No abstract available.
Lymphomatoid Papulosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Tuberculosis*

No abstract available.
Lymphomatoid Papulosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Tuberculosis*

PURPOSE: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP-3) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) are tumor-suppressor genes that may be involved in breast tumorigenesis. However, the roles of these genes in the regulation of breast cancer growth or progress are unclear. In this study, we aimed to find any correlation between the reduction of IGFBP-3 or PTEN protein expression in cancer tissues and the clinicopathological parameters in breast cancer. METHODS: We collected both cancer and adjacent normal tissues from 46 breast cancer patients (from January 1 to December 31, 2006), and checked the IGFBP-3 and PTEN protein levels in cancer and adjacent normal tissues using Western immunoblot. We evaluated the correlation of reduction status of IGFBP-3 and PTEN protein expression with variable clinicopathological parameters. RESULTS: The frequency of IGFBP-3 and PTEN protein reduction in cancer tissue, compared to adjacent normal tissue, was 63.0% and 34.8%, respectively. And in 87.5% of patients, who showed significant PTEN reduction, IGFBP-3 protein expression was reduced in cancer tissues. In contrast, IGFBP-3 protein reduced in only 50% of patients who didn't show PTEN reduction. However, we did not find any significant correlation between reduction of IGFBP-3 or PTEN expression in cancer tissue and variable clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSION: The IGFBP-3 and PTEN genes were expressed in all breast cancer tissues. Nonetheless, we did not find any significant relationship between reduction of IGFBP-3 or PTEN expression and the clinicopathological parameters in this study. Therefore, further studies are needed to document the roles of IGFBP-3 and PTEN genes in breast cancer growth or progress.
Blotting, Western ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carrier Proteins ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Microfilament Proteins ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase

PURPOSE:Carotid endarterectomy may benefit patients with bilateral carotid stenosis by improving cerebrovascular hemodynamics of ipsilateral as well as contralateral cerebral hemispheres. We investigated cerebrovascular hemodynamics after carotid endarterectomy in patients with contralateral carotid occlusion by acetazolamide stress brain SPECT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects were 14 symptomatic patients (all men, mean age 66 yrs) with carotid stenosis (> 50%) with contralateral carotid occlusion. Acetazolamide stress Tc-99m ECD brain SPECTs were performed within 2 weeks before and after carotid endarterectomy using one day protocol. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) were assessed visually. In 12 patients, correlation between the patency of proximal anterior cerebral or anterior communicating arteries (A1/A-comm) and the improvement of CBF or CVR after endarterectomy was assessed. RESULTS: Preoperative SPECT showed reduced CBF in 2 ipsilateral and 10 contralateral hemispheres. CVR was reduced in 4 ipsilateral and 9 contralateral hemispheres. Of 12 hemispheres with reduced CBF, 2 hemispheres (16.7%) showed improvement of CBF after endarterectomy. However, reduced CVR was improved in all 4 ipsilateral and 7 of 9 (78%) of contralateral hemispheres after endarterectomy. Three of 4 with stenotic A1/A-comm and 4 of 8 with patent A1/A-comm had reduced contralateral CVR. Reduced contralateral CVR improved in all 3 patients with stenotic A1/A-comm and 3 of 4 with patent A1/A-comm. CONCLUSION: Acetazolamide stress brain SPECT demonstrated improvement of compromised cerebrovascular reserve in not only ipsilateral but also contralateral hemispheres of patients with contralateral carotid occlusion after carotid endarterectomy, and may, therefore, be useful for evaluating cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reserve after carotid endarterectomy.
Acetazolamide* ; Arteries ; Brain Ischemia ; Brain* ; Carotid Stenosis* ; Cerebrum ; Endarterectomy ; Endarterectomy, Carotid* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Male ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

BACKGROUND: The need for using sunscreen is increasing today, but we know little about the effect of sunscreens on the skin of Korean people. OBJECTIVE: We tried to estimate and compare the SPF of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion, which was recommended as the control in SPF experiments by the FDA, USA, in Koreans according to different light sources. METHODS: After application of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion to the back, 33 men of the third decade were irradiated by xenon arc solar simulator or by fluorescent sunlamp, We estimated the SPF of them 24 hours later. RESULTS: The SPF of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion was 4.8+/-0.8 with the solar simulator, 2.7+/-0.6 with the fluorescent sunlamp. CONCLUSION: We confimed that the SPF of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion with xenon arc solar simulator can be used as a control value in Koreans, and found out that the SPF with the fluorescent sunlamp was significantly lower than that with the xenon arc lamp. So it should be taken into consideration that differences of SPF according to light sources exists in studying sunscreens.
Humans ; Male ; Skin ; Solar System* ; Sun Protection Factor* ; Sunscreening Agents ; Xenon

BACKGROUND: The need for using sunscreen is increasing today, but we know little about the effect of sunscreens on the skin of Korean people. OBJECTIVE: We tried to estimate and compare the SPF of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion, which was recommended as the control in SPF experiments by the FDA, USA, in Koreans according to different light sources. METHODS: After application of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion to the back, 33 men of the third decade were irradiated by xenon arc solar simulator or by fluorescent sunlamp, We estimated the SPF of them 24 hours later. RESULTS: The SPF of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion was 4.8+/-0.8 with the solar simulator, 2.7+/-0.6 with the fluorescent sunlamp. CONCLUSION: We confimed that the SPF of 8% homomenthyl salicylate lotion with xenon arc solar simulator can be used as a control value in Koreans, and found out that the SPF with the fluorescent sunlamp was significantly lower than that with the xenon arc lamp. So it should be taken into consideration that differences of SPF according to light sources exists in studying sunscreens.
Humans ; Male ; Skin ; Solar System* ; Sun Protection Factor* ; Sunscreening Agents ; Xenon

PURPOSE: This study aims to estimate the financial cost of rotavirus infection in Korea in the year of 2005. METHODS: The incidence rates used were from the epidemiological profile at Jeoungeub District (5.8 cases/1,000 children <5 years old for inpatients, and 22.65 cases/1,000 children <5 years old for outpatients, per year). The health care cost per capita of rotavirus infection (ICD code: A08.0) was extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in Korea. The patient survey was conducted to capture information about non-medical costs and associated productivity loss incurred by adult caregivers. RESULTS: The number of annual national cases among children <5 years old with rotavirus infection was estimated to be 69,122 (i.e., 55,030 outpatients and 14,092 inpatients). The total cost of rotavirus infection was estimated at 13.3 billion Korean won, comprising 11 billion Korean won (82.7%) of direct medical costs, 1.6 billion Korean won (12.0%) of direct non-medical costs (e.g., transportation and supplies), and 0.68 billion Korean won (5.1%) of productivity lost by adult caregivers. CONCLUSION: Rotavirus infection carries not only medical costs but also non-medical and indirect costs; together, these costs incur a significant burden on South Korean society. The impact of rotavirus on quality of life and health among patient caregivers was not considered in this study, but it does merit further research.
Adult ; Caregivers ; Child ; Cost of Illness ; Efficiency ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Rotavirus ; Rotavirus Infections ; Transportation

PURPOSE: This study aims to estimate the financial cost of rotavirus infection in Korea in the year of 2005. METHODS: The incidence rates used were from the epidemiological profile at Jeoungeub District (5.8 cases/1,000 children <5 years old for inpatients, and 22.65 cases/1,000 children <5 years old for outpatients, per year). The health care cost per capita of rotavirus infection (ICD code: A08.0) was extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database in Korea. The patient survey was conducted to capture information about non-medical costs and associated productivity loss incurred by adult caregivers. RESULTS: The number of annual national cases among children <5 years old with rotavirus infection was estimated to be 69,122 (i.e., 55,030 outpatients and 14,092 inpatients). The total cost of rotavirus infection was estimated at 13.3 billion Korean won, comprising 11 billion Korean won (82.7%) of direct medical costs, 1.6 billion Korean won (12.0%) of direct non-medical costs (e.g., transportation and supplies), and 0.68 billion Korean won (5.1%) of productivity lost by adult caregivers. CONCLUSION: Rotavirus infection carries not only medical costs but also non-medical and indirect costs; together, these costs incur a significant burden on South Korean society. The impact of rotavirus on quality of life and health among patient caregivers was not considered in this study, but it does merit further research.
Adult ; Caregivers ; Child ; Cost of Illness ; Efficiency ; Health Care Costs ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea ; Rotavirus ; Rotavirus Infections ; Transportation

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study is to assess the pulmonary airway reactivity in asthmatic patients directly and noninvasively by using high-resolution CT(HRCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: 130 bronchial luminal areas were measured by HRCT in 16 asthmatic patients before and after inhalation of bronchodilator (Salbutamol sulfate). The change of bronchial luminal area on HRCT was analyzed and correlated with the change of forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1) on pulmonary function test in each patient. RESULTS: The mean percentage of increase in luminal areas of the 130 bronchi after bronchodilator inhalation was 95.4 +/- 103.3%. The group with the smallest luminal areas (lesser than 1.35mm2) was more sensitively increased in area than the group with the largest areas (equal or larger than 3.72 mm2) ;183.5% versus 63.5%. The mean percentage of increase in FEV1 was 21.7% and there was no statistically significant correlation between the increased degrees of luminal areas and that of FEV1(r=-0.04). CONCLUSION:We can measure the bronchial luminal area directly and noninvasively with HRCT and can also estimate the degree of airway reactivity in asthmatic patient by measuring of the changes of bronchial luminal areas after administration of bronchodilator.
Asthma* ; Bronchi ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Phenobarbital ; Respiratory Function Tests

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to assess the clinicopatholgical significance of Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression in childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: We have assessed 16 cases of childhood NHL during last 6 years from 1990 to 1995. Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression has been semiquantitatively analyzed in paraffin sections from 16 cases of childhood NHL with 39 control cases of adult NHL. The expression of Bcl-2 oncoprotein was correlated with histologic grade, immunophenotype, proliferative activity as measured by immunostain of Ki-67 antigen, clinical stage, and survival rate (event free survival rate, EFS). RESULTS: 1) Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression significantly decreased according to increase of histological grade (P<0.05). 2) High Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression was more frequent in B-cell NHL than T-cell NHL (P<0.05). 3) Proliferative activity as measured by immunostain of Ki-67 antigen was negatively correlated with Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression (P<0.05). 4) Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression was not correlated with clinical stage (P>0.05). 5) EFS of patients was significantly correlated with Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression, that is, reduced EFS was demonstrated in the patients with low Bcl-2 oncoprotein expression (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Thus Bcl-2 oncoprotein, as demonstrated immunohistochemically in routinely paraffin embedded tissue, can be restrictively used in prediction of prognosis and grade of childhood NHL, in aggrement with the role of Bcl-2 oncoprotein in blocking of apoptosis and indirect contribution to increase of cellular proliferative activity of NHL.
Adult ; Apoptosis ; B-Lymphocytes ; Child ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; T-Lymphocytes