No Abstract Available.
Hyperpigmentation*

No abstract available.
Apoptosis* ; Caspase 3* ; Endothelial Cells* ; Perforin* ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Rats*

We report a case of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis in a 64-year-old male patient, who had multiple verrucous plaques on his right hand for twenty years. His past history revealed a previous history of injury on his lesion site. Histologic features consisted of hyperkeratosis, acanthosis in the epidermis with inflammatory infiltrate and tuberculoid granuloma in the dermis. It was suspected that the patient had tuberculosis verrucosa cutis, but no bacilli was found in the lesion in the AFB stain. Then we performed PCR, which showed a positive result. We started antituberculosis medication, and the lesions cleared up after 6 months of treatment with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol. The lesions were later confirmed to be tuberculosis by the AFB culture. We suggest that early diagnosis of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis can be made by using PCR.
Dermis ; Early Diagnosis ; Epidermis ; Ethambutol ; Granuloma ; Hand ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis*

Mn (manganese) is known to induce Parkinsonian neurological disorder. Several lines of evidence suggest that apoptosis is involved not only in physiological cell death during normal development but also in neurodegenerative disease. The mechanism of Mn induced cell death remains poorly understood. In the present study, we evaluated the morphologic changes and apoptotic profile in basal ganglia using rat model of Mn toxicity. The rats were divided into three groups: the first group was a control; the second group was subdivided by administration dosage of Mn into group A (5, 10 mg MnC12/ kg) and group B (20, 40 mg MnC12/kg). The rats of each subgroup received a injection of Mn via tail vein every week for 4 weeks. The second group received 4 repeated injection of 10 mg MnC12/kg in the same manner and the rats were sacrificed at day 1, 3 & 7 in group I and at day 10, 21, 42, and 90 in group II after the last injection. A significant loss of neuron and gliosis were observed in the basal ganglia in the experimental groups (p<0.05), which were more pronounced in group II than in the control or group I. No significant difference in number of nerve cells or degree of gliosis was identified in the substantia nigra. Apoptotic cells were also increased in basal ganglia of experimental groups and appeared among neurons (10%), glial cells (10%), and endothelial cells (60%). Apoptotic figures were consistently noted through the entire experimental period after Mn injection in basal ganglia. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that Mn-induced cytopathic insult affects various cell types in basal ganglia and shows variable sensitivity in the different regions of brain, especially in the apoptotic cell death of the neuron. The overaccumulation of Mn in the brain might be attributed from the breakdown of blood-brain barrier due to the injury through the apoptosis.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Basal Ganglia* ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain ; Cell Death ; Endothelial Cells ; Gliosis ; Manganese* ; Models, Animal ; Nervous System Diseases ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra ; Veins

BACKGROUND: The diffuse infiltrative lung disease requires surgical lung biopsy for its final diagnosis. We evaluated the effect of surgical lung biopsy for final diagnosis of duffuse interstitial lung disease and compared video assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy (TLB) with open lung biopsy (OLB). MATERIAL AND METHOD: We evaluated the patients who underwent surgical lung biopsy from March 2000 from December 2005, retrospectively. We divide to two groups (OLB and TLB group) and compared them. RESULT: There were 36 patients and cough was the most common pre- operative symptom. Surgery time, anesthetic time, hospital stay, duration of chest tube indwelling, specimen volume and the rate of post-operative complication were not significantly different between two groups. Histologic diagnosis was confirmed in all cases. There was one post-operative death who had suffered from respiratory failure since pre-operative period. CONCLUSION: Surgical lung biopsy is effective method in final diagnosis for diffuse infiltrative lung disease. Video assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy is lesser invasive method than open lung biopsy and provide similar results, so it is basic diagnostic method of surgical lung biopsy.
Biopsy* ; Chest Tubes ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lung Diseases* ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lung* ; Pathology ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies

Congenital triangular alopecia is a rarely reported idiopathic congenital circumscribed alopecia. It presents with isolated patches of permanent alopecia involving the frontotemporal suture area of the scalp. It is necessary to differentiate it from other conditions such as alopecia areata in order to avoid prolonged treatment which may cause adverse side effects. We report a case of 7-year-old boy with congenital triangular alopecia.
Alopecia Areata ; Alopecia* ; Child ; Humans ; Male ; Scalp ; Sutures

BACKGROUND: As life span is increasing, so is interest about adult disease. Especially the number of postmenopausal women has increased, and postmenopausal symptoms have become a important problem causing low quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy was introduced to overcome these problems. Authors investigated to evaluate the effect of hormone replacement therapy on the quality of life of postmenopausal women. METHODS: From April to June 1997, we surveyed 188 postmenopausal women (91 women were on hormone replacement therapy, and 97 women were in the controlled group in Sungnam Central Hospital) with COOP/WONCA chart Korean version. RESULTS: COOP/WONCA chart (Korean version) is composed of seven dimensions, among these four dimensions (change in health, overall health, daily activity and pain) were shown statistically significant difference between two groups. But three dimensions (social activity, physical fitness and feelings) were not shown to be statistically different. Total mean score of COOP/WONCA chart showed statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: To improve the quality of life of postmenopausal women, primary care physician should consider hormone replacement therapy along with proper patient selection and periodic follow up.
Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Menopause* ; Motor Activity ; Patient Selection ; Physicians, Primary Care ; Quality of Life*

No abstract available.
Lymphadenitis*

We examined the ultrastructural features of the lung parenchyma and the expression of apoptosis of the respiratory cells by TUNEL technique. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=30) were intra-tracheally injected with cadmium (2.5 mg/kg) into both lungs. The light and electron microscopic features of the lung tissues were examined on Days 1, 3, 7 and 10 after the injection of cadmium. Specimen preparations for the light and electron microscopic TUNEL stains were performed. Ultrastructurally, on Days 1 and 3, the alveolar spaces were filled with edematous fluid, and desquamated type I epithelial cells. On Days 7 and 10, the alveolar spaces and interstitium were patchy infiltrated with young fibroblasts and some collagen deposition. The light microscopic TUNEL stain showed that apoptosis of the alveolar cells was most prominent on Day 1, and then the number of apoptosis was markedly decreased on Days 3, 7 and 10. The electron microscopic TUNEL stain showed the electron dense homogenous nuclear expression, and the formation of intra-nuclear blebs which protrude to the outside of nuclei. On Days 7 and 10, there are frequent apoptotic nuclear bodies in the alveolar macrophages. We could examine the identification of the equivocal apoptotic cells and various morphologic expression of apoptotic nuclei on the electron microscopic TUNEL stain.
Acetone/pharmacology ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cadmium/metabolism/*pharmacology ; Cell Nucleus/metabolism ; *In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Lung/*cytology/*injuries/pathology/*ultrastructure ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Pulmonary Alveoli/metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Time Factors