Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the liver is uncommon, representing less than 1% of the primary malignant lesions of the liver. We report primary MFH of the liver in a 59-year-old woman. The tumor, measuring 9.0 9.0 6.0 cm, was located in the left lobe of the liver. It showed multiple areas of hemorrhage and necrosis. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of plump spindle cells haphazardly arranged in short fascicle and focal storiform pattern. Multiple bizarre giant cells were also noted. Immunohistochemically, many of the tumor cells were positive for vimentin and alpha1-antitrypsin but negative for epithelial markers. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells showed fibroblastic and histiocytic features.
Female ; Fibroblasts ; Giant Cells ; Hemorrhage ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous* ; Humans ; Liver* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Vimentin

OBJECTIVES: The seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) among high-risk groups overseas is high, but studies in these groups are rare in South Korea. We conducted the present study from April to November 2012 to obtain data on the seroprevalence and associated risk factors for HEV among slaughterhouse workers in South Korea. METHODS: Slaughterhouse workers from 80 workplaces nationwide were surveyed in South Korea in 2012. The subjects comprised 1848 cases: 1434 slaughter workers and 414 residual products handlers. By visiting 80 slaughterhouses, which were mixed with 75 of which also performed residual products handling, we conducted a questionnaire survey for risk factors and obtained blood samples in order to determine the seropositivity and seroprevalence of HEV. Anti-HEV IgG and IgM were measured using HEV IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunospecific assay kits and HEV antigen was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The seropositivity of anti-HEV IgG was 33.5% (slaughter workers 32.8% and residual products handlers 36.2%), and among the seropositive individuals the seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgM was 0.5% (slaughter workers 0.5%, residual products handlers 0.7%). The response rate of HEV-antigen as measured by RT-PCR was 0.2%. Risk factors significantly related to anti-HEV IgG seropositivity were age, sex , and working duration (slaughter workers only). CONCLUSIONS: There were significant risk factors (sex, age, and working duration) for HEV identified in our study. All three positive cases for HEV-antigen by RT-PCR were related to pig slaughter but without statistical significance. To prevent HEV, an educational program and working guidelines may be needed for high risk groups.
Abattoirs ; Adult ; Aged ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Hepatitis Antibodies/blood ; Hepatitis E/*diagnosis/epidemiology/virology ; Hepatitis E virus/genetics/*immunology/metabolism ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Immunoglobulin M/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Risk Factors ; Workplace

BACKGROUND: Bone mineral density (BMD) is influenced by many factors. Despite the reported association between body components and BMD, most of these studies investigated the relationship between absolute muscle mass or fat mass and BMD in postmenopausal women or elderly subjects. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between muscle mass deficits (MMD) estimated from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and lumbar spinal BMD in Korean adults 20 to 49 years of age. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 1,765 men and women who visited a health promotion center for a routine checkup. The lumbar spinal BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Body composition analysis was performed using BIA. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 40.2±6.3 years. Ten thousand subjects (56.7%) were males and 126 subjects (7.1%) belonged to the low BMD (Z-score ≤-2.0). MMD had the strongest influence on BMD after adjusting for all covariates. The adjusted odds ratio of Group 3 (MDD >2.6 kg) for low BMD was 2.74 (95% CI, 1.46-5.15) after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, height, and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: MMD estimated by BIA showed a significant association with BMD and could be regarded as an independent risk factor for low BMD in adults 20 to 49 years of age. These findings support that interventions such as physical activity or lifestyle changes may simultaneously modify both muscle and bone health in this age group.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Adult* ; Aged ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Electric Impedance* ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Life Style ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Muscles ; Odds Ratio ; Osteoporosis ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spine*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The buttonhole technique, in which needle insertion during cannulation is always into the same site, confers advantages including ease of cannulation, ease of achieving hemostasis, and reduced pain compared with rope-ladder needling. We introduced the buttonhole technique in hemodialysis patients experiencing pain during needling. None of the disadvantages associated with the buttonhole technique, such as infection or access events, were observed, due to the short duration of the study. METHODS: Patients undergoing buttonhole needling were observed prospectively. Data were collected on the following parameters: infectious complications, hospitalizations and access events. We compared buttonhole and rope-ladder needling using baseline data. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients (34 males; mean age = 49.4 +/- 13.8 years) were enrolled. Seven patients were excluded: in three patients, the buttonhole technique failed to form a tract, three others underwent kidney transplantation, and one was lost to follow-up. The remaining 41 patients were followed for 15.7 +/- 4.7 months. Thirteen patients suffered infections, as follows: local infections (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 3), bacteremia (n = 2), cellulitis (n = 1), osteomyelitis (n = 1), and liver abscess (n = 1). There were no significant differences between the rope-ladder and buttonhole needling techniques in rates of infection, hospitalization or vascular access events. CONCLUSIONS: The infection rate and access event frequency associated with buttonhole needling did not differ in relation to that of rope-ladder needling.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Bacteremia ; Catheterization ; Cellulitis ; Hemostasis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Liver Abscess ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Male ; Needles ; Osteomyelitis ; Pneumonia ; Prospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The buttonhole technique, in which needle insertion during cannulation is always into the same site, confers advantages including ease of cannulation, ease of achieving hemostasis, and reduced pain compared with rope-ladder needling. We introduced the buttonhole technique in hemodialysis patients experiencing pain during needling. None of the disadvantages associated with the buttonhole technique, such as infection or access events, were observed, due to the short duration of the study. METHODS: Patients undergoing buttonhole needling were observed prospectively. Data were collected on the following parameters: infectious complications, hospitalizations and access events. We compared buttonhole and rope-ladder needling using baseline data. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients (34 males; mean age = 49.4 +/- 13.8 years) were enrolled. Seven patients were excluded: in three patients, the buttonhole technique failed to form a tract, three others underwent kidney transplantation, and one was lost to follow-up. The remaining 41 patients were followed for 15.7 +/- 4.7 months. Thirteen patients suffered infections, as follows: local infections (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 3), bacteremia (n = 2), cellulitis (n = 1), osteomyelitis (n = 1), and liver abscess (n = 1). There were no significant differences between the rope-ladder and buttonhole needling techniques in rates of infection, hospitalization or vascular access events. CONCLUSIONS: The infection rate and access event frequency associated with buttonhole needling did not differ in relation to that of rope-ladder needling.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Bacteremia ; Catheterization ; Cellulitis ; Hemostasis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Liver Abscess ; Lost to Follow-Up ; Male ; Needles ; Osteomyelitis ; Pneumonia ; Prospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis*

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-related 2 (TR2, HVEM or TNFRSF-14) plays an important role in immune responses, however, the mechanisms regulating its expression are unclear. To understand the control of TR2 gene expression, we studied the upstream region of the gene. Gel supershift assays revealed inducible binding of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) to a putative NFAT site within the TR2 promoter. Furthermore, cotransfection of a dominant negative NFAT construct, or siRNA for NFAT, resulted in increased expression of a TR2 reporter gene. Our findings demonstrate that NFAT negatively regulates TR2 expression in activated T cells.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Down-Regulation ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Molecular Sequence Data ; NFATC Transcription Factors/*physiology ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Member 14/*biosynthesis ; T-Lymphocytes/*metabolism

PURPOSE: Growth inhibitory effects of lipid soluble components of the Korean red ginseng and the antineoplastic mechanism against human melanoma cell lines were investigated. To examine molecular mechanism of growth inhibitory effects of GX-PE, we analyzed the effect of GX-PE on cell cycle progression and expression of cell cycle regulatory factors such as retinoblastoma gene product (Rb), p27 (Kip1), p21 (WAF1), cdk2, cdk4 and cyclin D1 which are known to regulate cell cycle progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Petroleum ether extract of the Korean red ginseng (GX-PE) was added to cultures of three human melanoma cell lines, SK-MEL-1, SK-MEL-2, and SK-MEL-5. Proliferation was measured by 3H-thymidine incorporation assay. Cell cycle and expression of cell cycle regulatory factors were analyzed by flow cytometry and Western blotting, respectively. RESULTS: Growth of melanoma cells was inhibited by GX-PE in proportion to the concentration. GX-PE significantly inhibited cell cycle progression at G1 phase. GX-PE increased expression of negative cell cycle regulators, i.e., p27 (Kip1) in SK-MEL-2 and p21 (WAF1) and Rb in SK-MEL-1. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that GX-PE inhibits proliferation of melanoma cells at a G1-S transition point of the cell cycle. The effect of GX-PE is most likely due to induction of negative cell cycle regulatory factors.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Cycle* ; Cell Line* ; Cyclin D1 ; Ether ; Flow Cytometry ; G1 Phase ; Genes, Retinoblastoma ; Humans* ; Melanoma* ; Panax* ; Petroleum

