Here, we report the case of a 43-year-old female who was diagnosed with a cotyledonoid dissecting leiomyoma (CDL) of the uterus. CDL is a recently described and extremely rare variant of a benign leiomyoma that can grossly masquerade as a malignancy. The 13-cm sized tumor was located primarily on the extrauterine surface as an intrauterine continuity, which showed dark red, congested, bulbous protuberances. It was multinodular appearance, encasing the bilateral adnexae and the left iliac vein. Microscopically, the nodules were separated by extensive hydropic degeneration. The nodules were composed of cigar-shaped spindle cells with no mitosis, cellular pleomorphism or coagulation necrosis. They also showed an intravascular luminal growth pattern. CDL with intravascular growth was diagnosed after excluding intravascular leiomyomatosis, disseminated peritoneal leiomyomatosis, and benign metastasizing leiomyoma. The present case is the second reported case of CDL in Korea. Recognition of this rare and bizarre, malignancy-mimicking leiomyoma is crucial to prevent inappropriate treatment.
Adult ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Female ; Humans ; Iliac Vein ; Korea ; Leiomyoma* ; Leiomyomatosis ; Mitosis ; Necrosis ; Phenobarbital* ; Uterus*

Central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms are the second most common childhood malignancy after leukemia and the most common solid organ neoplasm in children. Diagnostic dilemmas with small specimens from CNS neoplasms are often the result of multifactorial etiologies such as frozen or fixation artifact, biopsy size, or lack of knowledge about rare or unfamiliar entities. Since the late 1950s, ultrastructural examination has been used in the diagnosis of CNS neoplasms, though it has largely been replaced by immunohistochemical and molecular cytogenetic studies. Nowadays, pathologic diagnosis of CNS neoplasms is achieved through intraoperative cytology, light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and molecular cytogenetic results. However, the utility of electron microscopy (EM) in the final diagnosis of CNS neoplasms and investigation of its pathogenetic origin remains critical. Here, we reviewed the distinguishing ultrastructural features of pediatric CNS neoplasms and emphasize the continuing value of EM in the diagnosis of CNS neoplasms.
Artifacts ; Biopsy ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms* ; Central Nervous System* ; Child ; Cytogenetics ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukemia ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron

Adenocarcinomas with micropapillary patterns are generally aggressive and show lymphotropism. Only a few reports on pulmonary adenocarcinoma with micropapillary patterns have described cytologic findings. A 70-year-old Korean woman was admitted to the hospital because of intermittent dry cough and chest pain. Cytology after bronchial washing showed neoplastic cells in small, angulated, cohesive clusters consisting of 3-20 cells without a fibrovascular core. The resected right middle lobe showed a tumor occupying almost the entire lobe. Histologically, about 90% of neoplastic cells proliferated with micropapillary morphology in the background of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. Cytologic smears of a bronchial washing showing tumor cells in small, cohesive clusters without a fibrovascular core may indicate an adenocarcinoma with micropapillary pattern.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar ; Aged ; Chest Pain ; Cough ; Female ; Humans ; Lung

We evaluated the usefulness of cervicovaginal cytology as a primary screening test by analyzing the cytologic and histological diagnoses of 2,254 women. Cervicovaginal cytology had 93.0% sensitivity, 86.1% specificity, 88.2% positive predictive value, and 91.7% of negative predictive value. Cervicovaginal cytology as a primary screening test showed much higher specificity but slightly lower sensitivity than HPV DNA testing. However, the sensitivity of cervicovaginal cytology will be improved continuously due to the development of liquid-based cytology. We regard cervicovaginal cytology as a good primary screening test for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or carcinoma.
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Female ; Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to ascertain the usefulness of the human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA microchip test for the screening and management of women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US). METHODS: The subject group consisted of 534 patients, and all of whom were diagnosed as ASC-US according to a Papanicolaou smear, and they all underwent concomitant HPV DNA microchip test. RESULTS: The occurrence rates of overall squamous lesions and high risk lesion (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 and grade 3, and invasive carcinoma) of the HPV-positive ASC-US patients were significantly higher than those of the HPV-negative ASC-US patients. High risk lesion was detected more frequently among the older patients and the patients with HPV 56, 33 or 70. On the follow-up HPV DNA microchip test, only 1 of 11 (9.1%) HPV type-switched women developed squamous lesion compared with 8 of 13 (61.6%) HPV type-persistent women who developed squamous lesion. CONCLUSIONS: The HPV DNA microchip test is useful for the management of ASC-US patients. HPV-positive ASC-US patients should undergo a HPV DNA microchip test periodically. If the same genotype of HPV is persistent on the follow-up test, more increased surveillance is needed.
DNA ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genotype ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Vaginal Smears

