In rodents, the circumvallate papilla (CVP), with its underlying minor salivary gland, the von Ebners' gland (VEG), is located on the dorsal surface of the posterior tongue. Detailed morphological processes to form the proper structure of CVP and VEG have not been properly elucidated. In particular, the specific localization patterns of taste buds in CVP and the branching formation of VEG have not yet been elucidated. To understand the developmental mechanisms underlying CVP and VEG formation, detailed histological observations of CVP and VEG were examined using a three-dimensional computer-aided reconstruction method with serial histological sections and pan-Cytokeratins immunostainings. In addition, to define the developmental processes in CVP and VEG formation, we examined nerve innervations and cell proliferation using microinjections of AM1-43 and immunostainings with various markers, including phosphoinositide 3-kinase, Ki-67, PGP9.5, and Ulex europaeus agglutinin 1 (UEA1). Results revealed specific morphogenesis of CVP and VEG with nerve innervations patterns, evaluated by the coincided localization patterns of AM1-43 and UEA1. Based on these morphological and immunohistochemical results, we suggest that nerve innervations and cell proliferations play important roles in the positioning of taste buds in CVP and branching morphogenesis of VEG in tongue development.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Mice ; Microinjections ; Morphogenesis ; Rodentia ; Salivary Glands, Minor ; Taste Buds ; Tongue ; Ulex ; von Ebner Glands

Purpose: Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has lower perioperative mortality and morbidity rates and shorter hospital stays when compared to open surgical repair (OSR) in octogenarian patients. However, its long-term results remain unclear. Hence, we aimed to analyze and compare the long-term outcomes of OSR and EVAR in this aging population. Methods: This single-center, retrospective, observational study analyzed the data of patients older than 80 years who underwent primary repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) between 2011 and 2016 in our hospital. The primary outcomes were in-hospital complications and 30-day mortality, while the secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality and reintervention rate. Results: Among the 48 patients with elective AAA repair, 13 underwent OSR and 35 underwent EVAR. In-hospital complications occurred in 10 patients (20.8%), 5 for OSR (38.5%) and 5 for EVAR (14.3%) with no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.067). In the OSR group, pulmonary complications were the most common events; in the EVAR group, 2 patients had ischemic colitis diagnosed with sigmoidoscopy and recovered by conservative treatment. The 1- and 5-year survival rates were 77.8% and 55.6% in the OSR group, and 66.0% and 54.9% in the EVAR group, respectively. The reintervention rate was 8.6% for the EVAR group; none of the OSR group were readmitted. Conclusion The difference in procedures did not affect patient survival. Therefore, OSR does not necessarily have a worse prognosis than EVAR. Individual risk stratification must be preceded before the selection of an appropriate treatment method.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Both preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) alone and portal vein embolization (PVE) alone have a detrimental prognostic effect on the post-resection outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The main objective of this study was to assess the prognostic impact of preoperative TACE on the long-term survival outcomes in patients undergoing preoperative PVE and right liver resection for solitary HCC. METHODS: Patients who underwent macroscopic curative right liver resection of solitary HCC that lied between 3.0 and 7.0 cm (n=113) with or without preoperative TACE and PVE were selected for the study, making these subjects were divided into three groups; the TACE-PVE group (n=27), the PVE-alone group (n=13), and the control group (n=73). The subjects in the three groups were followed up for > or =36 months or until death. RESULTS: The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall patient survival rates of all 113 patients were 96.5%, 88.2%, 81.3% and 65.0%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall patient survival rates were 96.3%, 83.4%, 83.4% and 47.6% respectively in the TACE-PVE group; 84.6%, 76.9%, 57.7% and 19.2% respectively in the PVE-alone group; and 98.6%, 91.7%, 85.1% and 81.7% respectively in the control group (p=0.047). Patients were also sub-grouped according to tumor size, and those with a tumor of up to cutoff at 5 cm showed no prognostic difference (p=0.774), but tumor size >5 cm was associated with inferior patient survival only in the TACE-PVE group (p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative sequential TACE and PVE appear to be compliant to the conventional oncological concept in addition to induction of the future remnant liver regeneration. Therefore, we suggest that preoperative TACE should be come first whenever preoperative PVE for major hepatectomy is planned, especially in patients with hypervascular HCC tumors.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Hepatectomy* ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Regeneration ; Portal Vein* ; Survival Rate

Oncocytomas are neoplasms, histologically are composed of epithelial cells, with abundant, acidophilic and granular cytoplasm. Electron microscopic studies of oncocytomas have shown that the cytoplasm of oncocytes is packed with mitochondria. The adrenal gland is a very rare anatomical site for oncocytomas, and to the best of our knowledge, only thirty-six cases of adrenal oncocytomas have been described. Herein, a case of a large adrenal mass in a forty-year-old man, which was incidentally detected by abdominal ultrasonography, is presented. This patient demonstrated no clinical manifestation associated with adrenal hyperfunction. Hormonal studies showed no abnormal findings, except for a mild elevation of the 24-hour urinary VMA level. Abdominal computed tomography with enhancement revealed a large, well-defined left adrenal mass, measuring 5.0x.2 x.0cm. The patient underwent a left adrenalectomy, and a light microscopic examination confirmed an adrenocortical oncocytoma, with characteristic oncocytes and polygonal, abundant, eosinophilic and granular cytoplasm. The tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin and vimentin as well as S-100, but negative for chromogranin on immunohistochemical staining. An electron microscopic examination demonstrated closely packed mitochondria, containing intramitochondrial inclusions. After surgery, there was no evidence of a recurrent or distant metastatic disease at the 5 month follow-up. In summary, an extremely rare case of a man with an adrenocortical oncocytoma is reported, which was confirmed by histological examinations, including electron microscopy.
Adenoma, Oxyphilic* ; Adrenal Gland Neoplasms ; Adrenal Glands ; Adrenalectomy ; Cytoplasm ; Eosinophils ; Epithelial Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Keratins ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mitochondria ; Oxyphil Cells ; Ultrasonography ; Vimentin

BACKGROUND: Tsutsugamushi disease is an acute febrile disease in Korea. Some patients with tsutsugamushi disease have severe illness, which needs care in intensive care unit, and may die due to the disease. We analyzed the cases with tsutsugamushi disease who lived in Chuncheon and neighboring communities to find out clinical manifestations, laboratory findings especially in severe cases. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical records of the 81 cases who were diagnosed as tsutsugamushi in Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital from April, 1997 to December, 2002. We analyzed the clinical and laboratory findings of the 81 cases, and the treatment results of 79 cases who recieved the treatment in this hospital. We also compared the characteristics of the patients between admission to general ward and intensive care unit (ICU). RESULTS: Seventy three cases developed the disease in autumn. Seventy cases had fever. 58 cases had eschar in their bodies. With the doxycycline treatment, forty five cases subsided the fever within 48 hours, but in 13 cases, fever continued after 5 days of treatment. Twenty five cases were admitted to ICU, 8 cases among them were treated with ventilator, 3 cases died due to the multi-organ failure. When we compared the clinical characteristics of the patients admitted to ICU with those to general wards, leukocyte count, the level of BUN and creatinine were higher, the albumin level was lower in ICU patients than those of general ward patients. CONCLUSION: Tsutsugamushi disease can progress to severe disease, and be fatal to the patients. So it is necessary to diagnose early and treat carefully. We suggest that leukocyte count, BUN, creatinine, or albumin can be used to predict the prognosis.
Creatinine ; Doxycycline ; Fever ; Gangwon-do* ; Heart ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Leukocyte Count ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Patients' Rooms ; Prognosis ; Scrub Typhus* ; Ventilators, Mechanical

Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been investigated for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. This study was conducted to determine the distributions of HA nanoparticles (NPs; size 350–400 nm) and larger HA polymers in mice at intervals after application. ¹⁷⁷Lutetium (Lu)-labeled HA-NPs or HA polymers were intravenously injected (5 mg/kg) into male ICR mice, and radioactivity levels in blood and target organs were measured from 0.25 h to 28 days post-injection. In blood, the radioactivities of HA-NPs and HA polymer peaked at 0.5 h after injection but were remarkably decreased at 2 h; subsequently, they maintained a constant level until 6 days post-injection. HA-NPs and HA polymers were observed in the liver, spleen, lung, kidney, and heart (in ascending order) but were seldom observed in other organs. After 3 days, both the HA-NP and HA polymer levels showed similar steady decreases in lung, kidney, and heart. However, in liver and spleen, the HA-NP levels tended to decrease gradually after 1 day and both were very low after 14 days, whereas the HA polymer level accumulated for 28 days. The results indicate that HA-NPs, with their faster clearance pattern, may act as a better drug delivery system than HA polymers, especially in the liver and spleen.
Animals ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Heart ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid* ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Nanoparticles* ; Polymers* ; Radioactivity ; Spleen

Gastritis cystica profunda (GCP) is a rare disease in which cystically dilated gastric foveolae or glands extend into the muscularis mucosae or below. The pathogenesis of GCP has been described as an interruption of the muscularis mucosae and migration of epithelial elements to submucosa caused by presence of suture materials after surgery or erosion of the gastric mucosa in chronic gastritis and ischemia. Macroscopically, GCP may present not only as a giant gastric mucosal folds but also as a submucosal tumor or as solitary or diffuse polyps. An endoscopic ultrasonographic (EUS) findings clearly differ from findings in the other disordes. The combination of EUS and mucosectomy appears to be very useful for the diagnosis of GCP. Therefore, all unnecessary surgical procedures should be avoided in cases of GCP. We report a case of GCP associated with gastric perforation which presented as diffuse giant gastric folds and clinically advanced gastric cancer was suspected.
Diagnosis ; Endosonography ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastritis* ; Ischemia ; Mucous Membrane ; Polyps ; Rare Diseases ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Sutures