BACKGROUND: Several reports have demonstrated that TGFalpha and EGF are mitogenic for keratinocytes. Whenther its expression on epithelial tumors is a marker of malignancy or signifies an important step in the development of neoplasia is poorly understood. EGF receptors are also present in normal epidermis and epithelial tumors but their physiological roles are not yet understood. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to examine the staining patterns of TGFalpha, EGF and EGF receptors on the npithelial tumors of the skin, and to investigate kinetics of expression of EGF receptors. METHODS: We performed immunoperoxidase staining(ABC technique) with monoclonal anti-TGFalpha antibody, polyclonal anti-EGF antibody and polyclonal anti-EGF receptor antibody on the formalinfixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of benign, premalignant and malignant skin tumors. RESULTS: The density of the expression of TGFalpha and EGF was not correlated with the degree of the malignancy of the epithelial tumors and is neither constant in any kind of the tumors. However the infiltrative type of basal cell carcinoma(BCC) is stronger that its solid type on the expression of TGFalpha and EGF. All benign tumors demonstrated a diffuse pattern within tumor lobules. pression of TGFalpha and EGF. All benign tumors demonstrated a diffuse pattern within tumor lobules. Focal TGFalpha immunostaining was seen in three of 10 squamous cell carcinomas(SCC) and four of 10 BCCs. TGFalpha immunostaining was absent from the outermost one to two layers of tumor lobules of all keratoacanthomas. The specimens which increased the expression of TGFalpha and EGF tended to decrease the expression of EGF receptor. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the density of immunohistochemical expression of TGFalpha and EGF may be not dependent on the differentiation of tumor cells, and the pattern of immunohistochemical expression of TGFalpha can differentiate SCC from benign tumors such as keratoacanthoma. FGF receptor may be occupied by both of TGFalpha and EGF. With the receptors being occupied, a down regulation of the receptors may occur which results in decreased EGF receptor expression.
Down-Regulation ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Epidermis ; Keratinocytes ; Keratoacanthoma ; Kinetics ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor ; Skin* ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha*

Artichia with papular lesions is a rare congenit,al disease characteriezed by the association of alopecia and papular lesions. We report a case of atrichia with papular lesions in 12-year-old. Alopecia of the scalp and eye brows were present at birth. Nurnerous papular lesions are presentation the trunk, buttock and inguinal area. The histopathologic iinding of a papular lesion showed ker till-filled cyst, and eruptive vellous hair cyst. The patient showed reticulat.ed hyperpigmentation on the hands and feet in addition to the characteristic feature of atriclia with papular lesions.
Alopecia ; Buttocks ; Child ; Foot ; Hair ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Parturition ; Scalp

Puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) nephropathy was induced in a group of Sprague-Dawley rat by a single dose of intraperitoneal injection to study an ultrastructural alteration of glomerular anionic sites by stain with polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a cationic probe and to examine whether proliferation of podocytes occur by immunohistochemical stain for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). The experimental rats developed proteinuria three days after PAN injection. Electron microscopic studies of glomeruli showed the loss of epithelial foot processes, formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles, microvillous formation and increased numbers of lyso- somes in the cytoplasm of podocytes. PEI method seems to selectively stain heparan sulfate proteogly-can in basement membrane and has been widely used to evaluate the changes of basement membrane in human disease as well as in experimental work. The anionic sites on the basement membrane with foot process fusion were mostly indistinguishable from those seen in control rats, but focal areas of loss or disarray of anionic sites were noted. The anionic sites were not seen on the basement membrane where the overlying epithelium was detached. It is strongly suggested that proteinuria in PAN nephrosis may be primarily due to a glomerular epithelial lesion, leading to focal disarray of anionic sites or focal defects in the epithelial covering of the basement membrane. The loss of anionic s'ites in the basement mernbrane may be resulted partially from the foot process fusion and mostly from the epithelial detachment. The increased numbers of PCNA positive cells after the injection of PAN is suggestive of possibility of podocytic proliferation or regeneration.
Animals ; Basement Membrane* ; Cytoplasm ; Epithelial Cells* ; Epithelium ; Foot ; Heparitin Sulfate ; Humans ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Nephrosis ; Podocytes ; Polyethyleneimine ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Proteinuria ; Puromycin Aminonucleoside* ; Puromycin* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Vacuoles

Esthetics ; Humans ; Mandibular Condyle ; Mandibular Reconstruction ; Mouth ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: The improved technique for cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) has resulted in the survival of many patient who experienced cardiac arrest. However, mortality in resuscitated patients is high, and the survival rate without brain damage is very low. Various neurological examination models, neuro-imaging techniques, electrophysiological procedures, and biochemical tests have been studied with respect to the detection of cerebral damage and outcome, but an early, reliable prediction of individual outcomes is still uncertain. METHODS: We studied twenty patient who had been in a coma for more than 24 hours after CPR, Somatosensory evoked potentials(SEP) were measured within the first three days after CPR. RESULTS: Of the twenty patients, seven patients(35%) had a good outcome, and thirteen patients(65%) had a bad outcome. Of the eleven patients with loss of the cortical evoked potential's N20 peak, all had a bad outcome. CONCLUSION: SEPs are of great benefit in prognostic evaluation after CPR.
Brain ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation* ; Coma* ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Mortality ; Neurologic Examination ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: This treatment planning study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of beam angle configuration of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) on the dose of the normal liver in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The computed tomography datasets of 25 patients treated with IMRT for HCC were selected. Two IMRT plans using five beams were made in each patient; beams with equidistance of 72degrees (Plan I), and beams with a 30degrees angle of separation entering the body near the tumor (Plan II). Both plans were generated using the same constraints in each patient. Conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), gamma index, mean dose of the normal liver (Dmean_NL), Dmean_NL difference between the two plans, and percentage normal liver volumes receiving at least 10, 20, and 30 Gy (V10, V20, and V30) were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: Dmean_NL, V10, and V20 were significantly better for Plan II. The Dmean_NL was significantly lower for peripheral (p = 0.001) and central tumors (p = 0.034). Dmean_NL differences between the two plans increased in proportion to gross tumor volume to normal liver volume ratios (p = 0.002). CI, HI, and gamma indices were not significantly different for the two plans. CONCLUSION: The IMRT plan based on beams with narrow separations reduced the irradiated dose of the normal liver, which would allow radiation dose escalation for HCC.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Humans ; Liver ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Tumor Burden

Fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4) has various functions, affecting many signaling pathways, and leading to cellular proliferation and differentiation and to the regulation of cell migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. However, there are few reports of the relationship between TS cells and FGF-4 even if FGF-4 is located in inner cell mass of embryo and Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) is located in TS cells. Therefore the physiologic effects of FGF-4 on TS cells were investigated for identifying the effects of FGF-4 on TS ell differentiation. FGF-4 was involved in early stage development of the trophoblast via upregulation of eomesodermin mRNA expression. In addition, FGF-4 suppressed the differentiation of TS cells through activation of extracellular-signal regulated kinase (Erk) and suppression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, which in TS cells is an important indicator of early trophoblast cell differentiation, migration and invasion. FGF-4 was involved in angiogenesis in the trophoblast through the activation of p38 and the induction of Dlx-3 mRNA expression in TS cells. In addition, TS cells cultured with FGF-4 for 4 days in a thrombinfibrinogen gel culture system, a specific culture system for endothelial cells, showed a healthy appearance, while TS cells cultured without FGF-4 were severely damaged. Taken together, these data suggest that FGF-4 is closely involved in differentiation of TS cells for development of placenta.
Cell Differentiation ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Embryonic Structures ; Endothelial Cells ; Fibroblasts ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Phosphotransferases ; Placenta ; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor ; RNA, Messenger ; Trophoblasts* ; Up-Regulation

Sixteen patients with prostatodynia underwent clinical studies including urodynamic study, MMPI, and endoscopy. As a control group, another 19 patients with nonbacterial prostatitis and 16 normal man of 20-40 years of age also underwent urodynamic study. The most characteristic urodynamic findings in patients with prostatodynia was a significant increase in maximum urethral closing pressure as compared to control group (mean, 140.9 : 92.1 : 84.1 cmH20). In prostatodynia group, peak urinary flow rate was also significantly decreased as compared to the control group (mean, 12.0: 17.8 : 23.9cc / sec). 11 of 16 patients with prostatodynia was found to have functional outlet obstruction, probably at sympathetically innervated urethral sphincter. And they were treated with minipress and diazepam, of whom 7 showed significant improvement both symptomatically and urodynamically. On MMPI 7patients with prostatodynia showed significant underlying psychiatric disorders, and were treated by psychiatric treatment, of whom 4 showed significant clinical improvement. 2 patients with prostatodynia showed vermontanal pseudopolyp suggestive of prostatitis, were treated with long term TMF-SMX administration, and showed significant improvement. It is suggested that prostatodynia may develop from urethral sphincter overactivity and underlying psychiatric disorders, and that at least some cases with prostatodynia are in fact prostatitis. Uroflowmetry, urethral pressure profile, MMPI study and repeated EPS study may be of help in deciding the treatment plan of prostatodynia.
Diazepam ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; MMPI ; Prazosin ; Prostatitis ; Urethra ; Urodynamics*

The clinicopathologic features and the comparative analysis of diagnostic methods in 42 patients having intestinal tuberculosis were studied. In all the cases, clinical and colonoscopic diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination. Abdominal pain was the most common symptom (54%). Twenty nine patients had active pulmonary tuberculosis which was confirmed by a chest X-ray, or an AFB smear and a culture of sputum. A transverse ulcer with surrounding hypertrophic mucosa and multiple erosion was the usual colonoscopic findings. The granulomas were usually located in the just upper and lower portion of muscularis mucosa. The direct smear and culture of the fresh biopsy material showed AFB in 11 (32.4%) and 12 cases (36.4%) respectively. Ziehl-Neelsen staining in serially sectioned slides from formalin-fixed, paraffin- embedded tissue revealed AFB in 15 cases (35.7%). An immunohistochemical stain for Mycobacterium bovis was done in all cases and 13 cases were positive (31%). A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done and showed positivity in 4 out of 20 cases of fresh biospy material and 12 out of 40 cases in paraffin embedded tissue. For the conclusive diagnosis of intestinal tuberculosis, a Ziehl-Neelsen stain is the most sensitive, fast, and cost-effective method. The diagnostic accuracy will be increased when other diagnostic methods such as tissue culture and PCR are coupled with this simple staining method.
Abdominal Pain ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis* ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Intestines ; Mucous Membrane ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Paraffin ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Papilloma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*