OBJECTIVE: To evaluate qualification and determine the usefulness of human papillomavirus(HPV) DNA testing in women with cytologic smears read as atypical squamous cell of undetermined significance (ASCUS). METHOD: The study was based on 88 women with cytologic smears reported of ASCUS favoring either a reactive process or squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) from July 1999 to June 2000. Cytologic examination by Papanicolaou smear was based on the Bethesda System and cervical biopsy was done via coloscopy. the presence of high risk HPV DNA was determined with Hybrid capture assay. RESULTS: The overall incidence of cervical intraepithelial lesion (CIN) was higher in the group with ASCUS favoring SIL than in the group with ASCUS favoring reactive process(42.2 % vs 18.6 %; p<0.05). Women with ASCUS favoring SIL were 9.1 times more likely to have high grade SIL(CIN II/III) develop than were women group with ASCUS favoring reactive process(95% confidence interval, 1.08-76.0). High-risk HPV DNA was demonstrated in 39.8%(35 cases) and was associated a 8.8 times increased likelihood of histologic conformation of CIN(95% confidence interval, 3.09-24.7). The sensitivity of HPV assay for any CIN was 74% and specificity was 75%, whereas the corresponding values for the repeat Pap smear was 67% and 33%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Women with ASCUS favoring SIL was associated with a relatively high risk that the women was harboring SIL. The addiction of a high-risk HPV DNA assay to cytologic examination appears to provide for early detection of high grade CIN in women with ASCUS.
Biopsy ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Diagnosis* ; DNA* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Papanicolaou Test ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Angiosarcoma is a very rare malignant tumor of endothelial cell origin. We experienced a case of angiosarcoma presented with massive pleural effusion, which was considered as a metastasis from right kidney. A 44-year-old male patient was admitted due to dyspnea for one month. He had a history of transient hematuria 3 months before admission, which disappeared spontaneously Chest roentgenography showed total haziness in left hemithorax with multiple nodular shadows in right lung. Abdominal ultrasonogram showed a single heterogeneous hyperechoic mass, measuring about 7.3×7.1×6.5cm in size in the upper and mid-pole of the right kidney, involving. renal sinus. Computed tomography of the chest revealed highly enhanced multiple pulmonary and subpleural nodules with loculated pleurisy. In bronchoscopic finding, a fungating, hypervascular tumor mass was noticed at the orifice of anterior basal segment of left lower lung after removal of tenaceous mucus Pleural and bronchoscopic biopsies showed findings of angiosarcoma confirmed by immunochemical stains with factor VIII related antigen(+), laminin(+) and vimentin(+), and by characteristic electronmicroscopic findings. Massive pleural effusion was controlled with several times of pleurodesis in both pleural spaces.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Coloring Agents ; Dyspnea ; Endothelial Cells ; Factor VIII ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lung ; Male ; Mucus ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pleural Effusion* ; Pleurisy ; Pleurodesis ; Radiography ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: We used nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood for prenatal determination of the fetal gender as the preliminary experiment for the screening of fetal genetic status and the BclI DNA polymorphism in an attempt to clarify the origin of erythrocytes in maternal blood. METHODS: In seventeen pregnant women, venous blood was withdrawn and the nucleated erythrocytes were recovered by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) and immunostaining. After isolation of nucleated erythrocytes by micromanipulation, we performed nested PCR for amelogenin gene to identify the fetal gender and performed BclI DNA polymorphism to clarify the origin of erythrocytes. RESULTS: We could amplify the minute DNA in a single cell by primer extension preamplification and nested PCR of amelogenin gene in 94 (48.7%) cells and could identify the fetal gender by 58.8%. BclI DNA polymorphism revealed that the several cells, which did not reveal the specific band of Y chromosome in spite of the pregnancy of male fetuses, must be the cells from mother. CONCLUSION: Through this study, we could conclude that several nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood circulation can originate from mother, therefore we must develop the new method to identify the nucleated erythrocyte of fetal origin. Considering that we must apply for the larger number of pregnant women to screen, the procedure was multi-step and complex. Therefore, we must design the new scheme to utilize the nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood.
Amelogenin ; Blood Circulation ; DNA ; Erythroblasts ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Micromanipulation ; Mothers ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Y Chromosome

This study was performed to determine whether the LHbeta -subunit gene missense mutation is present in Korean infertile patients with 46,XX POF women. The variants of LHbeta exon 2 (Trp 8Arg; TGG to CGG and Ile15Thr; ATC ti ACC) were studied in forty-four 46.XX idiopathic POF and 54 nonpregnant women. The LHbeta exon 2 variants were more frequent in POF patients (20.5%) than nonpregnant( 16.7%) women (p>0.05). POF patients with the variant was slightly higher than nonpregnant women with the variant.
Exons ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mutation, Missense ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency*

Melanocytic nevi are subject to change with age in both clinical and histopathologic findings. In 1991, Cho et al. first reported three cases of lobulated intradermal nevi and suggested their cases represented an unusual form of regressing melanocytic nevus. Herein we report four cases of lobulated intradermal nevus and review previous literature.
Aging ; Nevus, Intradermal ; Nevus, Pigmented

Torsion of the fallopian tube is an uncommon cause for acute low abdominal pain in female that is difficult to diagnose. Because it has no pathognomonic clinical symptoms or laboratory findings, a high index of suspicion is important when there is history of pelvic pathologic conditions or surgery. The early diagnosis and surgical treatment of the disease are mandatory to preserve oviduct.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent* ; Animals ; Early Diagnosis ; Fallopian Tubes* ; Female ; Humans ; Oviducts

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a benign epidermal tumor, characterized by rapid and abundant growth, a tendency toward spontaneous regression and histopathologic similarity to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Because KA can be easily misdiagnosed as SCC, surgery is considered the treatment of choice. Recently, regression of KAs following application of 5% imiquimod cream (Aldara(R)) has been reported. We present 4 cases of KA treated with topical imiquimod, applied 3 to 4 times a week. Obvious improvement was observed after 4 to 6 weeks of application and the lesions were almost cleared leaving scars after 9 to 11 weeks. These results show that topical imiquimod can be an effective option for the conservative management of KA as previously reported. We also suggest that lesions treated with imiquimod cream should be considered for biopsy to judge histopathological remission after 5 to 8 weeks of application to shorten the duration of the treatment.
Aminoquinolines ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cicatrix ; Keratoacanthoma

In this study, we investigated the biological activity of Chondria crassicaulis (CC) on the human cancer cells. CC was extracted with methanol and further fractionated into four diffferent types: hexane (CCMH), methanol (CCMM), butanol (CCMB), and aqueous (CCMA) partition layers. We determined the cytotoxic effect of these layers on human cancer cells by MTT assay. Among various partition layers of CC, the CCMM and CCMB showed the strong cytotoxic effects at 150 micrometer/ml which resulted 98.91%, 92.96% on HeLa cell lines and 95.47%, 77.05% on MCF-7 cell lines. And, the anti-proliferative effect of CC was accompanied by a marked inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX-2), Caspase-3 and IAP (cIAP-1, cIAP-2 and XIAP) protein and concomitant induction of p53, p21 and Survivin protein. However, CC did not affect the level of Bax, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL protein. Also, we observed quinone reductase (QR) induced effects in all fraction layers of CC on HepG2 cells. The QR induced effects of the CCMH and CCMM on HepG2 cells at 120 micrometer/mL concentration indicated 3.73 and 2.45 with the control value of 1.0. Although further studies are needed, the present work suggests that CC may be a chemopreventive agent for the treatment of human cancer cells.
bcl-X Protein ; Caspase 3 ; HeLa Cells ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells ; Methanol ; NAD(P)H Dehydrogenase (Quinone) ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases

Objectives: . To train participants to localize sound using virtual reality (VR) technology, appropriate auditory stimuli that contain accurate spatial cues are essential. The generic head-related transfer function that grounds the programmed spatial audio in VR does not reflect individual variation in monaural spatial cues, which is critical for auditory spatial perception in patients with single-sided deafness (SSD). As binaural difference cues are unavailable, auditory spatial perception is a typical problem in the SSD population and warrants intervention. This study assessed the applicability of binaurally recorded auditory stimuli in VR-based training for sound localization in SSD patients. Methods: . Sixteen subjects with SSD and 38 normal-hearing (NH) controls underwent VR-based training for sound localization and were assessed 3 weeks after completing training. The VR program incorporated prerecorded auditory stimuli created individually in the SSD group and over an anthropometric model in the NH group. Results: . Sound localization performance revealed significant improvements in both groups after training, with retained benefits lasting for an additional 3 weeks. Subjective improvements in spatial hearing were confirmed in the SSD group. Conclusion . By examining individuals with SSD and NH, VR-based training for sound localization that used binaurally recorded stimuli, measured individually, was found to be effective and beneficial. Furthermore, VR-based training does not require sophisticated instruments or setups. These results suggest that this technique represents a new therapeutic treatment for impaired sound localization.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy has been used as a first-line treatment for H. pylori-positive gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. However, the management strategy for H. pylori-negative MALT lymphoma remains controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the success rate of each treatment option for H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative gastric MALT lymphomas. METHODS: In total, 57 patients with gastric MALT lymphoma diagnosed between December 2000 and June 2012 were enrolled in the study. The treatment responses were compared between H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative gastric MALT lymphomas. RESULTS: Of the 57 patients, 43 (75%) had H. pylori infection. Forty-eight patients received H. pylori eradication as a first-line treatment, and complete remission was achieved in 31 of the 39 patients (80%) with H. pylori-positive MALT lymphoma and in five (56%) of the nine patients with H. pylori-negative MALT lymphoma; no significant difference was observed between the groups (p=0.135). The other treatment modalities, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery, were effective irrespective of H. pylori infection status, with no significant difference in the treatment response between H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative MALT lymphomas. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori eradication therapy may be considered as a first-line treatment regardless of H. pylori infection status.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastroscopy/*methods ; Helicobacter Infections/complications/*therapy ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/complications/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms/complications/*therapy ; Treatment Outcome