Serologic tests for syphilis, including the qualitative and quantitative VDRL test and TPHA test, were carried out on 18, 151 healthy young men, who took a medical check-up for the overseas employment at Kyunghee University Hospital from April, 1978 to February, 1979. The syphilitics who revealed TPHA reactive, were given a questionare that dealt with three items. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The reactive rate of VDRL test was 3. 1% among 18, 151 healthy young men, 2) The biologic false positive rate of VDRL test was 7. 7% among the 520 men in whom TPHA test was carried out, using TPHA as standard. 3) The reactive rate of TPHA test was 2. 7% among 18, 109 men. On 42 men the TPHA test was not carried out. 4) With regard to the VDRL quantitative test, the reactive rate of the group with a titration of 1: 4 or lower was 85,2% out of 480 syphilitics. 5) In 480 syphilitics, 45. 8% (220) had a history of venereal 72.3%(347) had no general knowledge of syphilis, and 86. 2% (414) was unaware of his syphilitic infection.
Employment* ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis*

We examined cerebrospinal fluids of 338 patients with syphilis who underwent the routine physical examinations or visited out-patient skin clinic at Kyunghee University hospital from January, 1978 to December, 1979. They were diagnosed as syphilis only with serological tests such as VDRL and TPHA tests. The patients did not have any neurologic symptoms associated with syphilis or any other clinical syphilitic syrnptoms. They did not have any history of receiving antisyphilitic treatment. The VDRL test, cell count, protein value, sugar and chloride levels in cerebr-ospinal fluid were tested in these patients. The results were as follows. 1) CSF VDRL reactive rate was 2. 1% among 388 patients with syphilis. 2) CSF celI count was not less than 5/mm in 2 patients (28. 6%) among the 7 patients with syphilis, who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL, and in 13 patients (3. 9%) among the 331 patients with syphilis who did not show the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL. 3) CSF protein level was more thnn 45ml/dl in 3 patients (42. 9%) among the 7 patients with syphilis who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL anct ig, 65 patients (19. 6%) among the 331 patients with syphilis who did not show the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL. 4) Both CSF sugar and chloride levels were within norrnal limits in all of the 7 patients who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL.
Cell Count ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Outpatients ; Physical Examination ; Serologic Tests ; Skin ; Syphilis*

The effects of testosterone on the pituitary growth hormone (GH) response directly and to hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) were evaluated in vitro using a male pituitary cell monolayer culture system. Wistar male rats were gonadectomized at 22 days of age, and 21 days later their anterior pituitaries were removed and trypsinized for cell dispersion. Testosterone 0, 0.1, 1.0, 10.0 nM was added to the medium for 1 day and GH amounts in media were measured. In another experiment, testosterone 1, 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, 10,0 nM was added to the medioum for 3 days, and subsequently 5 nM GHRH was added for 1 day, thereafter GH amounts in media were measured. The results were as follows: 1) The increase of GH response after testosterone administration to the cultured rat pituitary cell was not significant. 2) The rat pituitary cell response to GHRH was augmented after pretreatment with testosterone. These results are suggested that testosterone has no direct effect on GH secretion, but by increasing the pituitary cell response to GHRH, contributes to the regulation of GH secretion in vitro.
Animals ; Growth Hormone* ; Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone ; Humans ; Male ; Rats* ; Testosterone* ; Trypsin

No abstract available.
Growth Hormone* ; Testosterone*

BACKGROUND: Natural killer (NK) cells constantly survey surrounding tissues and remove newly generated cancer cells, independent of cancer antigen recognition. Although there have been a number of attempts to apply NK cells for cancer therapy, clinical application has been somewhat limited because of the difficulty in preparing a sufficient number of NK cells. Therefore, ex vivo NK cell expansion is one of the important steps for developing NK cell therapeutics. METHODS: CD3+ depleted lymphocytes were cocultured with IL-2 and with feeder cells (peripheral blood mononuclear cells [PBMCs], K562, and Jurkat) for 15 days. Expanded NK cells were tested for cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines. RESULTS: We compared feeder activities of three different cells-PBMC, K562, and Jurkat. K562 expanded NK cells by almost 20 fold and also showed powerful cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. K562-NK cells remarkably expressed the NK cell activation receptors, NKG2D, and DNAM-1. K562-NK cells exhibited more than two-fold production of cytotoxic granules compared with Jurkat-NK cells, producing more perforin and granzyme B than naive NK cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that K562 are more efficient feeder cells than Jurkat or PBMCs. K562 feeder cells expanded NK cells by almost 20 fold and showed powerful cytotoxic activity against cancer cells. We herein propose an intriguing approach for a design of NK cell expansion.
Cell Line* ; Feeder Cells* ; Granzymes ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 ; Killer Cells, Natural* ; Leukemia, Myeloid* ; Lymphocytes ; Perforin

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to assess the ability of dipyridamole99mTc-MIBI SPECT to identify and localize coronary artery disease(CAD). METHODS: The study population consists of 60 patients(37 males, 23 females : mean age 57+/-10 years) including 30 with prior myocardial infarction who underwent both dipyridamole99mTc-MIBI SPECT and coronary angiography for the evaluation of chest pain. RESULTS: The sensitivities for detection of CAD(> or =50% and > or =70% coronary stenosis by angiography) by dipyridamole99mTc-MIBI SPECT are 96% and 98% respectively, and specifities are 71% and 73% respectively. The sensitivities for detection of individual diseased vessels(> or =50% and > or =70%) are 79% and 90% for left anterior descending artery(LAD), 53% and 59% for left circumflex artery(LCX), 45% and 53% for right coronary artery(RCA), 64% and 77% for LCX/RCA, 63% and 72% for total. The specificities for detection of individual diseased vessels(> or =50% and > or =70%) are 62% for LAD, 98% and 98% for LCX, 92% and 89% for RCA, 91% and 89% for LCX/RCA, 87% and 86% for total. The concordances for ditection of individual didseased vessels beteen coronary angiography and dipyridamole99mTc-MIBI SPECT are all fair for SAD(Kappa=0.4 in > or =50% stenosis, 0.54 in > or =70% stenosis)LCX(Kappa=0.56,0.63),RCA(Kappa=0.4,0.44) and LCX/RCA(Kappa=0.56,0.67). CONCLUSION: Dipyriddamole99mTc-MIBI SPECT appers to be an useful noninvasive test for both identification and localization of coronary artery disease.
Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study is to investigate the feasibility of the laparoscopy and compare perioperative outcomes between laparoscopy and laparotomy in pregnant women with non-malignant ovarian tumor. METHODS: Retrospective comparative analysis of 56 pregnant women who underwent laparoscopy or laparotomy due to non-malignant ovarian tumors at Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between October 1994 and December 2010 were performed. RESULTS: Among 56 patients, 22 and 34 pregnant women underwent laparotomy and laparoscopy, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups about general characteristics including age, gestational age, torsion, surgeon type, pain at diagnosis and clinical outcomes including tocolytics use, operation type, operation time, the ratio of normal full-term vaginal delivery, Apgar score. However, pathological longest tumor size was larger in laparotomy group than laparoscopy group (9.0 cm vs. 5.8 cm; p=0.001) and laparoscopy was related with significantly less estimated blood loss (200 vs. 50 mL; p=0.001) and short hospital days (7 vs. 4 days; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopy for the treatment of non-malignant ovarian tumors in pregnant women is feasible and has benefits such as less estimated blood loss during the surgery and hospital stays when compared with laparotomy. However, laparoscopic adnexal surgery for large tumor size may be still challenging in pregnant women.
Apgar Score ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Length of Stay ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Retrospective Studies ; Tocolytic Agents

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium is very rare. In 1928 Flumann suggested three criteria for diagnosis: (1) no coexisting endometrial adenocarcinoma, (2) no connection between the endometrial squamous cell carcinoma and squamous epithelium of the cervix, and (3) no cervical squamous cell carcinoma. In 1975, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated Flumann's criteria by adding that the tumor must contain clear evidence of squamous differentiation, such as the presence of intercellular bridges and/or keratin. Most patients with endometrial squmamous cell carcinoma have had poor prognosis regardless of their stages of disease or treatment. In this report we present the clinical and pathological findings of a case of a primary squamous cell carcinoma that developed in the endometrial cavity of a 65-year-old patient with a review of the concerned literatures.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri ; Diagnosis ; Endometrium ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Prognosis ; World Health Organization

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate imaging and histopathologic findings including the immunohistochemical characteristics of invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) of the breast. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients diagnosed with IMPC were included in the present study. Mammographic, sonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were analyzed retrospectively according to the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) findings were also evaluated. Microscopic slides of surgical specimens were reviewed in consensus by two pathologists with a specialty in breast pathology. RESULTS: Most IMPCs presented as a high density irregular mass with a non-circumscribed margin associated with microcalcifications on mammography, as an irregular hypoechoic mass with a spiculated margin on ultrasound, and as irregular spiculated masses with washout patterns on MRI. PET-CT showed a high maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) (mean, 11.2). Axillary nodal metastases were identified in 65.5% of the patients. Immunohistochemical studies showed high positivities for estrogen receptor and c-erbB-2 (93.1% and 51.7micro, respectively). CONCLUSION: Even though the imaging characteristics of IMPCs are not distinguishable from typical invasive ductal carcinomas, this tumor type frequently results in nodal metastases and high positivities for both estrogen receptor and c-erbB-2. The high SUVmax value that is apparent on PET-CT might be helpful in the diagnosis of IMPC.
Breast ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Consensus ; Electrons ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mammography ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate imaging and histopathologic findings including the immunohistochemical characteristics of invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) of the breast. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients diagnosed with IMPC were included in the present study. Mammographic, sonographic, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were analyzed retrospectively according to the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) findings were also evaluated. Microscopic slides of surgical specimens were reviewed in consensus by two pathologists with a specialty in breast pathology. RESULTS: Most IMPCs presented as a high density irregular mass with a non-circumscribed margin associated with microcalcifications on mammography, as an irregular hypoechoic mass with a spiculated margin on ultrasound, and as irregular spiculated masses with washout patterns on MRI. PET-CT showed a high maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) (mean, 11.2). Axillary nodal metastases were identified in 65.5% of the patients. Immunohistochemical studies showed high positivities for estrogen receptor and c-erbB-2 (93.1% and 51.7micro, respectively). CONCLUSION: Even though the imaging characteristics of IMPCs are not distinguishable from typical invasive ductal carcinomas, this tumor type frequently results in nodal metastases and high positivities for both estrogen receptor and c-erbB-2. The high SUVmax value that is apparent on PET-CT might be helpful in the diagnosis of IMPC.
Breast ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Consensus ; Electrons ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mammography ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies