BACKGROUND: Inflammatory cytokines play an important role in human immune responses to malaria, although the role of these mediators in pathogenesis is unclear. In this study, we evaluated changes in cytokine levels following chemotherapy, and determined whether cytokine levels in serum correlated with the hematological parameters in the Korean vivax malarial patients. METHODS: The study population was composed of 31 patients in Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital who were diagnosed with Plasmodium vivax infection. Cytokine profiles, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 levels, were assessed in serum samples obtained from the malaria patients three times, at the time of diagnosis (stage I) and after treatment with hydroxychloroquine (stage II) and primaquine (stage III). The level of each cytokine was measured using commercially available serum-based ELISA kits. Hematological parameters were simultaneously measured using a hematology autoanalyzer. RESULTS: At thetime of diagnosis, the TNF-alpha (mean, 62.9 pg/mL), IL-6 (mean, 45.5 pg/mL), and IL-10 (mean, 237.7 pg/mL) levels in the malaria patients were higher than the reference values. After treatment with hydroxychloroquine, these levels (TNF-alpha, P<0.01; IL-6, P<0.05; IL-10, P<0.01) significantly decreased to near-normal levels. Significant positive correlations were observed among the cytokine levels, but not between the cytokine levels and other hematological parameters. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IL-10 levels increased at the time of diagnosis and rapidly decreased to normal levels after treatment the levels of these cytokines did not correlate with other hematological parameters.
Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hematology ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Malaria ; Malaria, Vivax ; Plasmodium vivax ; Primaquine ; Reference Values ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.
Diabetes Insipidus* ; Empty Sella Syndrome*

Perforating pseudoxanthoma elasticum is a rare disorder. It is an hereditary connective tissue disease involving progressive fragmentation and dystrophic calcification of elastic fibers. The localized lesions usually occur in a periumbilical location in obese, middle-aged, multiparous black women. It is characterized clinically by yellowish, lax, well-circumscribed, reticulated or cobblestoned patches or plaques of the periumbilical region. Herein, we report a case of periumbilical perforating pseudoxanthoma elasticum which occurred in an obese, multiparous woman with no signs of hereditary systemic pseudoxanthoma elasticum.
Connective Tissue Diseases ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum*

BACKGROUND: The function of the bcl-2 oncogene was known to prolong cell life by inhibiting apoptosis. PCNA have been used as a cellular proliferation marker. Because there are much similarities between Keratoacanthoma(KA) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma(SCC), it is often hard to differentiate KA and SCC, clinically and histopathologically. Although a number of recent studies have been attempted to separate these two entities by immunohistochemical stains, the distinction between KA and SCC may be still debatable and a matter of speculation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefullness of the method by analyzing immunohistochemical expression of bcl-2 and PCNA in a matter of differentiating KA and SCC. METHOD: 11 cases of Keratoacanthoma and 22 cases of Squamous Cell Carcinoma which are conformed by histopathologic examination were stained with bcl-2 and PCNA immunohistochemically. RESULTS: 1. In KA, The bcl-2 was negative in 100% and the PCNA was positive in 100%. 2. In SCC, The bcl-2 was negative in 95% and the PCNA was positive in 100%. 3. In the pattern of staining of PCNA, KA have more peripheral pattern(73%) than diffuse pattern(27%), otherwise SCC have more diffuse pattern(59%) than peripheral(27%) and focal pattern(14%). CONCLUSION: bcl-2, PCNA, Keratoacanthoma(KA), Squamous Cell Carcinoma(SCC)Our research showed that KA is almost similar to SCC except that there are difference in the pattern of staining of PCNA. According to the result of our study, we think that it is hard to differentiate between KA and SCC only by immunohistochemical staining of PCNA. Althogh immunohistochemical staining of PCNA would not be a confirmative method, it will help us to distinguish KA from SCC as a supplementary measure. By the fact, more researches are necessary to differentiate KA and SCC by immunohistochemical staining.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Proliferation ; Coloring Agents ; Keratoacanthoma* ; Oncogenes ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen*

BACKGROUND: The function of the p53 protein is known to regulate cell proliferation by inhibiting cells entering S phase, so DNA damaged cell proliferation is inhibited by apoptosis. p21 is a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor induced by wild type p53, not mutant p53. Thus p21 is thought to mediate the signal of p53 induced by DNA damaged agents to arrest the cell cycle in G1 phase. p53 and p21 are expressed in many malignant tumors, and its role in oncogenesis, tumor progression and prognosis are important. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze immunohistochemical expression of mutant p53 and p21 protein in melanocytic lesions. METHOD: 11 cases of intradermal nevus, 7 cases of junctional nevus and 6 cases of malignant melanoma were immunohistochemically stained with p53 and p21 monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: 1. In intradermal nevus, the p53 was negative in 100% and the p21 was negative in 98%. These findings suggest that the composing cells of intradermal nevus is completely mature cell. 2. The positive rates of p53 and p21 in junctional nevus were 43% and 43%, respectively. The positive rates of p53 and p21 in malignant melanoma were 82% and 67%, respectively. CONCLUSION: If the expression of p21 is induced by p53 independent pathway, the cell cycle can be arrested in G1 phase, so the tumor cell proliferation is inhibited. But if the expressed p21 is mutated as p53, it means that the natural function of p21 disappears. More research is necessary about the nature of p21 which is expressed with mutant p53.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Apoptosis ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclins ; DNA ; G1 Phase ; Melanoma* ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Intradermal* ; Phosphotransferases ; Prognosis ; S Phase