No abstract available.
Pigmentation*

No abstract available.
Pigmentation*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Porokeratosis*

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk factors for widespread pain and its influence on quality of life in residents of Korean communities. A rural and an urban community were selected, and 5,037 subjects were surveyed. Participants were asked if they had pain, aching, or stiffness in any of their joints on most days. Widespread pain was defined as pain above the waist, below the waist, on both sides of the body and in the axial region. The prevalence of widespread pain was 12% (16.2% and 5.5% in females and males, respectively). It was more frequent among females and increased with age in both genders. Age, female gender, and the presence of hand or knee arthritis were significantly associated with widespread pain after multivariate analysis. Except for mental health, all the items in the SF-12 were adversely affected in the widespread pain group after adjustment for confounding factors. Our findings show that the prevalence of widespread pain among residents of Korean communities is comparable to that reported among Caucasians. The significantly worse quality of life among subjects with widespread pain suggests that it may cause major health issues in the aging population.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Demography ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Pain/*epidemiology/psychology ; Prevalence ; *Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Sex Factors ; Urban Population

PURPOSE: To determine the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after computed tomography (CT) inpatients with focal hepatic lesion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 100 patients with 103 focal hepaticlesions. The diagnosis of each lesion was made pathologically (n=19), or radiologically and clinically (n=84), andthe findings were as follows: he-mangioma (n=53), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=17), metastasis (n=10), cyst (n=5),regenerative nodule (n=3), and adenomatous hyperplasia (n=3). The patients underwent conventional CT (n=25),two-phase spi-ral CT (n=17) or three-phase spiral CT (n=61). MRI was performed using conventional T1- andT2-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast enhancement. The value of MRI after CT was assigned to one of fourgrades, according to the consensus of three radiologists: grade I (decisive), grade II (helpful), grade III (notadditional), or grade IV (confused). RESULTS: The outcome of MRI of 103 lesions was grade I in 14 cases(14%), IIin 34 (33%), III in 49 (48%), and IV in 6 (6%). MRI was not helpful (grade III or IV) in 40% (10/25), 47% (8/17),and 61%(31/61) of lesions after conventional, two-phase spiral, and three-phase spiral CT, respectively. Grade IIIor IV lesions were present in 45% of hemangiomas (24/53), 59% of hepatocellular carcinomas (10/17), and 80% ofcases in which metastasis had occurred(8/10). CONCLUSION: MRI after CT in patients with focal hepatic lesion washelpful in less than half of all cases. It was particularly valuable for patients who did not undergo three-phasespiral CT and in whom hemangioma was suspected.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Consensus ; Diagnosis ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Inpatients ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Tomography, Spiral Computed

BACKGROUND: Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) have emerged as potential biomarkers in various human cancers. The aims of this study were to investigate the clinical characteristics of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) patients according to the TAM numbers in the tumor tissue, and to evaluate the associations between CXCR4 expressions and macrophage densities in ATC tumor microenvironment. METHODS: Total 14 ATC samples from thyroid tissue microarray were used. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using anti-CD163 and anti-CXCR4 antibodies. According to the immunoreactivity of CD163, all subjects were divided into two groups: low-CD163 (n=8) and high-CD163 (n=6) groups. RESULTS: The mean diagnostic age was 65±7 years and the median tumor size was 4.3 cm, ranging 2.5 to 15 cm. Clinicopathological characteristics were not significantly different between low-CD163 and high-CD163 groups, while age of diagnosis was younger in high-CD163 group than that of low-CD163 group with marginal significance (56.9±5.5 years vs. 67.5±6.8 years, P=0.09). However, overall survival was significantly reduced in high-CD163 group (5.5 months [range, 1 to 10]) compared with low-CD163 groups (8.8 months [range, 6 to 121); log-rank test, P=0.0443). Moreover, high-CD163 group showed strong CXCR4 expressions in both cancer and stromal compartments, while low-CD163 group showed relatively weak, stromal-dominant CXCR4 expressions. Additionally, CD163 and CXCR4 expressions showed a strong positive correlation (γ²=0.432, P=0.013). CONCLUSION: Increased number of TAMs showed poor overall survival in ATC, suggesting TAMs are potentially a prognostic biomarker for ATC. CXCR4 expression was significantly correlated with CD163-positive TAM densities, which suggest the possible role of CXCR4 in TAM recruitments.
Antibodies ; Biomarkers ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Macrophages* ; Receptors, CXCR* ; Receptors, CXCR4* ; Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic* ; Thyroid Gland ; Tumor Microenvironment

We present a case of tuberculosis-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in a 14-year-old girl. The patient presented with weight loss, malaise, fatigue, prolonged fever, and generalized lymphadenopathy. Laboratory investigation revealed pancytopenia (white blood cells, 2,020 cells/microL; hemoglobin, 10.2 g/dL; platelets, 52,000 cells/microL), hypertriglyceridemia (229 mg/dL), and hyperferritinemia (1,420 ng/mL). Bone marrow biopsy showed a hypocellular bone marrow with a large numbers of histiocytes and marked hemophagocytosis; based on these findings, she was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with both the bone marrow aspiration and sputum samples revealed the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antitubercular therapy with immune modulation therapy including dexamethasone and intravenous immunoglobulin was initiated. The results of all laboratory tests including bone marrow biopsy and PCR with both the bone marrow aspiration and sputum samples were normalized after treatment. Thus, early bone marrow biopsy and the use of techniques such as PCR can avoid delays in diagnosis and improve the survival rates of patients with tuberculosis-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.
Adolescent* ; Biopsy ; Blood Cells ; Bone Marrow ; Dexamethasone ; Diagnosis ; Fatigue ; Female ; Fever ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pancytopenia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sputum ; Survival Rate ; Tuberculosis ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the effect of music therapy as intervention on peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety of gynecologic cancer patients who were undergoing paclitaxel chemotherapy. METHODS: Hospitalized 62 patients were assigned to an experimental group (n=30) and a control group (n=33) in this quasi-experimental study. The experimental group participated in music therapy that includes listening, singing and song writing during 1 hour. The peripheral neuropathic pain, anxiety and depression were examined as pre-intervention evaluation by using pain scale, anxiety scale (20 questions) and depression scale (20 questions) in both groups. There were no further treatments for the control group while the experimental group involved in music therapy. The peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety were evaluated in both groups as post-intervention evaluation. RESULTS: Outcomes were verified through hypothesis testing. The level of peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety in the experimental group was decreased, compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: According to the study, music therapy is a beneficial intervention that reduces peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety in gynecologic cancer patients. These findings are encouraging and suggest that music therapy can be applied as an effective intervention for minimizing chemotherapy related symptoms.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Music ; Music Therapy ; Neuralgia ; Paclitaxel ; Singing ; Writing

A 44-year-old man showed recurrent paroxysmal amnesic attacks following viral encephalitis which, despite antiepileptic treatment, developed into status epilepticus. Interestingly, the amnesic attacks mainly consisted of amnesia for retrograde events. After recovery from status, he showed a persistent amnesia which was characterized as disproportionate retrograde amnesia for the past 20 years. We attribute the amnesic attacks in the acute stage to a transient epileptic amnesia and the profound retrograde amnesia in the chronic stage to status- or infection-related focal brain damage.
Adult ; Amnesia ; Amnesia, Retrograde* ; Brain ; Encephalitis, Viral* ; Humans ; Status Epilepticus

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of bosentan, a dual endothelin receptor (ER) antagonist, on the development of monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats by especially focusing on the pulmonary vascular morphology changes. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were treated as follows: controls received a subcutaneous saline injection, MCT-treated rats received a subcutaneous MCT injection, and bosentan-treated rats received a MCT injection followed by treatment with bosentan (20 mg/kg/day). To assess the effects of ER blockade on the time course, the animals were exsanguinated, and their hearts and lungs were dissected after 7, 14, or 28 days. RESULTS: The mean body weights of the MCT- and bosentan-treated rats were significantly lower than that of the control rats on days 7, 14, and 28. Bosentan administration significantly inhibited the progression of right ventricular hypertrophy on day 28 (right ventricle/[left ventricle+septum]: 0.71+/-0.10 in MCT-treated rats vs. 0.49+/-0.09 in bosentan-treated rats; P<0.05). Quantitative analysis of peripheral pulmonary arteries revealed that the increase in medial wall thickness after MCT injection was significantly attenuated in the bosentan-treated rats on day 28 (49.96+/-10.06% in MCT-treated rats vs. 47.09+/-10.48% in bosentan-treated rats; P<0.05). In addition, the increase in the number of intra-acinar muscular arteries after MCT injection was reduced by bosentan on days 14 and 28. CONCLUSION: Bosentan administration in intermediate doses exerts inhibitory effects on lung vascular hypertrophy and right ventricular hypertrophy during the development of MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats.
Animals ; Arteries ; Body Weight ; Endothelins ; Heart ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Hypertrophy ; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular ; Lung ; Monocrotaline ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Endothelin ; Sulfonamides