No abstract available.
Leukemia*

No abstract available.
Electroencephalography* ; Neuronal Ceroid-Lipofuscinoses ; Neurons*

Angioleiomyoma is an infrequent benign smooth muscle tumor that arises from smooth muscle cells of arterial or venous walls in the tunica media layer. It would be found in the dermis, the subcutaneous tissue, or the superficial fascia of the anywhere in the body and is most often seen in the lower extremities. The typical lesion is a small, slowly growing, round, but firm and mobile nodule. We report a case of angioleiomyoma located on the anterior aspect of the elbow, which was mistaken for extradigital glomus tumor after history taking, physical examination. With point tenderness and worsening sharp pain in cold exposure for several years, the patient was referred for a further evaluation, and the lesion was 5 mm sized well-circumscribed mass in the anterior elbow with vascular signals on color and power Doppler by ultrasonography and finally diagnosed as angioleiomyoma following complete excision and histological evaluation.

Angioleiomyoma is an infrequent benign smooth muscle tumor that arises from smooth muscle cells of arterial or venous walls in the tunica media layer. It would be found in the dermis, the subcutaneous tissue, or the superficial fascia of the anywhere in the body and is most often seen in the lower extremities. The typical lesion is a small, slowly growing, round, but firm and mobile nodule. We report a case of angioleiomyoma located on the anterior aspect of the elbow, which was mistaken for extradigital glomus tumor after history taking, physical examination. With point tenderness and worsening sharp pain in cold exposure for several years, the patient was referred for a further evaluation, and the lesion was 5 mm sized well-circumscribed mass in the anterior elbow with vascular signals on color and power Doppler by ultrasonography and finally diagnosed as angioleiomyoma following complete excision and histological evaluation.

Peptic ulcer is one of the most prevalent diseases in gastrointestinal field. Recently, evolution was made for pathophysiology of peptic ulcer from "no acid, no ulcer" to Helicobacter pylori and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The prevalence of peptic ulcer disease is estimated about 10% in Korea, and has declined due to Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. Peptic ulcer has the cycle of exacerbation and improvement in the clinical course, and has not occasionally any clinical symptom. Helicobacter pylori eradication has made the marked reduction of relapse of peptic ulcer disease. Although nationwide endoscopic screening has enabled accurate diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease, general guideline for diagnosis of peptic ulcer has not made in Korea. Herein, we propose a guideline for the diagnosis of peptic ulcer according to domestic, international clinical studies, and experts opinions with level of evidence and grade of recommendation.
Anticoagulants/therapeutic use ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Helicobacter Infections/diagnosis ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Peptic Ulcer/*diagnosis ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use

PURPOSE: The function of regulatory B lymphocytes is known to be abnormal in inflammatory diseases. However, a recent study indicates that IL-10+ B cells seem to be expanded in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, the state of IL-10+ B cells in the peripheral blood from RA patients and healthy controls were investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CD19+ cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were purified from blood samples of RA patients and age and gender-matched healthy controls, and stimulated with CD40 ligand and CpG for 48 hours. Then, intracellular IL-10 in CD19+ cells was analyzed using flow cytometry. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the proportion of IL-10+ B cells between 10 RA patients and 10 healthy controls (RA, 0.300+/-0.07 vs. healthy control 0.459+/-0.07, p=0.114). The proportion of induced IL-10+ B cells to total B cells in RA patients was significantly higher than those in controls (RA, 4.44+/-3.44% vs. healthy control 2.44+/-1.64%, p=0.033). However, the proportion of IL-10+ B cells to total B cells correlated negatively with disease activity in RA patients (r=-0.398, p=0.040). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein or medication was not associated with the proportion of IL-10+ B cells. CONCLUSION: The proportion of induced IL-10+ B cell increased in RA patients compared to healthy control, however, negatively correlated with disease activity in RA.
Adult ; Aged ; Antigens, CD19/metabolism ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood/*immunology/pathology ; B-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism/*physiology ; Biological Markers/blood ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-10/metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Severity of Illness Index

OBJECTIVE: Leptin, a secreted protein of the Ob gene by white adipose tissue, plays an important role in the regulation of food intake and energy consumption in the brain and acts as a potential growth stimulator in normal and neoplastic breast cancer cells. However, a potential role of leptin as an endocrine regulator is unknown in ovarian cancer. In the present study, we investigated the expression of leptin and its receptors in various histologic types of ovarian cancer and immortalized ovarian cancer cell lines to find out potential effect of leptin on the cell growth and activation of ovarian cancer cell line. METHODS: The ovarian cancer tissues, serous (n=18), mucinous (n=15), clear cell (n=12) and endometrioid type (n=14), were used for immuno-histochemical staining for leptin (Ob) and leptin-receptors (Ob -R). Ovrian cancer cell lines (non-mucinous: SNU-8, OVCAR-3, and SKOV-3) and mucinous: MUC) were used for RT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and [H3] thymidine incorporation assay for the cell growth and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase. RESULTS: Both long (Ob-Rb) and short (Ob-Rt) isoforms of leptin receptors are expressed in non-mucinous type of ovarian cancer tissues (serous, clear cell carcinoma and endometrioid cell carcinoma) and in non-mucinous ovarian cancer cell lines (SNU-8, OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3 cells). However, leptin and its receptors are not found in mucinous cancer cells and mucinous cancer cell line (MUC). In immunohistochemical staining, the immunreactive leptin is expressed on the nuclei of the stratified cuboidal-to-columnar epithelial cells whereas its receptor was sparsely expressed on the innermost epithelial cell clusters and cytoplasm in non-mucinous tumor. However, there are no immunoreactive leptin and its receptor expressions in the mucinous tumor. In addition, treatment with leptin resulted in the growth stimulation of ovarian cancer cell line, an activation of ERK 1/2 and inhibition of constitutive phosphorylation of p38 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). CONCLUSION: Taken together, our data demonstrates preliminary that the expression of leptin and its receptor is different according to the cell types of the ovarian cancer. Also it canbe thought that leptin immunolocalized on the nuclei in non-mucinous type but not in mucinous possibly acts as a nuclear transcription factor. Further studies are necessary to validate whether leptin may be a potential regulator for ovarian cancer.
Adipose Tissue, White ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Line ; Cytoplasm ; Eating ; Epithelial Cells ; Leptin ; Mucins ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Phosphorylation ; Protein Isoforms ; Protein Kinases ; Receptors, Leptin ; Thymidine ; Transcription Factors

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus(HCV), a family of Flaviviridae, has a host cell-derived envelope containing a positive-stranded RNA genome, and has been known as the maj or etiological agent for chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. There remains a need to dissect a molecular mechanism of pathogenesis for the development of therapeutic and effective preventive measure for HCV. Identification of cellular receptor is of central importance not only to understand the viral pathogenesis, but also to exploit strategies for prevention of HCV. This study was aimed at identifying peptide mimotopes inhibiting the binding of E2 protein of HCV to MOLT-4 cell . METHODS: In this study, phage peptide library displaying a random peptides consisting of 7 or 12 random peptides was employed in order to pan against E2 protein. Free HCV particles were separated from the immune complex forms by immunoprecipitation using anti-human IgG antibody, and used for HCV-capture ELISA. To identify the peptides inhibiting E2-binding to MOLT-4 cells, E2 protein was subj ect to bind to MOLT-4 cells under the competition with phage peptides. RESULTS: Several phage peptides were selected for their specific binding to E2 protein, which showed the conserved sequence of SHFWRAP from 3 different peptide sequences. They were also able to recognize the HCV particles in the sera of HCV patient s captured by monoclonal antibody against E2 protein. Two of them, showing peptide sequence of HLGPWMSHWFQR and WAPPLERSSLFY respectively, were revealed to inhibit the binding of E2 protein to MOLT-4 cell efficiently in dose dependent mode. However, few membrane-associated receptor candidates were seen using Fasta3 programe for homology search with these peptides. CONCLUSION: Phage peptides containing HLGPWMSHWFQR and WAPPLERSSLFY respectively, showed the inhibition of E2-binding to MOLT-4 cells. However, they did not reveal any homologues to cellular receptors from GenBank database. In further study, cellular receptor could be identified through the screening of cDNA library from MOLT-4 or hepatocytes using antibodies against these peptide mimotopes.
Antibodies ; Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Bacteriophages ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Conserved Sequence ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flaviviridae ; Gene Library ; Genome ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoprecipitation ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mass Screening ; Peptide Library* ; Peptides ; RNA

OBJECTIVES: This study was to identify the relationship between quality of life and psychosocial characteristics in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The subjects were eighty nine patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV. The Korean Quality of Life Scale (K-QLS) and the Korean modified Scale to measure Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic treatment (KmSWN) were used to assess quality of life. The psychopathology of each patient was assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SAUMD) was used for differentiating presence and absence of insight. The Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), the Scale of Social Support (SSS), and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) were used for assessing psychosocial characteristics. The correlation between the scores of each quality of life scale and other scales was examined, and multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the contribution of the scores of each quality of life scale to other scales. RESULTS: The K-QLS score was significantly related to the scores of the PANSS, the SAUMD, the social conflict domain of the SSS, and the SOFAS. The KmSWN score was significantly related to the scores of the PANSS, the SOFAS, the social conflict domain of the SSS, and the FACES. In multiple regression analysis, the scores on the PANSS (32.9%), the SAUMD (5.8%), and the FACES (4.0%) were contributed to the score on the K-QLS, and the scores on the social conflict domain of the SSS (17.3%) and the FACES (12.9%) were contributed to the score on the KmSWN. CONCLUSION: The relation between the K-QLS score and the scores of other scales means that the objective quality of life increases according to decreased the severity of symptom, the high level of insight and the socio-occupational function. And the relation between the KmSWN score and the scores of other scales means that the subjective quality of life increases according to the perceptions to the high level of social support, the low level of social conflict, and the high level of family adaptability and cohesion. The objective quality of life assessed by the K-QLS is affected primarily by the severity of symptoms, and the subjective quality of life assessed by the KmSWN is affected by the subjective perceptions of social conflict, family adaptation and cohesion. These findings suggest that the treatment of symptoms is important in the treatment of schizophrenic patients, but that it is also important to approach to the psychosocial characteristics to increase subjective satisfaction from the quality of life in them
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Family Conflict ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Psychopathology ; Quality of Life* ; Schizophrenia* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: This study was to identify the relationship between quality of life and psychosocial characteristics in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The subjects were eighty nine patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV. The Korean Quality of Life Scale (K-QLS) and the Korean modified Scale to measure Subjective Well-being under Neuroleptic treatment (KmSWN) were used to assess quality of life. The psychopathology of each patient was assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder (SAUMD) was used for differentiating presence and absence of insight. The Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), the Scale of Social Support (SSS), and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) were used for assessing psychosocial characteristics. The correlation between the scores of each quality of life scale and other scales was examined, and multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the contribution of the scores of each quality of life scale to other scales. RESULTS: The K-QLS score was significantly related to the scores of the PANSS, the SAUMD, the social conflict domain of the SSS, and the SOFAS. The KmSWN score was significantly related to the scores of the PANSS, the SOFAS, the social conflict domain of the SSS, and the FACES. In multiple regression analysis, the scores on the PANSS (32.9%), the SAUMD (5.8%), and the FACES (4.0%) were contributed to the score on the K-QLS, and the scores on the social conflict domain of the SSS (17.3%) and the FACES (12.9%) were contributed to the score on the KmSWN. CONCLUSION: The relation between the K-QLS score and the scores of other scales means that the objective quality of life increases according to decreased the severity of symptom, the high level of insight and the socio-occupational function. And the relation between the KmSWN score and the scores of other scales means that the subjective quality of life increases according to the perceptions to the high level of social support, the low level of social conflict, and the high level of family adaptability and cohesion. The objective quality of life assessed by the K-QLS is affected primarily by the severity of symptoms, and the subjective quality of life assessed by the KmSWN is affected by the subjective perceptions of social conflict, family adaptation and cohesion. These findings suggest that the treatment of symptoms is important in the treatment of schizophrenic patients, but that it is also important to approach to the psychosocial characteristics to increase subjective satisfaction from the quality of life in them
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Family Conflict ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Psychopathology ; Quality of Life* ; Schizophrenia* ; Weights and Measures