Routine use of commercially available antisera against hepatitis B core antigen(HBcAg) has permitted a reevaluation of the histochemical distribution of the antigen in liver tissue. HBcAg, classically described almost exclusively in the nucleus, was found with a very high frequency in the cytoplasm of liver cells as well. To elucidate the biologic significance of HBcAg expression and its relation to the natural course of hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection, the patterns of activity in 33 needle liver biopsies of HBsAg carriers were analysed. A good correlation of liver HBcAg with disease activity was demonstrated. HBcAg was present in the hepatocyte nuclei(nHBcAg) or cytoplasm(cHBcAg), or in both(mixed). Pure nHBcAg was seen mainly in non-aggressive reactive liver tissue and cHBcAg was predominantly associated with chronic active hepatitis(95%). The results suggest that expression of HBcAg correlates with the liver pathology and the possibility of HBcAg to be an immunological target for T cell mediated hepatocyte damage.
Biopsy

Elastofibroma is a rare entity of slowly-growing, solid, ill-defined fibroblastic mass occurring almost exclusively in elderly persons and arising mainly from the connective tissue between the lower portion of the scapula and the chest wall. This entity has been considered to be a degenerative pseudo-neoplastic process caused by mechanical friction. We report an additional case of elastofibroma removed from the subscapular region of a 58-year-old woman. Microscopically the tumor was made up of a mixture of swollen eosinophilic collagen and elastic fibers occasionally associated with fibroblasts and mature fat cells. The elastic fibers showed a degenerated beaded appearance or were fragmented into small globules or droplets in a linear pattern.
Female ; Humans

Cold urticaria is a group of distinct clinical entities with different clinical manifestations that share the common feature of an urticarial response to cold exposure. In the localized cold urticaria, it is confined to portions of the body that have contact with the cold. In this article, we report an unusual patient with cold urticaria in which cold exposure causes hives in localized region of the face and the ice-cube test was positive only in that area.
Humans ; Urticaria*

To evaluate the incidence and clinico-pathologic correlation of benign epithelial changes of endometrium, we tried to classify the changes into squamous cell change, ciliary change, eosinophilic cell change, papillary surface epithelial change, and mucinous cell change by the criteria of Hendrickson. Based on the 450 hysterectomy specimens obtained from Jan. 1994 to Dec. 1994 in PMC, the incidence of the cell changes was as follows: squamous cell change: 1.1%, eosinophilic cell change: 6.8%, mucinous cell change: 6.6%, ciliary change: 10.4%, papillary surface epithelial change: 16.4%. Squamous cell change was noted in severe endometritis or endometrial hyperplasia and papillary surface epithelial proliferation was mainly associated with plasma cell infiltration in adenomyosis or leiomyoma. Eosinophilic change and ciliary change were sometimes concomitantly found in dilated glands of the basal layer or in the invaded glands of adenomyosis. The results of this study suggested a correlation of benign epithelial changes with endometritis, adenomyosis, leiomyoma and dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
Incidence

We herein report a case of occupational contact urticaria syndrome induced by cefotiam di-hydrochloride in a nurse. She had generalized pruritic wheals accompanied by palpitations and tachypnea during the preparation of cefotiam solution. A scratch patch test with cefotiam di-hydrochloride, a major component of cefotiam ingredient showed multiple erythema and wheals within 5 minutes, accompanied by palpitations and tachypnea. No delayed type reaction was observed. Based on her clinical history and scratch test result, we diagnosed her condition as contact urticaria syndrome caused by cefotiam.
Cefotiam* ; Erythema ; Patch Tests ; Tachypnea ; Urticaria*

