BACKGROUND: The incidence of Crohn's disease in the upper digestive tract, and especially in the stomach, is recently increasing. Focal inflammatory reaction without Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is thought to be the characteristic pathologic findings suggesting Crohn's disease in the stomach. Yet gastric involvement of Crohn's disease has not been studied in Korea. We studied the endoscopic and pathologic findings of patients with Crohn's disease in the stomach by taking biopsies. METHODS: Thirty patients with Crohn's disease who underwent gastroduodenoscopy followed by biopsies were included in the study. The pathology of the gastric biopsy specimens and the presence of H. pylori were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 30 cases, 22 cases (73.3%) were H. pylori negative and 8 cases (26.7%) were H. pylori positive. For the H. pylori negative cases, all but one cases showed pit abscess and focal lymphocytic collections in the antrum. Granulomas were found in 6 cases (20%) and they were exclusively located in the antrum. CONCLUSIONS: In the stomach, pit abscess and focal lymphocytic collections that are not associated with H. pylori infection are the characteristic pathologic findings found in Crohn's disease.
Abscess ; Biopsy ; Crohn Disease* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Granuloma ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Pathology ; Stomach*

BACKGROUND: The cytological examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using conventional cytology with a cytocentrifuge (cytospin) is an important method for evaluating the involvement of leukemia in the CNS. Liquid-based cytology (LBC) is now a widely used cytological method not only for gynecological and non-gynecological specimens, but its application to CSF for the identification of leukemic cell has not yet been reported. In this study, we tried to compare conventional cytology with using a cytospin with LBC and Papanicolaou (Pap) staining. We also examined the modified LBC with Wright staining to assess whether this modified method can be useful for diagnosing Leukemia. METHODS: We studied 30 cases of CSF that were obtained from 16 patients, including 17 cases of acute myeloid leukemia, 12 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 1 case of diffuse large B cell lymphoma. We applied conventional cytology with a cytocentrifuge (cytospin), LBC with Pap staining and modified LBC with Wright staining. RESULTS: The morphological features of the LBC with Pap staining showed difficulty for interpretation when compared with conventional cytology with a cytospin, and mainly because of cellular shrinkage. The modified LBC with Wright staining showed good morphological features. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that modified LBC with Wright staining may be useful for examining CSF.
Humans ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma

Although chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) may be involved in any part of the body, infiltration of the body fluid has rarely reported in the literature. Here we report on a 35 year-old male patient who was diagnosed chronic myelogenous leukemia ten years previously and he received allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He then presented with left knee pain eight years after the initial diagnosis. MRI revealed a soft tissue mass at the distal femur. Cytology of the joint fluid revealed myeloblasts, promyelocytes, eosinophilic myelocytes, band neutrophils, megakaryocytes and orthochromatic erythroblasts, which was all consistent with leukemic infiltration of the knee joint fluid. The immunohistochemistry was positive for CD34, CD117 and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Despite that the patient underwent radiation therapy, MRI revealed growth of the mass, and ten months later, the lymphoid blast phase of CML was confirmed after biopsy. The patient received an above knee amputation. Five months later, multiple masses were revealed on PET-CT at the left iliopsoas muscle, abdominal wall and bones. Bilateral pleural effusion occurred shortly after this. Cytologic evaluation of the pleural fluid also revealed blast-like cells, and histologic evaluation of the abdominal mass confirmed the lymphoid blast phase of CML with positivity for CD3, UCHL-1, CD34 and CD117, but negativity for MPO.
Abdominal Muscles ; Amputation ; Biopsy ; Blast Crisis ; Body Fluids ; Eosinophils ; Erythroblasts ; Femur ; Granulocyte Precursor Cells ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Joints ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; Leukemic Infiltration ; Male ; Megakaryocytes ; Neutrophils ; Peroxidase ; Pleural Effusion

