Central nervous system atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor(CNS rhabdoid tumor) is a rare malignancy of uncertain origin. It typically occurs in infants and young children and comprises only a small fraction of pediatrics CNS malignancies. The tumor contains a large spindled cell component as classical rhabdoid morphology and focal areas resembling primitive neuroectodermal tumor. The tumor is defined histopathologically by the presence of rhabdoid cells, but contains considerable heterogeneity of the cell type, including the frequent presence of primitive neuroectodermal tumor. The prognosis for children with CNS rhabdoid tumor is dismal. We experienced a case of a three-year-old female who had been transferred to our hospital for seizure and vomiting. She was diagnosed as CNS atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor by biopsy. In spite of surgery and intensive postoperative multi-agents chemotherapy, she developed a local recurrence around the operation site at six months after surgery. We present this case with a brief review of related literatures.
Biopsy ; Cellular Structures ; Central Nervous System* ; Child ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Medulloblastoma* ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive ; Pediatrics ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Rhabdoid Tumor ; Seizures ; Vomiting

Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia(NAIT) is a rare disease caused by maternal alloimmunization against fetal platelet surface antigen, which is mainly platelet specific alloantigen or human leukocyte antigen(HLA). During routine hemotology, we accidentally discovered thrombocytopenia in a female fullterm newborn admitted due to jaundice. We excluded NAIT due to human platelet alloantigen(HPA), because the HPA of the mother and baby were the same on PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism). Mother's serum was tested for lyrnphocytotoxity against 36 donor lymphocytes, and anti-HLA A2, A24 and B58 were found. HLA typing of the father and baby revealed A2 antigen which was not present on the mothers lymphocytes. The patient received concentrated platelet and intravenous globulin. Her platelet count increased to 222,000/mm from 3,000/mm on the 11th day of life. We described a case of NAIT due to anti-HLA A2 antibody with a detailed clinical feature. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 1999;43:861-865)
Antigens, Surface ; Blood Platelets ; Fathers ; Female ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Isoantigens ; Jaundice ; Leukocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Mothers ; Platelet Count ; Rare Diseases ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thrombocytopenia, Neonatal Alloimmune* ; Tissue Donors

Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites were isolated from the blood of an ocular patient, and have been successfully passaged in the laboratory, for over a year, by peritoneal inoculation in mice. The isolated parasite was designated the Korean Isolate-1 (KI-1) and its characteristics were compared with those of the RH strain, a wellknown virulent strain originating from a child who suffered from encephalitis. The morphology, pathogenicity, infectivity and cell culture characteristics of the KI-1 were similar to those of the RH strain. Both RH and KI-1 antigens were detected by an anti-T. gondii monoclonal antibody (mAb), Tg563, against the major surface protein SAG1 (30 kDa), whereas no reaction was observed against an anti-Neospora caninum mAb, 12B4. The KI-1 was confirmed as an isolate of T. gondii. A long-term laboratory maintenance and characterization of a local T. gondii isolate is reported for the first time in the Republic of Korea.
Animals ; Antigens, Protozoan/analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Microscopy, Electron ; Middle Aged ; Parasitemia/parasitology ; Sarcoma 180 ; Serial Passage ; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms ; *Toxoplasma/classification/growth & development/isolation & purification/pathogenicity ; Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; Virulence

Plasmodium vivax malaria re-emerged in South Korea in 1993, and epidemics continue since then. We examined genetic variation in the region encompassing the apical membrane antigen-1 (PvAMA-1) of the parasites by DNA sequencing of the 22 re-emerging P. vivax isolates. The genotype of the PvAMA-1, which was based on sequence data previously reported for the polymorphic regions, showed that two haplotypes were present at one polymorphic site. Compared with reported data, the two types, SKOR type I and type II, were similar to Chinese CH-10A and CH-05A isolates, respectively. Thus, the present study showed that two genotypes of AMA-1 genes coexist in the re-emerging Korean P. vivax.
Adult ; Aged ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; *Antigens, Protozoan ; Base Sequence ; Child ; Female ; Genotype ; Human ; Korea ; Malaria, Vivax/*genetics ; Male ; Membrane Proteins/chemistry/*genetics ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Polymorphism (Genetics) ; Protozoan Proteins/chemistry/*genetics ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The gastric epithelium is continuously regenerated by gastric stem cells, which give rise to various kinds of daughter cells, including parietal cells, chief cells, surface mucous cells, mucous neck cells, and enteroendocrine cells. The self-renewal and differentiation of gastric stem cells need delicate regulation to maintain the normal physiology of the stomach. Recently, it was hypothesized that cancer stem cells drive the cancer growth and metastasis. In contrast to conventional clonal evolution hypothesis, only cancer stem cells can initiate tumor formation, self-renew, and differentiate into various kinds of daughter cells. Because gastric cancer can originate from gastric stem cells and their self-renewal mechanism can be used by gastric cancer stem cells, we review here how critical signaling pathways, including hedgehog, Wnt, Notch, epidermal growth factor, and bone morphogenetic protein signaling, may regulate the self-renewal and differentiation of gastric stem cells and gastric cancer stem cells. In addition, the precancerous change of the gastric epithelium and the status of isolating gastric cancer stem cells from patients are reviewed.
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; Cell Differentiation ; Clonal Evolution ; Enteroendocrine Cells ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Epithelium ; Hedgehogs ; Humans ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; Nuclear Family ; Stem Cells ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

Transportation between the cytoplasm and the nucleoplasm is critical for many physiological and pathophysiological processes including gene expression, signal transduction, and oncogenesis. So, the molecular mechanism for the transportation needs to be studied not only to understand cell physiological processes but also to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Recent progress in the research of the nuclear transportation (import and export) via nuclear pore complex and four important factors affecting nuclear transport (nucleoporins, Ran, karyopherins, and nuclear localization signals/nuclear export signals) will be discussed. Moreover, the clinical significance of nuclear transport and its application will be reviewed. This review will provide some critical insight for the molecular design of therapeutics which need to be targeted inside the nucleus.
Active Transport, Cell Nucleus* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Physiological Processes ; Cytoplasm ; Gene Expression ; Karyopherins ; Nuclear Localization Signals ; Nuclear Pore ; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins ; Signal Transduction ; Transportation

No abstract available.
Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Sepsis* ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Vibrio*

The generation and maintenance of consciousness are fundamental but difficult subjects in the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and medicine. However, recent developments in neuro-imaging techniques coupled with network analysis have greatly advanced our understanding of consciousness. The present review focuses on large-scale functional brain networks based on neuro-imaging data to explain the awareness (contents) and wakefulness of consciousness.Despite limitations, neuroimaging data suggests brain maps for important psychological and cognitive processes such as attention, language, self-referential, emotion, motivation, social behavior, and wakefulness. We considered a review of these advancements would provide new insights into research on the neural correlates of consciousness.

The generation and maintenance of consciousness are fundamental but difficult subjects in the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and medicine. However, recent developments in neuro-imaging techniques coupled with network analysis have greatly advanced our understanding of consciousness. The present review focuses on large-scale functional brain networks based on neuro-imaging data to explain the awareness (contents) and wakefulness of consciousness.Despite limitations, neuroimaging data suggests brain maps for important psychological and cognitive processes such as attention, language, self-referential, emotion, motivation, social behavior, and wakefulness. We considered a review of these advancements would provide new insights into research on the neural correlates of consciousness.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to elucidate the associations of HLA with systemic sclerosis (SSc) in Koreans. METHODS: HLA associations with SSc according to SSc-specific autoantibody status and clinical subsets (diffuse and limited) were investigated. HLA-A, B, and C antigens were typed by the serological method using microlymphocytotoxicity test, and HLA-DR by DNA typing method using PCR-reverse hybridization and PCR-SSCP in 56 Korean patients with SSc and 226 healthy controls. For SSc patients, anti-Scl-70 and anicentromere antibodies were tested by double immunodiffusion and indirect immunofluorescence, respectively. RESULTS: The results of HLA class I antigen typing showed that the frequencies of HLA-A24, B52 and B62 were increased, whereas those of A33, B44 and B58 were decreased in SSc patients compared to healthy controls. The frequency of HLA-DR2 was significantly increased, whereas that of HLA-DR13 was decreased in patients with SSc compared to controls. Among HLA-DR2 alleles, both HLA-DRB1*1501 and *1502 were increased in SSc patients compared to controls. According to clinical status, HLA-DRB1*1501 was increased in limited SSc patients and that of DRB1*1502 was increased both in diffuse and limited SSc patients compared to controls. According to autoantibody status, HLA- DRB1 1502 was significantly increased in anti-Scl-70-positive SSc patients and that of DRB1 1501 was increased in anti-Scl-70-negative SSc patients compared to controls. The association of HLA-DR2 alleles with SSc according to clinical subsets and anti-Scl-70 antibody status revealed that the frequency of HLA- DRB1 *1501 was significantly increased in anti-Scl-70-negative limited SSc patients compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that different HLA-DR2 alleles are associated with different types of SSc in Koreans. HLA-DRB1 1502 shows strong association with anti-Scl-70-positive SSc, and DRB1 1501 with anti-Scl-70-negative limited SSc. It is concluded that the pathogenesis of SSc in Koreans is in part, based on the same genetic background.
Alleles ; Antibodies ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; HLA-A Antigens ; HLA-A24 Antigen ; HLA-DR Antigens ; HLA-DR2 Antigen ; HLA-DRB1 Chains ; Humans ; Immunodiffusion ; Scleroderma, Systemic*