Forty eight female Sprague-Dawley rats received a subcutaneous implant containing 12.5 mg estradiol ant the age of 3 weeks. Three rats were killed in 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 weeks and in every month during 2~12 months after implantation, and the breasts were examined by light microscope. In all rats, enlargement of terminal end buds was obseved in 1~2 weeks, maximum development of hyperplastic alveolar nodules in 3 weeks, and marked dilatation and secretion of alveoli or ducts in 1~12 months after implantation. Ductal epithelial hyperplasia was observed in 27 rats and carcinomas developed in 23 rats in 2~12 months after implantation. It was thought that the changes induced by estradiol are more similar to the human breast lesions, compared with changes induced by chemical carcinogens such as dimethylbenzanthracene(DMBA), because breast carcinomas developed in close relationship with ductal epithelial hyperplasia in both estradiol-treated rats and humans, but not in DMBA-treated rats.
Female ; Humans ; Rats ; Animals ; Carcinogens

Holoprosencephaly is a rare malformation complex or development defect including different degrees of incomplete cleavages of the embryonic prosencephalon and varying degrees of the midface defects, resulting from the defect of prechordal mesoderm, migrating forward into the area anterior to the notochord during the third week of fetal development. Early antenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly is important to find out its severity, to predict its prognosis, and to determine proper management according to its prognosis and severity. The possibility of early antenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly by ultrasound has been suggested, but occasionally missed and rarely confirmed. We present one case of lobar holoprosencephaly, diagnosed postnatally and one case of alobar holoprosencephaly, diagnosed antenatally in our hospitals.
Fetal Development ; Holoprosencephaly* ; Mesoderm ; Notochord ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Prosencephalon ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Treatment with a 308 nm excimer laser has been used widely for vitiligo. However, there have been few clinical reports about the therapeutic effects of excimer laser in the Korean literature. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of treatment of vitiligo patients in Korea using a 308 nm excimer laser. METHODS: Eighty-five patients were treated using a 308 nm excimer laser, which was performed twice a week, for a total of 20 treatments. We analyzed the grade of repigmentation with respect to various clinical parameters. RESULTS: Thirty-one of the 85 patients (36.5%) achieved more than 50% repigmentation. Response to treatment was related to age, duration of vitiligo, type of vitiligo and site of lesions (respectively, p=0.049, 0.030, 0.001, 0.001). There were no relationship between treatment response, sex and history of previous treatments (respectively, p=0.636, 0.781). Twenty-nine patients (34.1%) had side effects including erythema, perilesional hyperpigmentation and burn, but they were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: The use of a 308 nm excimer laser for the treatment of vitiligo patients is effective and safe. However, patient age, duration of vitiligo, type of vitiligo and site of lesions may be the key factors affecting the clinical outcome.
Burns ; Erythema ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Korea* ; Lasers, Excimer* ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Myiasis

OBJECTIVE: This study is to determine the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Korean version of the EQ-5D (KEQ-5D) in various rheumatic patients. METHODS: We performed translation, backward translation and cognitive debriefing by the guidelines of the EuroQol group. The validity was evaluated by using the KEQ-5D, Korean Short- Form 36 (KSF-36) and disease-specific measures on 508 out-patients with ankylosing spondylitis, fibromyalgia syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. Construct validity were evaluated by testing a-priori hypotheses of the association between the KEQ-5D and other measures. For the verification of reliability, we gave the same questionnaires twice to another 57 patients 1-week apart, and intra-class correlations and Kappa statistics were estimated. To test responsiveness, 60 patients with RA repeated the KEQ-5D at 12-week intervals within the context of 12-week clinical trials of a TNF blocker, and we calculated the t-test, effect size and standardized response mean RESULTS: There were no major modifications on the cross-cultural adaptation. The relationships between the KEQ-5D and the generic or disease-specific measures were observed to be as we expected previously in a-priori hypotheses:higher KEQ-5Dindex and KEQ-5DVAS scores were correlated with generic or disease-specific measures on the better health status, and groups with a better functional class showed higher KEQ-5D scores. The intra-class correlations of the KEQ-5Dindex and KEQ-5DVAS were 0.751 and 0.767, respectively, and Kappa statistics for agreement ranged from 0.455 to 0.772 across five dimensions. The standardized response means of KEQ-5Dindex and KEQ-5DVAS were 0.649 and 0.410. CONCLUSION: The KEQ-5D had good validity and sensitivity in several rheumatic conditions. Also, its reliability and responsiveness were moderate to good.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Fibromyalgia ; Humans ; Korea ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Osteoarthritis ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rheumatic Diseases* ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing

BACKGROUND: The eyelids are uniquely susceptible to inflammation. Although eyelid dermatitis is common by various causes, there are few comprehensive studies on this disease in the Korean literature. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the causative disease for eyelid dermatitis in Koreans. METHODS: Medical records of patients with eyelid dermatitis treated between 2006 and 2011 were reviewed. RESULTS: Four hundred and five patients (152 males and 303 females) were enrolled in this study, and the mean age of onset was 32.7 (range: 0~84). The most common causes of eyelid dermatitis were allergic contact dermatitis (42.6%), atopic dermatitis (27.9%), irritant contact dermatitis (12.7%), seborrheic dermatitis (8.6%), insect bite (2.4%), etc., in the order of frequency. In the 194 patients of eyelid dermatitis caused by allergic contact dermatitis, 98 patients (50.5%) were in the 30's to 50's, and 120 patients (94.5%) of the 127 patients with atopic dermatitis were under thirty years of age. The frequency of causative diseases for eyelid dermatitis in men were atopic dermatitis (44.7%), allergic contact dermatitis (23.7%) and irritant contact dermatitis (12.5%), and those in women were allergic contact dermatitis (52.1%), atopic dermatitis (19.5%) and irritant contact dermatitis (12.9%). There was a seasonal variation with frequency in fall (30.3%) and spring (26.4%). Among the 341 patients who were followed up, 294 patients (86.2%) showed good response to treatment, but 64 patients (21.8%) of the improved 294 patients relapsed. Four patients experienced adverse effects including irritation (3 cases) and folliculitis (1 case) after using topical glucocorticoids. CONCLUSION: The frequency of eyelid dermatitis decreased by age. Eyelid dermatitis was more common in women, but the ratio of males to females was increased compared with previous reports. The most common causes of eyelid dermatitis were allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis, which were similar with the results of previous reports. Eyelid dermatitis was more common in fall and spring. The recurrence rate was relatively high, but adverse effects of topical corticosteroids were unusual. This study will be useful for clinicians when treating patients with eyelid dermatitis.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Age of Onset ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Eyelids ; Female ; Folliculitis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Insect Bites and Stings ; Male ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Seasons

Duloxetine and thioctic acid (TA) are standard drugs for treating diabetic neuropathy, a primary complication associated with diabetes. In this study, ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry methods was successfully developed and validated for quantifying duloxetine and TA in biological samples. The protein precipitation method was used to extract duloxetine, TA and their internal standards from beagle dog plasma. A Hypersil Gold C18 column (150 × 2.1 mm, 1.9 μm) was used for the experiment. Isocratic elution with 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile (A) and 0.1% formic acid (B) was used for duloxetine, whereas a gradient elution with 0.03% acetic acid (A) and acetonitrile (B) was used for TA. The validated parameters included linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, precision, selectivity, matrix effect, stability, and recovery under different conditions. The linear ranges of the calibration curves for duloxetine and TA were 5–800 ng/mL and 5–1,000 ng/mL, respectively. An intra- and inter-run precision of ± 15% can be observed in all quality control samples. These methods were successfully used for pharmacokinetics (PKs) studies in beagle dogs to compare PK differences in a fixed-dose combination including duloxetine and TA and co-administration of the 2 drugs.

Angelica decursiva has been used in Korean traditional medicine as an antitussive, an analgesic, an antipyretic and a cough remedy. However, the anti-cancer properties of Angelica decursiva have not yet been well defined. In our current study the cytotoxic activity of ethanol extracts of Angelica decursiva root (EEAD) and the mechanism of cell death exhibited by EEAD were examined in FaDu human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells. The cytotoxic effects of EEAD upon the growth of FaDu cells were examined with an MTT assay. In addition, the mechanism of cell death induced by EEAD was evaluated by DNA fragmentation analysis, immunoblotting and caspase activation measurements. EEAD induced apoptotic cell death in FaDu cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, as determined by MTT assay and DNA fragmentation analysis. Furthermore, the proteolytic processing of caspase-3, -7 and -9 was increased by EEAD treatment of FaDu cells. In addition, the activation of caspase-3 and -7 was detected in living FaDu cells by fluorescence microscopy. These results suggest that EEAD can induce apoptosis and suppress cell growth in cancer cells and may have utility as a future anti-cancer therapy.
Angelica ; Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Cough ; DNA Fragmentation ; Ethanol ; Head ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Medicine, Korean Traditional ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Neck

BACKGROUND: Some opioids have been shown to attenuate an ischemia-reperfusion injury in an isolated-heart model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sufentanil on the cardiac function in isolated-heart models when given before and after prolonged periods of low flow ischemia. METHODS: Isolated rat hearts were stabilized for 30 minutes and subdivided into four groups (each n = 7). The control group was subjected to low flow ischemia (LFI 0.3 ml/min) of 5% dextrose water for 30 minutes, followed by perfusion with a modified Krebs solution at a constant pressure for 60 minutes. In the sufentanil groups, different sufentanil (12.5 mg/L, 25 mg/L, 50 mg/L) doses were administered with the modified Krebs solution after 30 minutes of stabilization until the end of the experiment with the exception of the LFI group. The left ventricular end systolic pressure (LVESP), dP/dt max, heart rate and coronary flow were measured. After reperfusion, the infarct size of all groups was measured. RESULTS: The control and the sufentanil groups had a lower LVESP, dP/dt max, coronary effluent flow and arrhythmia duration after ischemia and reperfusion than those before ischemia. The infarct sizes in the sufentanil groups were smaller than those in the control group. However the infarct sizes of the sufentanil groups were similar. CONCLUSION: Sufentanil reduces the infarct size but does not improve the post-ischemic functional dysfunction.
Analgesics, Opioid ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Glucose ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Ischemia ; Models, Animal* ; Perfusion ; Rats* ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury ; Sufentanil* ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Water

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to investigate changes of chest wall shape and chest compression site according to increasing age. METHODS: This study is based on 99 patients who underwent chest computed tomography (CT) scans, and classified them into six groups according to age, from 30's to 80's. Using images of sagittal and coronal sections of chest CT scans, we found the chest compression site, which is in the lower half point of the sternal body. We calculated the vertical length to the left ventricular outflow tract and to the center of the left ventricle from the lower half point of the sternal body. We also estimated the antero-posterior (AP) diameters of the lower half region of the chest to determine how the shape of the chest changes according to increasing age. In addition, we calculated the horizontal length between the surface of the chest and center of the left ventricle. Data are classified and estimated according to age group. RESULTS: The AP diameter at the compression site was not significantly changed according to increasing age. The vertical length from the compression site to the center of the left ventricle and left ventricular outflow tract was significantly changed according to increasing age. The depth between surface of body and center of left ventricle was not significantly changed according to increasing age. CONCLUSION: There is a tendency where the position of the left ventricular outflow tract and center of the left ventricle show lower positioning according to increasing age. AP diameter at the compression point was not significantly changed according to increasing age.
Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Thoracic Wall* ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed