PURPOSE: Cyclins are groups of proteins that play a role as a major regulator of the G1 restriction point promoting inactivation of the retinoblastoma protein. The cyclin D1 gene, CCND1, is amplified in approximately 20% of breast carcinomas and the protein is reportedly overexpressed in 60~80% of all cases. Cyclin D1 overexpression was strongly correlated to estrogen receptor positivity and better histologic grade in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to correlate cyclin D1 overexpression using a well characterized antibody with estrogen receptor status and other clincopathologic parameters. METHODS: From March 1989 to December 1994, 85 patients with primary breast carcinoma were the subject in this study. We analyzed cyclin D1 expression by immnohistochemical staining using cyclin D1 antibody, cells were considered positive according to distinct nuclear staining. The correlation between cyclin D1 expression was compared with important clinicopathologic parameters (tumor size, axillary lymph node status, p53 expression, c-erbB2 expression, histologic grade, estrogen receptor status). RESULTS: Cyclin D1 expression was detected in 37 cases (43.5%). Cyclin D1 expression was high in patients with tumors that expressed estrogen receptor (58.5% vs 26.5%, P=0.019). Cyclin D1 was mainly overexpressed in the histologic grade I and II (75.0%), as compared with 65.2% in cyclin D1 negative tumor, however there was no statistical significance (P=0.067). There were no significant correlation with tumor size, axillary lymph node status, p53 expression, or c-erbB2 expression (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Cyclin D1 expression in estrogen receptor (ER) positive patients was significantly higher than that seen in ER negative patients. There was a negative correlation between cyclin D1 and tumor histologic grade, however it was not statistically significant. Tumor size, axillary lymph node status, p53 expression, and c-erbB2 expression were not correlated with cyclin D1.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cyclin D1* ; Cyclins* ; Estrogens* ; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Genes, bcl-1 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Retinoblastoma Protein

PURPOSE: Cyclins are groups of proteins that play a role as a major regulator of the G1 restriction point promoting inactivation of the retinoblastoma protein. The cyclin D1 gene, CCND1, is amplified in approximately 20% of breast carcinomas and the protein is reportedly overexpressed in 60~80% of all cases. Cyclin D1 overexpression was strongly correlated to estrogen receptor positivity and better histologic grade in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to correlate cyclin D1 overexpression using a well characterized antibody with estrogen receptor status and other clincopathologic parameters. METHODS: From March 1989 to December 1994, 85 patients with primary breast carcinoma were the subject in this study. We analyzed cyclin D1 expression by immnohistochemical staining using cyclin D1 antibody, cells were considered positive according to distinct nuclear staining. The correlation between cyclin D1 expression was compared with important clinicopathologic parameters (tumor size, axillary lymph node status, p53 expression, c-erbB2 expression, histologic grade, estrogen receptor status). RESULTS: Cyclin D1 expression was detected in 37 cases (43.5%). Cyclin D1 expression was high in patients with tumors that expressed estrogen receptor (58.5% vs 26.5%, P=0.019). Cyclin D1 was mainly overexpressed in the histologic grade I and II (75.0%), as compared with 65.2% in cyclin D1 negative tumor, however there was no statistical significance (P=0.067). There were no significant correlation with tumor size, axillary lymph node status, p53 expression, or c-erbB2 expression (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Cyclin D1 expression in estrogen receptor (ER) positive patients was significantly higher than that seen in ER negative patients. There was a negative correlation between cyclin D1 and tumor histologic grade, however it was not statistically significant. Tumor size, axillary lymph node status, p53 expression, and c-erbB2 expression were not correlated with cyclin D1.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cyclin D1* ; Cyclins* ; Estrogens* ; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Genes, bcl-1 ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Retinoblastoma Protein

No abstract available.
Survival Rate* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

Two autopsy cases of asphyxia due to oxygen deficiency are reported. The first case is that a 38-year-old man died in a storehouse. Many pears were stored in a storehouse and the its atmosphere was strictly controlled. The second case is that a 42-year-old man died in the boiler room of a fishing ship. Much amount of Freon gas escaped due to a defect of the refrigerator in the boiler room. The victim entered the boiler room because he repaired the refrigerator. But, the victim died when he entered the boiler room immediately. In this article, the autopsy findings and the contents of the investigation of scene of two cases are described.
Adult ; Anoxia* ; Asphyxia* ; Atmosphere ; Autopsy* ; Chlorofluorocarbons ; Humans ; Oxygen* ; Pyrus ; Ships ; United Nations

Klinefelter's syndrome (KS) is a genetic syndrome that presents with hypogonadism and is associated with metabolic syndrome. Patients demonstrating hypogonadism show a greater prevalence of metabolic syndrome due to changes in body composition. We aimed to determine the association between KS and dyslipidemia. The KS group comprised 55 patients who visited the infertility clinic for an infertility evaluation and were confirmed as having a diagnosis of KS. The control group comprised 120 patients who visited the clinic for health screening. Patient characteristics were compared between the two groups with respect to height, weight, body mass index (BMI), testosterone, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride (TG) levels. Height and weight were significantly greater in patients belonging to the KS group, but no statistically significant difference was found with respect to the BMI. Testosterone levels in patients belonging to the KS group were significantly lower compared to the control group (2.4 ± 2.6 vs. 5.2 ± 1.8 ng/mL, P < 0.001). Compared to the control group, TG levels in patients belonging to the KS group were increased (134.9 ± 127.8 vs. 187.9 ± 192.1 mg/dL, P = 0.004) and HDL cholesterol was significantly decreased (51.2 ± 22.0 vs. 44.0 ± 9.5 mg/dL, P = 0.009). LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol were not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.076 and P = 0.256, respectively). Significant differences were noted between patients belonging to the KS group and normal control group with respect to elevated TG and decreased HDL cholesterol levels.
Body Composition ; Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Diagnosis ; Dyslipidemias* ; Humans ; Hypogonadism* ; Infertility ; Klinefelter Syndrome* ; Lipoproteins ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence ; Testosterone ; Triglycerides

Epigenetic silencing is considered to be a major mechanism for loss of activity in tumor suppressors. Reversal of epigenetic silencing by using inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) or histone deacetylases (HDACs) such as 5-Aza-CdR and FK228 has shown to enhance cytotoxic activities of several anticancer agents. This study aims to assess the combinatorial effects of gene-silencing reversal agents (5-Aza-CdR and FK228) and oxaliplatin in gastric cancer cells, i.e., Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative SNU-638 and EBV-positive SNU-719 cells. The doublet combinatorial treatment of 5-Aza-CdR and FK228 exhibited synergistic effects in both cell lines, and this was further corroborated by Zta expression induction in SNU-719 cells. Three drug combinations as 5-Aza-CdR/FK228 followed by oxaliplatin, however, resulted in antagonistic effects in both cell lines. Simultaneous treatment with FK228 and oxaliplatin induced synergistic and additive effects in SNU-638 and SNU-719 cells, respectively. Three drug combinations as 5-Aza-CdR prior to FK228/oxaliplatin, however, again resulted in antagonistic effects in both cell lines. This work demonstrated that efficacy of doublet synergistic combination using DNMT or HDACs inhibitors can be compromised by adding the third drug in pre- or post-treatment approach in gastric cancer cells. This implies that the development of clinical trial protocols for triplet combinations using gene-silencing reversal agents should be carefully evaluated in light of their potential antagonistic effects.
Antineoplastic Agents ; Cell Line ; DNA ; Drug Combinations ; Epigenomics* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Histone Deacetylases ; Humans* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Triplets

PURPOSE: Studies on the incidence and mortality of refractures after primary osteoporotic fracture are limited by the relatively rare incidence of such refractures and small sample sizes. The objectives of this research were: 1) to determine the incidence of osteoporotic refractures and fracture locations and 2) to assess mortality rates associated with osteoporotic refracture over a median follow up of 3 years using nationwide claim database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients over 50 years of age who had an osteoporotic fracture that was confirmed operationally were enrolled. Refracture was defined as that after 6 months of an untreated period. Mortality rate was calculated using the Charlson comorbidity index and was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 18956 first-time instances of osteoporotic fracture were reported between 2007 and 2012 after a median follow up of 3.1 years (range, 1 to 7 years). Among 18956 patients, 2941 (15.50%) experienced refracture. After follow up for 1 year, cumulative mortality rates for re-fracture and non-refracture groups were 9.1% and 7.2%, respectively. After adjusting for covriates, mortality rate was 1.2 times greater in patients with re-fracture than in patients without re-fracture over a median follow up of 3 years (hazard ratio: 1.20, 95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.34, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The incidence of osteoporotic re-fracture in this nationwide study was 15.5%, and the mortality rate of re-fracture patients was 1.2 times higher than that of non-refracture patients over a median follow up of 3 years.
Comorbidity ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mortality ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; Sample Size

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a rare cartilaginous neoplasm of an extraskeletal origin, and this predominately occurs in the head and neck, and also in the lower extremities. Fewer than twenty cases of cardiac mesenchymal chondrosarcoma have so far been reported on. For the most part, the results of treatment for patients with this condition have been dismal. In this study, we describe a case of cardiac mesenchymal chondrosarcoma that responded to chemotherapy following surgical biopsy. A 46-year-old man was referred for evaluation of his pleural effusions in both lungs. Chest computed tomography revealed an ovoid-shaped mass in the posterior wall of the patient's left atrium. The echocardiogram revealed a large ovoid-shaped immobile mass (11 x 6 cm2) in the pericardiac space, which was attached to the posterior wall of the left atrium. Emergency pericardiostomy with closure thoracostomy was performed. Seven days later, a thoracotomy was performed for reduction and diagnosis of the cardiac mass. The pathological diagnosis was extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma of the heart.. Postoperative chemotherapy was performed for the huge remaining mass with a combined regimen of etoposide, ifosfamide and cisplatin. After 6 cycles, the patient showed a partial response without symptoms. Although cardiac mesenchymal chondrosarcoma has been reported to be chemotherapy- resistant with a short survival duration, chemotherapy may prove to be an effective treatment modality.
Biopsy ; Chondrosarcoma, Mesenchymal* ; Cisplatin ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy* ; Emergencies ; Etoposide ; Head ; Heart Atria ; Heart* ; Humans ; Ifosfamide ; Lower Extremity ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Pericardial Window Techniques ; Pleural Effusion ; Thoracostomy ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax

PURPOSE: To determine the activity and the toxicity associated with a low dose regimen of leucovorin (LV) plus 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with oxaliplatin every two weeks (modified FOLFOX 4) as a salvage therapy for advanced gastric cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between December 2003 and December 2004, 33 patients were enrolled in this study. The patients were treated with oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 as a 2-hour infusion on the first day plus LV 20 mg/m2 over 10 minutes. Subsequently, the patients were given a 5-FU bolus 400 mg/m2 followed by a 22-hour continuous infusion of 600 mg/m2 on days 1~2. The treatment was repeated at 2 week intervals. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 50 years (range: 31~74), 82% (27/33) had the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status was 0 and 1. Of the 30 patients who could be evaluated for their tumor response, 8 achieved a partial response, with an overall response rate of 26.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 20.5~32.7%). Fifteen patients (50%) showed stable disease and 7 patients (23.3%) progressed during the course of treatment. The median time from the start of chemotherapy to progression was 3.5 months (95% CI: 2.6~4.4 months) and the median overall survival time was 7.9 months (95% CI: 5.9~9.9 months). The major grade 3/4 hematological toxicity encountered included neutropenia (45.4%) and thrombocytopenia (3.0%). Neutropenic fever occurred during only 2 of the 178 cycles. The most common non-hematological toxicity encountered was grade 1/2 nausea/vomiting, which occurred in 18.2% of patients, diarrhea in 12.1% and neuropathy in 15.2%. There were no treatment related deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The modified FOLFOX 4 regimen appears to be a safe and effective salvage therapy for advanced gastric cancer patients.
Diarrhea ; Drug Therapy ; Fever ; Fluorouracil* ; Humans ; Leucovorin* ; Neutropenia ; Salvage Therapy* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Thrombocytopenia

A pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PEH) is a rare tumor with a vascular origin. A PEH can arise in many organ systems, such as the lung, liver, bone and soft tissues. It is a borderline malignancy but the clinical course is usually benign. In this report, we describe three cases of PEH. Case 1, a 61-year-old man, had nonspecific chest discomfort and the chest X-ray showed a solitary lung nodule. This nodule was diagnosed by an open lung biopsy. The pathologic findings including abundant necrosis, mitosis and hyperchromatic and pleomorphic nuclei, indicated a malignancy. The electron microscopic study showed Weibel-Palade bodies and the immunohistochemical stain for CD31 showed a positive reaction in the tumor cells, and linear staining along the vascular lumina. Case 2, a 34-year-old man, was admitted for an evaluation of multiple small nodules, incidentally detected a screening chest X-ray. The nodules were diagnosed by a immunohistochemical stain for the factor VIII-related antigen. Case 3, a 34-year-old woman, complained of left pleuritic chest pain. A simple chest film and the chest CT scan revealed multiple bilateral nodules and a left pleural effusion. An immunohistochemical stain for the factor VIII-related antigen was used to diagnose the nodules. Forth-one months after the diagnosis, she died of pulmonary insufficiency.
Female ; Humans