No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus* ; Humans ; Tibial Nerve*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cricetinae* ; Neuropeptides*

No abstract available.
Olfactory Mucosa*

Articular chondrocytes have been known to have heterogeneity in articular cartilage. Four layers are generally recognized from the articular surface to the subchondral bone. We have used Percoll density gradients to separate chondrocytes from articular cartilage into distinct subpopulations. Non-fibrillated articular cartilage was obtained from rabbit knee. The cells were carefully layered on the top of the preformed gradient and spun. After centrifugation, we obtained four fractions: Fraction A referred boundary between 0% and 10%, fraction B from between 10% and 20%, fraction C from between 20% and 30%, and fraction D from between 40% and 50%. In the A fraction, cells are relatively larger and round in shape, while their nuclei are relatively smaller. In the cytoplasm many lipid droplets were found and rough endoplasmic reticulum were disrupted. In the D fraction, chondrocyte is small, with large nucleus which surrounded by well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum. The type II collagen proteins were expressed strongly and more proteoglycans synthesized in fractions A and B. And chondrocytes from the fraction D divided more slowly than those from the fractions A, B, and C. We have succeeded in separating chondrocytes from articular cartilage into distinct subpopulations by Percoll density gradients, as well as characterized growth rate, histological appearances and phenotypic expression. This study is the first report about the Percoll density gradients to separate articular chondrocytes.
Cartilage, Articular ; Centrifugation ; Chondrocytes* ; Collagen Type II ; Cytoplasm ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Knee ; Population Characteristics ; Proteoglycans

PURPOSE: To report on the clinical manifestations, species and treatments of patients with chronic canaliculitis. METHODS: From August 2003 to February 2012, 77 eyes of 77 patients who were diagnosed with chronic canaliculitis at our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The mean period from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 4.7 months. The most common systemic disease associated with chronic canaliculitis was diabetes (18 eyes, 23%), and 13 eyes (17%) were related to punctual plug insertion. Main symptoms consisted of epiphora with discharge and pouting punctum. In the culture results of 55 eyes, streptococci, staphylococci, and actinomyces among other bacteria were identified. Seventy-two eyes (94%) were cured with one-snip punctoplasty with curettage. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic canaliculitis is rare, and the clinical aspect can be obscured by chronic conjunctivitis, thus the diagnosis is often delayed. In patients who have systemic diseases such as diabetes or past history of punctual plug insertion, chronic canaliculitis should be differentiated by observing the punctum more closely. If the diagnosis is accurate at the time, chronic canaliculitis could be easily cured by a relatively simple procedure such as one-snip punctoplasty with curettage.
Actinomyces ; Bacteria ; Conjunctivitis ; Corneal Ulcer ; Curettage ; Dacryocystitis ; Eye ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Canaliculitis

Sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid is a rare tumor that usually arises from tarsal sebaceous gland. Because the clinical manifestations can masquerade as unilateral recurrent chalasion or chronic blepharoconjunctivitis, its diagnosis may be delayed. Therefore, early biopsy for diagnosis is needed for the persistently recurring unilateral blepharoconjunctivitis. The masquerade syndrome was first described in 1967 by Theodore and Irvine as chronic blepharoconjunctivitis due to an underlying conjunctival carcinoma. While the originally described neoplasms were squamous cell carcinomas, many of the tumors producing this clinical picture are believed to be sebaceous in origin. We experienced a case of pathologically confirmed sebaceous carcinoma of the eyelid which originally masqueraded as chronic blepharoconjunctivitis and was treated with topical antibiotics and steroids for 1 year and 8 months, finally being treated by partial orbital exenteration.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Conjunctivitis* ; Diagnosis ; Eyelids ; Orbit ; Sebaceous Glands ; Steroids

No abstract available.
Mass Screening* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

When tumor cells are exposed to ionizing radiation, various and complicated molecular biological changes take place leading to cell death, mutation, and recovery from sublethal damage. It has been known that DNA is the major critical target of radiation leading to cell death. The radiation-induced DNA damage activates ATM/ATR which then lead to activation and phosphorylation of downstream molecular signals, such as p53. Phosphorylation of p53 leads to inhibition of cell cycle progression, cell death through apoptosis and repair of damaged DNA. Recent evidence clearly demonstrated that p53 is directly involved in activation of cell cycle checkpoints resulting in G1 arrest and G2 arrest. During these arrests, the damaged DNA are repaired. However, when the radiation-induced DNA damage is excessive, cells undergo apoptotic cell death. Here again, p53 is involved in activation of pro-apoptotic signals such as Bax and caspases and inactivation of anti-apoptotic signals such as Bcl-2. Proper activation or intervention of these molecular signals may enable us to enhance the radiation damage in cancer cells and improve the efficacy of radiotherapy of malignant cancer.
Apoptosis ; Caspases ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Death ; DNA ; DNA Damage ; Phosphorylation ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Radiobiology ; Radiotherapy*

Pulmonary blastoma is a family of tumors in which the glands or mesenchyme composing the neoplasm are primitive or embryonic in appearance. There are three subtypes, which include well differentiated fetal adenocarcinoma (pulmonary endodermal tumor), biphasic pulmonary blastoma, and cystic and pleuropulmonary blastomas in children. Among them, biphasic pulmonary blastoma is a primary malignancy of the lung originating from multipotential pulmonary blastema including both the malignant fetal epithelial and mesenchymal components. These make up 0.25 to 0.5 percent of all primary malignant lung tumors. This tumor is usually symptomatic and appears as a large, solitary peripheral mass, with a tendency to favor the upper lobe. Here we report a case where small sized asymptomatic peripheral lung mass was diagnosed as a biphasic pulmonary blastoma, prior to the operation, A subsequent percutaneous needle biopsy was performed, which revealed features of a large cell neuroendocirne tumor. In addition, a review of the relevant literature is provided.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy, Needle ; Child ; Endoderm ; Humans ; Lung ; Mesoderm ; Pulmonary Blastoma*

The nature of the endonucleases responsible for DNA fragmentation in apoptosis has not yet been clearly defined. The intracellular acidity has been known to greatly affect apoptosis probably by affecting the activity of the endonucleases. In this study, the implication of pH in the apoptosis was investigated through the use of human HL-60 leukemia cells. The cells were incubated in media with different pH ranging from 3.5 to 7.5 for 4 hrs and the mode of cell death was investigated. The trypan blue exclusion assay showed that close to 25% and 90% of the cells were dead when incubated in pH 6.4 and pH 5.0 media, respectively. The agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA demonstrated that significant DNA fragmentation occurred in the HL-60 cells incubated in the pH 6.2-6.4 media for 4 hr indicating cell death by apoptosis. The electron microscopy study also demonstrated that many of the cells incubated in the pH 6.4 medium were in the process of apoptosis while the cells maintained in the pH 5.0 medium were dying by necrosis. The intracellular pH (pHi) of HL-60 cells was 6.6-6.9 when the extracellular pH (pHe) was 6.2-6.4. These results demonstrated that DNase I which has a maximal endonuclease activity near pH 7.0 may be responsible for the apoptosis accompanied by DNA fragmentation in HL-60 cells in the pH 6.4 medium. This observation is at variance with the previous reports that DNase II mediate the DNA fragmentation in apoptosis. The cell death at extremely low pH (pH 5.0) appeared to be due mainly to necrosis.
*Apoptosis ; DNA Damage ; HL-60 Cells/metabolism/*pathology ; Human ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't