Teratocarcinoma is a form of mixed germ cell tumor composed of a mixture of teratoma and embryonal carcinoma. It is rarely found in the brain, but when present it is most commonly found in the pineal region. We investigated a case of primary teratocarcinoma in the pineal region. The patient was a 10 year old boy who had suffered from a bitemporal headache for one month. Brain CT and MRI revealed a rather well defined ovoid heterogenous mass in the pineal gland region, measuring 4.3 x 3.8 x 3.0 cm in size. Microscopically the tumor contained areas of immature teratoma and embryonal carcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positive reactions for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen, and alpha-fetoprotein in the embryonal carcinoma component.

The rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate is very rarely encountered in the western literature, and only a few reports have been published in Korea. The authours recently experienced two cases of rhabdomyosarcomas of the prostate in 35-year-old and 51-year-old males who had suffered from gross hematuria and difficulty of urination. Microscopic studies showed embryonal type of rhabdomyosarcoma in two cases. The clinical and pathological features of the distinctive prostatic rhabdomyosarcoma are described, and a brief review of the literature is made.
Male ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to develop the PC-based Mini-mental Status Examination (PC-MMSE) including its protocol to improve the reliability of MMSE, to have convenience for administration, and to evaluate the test-retest reliability. METHOD: The factors of decreasing the reliability on MMSE are analyzed such as following. 1) The way of question, pronunciation, and loudness of speech can be different between the test-retest or tester-tester, 2) the learning effect can occur when the test is repeatedly administrated, and 3) the test protocol is not determined in detail. The PC-MMSE and its protocol are designed to solve this problem. PC-MMSE has been developed to have functions such as following. 1) It was made constant verbal stimulation, 2) the question contents of the same level of difficulty in changeable items were developed and some of those can be randomly selected, and 3) it was made the adminstration of test and the management on the test results, conveniently. Protocol on PC-MMSE was also developed for standardization in the administration of test. These two tests of PC-MMSE on 26 stroke patients are administrated for the evaluation of test-retest reliability. RESULTS: The test-retest Spearman's correlation coefficient of PC-MMSE is 0.967 (p<0.01). The Spearman's correlation coefficient of PC-MMSE which is related with sex, education, lesion site, and hemiplegic side is more than 0.89. CONCLUSION: The PC-MMSE and its protocol are thought to be useful for the repeated evaluation of cognitive function.
Education ; Humans ; Learning ; Stroke

No abstract available.
Leiomyosarcoma* ; Rectum*

PURPOSE: Liposarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma, and usually occurs on the thigh or in the retroperitoneal space, but rarely in the oral region. This report presents a case of liposarcoma of the cheek and includes a review of the literatures. METHODS: A 21-year-old woman was admitted with a palpable mass in her cheek of about two years duration, which increased in size gradually initially, but had increased rapidly over the three months. There was no particular pain or tenderness. MRI showed a well-enhanced, well-defined mass, which suspected to be hemangioma. RESULTS: The spherical, well-encapsulated mass was surgically excised. Biopsy results revealed myxoid liposarcoma. FDG PET-CT on the seventh postoperative day, revealed a minimal to mild FDG-uptake soft tissue lesion around the mass defect area without evidence of distant metastasis. The patient is being observed and undergoing radiation therapy. CONCLUSION: Liposarcoma in the head and neck region is a rare disease, and can be overlooked as a benign tumor without a pathologic diagnosis. Therefore, proper treatment and follow-up are required based on an understanding of this disease.
Biopsy ; Cheek ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Liposarcoma ; Liposarcoma, Myxoid ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rare Diseases ; Retroperitoneal Space ; Sarcoma ; Thigh ; Young Adult

In spite of the attention given to the study of mesenchymal stem cells derived periodontal ligament (PDL), there is a lack of information about canine PDL cells. In this study, we characterized canine PDL cells to clarify their stem cell properties, including self renewal, proliferate rate, stem cell markers and multipotency. PDL cells were obtained from extracted premolars of canines, following a colony forming assay and proliferation rate of sub-confluent cultures of cells for self-renewal, immunostaining for STRO-1 and CD146/MUC18 and a differentiation assay for multipotency. Canine PDL cells formed single-cells colonies and 25% of the PDL cells displayed positive staining for BrdU. The cells expressed the mesenchymal stem-cell markers, STRO-1 and CD146/MUC18. Under defined culture conditions, the cells differentiated into osteoblasts and adipocytes, but the cells didn't differentiated into chondrocytes. The findings of this study indicated that the canine PDL cells possess crucial stem cells properties, such as self-renewal and multipotency, and express the mesenchymal stem cell markers on their surface. The isolation and characterization of canine PDL cells makes it feasible to pursue preclinical models of periodontal regeneration in canine.
Adipocytes ; Bicuspid ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Chondrocytes ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Osteoblasts ; Periodontal Ligament* ; Regeneration ; Stem Cells*

BACKGROUND: A recent advancement in microsurgery, the free flap is widely used in the reconstruction of the lower leg and foot. The simple and effective methods of local flaps, including transposition and advancement flaps, have been considered for patients with chronic debilitation who are unable to endure long surgical procedures or general anesthesia. However, the location and size of the wound may restrict the clinical application of a local flap. Under these circumstances, a sural flap can be an excellent alternative, rendering satisfying clinical outcomes in chronically debilitated patients. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2012, 39 patients underwent soft tissue defect treatment by sural artery flap as a final method. All of the patients had at least one chronic disease or more (diabetes, hypertension, vascular disease, etc.). Also, all of the patients had a history of chronic lower extremity ulceration, which revealed no response to several months of conservative treatment. RESULTS: The results of the 39 cases had a success rate of 100% with 39 complete recoveries. Nine cases suffered complications: partial necrosis (n=4), wound dehiscence without necrosis (n=3), hematoma (n=1), and infection (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: The sural artery flap is not only useful for the lower leg but also for the heel, and other various parts. Furthermore, it is a relatively simple surgical technique for reconstructing the defect area for patients with various chronic conditions with a high surgical risk or contraindications to surgery.
Anesthesia, General ; Arteries ; Chronic Disease ; Foot ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Heel ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Microsurgery ; Necrosis ; Organic Chemicals ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Surgical Flaps ; Ulcer ; Vascular Diseases

Chronic exposure to cadmium (Cd) results in an inhibition of protein endocytosis in the renal proximal tubule, leading to proteinuria. In order to gain insight into the mechanism by which Cd impairs the protein endocytosis, we investigated the effect of Cd on the acidification of renal cortical endocytotic vesicles (endosomes). The endosomal acidification was assessed by measuring the pH gradient-dependent fluorescence change, using acridine orange or FITC-dextran as a probe. In renal endosomes isolated from Cd-intoxicated rats, the Vmax of ATP-driven fluorescence quenching (H -ATPase dependent intravesicular acidification) was significantly attenuated with no substantial changes in the apparent Km, indicating that the capacity of acidification was reduced. When endosomes from normal animals were directly exposed to free Cd in vitro, the Vmax was slightly reduced, whereas the Km was markedly increased, implying that the biochemical property of the H -ATPase was altered by Cd. In endosomes exposed to free Cd in vitro, the rate of dissipation of the transmembrane pH gradient after H -ATPase inhibition appeared to be significantly faster compared to that in normal endosomes, indicating that the H -conductance of the membrane was increased by Cd. These results suggest that in long-term Cd-exposed animals, free Cd ions liberated in the proximal tubular cytoplasm by lysosomal degradation of cadmium-metallothionein complex (CdMT) may impair endosomal acidification 1) by reducing the H -ATPase density in the endosomal membrane, 2) by suppressing the intrinsic H -ATPase activity, and 3) possibly by increasing the membrane conductance to H+ ion. Such effects of Cd could be responsible for the alterations of proximal tubular endocytotic activities, protein reabsorption and various transporter distributions observed in Cd-exposed cells and animals.
Acridine Orange ; Animals ; Cadmium* ; Cytoplasm ; Endocytosis ; Endosomes ; Fluorescence ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Ions ; Kidney ; Membranes ; Proteinuria ; Proton-Motive Force ; Rats

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to know the effects of long time bed immobilization on the heart rate variability and to know the correlation between the heart rate variability and other anthropometric parameters. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 60 normal sedentary persons as control group and 22 patients who had been immobilized for a long time because of musculoskeletal problems without any systemic diseases. The heart rate variabilities were measured through the R-R interval variation at rest, deep breathing and valsalva maneuver. These values were compared between control and patient group and were analysed for correlation with age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), amounts of smoking (pack years), spans of immobilization and physical activity scale (PAS). RESULTS: The mean heart rate variability of patients were 0.132+/-0.072, 0.216+/-0.109, and 0.289+/-0.171 in rest, deep breathing and valsalva maneuver respectively which were lower than the corresponding 0.176+/-0.085, 0.314+/-0.146, and 0.322 +/-0.174 of normal control group. The heart rate variabilities were negatively correlated with age, BMI and amounts of smoking but positively correlated with the height. The physical activity scale of preimmobilization state was negatively correlated with resting heart rate variability but was positively correlated with heart rate variability during deep breathing and valsalva maneuvering state. CONCLUSION: The long bed immobilization significantly decreased the heart rate variability and the heart rate variability could be used as a useful tool to measure the effects of immobilization on the heart.
Body Height ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Immobilization* ; Motor Activity ; Respiration ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Valsalva Maneuver

Purpose: The microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with extensive desmoplastic stroma contributes to aggressive cancer behavior. Angiotensin system inhibitors (ASIs) reduce stromal fibrosis and are a promising therapeutic strategy. The purpose of this study was to examine how ASIs affected the oncological results of patients who had their PDAC removed. Materials and Methods: A retrospective assessment was conducted on the clinicopathological and survival data of patients who received curative resection for PDAC at Severance Hospital between January 2012 and December 2019. Results: A total of 410 participants (228 male and 182 female), with a median follow-up period of 12.8 months, were included in this study. Patients were divided into three groups, based on ASI use and history of hypertension: group 1, normotensive and never used ASI (n=210, 51.2%); group 2, ASI non-users with hypertension (n=50, 12.2%); and group 3, ASI users with hypertension (n=150, 36.6%). The three groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, sex, kind of operation, T and N stages, or adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy. Moreover, there was no discernible difference in disease-free survival between those who used ASI and those who did not (p=0.636). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rates in groups 1, 2, and 3 were 52.6%, 32.3%, and 38.0%, respectively. However, the OS rate of ASI users was remarkably higher than that of non-users (p=0.016). Conclusion In patients with resected PDAC, ASI is linked to longer survival rates. Furthermore, for individuals with hypertension, ASI in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy may be an easy and successful treatment option.