No abstract available.
Fibroma*

A 33-year-old man had multiple, dome shaped, pin-head sized, hard papules on the center of face and pigeon's egg sized hard tumors on the left upper arm and the trunk. The histopathological findings of the skin biopsy specimens from face and left upper arm showed tumor islands composed of basophilic cells of the same sppearance as basalioma cells, arranged in a lacelike and solid aggregates, without horn cysts.
Adult ; Animals ; Arm ; Basophils ; Biopsy ; Horns ; Humans ; Islands ; Ovum ; Skin

Friction melanosis is frequently developed in thin, young woman, on thc covered skin of spinc, rib, elbow, knee and tibia. These lesions range from brown to rcddish-brown in color, appear in either band shapes or reticular patterns, and exhibit no overt syrnptoms. They do not show any inflamatory changes, and the skin remains smooth. According to histopathological findings, the main changcs arc perivascular melanophages on the papillary derrnis and upper dermis, and also increased melanin granules on the basal layer. The following case concern a relatively thin 20-year-o1d female patient. She had a syrwptoniless brown color changcs above the ribs of back, growing in dircction of the ribs for a period of three years. This change was band shaped, but there were no signs of inflammatory reaction, leaving the skin smooth. A biopsy was performed on the relevant tissue, and clinical-histopathological analysis was resulting in diagnosis of friction melanosis.
Biopsy ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Dronabinol ; Elbow ; Female ; Friction* ; Humans ; Knee ; Melanins ; Melanosis* ; Ribs ; Skin ; Tibia

PURPOSE: We applied lateral lithotomy position to the severe ureteral stricture cases supposed to fail with only retrograde approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From October 1997 to April 1999, 13 patients with severe ureteral stricture (lenghth>2cm or complete obstruction) supposed to fail with only retrograde approach and one patient with study. The causes of ureteral strictures were pelvic malignancy in 5, tuberculosis in 4, trauma in 2 and others in 2. The patient's ipsilateral shoulder was rotated and fixed like lateral position. And ipsilateral pelvis was elevated with sandbag or pad and rotated about 45 degrees, too. The retrograde approach was tried at first, if fail, antegrade approach was combined. RESULTS: We could insert ureteral stent via retrograde approach only in 3 patients and we needed aid of antegrade approach for passage through ureteral stricture in the other 11 patients (79%). Percutaneous antegrade approaches were combined in those 11 patients and we could pass the guide wire and indwell the stent in 10 of 11 patients (91%) using this position. CONCLUSIONS: The lateral lithotomy position was very helpful to the simultaneous retrograde and antegrade approach in severe fibrotic or malignant ureteral strictures.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Pelvis ; Shoulder ; Stents ; Tuberculosis ; Ureter*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux*

No abstract available.

In leprosy, it is generally believed that the defense against Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) is largely dependent on cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and there is an accumulating evidence that the patients with lepromatous leprosy have not only defective CMI specific for M. leprae, but also have generalized impairment of CMI. In contrast, the humoral immune reactivity, both specific and nonspecific, have been found to be normal or slightly increased. Recently, several investigators have enumerated the peripheral blood T and B lympocytes in patients with leprosy; however, there is no agreement as to the results. Furthermore, leprosy has been found to differ in its clinicai manifestations and immunological behaviors in different geographic areas and races. Nevertheless, there is yet no report in Korea concerning the T and B lymphocyte enumeration. The authors considered it is necessary to enumerate the peripheral blood T and B lymphocytes in Korean patients with leprosy to evaluate the immune status and the differences in the immunologic reactivity between the lepromatous and the tuberculoid spectrum of leprosy. (countinued..)
B-Lymphocytes* ; Continental Population Groups ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Korea ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Lymphocytes ; Mycobacterium leprae ; Research Personnel

To examine the expressed gene profile during encystation of Acanthamoeba castellanii Castellani, we used differentially expressed gene (DGE) screening by RT-PCR with 20 sets of random primers. From this analysis, we found that approximately 16 genes showed upregulation during encystation. We chose 6 genes, which had relatively higher expression levels, for further investigation. Based on homology search in database, DEG2 showed 55% of similarity with xylose isomerase, DEG9 showed 37% of similarity with Na P-type ATPase, and DEG14 showed 77% of similarity with subtilisin-like serine proteinase. DEG3 and DEG26 were identified as hypothetical proteins and DEG25 exhibited no significant similarity to any known protein. Encystation of Acanthamoeba has been suggested to be a process to resist adverse environmental or nutritional conditions. Further characterization studies of these genes may provide us with more information on the encystation mechanism of Acanthamoeba.
Acanthamoeba castellanii/*genetics/*growth & development ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; *Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation ; *Life Cycle Stages ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Protozoan Proteins/*genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Up-Regulation

No abstract available.
Nifedipine* ; Vasopressins*

PURPOSE: Neuroendocrine (NE) cells of the prostate are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). By a comparative analysis of NE cell density in BPH tissue of men who were either exposed to or not exposed to 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, we investigated the relationship between NE cells and BPH, and the effect of androgen deprivation on NE cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prostate tissue specimens, obtained from 30 men by transurethral resection of the prostate or radical cystoprostatectomy, were used. Of the 30 patients, 10 had a prostate smaller than 25 ml (normal control), the other 20 had a prostate larger than 40ml, 10 of who had taken 5alpha-reductase inhibitor (finasteride) for 3 months before surgery (androgen blockade group), and 10 who had not (BPH group). The distribution of NE cells in the prostate was examined using the anti-chromogranin A (CgA) antibody, and the density of the CgA-positive cells was compared by an optical dissector method. Immunoblotting was performed using the neuron specific enolase (NSE) antibody. A Mann-Whitney U test was used in a statistical analysis. RESULTS: Most of the CgA-positive NE cells were localized between the acinar epithelial cells. The mean numbers of CgA-positive NE cells per acinus in the normal controls and the BPH groups were 1.67+/-0.78 and 4.45+/-2.54, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). However, the mean number of CgA-positive NE cells in the androgen blockade group, was 4.93+/-2.17, which was similar to the BPH group. In a NSE immunoblotting study, a distinct band was observed in the BPH and androgen blockade groups, but the density of the band was higher in the androgen blockade group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that NE cells may be involved in the hyperplastic process of BPH. Inhibition of dihydrotestosterone, caused by the oral administration of the 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, failed to induce any significant change in the NE cells, probably due to the incomplete androgen blockade.
Administration, Oral ; Cell Count ; Dihydrotestosterone* ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Immunoblotting ; Male ; Neuroendocrine Cells* ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia*