In an attempt to elucidate the morphologic changes of normal aging skin, the present study was undertaken in human facial and chest well skin of individuals aged from 4 months to 76 years old. Biopsied skin was studied with light microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope, using both conventional and tannic acid staining. The morphologic changes in the skin were noted as follow: 1. Structurally, the aged epidermis gradually became somewhat thinner, with flattening of the dermoepidermal interface. The number of melanocytes also decreased. 2. Abnormalities of elastic fibers such as loss of oxytalan fibers were observed from age 30. It was the initial sign of the aging process of elastic fibers, followed by abnormal changes in elaunin and mature elastic fibers. The degree of facial skin abnormality was rather more severe than that of the chest wall skin. 3. In individuals more than 50 years old, the age related changes in mature elastic fibers were more severe. Transmission electron microscopically, the electron density in elastin was irregular. The elastic fibers also showed pores and irregular splitting with fragmentation. Fine granular materials were scattered near the elastin. 4. Scanning electron microscopically, the elastic fibers in young adult skin showd ribbon-like fibers aligned in the same direction. They were either cylindrical or elliptical, having smooth surface. In old skin, the elastic fibers ran in various directions, forming complicated networks. These were larger, more elliptical and more branched than those in young adult skin. In summary, histologic changes of aging are much more prominent in sun-exposed skin(facial skin) than in sun protected skin(chest wall skin). A completely different spectrum of elastic fiber abnormalities was found in individuals more than 30 years old. The result indicates that elastic fiber abnormalities are related to aging skin.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans

Aneurysm of the internal carotid artery is a rare disease and is known to be associated with congenital arterial anomalies such as neurofibromatosis type I (NF-I). NF-I is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disorder characterized by a variety of manifestations that involve the central and peripheral nervous systems, skin, vascular system, and skeleton. In particular, the involvement of vascular abnormalities in NF-I is well known. Any vessel may be affected by this condition, although the renal artery is most frequently involved. The vascular abnormality can be occlusive or an aneurysmal degenerative change. Therefore, symptomatic presentations might assume an indolent pathophysiologic course such as hypertension, or manifest as a catastrophic event such as arterial rupture that could result in sudden death. We report a rare autopsy case of an aneurysmal rupture of the internal carotid artery in a woman with suspected NF-I, who collapsed in her home.
Aneurysm ; Autopsy ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Death, Sudden ; Female ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Neurocutaneous Syndromes ; Neurofibromatoses ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Rare Diseases ; Renal Artery ; Rupture ; Skeleton ; Skin

No abstract available.
Nose*

No abstract available.
Epinephrine* ; Skin* ; Transplants*

Unlike the case of adult obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), there was no consistent finding on the changes of sleep architecture in childhood OSAS. Further understanding of the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) should be needed. Non-linear analysis of EEG is particularly useful in giving us a new perspective and in understanding the brain system. The objective of the current study is to compare the sleep architecture and the scaling exponent (alpha) from detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) on sleep EEG between OSAS and normal children. Fifteen normal children (8 boys/7 girls, 6.0+/-2.2 years old) and twelve OSAS children (10 boys/2 girls, 6.4+/-3.4 years old) were studied with polysomnography (PSG). Sleep-related variables and OSAS severity indices were obtained. Scaling exponent of DFA were calculated from the EEG channels (C3/A2, C4/A1, O1/A2, and O2/A1), and compared between normal and OSAS children. No difference in sleep architecture was found between OSAS and normal controls except stage 1 sleep (%) and REM sleep latency (min). Stage 1 sleep (%) was significantly higher and REM latency was longer in OSAS group (9.3+/-4.3%, 181.5+/-59.9 min) than in controls (5.6+/-2.8%, 133.5+/-42.0 min). Scaling exponent (alpha) showed that sleep EEG of OSAS children also followed the 'longrange temporal correlation' characteristics. Value of alpha increased as sleep stages increased from stage 1 to stage 4. Value of alpha from C3/A2, C4/A1, O1/A2, O2/A1 were significantly lower in OSAS than in control (1.36+/-0.05 vs. 1.41+/-0.04, 1.37+/-0.04 vs. 1.41+/-0.04, 1.37+/-0.05 vs. 1.41+/-0.05, and 1.36+/-0.07 vs. 1.41+/-0.05, p<0.05). Higher stage 1 sleep (%) in OSAS children was consistent finding with OSAS adults. Lower 'alpha' in OSAS children suggests decrease of self-organized criticality or the decreased piling-up energy of brain system during sleep in OSAS children.
Adult ; Brain ; Child ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Stages ; Sleep, REM

No abstract available.
Durapatite* ; Dust* ; Rabbits* ; Transplants*

No abstract available.
Transplants*

No abstract available.
Esophagitis*

No abstract available.
Neck Dissection* ; Neck*

The purpose of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical reaction of calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) and type II collagen and also morphological changes of cartilage implants and cultured chondrocytes isolated from the articular and costal cartilages. The chondrocytes were isolated from the head of the femur and the 11th costal cartilage of the 6 months old rabbits. De novo implants were prepared from the chondrocytes cultured on the perichondrium by culturing isolated articular chondrocytes. Cultured chondrocytes and implants were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of CGRP and type II collagen and electron microscopy. Articular chondrocytes maintained the typical phenotype in the 1st and 2nd subcultures, but the costal chondrocytes were transformed into fibroblast-like cells. The articular chondrocytes cultured on the perichondrium were more flattened and formed the cartilage. Most chondrocytes were no loss of type II collagen immunostaining by culturing. Implants replaced by the cultured articular chondrocytes were generally increased CGRP and decreased type II collagen immunoreaction. Electron microscopically the cultured articular chondrocytes had a large euchromatic nucleus, a few granules, and abundant vesicles. During culture, the nucleus became atropy and the cytoplasm contained many large vacuoles. The chondrocytes cultured on the perichondrium showed a lot of segmented rough endoplasmic reticulum and fine short microvilli. During culture, articular chondrocytes maintained typical phenotype and type II collagen reaction. The cultured articular chondrocytes had some organelles and euchromatic nucleus with prominent nucleolus. The chondrocytes cultured on the perichondrium showed active secretion of the matrix with small vesicles and well developed endoplasmic reticulum. The implanted articular chondrocytes showed the decrease of their organelles after secretion of the marix and became increased CGRP and decreased type II collagen immunoreaction.
Cartilage* ; Chondrocytes* ; Collagen Type II* ; Cytoplasm ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Femur ; Head ; Humans ; Infant ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microvilli ; Organelles ; Phenotype ; Rabbits ; Vacuoles