-three year old male who had developed primary cutaneous CD30+ large cell lymphoma that waxed and waned. He presented with localized multiple nodules that had shown repetitive spontaneous regression and recurrences with the same morphology in the same area for several years. There was no evidence of nodal and visceral involvement. The immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that most neoplastic cells in the tumor were positive for CD30 and pan-T cells and negative for pan-B cells, S-100 proteins, EMA and monocyte-macrophage related antigen(CD68).
Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Male ; Prognosis ; Recurrence* ; Remission, Spontaneous ; S100 Proteins ; Skin

The association between choledochal cysts and pregnancy is unlikely to be etiological, but may rather be an aggravation or precipitation of a preexisting condition. Although choledochal cysts rarely occur in pregnancy, the aim of this study is to elucidate the condition associated with pregnancy because delayed or inappropriate therapy may be catastrophic for both mother and child. Authors reviewed 18 cases of choledochal cyst, of which 2 were aggravated during pregnancy, managed at the Department of Surgery, Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, College of Medicine, Hallym University, during the period from 1990 to 1995. The results were as follows: The ratio of female to male was 2.6:1 which revealed predominance in female and most frequent age group was above sixty years old(33%). In non-pregnant patients, the most common symptoms were abdominal pain(78%) and all pregnant patients had pain, jaundice, nausea and vomiting, and indigestion. Transaminase and bilirubin were elevated in all pregnant patients. In all patients, US(88%, 100%) was the most common preoperative diagnostic study and one case was diagnosed during explo-laparotomy. Pregnant patients have cholecystitis in two cases and nonpregnant patients had cholecystitis(19%), CBD stone(19%), and others. The operative procedures were performed in 9 cases and pregnant patients were operated by cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in one case, and also Roux-en-Y choledochocystojejunostomy in one case. According to Todani's classification, in non pregnant patients, type I was the most common(63%), in pregnant patients, two cases were type I. Postoperative complications occurred in 3 cases, wound infection(6%) and cholangitis(6%) in non pregnant patients, pleural effusion(6%) in pregnant patients. Two cases of choledochal cyst in pregnancy were 25 years old at 29.4 weeks and 36 years old at 16 weeks into pregnancy.
Adult ; Bilirubin ; Child ; Cholecystitis ; Choledochal Cyst* ; Classification ; Dyspepsia ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Male ; Mothers ; Nausea ; Postoperative Complications ; Preexisting Condition Coverage ; Pregnancy* ; Surgical Procedures, Operative ; Vomiting ; Wounds and Injuries

Ewing's sarcoma is a highly malignant, small, round cell tumor that usually affects long bones. The acral part of the extremities is a very rare primary site for this neo plasm. A fifteen-year-old girl was seen for a lobulated, dome-shaped, 2.7cm diameter, denuded mass on the distal phalanx of the right middle finger which had increased in size over a 14-month period. The radiological featuies of the hand showed a cortical brick of distal phalanx and surrounding soft tissue mass. Histologically, the biopsy specimen showed sheets of small round to oval cells with scanty cytoplasm, that were closely packed and separated into lobules by trands of fibrous tissue. A periodic acid-Schiff stain demonsirated glycogen in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. Electron microscopy showed large aggregates of glycogen in the cytoplasm of the neoaplastic cells. Immunohistochemical stains revealed positive staining for vimentin, glial fibrillary acid potein, and neuron specific enolase, stains for S-100, Factor VIII, and cytokeratin were negative.
Biopsy ; Coloring Agents ; Cytoplasm ; Extremities ; Factor VIII ; Female ; Fingers ; Glycogen ; Hand ; Humans ; Keratins ; Microscopy, Electron ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Sarcoma* ; Sarcoma, Ewing ; Vimentin

Ewing's sarcoma is a highly malignant, small, round cell tumor that usually affects long bones. The acral part of the extremities is a very rare primary site for this neo plasm. A fifteen-year-old girl was seen for a lobulated, dome-shaped, 2.7cm diameter, denuded mass on the distal phalanx of the right middle finger which had increased in size over a 14-month period. The radiological featuies of the hand showed a cortical brick of distal phalanx and surrounding soft tissue mass. Histologically, the biopsy specimen showed sheets of small round to oval cells with scanty cytoplasm, that were closely packed and separated into lobules by trands of fibrous tissue. A periodic acid-Schiff stain demonsirated glycogen in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. Electron microscopy showed large aggregates of glycogen in the cytoplasm of the neoaplastic cells. Immunohistochemical stains revealed positive staining for vimentin, glial fibrillary acid potein, and neuron specific enolase, stains for S-100, Factor VIII, and cytokeratin were negative.
Biopsy ; Coloring Agents ; Cytoplasm ; Extremities ; Factor VIII ; Female ; Fingers ; Glycogen ; Hand ; Humans ; Keratins ; Microscopy, Electron ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Sarcoma* ; Sarcoma, Ewing ; Vimentin

Dermatophytes have been demonstrated infrequently in viable tissues such as dermis, subcutis, lymph nodes, bones and other organs. Mycetoma-like lesions caused by dermatophytes, known as pseudomycetoma, have been very rarely reported. A 56-year-old woman presented with several protruding bean to chestnut-sized subcutaneous nodules on the occipital region of the scalp. She had a long term history of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and intermittent administration of systemic corticosteroids for 5 years. Histopathology of the subcutaneous nodules showed a well encapsulated granuloma containing characteristic lobulated granules consisted of mycelial aggregates. Trichophyton mentagrophytes grew out on the cultures of Sabouraud's media with excised tissues. Surgical excision and itraconazole 200mg per day for 10 weeks was tried and skin lesions are improved with focal recurrence.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Arthrodermataceae ; Dermis ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita ; Female ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Itraconazole ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Scalp ; Skin ; Trichophyton*

No abstract available.
Lasers, Gas* ; Lasers, Solid-State*

Glucocorticoids, dexamethasone, 6 alpha-methylprednisolone are routinely administered to brain tumor patients to reduce peritumoral edema before surgical removal of the tumor. In addition, the glucocorticoids can inhibit growth of several cell lines. Retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A is also known to inhibit growth of several cell lines. Sometimes inhibition of growth accompany morphological changes. In the present study, we compared the effects of dexamethasone, 6 alpha-methylprednisolone, and retinoic acid on the growth and on the morphology of a rat glioma cell line, C6. We found that all of them can maximally inhibit the growth of C6 by approximately 30%(p<0.0025) in the presence of 10 microM of either dexamethasone, 6 alpha-methylprednisolone or retinoic acid under our experimental conditions. However, only retinoic acid could induce the morphological changes of C6 at the concentrations over 1 microM concentration, which was elongation of the cells. The morphological changes were observed both at the subconfluent and confluent cell population. When mixture of 10 microM of dexamethasone and 10 microM of retinoic acid was added, no further increase in the inhibition of growth was observed compared with the inhibition obtained by adding 10 microM of dexamethasone only. The results suggest that the glucocorticoids might have effedts of growth inhibition of the glial tumor in vivo.
Animals ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cell Line* ; Dexamethasone* ; Edema ; Glioma* ; Glucocorticoids ; Humans ; Rats* ; Tretinoin* ; Vitamin A

No abstract available.
Aspirin* ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*