We presented a case of perifolliculitis capitis abscedens et suffodiens associated with acne conglobata in 40-year-old rnale. He had a sausage-shaped plaque containing many fistular tracts on right temnporal area and cicatrizing alopecia on occiput. On the middle portion of upper back he had a adult fist-sized plaque containing many fistular tracts. Histopathologically epidermis showed mild byperkeratosis and keratotic plugging and in the dermis most hair follicles were destroyed and replacel by fibrous tissue but there were moderxte cellular infiltration composed of neutrophils, lymphocytes a.nd hist.iocytes around the remained hair follicles. On serum electrophoresis alpha,-globulin was elevated and gamna globulin was the upper liviit of nornal variation. Skin tests with murnps vaccine, dinitrochloro benzene (DNCB) and old tuberculin disclosed the evidence of de reased c "ll-mediated immunity(CMI). All th se findings suggest thzt immune rriechanisni r,-ay be concerned ivith the pathogenesis in this case. He wa.s treated with th internal administration of antibiotic and corticosteroid and with surgical opening and curettage of fistular tracts
Acne Vulgaris ; Adult ; Alopecia ; Benzene ; Curettage ; Dermis ; Electrophoresis ; Epidermis ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Neutrophils ; Skin Tests ; Tuberculin

It is well known that fractures around the knee joint are usually combined with ligament injuries but it is easy to miss the ligament injuries during the treatment of fractures. The invention of the MRI and the development of arthroscopic techniques has made it easy to diagnose and care for ligament injuries. Authors reviewed the patients who had fractures around the knee joint to evaluate the frequencies, types, treatments and the results of combined ligaments injuries. There were 57 cases with the fracture of the proximal tibia and fibula which could be follwed up at least one year: from January 1992 to June 1995. There were 19 cases (33%) which had combined ligament injuries. The ligament injuries were diagnosed by stress X-ray & MRI evaluation and confirmed by arthroscopic examination. Single lateral rim avulsion fracture of proximal tibia was the most common type of fractures (7 cases, 37%). There were 11 cases (57%) of combined injuries of anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament. It was the most common combined ligament injury. Except for one, eleven cases that were combined with lateral rim avulsion of proximal tibia had anterior cruciate ligament injury. There were ten cases (53%) of fibula head and neck fractures which were combined with ligament injuries. The total number of the injured ligament was 35 and the common rupture sites of the injured ligaments was the attachment site of femur (13 cases) and tibia (16 cases). There were seven meniscal injury cases (37%). The interval from injury to operation averaged 14.1 days because many cases were acute injuries. Primary repairs for ruptured ligament were done in 31 cases (88%) because of their attachment site injuries. There were no instabilities except one case which was treated with posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using semitendinosus ligament. It had a grade I posterior instability at the last follow-up. Early diagnosis and proper treatment on the ruptured ligaments and the torn meniscus combined with proximal tibia and fibular fractures seem to be important for a good prognosis.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Collateral Ligaments ; Early Diagnosis ; Femur ; Fibula* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Inventions ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Ligaments* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neck ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Prognosis ; Rupture ; Tibia*

The nature of carbohydrate in the male genital tract of the rat was studied through the carbohydrate-binding specificities of lectins. Lectins used in this study were BS-I, DBA, SBA, WGA, PNA, Cona and RCA. The results were as follows : 1. Secondary spermatocyte showed positive reactions to RCA, spermatid to PNA and RCA and sperm to WGA, PNA and ConA. The sperm in rete testis were positive to DBA, SBA, PNA, ConA and RCA while in epididymis the reactions to SBA, WGA and PNA were positive in all part and the reactions to ConA and RCA were positive only partly. 2. Cell membrane at luminal side of epithelial cell in rat genital tract showed positive reactions to DBA, WGA, and ConA in rete testis; in epididymis, the reactions to WGA and ConA were only partly positive; in vas deferens, the reactions to PNA and ConA were positive in all part and the reactions to DBA and WGA were only partly positive. 3. Cytoplasm of epithelial cell in rat genital tract showed positive reactions to DBA, WGA and ConA in rete testis; in epididymis, the reaction to WGA was positive in all part and the reaction to SBA was only partly positive; in vas deferens, the reaction to ConA was positive in all part and the reactions to BS-I and DBA were positive in some part. 4. Basal side of epithelial cell in rat genital tract showed positive reactions to DBA, WGA and ConA in rete testis; in epididymis, the reaction to WGA was positive in part and in seminal vesicle, the reaction to BS-I was partly positive. 5. Lamina propria of rat genital tract showed positive reactions to BS-I, WGA, ConA and RCA in rete testis; in epididymis, the reaction to WGA was positive in all part and the reaction to SBA was positive in some part; in seminal vesicle, the reaction to BS-I was positive. 6. Muscle layer of rat genital tract showed positive reaction to WGA in epididymis; in seminal vesicle, the reactions to BS-I and DBA were positive. 7. Adventitia of rat genital tract showed positive reaction to WGA in rete testis; in epididymis, the reactions to SBA, PNA, ConA and RCA were positive; in vas deferens, the reactions to BS-I and PNA were positive; in seminal vesicle, the reactions to BS-I and PNA were positive. In conclusion, variable lectin binding properties in the uroepithelia and the cells in the process of spermatogenesis, which were demonstrated in this study, offer the basic data for carbohydrate research in the male genital system.
Adventitia ; Animals ; Cell Membrane ; Cytoplasm ; Epididymis ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Lectins ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Phenobarbital ; Rats* ; Rete Testis ; Seminal Vesicles ; Spermatids ; Spermatocytes ; Spermatogenesis* ; Spermatozoa ; Vas Deferens

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and rhinitis medicamentosa (RM) have different mucosal color and pathophysiology. To investigate whether the mucosal color and nasal blood flow are different between the diseases in spite of same symptoms, we designed this study. Materials and Methods: 20 patients with allergic rhinitis and 21 patients with rhinitis medicamentosa were compared with 20 normal volunteers using mucosal color grading and Laser Doppler flowmetry. The Laser Doppler flowmetry was performed with a Periflux 4001 (Perimed, Jrtlla, Sweden) and perfusion unit (PU), velocity unit (VU), and concentration Unit (CU) were measured. The Laser Doppler flowmetry data in AR and RM were compared with those of the normal subjects, and between AR and RM. RESULTS: The perfusion score of AR and RM were lower than the control (p<0.05) and it was statistically significant that the mucosal color of AR were pale and of RM were reddish, comparing to the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The nasal blood flow was decreased with AR and RM compared to control but the mucosal color of AR and RM were different because of the difference of pathophysiology of diseases. When diagnosing RM, observation of mucosal color and measurement of nasal blood flow will be helpful besides the history of long-term use of nasal decongestant.
Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Laser-Doppler Flowmetry* ; Perfusion ; Rhinitis*

The prevalence of allergic rhinitis is nowadays increasing with industrial development. Patients with allergic rhinitis have symptoms such as nasal obstruction, watery rhinorrhea, sneezing and are frequently associated with sleep apnea, asthma and sinusitis. In patients with allergic rhinitis, conservative management including medical treatment, avoidance and immunotherapy are generally enough for controlling symptoms, but some patients refractory to conservative management need surgical management to improve nasal patency and decrease allergic response, which is inhibited by scarring of lamina propria after turbinate surgery. Surgical management include chemical cautery, laser cautery, cryotherapy, radiofrequency needle ablation, surgical resection of turbinate, vidian neurectomy and sinus surgery. Cautery of turbinate by laser and radiofrequency electrode is widely used because of its low morbidity and efficacy against vasomotor symptoms. Submucosal resection of turbinate and turbinopalsty improves nasal patency preserving mucociliary function. In addition, when it is combined with submucosal cautery, allergic response is inhibited more effectively. In conclusion, surgical management may be required for the treatment of allergic rhinitis which is refractory to conservative management or has anatomical abnormality.
Asthma ; Cautery ; Cicatrix ; Cryotherapy ; Electrodes ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Obstruction ; Needles ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis* ; Sinusitis ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; Sneezing ; Turbinates

PURPOSE: Radiation-induced autophagy has been shown to play two different roles, in malignant glioma (MG) cells, cytocidal or cytoprotective. However, neither the role of radiation-induced autophagy for cell death nor the existence of autophagy-induced apoptosis, a well-known cell-death pathway after irradiation, has been verified yet. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We observed both temporal and dose-dependent response patterns of autophagy and apoptosis to radiation in MG cell lines. Additionally, we investigated the role of autophagy in apoptosis through knockdown of autophagy-related proteins. RESULTS: Autophagic activity measured by staining of acidic vesicle organelles and Western blotting of LC-3 protein increased in proportion to radiation dose from day 1 to 5 after irradiation. Apoptosis measured by annexin-V staining and Western blotting of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase demonstrated relatively late appearance 3 days after irradiation that increased for up to 7 days. Blocking of pan-caspase (Z-VAD-FMK) did not affect apoptosis after irradiation, but silencing of Atg5 effectively reduced radiation-induced autophagy, which decreased apoptosis significantly. Inhibition of autophagy in Atg5 knockdown cells was shown to be beneficial for cell survival. Stable transfection of GFP-LC3 cells was observed after irradiation. Annexin-V was localized in cells bearing GFP-LC3 punctuated spots, indicating autophagy in immunofluorescence. Some of these punctuated GFP-LC3 bearing cells formed conglomerated spots and died in final phase. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that autophagy appears earlier than apoptosis after irradiation and that a portion of the apoptotic population that appears later is autophagy-dependent. Thus, autophagy is a pathway to cell death after irradiation of MG cells.
Apoptosis* ; Autophagy* ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Death* ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Glioma* ; Organelles ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases ; Transfection

