This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of UVB radiation on epidermal melanoctes of C57BIL mouse, The results are summarized as follows : l) The numerical increase of DOPA positive melanocytes following UVB irradiation was due to both of active mitosis of epidermal melanocytes and the conversion of dormant. malanocytes to DOPA-positive melsnocytes. 2) Long term effects of UVB irradiatinn on the epidermal melanocytes suggest the persistent activation of typrosinase in UVB irradiated melanocytes.
Animals ; Dihydroxyphenylalanine ; Melanocytes* ; Mice* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mitosis

Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a relatively rare, but is a well known tumor that occurs almost in male, most frequently during the adolescent stage. Its character is histologically benign but clinically malignant because of locally invasive character to the adjascent structures, massive bleeding tendency during surgical procedure and high recurrence rate after treatment. Recently many advancements diagnostic method and surgical technique has reached satisfactory result in treating this difficult tumor. The authors present a case of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in 16 years old male patient, who was received surgical removal of the tumor through the transpalatal approach after full diagnostic evaluation and preoperative hormonal therapy.
Adolescent ; Angiofibroma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; Recurrence

No abstract available.
Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Thyroid Gland*

While there have been not a few reports on the seroepidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Korea, most of them, however, have had several limitations; operational definition of HBV infection, validity of detection methods of HBV serologic markers, size of the study population, and confirmation of the vaccination history against HBV, etc. In order to avoid such limitations, authors randomly selected 1,495 healthy adults among the 217,511 insured (target population) of Korean Medical Insurance Corporation, living in seoul, and tested HBV(HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc) of all the subjects were tested, 392(26.2%) of interview failure cases 742 nonvaccinee were excluded from the actual population. Finally, the serologic markers tested of 742 nonvaccinee (study population) only were analyzed for the seroepidemiologic observation of the natural infection of HBV. The seroepidemiological characteristics of HBV infection in Korea were as follows ; 1 Point prevalence of HBs antigenemia was 11.7(9.1-14.3)% in male, which was slightly higher than that of female, 9.5(3.7-15.3)%. This level was one of the highest among those of Asian-Pacific countries. Decreasing tendency of HBsAg prevalence after the age of 50 was observed, which seems to be due to selective attrition of HBV chronic carriers among the healthy adults and/or to the limited-lasting duration of the HBs antigenemia, in part. 2. Point prevalence of anti-HBc(78.8% in male, 50.9% in female) was higher than that of anti-HBs(65.2% in male, 46.6% in female), respectively. And both of them were higher in male than in female. Increasing tendency of the prevalence of both antibodies was observed by age, which seems to be largely due to recurrent infection in adults and to some cumulative effect, in part, of their relatively longer-lasting duration. 3. The level of HBV infection defined by positive for at least one of the 3 serologic markers of HBV by RIA method was 84.7(81.8-87.6)% in male and 61.2(51.9-70.5)% in female, which was also one of the highest among those of Asian-Pacific countries. The proportion of susceptible population to HBV infection among healthy adults was 15.3% in male and 38.8% in female. 4. The relative frequency of current or past infection and chronic carrier among HBV infected person was estimated. The currently or past infected was estimated 75.7% in male and 71.8% in female, and chronic carrier state, 13.8% in male and 14.1% in female. The analysis of the geometric mean of the antibody titer in anti-HBs positive sera indicated also to be compatible with the above findings, suggesting that active, even though inapparent, infection of HBV occur so frequently among healthy adults in Korea.
Adult* ; Antibodies ; Carrier State ; Female ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Radioimmunoassay ; Seoul* ; Vaccination

No abstract available.
Curettage* ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

The digital dust indicator (Sibata P-5), one of the direct-reading instruments was evaluated for the respirable dust in the underground coal mine environments. As a reference, respirable dust was determined using three cyclones and/or impactors. All the tests were performed on aerosol in twenty underground coal mines. The coefficients of mass-relative concentration were 0.067+/-0.054 (Mean+/-Standard deviation) (range: 0.006-0.172). The relationship between relative concentration and temperature was not significant statistically. Also, the relationship of relative concentration and relative humidity was not significant. Mass concentration and relative concentration were 5.31+/-5.22 mg/m3 and 162+/-163 CPM (Mean+/-Standard deviation) respectively. The range of mass concentration was 1.22-22.69 mg/m3; relative concentration 16-628 CPM. The relationship of mass concentration and relative concentration was not significant in these ranges.
Coal ; Cyclonic Storms ; Dust* ; Humans ; Humidity

OBJECTIVES: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted to evaluate the role of obesity in the development of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty four histologically confirmed female colorectal cancer cases and 26,998 non-cancer controls were selected from patients invited to the Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya, Japan between 1989 and 1995. Information concerning demographic factors, medical history, family medical history, reproductive factors and dietary factors were obtained from self-administered questionnaires and medical records. The effects of weight and body mass index to colorectal cancer were examined using multiple logistic regression to control for other risk factors. RESULTS: There was no significant association between female colorectal cancer and obesity. Heavier weight adjusted for height or body mass index did not increase the risk of colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there is no associa-tion between colorectal cancer risk and obesity in women.
Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies* ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Demography ; Female* ; Humans ; Japan ; Logistic Models ; Medical Records ; Obesity* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproductive History ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Long-term phototherapy can induce the changes of photoaging and it is reported that there is an increased chance of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in patients exposed to large amounts of UV radiation. OBJECTIVE: The main objective was to investigate the degree of photoaging and the presence of p53 mutations in normal skin in patients undergoing long-term phototherapy. METHOD: We performed hematoxylin-eosin and special stains, p53 and p21 immunohistochemical stains and polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) on the normal skin of patients subject to long-term UV therapy. RESULT: 1. The typical features of photoaging were not observed in patients undergoing long-term UV therapy. 2. In p53 immunohistochemical staining performed at 1 week after cessation of long-term PUVA treatment, the patient group with a culmulated UV dosage of more than 1,000J/cm2 demonstrated an increased number of p53 positive epidermal cells compared to exposed as well as unexposed normal skins. 3. The patterns of p21 immunohistochemical staining performed at 1 week after cessation of long-term PUVA and UVB treatments were similar to that of p53 immunohistochemical staining performed at 1 week after cessation of phototherapy. 4. In p53 immunohistochemical staining performed at 4 months after cessation of UV treatment, the number of p53 positive epidermal cells decreased significantly compared to that of p53 positive epidermal cells found at 1 week after cessation of UV treatment. 5. The mutation of p53 genes was not found in PCR-SSCP analysis of biopsied skins done at 1 week after cessation of long-term PUVA and UVB treatment. CONCLUSION: Long-term phototherapy did not induce the typical changes of photoaging and p53 overexpression in the epidermis of UV treated skin was a reactive process. Therefore, UV therapy can be a relatively safe treatment modality, although a closer observation for cutaneous malignancy is warrented in the patients whose cumulated UV dosage is much higher than 1,000J/cm2.
Aging* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Coloring Agents ; Epidermis ; Genes, p53 ; Humans* ; Phototherapy ; Skin*

IgE-mediated sensitization to natural rubber latex can induce immediate hypersensitivity reactions ranging from contact urticaria to life threatening anaphylaxis. Recent reports suggest that asthma is also relatively frequent manifestation of latex allergy. In this case report, lat,ex induced asthma is described in an operat.ing room nurse regularly exposed t,o latex gloves. Her latex sensitivity was detected by skin prick testing. Specific bronchial provocation test with latex extract showed an early asthmatic reaction. Her symptoms had been much improved after avoidance. Occupational asthma induced by latex may be not uncommon among health care workers.
Anaphylaxis ; Asthma ; Asthma, Occupational* ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate ; Latex ; Latex Hypersensitivity ; Personnel, Hospital* ; Rubber ; Skin ; Urticaria

PURPOSE: Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) exists in the human population in two genetic forms, usually referred to as type 1 and type 2 which have been defined on the basis of sequence divergence in the EBNA-2 and EBNA-3 family genes. In this study, we were intended to investigate whether the subtypes of EBV in malignant lymphoma in Korea were associated with specific disease entities and geographical distribution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Biopsy samples obtained from 18 Korean patients with malignant lymphoma including Hodgkin's disease(3 cases), B cell lymphoma(1 case), and NK/T cell lymphoma(14 cases) were analyzed to determine the subtype of EBV infected therein. DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embeded tissues by ordinary method and specific viral sequences were sought using the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and Southern blot hybridization assay. Oligonucleotide primers used for examination of EBV strain type were derived from the EBNA-3B and EBNA-3C coding regions. As a control, four cases of reactive hyperplasia were analyzed. RESULTS: The two of four reactive hyperplasia cases were associated with type 1 and the rest of two cases with both types. Among the 18 cases with malignant lymphoma, thirteen cases(72%) had type 1, one(6%) had type 2, and four(22%) had dual infections with both types. In case of NK/T cell lymphoma(14 cases) occupying 78% of 18 biopsy samples, 86%(12 cases) were associated with type 1, 7%(1 case) with type 2, and 7%(1 case) with both types. In case of Hodgkin's disease, all of three cases had both types. B cell lymphoma taking only one case of twenty two cases was determined as type 1. CONCLUSION: These observations indicated that type 1 EBV was predominant in Korean patients with malignant lymphoma, especially NK/T cell lymphoma and showed high frequency of dual viral infections(22%) in Hodgkin's disease as well as in reactive hyperplasia.
Biopsy ; Blotting, Southern ; Clinical Coding ; DNA ; DNA Primers ; Genotype ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Hodgkin Disease ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Korea* ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell