A 26-year-old man presented with a bluish speckled patch on the dorsum of the left hand. It had apperaed at birth as a bluish spot. Since adolescence the lesion extended and at the time of visiting hospital it covered the most part of the dorsum of the left hand and even some palmar aspect. The histopathological and ultrastructural examination revealed numerous dermal melanocytes, mainly in the upper dermis. Clinically and pathologically, the patient was diagnosed as having dermal melanocyte hamartoma, a distinct type of dermal melanocytosis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Dermis ; Hamartoma* ; Hand ; Humans ; Melanocytes* ; Parturition

Dermal wound healing is a complex process that involved inflammation leading to re-epithelialization, granulation tissue, and tissue remodeling. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that polysaccharides isolated from fungus, Phellinus gilvus (PG) have various anti-inflammatory activities. In present study, we have assessed the effect of polysaccharides from PG on the dermal wound healing of polysaccharides from PG in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. Six of 6-mm circular wounds were created with biopsy punch on the 4th day after induction of diabetes. After 24 hours, each test substance was applied to the wound twice a day for next 5 days. Circular wounds treated with PG showed significantly reduced wound contraction and complete reepithelialization, as compared to wounds of non-treated (p < 0.05). These results show that polysaccharides isolated from PG enhanced wound repair in diabetic impaired healing, and could be developed as a wound healing agent in such clinical settings.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology ; Basidiomycota/*metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/*pathology ; Histocytochemistry ; Male ; Polysaccharides/isolation&purification/*pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin/*injuries ; Streptozocin ; Wound Healing/*drug effects ; Wounds, Penetrating/*drug therapy

OBJECTIVE: Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that synthesizes TTAGGG repeats onto chromosome ends. The expression of telomerase is thought to be required for cellular immortality and carcinogenesis. This study was conducted to examine the telomerase activation occurs in cervical carcinogenesis. METHODS: The standard telomeric repeat amplification protocol(TRAP) was used to examine telomerase activity in tissues of 10 normal cervix, 10 carcinoma in situ, and 21 invasive cervical carcinoma. RESULTS: Telomerase activity was detected in tissues of 16/21(76.2%) invasive carcinoma, in 5/10(50.0%) carcinoma in situ, and in 3/10(30.0%) normal cervix. But the degree of telomerase activity in normal cervix was weak. There was significant difference in 3 groups(p<0.05). The results of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 10 invasive cervical carcinoma were as follows. In 8 cases of which tumor size decreased more than 50%, 5 were positive for telomerase. In 2 cases that didn't respond to chemotherapy by tumor size, 1 was positive for telomerase. There was no significant difference between 2 groups. All of the 5 cases that had pelvic lymph node metastasis revealed positive telomerase activity, and the 11 cases of 16 cases that didn't have pelvic lymph node metastasis were positive for telomerase, but there was no significant difference in 2 groups. The positivity of telomerase activity in clinical stage of invasive cervical carcinoma was 73.3% in stage I(11/15), 75.0% in stage II(3/4), 100% in stage III(1/1), and 100% in stage IV(1/1), but there was no significant difference in each stages. CONCLUSION: Telomerase seems to be uniquely associated with malignant transformation of cervix and can be used as a tumor marker. Additional studies are needed to better clarify the biological significance of telomerase expression in cervical tumorigenesis.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Cervix Uteri ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ribonucleoproteins ; Telomerase* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

The mutation of p53 tumor suppressor gene is the most common genetic variation of primary malignant tumors. The occurrence, progression and reaction for medical management of cancers can be different according to the characteristics of p53 gene, even if they are same kinds of malignant tumors. In this study, the property of p53 gene in 4 kinds of squamous cell carcinoma cell lines were investigated by using immunocytochemistry, PCR-SSCP, sequencing and Western blot methods. As a result, p53 mutation detected in 3 kinds of squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Namely, it is found that T in codon 176 changed to A, and G in codon 281 changed to A in KUMA3 cell lines; CC in codon 241 changed to TT in KUMA4 cell lines; G in codon 266 changed to T in KUMA6 cell lines. In single nucleotide polymorphism of codon 72 of p53 gene, the genetic variations are Arg/Pro heterozygote in KUMA3 and KUMA4 cell lines; Arg/Arg homozygote in KUMA5 cell lines; Pro/Pro homozygote in KUMA6 cell lines. These results will provide useful data for p53 gene researches of various squamous cell carcinomas.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Line* ; Codon ; Genes, p53* ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Genetic Variation ; Heterozygote ; Homozygote ; Immunohistochemistry ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

No abstract available.

The incidence of severe hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection has been increasing. However, clinicopathologic features of severe HAV infection that lead to liver transplantation (LT) have not been reported in Korea. We retrieved 16 LT cases with HAV infection during the last 3 years at Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Fifteen cases progressed to hepatic encephalopathy. Thirteen cases survived with or without complications, and three patients died of sepsis. The explanted liver showed massive or zonal necrosis with moderate to severe cholestasis. The zonal distribution of necrosis was frequently associated with endothelialitis of portal and/or central veins. Degenerative changes of hepatocytes were various in degree and distribution. Viral inclusions were suspected in two cases. Although HAV infection is usually confirmed by serological tests, significant venulitis of central and/or portal veins and viral inclusions, which are rarely observed, can suggest an HAV infection as a cause of massive hepatic necrosis of unknown mechanism.
Cholestasis ; Fluconazole ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A virus ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Liver ; Liver Transplantation ; Massive Hepatic Necrosis ; Necrosis ; Portal Vein ; Sepsis ; Serologic Tests ; Veins

We have experienced 113 cases of neonatal sepsis comfirmed by clinical manifestations and blood cultures from Jan. 1988 to Dec. 1992 at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Ulsan Dong-Kang Hospital and observed the incidence, predisposing perinatal factors, clinical manifestations, associated illnesses, laboratory findings, isolated microorganisms, antibiotics sensitivity test and mortality rate of neonatal sepsis according to onset of disease. The result were as follows: 1) The incidence of neonatal sepsis was 1.39% and male to female ration was 1.38:1. The incidence and sex difference between early onset and late onset disease were not significant. 2) Neonatal sepsis was more prevalent in premature infants (2.47%) than in fullterm infants (1.28%) and nore prevalent in low birth weight infants(3.01%) than in normal birth weight infants (1.25%). In premature infants, neonatal sepsis was more prevalent in early onset (63.2%) than in late onset diease (36.8%). In low birth weight infants, neonatal sepsis was more prevalent in early onset (64.8%) than in late onset dieases (35.7%P). 3) Predisposing perinatal factors, such as meconium staining, birth asphyxia, difficult delivery, premature rupture of membrane, maternal infection, toxemia and postpartum bleeding were slightly frequent in early onset disease. 4) Among the clinical manifestations, jaundice, respiratory symptoms, pallor, lethargy, poor feeding and hepatosplenonegaly were slightly frequent in early onset disease, but temperature instability and gastrointestinal symptoms were slightly frequent in late onset disease. 5) Among the associated illness, pneumonia, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, amnionitis, hyaline membrane disease and osteomyelits were more common in early onset disease, but gastroenteritis, urinary tract infection, necrotizing enterocolitis, wound infection and meningitis were mors common in late onset disease. 6) The difference of laboratory findings between early onset and late onset disease was not significant. 7) Causative organisms were gram positive organisms in 87 cases(77.0%), gram negative organisms in 22 cases (18.6%) and mixed infections in 5 cases (4.4%). Among them, coagulase negative staphylococcus was the most common one and staphylococcus aureus was the second. The incidence of infections caused by coagulase negative staphylococcus and staphylococcus aureus, between early onset and late onset disease, was not significantly different. Streptococcal infection was more prevalent in early onset disease, especially all group B streptococcus caused early onset disease. 8) Gram positive organisms ware sensitive to Cephalothin (92.9%), Chloramphenicol (90.0%) and Ceftriaxone (88.9%). Gram negative organisms were sensitive to Amikacin (91.3%) and Colistin (82.6%). The difference of antibiotics sensitivity for organisms causing early onset and late onset diease were not significant. Gram negative organisms causing early onset disease were resistant to gentamicin and terramycin, but those organisms causing late onset disease were more sensitive to gentamicin (88.9%) and tobramycin (77.8%). 9) The mortality rate was 7.96%. It was higher in gram negative infections (23.8%) than in gram positive infections (4.6%). No significant difference of mortality rate between early onset and late onset disease was found.
Amikacin ; Amnion ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Asphyxia ; Birth Weight ; Ceftriaxone ; Cephalothin ; Chloramphenicol ; Chorioamnionitis ; Coagulase ; Coinfection ; Colistin ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Female ; Gastroenteritis ; Gentamicins ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyaline Membrane Disease ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Jaundice ; Lethargy ; Male ; Meconium ; Membranes ; Meningitis ; Mortality ; Oxytetracycline ; Pallor ; Parturition ; Pneumonia ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Rupture ; Sepsis* ; Sex Characteristics ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Streptococcal Infections ; Streptococcus ; Tobramycin ; Toxemia ; Ulsan ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND: Hemorrhage itself has been shown to produce abnormalities in immunity, particularly depression of the lymphocyte function. In order to better examine the amount of hemorrhage required to suppress the lymphocyte function, we determined the effect of graded fixed-volume hemorrhage on splenocyte proliferation and the lymphocyte subpopulation. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats(weight, 350~400g) were anesthetized, subjected to hemorrhages of 7.5ml/kg, 15ml/kg, and 22.5ml/kg by percutaneous cardiac puncture with 26G needles. After 1, 2, 4, and 7 days, animals were killed to obtain the blood and spleen. The splenocyte proliferative capacity was measured by using the tritiated thymidine incorporation technique, and the peripheral lymphocyte subpopulation was determined using flow cytometry with the following monoclonal antibodies: T cell(CD3+), T helper cell(CD4+), T cytotoxic cell(CD8+), and B cell(CD45RA+). RESULTS: Hemorrhage of 7.5ml/kg did not induce depression of splenocyte proliferation. However, for hemorrhage greater than 15ml/kg, the splenocyte proliferative capacity was significantly depressed at 2 days after hemorrhage and recovered at 4 days. Hemorrhage induced no changes in the relative percentage of lymphocyte subpopulations and in the number of each cell in peripheral blood. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that cellular immunity is depressed at 48 hrs after a hemorrhage greater than 15ml/kg without any change in the peripheral lymphocyte subpopulation.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Depression ; Flow Cytometry ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Lymphocytes* ; Male ; Needles ; Punctures ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spleen ; Thymidine

No abstract available.
Acrospiroma*

In a general way, anaerobic isolation is troublesome and needs competent personnel and fittings. In addition, bacterial isolation from the prostate is disappointing because of difficulty in interpretation of the results. In this experiment, we tried the best way to isolate anaerobes from the prostate in terms of processing of the specimens such as catching, transportation, etc. We performed this antegrade experiment for 12 months in 1992 and got the results from 43 patients with chronic prostatitis syndrome as follows. l. Age distribution was in broad range between 20 and 54 showing peak incidence in 31-40 years(49% ) and the next in 20-30 years( 30%). 2. Subjective symptoms and signs consisted of perineal discomfort, suprapubic discomfort, frequency, urethral discomfort, dysuria, morning drop, testicular discomfort, and hemospermia 3. Majority of the cases( 36 cases. 83.7% ) were normal in the microscopy of VB1 EPS of 31 cases(72%) showed WBC more than 10/HPF. VB3 of 23 cases(53.5% ) showed than l0/HPF 4. A total of 40 cases showed aerobes in EPS and/or VB3 by culture. However, only 8 cases showed aerobes in EPS and/or VB, exclusive of 32 cases in which aerobes also appeared in VB1. 5. Anaerobic bacteria were cultured only from EPS for a total of 8 cases. There were 2 cases with Bacteroides species, 2 cases with Prevotella bivia, 2 cases with Peptostreptococcus anaerobrus,2 cases with Actinomyces meyeri, 1 case with Eubacterium lentum and 1 case with Eubacterium limosum.
Actinomyces ; Age Distribution ; Bacteria, Anaerobic ; Bacteroides ; Dysuria ; Eubacterium ; Hemospermia ; Humans ; Incidence ; Microscopy ; Peptostreptococcus ; Prevotella ; Prostate ; Prostatitis* ; Transportation