Penile melanosis is a new disease entity which is benign and different from pigmented nevus and acral lentiginous melanoma in situ. A 20-year-old man had hyperpigmented macules on the glans penis and penile shaft for 5 years. Clinical and histologic findings were consistent with penile melanosis and giant melanosome complexes were observed ultrastructurally.
Humans ; Male ; Melanocytes* ; Melanoma ; Melanosis* ; Melanosomes ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Penis ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Crowns* ; Dental Cements*

It is well estabilshed that the xerosis is closely related to diabeic pruritus. Although the causes of xerosis are thought to bie the abnormalities of sweating and autonomic nervous system, the exact mechanism of the xerosis in diabetic skin is still unknown. This study was designed to investigate the possible derangement of glucose metabolism in the skin of diabetes mellitus patients with xerosis. The epidemal glucose content and hexokonase activities were masured in the skin samples obtained from normal individuals and diabetes mellitus patients with xerosis The epidermal glucose content was measured by the enzymatic cycling method. The enzymatic activities of hexokinase were assayed by fluorometric method. The epidermal glucose content of diabetic patients increaed approximately twice [27.46+9.52 (mmole/kg /dry weight) that of normal individuals [13.90+4.79(mmole/kg /dry weight)] (p<0. 0001). The epidermal hexokinase activities of diabetes patients were significantly decreased [0.56+0.15(mole/hr/kg/dry weight)] compared to that of normal indivduals [0.96+0.24(mole/hr/kg dry weight)] (p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in the epidermal glucose content and enzyme activities of hexokinase between the diabetic patients with: erosis and diabetic patients without xerosis. These data indicated that decreased activities of hexokinase could reduce the glucose phopkiorylation and uptake into keratinocytes, and which could lead to accumulat. glucose in the interstitial space of diabetic epidermis. And the decreased hexokinase activities may exert on lipid metabolism and glycolysis of diabetic epiidermis, because hexokinase is a key enzyme of hexose monophosphate pathway and glycolysis.
Autonomic Nervous System ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Epidermis ; Glucose ; Glycolysis ; Hexokinase* ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Lipid Metabolism ; Metabolism ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Sweat ; Sweating

No abstract available.
DNA*

No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy

TGF-beta1 expression was studied in 25 patients with tuberculosis (lung, 9 cases and lymph node, 16 cases) using a polyclonal antibody in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue. Nineteen cases (76.0%) out of 25 cases showed TGF-beta1 expression. TGF-beta1 was present in cytoplasm of epithelioid cells and Langhans' giant cells. Pulmonary tuberculosis and tuberculous lymphadenitis showed different patterns of staining. Five of 9 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were positive for TGF-beta1: four of acid-fast bacilli positive cases (4/5, 80.0%) and one of acid-fast bacilli negative cases (1/4, 25.0%). However, high expression of TGF-beta1 was detected in tuberculous lymphadenitis of both acid-fast bacilli positive group (3/4, 75.0%) and acid-fast bacilli negative group (11/12, 91.7%). TGF-beta1 was also expressed in all of 6 cases of BCG-induced tuberculous lymphadenitis: 2 acid-fast bacilli positive and 4 acid-fast bacilli negative cases. TGF-beta1 expression was shown in 19 cases (86.4%) of 22 in active tuberculosis, while no TGF-beta1 expression was detected in any cases of inactive, healed tuberculosis (p<0.008). This study supports that the TGF-beta1 expression of epithelioid cells may alter their function resulting in the impaired antimycobacterial activity. Thus the increased production of TGF-beta1 may be one of the important mechanisms by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis avoids destruction by host macrophages.
Cytoplasm ; Epithelioid Cells ; Giant Cells ; Granuloma* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Macrophages* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Paraffin ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1* ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

PURPOSE: Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) may be elevated in patients with benign prostatic diseases. We evaluated the causes of elevated serum prostatic specific antigen concentration in men without prostatic carcinoma by periodic determination of serum PSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1996 to December 2000, of the 85 patients with elevated serum PSA (>4 ng/ml), 53 (62.4%) had clinical evidence of benign prostatic diseases such as BPH or acute prostatic inflammation. In 47 patients serum PSA was measured every 1-4 weeks until the PSA returned to base line level. RESULTS: In 42 (89.4%) patients the serum PSA concentration decreased to less than 4 ng/ml. within 3 months. The recovery rate of serum PSA within 4 weeks was high at 69% (29 of 42). The base line PSA was greater than 4 ng/ml during the follow-up period of 3 months in five patients. An elevation of PSA by acute prostatic inflammation (mean 34.1 40.0ng/ml) was abrupt and significantly greater than by prostatic hyperplasia (12.4 9.4 ng/ml, p=0.026). In patients with BPH, an initial elevation in serum PSA correlated with prostatic volume (r2=0.211, p=0.036), but no significant correlations between prostatic volume and elevated PSA levels were observed in patients with acute prostatic inflammation (r2=0.051, p=0.480). CONCLUSIONS: Benign prostatic hypertrophy and acute prostatic inflammation were main benign causes for serum PSA elevation. Majority of patients with elevated PSA by benign causes returned to base line less than 4 ng/ml in 4 weeks. However in some patients the serum PSA still remained elevated after 4 weeks, who should undergo TRUS guided biopsy of prostate to rule out the presence of malignancy. We recommended to wait at least 6 weeks for a repeat PSA determination.
Biopsy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Prostatic Diseases* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Prostatitis

PURPOSE: The Edinbergh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has seen widespread use in epidemiological and clinical studies. The objective of this research was to translate and to test the reliability and validity of the 10-item EDPS in Korea. METHODS: Subjects were 145 women who were 6 to 10 weeks post delivery. To test reliability, the internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Validity testing was performed using convergent validity by Pearson's correlation. Data was gathered at 3 hospitals during Oct. 2005 after obtaining an informed consent. RESULT: The mean age of the subjects was 29.9 years. and the mean parity was 1.46 times. The mean EPDS score was 18.4. Reliability analysis showed a satisfactory result (Cronbach's alpha coefficient=.84). There were significant positive correlations between EPDS and Mills postnatal depression and anxiety check list scores as expected(r=.69, p<.001) and thus supported convergent validity. CONCLUSION: The study findings showed that the Korean version of the EPDS-10 is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used for measuring postnatal depression in Korea.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Depression, Postpartum* ; Female ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Korea ; Parity ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: To develop and test the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Family Management Measure (Korean FaMM) to assess applicability for families with children having chronic illnesses. METHODS: The Korean FaMM was articulated through forward-backward translation methods. Internal consistency reliability, construct and criterion validity were calculated using PASW WIN (19.0) and AMOS (20.0). Survey data were collected from 341 mothers of children suffering from chronic disease enrolled in a university hospital in Seoul, South Korea. RESULTS: The Korean version of FaMM showed reliable internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha for the total scale of .69-.91. Factor loadings of the 53 items on the six sub-scales ranged from 0.28-0.84. The model of six subscales for the Korean FaMM was validated by expiratory and confirmatory factor analysis (chi2<.001, RMR<.05, GFI, AGFI, NFI, NNFI>.08). Criterion validity compared to the Parental Stress Index (PSI) showed significant correlation. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate that the Korean FaMM showed satisfactory construct and criterion validity and reliability. It is useful to measure Korean family's management style with their children who have a chronic illness.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; *Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parenting ; Parents/*psychology ; *Program Evaluation ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; Stress, Psychological ; Translating