BACKGROUND: The effects of melanocyte stimulating hormone(MSH) on the integument of many species, including mammals, are well known. The significance of MSH as a physiological regulator of cutaneous pigmentation in humans is still controversial. Although the administration of MSH results in skin darkening, previous reports suggest that cultured human melanocytes are relatively unresponsive to this peptide. This may be related to the conditions under which the melanocytes were cultured. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of alpha-MSH on the morphological changes, survival, and melanization of cultured human melanocytes in a basal medium without any mitogen. METHOD: We examined the morphological changes, number and melanin contents of cultured human melanocytes in control(absence of alpha-MSH) and experimental groups(presence of 10(-8) M, 10(-7) M, and 10(-6) M alpha-MSH). RESULTS: 1. There were no significant morphological changes of cells between the control and experimental groups after 24, 48, and 72 hours' culture. The number and length of melanocyte dendrites showed no significant difference between the groups after 24, 48, and 72 hours' culture. 2. The number of melanocytes in the experimental groups(presence of 10(-7) M, and 10(-6) M alpha-MSH) were significantly higher than the number of melanocytes in control group after 72 hours culture(p<0.05). This effect of alpha-MSH was dose-related. 3. The melanin contents slightly increased in the experimental groups. The significant difference between the groups was showed in the presence of 10(-8) M alpha-MSH. CONCLUSIONS: alpha-MSH has no effect on the morphology, but increases the survival of cultured human melanocytes and has a melanogenic effect.
alpha-MSH* ; Dendrites ; Humans* ; Mammals ; Melanins ; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones ; Melanocytes* ; Pigmentation ; Skin

No abstract available.
Puberty, Delayed*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Central Nervous System* ; Somatomedins*

BACKGROUND: Skin color is determined by many factors including melanin and nonmelanin pigments like hemoglobin and extraneous chemicals. Various factors such as race, sex, and age have been reported to have an influence on skin color. METHODS: Measurement of malanin index (M-index) was made by reflectance spectropho-tometer at three different sites including forehead, abdomen and forearm in total 800 healthy subjects consisting of 100 males and 100 females of neonates (three days after birth) and children (male:8.08±0.84, female:8.03±0.80, total :8.06±0.82 years of age), ado-lescence (mate:13.89± 0.76, female:13.96±0.79, total:13.93±0.78 years of age), and adults(male:24.26±0.82, female:24.40±0.89, total:24.33±0.86 years of age). We also investigated the change of M-index by each skin phototype of college students determined by Fitzpatrick classification. RESULTS: From the birth to the puberty, sex difference of melanin index was generally not not-ed, but adult females showed lower levels of melanin index in all sites measured. M-index in-creased from birth to adolescence, and decreased after adulthood. Forehead showed highest melanin index compared with other sites. Increase of M-index was noted as skin phototype goes from III to V. CONCLUSIONS: Factors including sex, age, body sites and skin phototype have a significant in-fluence on the changes of skin color in humans.
Abdomen ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Classification ; Continental Population Groups ; Female ; Forearm ; Forehead ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Melanins* ; Parturition ; Puberty ; Sex Characteristics ; Skin*

BACKGROUND: Each kind of human cell has its own characteristic morphological and functional property. In the skin, epidermal cells, including keratinocyte and melanocyte, also have their own functional characteristics. Thus, it is expected that there are some different responses to external stimuli, such as ionizing radiatio,, free radicals, and cytokines between these cells. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To im estigate whether there are different effects of UV light on the viability of cultured human ker tinocytes and rnelanocytes. Cultured human keratinocytes and melanocytes are irradiated by UVB at 5, 25, 50, and 100mJ/cm, and examined by Methylthiazole tetrazollium assay at 0, 1, 3, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after UVB exposure. RESULTS: 1. The effects on viability according to the doses of UVB are as follows: 1) In the keratinocytes, the viability was increased in most of the UVB exposure groups within 24 hours after UVB exposure, and was significantly increased at 25, 50, and 100mJ/cm of UVB at 3 hours after UVB exposur.(p<0.05). However, the viability was significantly decreased at relatively high doses of UVB (50, 100mJ/cm) from 48 hours after UVB exposure (p<0.05). 2) In the melanocytes, the viability was decreased in all of the UVB exposure groups within 3 hours, and was significantly decreased in all of the UVB exposure groups at, 1 hour after UVB exposure (p<0.05). The viability was increased from 6 to 24 hours, which was significantly decreased at 100mJ/cm of UVB from 48 hours after UVB exposure (p<0.05). 2. The effects on viability according to the time after UVB exposure at the same dose of UUB In both cells, the viability was increased as time went by. The slopes of the viability curve gradually decreased according to the increment of UVB doses. CONCLUSION: The viability of keratinocyte was decreased at 50mJ/cm of UVB which melanocyte did not show decrease. Melanocyte was more easily damaged than keratinocyte in relatively earlier time period after UVB exposure. These results suggest that the change of viability in cultured keratinocyte and melanocyte after UVB exposure at the dose of less than 100mJ/cm is related to the time course after UVB exposure as well as to the UVB dose.
Cytokines ; Free Radicals ; Humans* ; Keratinocytes* ; Melanocytes* ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Rays

Patterns of branches and distribution of right coronary artery in Korean adult hearts were observed at the viewpoint of newly edited Nomina Anatomica, and the results were as follows. Generally the right aortic sinus had one orifice, but sometimes had two orifices which were related to conal branch. The right coronary artery had mural coronary in 17.5% of cases. In the most of the cases, right coronary artery was dominent, and type 4 was most frequent. Descending septal artery was observed in 17.5% of cases. The atrial branches can be grouped as anterior, posterior and left atrial, and each group was composed of one or two branches when present. In 97.5% of cases, intermediate atrial branch was observed. The sinuatrial nodal artery was originated mostly from right coronary artery. The atrioventriclar branch was observed in 7.5% of cases. The ventricular branches can be grouped as right anterior, right posterior and left posterior, and composed of 3-6, 0-2, and 0-4 branches respectively. Right marginal branch showed great variation, and other branch originated from superiorto to it was found to distribute the apex of the heart. Based on the results, the authors depicts typical arrangement of the rignt coronary artery in Korean.
Adult ; Arteries ; Coronary Vessels* ; Heart ; Humans ; Sinus of Valsalva

BACKGROUND: The influencion the environment on a culture is expressed via four routes. (1) the nature of the substrate or phase on or in which the cells grow (2) the physicochemical and physiological constitution of the medium, (3) the constitution of the gas phase, and (4) the incubation temperature. Melanization is closely related to the constitution and amounts of amino acids in the medium. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are some differences of proliferation and melanization in cultured B,F, mouse melanoma cells according to different culture media. METHODS: We examined the color of cell pellet, cell morphology, electron microscopic findings, cell counts and melanin conlensin BgF mouse melanoma cells cultured in Dulbeccos modified Eagles medium(DMEM), F-10, MCDB 153, Minimal essential medium(MEM), and RPMI 1640, respectively. RESULTS: 1. The color of cell pellet., ringed from dark gray to light brown. The order of the darkness was DMEM, MEM, RPMI 1640, MCDB 153, and F-10 medium. 2. Most Bg, mouse melanoma cells had an epithelioid morphology, but a few cells in MCDB 153 medium showed dendrites. On the 4th day after culture, the cells in F-10 medium were larger than those in the other media. 3. In the electron microscopic. findings, BF, mouse melanoma cells in DMEM and MEM con tained numerous stage IV nelanosomes, however, those in RPMI 1640 and MCDB 153 medium contained a few, and those in F-10 medium did few. 4. The number of BF, mouse melanoma cells were 1.42 + 0.06 x 10", 1.42 + 0.12 x 10", l. 17 + 0.08 x 10, 0.73 0.06 x 10, 0.32 0.01 x 10, in RPMI 1640, DMEM, MEM, F 10, and MCDB 153 medium, respectively. 5. In the MTT assay, the order of the optical density of B,F, mouse melanoma cells in various media was as followings, DMEM, RPMI 1640, MEM, F-10, and MCDB 153. 6. Compared with the melanin contents of B;F, mouse melanoma cells in DMEM, they were 77.97% in MEM, 67.91% in RPMI 1640 and MCDB 153 medium, and 55.94% in F-10 medium. CONCLUSION: The phenotypic changes of BF, mouse melanoma cells were induced by various culture rnedia and were reversilvle. Since the phenotypes of cells can be changed by the culture media, researchers should choose the appropriate culture medium for the cells.
Amino Acids ; Animals ; Cell Count ; Constitution and Bylaws ; Culture Media ; Darkness ; Dendrites ; Eagles ; Melanins ; Melanoma* ; Mice* ; Phenotype

BACKGROUNDS: In adult, the clinical seizure characteristics of complex partial seizure(CPS) originated from temporal lobe are pretty stereotypic, and could be used as one of the important guidelines for the preoperative localization of the epileptogenic zone. Recently, surgical treatment for the intractable childhood temporal lobe seizure is frequently performed. However, most of the clinical studies to describe the seizure patterns of CPS in childhood included CPS of extratemporal lobe origin. There is still controversy about the typical pattern of temporal lobe seizure(TLS) in childhood. Therefore, we intend to investigate the clinical seizure patterns of CPS originated from temporal lobe, and the difference of seizure characteristics in different age group. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: On June 1996, 33 patients among 172 patients who presented CPS had CPS of temporal lobe origin, and were treated with antiepileptic drugs at the Pediatric Epilepsy Clinic of Ajou University Medical Center. We classified 33 patients according to age group; Group A(1-6 yr, 16 cases) and Group B(7-15 yr, 17 cases). We selected following criterias to determine CPS of temporal origin; focal spike in the temporal area with interictal or ictal EEG, mesial temporal sclerosis(MTS) or other epileptogenic lesion in the temporal area on brain MRI, and/or decreased rCBF in the temporal area on brain SPECT. We have analyzed the clinical seizure patterns with 24-48 hr Video-EEG monitoring in 3 patients, ictal EEG in 4 patients, and questionnaire or medical record in 26 patients. RESULTS: 1) Commonly observed ictal symptoms of TLS in children are versive movement(46%), motor phenomenon(42%), simple automatism(42%), complex automatism(24%), secondary generalization(21%), and dystonic posture(12%). If we analyzed the ictal symptoms of TLS according to age group, school age children showed relatively similar ictal symptom to those of adult. However, ictal symptoms in the preschool age group disclosed a significant differences to those of school age children as follows; frequent motor phenomenon(63%) and simple automatism(48%), but rarity of secondary generalization(6%) and complex automatism(0%). 2) Motor phenomenon of extremity, tonic posture, showed pretty different pattern; highly symmetric presentation in the preschool age group(78%) but always unilateral presentation in the school age group. 3) Commonly observed initial symptoms of TLS are aura(46%), behavioral arrest(30%), versive movement(12%), arousal response(9%), and motor phenomenon(3%). School age children always presented aura(70%) or behavioral arrest(24%) as an initial symptom. However, preschool age children showed variable initial symptoms as follows; behavioral arrest(37%), versive movement(19%), aura(19%), and arousal response(19%). 4) Aura was presented as initial symptom in 15 patients with TLS; visceral sensation in 7 cases, psychic symptoms in 5 cases, and cephalic symptoms in 3 cases. CONCLUSION: The clinical seizure characteristics of CPS originated from temporal lobe was similar to those of adult in the school age group, but quietly different in preschool age group. Preschool age children frequently showed behavioral arrest, versive movement, and arousal response as an initial symptom of TLS. Most frequent clinical characteristics of TLS in the preschool age group is symmetric tonic posture which we frequently observed in the frontal lobe epilepsy. Therefore, clinical seizure characteristics of CPS of temporal lobe origin could not be used as an important guideline for the preoperative localization of the epileptogenic zone in the young children.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adult ; Anticonvulsants ; Arousal ; Brain ; Child* ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Epilepsy, Frontal Lobe ; Extremities ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medical Records ; Posture ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seizures* ; Sensation ; Temporal Lobe* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is a benign, uncommon disorder of unknown etiology, that usunlly appears as papules or nodules on the head and neck. Histopathologically, ALHE is a angioproliferating lesion which shows characteristically plump epithelioid or histiocytoid endothelial cells, accompanied by an inflammatory infiltrate that mainly consists of lymphocytes and eosinophils. We report a case of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophila associated with arteriovenous malformations in a 23-year-old man. In our patient, we observed arteriovenous malformation, changes which could have occurred by vascular repair due to a vascular malformation.
Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; Endothelial Cells ; Eosinophils ; Head ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Lymphocytes ; Neck ; Vascular Malformations ; Young Adult