PURPOSE: DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mechanism for modification of genetic expression without a change in the DNA sequence. MBD2 (methyl-CpG-binding domain 2 protein) belongs to a family of enzymes concerning of DNA demethylation and suppresses the hypermethylation of the CpG island and DNA transcription. In this study, we investigated the change of MBD2 expression in the blood and tissue of colorectal cancer patients and compared the two expression levels. METHODS: The 68 patients included in this study were patients with colorectal cancer who had undergone surgery at our hospital, and 50 other patients with no malignant disease were recruited from normal populations. Total RNA samples were isolated from whole blood samples and cancer tissues of specimens using a TRI REAGENT BD kit. MBD 2 expression was measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays. RESULTS: The mean age was older in the case group than in the control group. The mean expression level of MBD2 in blood was not different between the two groups. In the case group, the tissue MBD2 expression was lower than the blood MBD2 expression under all conditions, and that difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). The expression of MBD2 in cancer tissue showed a negative correlation with that in the blood of cancer patients, correlation coefficient of R=0.073, but that result was not statistically significant (P=0.611). CONCLUSIONS: The blood MBD2 expression was statistically the same in the cancer and the control groups. In the cancer group, blood MBD2 expression was significantly higher than tissue MBD2 expression. The reverse correlation between blood MBD2 expression and tissue MBD2 expression in cancer patients suggests that MBD2 may affect the mechanism of carcinogenesis.
Base Sequence ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; CpG Islands ; DNA ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenomics ; Humans ; RNA

Cogan's syndrome is a rare systemic inflammatory disease and can be diagnosed on the basis of typical inner ear and ocular involvement with the presence of large vessel vasculitis. We report a case of Cogan's syndrome with stable angina resulting from coronary ostial stenosis caused by aortitis.
Angina Pectoris ; Angina, Stable ; Aortitis ; Cogan Syndrome ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Ear, Inner ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Vasculitis

Mongolian gerbil has been as an model animal for studing the neurological diseases such as stroke and epilepsy because of the congenital incompleteries in Willis circle, as well as the investigation of water metabolism because of the long time-survival in the condition of water-deprived desert condition, compared with other animal species. In order to accomplish this research, first of all another divided the laboratory animals 5 groups of which each group include the 5 animals. In this study of the long term water deprived condition author investigatied the vasopressinergic and oxytocinergic magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamus by using a quantitative immunohistochemistry, measured the plasma osmolalities at the time of sacrifice of indivisual animals, and the body weights every day during water-deprived. The results obtained in this study were summarized as followings: 1. The body weights and decreasing rates of the body weight in water-deprived animal groups were continuosly decreased. 2. The plasma osmolalities were increased from the 5th water-deprived day, after then the gradually increase reached nearly its equilibrium state at the 10th water-deprived day. 3. Vasopressin and oxytocin immunoreactive cells were mainly observed in PVN, SON and a few in the lateral magnocellular area of hypothalamus. 4. The number of VP immunoreactive cells in paraventricular and supraoptic nucleus were abruptly decreas-ed until the 5th day in the supraoptic nucleus in number and until the 10th day in the paraventricular nucleus of water-deprived. 5. The OT secreting cells were severely decreased on the 5th water deprived day in paraventricular and supraoptic nucleus, after than these cells were very slowly decreased until to the 38th water deprived day.
Animals ; Animals, Laboratory ; Body Weight ; Circle of Willis ; Epilepsy ; Gerbillinae* ; Hypothalamus* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Metabolism ; Neurons* ; Osmolar Concentration ; Oxytocin ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Plasma ; Stroke ; Supraoptic Nucleus ; Vasopressins

PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy of thick-and thin-section spiral CT and to determine whether, in diagnosing mediastinal lymph node metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer, the latter is superior to the former. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 1997 and March 1998, 51 patients with pathologically proven non-s-mall cell lung cancer underwent thoracotomy with full nodal dissection. Thick- and thin-section spiral CT were performed in all patients, with a mean interval of 14 days. The former was performed with 10 mm thick-ness and 10 mm interval, and the latter with 3 mm thickness and 3 mm interval. Mediastinal lymph nodes were localized according to the lymph node mapping scheme of the American Thoracic Society and were considered positive for metastasis if they exceeded 10 mm in short-axis diameter. RESULTS: A total of 227 mediastinal nodal stations in 51 patients were obtained. Of these, 188 stations included in thin-section spiral CT were analyzed and the prevalence of ediastinal nodal metastasis was found to be 10%. On a station-by-station basis, and for thick-and thin-section spiral CT, respectively, the overall sensitivi-ties of mediastinal lymph node metastasis were 32% and 53% (p < .05), while specificities were 91% and 92% (p> .05). Although there were no statistically significant differences in sensitivity and specificity according to nodal station, thin-section spiral CT tended to be superior to the thick-section type for stations 7 and 10R in terms of sensitivity, and for stations 4L and 5 in terms of specificity. CONCLUSION: Thin-section spiral CT was more sensitive than thick-section spiral CT is the evaluation of medi-astinal lymph node metastasis from non-small cell lung cancer. This may be due to the higher resolution of the former and its ability to discriminate between lymph node and vessel.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymph Nodes* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prevalence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thoracotomy ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

OBJECTIVES: Nicotine has various adverse effects including negative impacts associated with maternal exposure. In the current study, we examined nicotine-induced damage of hair cells and embryotoxicity during zebrafish development. METHODS: Zebrafish embryos were exposed to nicotine at several concentrations (5, 10, 20, and 40 μM) and embryotoxicity were evaluated at 72 hours, including hatching rate, mortality, teratogenicity rate, and heart rate. Hair cells within the supraorbital (SO1 and SO2), otic (O1), and occipital (OC1) neuromasts were identified at 120 hours. Apoptosis and mitochondrial damage of hair cells were analyzed using TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling) and DASPEI (2-[4-(dimethylamino)styryl]-N-ethylpyridinium iodide) assays, respectively, and changes of ultrastructure were observed by scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: The control group without nicotine appeared normal with overall mortality and teratogenicity rate < 5%. The hatching rate and mortality rate was not significantly different according to nicotine concentration (n=400 each). The abnormal morphology rate (n=400) increased and heart rate (n=150) decreased with increasing nicotine concentration (P < 0.05). Nicotine-induced hair cell damage significantly increased as nicotine concentration increased. A significantly greater number of TUNEL-positive cells (P < 0.01) and markedly smaller DASPEI area (P < 0.01) were shown as nicotine concentration increased. CONCLUSION: The current results suggest that nicotine induces dose-dependent hair cell toxicity in embryos by promoting apoptosis and mitochondrial and structural damage.
Apoptosis ; Embryonic Structures ; Female ; Hair* ; Heart Rate ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Maternal Exposure ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Mortality ; Nicotine* ; Tobacco ; Zebrafish*

Lung cancer study group at Asan Medical Center has conducted the second prospective study to determine the efficacy and feasibility of MVP chemotherapy with concurrent hyperfractionated radiotherapy for patients with stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). All eligible patients with stage III unresectable NSCLC were treated with hyperfractionated radiotherapy( 120 cGy/fx BID, 6480 cGY/54fx) and concurrent 2 cycles of MVP(Motomycin C 6 mg/m2 , d2 & d29, Vinblastin 6 mg/m2, d2 & d29, Cisplatin 6 mg/m2 , d1 & d28) chemotherapy. Between Aug. 1993 and Nov. 1994, 62 patients entered this study ; 6(10%) had advanced stage IIIa and 56(90%) had IIIb disease including 1 with pleural effusion and 10 with supraclavicular metastases. Among 62 Ptients, 48(77%) completed planned therapy. Fourteen patients refused further treatment during chemoradiotherapy. Of 46 patients evaluable for response, 34(74%) showed major response including 10(22%) with complete and 24(52%) with partial responses. Of 48 patients evaluable for toxicity, 13(27%) showed grade IV hematologic toxicity but treatment delay did not exceed 5 days. Two patients died of sepsis during chemoradiotherapy. Server weight(more than 10%) occurred in 9 patients(19%) during treatment. Nine patients(19%) developed radiation pneumonitis. Six of these patients had grad I(mild) pneumonitis with radiographic changes within the treatment fields. Three other patients had grade II pneumonitis, but none of theses patients had continuous symptoms after steroid treatment. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with advanced NSCLC was well tolerated with acceptable toxicity and achieved higher response rates than the first study, but rather low compliance rate(7%) in this study is worrisome. We need to improve nutritional suppoert during treatment and to use G-CSF to improve leukopenia and if necessary, supportive care will given as in patients. Longer follow-up and larger sample size is needed to observe survival advantage.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Cisplatin ; Compliance ; Drug Therapy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Humans ; Leukopenia ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pleural Effusion ; Pneumonia ; Prospective Studies ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Radiotherapy* ; Sample Size ; Sepsis ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma*