Nevus cell inclusion in the lymph node is an uncommon histologic finding and usually is an incidental finding in the capsule, fibrous trabeculae, perinodal adipose tissue, and parenchyma of the axillary, inguinal, or cervical lymph nodes which are removed as part of cancer diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. The aggregated pigmented nevus cells in the lymph node resemble the cells of the cutaneous nevi. It is important to differentiate them from metastatic carcinoma or malignant melanoma. The characteristic features of nevus cell inclusions are presence of nevus cells within the capsule and supporting stroma, without presence in the marginal sinus of the lymph node, and the absence of cytological atypia or mitosis of nevus cells. We report two cases of nevus cell inclusions, in the axillary lymph nodes in a patient with breast carcinoma and in an enlarged inguinal lymph node in a patient without a malignant tumor.
Adipose Tissue ; Breast Neoplasms ; Humans ; Incidental Findings ; Lymph Nodes* ; Melanoma ; Mitosis ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Pigmented

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is known to be a profibrotic growth factor, which mediate the fibrotic effect of transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-beta) and to stimulate cell proliferation and matrix production. CTGF has been shown to be hypoxiainducible in several cell types. Here we investigated the effect of hypoxia on CTGF gene expression in cultured mouse renal tubular cells (MTC). Quiescent cultures of MTC were exposed to hypoxia (1% O2) or normoxia in serum-free medium. The effects on hypoxia-induced CTGF expression were evaluated by Northern blot and real-time PCR. The roles of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and TGF-beta were also determined using specific biochemical inhibitors. Exposure of quiescent tubular cells to hypoxia for 24 hr in a conditioned medium resulted in a significant increase TGF-beta. Hypoxia caused a significant increase in CTGF mRNA expression in MTC. Either JNK or ERK inhibitor did not block the hypoxia-induced stimulation of CTGF, whereas an inhibitor of p38 MAPK reduced the hypoxia-induced changes of CTGF. Although hypoxia stimulated TGF-betaproduction, neutralizing anti-TGF-beta1 antibody did not abolish the hypoxia-induced CTGF mRNA expression. The data suggest that hypoxia up-regulates CTGF gene expression, and that p38 MAPK plays a role in hypoxic-stimulation of CTGF. We also demonstrated that hypoxia induces CTGF mRNA expression via a TGF-beta1-independent mechanism.
Animals ; *Anoxia ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor/*metabolism ; Culture Media, Conditioned/metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; Kidney/metabolism ; Kidney Tubules/cytology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Mice ; Models, Biological ; RNA, Messenger/*metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Time Factors ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism

The purpose of the present study was to identify the factor structure of neurocognitive tests used on schizophrenia patients by using the confirmative factor analysis, and to assess the factor score differences of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Comprehensive neurocognitive tests were administered to stabilized schizophrenia patients (N=114) and healthy controls (N=120). In the results of factor analyses on patients, the multifactorial-6-factor model, which included the speed of processing, working memory, verbal learning and memory, visual learning and memory, attention/vigilance, and reasoning/problem solving as suggested by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS), showed the better goodness of fit than any of the other models tested. And assessing the group differences of factor scores, we found the patients performed worse than the controls in all factors, but the result showed meaningful variations of impairments across the cognitive factors. Our study identifies the six major domains with multifactorial structure of cognitive abilities in schizophrenia patients and confirms the distinctive impairment patterns of each cognitive domain. These results may have utility in better understanding the pathology of schizophrenia as well as in genetic studies.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Attention ; Cognition Disorders/etiology ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Memory ; Middle Aged ; Models, Psychological ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Problem Solving ; Schizophrenia/*diagnosis/etiology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Verbal Behavior ; Verbal Learning

Left isomerism is characterized by bilateral left-sidedness and multiple associated cardiac and visceral anomalies. The clinical manifestation of left isomerism mainly depends upon the cardiac lesions. Occasionally an individual will have a normal heart and be presented with the extracardiac anomalies. A 3-year-old girl with a diagnosis of left isomerism was presented with pulmonary hypertension and intermittent hypoglycemia. Computerized tomography of the abdomen revealed absence of the portal vein and portosystemic shunt. The superior mesenteric and splenic veins joined as a common trunk, bypassed the liver and drained the left renal vein and hemiazygos vein. Her pulmonary hypertension was considered as a consequence of the portosystemic shunt. We report a case of left isomerism in association with absence of the portal vein and a review of literatures.
Abdomen ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Hypoglycemia ; Isomerism* ; Liver ; Portal Vein* ; Portasystemic Shunt, Surgical ; Renal Veins ; Splenic Vein ; Veins

PURPOSE: Roux-en-Y reconstruction (RY) in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer is a more complicated procedure than Billroth-I (BI) or Billroth-II. Here, we offer a totally laparoscopic simple RY using linear staplers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Each 50 consecutive patients with totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with RY and BI were enrolled in this study. Technical safety and surgical outcomes of RY were evaluated in comparison with BI. RESULTS: In all patients, RY gastrectomy using linear staplers was safely performed without any events during surgery. The mean operation time and anastomosis time were 177.0+/-37.6 min and 14.4+/-5.6 min for RY, respectively, which were significantly longer than those for BI (150.4+/-34.0 min and 5.9+/-2.2 min, respectively). There were no differences in amount of blood loss, time to flatus passage, diet start, length of hospital stay, and postoperative inflammatory response between the two groups. Although there was no significant difference in surgical complications between RY and BI (6.0% and 14.0%), the RY group showed no anastomosis site-related complications. CONCLUSION: The double stapling method using linear staplers in totally laparoscopic RY reconstruction is a simple and safe procedure.
Aged ; Female ; Gastrectomy/*methods ; Gastric Bypass/*methods ; Humans ; Laparoscopy/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/surgery

PURPOSE: To identify the effect of insufficient lymph node dissection (LND) on the survival of patients with pT2 gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 340 patients (120 patients with insufficient LND and others with D2 LND) who underwent gastrectomy for pT2 gastric cancer between January 2008 and December 2010 were included. RESULTS: The incidence of preoperatively diagnosed early gastric cancer was higher and there were fewer metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) in the insufficient LND group than the D2 group, but there was no survival difference between two groups (p=0.365). Among the 89 patients with metastatic LNs after D2 LND, 13 patients (14.6%) had metastatic LNs at selected N2 stations (#10, 11, or 12a), but none of these patients were in the pN1 category. One patient had five metastatic LNs at station #11p with no metastatic LNs at any other stations. The number of metastatic LNs was identified as the only risk factor for LN metastasis at selected N2 stations by logistic regression. CONCLUSION: If a patient has pN0 or pN1 category after insufficient LND for pT2 gastric cancer, the surgery can be regarded as secure. However, for patients with pN2 or pN3 category, more careful examination is required.
Aged ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis/*surgery

Platelets play an essential role in hemostasis through aggregation and adhesion to vascular injury sites but their unnecessary activation can often lead to thrombotic diseases. Upon exposure to physical or biochemical stimuli, remarkable platelet shape changes precede aggregation or adhesion. Platelets shape changes facilitate the formation and adhesion of platelet aggregates, but are readily reversible in contrast to the irrevocable characteristics of aggregation and adhesion. In this dynamic phenomenon, complex molecular signaling pathways and a host of diverse cytoskeleton proteins are involved. Platelet shape change is easily primed by diverse pro-thrombotic xenobiotics and stimuli, and its inhibition can modulate thrombosis, which can ultimately contribute to the development or prevention of thrombotic diseases. In this review, we discussed the current knowledge on the mechanisms of platelet shape change and also pathological implications and therapeutic opportunities for regulating the related cytoskeleton dynamics.
Blood Platelets* ; Cytoskeleton* ; Hemostasis ; Thrombosis ; Vascular System Injuries ; Xenobiotics

No abstract available.
Lower Extremity ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Lower Extremity ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the oxidation and antioxidation capacity in the maternal venous plasma of preterm labor with intact membranes, and premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), and also to evaluate their roles in the pathophysiology of PPROM. METHODS: Seventy five women in the following categories had venous blood retrieved: (1) Group A, normal pregnancy (n=24). (2) Group B, preterm labor with intact membranes (n=25). (3) Group C, preterm premature rupture of membranes (n=26). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as a marker of lipid peroxidation by thiobarbituric acid reaction, protein carbonyl content by 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine reaction, and total antioxidant capacity by oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay (ORAC) were measured. Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Lipid peroxide levels in the venous plasma of group B and C were significantly higher than those of group A (group B: 4.59+/-0.30, group C: 5.40+/-0.22 vs. group A: 3.90+/-0.26 nmol/mg protein, P<0.05). Lipid peroxide levels in the venous plasma of group C were significantly higher than those of group B (P<0.05). Protein carbonyl levels in the venous plasma of group C were significantly higher than those of group A (group C: 5.68+/-0.42 vs. group A: 5.43+/-0.41 nmol/mg protein, P<0.05). There was no significant difference of protein carbonyl levels in the venous plasma between group A and B. ORAC levels in the venous plasma of group B and C were significantly lower than those of group A (group B: 117.90+/-0.48, group C: 111.68+/-1.23 vs. group A: 119.14+/-1.12 mM/mL, P<0.05). ORAC levels in the venous plasma of group C were significantly lower than those of group B (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In the blood of the women with preterm premature rupture of membranes, the lipid peroxidation was increased and the antioxidant capacity was decreased compared to women with normal pregnancy and preterm labor with intact membranes. These results suggest that oxidative stress was increased in preterm premature rupture of membranes.
Female ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Malondialdehyde ; Membranes* ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Oxidative Stress* ; Oxygen ; Plasma* ; Pregnancy ; Rupture*