We report here on a very rare case of granulocytic sarcoma of the pectoralis muscle on the left chest wall of a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia, and this malady presented as a very rapidly growing hematoma-like mass.
Humans ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive ; Pectoralis Muscles ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Myeloid ; Thoracic Wall

We experienced a 4-month-old boy presenting with fever and painful scrotal swelling. Diagnostic work-up showed the presence of urinary tract infection and concurrent acute epididymitis. On the voiding cystourethrography, vesicoureteral reflux and urinary reflux through the ejaculatory duct and the seminal vesicle were detected without obvious urethral obstruction. In general, urinary reflux into the seminal vesicle can take place with obstructive lesions of the urethra and may cause epididymitis in infants. We report a case of urinary reflux without urethral obstruction with a brief review of related literatures.
Ejaculatory Ducts ; Epididymitis* ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Seminal Vesicles* ; Urethra ; Urethral Obstruction ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

Alaryngeal speech(esophageal, neoglottal, shunt, and electrolaryngeal speech) differ from normal laryngeal speech primarily with regard to the sound or source of voicing. Theoretically, esophageal, tracheoesophageal, neoglottal and electrolaryngeal speech have difficulty in accomplishing the voiceless consonants. But perceptual studies often reveal that there is a clear production of voiceless consonants resulting good articulation scores in skilled alaryngeal speakers except electrolaryngeal speech. The purpose of the present study was to relate the three-way distinction of Korean voiceless stops in manner of articulation with normal speakers and skilled alaryngeal speakers in terms of the voicing distinction in consonants. Acoustic analysis were performed to investigate the acoustic characteristics of alaryngeal speech compared to the normal speech with special reference to the voiceless distinction. Electromyographic studies were performed to clarify the adjustment of neck muscle during normal and alaryngeal speech.
Acoustics* ; Neck Muscles ; Speech, Alaryngeal*

Immune status including the immune cells and cytokine profiles has been implicated in the development of endometriosis. In this study, we analyzed Th17 cells and IL-17A in peritoneal fluid (PF) and endometrial tissues of patients with (n=10) and without (n=26) endometriosis. Our study has shown increased Th17 cell population and IL-17A level in PF with endometriosis patients. To determine the roles of IL-17A and Th17 cells in the development of endometriosis, the effect of IL-17A, major cytokine of Th17, on endometrial cells isolated from endometriotic tissues was examined. Recombinant IL-17A promoted survival of endometrial cells accompanied by increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes, including Bcl-2 and MCL1, and the activation of ERK1/2 signaling. In addition, treatment of IL-17A to endometrial cells inhibited NK cell mediated cytotoxicity and induced HLA-G expression on endometrial cells. IL-17A also promoted migration of endometrial cells. Our data suggest that Th17 cells and IL-17A play critical roles in the development of endometriosis by promoting endometrial cell survival and conferring a resistance to NK cell cytotoxicity through the activation of ERK1/2 signaling. Targeting IL-17A has potential as a new strategy for the treatment of endometriosis.

An endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is an effective and safe therapeutic technique for treating a patient with a laterally-spreading tumor (LST). Colonoscopic-procedure-related complications are noted to be about 2.8% worldwide, and a perforation is the most common. Most colon perforations cause pneumoperitoneum. However, a perforation within the retroperitoneal portion of the colon (rectum and some of sigmoid colon) may cause an extraperitoneal perforation, and the leaking free air may induce pneumoretroperitoneum, pneumomediastinum, and subcutaneous emphysema, depending on the amount of discharged air. Herein, we present the case of a patient with an extraperitoneal colon microperforation which manifested as pneumoretroperitoneum, pneumomediastinum, and subcutaneous emphysema after an EMR for a sigmoid LST, which was successfully treated with medical treatment and endoscopic clipping.
Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Colonoscopy ; Humans ; Mediastinal Emphysema* ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Retropneumoperitoneum* ; Subcutaneous Emphysema*

Steroid sulfatase (STS) is responsible for the hydrolysis of aryl and alkyl steroid sulfates and has a pivotal role in regulating the formation of biologically active estrogens. STS may be considered a new promising drug target for treating estrogen-mediated carcinogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism of STS expression is not well-known. To investigate whether tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is able to regulate gene transcription of STS, we studied the effect of TNF-alpha on STS expression in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that TNF-alpha significantly induced the expression of STS mRNA and protein in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Treatment with TNF-alpha resulted in a strong increase in the phosphorylation of Akt on Ser-473 and when cells were treated with phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase inhibitors such as LY294002 or wortmannin, or Akt inhibitor (Akt inhibitor IV), induction of STS mRNA expression by TNF-alpha was significantly prevented. Moreover, activation of Akt1 by expressing the constitutively active form of Akt1 increased STS expression whereas dominant-negative Akt suppressed TNF-alpha-mediated STS induction. We also found that TNF-alpha is able to increase STS mRNA expression in other human cancer cells such as LNCaP, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7 as well as PC-3 cells. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that PI 3-kinase/Akt activation mediates induction of human STS gene expression by TNF-alpha in human cancer cells.
Blotting, Western ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Male ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/genetics/*metabolism ; Phosphorylation/drug effects ; Prostatic Neoplasms/genetics/*metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics/*metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics/isolation & purification/metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Steryl-Sulfatase/genetics/*metabolism ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*pharmacology

OBJECTIVE: To compare the women who use postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy to never user for the serum leptin level and degree of obesity, then evaluate the precausing factor of postmenopausal obesity. METHOD: We checked the serum leptin level, blood chemistry and body composition in three groups, two groups are postmenopause groups which is HRT user (n=125) and HRT never user (n=194), and the other is premenopause groups(n=82). We used SPSS and Excel for analyzed the difference between the groups. RESULT: BMR is decreased after menopause, body fat ratio, abdominal fat ratio, BMI, leptin, sugar, and cholesterol level are increased after menopause. There is no difference between the postmenopausal HRT group and non-HRT group in body fat composition, abdominal fat ratio, BMI,BMR,AMC and leptin levels. Serum sugar level shows positive correlation with the leptin level in pre and postmenopausal women after exclude the effect of body fat ratio. Serum estradiol and leptin level shows positive correlation.(correlation coefficient 0.68 in postmenopausal non-HRT group and 0.735 in postmenopausal HRT group). CONCLUSION: Serum estradiol and sugar level have some correlation with leptin level and leptin resistance in postmenopausal women, and decreased estradiol level caused obesity through increased leptin resistance.
Abdominal Fat ; Adipose Tissue ; Body Composition* ; Chemistry ; Cholesterol ; Estradiol ; Estrogen Replacement Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Leptin* ; Menopause ; Obesity ; Postmenopause ; Premenopause

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is characterized clinically by classic triad of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. The illness is uncommon and various agents have been associated with HUS, such as infectious, genetic, environmental and phamacological factor. We experienced a case of hemolytic uremic syndrome in a eighty-year old man with a evidence for recent Epstein-barr virus infection. He developed hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, hypertension and azotemia. His renal dysfunction was recovered by hemodialysis, plasmapheresis, warfarin and dypiridamole. We present this case with a review of the literature.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Azotemia ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Hypertension ; Plasmapheresis ; Renal Dialysis ; Thrombocytopenia ; Warfarin

BACKGROUND: It was reported that patients who have left ventricular hypertrophy have higher D allele frequency of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism, especially in Caucasian normotensive men. We studied to know whether genetic polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is associated with the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in Korean people whose genotype frequency is quite different from that of Caucasians. METHODS: Total 156 patients were included in this study. Presence of hypertension was checked with the criteria that hypertensives are one whose blood pressures were all above 140/90 at least 3 times spanning 2 months or one who had been diagnosed as hypertension and on his medication. Left ventricular mass index(LVMI) was calculated using electrocardiogram by Rautaharju equation, and left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) was defined as LVMI was above 131g/m2 in male or above 110g/m2 in female. Genomic DNA was extracted from the mononuclear cell of each subjects and PCR was performed using new primers for the region of intron 16 and exon 17. RESULTS: Genotype frequencies of D/D genotype and D allele were 0.200 and 0.413 respectively in group with LVH(n=40), 0.103 and 0.392 respectively in group without LVH(n=116). There was no significant difference with each other group. However, when only the normotensives were included in this analysis, frequency of D/D genotype is significantly higher in group with LVH(0.231, n=26) than in group without LVH(0.076, n=79)(Fisher's exact test,p<0.05). There was no significant difference in genotype frequency between the normotensives(n=105) and the hypertensives(n=51). CONCLUSIONS: In Korean people, D allele of polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is also associated with development of left ventricular hypertrophy in the normotensives and is not associated with essential hypertension.
Alleles ; Angiotensins* ; DNA ; Electrocardiography ; Exons ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Introns ; Male ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic

BACKGROUND: It was reported that patients who have left ventricular hypertrophy have higher D allele frequency of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism, especially in Caucasian normotensive men. We studied to know whether genetic polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is associated with the development of left ventricular hypertrophy in Korean people whose genotype frequency is quite different from that of Caucasians. METHODS: Total 156 patients were included in this study. Presence of hypertension was checked with the criteria that hypertensives are one whose blood pressures were all above 140/90 at least 3 times spanning 2 months or one who had been diagnosed as hypertension and on his medication. Left ventricular mass index(LVMI) was calculated using electrocardiogram by Rautaharju equation, and left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) was defined as LVMI was above 131g/m2 in male or above 110g/m2 in female. Genomic DNA was extracted from the mononuclear cell of each subjects and PCR was performed using new primers for the region of intron 16 and exon 17. RESULTS: Genotype frequencies of D/D genotype and D allele were 0.200 and 0.413 respectively in group with LVH(n=40), 0.103 and 0.392 respectively in group without LVH(n=116). There was no significant difference with each other group. However, when only the normotensives were included in this analysis, frequency of D/D genotype is significantly higher in group with LVH(0.231, n=26) than in group without LVH(0.076, n=79)(Fisher's exact test,p<0.05). There was no significant difference in genotype frequency between the normotensives(n=105) and the hypertensives(n=51). CONCLUSIONS: In Korean people, D allele of polymorphism of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene is also associated with development of left ventricular hypertrophy in the normotensives and is not associated with essential hypertension.
Alleles ; Angiotensins* ; DNA ; Electrocardiography ; Exons ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Introns ; Male ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic