No abstract available.
Causality* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Pneumothorax*

Stool examination is believed to be the most reliable method for detecting Clonorchis sinensis (CS) eggs. However, it has limited value for diagnosing clonorchiasis when the biliary tract is obstructed or when there is a light infection. We evaluated the infection states of CS in patients with biliary tract diseases using a bile sample. From January 2001 to August 2003, 238 patients who had undergone endoscopic biliary drainage were prospectively included in the study. The patients' bile samples were obtained directly from the nasobiliary drainage tube and then analyzed to detect CS eggs. The overall CS egg positive rate was 28.2% (35.4% in males, 19.4% in females). The egg positive rate was similar in all age groups examined: 26.7% in 30-39 years, 25.0% in 40-49 years, 24.4% in 50-59 years, 30.2% in 60-69 years, 35.3% in 70-79 years, and 25.0% in 80 years of age and over. There were no significant differences in the egg positive rate between the disease groups: 32.6% in bile duct cancer, 38.5% in gallbladder cancer, and 26.4% in gallstone diseases. Our results show that the CS infection rate was very high, regardless of the age, gender, and type of diseases of the patients. Although the study population was limited to patients with biliary tract diseases, it is assumed that clonorchiasis is still an endemic disease in Ulsan, Korea.
Korea/epidemiology ; Humans ; Clonorchis sinensis/embryology/*isolation & purification ; Clonorchiasis/complications/*diagnosis ; Biliary Tract Diseases/*complications ; Bile/*parasitology ; Animals

OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is strongly implicated as a causative agent in the etiology of cervical cancer. Of its gene products, E6 and E7 oncoproteins play major roles by inactivation of cellular p53 and pRb tumor suppressor proteins, respectively. However, it has been recently suggested that p53 and/or pRb-independent functions of E6 and E7 are involved in cervical carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study is to identify novel a cellular target, p73, of E6 and to determine how E6 inactivates p73 function, METHODS: The interaction between E6 and p73 were identified by the yeast two-hybrid assay in vivo and the GST pull-down assay in vitro. The function of the interaction was determined by transient transfections using p21 promoter-CAT reporter plasmid. The molecular mechanism underlying the functional significance of the interaction was further assessed by in vivo and in vitro protein degradation assays, and gel mobility shift assays. RESULTS: Yeast two-hybrid and GST pull-down assays indicate a physical interaction between p73 and either HPV-16 or HPV-11 E6 proteins in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Transactivation domain (amino acid residues 1-49) is found to be absolutely required for this interaction. Transient co-expression of E6 significantly inhibits the p73-mediated activation of p21WAF1 promoter in a p53-defective C33A cell line. Using Ga14-p73 fusion protein, we demonstrate that E6 inhibition of p73 transactivation function is independent of sequence-specific DNA binding, which is confirmed by direct electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Moreover, E6 inhibits p73 function by interfering with the activity of the amino-terminal activation domain. The protein degradation assays in vivo and in vitro indicate that p73, unlike p53, is not susceptible to E6-dependent proteolysis. CONCLUSION: Throughout this study, we identified p73 as a novel cellular target of HPV-E6 protein and found that E6 binds p73 through the amino-terminal transactivation domain, and inhibits its transactivation function independent of the protein degradation and DNA binding. These overall results, consequently, suggest that in addition to the inactivation of p53, the functional interference of p73 by HPV-E6 may, at least in part, contribute to E6-mediated cellular transformation.
Carcinogenesis ; Cell Line ; DNA ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Human papillomavirus 11 ; Human papillomavirus 16 ; Humans ; Oncogene Proteins ; Plasmids ; Proteolysis ; Transcriptional Activation ; Transfection ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Yeasts

No abstract available.
Membranes* ; Pregnancy* ; Rupture*

Situs inversus of the abdominal organs in the presence of normally placed heart on the left side of the thorax is known as situs inversus with isolated levocardia. This rare condition is commonly associated with severe congenital defects of the heart. We report a case of situs inversus with levocardia in a 19-year-old asymptomatic male patient with completely normal heart on the left chest. Spiral computed tomography of the thorax and abdomen and echocardiographic studies revealed situs inversus of abdominal organs, normal heart (levocardia), mirrored left lungs, a midline liver, a left-sided inferior vena cava connecting to the right atrium, multiple splenic masses in the abdominal right upper quadrant, and aneurysmal dilatation of a splenic artery.
Abdomen ; Aneurysm ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dilatation ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Heterotaxy Syndrome* ; Humans ; Levocardia* ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Situs Inversus ; Splenic Artery ; Thorax ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Vena Cava, Inferior ; Young Adult

In 1957, human skin infection by M. canis were firstly reported in Kyungsang province in Korea. Later, in 1960 new cases were also reported in the other province, the Choongchung. However, M. canis infection has been reported only sporadically in Seoul city. This extremely low incidenc in this area may not represent true negative rate but reflect lack of the alertness of .M. canis infection. During the years 1978 and 1979, 15 out-patients were diagnosed as M canis infection of the skin at the Department of Dermatology of Severance Hoapital, Yonsei University. These 15 patients were found to belong to six different families residing in the central Korea and never resided outside of that area, The Kyungki province. Majority of the cases(11/15) were clinically diagnosed as tinea corporis, as Kerion celsi and 4 cases were tinea capitis. Among them, combined infection by tinea capitis and tinea corporis were confirmed in two patients. Although the ages of the pateints were widely distributed from 2 to 36 years, children under age 10 were the major population among thern. Five domestic cats from 5 families were examined and confirmed to be infected by M. cams.
Animals ; Cats ; Child ; Dermatology ; Humans ; Korea* ; Microsporum* ; Outpatients ; Seoul ; Skin ; Tinea ; Tinea Capitis

OBJECTIVES: AGUS often reflects an immediate cervical cancer precursor such as a HSIL mimicking an endocervical glandular lesion. In this study, we attempted to assess the clinical significance of a cytologic diagnosis of atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance (AGUS) and determine the usefulness of the human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing as the triage strategies in evaluating AGUS. METHODS: Between 1994 and 1998, 67,730 Papanicolaou smears were evaluated at Kangnam and Uijongbu St Mary's Hospital. There were 87 (0.13%) cases of AGUS smears during that time. Colposcopy was performed on all women, and HPV DNA testing was performed on 11 persons. RESULTS: Mean age of these patients was 45.8 years. Histologic diagnosis of AGUS were kolocytosis and CIN-I in 6 (6.9%), CIS in one, endometrial hyperplasia in 2 (2.3%), endometrial adenocarcinoma in 7 (8.0%), cervical adenocarcinoma in 14 (16.1%) and cervical squamous cell carcinoma in 2 (2.3%) cases. Endometriosis was 8.9% under 46 years old and none in over 46. CIN was 8.9% and 7.2%, respectively. Cervical adenocarcinoma was 6.7% under 46 and 19.1% over 46. Endometrial cancer was 4.4% and 11.9%, respectively. The risk of cervical cancer and endometrial cancer was high in the AGUS with Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Colposcopy ; Diagnosis ; DNA* ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Papanicolaou Test ; Triage ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Objective: Commonly, brain temperature is estimated from measurements of body temperature. However, temperature difference between brain and body is still controversy.The objective of this study is to know temperature gradient between the brain and axilla according to body temperature in the patient with brain injury. Methods: A total of 135 patients who had undergone cranial operation and had the thermal diffusion flow meter (TDF) insert were included in this analysis. The brain and axilla temperatures were measured simultaneously every 2 hours with TDF (2 kinds of devices:SABER 2000 and Hemedex) and a mercury thermometer. Saved data were divided into 3 groups according to axillary temperature. Three groups are hypothermia group (less than 36.4°C), normothermia group (between 36.5°C and 37.5°C), and hyperthermia group (more than 37.6°C). Results: The temperature difference between brain temperature and axillary temperature was 0.93±0.50°C in all data pairs, whereas it was 1.28±0.56°C in hypothermia, 0.87±0.43°C in normothermia, and 0.71±0.41°C in hyperthermia. The temperature difference was statistically significant between the hypothermia and normothermia groups (p=0.000), but not between the normothermia and hyperthermia group (p=0.201). Conclusion This study show that brain temperature is significantly higher than the axillary temperature and hypothermia therapy is associated with large brain-axilla temperature gradients. If you do not have a special brain temperature measuring device, the results of this study will help predict brain temperature by measuring axillary temperature.

OBJECTIVE: Retinoic acids (RAs) and interferons (IFNs) have been implicated in the growth regulation of cervical cancer cells, which was suggested by clinical trials and in vitro experiments. However, the molecular mechanisms of growth regulation are not fully defined, The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of RA and/or IFN on human cervical carcinoma cells in vitro and to analyze their action mechanisms in HPV-positive cervical carcinoma cells by molecular biologic studies. METHODS: HPV-positive (CaSki, HeLa), HPV-negative (C33A, HT-3), and non-cervical cancer Cos-1 cell lines were treated with RA and/ar IFN. Their effects on cell growth were evaluated by the cell pmliferation assay and the following BrdU DNA incorporation assay. The molecular mechanism was further investigated by a series of immunoblottings and transient cotransfection assays, which were conducted in HeLa cells and C33A cells using the CAT reporter gene assay. To observe the down regulation of HPV E6/E7 gene expression by RA/IFN, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was perforned. RESULTS: The powth of RA-treated cells was less suppressed than that of IFN-treated cells. Combined treatment of RA and IFN leads to additive effect on the growth suppression of HeLa and CaSki cells. The proliferation activity was most severely reduced in Hela cells by treatment of both all-trans-RA (AtRA) and IFN-r. Combined treatment of AtRA/IFN-r causes a great increase in the level of interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) protein in HeLa cells, whereas no induction of IRF-1 was observed in C33A cells. The CAT gene expression for IRF-1 was greatly induced by IFN-r in HeLa cells. Immunoblotting assays shows the concurrent induction of p21 CDK inhibitor and dephosphorylation of Rb protein in HeLa cells. In RT-PCR, an individual treatment of either RA or IFN reduced HPV E6/E7 mRNA levels and significantly cooperative when both RA and IFN were treated. By deaeasing E6 levels, the p53 level was increased in HeLs cells treated with RA and/or IFN. Transient cotransfection of IRF-1 and p53 as the transcription factors leads to the cooperative activation of a common p21 promoter to regulate the cell cycle. CONCLUSION: RA/IFN suppressed the growth of HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. When they were both treated, additive suppressive effects were observed in cellular proliferation as well as DNA synthesis. The growth suppressive effect is likely to be related to the increased expression of IRF-1 and p21 (antitumoral effect; p53-independent). The down regulation of HPV E6 gene suppression may account for the resultant increase of p53 levels (antiviral effect; p53-dependent). Both induced IRF-1 and p53 cooperatively augument tbe suppession of p21 CDK inhibitor, which results in dephosphorylation of pRb. Although clinical effects are likely complex and may include interactions of in vitro growth inhibitory effects with immunomodulatory and antiangiogeaetic effect, tbese results suggest the optimal clinical role for the combination of RA/IFN in the treatment of cervical canccers.
Animals ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Cats ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Proliferation ; COS Cells ; DNA ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Reporter ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Interferon Regulatory Factor-1 ; Interferons* ; Retinoblastoma Protein ; RNA, Messenger ; Transcription Factors ; Tretinoin ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Cryptococcosis* ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung*