PURPOSE: To investigate the vitreous proteomic profiles of macular hole (MH) patients compared to donor eyes and epiretinal membrane (ERM) patients. METHODS: Ten donor eyes, 25 MH patients (15 MH without posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and 10 MH with PVD), 10 ERM patients and 4 patients with vitreomacular traction syndrome (VMTS) were enrolled in the present study. The undiluted vitreous samples were obtained from all eyes. Proteins were identified using the micro-RPLC/MS/MS technique and using mass spectrometric data analysis from the IPI database. Proteins were searched for the function, subcellular location and tissue specificity using the Uniprot database. RESULTS: The mean vitreous protein concentrations were the highest (p < 0.01) in MH patients without PVD. There were no qualitative changes according to the age of donor eyes. However, the authors newly-identified 12 proteins (i.e. vasorin) in donor eyes. Ten out of 136 proteins (7.3%) (i.e. retinoschisin) were exclusively detected in the MH samples. S100A8 was exclusively detected in eyes without PVD, whereas CD59 was exclusively detected in eyes with PVD. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest there is a small difference in the vitreous proteomic profiles in MH patients compared to donor eyes or ERM patients, and that the expression of vitreous proteins is closely associated with the presence of PVD.
Epiretinal Membrane ; Eye ; Humans ; Organ Specificity ; Proteins ; Proteome ; Proteomics ; Retinal Perforations ; Statistics as Topic ; Tissue Donors ; Traction ; Vitreous Detachment

A case of progressive hypertrophic interstitial neuropathy developed in the median nerve of the right hand is reported. The patient was a 27-year old housewife who had complained of numbness and shooting pain on the median nerve distribution of the right hand for last 13 years, with recent aggrevation. And clinically palpated thickened sausage like mass in right distal forearm and palm mainly at the thenar eminence. Most part of redundant tumor tissus was excised, and complete excision of the transverse carpal ligament for release of compression and adhesiolysis was performed with relief of the symptoms.
Forearm ; Hand ; Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Ligaments ; Median Nerve

The advent of computerized cranial tomography made a greater advance in the diagnosis of very wide variety of intracranial lesions. Authors analyzed 58 pathologically proven sellar and parasellar tumors examined at Kyung Hee Un-iversity Hospital from Oct. 1977 to Jun. 1981 and the results were as follows; 1. The distribution of the tumors is 28 pituitary adenomas, 18 craniopharyngiomas, 5 meningiomas, 4 germinomas, 2 astrocytomas, and 1 sphenoid mucocele. 2. In pituitary adenoma, the precontrast CT scan of tumors appeared as isodensity in 11 cases, mixed density in 8 cases, high density in 6 cases, and low density in 3 cases, and associated with destruction of sellar turcica in 15 cases, calcification in 3 cases, and hydrocephalus in 2 cases. The postcontrast CT scan study revealed 24 cases of contrast enhancement, including 17 cases of homogenous and 7 cases of ring or rim enhancement. 3. In craniopharyngioma, the precontrast CT scan of tumors appeared as low density in 12 cases, isodensity in 4 cases and high density in 2 cases and associated with calcification in 16 cases, hydrocephalus in 15 cases and destruction of sellar turcica in 2 cases. The postcontrast CT scan study revealed no enhancement in 10 cases and contrast enhancement in 8 cases including 6 of ring enhancement and 2 heterogenous enhancement.
Astrocytoma ; Craniopharyngioma ; Diagnosis ; Germinoma ; Hydrocephalus ; Meningioma ; Mucocele ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Humans ; Interleukin-1* ; Interleukin-6* ; Plasma* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Tethered cord syndrome is a kind of spinal dysraphism with low-lying conus frequently associated with intraspinal lipoma, diastematomyelia, or fibrous band. The clinical manifestations include spine abnormality such as spina bifida and variable neurological symptoms involving lower extremities and sphincters. Here are two cases of tethered cord syndrome associated with intraspinal lipoma. Both are diagnoses with CTMM (computed tomographic metrizamide myelography) and one is operated.
Conus Snail ; Diagnosis ; Lipoma ; Lower Extremity ; Metrizamide ; Neural Tube Defects ; Spinal Dysraphism ; Spine

The antigenic domain of the major surface protein (Nc-p43) of Neospora caninum was examined by polymerase chain reaction of its gene fragments and recombinant expression as GST fusion proteins. The fragments of Nc-p43 were as follow: a total open reading frame (OFR), T; OFR without signal sequence and C-terminal hydrophobic sequence, S; N-terminal 2/3 parts of S, A; C-terminal 2/3 parts, P; N-terminal 1/3 part, X; middle 1/3 part, Y; and C-terminal 1/3 part, Z, respectively. The DNA fragments were cloned into pGEX-4T vector. Recombinant plasmids transformed into Escherichia coli of BL21 pLysS (DE3) strain were induced to express GST or GST fused fragments of Nc-p43 such as 69 kDa protein for T, 66 kDa for S, 52 kDa for A, 53 kDa for P, and 40 kDa proteins for X, Y, and Z, respectively in SDS-PAGE. The Nc-p43 fragments of T, S, and P reacted with a bovine serum of neosporosis while those of A, X, Y, and Z together with GST did not in the western blot. These findings suggest that the antigenic domain of Nc-p43 of N. caninum may be localized in the C-terminal 2/3 parts. Together with A19 clone in SAG1 of Toxoplasma gondii (Nam et al., 1996), the P fragment of Nc-p43 could be used as efficient antigens to diagnose and differentiate those infections with both species.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Biological Markers/analysis ; Blotting, Western ; Cells, Cultured ; Cercopithecus aethiops ; Coccidiosis/diagnosis ; Neospora/*immunology ; Protozoan Proteins/*analysis/genetics/immunology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Vero Cells/parasitology

CD44 is a hyaluronic acid receptor that exists as a standard 90-kd form (CD44H) as well as several CD44 variants isoforms are produced through alternative splicing. Alternatively spliced variants of the CD44 molecule have been found to be associated with invasive and metastatic potential of cancer cells and poor prognosis in several types of carcinoma. The purpose of the present study is to define the expression of CD44H and CD44v6 in ovarian tumors and to investigate whether the expression of these molecules is associated with adverse prognosis. We evaluated the expression of CD44 isoforms in 58 ovarian tumors by means of immunohistochemistry, and correlated between CD44 expression and the histologic types, tumor grade, peritoneal implants, pseudomyxoma peritonei and FIGO stage. While the CD44H was commonly expressed in ovarian tumors, the CD44v6 was expressed in a minor proportion of serous tumors in comparison with frequent expression of v6 isoform in mucinous tumors. The CD44H expression was significantly higher in stage I/II than in stage III. However, there was no correlation between the expression of CD44 and the presence of peritoneal implants or pseudomyxoma peritonei. These results suggest that CD44H could play an important role in the adhesive function in the lower stage of the ovarian tumor and reduced expression in the higher stage might be related to the metastasis and widespread invasion of ovarian carcinoma cells.
Adhesives ; Alternative Splicing ; Female ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mucins ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovary ; Prognosis ; Protein Isoforms ; Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

BACKGROUND: Balloon PTCA for the distal, long, eccentric coronary artery stenosis will be at high risk for severe dissection or acute occlusion during or after procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS: High Speed Rotational Atherectomy followd by low pressure balloon angioplasty due to distal, long, eccentric coronary artery stenosis. Rotational coronary atherectomy debulked the lesion quickly without difficulty. Rotational Coronary Atherectomy with adjuctive low pressure balloon inflation was successful without event. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the point that complementary deployment of devices may not only improve success of percutaneous coronary intervention, but also may extend its scope.
Angioplasty, Balloon ; Atherectomy, Coronary* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Inflation, Economic ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The purpose of this study is to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MR) findings of metastatic brain tumors with emphasis on the signal intensities of the lesion on MR. Thirty four patients with intracranial metastases were studies with MR imaging. The diagnosis was established on the basis of either brain biopsy or combination of brain MR findings and the presence of primary tumors. The primary tumors include lung cancer (n=18), breast cancer (n=3), stomach cancer (n=3), rectal cancer (n=1), renal cell carcinoma (n=1), hepatocellular carcinoma(n=1), ovarian cancer (n=1), thyroid cancer (n=1), melanoma (n=1) and unknown primary sites (n=4). The parenchymal lesions were solitary in 35% (12/34) and multiple in 65% (22/34). The size of the lesions was variable, ranging from several millimeters to 5cm in diameter. The corticomedullar junction of the cerebral heispheres was the most common location of the lesions (68%). The signal intensity of solid portion of the lesions was usually either isointense (44%) or hypointense (29%) on T1-weighted images, whereas it appeared in isointense (47%), hypointense (8%) or hyperintense (11%) on proton density-weighted or T2-weighted images. The remaining cases showed mixed signal intensities. The enhancement patterns were variable including nodular (<1cm) (6%), homogenous (19%), heterogeneous (10%), ring-like enhancement (22%) or mixed pattern(43%). The size of surrounding edema was larger than the tumor diameter in 76%. In conclusion, although there are no specific MR findings of intracranial metastasis except multiplicity, intracranial metastasis should be included in differential diagnosis with high priority, when a solitary mass showing isointensity on boty T1-and T2-weighted images with massive surrounding edema, especially in the corticomedullary junction of the cerebral hemispheres is encountered.
Biopsy ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Cerebrum ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Edema ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Melanoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Protons ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thyroid Neoplasms

The purpose of this study is to describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MR) findings of metastatic brain tumors with emphasis on the signal intensities of the lesion on MR. Thirty four patients with intracranial metastases were studies with MR imaging. The diagnosis was established on the basis of either brain biopsy or combination of brain MR findings and the presence of primary tumors. The primary tumors include lung cancer (n=18), breast cancer (n=3), stomach cancer (n=3), rectal cancer (n=1), renal cell carcinoma (n=1), hepatocellular carcinoma(n=1), ovarian cancer (n=1), thyroid cancer (n=1), melanoma (n=1) and unknown primary sites (n=4). The parenchymal lesions were solitary in 35% (12/34) and multiple in 65% (22/34). The size of the lesions was variable, ranging from several millimeters to 5cm in diameter. The corticomedullar junction of the cerebral heispheres was the most common location of the lesions (68%). The signal intensity of solid portion of the lesions was usually either isointense (44%) or hypointense (29%) on T1-weighted images, whereas it appeared in isointense (47%), hypointense (8%) or hyperintense (11%) on proton density-weighted or T2-weighted images. The remaining cases showed mixed signal intensities. The enhancement patterns were variable including nodular (<1cm) (6%), homogenous (19%), heterogeneous (10%), ring-like enhancement (22%) or mixed pattern(43%). The size of surrounding edema was larger than the tumor diameter in 76%. In conclusion, although there are no specific MR findings of intracranial metastasis except multiplicity, intracranial metastasis should be included in differential diagnosis with high priority, when a solitary mass showing isointensity on boty T1-and T2-weighted images with massive surrounding edema, especially in the corticomedullary junction of the cerebral hemispheres is encountered.
Biopsy ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Cerebrum ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Edema ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Melanoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Protons ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thyroid Neoplasms