Nuclear protein-1 (NUPR1) is a small nuclear protein that is responsive to various stress stimuli. Although NUPR1 has been associated with cancer development, its expression and roles in cholangiocarcinoma have not yet been described. In the present study, we found that NUPR1 was over-expressed in human cholangiocarcinoma tissues, using immunohistochemistry. The role of NUPR1 in cholangiocarcinoma was examined by its specific siRNA. NUPR1 siRNA decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (HuCCT1 and SNU1196 cells). From these results, we conclude that NUPR1 is over-expressed in cholangiocarcinoma and regulates the proliferation and motility of cancer cells.
Cell Line ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Nuclear Proteins ; RNA, Small Interfering

Takayasu's arteritis is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology involving the thoracic and abdominal aorta and its major branches. In some cases other vessel such as renal arteries, coronary arteries, and even pulmonary arteries may be involved. Total aortography is very important, because the clinical features are determined by the extent and severity of the specific artery involved in the occlusive phase of the disease. We report a case of Takayasu's arteritis type IV in a 38 year man with pulmonary arterial involvement and pulmo-nary hypertension.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Aortography ; Arteries ; Arteritis* ; Coronary Vessels ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Pulmonary Artery ; Renal Artery ; Takayasu Arteritis*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of transabdominal ultrasonography as a screening examination in patients with suspicious gastric disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected 141 patients with epigastric pain and who were found to have antral gastric wall thickening of more than 5 mm in transabdominal ultrasonography, and who underwent gastroscopy immediately following the ultrasonography examination, because we suspected that these patients had gastric disease. We measured the full thickness of the five layers of the gastric wall and evaluated the preservation of this fivelayered structure. We respectively compared the gastric wall thickness and the preservation of gastric layers in 26 normal, 91 gastritis, 12 gastric ulcer, and 12 gastric cancer patients, who were classified based on the gastroscopy results. RESULTS: The mean thicknesses of the gastric wall in the normal, gastritis, gastric ulcer and gastric cancer patients were 5.13+/-0.14 mm, 6.71+/-1.33 mm, 8.08+/-2.80 mm, and 12.45+/-3.70 mm, respectively. The gastric walls in the gastritis, gastric ulcer and gastric cancer patients were significantly thicker than that in the normal patients (p < 0.01). The gastric wall in the gastric cancer patients was significantly thicker than those in the gastritis and gastric ulcer patients (p < 0.01). However, the difference in the gastric wall thickness between the gastritis and gastric ulcer patients was not statistically significant (p >0.01). Except for two patients with gastritis and three patients with gastric ulcer, the stratification of the gastric wall was preserved in all of the normal, gastritis and gastric ulcer patients, whereas it was disrupted in all of the patients with gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: Transabdominal ultrasonography in the fasting state may be a helpful and convenient modality, which can serve as a screening examination in the evaluation of gastric disease. Therefore, careful attention and effort are needed to evaluate the gastric wall during transabdominal ultrasonography.
Fasting ; Gastritis ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Peptic Ulcer ; Stomach Diseases* ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Stomach Ulcer ; Ultrasonography*

Gefitinib is a novel drug used to treat advanced non-small cell lung cancer. However, drug-related interstitial pneumonia is a major life-threatening side effect, which has a worldwide prevalence of 0.3-0.4%. In Japan, the prevalence is high as 3-4% but the actual frequency in Korea has not been officially assessed. We report two cases of gefitinib-induced interstitial lung disease during the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. High-resolution computerized tomography (HRCT) of one case showed nonspecific ground glass opacity and the chest x-ray of another case showed diffuse bilateral ground glass opacity. The former patient showed a rapid good response to corticosteroid treatment whereas the latter died despite receiving aggressive treatment with high dose corticosteroid and empirical antibiotics.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Glass ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Prevalence ; Thorax

A 69-year-old female was referred to our institution due to abdominal pain and palpable purpura on both buttocks and legs. A skin biopsy of her purpura revealed granulocyte infiltration and leucocytoclasia around the arterioles and venuoles at the dermis, as well as an elevated serum immunoglobulin A level, hematuria and proteinuria. Therefore she was diagnosed with Henoch-Schonlein purpura. She had been diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma after a biopsy of her left inguinal lymph node 12 years ago and received 6 cycles of CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) chemotherapy, which was followed by a complete remission. Abdominal and chest CT revealed multiple lymph node enlargement and bowel wall thickening at the ileocecal area, and lesions were observed in a whole body PET CT scan. Recurrence of the diffuse large B cell lymphoma was confirmed by a biopsy of the ileocecal area via colonoscopy. The purpura was improved after oral prednisolone therapy and etoposide, oxaliplatin and ifosfamide salvage combination chemotherapy was used to treat the lymphoma.
Abdominal Pain ; Aged ; Arterioles ; Biopsy ; Buttocks ; Colonoscopy ; Dermis ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Etoposide ; Female ; Granulocytes ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Ifosfamide ; Immunoglobulin A ; Leg ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell* ; Prednisolone ; Proteinuria ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch* ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vasculitis ; Vincristine

