BACKGROUND: The relationship and differentiation among various dendritic cells of the dermis are unclear. Recently it has hecome possible to identify different subpopulat,ions of dermal dendritic cells using anti-CD34 and anti-factor XIIIa antibodies. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate which cell types the fibrous dermal turnors consist of we compared the staining patterns of these antibodies as well as of anti-Mac 387 antibody which are labeled as inflammatory cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. METHODS: Tumors studied included dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans(DFSP, n=2), dermato-fibroma(n=22), neurofibroma, n=27), acrochordon(n=15), keloid, hypertrophic scar(n=10), juvenile xanthogranuloma(n=1, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH, n=1). We performed immunoperoxidase staining(AUSC technique) with polyclonal anti FXIIIa antibody, monoclonal anti-CD34 antibody, and monoclonal anti-Mac 387 antibody on the formalin-fixed-paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of these fibrous tumors. The intensity of staining was graded as negative, weakly staining, or strongly stainiring. RESULTS: FXIIIa reactivity was strongly present in dendritic and spindle-shaped cells of all dermatofibromas and some nurofibromas(11 of 27 specimens), but absent from the other fibrous tumors. Among these tumors, one of the two DFSPs was uniquely expressed CD34. Dendritic and spindle-shaped cells within tiese tumors were MAC 387 negative. In inflammatory conditions, variable numbers of MAC 38 positive cells were observed, corresponding to histiocytes and mac-rophages, but the labeling of ipithelioid cells and multinucleated foreign body giant cells were variable. CONCLUSION: The findings of significant numbers of FXIIIa positive cells in dermal fibrous tumors studied suggest that thet may be diagnostic utility associated with the use of this antit)ody. In addition, CD 34 expression by the tumor cells can be an extremely useful marker in establishing a definitive diagnosis of IFSP.
Antibodies ; Dendritic Cells ; Dermatofibrosarcoma ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Factor XIIIa* ; Giant Cells, Foreign-Body ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous ; Keloid ; Langerhans Cells ; Neurofibroma

A 12-year-old girl presented with a 1-week duration of hair loss associated with splitting of the hair ends and whitish dots on the occipital hairs. On microscopic examination, a longitudinal splitting of the hair shaft with reconstitution of the normal hair distal to the fracture, nodular swellings, with the appearance of broomsticks pushed into one another, at the site of whitish swellings, and the flattening and twisting of the hair shaft around the long axis were demonstrated. Minor trauma to injury-prone hair is a common cause of hair shaft defects, however the reports with the combined conditions are insufficient in the literature. We describe a patient with central trichoptilosis associated with localized trichorrhexis nodosa and pili torti.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Child ; Female ; Hair ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune activation occurs early in the course of many infectious disease. Laboratory investigations have shown that immune activation can be quantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products in serum. Soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 are major immune activation products. Soluble CD8 and CD4 are indices of CD8+ T cell and CD4+T cell activity, respectively. OBJECTIVE: We estimated the concentrations of these molecules in patients with leprosy. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with tuberculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy(32 cases of M. leprae negative patients and 39 cases of M. leprae positive patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The levels of serum soluble CD25 were significantly raised in leprosy patients as compared to control and did not vary signficantly between tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy. The soluble CD8 levels in the serum of patients with leprosy did not differ from the levels of the control. The levels of serum soluble CD4 were significantly decreased in the patients with lepromatous leprosy, but not in the patients with tuberculoid leprosy. However, there was no significant correlation between CD25, CD8, and cD4 and bacterial indices in patients with lepromatous leprosy. CONCLUSIONs: There data suggest that non-specific immune activation occurs the spectrum in leprosy, while CD4+ T cell activity is significantly decreased in patients with lepromatous leprosy.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid

BACKGROUND: The human homologue of the SC2 gene from a human dermal papilla cell cDNA library has been isolated and designated hSC2. HSC2 protein also shares similarity with 5 -reductase, a protein important in testosterone metabolism. OBJECTIVE: Prior to knowing the functions of hSC2 in dermal papilla, we cloned it and analyzed its relative expression levels in adult tissues and cancer cell lines. METHODS: hSC2 was isolated from low abundant clones in dermal papilla cDNA library using cDNA array hibridization method. Full-length clone was sequenced and we studied its expression in different tissues by Northern blot hybridization. RESULTS: Sequence data reveals a single open reading frame, encoding a putative hydrophobic protein with a calculated molecular weight of 36 kDa. Its deduced amino acid sequences are almost 97.4% identical to t4ose of rat protein. Northern blot hybridization shows that hSC2 cDNA recognizes a 1.35 kb transcript that was expressed in various epithelial and mesenchymal tissues including testis and liver. CONCLUSION: We have cloned and analysed tissue distributions of hSC2. It was interesting that it had homology with 5α-reductase isozymes. Further studies will be needed to understand the involvement of hSC2 in androgen hormone signaling.
Adult ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Blotting, Northern ; Cell Line ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Molecular* ; DNA, Complementary ; Gene Library ; Humans ; Isoenzymes ; Liver ; Metabolism ; Molecular Weight ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Open Reading Frames ; Rats ; Testis ; Testosterone ; Tissue Distribution

Until recently, the etiology of schizophrenia was generally attributed to abnormalities in dopaminergic neurotransmission. Specifically, an excess of dopaminergic activity in the mesolimbic system has been postulated to produce the positive symptoms, while decreased dopaminergic activity in the mesocortical system has been suggested to cause negative symptoms. Accordingly, we performed an association study of schizophrenia with TH gene. Three hundred and seventy four biologically unrelated schizophrenic patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria from Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital affiliated with Catholic university of Korea were recruited for our study. The 393 healthy controls were volunteers for DNA library of Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital without personal or family history of psychiatric and neurologic illness. DNA was extracted from peripheral mononuclear cells and polymorphic region was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. TH intron 1 VNTR polymorphism was typed by silver staining. The allele distributions of TH gene were not different between schizophrenics and controls. However, the frequency of allele A was significantly higher in positive group than that of negative group of schizophrenics. These findings suggest that poitive schizophrenia may be associated with allele A of TH gene.
Alleles ; DNA ; Gene Library ; Genetics ; Humans ; Introns* ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Schizophrenia ; Silver Staining ; Synaptic Transmission ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase* ; Tyrosine* ; Volunteers

The authors reviewed the clinical findings and treatment results of 12 cases of spinal meningeal cysts which were detected in MRI of low back patients. In these lesions, large cysts without CSF communication can compressed the nerve roots within spinal canal and it is difficult to confirm the cause of symptom whether it is originated from cysts or from associated spinal disorders. The terms and classifications of spinal meningeal cysts were very confusing. Among 12 cases, we excised 3 cases of large cysts with gluteal and perianal pains that were caused by compressed sacral nerve roots. All three cases were type 2 cyst (classified by Nabors) and located in sacral canal. In one case associated with isthmic spondylolisthesis, posterolateral fusion and pedicle screw fixations were combined with cyst excision. In other two cases, there were not any spinal pathologic findings that compressed sacral nerve roots except mild degenerative changes and intervertebral disc herniation in lower lumbar and sacral levels All 3 excised cases showed good prognosis in more than one year follow up. The other cases were treated conservatively for the associated spinal disorders.
Classification ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prognosis ; Radiculopathy ; Spinal Canal ; Spondylolisthesis

PURPOSE: By sequencing the Expressed Sequence Tags of human dermal papilla cDNA library, we identified a clone named K872 of which the expression decreased during differentiation of HL60 cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS: K872 plasmid DNA was isolated according to QIA plasmid extraction kit (Qiagen GmbH, Germany). The nucleotide sequencing was performed by Sanger's method with K872 plasmid DNA. The most updated GenBank EMBL necleic acid banks were searched through the internet by using BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tools) program. Nothern bots were performed using RNA isolated from various human tissues and cancer cell lines. The gene expression of the fusion protein was achieved by His-Patch Thiofusion expression system and the protein product was identified on SDS-PAGE. RESULTS: K872 clone is 1006 nucleotides long, and has a coding region of 675 nucleotides and a 3' non-coding region of 280 nucleotides. The presumed open reading frame starting at the 5' terminus of K872 encodes 226 amino acids, including the initiation methionine residue. The amino acid sequence deduced from the open reading frame of K872 shares 70% identity with that of rat glutathione S-transferase kappa 1 (rGSTK1). The transcripts were expressed in a variety of human tissues and cancer cells. The levels of transcript were relatively high in those tissues such as heart, skeletal muscle, and peripheral blood leukocyte. It is noteworthy that K872 was found to be abundantly expressed in colorectal cancer and melanoma cell lines. CONCLUSION: Homology search result suggests that K872 clone is the human homolog of the rGSTK1 which is known to be involved in the resistance of cytotoxic therapy. We propose that meticulous functional analysis should be followed to confirm that.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Amino Acids ; Animals ; Cell Line ; Clinical Coding ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; DNA ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Expressed Sequence Tags ; Gene Expression ; Gene Library ; Glutathione Transferase* ; Glutathione* ; Heart ; HL-60 Cells* ; Humans ; Internet ; Leukocytes ; Melanoma ; Methionine ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nucleotides ; Open Reading Frames ; Plasmids ; Rats ; RNA

No abstract available.
Alcoholism* ; Mass Screening*

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune aetivation occurs early in the course of many infectious diseases. Clinical investigations have known that immune activation can be qiantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products, neopterin and elastase-a-antitypsm in serum. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess macrophage and neutrophil activation in patient with leprosy by measurement of neopterin and elhstase-a-antitrypin. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with subculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy (39 cases of M. leprae positive patients and 32 cases of M. leprce negative patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin were masured by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The serum neopterin levels were significantly raised in patients with leprosy and significantly higher in lepromatous leprosy than tuberculoid leprosy. The sejum elastase-a-antitrypsin levels were significantly increased in pat,ients with leprosy, but did not vary significantly between tuberculoid and lepramatous leprosy. There was also no significant correlation between the neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin levels and bacterial index in patients with lepromatous prosy. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that non-specific activation of macrophages and neutrophiles occurs in leprosy and high titers of ineopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin alore, in the absenee of a functioning T cell response, do not appee,r to confer resistance against Mycobacterium leprae.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid ; Macrophages ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Neopterin* ; Neutrophil Activation ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatic Elastase* ; Syphilis ; Treponema pallidum

BACKGROUND: Generalized immune aetivation occurs early in the course of many infectious diseases. Clinical investigations have known that immune activation can be qiantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products, neopterin and elastase-a-antitypsm in serum. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess macrophage and neutrophil activation in patient with leprosy by measurement of neopterin and elhstase-a-antitrypin. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with subculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy (39 cases of M. leprae positive patients and 32 cases of M. leprce negative patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin were masured by a sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The serum neopterin levels were significantly raised in patients with leprosy and significantly higher in lepromatous leprosy than tuberculoid leprosy. The sejum elastase-a-antitrypsin levels were significantly increased in pat,ients with leprosy, but did not vary significantly between tuberculoid and lepramatous leprosy. There was also no significant correlation between the neopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin levels and bacterial index in patients with lepromatous prosy. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that non-specific activation of macrophages and neutrophiles occurs in leprosy and high titers of ineopterin and elastase-a-antitrypsin alore, in the absenee of a functioning T cell response, do not appee,r to confer resistance against Mycobacterium leprae.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid ; Macrophages ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Neopterin* ; Neutrophil Activation ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatic Elastase* ; Syphilis ; Treponema pallidum