No abstract available.
Alleles* ; Base Sequence* ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; HLA-DR Antigens

PURPOSE: To report brain metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma presenting as homonymous hemianopia. CASE SUMMARY: A 51-year-old female with a history of hepatectomy and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 19 months earlier was referred to our neuro-ophthalmology clinic for evaluation due to headache and decreased visual acuity over the past several months. Best visual acuity was 20/20, and the results of all other aspects of our examination were normal except Humphrey automatic perimetry, which showed complete left homonymous hemianopia. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a large mass in the right occipital lobe. Craniotomy and removal of tumor were performed. HCC was confirmed by histopathologic examination. CONCLUSIONS: Metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to the occipital lobe is extremely rare but can present as homonymous hemianopia. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of this when examining a patient with a history of HCC.
Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Craniotomy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Headache ; Hemianopsia* ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Occipital Lobe* ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Field Tests

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*

We have experienced nine patients with acute optic never injury after blunt head trauma. In each patient the optic cannal was decompressed via an ipsilateral external ethmoidectomy or transcranial approach. Two Patients recieved treatment with steroid during the perioperative period. There patient improved mild visual acuity. There was no morbidity or mortality but the results were controversial.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Decompression* ; Humans ; Mortality ; Optic Nerve Injuries* ; Perioperative Period ; Visual Acuity

Adrenal cystic lymphangiomas are extremely rare entities that are often identified incidentally, with less than 60 cases reported to date. We found a protruding ovoid mass consisting of a multiloculated cystic lesion within right adrenal gland in the cadaver of a 75-year-old Korean man. The epithelial cells lining the adrenal cyst were diffusely positive for cluster of differentiation 31 and podoplanin, and negative for pan-cytokeratin. The histopathological diagnosis confirmed a cystic lymphangioma arising from the adrenal gland. Post-mortem findings of the present case are discussed based on the clinicopathological features of adrenal cystic lymphangiomas.
Adrenal Glands ; Aged ; Cadaver ; Diagnosis ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Lymphangioma ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Male

Adrenal cystic lymphangiomas are extremely rare entities that are often identified incidentally, with less than 60 cases reported to date. We found a protruding ovoid mass consisting of a multiloculated cystic lesion within right adrenal gland in the cadaver of a 75-year-old Korean man. The epithelial cells lining the adrenal cyst were diffusely positive for cluster of differentiation 31 and podoplanin, and negative for pan-cytokeratin. The histopathological diagnosis confirmed a cystic lymphangioma arising from the adrenal gland. Post-mortem findings of the present case are discussed based on the clinicopathological features of adrenal cystic lymphangiomas.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary disorder. Intestinal hamartomatous polyps in association with melanocytic pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes characterize PJS. Patients with PJS often have complications associated with the polyps, such as intestinal obstruction, intussusception, acute or chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, and the development of various types of cancer. Enteroclysis, small bowel follow-through, and push enteroscopy are generally used to identify the presence and location of small bowel polyps. Wireless capsule endoscopy (CE) has been confirmed as a feasible, safe, and sensitive test for the surveillance of small bowel polyps in patients with PJS and could replace radiographic small bowel surveillance. Here, a case of PJS newly diagnosed by CE is reported. The patient, a 30-year-old man who had developed rectal polyps associated with anal extrusion 7 years previously, had six episodes of hematochezia.
Adult ; Capsule Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction ; Intussusception ; Mucous Membrane ; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome ; Pigmentation ; Polyps ; Skin

PURPOSE: In this study, natural pulmonary surfactant was extracted from bovine lung lavage and its surface activity was determined. To investigate the usefulness of synthetic peptides reconstituted with phospholipid as artificial surfactant, truncated peptides from surfactant protein (SP)-B were synthesized and restored the surface tension lowering activities when appropriately recombined with phospholipid. METHODS: Crude natural surfactant (CNS) was isolated from lung lavage by centrifugation and organic solvent for the extraction of pulmonary surfactant was selected to satisfy the in vitro physical properties. Two truncated peptides derived from C-terminal end of bovine SP-B hydrophobic protein were selected and synthesized. To prepare artificial surfactant, synthetic peptides was added to the phospholipid mixture. The various surfactant mixtures were assayed for in vitro physical activity with the Wilhemly plate method and were determined by surface spreading rate, surface adsorption rate and surface tension-area diagram. RESULTS: CNS-chloroform methanol (CM) displayed efficient surface activity compared with clinically used Surfacten but CNS-BuOH did not. The artificial surfactants containing phospholipid mixture and synthetic peptide were analyzed for their surface activities and displayed significant surfactant properties. CONCLUSION: 1-Butanol or CM (3:1) was used as an extraction solvent for CNS. CNS-CM showed more efficient surface activity than CNS-BuOH. Two synthetic peptides composing artificial pulmonary surfactant were designed and mixing ratio of peptide and phospholipid was established. Artificial surfactant dispalyed weaker surface activity than natural surfactant but significant surfactant activity.
1-Butanol ; Adsorption ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Centrifugation ; Methanol ; Motor Activity* ; Peptides ; Pulmonary Surfactants* ; Surface Tension ; Surface-Active Agents

PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical significance of the tumor growth factor, midkine (MK), in paired gastric cancer and normal tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty paired normal and cancer tissues were tested for MK mRNA expression by Northern blot analysis. Vessel staining was done by immunohistochemical staining using CD-31 monoclonal antibody (Dako). RESULTS: MK mRNA was mainly expressed in cancer tissues (11 versus 1). Lymph node metastasis, pathological stage and tumor differentiation did not correlate with MK expression. However, MK expression rate increased with increment in tumor size (p=0.05). Microvascular density did not correlate with tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and pathological stages. However, there was a tendency of vascular density increment with MK expression in T1-T2 stage. CONCLUSION: MK was mainly expressed in larger gastric cancer tissues suggesting its role in cancer growth in vivo. But no definite correlation between MK expression and tumor microvascular density was found.
Blotting, Northern ; Gene Expression* ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; RNA, Messenger ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: It has been theorized that p53 may be involved in the sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. We evaluated the chemosensitivity of wild p53 after transduction into gastric cancer cell lines with mutant p53. MATERIALS AND METHODS: YCC-3(parent cell line with mutant p53), YCC-3v(parent cell line transduced with vector alone) and YCC-3C3(clone with wild p53) cell lines were used in this study. p53 protein expression was measured by ELISA assay. Tumorigenicity and drug sensitivity were evaluated by soft agar and proliferation assay, respectively. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flowcytometry. Telomerase activity was measured by TRAP assay and terminal restriction fragment(TRF) length was measured after Southern blot analysis. RESULTS: Even though p53 production from the YCC-3C3 cell line was three times higher than those of YCC-3 and YCC-3v cell lines, the cell cycle was the same in these three cell lines. In the YCC-3C3 cell line, drug sensitivity to etoposide and cisplatin was increased when we compared it to those of the YCC-3v cell line(etoposide, 50% versus 83%; cisplatin, 67% versus 83%). However, there was no chemo-sensitization effect with vincristine, vinblastine and carboplatin. After exposure to cisplatin, a G0/G1 check-point effect was found in the YCC-3C3 cell line, but not in the YCC-3v cell line. No differences were found in telomerase activity, TRFs length or DNA fragmentation between the YCC-3v and YCC-3C3 cell lines after cisplatin treatment. CONCLUSION: Wild-type p53 gene transduction in the gastric cancer cell line induced sensitization to the cytotoxicity of etoposide and cisplatin. This suggests the possible application of combined chemo-gene therapy with an EP regimen and wild-type p53 in gastric cancer patients with p53 mutation.
Agar ; Blotting, Southern ; Carboplatin ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line* ; Cisplatin ; DNA Fragmentation ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Etoposide ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Telomerase ; Vinblastine ; Vincristine