PURPOSE: To compare and assess factors influencing the detection of an inflamed appendix by both ultrasonography (US) and CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed US and CT findings of 58 patients with confirmed acute appendicitis (42 patients with perforation and 16 patients without perforation), in which both preoperative US and CT scans were performed. We compared the use of US and CT for the diagnostic accuracy of acute appendicitis, and determined the detection rate for an inflamed appendix. According to the location of the appendix, the amount of mesenteric fat content in lower abdominal cavity, the presence of cecal wall thickening, and the presence of pericecal fluid or an abscess, the use of US and CT were compared for the determination of the detection rate of an inflamed appendix. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracies for US and CT for acute appendicitis in our study group were both 93.1%, and there was no difference between the use of the two modalities. Although the detection rate of an inflamed appendix was slightly higher for US (93.1%) than for CT (84.5%), the difference between the use of the two modalities was not significant (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the detection rate of an inflamed appendix between the use of US and CT according to location of appendix, the amount of mesenteric fat content and the presence of cecal wall thickening. A pelvic location of the inflamed appendix and the presence of pericecal fluid or an abscess, were factors that significantly increased the detection rate for US than for CT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of US for diagnosis of acute appendicitis is as useful as the use of CT. US is especially useful to detect an inflamed appendix more effectively than CT in cases where the appendix is in a pelvic location and presents with pericecal fluid or an abscess.
Abdominal Cavity ; Abscess ; Appendicitis ; Appendix* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It can be difficult to differentiate an extraluminal compression from a true submucosal tumor (SMT) in the stomach. The best method for differentiating an extraluminal compression from a true SMT is endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Extragastric compression is frequently observed, but its clinical significance has rarely been reported on. We evaluated the clinical findings of extraluminal compression according to the site of the stomach. METHODS: Ninety-one patients were diagnosed by EUS as having extragastric compressions from January 2006 to July 2008. Abdominal sonography or computed tomography was performed in some cases. RESULTS: The causes of normal structures (64 cases) were the vessels, spleen, intestine, gallbladder, liver, mesentery, pancreas and kidney. The causes of pathologic lesions (27 cases) were hepatic cyst, distended gallbladder with sludge, splenic cyst, hepatic hemangioma, polycystic hepatic and renal disease, pancreatic cyst, renal cyst, calcified lymph node and hepatocelluar carcinoma. The great curvature of the fundus was the most frequent site of extraluminal compressions. The lesions in the anterior wall of the body showed a higher frequency of pathologic lesions than did those lesions in other sites. CONCLUSIONS: EUS is useful for finding the causes of extragastric compression. Careful evaluation is needed because many lesions in the anterior wall of the body of the stomach were due to pathologic causes.
Endosonography ; Gallbladder ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Intestines ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Mesentery ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Diseases ; Sewage ; Spleen ; Stomach

PURPOSE: Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate needle biopsy (TRUS-PBx) is the standard procedure to diagnose prostate cancer. We evaluated the incidence and risk factors of infectious complications, the species cultured and rates of resistance for antibiotics of microorganism in infectious complications after TRUS-PBx. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated the medical records of 742 patients who underwent TRUS-PBx from January 2004 to May 2007. All patients were treated with intravenous ciprofloxacin and oral ciprofloxacin for 1 week after discharge. Patients who presented infectious complications were performed chest x-ray, blood analysis, urine analysis and culture studies. RESULTS: Among 742 patients, 15 patients (2.0%) developed infectious complications. There were no significant differences between the complication and non-complications groups in age, PSA, prostate volume, nodule, hypoechoic lesion on transrectal sonography and underlying medical diseases. Twelve cases were performed in outpatient department and 3 cases were in operation room and that suggests high frequency of infectious complication when transrectal prostate biopsy is performed in outpatient department (p=0.007). Six kinds of microorganisms were cultivated in 12 patients (1.9%). E. coli (7/12) was most common. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase suggesting nosocomial infection was positive in 3 cases of outpatient department. On logistic regression analysis, urethral catheter indwelling was a significant risk factor increasing infectious complications. CONCLUSIONS: After TRUS-PBx, the rate of severe infectious complications and nosocomial infections were more frequent in outpatient department. And urethral catheter indwelling significantly increased infectious complication rate. So we should sublate the urethral catheter and keep in mind the aseptic technique at outpatient department.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; beta-Lactamases ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle ; Ciprofloxacin ; Cross Infection ; Humans ; Incidence ; Logistic Models ; Medical Records ; Needles ; Outpatients ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thorax ; Urinary Catheters

Hepatic peribiliary cysts are characterized by multiple tiny cysts of peribiliary glands located in the hilum of the large portal tracts. A 54-year-old man was diagnosed as multiple peribiliary cysts by a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatogram. A course of observation was taken, since surgery due to misdiagnosis of peribiliary cysts as a malignancy is a possibility. The present case highlights the need for precise diagnosis and observation of peribiliary cysts.
Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect and improvement of potassium aminobenzoate (500 mg Peyron capsule) in oral therapy for Peyronie's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 2011 to September 2011, 31 patients with Peyronie's disease received potassium aminobezoate (500 mg Peyron capsules) and were divided into two groups. Group 1 (N=10) received potassium aminobezoate (500 mg Peyron capsule) 3 g four times daily without previous treatment of Peyronie's disease, while group 2 (N=21) received the same drug with previous treatment of Peyronie's disease (10 mg Tamoxifen +300 mg L-carnitine two times daily). Outcomes were assessed by subjective symptom change, pain relief, resolutions of the plaque, and curvature. RESULTS: After 3 months, there were no significant improvements in clinical outcomes of either group and among all the patients, 23 stopped taking potassium aminobezoate (23/31, 74%). The reasons for ceasing the therapy were gastrointestinal trouble (8/23, 35%), too many doses to take (7/23, 30%), ineffectiveness (6/23, 26%), and high price (2/23, 9%). CONCLUSIONS: Athough the etiology of Peyronie's disease has not been elucidated, potassium aminobenzoate in therapy of Peyronie's disease has been used. The use of this medication has the limitations of gastrointestinal trouble, ineffectiveness, too many doses, and high price. Further evaluations of the effect and appropriate dosing of potassium aminobenzoate are needed.
4-Aminobenzoic Acid ; Carnitine ; Humans ; Male ; Penile Induration ; Potassium ; Tamoxifen