Baicalin is flavonoid and major component of PC-SPES. Flavonoids including baicalin have been reported to not only function as anti-oxidant but also cause cytotoxic effect. Baicalin hydrate has been reported to induce cell death, however the mechanism by which baicalin hydrate induces the apoptosis of cancer cells is still unclear. To evaluate the mechanistic insights of apoptosis by baicalin hydrate, we tested the activities of apoptosis signaling pathway in HeLa cells. The viability of HeLa and HeLa s3 cells was markedly decreased by baicalin hydrate in a dose- and time- dependent method. Baicalin hydrate induced the apoptotic death of HeLa cells, which was characterized by the chromatin condensation of the nuclei and phosphorylation of histone H2AX. Baicalin hydrate increased the sub-G1 DNA content of HeLa cell lines. Baicalin hydrate digested Bid protein, increased Bak protein level and also, induced mitochondrial dysfunction disrupted as shown as the mitochondrial membrane potential. It activated caspase-3, thereby resulted in cleavage of poly (ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP).
Apoptosis ; bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein ; BH3 Interacting Domain Death Agonist Protein ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Chromatin ; DNA ; Flavonoids ; HeLa Cells ; Histones ; Humans ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Phosphorylation ; Ribose ; Signal Transduction*

Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II (cisplatin) has been reported to induce cell death. However, the mechanism by which cisplatin is induced the apoptosis of cancer cells is still unclear. To evaluate the mechanistic insights of apoptosis by cisplatin, we tested the activities of apoptotic signaling pathway in HeLa cells. Apoptotic death of HeLa cells by cisplatin was confirmed by ladder-pattern fragmentation of genomic DNA. Cisplatin induced the activation of caspase-3 and 9 proteases in a time dependent manner. The caspase-3 protease activation and the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and procaspase-3 was demonstrated. We also showed that the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL was markedly decreased by the addition of cisplatin in HeLa cells. Moreover, expression of Fas and FasL proteins was increased by cisplatin. These data suggest that cisplatin triggers the activation of apoptotic signaling pathway in human cervical cancer, HeLa cells, via affects the expression of Fas, FasL and Bcl-2 families as well as triggers the activation of caspase-3 and -9 proteases.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Cisplatin* ; DNA ; Fas Ligand Protein ; HeLa Cells* ; Humans ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

We report a rare case of meningioma associated with meningioangiomatosis in a 9-year-old male patient who showed none of the stigmata of neurofibromatosis 2. Brain magnetic resonance images showed marked cortical calcification with slight contrast-enhancement in the parieto-occipital lobe. The resected mass showed that the lesion was mainly composed of meningioangiomatosis and a small focus was transformed into meningioma. To date, only 17 cases of such combined lesions have been reported in English medical literature. We report a rare case of meningioma that arose from meningioangiomatosis.
Brain ; Child ; Christianity ; Humans ; Male ; Meningioma* ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Neurofibromatosis 2

A 51-yr-old man presented with an enlarged right testis for two months. The radically resected testis showed a relatively well-circumscribed ovoid mass, nearly replacing the normal architecture with central cystic changes. Microscopically, the mass was composed of ovoid shaped tumor cells of a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The central portion of the mass was filled with well-formed laminated keratinous materials and the remnant cavity lined by dysplastic squamous epithelium, indicated SCC may be derived from an epidermal cyst. SCC is among the most common types of neoplasm afflicting human beings, but it is rare in the testis. To our knowledge, this is the second report of the testicular squamous cell carcinoma occurring in a patient without other primary tumors, and the firstly reported case in Korea.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/diagnosis/*pathology ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Testicular Neoplasms/diagnosis/*pathology

Dengue fever is an acute febrile illness caused by dengue virus infection. Found predominantly in tropical urban areas, dengue virus is transmitted to humans by a female mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. The clinical features of dengue fever include fever, headache, skin rash and bleeding. These symptoms are usually mild and not fatal, but dengue hemorrhagic fever is life threatening without proper management. The diagnosis of dengue fever can be established with a dengue virus-infected cell culture or with isolated dengue IgM. No specific treatment exists for dengue fever except for symptomatic management. With the recent global increase of dengue fever incidence, the number of cases of dengue fever in returning travelers is on the increase in Korea. Therefore, it is possible that Korean primary physicians will confront dengue fever cases. We report two cases of dengue fever that we experienced in the Department of Family Medicine in 2007.
Aedes ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Culicidae ; Dengue ; Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever ; Dengue Virus ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Headache ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Korea