A study was performed to observe the sequential morphological change of the human placental barrier by means of light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The examined placentas ranged in age from 4 weeks gestation to the full-term(40 weeks). Sixty seven placental specimens were obtained immediately after delivery. With the progression of gestation, the microvilli on the surface of syncytinum tended to be fewer, shorter and blunter. The syncytiotrophoblasts were getting thinner with formation of vasculo-syncytial membrane. The cytotrophoblasts formed a continuous layer which progressively disappeared but still present in the mature villi. In view of presence of intermediate cells and remnant of desmosomes, the cytotrophoblasts appeared to form the syncytiotrophoblasts. In early pregnancy, capillary formation took place by the aggregation and differentiation of the proliferation and aggregation of endothelial cells and pericytes. Myofibroblasts in villous stroma were examined by desmin immunohistochemical staining, and detected from 19 weeks to the full-term. During last period of pregancy definitive smooth muscle cells could be demonstrated, suggesting that the presence of myofibroblasts or smooth muscle cells are closely related to the placental maturity. Scanning electron microscopy of the early placenta showed numerous syncytial sprouts representing stages in the formation of new villi, but in the late period of gestation syncytial sprouts were diminished. It is concluded that the syncytiotrophoblast is originated from the cytotrophoblast in early pregnancy as the placental barrier is formulated. Moreover, myofibroblasts and smooth muscle cells in villous stroma play important role in placental maturation.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans

Small and large airways functions were studied in patients with hypertensive heart disease in slightly ro moderately compromised state functionally. In this study, the forced vital capacity and various flow paramaeters reflecting expiratory flow rate were determined from simultaneously recorded forced expiratory volume and maximal expiretory flow volume curves in 86 cases. The closing volume was measured by a single breath nitrogen mrthod in 57 cases and airway resistance with its related parameters by a body plethysmograph in 11 cases. These results were compared with those obtained from the same numbers of healthy controls matched for sex, age and height. In the patient group, the forced vital capadity and all the observed values of flow parameters, execpt for the ratio of the first second vital capacity to the forced vital capacity, were significantly reduced than those in the controls. When the remainder of flow parameters was volume-adjusted to the forced vital capacity, however, the mean of the peak expiratory flow rate and the maximal expiratory flow rate at the 75 percent of the vital capacity were not significantly different from that of controls. In contrast, the volume-adjusted values of maximal expiratory flow were remained significantly smaller than those in the controls. The closing volume and its ratio to the vital capacity were significantly larger in the patient group. Airway resistance and its related parameters revealed no significant differences between two groups. These findings suggest that the patients with hypertensive heart disease in a mild to moderate failure are associated with restrictive ventilatory impairment and a small airways obstruction, but with little or no large airway dysfunction.
Airway Resistance ; Closing Volume ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Heart Diseases* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Maximal Expiratory Flow Rate ; Nitrogen ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Vital Capacity

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Urinary Bladder*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Urinary Bladder*

