No abstract available.
Humans

Sodium pentachlorophenol (Na-PCP) has been used in China for years as a molluscacide to kill on-comelania, which is an intermediate host of schistosome. Large amounts of the powerful pesticide spayed over vast areas to control schistosomiasis contaminated the surface water sources, soil, sediment, animals and plants. Also it intruded into human body through food chain. Recently many studies that concern the endocrine disrupting effects of pentachlorophenol (PCP) were conducted. Animal studies showed that PCP/ Na-PCP could interfere in the normal function of thyroxine in many species, but without any effects on estrogen and testosterone. It was also found that PCP/ Na-PCP could effectively inhibit the activity of the human progesterone receptor (hPR) in yeast and interfere with the binding of physiological ligands to steroid receptors and binding proteins. Some epidemiologic data showed that PCP might interfere the normal endocrine function of female and paternal occupational exposure to PCP/Na-PCP could be associated with an increased risk of congenital anomalies or other adverse reproductive outcomes in offspring. All these findings indicate that pentachlorophenol could disrupt the normal function of endocrine system, but to con-firm that pentachlorophenol is one kind of endocrine disruptor and understand thoroughly the mechanism of PCP on endocrine system, more studies are needed.

Humans ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Rectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Reoperation

Guidelines as Topic ; Humans ; Medical Oncology ; standards ; Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: In autoimmune bullous dermatoses, such as pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid, variations in the expression of the antigen in different body locations are recognized. OBJECTIVE: The degree of expession of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) antigen in different sites on the body surface was estimated from the highest dilution factor of EBA sera that gave a positive reaction at a site by indirect immunofluorescence (IF). METHODS: Two sera, obtained from EBA patients with inflammatory and mechanobullous skin lesions, having antihody titers of 160 against the dermal component of the NaCl split skin, were used by indirect IF techniques with 20 specimens (2 from each of 10 locations) of normal human skin from different sites. These 20 skin samples were obtained from 10 healthy adults (1-3 from each individual). RESULTS: The greatest expression of the antigen was in the skin taken from the upper back with the titer of 160. EBA antigen was least recognized in skin specimens from the inner thigh and calf. Skin from the scalp, abdomen, and anterior chest and others demonstrated intermediate degrees of expression. CONCLUSION: There was some moderate degree of variation in the expression of EBA antigens in skin samples obtained from different locations on the body. It seems however that there is not any positive correlation between the degree of expression of EBA antigen in each location and predilection sites (possibly the trunk) of clinical lesions in EBA.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Pemphigus ; Scalp ; Skin ; Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous ; Thigh ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Oncogenes*

Backgraund : Most of the inflammatory bullous lesions in bullous pamphigoid(BP) and epidermolysis bullosa acquisite(EBA) demonstrate similar clinical and histological features. However, the specificities of the autoantibodiea reactive to the dermo-epidermal junction antigeins are different. In these two bullouk dermat loses, there are no remarkable differences in symptomaiology, there are no unique predilection sites for the lesions and they do not usually leave scars after nvolution. Considering these similarities, dermatologists could encounter some clinical confuiion in maling a provisional diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: Authors examined three patients of BP with classic inflammatory bullous eruptions and threa patients of EBA with inflammatory bullous lesions to see if here were any differences in the morphology of the immuno-fluorescence(IF) pattern. METHODS: For direct IF of vertical or semi-vertical sections, perilasional skin was obtained in each patient for indirect IF of horizontal or semi-horizonta1 sections, Ig(bound substrates were prepared from all these autoantibody-positive individuals. All specimens veri; observed at 200/400-magnification fields through an ordinary fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Patterns of fluorescence observed by direct IF were characterized as thin-linear in BP and thick/coarse-linear in EBA along the basement membrane zone. On the horizontal section preparations in indirect IF, the patterns of fluorescence were clean-linear in E3P hnd more fluffy-linear in EBA at the dermoepidermal junction, These patterns could be recognized aim/larly in the fields of both 200 and 400-magnification, however each minor differences were not easy to distinguish each other. CONCLUSION: The above findings of subtle differences in the pattern of IF may provide some suggestions to the examiners for the need of differential diagnosis in theae riseases.
Basement Membrane ; Blister ; Cicatrix ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Fluorescence* ; Humans ; Male ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Skin

