The attitude toward the use of autopsies affects the incidence of performance of the procedure. In foreign countries, many studies on this subjects have been conducted. However, in Korea, no study has been reported. We hypothesized that the general university students may be negative, whereas the medical college students may have positive attitude toward the use of autopsies. In contrary to our hypothesis, there existed only a little difference for the attitude toward conducting an autopsy between the general university students and the medical students. Both groups had positive attitudes toward autopsy. When the medical students become medical doctors, the main reason for not requesting patients to be conducted an autopsy is that their family members may feel offended. These results show that the low incidence of autopsy cases in Korea is caused not by the attitude of the general population, but by the attitude of medical doctors. Thus, we should make every effort to increase the incidence of autopsy by educational programs and discussions about autopsy and death.
Autopsy* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Students, Medical

HIV-1 p24 was cloned into multiple cloning site of pMV261, extrachromosomal expression vectors carrying BCG replication origin and BCG-specific heat-shock promoter, and then introduced into BCG and E. coli. Western blot experiments showed that the p24 efficiently expressed in recombinant BCG (rBCG), but not in E. coli. Recombinant p24 expression induced by a single heat-shock of rBCG was maintained longer than 3 weeks. Immunoblot experiments with intact rBCG did not show any distinctive positive signal, suggesting that the recombinant protein was not secreted or exposed at the surface of BCG. The guinea pigs immunized with live rBCG showed delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) by the systemic area as well as an effective humoral immunity, suggesting that tbis rBCG is believed to elicit eKcient immune responses against p24, even though the expression is restricted only in the cytoplasm as reported previously with other antigen. These results demonstrate that BCG can be developed as a live recombinant vaccine vector against a broad spectrum of infectious disease.
Animals* ; Blotting, Western ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; Communicable Diseases ; Cytoplasm ; Guinea Pigs ; HIV* ; HIV-1 ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunity, Humoral ; Mycobacterium bovis* ; Replication Origin

Angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia(AFLNH) was first described in 1956 by Castleman et al. It was initially reported as a solitary mediastinal mass but multicentric and extranodal disease is now well known. Histologically two distinct variants, e.g. the hyaline vascular type and the plasma cell type, of AFLNH are recognized. And the plasma cell type is typically associated with clinical syndrome consisting of fever, anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Recently, we experineced three cases of AFLNH. Histologically, two cases were hyaline vascular type, that were presented as a right supraclavicular mass of 49-year-old female, and as an anterior mediastinal mass of 53-year-old female. The remaining one case was plasma cell type that was presented as a left axillary mass of 63-year-old male. The former two cases showed typical features of hyaline vascular type but in case 1, exuberant proliferation of hyalinized vessels of capillary size was characteristic feature. The latter case of plasma cell type characteristically showed clinical syndrome consisting of fever, hypoalbuminemia, polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. All cases were presented as a single mass and they were well after surgical excision.
Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Aging* ; Animals ; Rats* ; Retina*

In the present study, we investigated the effect of staurosporine on the formation of cellular processes in human gingival fibroblasts and rat astrocytes. Staurosporine caused a rapid induction of process formation in human gingival fibroblasts and rat astrocytes in a concentration dependent manner. The process formation of human gingival fibroblasts and rat astrocytes was prevented by the pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine, suggesting that staurosporine-induced ROS production was responsible for the process formation. Colchicine, a microtubule depolymerizing agent, inhibited the staurosporine-induced process formation, whereas cytochalasin D, an actin filament breakdown agent, failed to suppress the formation of cellular processes. This result indicated that polymerization of microtubule, and not actin filament, was responsible for the formation of cellular processes induced by staurosporine. In support of this hypothesis, Western blot analysis was conducted using anti-tubulin antibody, and the results showed that the amount of polymerized microtubule was increased by the treatment with staurosporine while that of depolymerized beta-tubulin in soluble fraction was decreased. These results indicate that staurosporine induces ROS-mediated, microtubule-dependent formation of cellular processes in human gingival fibroblasts and rat astrocytes.
Acetylcysteine ; Actin Cytoskeleton ; Animals ; Astrocytes* ; Blotting, Western ; Colchicine ; Cytochalasin D ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans ; Microtubules ; Polymerization ; Polymers ; Rats* ; Staurosporine* ; Tubulin

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune skin disease, which manifests as subepidermal blisters with severe itching. BP has been reported to be associated with a higher prevalence of cerebrovascular diseases in population-based studies. However, the mechanism of cerebral infarction from BP has not been elucidated yet. We hereby suggest that the missing link between BP and cerebral infarction may be eosinophil, through a case of a woman with multifocal embolic infarction.
Blister ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Prevalence ; Pruritus ; Skin Diseases ; Stroke