Kaposis sarcoma(KS) is a multicentrically developing vascular neoplasm with four types of clinical manifestation. One of these, classic KS is clinically carmcterized by late onset, chronic course and radiosensitive. We report a case of classic KS in a 72-year-old male. This pateint complainted of purple patches and dark purple nxluk. on slightly edematous lower legs. The histopathologic sections from the lesional sites showed infiltration of spindle cells with newly formed vascular slits, dilated blood vessels and aggregated hemosiderins in the dermis.
Aged ; Blood Vessels ; Dermis ; Hemosiderin ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Sarcoma* ; Vascular Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Recently involvenment of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, has been suggested in myocardial reperfusion injury. Free radicals are one of the inducers of apoptosis, and superoxide dismutase(SOD), a oxygen free radical scavenger, inhibits apoptotic cell death of neurons. Reperfusion of ischemic myocardium results in a burst of oxygen free radical production, however, it has not been defined that oxygen free radicals mediate apoptosis in myocardial reperfusion injury. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of oxygen free radicals by examining the inhibition of apoptosis by SOD. METHOD: New Zealand white rabbits (n=16) weighing 1.8-20kg underwent 30 minutes of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by reperfusion for 1 or 4 hours. In control group, bovine serum albumin(5mg/kg) was administered continuously via the left atrial appendage starting 10 minutes before reperfusion and ending simultaneously with reperfusion for 1 hour(n=4) or 4 hours(n=4). In SOD group, bovine erythrocyte SOD(15,000u/kg) was administered starting 10 minutes before reprefusion and ending simultaneously with reperfusion for 1 hour(n=5) or 4 hours(n=3). Ventricles were excised immediately after intervention. Tissues were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and 2.5% glutaraldehyde. Apoptosis was examined by hematoxylin and eosin(H&E) staining, in situ nick end labeling, and transmission electron microscopy. Number of apoptotic cells was evaluated semi-quantitatively on H&E stained section. RESULTS: Evidence of apoptosis was detected in every ischmia-reperfused myocardium, and apoptotic cells were found in the non-necrotic myocardium near areas of contraction band necrosis. In control group, the average number of apoptotic cells was 1.7(range 1.5-2.0)for 1 hour reperfused myocardium and 1.4(range 0.3-2.5) for 4 hours reperfused myocardium per high power field(x400). In SOD group, the average number of apoptotic cells was 0.2(range 0.2 -0.3) for 1 hour reperfused myocardium and 0.3(range 0.2-0.4) for 4 hours reperfused myocardium. There was a significant difference in the number of apoptotic cells between conrol and SOD groups (as a whole group 1.5 +/- 0.2 vs 0.3 +/- 0.1,p<0.01). CONCLUSION: SOD partially, however, singificantly inhibits apoptosis, which suggests that oxygen free radicals may induce apoptosis in ischemia-reperfused myocardium of rabbit.
Apoptosis* ; Atrial Appendage ; Cell Death ; Coronary Vessels ; Erythrocytes ; Formaldehyde ; Free Radicals ; Glutaral ; Hematoxylin ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; Myocardium* ; Necrosis ; Neurons ; Oxygen ; Rabbits ; Reperfusion ; Superoxide Dismutase* ; Superoxides*

No abstract available.
Adrenalectomy*

PURPOSE: To evaluate ultrasonographic findings and usefulness in the diagnosis of breast diseases during pregnancy and lactati ng period. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The authors evaluated the ultrasonographic findings of 18 breast diseases during pregnancy and lactation retrospectively. The ultrasonographic examinations were performed with linear-array 5 MHz transducer (ATL). Final diagnoses were obtained by the excisional biopsy, fine needle aspiration and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Total 18 cases of breast diseases were consisted of 8 cases of galactocele, 4 cases of fibroadenoma, 3 cases of axillary accessory breast, 2 cases of lactating adenoma, and I case of phylloides tumor. The ultrasonographic findings of the above breast diseases were valuable in the diagnosis and therapeutic planning. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is the initial and useful method of diagnosing breast diseases during pregnancy and lactating period.
Adenoma ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Breast Diseases* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Lactation ; Pregnancy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography

A 51-year-old man had small, tender, skin colored firm nodule on the helix of the both ears for eight months. He was found to have classic features of chondrodermatitis nodularis chronica helicis, namely, tender nodule less than 1 cm in length with central crusting, localization to helix, age, men, and histologic findings. The histologic examination of the biopsy specimen showed the presence of thinned epiderrnis on center. acanthosis on the adjacent epidermis, with hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis, and cleft between epidermis and dermis. In the dermis, highly vascularized connective tissue and chronic inflarnmatory infiltrate were visible with perichondrial fibrosis. Elastic tissue stain showed degeneration of elastic fibers. After complete excision, no recurrence was obsered until now.
Biopsy ; Connective Tissue ; Dermis ; Ear ; Elastic Tissue ; Epidermis ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Hypertrichosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parakeratosis ; Recurrence ; Skin

Electron microscopic study of two malignant fibrous histiocytomas confirmed the presence of previously described tumor cells in the literature. In addition, there existed intermediate cells with morphologic features of both myofibroblasts and histiocytes, or both histiocytes and smooth muscle cells. Our result supported the idea that malignant fibrous histiocytoma may be derived from the undifferentiated mesenchymal cells that differentiate primarily along a fibroblastic and histiocytic cells.