Atypical laryngeal carcinoid is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis, mostly occurring in the supraglottic larynx. It is a subtype of neuroendocrine carcinoma which should be separated from typical carcinoid and small cell carcinoma. The histogenesis and standardized classification of laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinoma have not been clearly defined. In this report, we present two cases of atypical laryngeal carcinoid, one occurring in a 67 year old male and the other in a 54 year old female. Indirect laryngoscopy revealed a polypoid supraglottic mass, approximately 3 cm in diameter. Microscopically, each case showed a moderate degree of pleomorphism, tumor necrosis and frequent mitoses. The immunohistochemistry revealed a strong positive reaction for chromogranin, neuron specific enolase and cytokeratin. Each patient had distant metastasis, noted within 4 months after resection (liver and stomach), and died postoperatively at 5 and 20 months, respectively. A brief review of the literature concerning the biological behavior, histogenesis and pathology of atypical laryngeal carcinoid was performed.
Female ; Male ; Humans

Advanced gastric carcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis. Although a number of combination chemotherapy regimens , usually based on 5FU and cisplatin, have been tested in randomized studies, there is no globally accepted standard therapy. Docetaxel is active against advanced gastric carcinoma and some investigators report a response rate ranging from 18% to 24% with a single-agent docetaxel. Kim et al performed a phase II trial with docetaxel plus cisplatin(DC) in patients with untreated advanced gastric cancer, which resulted in a response rate(per protocol population) of 42.4% but a response rate for the intent-to-treatment analysis is only 33.3%. Granulocytopenia worse than grade 3 occurred only in 7.6% in spite of older patients being included. Non-hematologic toxicities were negligible. The lower rate of hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities over a number of other studies is considered as clinically irrelevant. I would like to remind Dr Kim coutiously that he has to adress these discrepancies.
Agranulocytosis ; Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Research Personnel ; Stomach Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: The common histopathology of Behget's disease is vasculitis associated with activation of neutrophils. The level of plasma elastase a 1 proteinase inhibitor (E a 1 PI), which represents the activation of neutrophils, may be a marker of Behcet's disease. OBJECTIVE: We examined the level of plasma elastase al proteinase inhibitor to evaluate the degree of neutrophil activation in Behcet's disease. METHOD: We measured plasma elastase a 1 proteinase inhibitor in 34 cases of untreated Behcet's disease patients and 30 cases of normal individuals by an enzyme immunoassay. We also studied the differences between the levels in two clinical types of Behcet's disease, the complete and incomplete type. RESULTS: The plasma level of elastase a 1 proteinase inhibitor was significantly higher in untreated Behcet's disease patients than in healthy controls. However, there was no significant difference between the levels in the two clinical types. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the elevated level of plasma elastase a 1 proteinase inhibitor may reflect a state of chronic activation of neutrophils in Behcet's disease immunologically and further studies will be needed to evaluate the clinical status of Behcet's disease patients by measuring levels of plasma elastase a 1 proteinase inhibitor.
Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Methods ; Neutrophil Activation ; Neutrophils ; Pancreatic Elastase ; Plasma* ; Vasculitis

The orbit has roughly the shape of a quadrilateral pyramid whose base corresponds to the orbital margin, and whose apex is the bar of bone between the optic foramen and the medial end of the superior orbital fissure. The orbital dimensions can be measured by plain X-ray or computed tomography. Plain X-ray of the orbit may be difficult for the non-radiologist to identify the measurement landmarks and interpret, whereas computed tomography allows more precise analysis by imaging soft tissue relationships to surrounding orbital bones. Measurement of the orbital dimensions and proptosis using CT does not only contribute to the diagnosis of specific pathologic processes, but also guide the ophthalmologist in planning appropriate medical and surgical management. One hundred and three orbital CT films of Korean adults were measured. The results were as follows: The average orbital width was 38.09 +/- 2.82mm, orbital height was 35.47 +/- 2.28mm, orbital index was 93.80 +/- 6.70, orbital depth was 42.67 +/- 3.56mm, interorbital distance was 24.97 +/- 2.25mm, extraorbital distance was 97.38 +/- 5.14mm and proptosis was 14.28 +/- 3.49mm.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Exophthalmos* ; Humans ; Orbit* ; Pathologic Processes

Clinical trials were done to obtain ifnormation on the clinical efficacy, tolerance and side effects of a new antihistarnine, Mecloprodine(Tavegyl), in various skin disordetrs. A total of 48 patients suffered from various skin disorders as urticaria, eczema etc. v ere treated with 2mg. daily for 3 days to 15 days according to state of disorders. The results are as follows. 1. Improvement was noticed in 79.2% of total patients(38/48). 2. Tavegyl was efiective in all 8 cases of acute urticaria and most cases(7/8) of urticaria factitia. 3. Among 19 cases of chronic urticaria, improvement was noticed in 13 cases(68. 49). Improvement was alsa noticed in all 6 cases of eczema. 5. Drowsiness and weakness cccurred in 6.2% of cases(3/48).
Clemastine* ; Eczema ; Humans ; Skin ; Sleep Stages ; Urticaria

O1igodendrocytes are known to be responsible for the synthesis and maintenance of myelin sheath in the central nervous system, and their functional disturbance leads to defect in myelination. But, the fine mechanism of myelination by oligodendrocytes is not yet known, and iron metabolism in central nervous system is suspected to be related with myelination process by oligodendrocytes. Carbonic anhydrase-II[CA-II], transfe-rrin, and ferritin are known to be present at oligodendrocytes and suspected to play a role in iron metabolism of central nervous system. In this study, demyelination and remyelination of ICR mouse brains were induced using cuprizone, the copper-chelating agent, and immunohistochemical changes of CA-II-, transferrin-, and ferritin-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes at corpus callosum were observed. During demyelination by cuprizone feeding, the numbers of CA-II- and transferrin-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes were decreased. Especially, the decrease ratio of CA-II-positive cells was great. In contrast, the number of ferritin-positive oligodendrocytes was increased during demyelination by cuprizone feeding. Cessation of cuprizone feeding leaded remyelination and the numbers of CA-II-, transferrin-, and ferritin-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes were returned to normal level. In conclusion, the derangement of iron metabolism in oligodendrocytes may be related to demyelination mechanism of central nervous system, and the CA-II is suspected to have an important role in iron metabolism of oligodenrocytes in relation to demyelination and remyelination induced with cuprizone.
Animals ; Brain ; Carbon* ; Central Nervous System ; Corpus Callosum ; Cuprizone* ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Ferritins ; Iron ; Iron-Binding Proteins* ; Metabolism ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Myelin Sheath ; Oligodendroglia ; Transferrin

Rhytisma lonicericola was identified as a tar spot fungus on Lonicera sp. in 1902, and has since been recorded on several species of Lonicera in China, Japan, and Korea. Most of the previous records of R. lonicericola have been based on a list of disease occurrences in the absence of any formal morphological identification or molecular analyses. Using six newly obtained specimens collected in the past 2 years, we confirmed the tar spot fungus found on L. japonica in Korea as R. lonicericola based on morphological examinations and molecular phylogenetic analyses. This fungus was distinguished from R. xylostei, another tar spot fungus on Lonicera, by ascospore size and geographical distributions. We present detailed mycological information and, for the first time, DNA sequence data useful for the identification of R. lonicericola.

An epidemiologic investigation was carried out to identify the source of infection of typhoid fever outbreak, which was occurred in Nam-Gu, Pusan city from April 20 to June 28, 1996. The distribution of 83 reported cases (55 confirmed cases and 28 suspected cases) by sex and age group showed that this epidemic would be occurred by the exposure to a common source with low toxic pathogen because 55.4% of cases were under 20 years old and most of the adults cases were female. The epidemic curve showed a unimodel curve with a peak on about 15 May and tailed down to 23 June, suggesting that the exposure was constant. These results supposed that the contamination of a public water supply would be the source of infection. The analysis of reported cases and population survey conducted to household members and community contacts living in the epidemic area, led the conclusion that the source of infection was tap water supplied through the Dae Youn pumping station, based on the following findings: (1) There were singificant differences of incidence rate among regions (Tong) even though in the same Dong and the spot map of incident cases distributed in accord with the water supply by Dae-Youn pumping station. (2) Among reported cases, 21 cases, including 17 confirmed cases, stated they had used only tap water. (3) The analysis of tap water from the house which had seven typhoid cases, revealed the contamination of E coli and the dilution of residual chlorinated concentration. (4) The outbreak of typhoid fever was stopped after the replacement of The worn-out pipe line of tap water supply to the new one.
Adult ; Busan* ; Escherichia coli ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Typhoid Fever* ; Water ; Water Supply ; Young Adult

As a rule, eccrine spiradenoma occurs as a solitary intradermal nodule measuring 1 to 2 cm in diameter. Occasionally, there are several nodules, and rarely, there are numerous small nodules in a zosteriform pattern or large nodules, up to 5 cm, in a linear arrangement. We report herein an interesting case of eccrine spiradenoma in which multiple large nodules in a linear arrangement were observed. A 41-year-old female presented with a 17-year history of multiple pea to large bean-sized painful and tender subcutaneous nodules which show the linear distribution along her right arm. The diagnosis of eccrine spiradenoma was made by clinical and histopathological findings and all her subcutaneous nodules were removed by surgical method.
Adult ; Arm ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Peas

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare, but are the most common mesenchymal neoplasm of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common sites of metastasis are liver and peritoneum, while bone metastasis is rare. We report on a patient with skull metastasis after seven years of treatment with imatinib for metastatic GIST. She underwent metastasectomy consisting of craniectomy with excision of the mass, and cranioplasty and continued treatment with imatinib and sunitinib, without evidence of cranial recurrence. She died of pneumonia sepsis one year after metastasectomy. Skull metastasis of GIST is a very rare presentation, and an aggressive multidisciplinary approach should be considered whenever possible.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Imatinib Mesylate ; Liver ; Metastasectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Peritoneum ; Pneumonia ; Recurrence ; Sepsis ; Skull*