PURPOSE: MUC1 is a large transmembrane glycoprotein, which is overexpressed in the majority of carcinomas. The high expression of MUC1 is associated with aggressive tumors, with the MUC1 antigen used as a marker to monitor disease progression in breast cancer patients. Although the MUC1 tumor marker is both sensitive and specific for predicting a relapse in breast cancer, it is not commonly used during the follow-up of breast cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the differential patterns of MUC1 expression in different histological types of breast carcinoma could be used to distinguish tumors from benign lesions, and determine its prognostic relevance with other biological parameters. METHODS: 22 normal breast, 7 intraductal hyper-plasia (IDH) and 307 malignant lesions were selected and immunostained with MUC1. The patterns of reaction were classified as intraluminal border (ILB), cytoplasmic, intercellular membrane (ICM), intranuclear or mixed staining. RESULTS: All the normal breast samples showed weak cytoplasmic staining in the ducts and lobules. All the IDH samples showed moderate cytoplasmic and ILB staining. Of the 307 malignant lesions, only 2 (0.8%) showed negative staining; MUC1 positivity was observed in 4 (1.3%), with only ILB staining; 8 (2.6%) with weak cytoplasmic staining, 16 (5.2%) with weak cytoplasmic and intranuclear staining, 168 (54.7%) with moderate cytoplasmic and ILB staining, and 109 (35.5%) with strong cytoplasmic and ICM staining. MUC1 positivity with a moderate to strong staining intensity was observed in 90.6% of the infiltrating ductal carcinomas (221/244), 96.5% of the intraductal carcinomas (28/29), 87.5% of the infiltrating lobular carcinomas (7/8), 66.6% of the mucinous and secretory carcinomas (10/15), 100.0% of the apocrine carcinomas (5/5) and 100.0% of the medullary carcinomas (6/6). The expression of MUC1 was statistically significant between the histological tumor types (p = 0.034), tumor size (p = 0.046), and HER-2/neu (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: These data suggest the expression of MUC1 was different in normal breast, IDH and malignant breast tumors, and was significantly correlated with the histological tumor types, tumor size and HER-2/neu oncogene.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Cytoplasm ; Disease Progression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Membranes ; Mucins ; Negative Staining ; Oncogenes ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

Epidermoid cysts in the kidney have rarely been reported, and in most cases its pathogenesis has not been well understood. We report a case of an epidermoid cyst in a kidney with nephrolithiasis in a 61-year-old man. A pyelonephrolithotomy was performed on the patient four years ago to treat nephrolithiasis of the left kidney. During the follow-up, a newly developed mass was discovered three years ago and the mass has recently increased in size. A unilateral nephrectomy was performed under the clinical impression of renal cell carcinoma. Gross examination revealed a well encapsulated cystic mass measuring 3.0 x 2.0 x 2.0 cm and containing lumps of soft whitish material, in the upper pole of the left kidney. This location was the same as that of previous nephrolithiasis. Microscopic examination revealed typical findings of an epidermoid cyst. We suspect that the chronic irritation induced by renal stones may be associated with the development of the epidermoid cyst in this case.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Epidermal Cyst* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Nephrolithiasis*

Gangliocytic paragangliomas are rare benign neuroendocrine tumors that arise mainly in the duodenum. A total of 3 cases of duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma have been reported in Korea. The authors encountered another case of a gangliocytic paraganglioma in the duodenum. A 48-year old man presented with a mass in the duodenum that had been found incidentally in a medical checkup. The endoscopic examination revealed a 3.5x2.2 cm sized polypoid mass in the second portion of the duodenum. The patient underwent a polypectomy in the form of a wedge resection under general anesthesia. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of epithelial cells forming paraganglioma like patterns, spindle cells and ganglion cells. Gangliocytic paragangliomas are believed to be benign tumors but regional lymph node metastasis and recurrence can occur in rare cases. During the 27-month follow-up after treatment, there was no evidence of recurrence or lymph node metastasis. We report this case to help improve the understanding of this rare disease.
Anesthesia, General ; Duodenum* ; Epithelial Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Paraganglioma* ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence

Various types of glomerulonephritis can occur at the same time with Hodgkin lymphoma, including minimal change disease and membranous glomerulonephritis. However, the concurrence of IgA nephropathy with Hodgkin lymphoma is rare. We report here on a case of IgA nephropathy in a patient with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma: A 60-year-old man presented with weight loss and anorexia. The patient showed lymphadenopathies in the neck on physical examination, and multiple lymphadenopathies in the mediastinum and abdomen on computerized tomography. Diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma was made after cervical lymph nodes were excised, but during the course of the chemotherapy, laboratory findings of hematuria and an elevated creatinine level were observed and IgA nephropathy was additionally diagnosed from a renal biopsy. There were fluctuations in the creatinine level and the amounts of hematuria and proteinuria, but by the time of the eighth cycle of chemotherapy, the patients condition had rapidly deteriorated, mainly due to the newly developed adult respiratory distress syndrome. The patient died soon thereafter.
Abdomen ; Anorexia ; Biopsy ; Creatinine ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranous ; Hematuria ; Hodgkin Disease ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoma ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Physical Examination ; Proteinuria ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND: Abnormal umbilical artery Doppler velocimetry is one of the important findings of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and IUGR is associated with high perinatal morbidity and mortality. In addition, this abnormal Doppler velocimetry is correlated with placental insufficiency. The aim of this study was to determine the pathologic differences in the placentas from IUGR pregnancies with and without the absent or reversed end diastolic velocity (AREDV). METHODS: Among the cases that had undergone prenatal follow-up in our institute, a retrospective slide review was conducted for 18 cases of IUGR with AREDV and 17 cases with IUGR that had normal end-diastolic flow of the umbilical artery. RESULTS: The birth weight and the other clinical parameters were not different among the two groups. Grossly, the placental weight percentiles were significantly smaller in AREDV group when they were adjusted according to gestational age. Histologically, chronic deciduitis, mural hypertrophy of the decidual arteries, an intimal fibrin cushion of the large fetal vessels, increased syncytial knots, villous agglutinations, avascular villi, villous stromal-vascular karyorrhexis, and acute atherosis were more frequently found in the AREDV group and their presence showed statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that pathologic abnormalities due to fetal and maternal vasculopathies in the placenta may be the cornerstone for inducing AREDV in the umbilical artery.
Arteries ; Birth Weight ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Fibrin ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Hypertrophy ; Placenta ; Placental Insufficiency ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Rheology ; Umbilical Arteries

PURPOSE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of p53 and bax proteins as prognostic markers in FIGO stage IIb invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (stage IIb) that were diagnosed from October 1996 to December 2003 were analyzed retrospectively for the bax and p53 expression. These expressions were determined immunohistochemically and they were correlated to the patients' overall survival and disease-free survival. RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival (OS) rate and the disease-free survival (DFS) rate were 65.1% and 62.9%, respectively. p53 and bax immunoreactivity was seen in 26.2% and 52.3% of cases, respectively, with variable levels of expression. On the univariate analysis, only p53 positivity correlated with poor survival in DFS (log-rank test p=0.027), but this significance was not maintained on multivariated analysis by Cox's regression. The nine cases with the immunophenotype p53+/bax- had the poorest survival. CONCLUSION: Neither p53 nor bax expression are independent predictors of the prognosis for stage IIb cervical squamous cancers. Evaluation of p53 and bax co-expression may affect the clinical outcome and further investigation is needed.
bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Mesenteric fibromatoses occur as sporadic lesions or as parts of familial adenomatous polyposis, are clonal lesions prone to locally aggressive behavior, but lack metastatic capacity. Fibromatoses harbor somatic beta-catenin or adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) mutations, leading to intranuclear accumulation of b-catenin. We report a case of mesenteric fibromatosis presenting as a 5.4x4.8 cm submucosal tumor of the jejunum in a 42-year-old woman. Histologically, the tumor consisted of proliferation of bland, elongated-spindle fibroblasts with collagen deposition and a characteristic prominent vasculature. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed nuclear staining for beta-catenin. Mesenteric fibromatosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of submucosal spindle cell tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, and nuclear immunoreactivity for beta-catenin may help distinguish these tumors form histological mimics.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli ; Adult ; beta Catenin ; Collagen ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Fibroma ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intestine, Small ; Jejunum