Backgraund : Most of the inflammatory bullous lesions in bullous pamphigoid(BP) and epidermolysis bullosa acquisite(EBA) demonstrate similar clinical and histological features. However, the specificities of the autoantibodiea reactive to the dermo-epidermal junction antigeins are different. In these two bullouk dermat loses, there are no remarkable differences in symptomaiology, there are no unique predilection sites for the lesions and they do not usually leave scars after nvolution. Considering these similarities, dermatologists could encounter some clinical confuiion in maling a provisional diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: Authors examined three patients of BP with classic inflammatory bullous eruptions and threa patients of EBA with inflammatory bullous lesions to see if here were any differences in the morphology of the immuno-fluorescence(IF) pattern. METHODS: For direct IF of vertical or semi-vertical sections, perilasional skin was obtained in each patient for indirect IF of horizontal or semi-horizonta1 sections, Ig(bound substrates were prepared from all these autoantibody-positive individuals. All specimens veri; observed at 200/400-magnification fields through an ordinary fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Patterns of fluorescence observed by direct IF were characterized as thin-linear in BP and thick/coarse-linear in EBA along the basement membrane zone. On the horizontal section preparations in indirect IF, the patterns of fluorescence were clean-linear in E3P hnd more fluffy-linear in EBA at the dermoepidermal junction, These patterns could be recognized aim/larly in the fields of both 200 and 400-magnification, however each minor differences were not easy to distinguish each other. CONCLUSION: The above findings of subtle differences in the pattern of IF may provide some suggestions to the examiners for the need of differential diagnosis in theae riseases.
Basement Membrane ; Blister ; Cicatrix ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Fluorescence* ; Humans ; Male ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Skin

BACKGROUND: There is increasing concern in many countries about the problem of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Prevalence of primary drug-resistant tuberculosis is the optimal epidemiological indicator for long term monitoring of national tuberculosis control program. Our purpose was The purpose of our study is to assess clinical characteristics and socioeconomic status of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis. METHODS: We studied 68 cases with durg-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection diagnosed at the Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital from March, 1995 to February, 2000. RESULTS: Patients with primary drug-resistant tuberculosis(PDR) were younger(39.6±16.3 years vs. 48.2±16.5 years; p<0.05), had more population of less than more were under the age of 40 years aged-group(62.9% vs. 36.4%; p<0.05) and were more highly educated than those with acquired drug-resistant tuberculosis(ADR)(38.9% vs. 11.1%; p<0.05). In patients with ADR, the rates of familial history of tuberculosis and living in a rented house residence in a rented house were increased higher than compared with to those of patients with PDR. Patients with ADR had more involved lobes(2.0±0.8 vs. 1.4±0.7; p<0.01) and longer treatment duration than those with PDR(18.3±7.2 months vs. 10.6±6.3 months; p<0.05). Patients with ADR showed larger numbers of resistant were resistant to more number of drugs, lower hospitalization rate and higher rate of self-interruption of medication than those with PDR. In patients with PDR, mono-drug resistance was increased, whereas poly-and multi-drug resistances were decreased compared with those with ADR. Resistance to isoniazid was the highest among antituberculosis drugs, and resistance to isoniazid in patients with ADR was higher than that in patients with PDR(90.9% vs. 71.4%; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ADR were more likely to include more population be of lower socioeconomic class, and patients with PDR seem seemed to be young and socially active population. For control of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, proper isolation and prevention of patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis are needed.
Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Prevalence ; Social Class ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant*

To investigate the involvement of expression of the Fragile Histidine Triad(FH1T) gene product in the process of carcinogenesis and progression in cervical carcinoma, we examined its expression by immunohistochemical method in 15 cervical invasive carcinomas, 10 low grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias(CINs) and 30 high grade CINs(CMI and III). We detected expression of FHIT gene product in 4 of 15(27%) of invasive carcinomas, 3 of 10(30%) low grade CIN and 7 of 30(23%) of high grade CIN, while we detected expression of FHIT gene product in 28 of 45(62%) normal and metaplastic epithelium near the tumor. Thesc data indicate that loss of expression of FH1T gene product has some role in the early tumorigenesis of uterine cervical carcinoma, but not the consequence of the pregression of the tumor.
Carcinogenesis ; Epithelium ; Histidine* ; Immunohistochemistry