No abstract available.
Nucleopolyhedrovirus* ; Sequence Analysis*

Angiomyofibroblastoma of the vulva is a rare mesenchymal tumor. It has been diagnostically confused with aggressive angiomyxoma which has a somewhat different clinical course and therapy. Herein we report a case of angiomyofibroblastoma of the vulva in a 46-year-old female. Microscopically, there were alternating hypercellular and hypocelluar edematous zones in which abundant capillary blood vessels were irregularly distributed. Spindle, plump spindle, and oval stromal cells were concentrated around the blood vessels, or loosely dispersed in the hypocellular area. Immunohistochemically, the stromal cells were positive for desmin, vimentin, muscle-specific actin and weakly positive for S-100 protein. Ultrastructural studies showed well developed rough endoplasmic reticulum, abundant intermediate filaments, and pinocytic vesicles in the stromal cells.
Female ; Humans

PURPOSE: Algorithms to get cross-sectional bone density pattern(transverse histogram) to predict the loosening of hip prosthesis using DXA(Dual X-ray Absorptiometry) have been developed. We performed this study to analyze the correlation between radiologic findings and densitometric pattern of the THRA(Total Hip Replacement Arthroplasty) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six hips of 32 THRA patients were evaluated. The duration between THRA and DXA was from 1 year 7 months to 15 years. On transverse histogram, the periprosthetic bone density patterns were classified as 3 types;type I, rigid fixation in 17, type II, definite loosening in 8, and type III, partial loosening in 11 cases. Surgical findings, plain X-ray findnings and transverse histogram using DXA were correlated. RESULTS: Among 14 cases performing revision for acetabular prosthesis loosening, 5 cases revealed loosening of fernoral stems while 9 cases revealed rigid fixation of femoral stems. Sensitivity was 100% for either plain X-ray or DXA. Specificity was 88%, 77% for plain X-ray and DXA respectively. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study reveals that periprosthetic bone density pattern on transverse histogram on DXA may be useful in the evaluation of the loosening. However, further study will be needed for clinical application.
Acetabulum ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Bone Density ; Hip ; Hip Prosthesis ; Humans ; Prosthesis Failure ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The number of post-irradiated surgical specimen appears to have risen in recent years due to the increasing utiliz ation of radiotherapy for cancer patients. Radiation therapy damages cells by its effects on the deoxyribonucleic acid and the spectrum of injury ranges from acute self-limited lesion to irreversible chronic lesion. We reviewed 24 cases of post-irradiated specimen and thought that time interval is the main factor influencing the morphologic change. Within six weeks, the individual cytologic changes such as biz arre nuclei, altered nucleus/cytoplasm ratio, amphophilic and vacuolated cytoplasm are noted. Chronic injury resulting from progressive changes in the fibrovascular tissue of the radiated area occur in six months after the initial course of radiation and the vascular changes of intimal thickening and fibrosis, foamy histiocytes within media, periadventital fibrosis and chronic inflammatory cells infiltration are present. Althouhg above mentioned finding are not pathognomonic, we thought them quite constant nd reproducible characteristics of radiation injury.

Erythema multiforme is a self-limited, usually mild and relapsing exanthematic intolerance reaction of the skin that is etiologically most often related to recurrent herpes simplex virus infection. Until now, despite its increasing incidence, varicella zoster virus has rarely been considered as an etiologic agent. We herein report a case of erythema multiforme following herpes zoster. A 52-year-old man complained of multiple targetoid lesions with central bullae which developed 1 day ago and were progressively spreading to his whole body. He had suffered from the thoracic herpes zoster along the right T11-, and T12-dermatomes for 10 days. He had no history of HSV infection. He had been intermittently taking analgesics such as acetaminophen for 1 year because of low back pain, but had no history of drug eruption due to analgesics. Histopathologic examination showed subepidermal bulla with necrotic keratinocytes and vacuolization of the basal layer. Based on the clinical morphology and the histopathologic findings, our case could be presumptively diagnosed as a bullous erythema multiforme following herpes zoster.
Acetaminophen ; Analgesics ; Drug Eruptions ; Erythema Multiforme* ; Erythema* ; Herpes Zoster* ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Humans ; Incidence ; Keratinocytes ; Low Back Pain ; Middle Aged ; Simplexvirus ; Skin