PURPOSE: Early detection and treatment of cancer is a primary focus of health care. Many serum markers are available for breast cancer, but are not good enough for screening. Cancer antigen CA 15-3 is the most widely used biomarker for breast cancer. However, CA 15-3 has low sensitivity and specificity. This study was performed to analyze the serum proteomic pattern in breast cancer patients by surface-enhanced laser desoption/ionization time- of-flight (SELDI-TOF). METHODS: We screened for potential tumor biomarkers in 42 serum samples, including samples from a group of 23 breast cancer patients at different clinical stages [stage I (n=3), stage II (n=11), stage III (n=6), and stage IV (n=1)], and a control group of 19 healthy women. Diluted serum samples were applied to a C16 hydrophobic interaction chip (H4). Complex protein profiles of different groups were compared and analyzed using the Protein Chip software 2.1 (Ciphergen Biosystems). RESULTS: There were 7 significant protein peaks in the breast cancer group and 5 in the control group. Scoring the expression of each peak, the mean score was 8.5 in the cancer group and 3.5 in the control. The results of the combination of each peak were highly sensitive (91.2%) and specific (94.7%). These proteomic patterns did not correlate with tumor stage and hormonal receptor, c-erb B2. CONCLUSION: In this preliminary report, we identified protein profiles that were differentiated in breast cancer patients. After proper validation, serum proteomic pattern analysis may ultimately be applied in screening breast cancer as a stand-alone or combined with current options.
Biomarkers ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Mass Screening ; Protein Array Analysis ; Proteomics ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to estimate the comorbidity rate of ADHD in a group of patients with alcohol dependency and to find out the characteristics of alcoholic patients with ADHD using the diverse clinical and genetic variables. METHODS: Eighty five patients with alcohol dependency were recruited from 4 mental hospitals in Kyoung-Nam and Kyoung-Ki province. For the evaluation of ADHD symptoms in both childhood and adulthood, the highly structured Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV (DISC-IV)-ADHD module was used. The various standardized scales and questionnaires were also applied to evaluate the comorbid conditions and psychopathological status. All the subjects' blood was collected and genetic study for the polymorphism of DRD2, TH, 5-HTTLPR, COMT, ALDH2 was performed. RESULTS: 1) The comorbid rate of definite ADHD in alcoholic patients was 38% (28/85). 2) The frequency of unmarried status was significantly higher in ADHD group compared non-ADHD group. 3) The onset of pathologic drinking and auditory hallucination was significantly earlier in ADHD group than non-ADHD alcholic group. 4) In ADHD alcoholic group, antisocial behavior was more frequently reported, and the score of co-dependency scale, depression/anxiety, aggression and obsessive compulsive drinking scales were significantly higher compared to non-ADHD alcoholic group. 5) No signficant difference was found in the frequency of polymorphic alleles in COMT, DRD2, 5-HTTLPR, ALDH2, TH between ADHD and non-ADHD alcoholic group. CONCLUSION: In alcoholic patients, the rate of adult type ADHD was higher than expected rate in general population. The alcoholic patients with ADHD suffered from more sever degree of alcohol dependency and earlier alcohol related problems. ADHD-alcoholic group showed higher diverse comorbid psychopathology and lower marital status compared to non-ADHD-alcoholic group. No difference, however, was found in genetic data between two groups.
Adult ; Aggression ; Alcoholics ; Alleles ; Appointments and Schedules ; Comorbidity ; Drinking ; Hallucinations ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Psychopathology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Single Person ; Statistics as Topic* ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Pentoxifylline(PF) on the conventional ICSI program undergone in severe asthenozoospermia. METHOD: Total 348 cycles of ICSI programs undertaken at CHA General Hospital from January, 1996 to September, 2000, were divided into two groups - injected with pentoxifylline-treated sperm(PFT, 204 cycles) or non-treated sperm(NPFT, 144 cycles) and the clinical results of PFT group were compared with those of NPFT. RESULTS: PF-treatment on sperm increased their motility of normozoospermia and severe asthenozoospermia. Fertilization rate of PFT group was higher than those of ICSI programs undertaken using sperm of NPFT(70.6% vs. 62.9%, p<0.01). And, ET and clinical pregnancy rates of PFT were slightly higher than those of NPFT(93.1%, 44.2% vs. 90.3%, 36.2%). CONCLUSION: These results showed that treatment of pentoxifylline has a beneficial role on selection of viable sperm in severe asthenozoospermia.
Asthenozoospermia* ; Fertilization ; Hospitals, General ; Pentoxifylline* ; Pregnancy Rate ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic* ; Spermatozoa

There are not much reports concerning with clinical results using frozen-thawed testivular sperm in ICSI program. It is speculated that the necessity of cryopreservation of testicular sperm to avoid repeating surgical procedure for obtaining sperm for ICSI. This study was carried out to confirm whether frozen-thawed testicular sperm could be fertilized and pregnancy could be achieved using embryos fertilized with frozen-thawed testicular sperm in ICSI program or not. Testicular sperm obtained from obstructive- or non-obstructive azoospermia patients were co-cultured for 3 days with Vero cells to improve sperm motility. By co-culturing with Vero cells for 3 days, O-ll% of sperm motility after thawing increased up to 8-42% after co-culturing. ICSI was performed using frozen-thawed, and co-cultured sperm with 66 oocytes obtained from 8 patients and 62 oocytes were survived and 49(79.0%) oocytes were fertilized normally. Embryo transfer was possible in 7 out of 8 patients, and pregnancy was achieved in 6 patients(85.7%). These results indicated that not only fresh testicular sperm but frozen-thawed testicular sperm can be used in ICSI program.
Azoospermia ; Cryopreservation ; Embryo Transfer ; Embryonic Structures ; Humans ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy* ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic* ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa* ; Vero Cells

The authors encountered two cases of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis. One, a three-year-old male, had persistent epiphora and showed exophthalmos of the left eye. A mass was detected in the left orbit and was removed subtotally; pathologic examination revealed Langerhans cell histiocytosis. The other case, a 24-year-old male, presented with a gradually growing palpable mass in the parietal area; the skull defect was punched out in shape. The mass, which was tightly attached to the outer layer of the dura mater, was completely removed. On the basis of pathologic findings, Langerhans' cell histiocytosis was diagnosed, and the patient subsequently underwent radiotherapy.
Dura Mater ; Exophthalmos ; Histiocytosis* ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Male ; Orbit ; Rabeprazole ; Radiotherapy ; Skull ; Young Adult

Structural and functional changes in the major apurinic/apyrimidinic DNA endonuclease (APEX) gene in human colorectal cancers were investigated. DNAs were prepared from surgically removed 25 human colorectal tissues and direct sequencing of PCR-amplified APEX gene covering the entire protein coding region was performed. Point mutations in 3 and silent mutations in 3 out of 25 colorectal cancer patients were found. Base substitutions in intron II were also found in 2 patients. T<-> C or some A<-> G transitions were the most typical pattern of the mutations. AP DNA endonuclease (APE) activities in normal and tumor tissues were 65.7 EU/mg and 21.7 EU/mg, respectively. APEX protein was detected in both normal and tumor tissues and no remarkable difference in the amount of APEX protein between colorectal cancer tissues and their normal counterparts was observed. The incidence of APEX gene mutation in colorectal cancer was 12% which is relatively lower than that of other genes associated with colorectal tumor, but a significant reduction of APE enzyme activities in tumor tissues, especially in those with APEX mutations, was observed. These results indicate that the decreased APE enzyme activity might be closely related to the colorectal tumorigenesis, although no quantitative correlation between APE enzyme activity and APEX content exists.
Carcinogenesis ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Deoxyribonuclease I ; DNA Repair* ; DNA* ; Hominidae ; Humans* ; Incidence ; Introns ; Open Reading Frames ; Point Mutation

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic* ; Spermatozoa* ; Vero Cells*

The obturator foramen bypass has been described as an alternative procedure to solve complicated vascular problems in the groin. This extra-anatomical bypass has been used successfully in cases of infection, mycotic aneurysm, traumatic ulcer, irradiation ulcer, and excessively scarred tissues in the femoral region. We experienced two cases of iliopopliteal bypass through obturator foramen in femoral artery mycotic aneurysm and graft infection after femoral-femoral bypass.
Aneurysm, Infected ; Cicatrix ; Femoral Artery ; Groin ; Transplants ; Ulcer

Venous thrombectomy and temporary arteriovenous (AV) fistula are performed for the treatment of iliofemoral venous thrombosis. The theory behind creation of an AV fistula is to increase venous flow, thereby maintaining patency. But AV fistula might induce severe peripheral venous hypertension in the condition of proximal venous segment reocclusion. A 62-year-old woman who developed severe peripheral venous hypertension after postthrombectomy AV fistula visited our clinic. We treated this patient with simple ligation of the AV fistula.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ligation ; Middle Aged ; Thrombectomy ; Venous Thrombosis

Twenty patients with Buerger's disease who were not candidates for reconstructive arterial surgery were treated by PGE1(Lipo PGE1(R) ) for 1 Month. All patients were injected with 50microgram of alprostadil intravenously once a day. Clinical effects were evaluated by improvement of ischemic symptom and healing rate on gangrenous foot and side effects. Clinical efficacy by combined assessment of markedly improved, improved, slightly improved was 70%. 5 of 8 patient who had gangrenous foot showed improved healed state. Adverse effect was found in only one patient who had minimal gum bleeding. However there was no deterioration on chemical profile including CBC, liver function test, urinary analysis, CRP and ESR. The results suggest that Lipo PGE1(R) has a beneficial effect on Buerger's disease without significant adverse effect.
Alprostadil ; Foot ; Gingiva ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Thromboangiitis Obliterans