Since adult human skin can be grown in chernically defined medium without serum, the skin organ culture has gained a great interest as a method for studies concerning skin biology, pharmacology and toxicology. however, serum supplementation has extensively been used to improve the viahility of tissue culture. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of serum on the histologic changes ohserved during the organ culture of the normal human skin. The general architecture of the skin was well maintained for 6 days with or without seru. After then, fetal calf serum or autologous human serum was found to enhance the viability of the epidermis. A confluent layer of necrotic spinous ceils was ovserved earlier and more widespread without serum. The addition of serum had an impressive effect on epibolization. In the absenee of serum, the formation of the epibolus was not only minimal, but also, susceptible to degeneration, and no epibolus remained at 10 days rif incubation. No difference can be found between fetal calf serm and autologous human serum in the formation of the epibolus. There was no favorable effect of serum on the formation of new stratum corneum. The thickness of new straturn corneum increased in parallel with the number of parakeratatic cells, increasing most rapidly between 6 and 8 days of incubation. Parakeratosis was more prominent in the presence of serurn.
Adult ; Biology ; Epidermis ; Humans* ; Organ Culture Techniques* ; Parakeratosis ; Pharmacology ; Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators ; Skin* ; Toxicology

Interstitial cell tumor of testis is relatively rare, comprising only 0.8 to 1.4 percent of all testicular tumors. A 67-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with rapid growing testicular mass. He had the experience of hydrocele and many times of aspiration since childhood. On physical examination, the testicular mass (left) was hard, adult fist sized and associated with transparent cystic fluid. Under the impression of testicular tumor, orchiectomy was performed. We report this case with review of literature.
Adult* ; Aged ; Humans ; Leydig Cell Tumor* ; Orchiectomy ; Physical Examination ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis*

We report a case of right broad ligament tumor with features of female adnexal tumor of probable wolffian origin. A 40-year-old woman presented with dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Ultrasonography revealed 1 10cm sized right parovarian solid mass. On microscopic examination, the tumor showed mixed pattern of tightly packed tubular structures and diffuse spindle cell proliferation. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated cytokeratin-and vimentin-positivity and carcino-embryonic antigen-negativity. The ultrastructural study showed prominent tubular structures, continuous basal lamina, definite junctional complex but no secretory granules or glycogen particles, favoring wolffian origin.
Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Angioplasty*

One of the reasons for insertion of endotracheal tube is to provide a patent airway. Unfortunately, the tube itself may become the cause of airway obstruction. Especially, armored tube is known to be most effective in maintenance of airway patency. However, airway obstruction has been reported by a varity of causes even though armored tube was used. We experienced airway obstruction with armored tracheostomy tube by swelling of inner layer near the cuff. The tube was reused one and had been disinfected with ethylene oxide. Therefore, to prevent complication such as airway obstruction by use of armored tubes, it is desirable to avoid reusal of armored tube and to examine the lumen as well as cuff before intubation when reused.
Airway Obstruction* ; Ethylene Oxide ; Intubation ; Tracheostomy*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of MRI in preoperative diagnosis of congenital anorectal malformation MATERIALS AND METHODS: MR findings of 11 cases with surgically proved anorectal malformations were retrospectively reviewed and compared with operative findings, according to the level of atresia, the development of sphincter muscle, fistula and associated anomalies of other organs. RESULTS: Four of 11 cases were low type of anorectal atresia, 3 cases were intermediate type, and 3 cases were high type. There was one case of Currarino triad with low type of anorectal stenosis. MRI demonstrated the levels of atresia correctly in all cases and revealed fistulas in all high type of anomalies. Degrees of the development of the sphincter muscles were good in all cases of low types and fair in a case of intermediate type and an anorectal stenosis, whereas the development was poor in 2 cases of intermediate type and all 4 cases of high type. The associated anomalies in anorectal malformation were renal agenesis, congenital hip dysplasia and sacral defect with presacral teratoma in Currarino triad. CONCLUSION: MRI was a simple and useful study to confirm the level of atresia, fistula and associated anomalies in the diagnosis of the congenital anorectal malformation.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Fistula ; Hip Dislocation, Congenital ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Muscles ; Retrospective Studies ; Teratoma

Although some cases of benign positional vertigo are associated with a chronic ipsilateral sensorineural hearing loss, an association with simultaneous ipsilateral sudden deafness is rare. We report a 53-year old woman with sudden deaf-ness with simultaneous positional vertigo in the same ear characterized by benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of pos-terior semicircular canal type. After a modified Epley particle-repositioning maneuver, the patient's vertigo was resolved. Clinical and neuro-otologic evaluations suggested that the lesion responsible for this patient was probably located within inner ear rather than within the vestibulocochlear nerve. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(4):410~412, 2001)
Ear ; Ear, Inner ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Hearing Loss, Sudden* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Semicircular Canals ; Vertigo* ; Vestibulocochlear Nerve

BACKGROUND: The Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) system plays an important role in apoptosis by involvement in various immunologic functions, especially the removal of autoreactive and activated T-cells. sFas is a variant of the Fas receptor molecule, which lacks the transmembrane domain by alternative splicing of Fas mRNA and has an inhibitory effect in apoptosis by inhibition of the Fas/FasL pathway. sFasL is a coverted form of FasL by metalloproteinase and is increased in various malignant and autoimmune diseases. In this study, we investigated the expression of sFas and sFasL in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and evaluated their usefulness as markers of disease activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The concentration of sFas and sFasL in sera from 43 patients with SLE, 17 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 15 normal healthy persons were measured using sFas (S) ELISA Kit and sFas Ligand ELISA Kit (MBL Co., LTD., Nagoya, Japan), respectively. Twenty of 43 SLE sera were paired samples of 10 patients obtained on admission and discharge. RESULTS: The concentration of sFas in SLE (3.12 +/- 2.28 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in RA (2.23 +/- 0.37 ng/mL) and in the normal control (2.12 +/- 0.33 ng/mL). In particular, the concentration of sFas in sera on admission (4.35 +/- 3.68 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in the sera on discharge (2.89 +/- 0.66 ng/mL), but, the concentration of sFasL among the 3 groups was not statistically different. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE and sFas might be a useful marker as a predictor of disease activity. Further study on the correlation between sFas and other disease activity markers, such as CRP, CH50, CD4 cell count and autoantibody titer is needed. Also, the evalution of sFas as a predictor of disease progression on follow-up studies of these patients is needed.
Alternative Splicing ; Antigens, CD95 ; Apoptosis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Disease Progression ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fas Ligand Protein* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; RNA, Messenger ; T-Lymphocytes

The gastrointestinal polyp is a premalignant lesion in varying degree. According to the size, the pathology and the location of polyps, it should be removed. Polyps in the gastrointestinal tract can be removed by surgical excision, electrosurgery, cryotherapy, regional radiotherapy and laser therapy with some limitations. Considerable advance in therapeutic endoscopy as well as in diagnostic endoscopy along with newly developed instruments has now made it possible to excise gastrointestinal polyps by means of high frequency generator. We have underwent endoscopic polypectomy, strip biopsy and "O" ring ligation on gastric polyps in 112 patients who visited in this hospital from July l988 to January 1994, and the clinical characteristics including histopathology has been evaluated. Removed polyps were variable in size from less than 0.5 cm up to 4cm. Finally, we concluded that endoscopic polypectomy is a safe and relativly simple procedure and postpolypectomy complication can be considerably reduced by conservative antiulcer therapy.
Biopsy ; Cryotherapy ; Electrosurgery ; Endoscopy ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Ligation ; Pathology ; Polyps* ; Radiotherapy