PURPOSE: Isolated gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) deficiency (IGD) is classified as Kallmann syndrome (KS) with anosmia and normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (nIHH). This study was undertaken to investigate the clinical, endocrinological, and molecular characteristics in Korean patients with KS and nIHH. METHODS: Twenty-six patients from 25 unrelated families were included. Their clinical, endocrinological, and radiological findings were analyzed retrospectively. Mutation analysis of the GNRH1, GNRHR, KISS1, KISS1R, PROK2, PROKR2, TAC3, TACR3, FGF8, FGFR1, and KAL1 genes was performed in all patients. CHD7 and SOX10 were analyzed in patients with CHARGE (Coloboma, Heart defects, choanae Atresia, Growth retardation, Genitourinary abnormality, Ear abnormality) features or deafness. RESULTS: Of the 26 patients, 16 had KS and 10 had nIHH. At diagnosis, mean chronologic age was 18.1 years in males and 18.0 years in females; height SDS were -0.67+/-1.35 in males, -1.12+/-1.86 in females; testis volume was 2.0+/-1.3 mL; and Tanner stage was 1.5. There were associated anomalies in some of the KS patients: hearing loss (n=6) and congenital heart disease (n=4). Absence or hypoplasia of the olfactory bulb/sulci was found in 84.62% of patients with KS. Molecular defects in KAL1, SOX10, and CHD7 were identified in 5 patients from 4 families (16.0%, 4/25 pedigrees). After sex hormone replacement therapy, there were improvement in sexual characteristics and the sexual function. CONCLUSION: This study described the clinical, endocrinological, and molecular genetic features in IGD patients in Korea. Although the mutation screening was performed in 10 genes that cause IGD, molecular defects were identified in relatively small proportions of the cohort.
Cohort Studies ; Deafness ; Diagnosis ; Ear ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Hearing Loss ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Hypogonadism* ; Immunoglobulin D ; Kallmann Syndrome* ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Molecular Biology ; Nasopharynx ; Olfaction Disorders ; Retrospective Studies ; Testis ; Urogenital Abnormalities

Peripheral blood eosinophilia is a well-known paraneoplastic manifestation, but its underlying mechanism is still unclear. Bone marrow metastasis may be a cause of malignancy-associated eosinophilia. However, there is limited evidence of the relationship between bone marrow metastasis and eosinophilia. Herein, we present a unique case of peripheral blood eosinophilia associated with bone marrow invasion in a patient having a history of papillary thyroid carcinoma. A 68-year old woman showed peripheral blood eosinophilia (91,525/mm3). Since the time she was initially diagnosed as having papillary thyroid carcinoma, eosinophilia had never been found and the other causes of eosinophilia were excluded. A bone marrow study revealed cancer cell infiltration; multiple lymphadenopathies and liver metastasis were also detected. We treated her with steroid; however, her eosinophilia did not respond to steroid and the patient died due to disease progression. Although peripheral blood eosinophilia and bone marrow metastasis are rare findings in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, we suggest that eosinophilia might be a sign of the bone marrow metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
Aged ; Bone Marrow* ; Carcinoma, Papillary* ; Disease Progression ; Eosinophilia* ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a group of heterogeneous lymphoid diseases that cause serious complications after organ or stem cell transplantation. The onset of PTLD is mostly due to EBV infection-induced B-cell proliferation and a defect in cytotoxic T cell function that occurs with immunosuppression. The usual treatment strategy for PTLD is reduction or withdrawal of immunosuppressive drugs with or without the administration of antiviral agents. Recently, various studies on the efficacy of rituximab or chemotherapy have been reported. We report two cases of rapidly progressing and complicated PTLDs after kidney transplantation that were successfully treated with a combination regimen consisting of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP).
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; Antiviral Agents ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cyclophosphamide ; Doxorubicin ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney Transplantation ; Korea ; Lymphoproliferative Disorders ; Prednisolone ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Vincristine ; Rituximab