The corrected transposition of the great arteries is a rare congenital heart anomaly consisting of the discordant connections of both the atria to ventricles and the ventricles to the great arteries. But its circulation is physiologically corrected and therefore it is compatible with life unless there are associated lesions. Our case was associated with VSD, COA, and PDA. He was slightly cyanotic and irritable. Despite of oxygen supply, his symptoms were not improved and he eventually died in 52 hours after delivery. Medical record revealed severe respiratory and metabolic acidosis.
Acidosis ; Arteries* ; Heart ; Medical Records ; Oxygen

PURPOSE: Percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy under the imaging guidance in the diagnosis of intrathoracic diseases has become a standard practice. Core tissue obtained by automated gun biopsy(AGB) is believed to be more diagnostic than materials from fine needle aspiration(FNA) by many cytopathologists. The authors evauated the role of automated gun biopsy in localized pulmonary lesions with respect to the its accuracy and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed 107 percutaneous biopsies in localized pulmonary lesions under fluoroscopic guidance among 107 patients:AGB using 18G or 20G was done in 81 patients, and both AGB and FNA was done in 26 patients. RESULTS: Biopsy samples sufficient for histologic diagnosis were obtained in 94(87.9%) of 107 patients, AG8 in 73(90.1%) of 81 patients and AGB and FNA in 21(80.8%) of 26 patients. 11 of 13 negative results were due to inadeguate specimen size for the histologic diagnosis or were composed of necrotic areas, and 2 of 13 negative results were obtained through nontarget tissue. 10 patients developed pneumothorax and 4 of them required chest tube insertion. Minimal hemoptysis was found in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous automated gun biopsy under fluoroscopic guidance was easy and simple method of obtaining specimens of good quality and quantity. It may be an useful procedure in the diagnosis of localized pulmonary lesions.
Biopsy* ; Biopsy, Needle ; Chest Tubes ; Diagnosis ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Needles ; Pneumothorax

PURPOSE: Percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy under the imaging guidance in the diagnosis of intrathoracic diseases has become a standard practice. Core tissue obtained by automated gun biopsy(AGB) is believed to be more diagnostic than materials from fine needle aspiration(FNA) by many cytopathologists. The authors evauated the role of automated gun biopsy in localized pulmonary lesions with respect to the its accuracy and complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed 107 percutaneous biopsies in localized pulmonary lesions under fluoroscopic guidance among 107 patients:AGB using 18G or 20G was done in 81 patients, and both AGB and FNA was done in 26 patients. RESULTS: Biopsy samples sufficient for histologic diagnosis were obtained in 94(87.9%) of 107 patients, AG8 in 73(90.1%) of 81 patients and AGB and FNA in 21(80.8%) of 26 patients. 11 of 13 negative results were due to inadeguate specimen size for the histologic diagnosis or were composed of necrotic areas, and 2 of 13 negative results were obtained through nontarget tissue. 10 patients developed pneumothorax and 4 of them required chest tube insertion. Minimal hemoptysis was found in 3 patients. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous automated gun biopsy under fluoroscopic guidance was easy and simple method of obtaining specimens of good quality and quantity. It may be an useful procedure in the diagnosis of localized pulmonary lesions.
Biopsy* ; Biopsy, Needle ; Chest Tubes ; Diagnosis ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Needles ; Pneumothorax

Background: The code stroke system is designed to identify stroke patients who may benefit from reperfusion therapy. It is essential for emergency physicians to rapidly distinguish true strokes from stroke mimics to activate code stroke. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and neurological characteristics that can be used to differentiate between stroke and stroke mimics in the emergency department (ED). Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of code stroke patients in the ED from January to December 2019. The baseline characteristics and the clinical and neurological features of stroke mimics were compared with those of strokes. Results: A total of 409 code stroke patients presented to the ED, and 125 (31%) were diagnosed with stroke mimics. The common stroke mimics were seizures (21.7%), drug toxicity (12.0%), metabolic disorders (11.2%), brain tumors (8.8%), and peripheral vertigo (7.2%). The independent predictors of stroke mimics were psychiatric disorders, dizziness, altered mental status, and seizure-like movements, while current smoking, elevated systolic blood pressure, atrial fibrillation on the initial electrocardiogram, hemiparesis as a symptom, and facial palsy as a sign suggested a stroke. In addition, the likelihood of a stroke in code stroke patients tended to increase as the number of accompanying deficits increased from the following set of seven focal neurological deficits: hemiparesis (or upper limb monoparesis), unilateral limb sensory change, facial palsy, dysarthria, aphasia (or neglect), visual field defect, and oculomotor disorder (P < 0.001). Conclusion Some clinical and neurological characteristics have been identified to help differentiate stroke mimics from true stroke. In particular, the likelihood of stroke tended to increase as the number of accompanying focal neurological deficits increased.