More than 98% of eukaryotic transcriptomes are composed of non-coding RNAs with no functional protein-coding capacity. Those transcripts also include tens of thousands of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are emerging as key elements of cellular homeostasis, essentially tumorigenesis steps. However, we are only beginning to understand the nature and extent of the involvement of lncRNAs on tumorigeneis. Here, we highlight recent progresses that have identified a myriad of molecular functions on tumorigenesis for several lncRNAs including metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), prostate cancer associated non-coding RNA 1 (PRNCR1), prostate cancer gene expression marker 1 (PCGEM1), H19, and homeobox transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), and several new lncRNAs for glioma development. Potential therapeutic approaches for the lncRNAs in various human diseases are also discussed.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinogenesis* ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Homeobox ; Glioma* ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Lung ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; RNA ; RNA, Long Noncoding* ; RNA, Untranslated ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among medical students' assessments on peers' group presentations, instructors' assessments of those presentations, and students' educational achievements in other assignments and tests. METHODS: A total of 101 first-year students from a medical school participated in the study. The students' educational achievements in a 4-week long integrated curriculum were analyzed. Student's final grades were comprised of the following education criteria: two written tests (60%), 15 group reports (25%), one individual report (7%), and four group presentations (15%). We compared scores of the group presentation assessed by the peers and the two instructors. Furthermore, we compared peers' assessment scores with each component of the evaluation criteria. RESULTS: Pearson correlation analysis showed significant correlaton for the assessments between peers and instructors (r=0.775, p<0.001). Peer assessment scores also correlated significantly with scores for the group assignments (r=0.777, p<0.001), final grades on the curriculum (r=0.345, p<0.001), and scores for individual assignments (r=0.334, p<0.001); however, no significant correlation was observed between the peer-assessed group presentation scores and the two written test scores. CONCLUSION: Peer assessments may be a reliable and valid method for evaluating medical students' performances in an integrated curriculum, especially if the assessments are used to academic processes, such as presentations, with explicit evaluation and judgment criteria. Peer assessments on group presentations might assess different learning domains compared to written tests that primarily evaluate limited medical knowledge and clinical reasoning.
Curriculum ; Education ; Educational Status ; Group Processes ; Humans ; Judgment ; Learning ; Methods ; Peer Review ; Schools, Medical ; Self-Evaluation Programs ; Students, Medical*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences of diagnostic rates, of the two widely used test positions, in measuring vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) and selecting the most appropriate analytical method for diagnostic criteria for the patients with vertigo. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with vertigo were tested in two comparative testing positions: turning the head to the opposite side of the evaluating side and bowing while in seated position, and bowing while in supine positions. Abnormalities were determined by prolonged latency of p13 or n23, shortening of the interpeak latency, and absence of VEMP formation. RESULTS: Using the three criteria above for determining abnormalities, both the seated and supine positions showed no significant differences in diagnostic rates, however, the concordance correlation of the two positions was low. When using only the prolonged latency of p13 or n23 in the two positions, diagnostic rates were not significantly different and their concordance correlation was high. On the other hand, using only the shortened interpeak latency in both positions showed no significant difference of diagnostic rates, and the degree of agreement between two positions was low. CONCLUSION: Bowing while in seated position with the head turned in the opposite direction to the area being evaluated is found to be the best VEMP test position due to the consistent level of sternocleidomastoid muscle tension and the high level of compliance. Also, among other diagnostic analysis methods, using prolonged latency of p13 or n23 as the criterion is found to be the most appropriate method of analysis for the VEMP test.
Compliance ; Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Muscle Tonus ; Patient Positioning ; Supine Position ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences of diagnostic rates, of the two widely used test positions, in measuring vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP) and selecting the most appropriate analytical method for diagnostic criteria for the patients with vertigo. METHODS: Thirty-two patients with vertigo were tested in two comparative testing positions: turning the head to the opposite side of the evaluating side and bowing while in seated position, and bowing while in supine positions. Abnormalities were determined by prolonged latency of p13 or n23, shortening of the interpeak latency, and absence of VEMP formation. RESULTS: Using the three criteria above for determining abnormalities, both the seated and supine positions showed no significant differences in diagnostic rates, however, the concordance correlation of the two positions was low. When using only the prolonged latency of p13 or n23 in the two positions, diagnostic rates were not significantly different and their concordance correlation was high. On the other hand, using only the shortened interpeak latency in both positions showed no significant difference of diagnostic rates, and the degree of agreement between two positions was low. CONCLUSION: Bowing while in seated position with the head turned in the opposite direction to the area being evaluated is found to be the best VEMP test position due to the consistent level of sternocleidomastoid muscle tension and the high level of compliance. Also, among other diagnostic analysis methods, using prolonged latency of p13 or n23 as the criterion is found to be the most appropriate method of analysis for the VEMP test.
Compliance ; Hand ; Head ; Humans ; Muscle Tonus ; Patient Positioning ; Supine Position ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials*