Hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is a rare disease due to occlusion of the terminal hepatic venules and/or sublobular veins, which is a result of endothelial damage from pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbal teas, irradiation of the liver, or chemotherapy particularly in association with bone marrow transplantation. We recently experienced three cases of VOD developed after radiation therapy. Two cases occurred in hepatocellular carcinoma patients of a 37-year-old man with B viral chronic hepatitis and a 22-year-old man with B viral cirrhosis and the other in a 64-year-old patient with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. For the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, chemoembolization with lipiodol and adriamycin, and external irradiation on the liver mass were done. The total radiation dose was 5400 cGy and 3000 cGy in each case. Five months and 3 months after irradiation, respectively, the resected liver masses showed extensive necrosis due to pre-operative treatment. To treat esophageal carcinoma, pre-operative concurrent chemotherapy of 5-FU and radiation of 4500 cGY were done. One month after irradiation, the radical esophgectomy and wedge biopsy of the liver were done. The liver of all 3 cases showed a dark red appearance with severe congestion in contrast to the pale brown normal liver, which was not included in the radiation field. On micoscopic examination, the terminal hepatic venules and sublobular veins showed subintimal edema, fibrin deposition, and partial or total luminal occlusion by loose fibrous tissue. The centrizonal sinusoids were markedly dilatated and congested with atrophy of hepatocytes.
Adult ; Atrophy ; Teas, Herbal ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Edema ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Ethiodized Oil ; Fibrin ; Fibrosis ; Fluorouracil ; Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Phenobarbital ; Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids ; Rare Diseases ; Veins ; Venules ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To evaluate the extrahepatic spread of peripheral cholangiocarcinoma with CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed CT findings of extrahepatic spread in thirty-six patients with peripheral cholangiocarcinoma confirmed adenocarcinoma at surgery(n=5) or percutaneous biopsy(n--31) without primary leion in other organs, and analysed the frequency and distribution of enlarged lymph nodes, direct invasion of adjacent solid organs, and thrombosis of major vessels. RESULTS: Among the 36 cases, enlarged metastatic lymph node was noted in twenty-four(66.7%), direct invasion into adjacent organs in six(16.7%), portal and inferior vena caval thrombosis in five(13.9%). Enlarged lymph nodes were seen in hepatic nodes(n=16, 44.4%), portocaval nodes(n=15, 41.7%), interaortocaval nodes (n=10, 27.8) and celiac nodes in two(5.6%). Direct invasion was detected in the greater omentum(n=6), gallbladder(n:3) and stomach(n=2). Portal vein thrombosis(n:5) and thrombosis of inferior vena cava(n=2) were noted. CONCLUSION: Lymph node metastasis was seen in 67% in patients with peripheral cholangiocarcinoma. Direct invasion to adjacent organs and thrombosis in portal vein or inferior vena cava were occasionally associated.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Portal Vein ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombosis ; Vena Cava, Inferior

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Animals ; Epithelium* ; Gene Expression* ; Laser Capture Microdissection* ; Mice* ; Microarray Analysis* ; Phenobarbital*

Glutamate-induced cobalt uptake reveals that non-NMDA glutamate receptors (GluRs) are present in rat taste bud cells. Previous studies involving glutamate induced cobalt staining suggest this uptake mainly occurs via kainate type GluRs. It is not known which of the 4 types of taste bud cells express subunits of kainate GluR. Circumvallate and foliate papillae of Sprague-Dawley rats (45~60 days old) were used to search for the mRNAs of subunits of non-NMDA GluRs using RT-PCR with specific primers for GluR1-7, KA1 and KA2. We also performed RT-PCR for GluR5, KA1, PLCbeta2, and NCAM/SNAP 25 in isolated single cells from taste buds. Taste epithelium, including circumvallate or foliate papilla, express mRNAs of GluR5 and KA1. However, non-taste tongue epithelium expresses no subunits of non-NMDA GluRs. Isolated single cell RT-PCR reveals that the mRNAs of GluR5 and KA1 are preferentially expressed in Type II and Type III cells over Type I cells.
Animals ; Cobalt ; Epithelium ; Glutamic Acid ; Kainic Acid ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Glutamate ; Receptors, Kainic Acid ; RNA, Messenger ; Taste Buds ; Tongue

Malignant melanoma is one of the most common malignancies associated with metastatic disease to the gastrointestinal tract. Malignant melanotic melanomas metastasized to the stomach and duodenum, stomach, small bowel, and rectum have been reported in Korea. However, amelanotic malignant melanoma metastasized to the gastrointestinal tract, to our knowledge, has not been reported in Korea. Recently, we experienced a case of amelanotic malignant melanoma metastasized to the duodenum in a 48 year-old man. The primary site was presumed to be the soft tissue near the right knee. Pulmonary and pancreatic metastasis were also noted at presentation. Despite systemic chemotherapy, the patient died of progressive disease at about 13 months after presentation.
Drug Therapy ; Duodenum* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Knee ; Korea ; Melanoma* ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rectum ; Stomach

BACKGROUND: Although it was suggested that constitutive extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) activation plays a pivotal role in intracellular signal transduction related to oncogenesis, a consistent relationship between constitutive ERK activation and oncogenesis has not yet been clearly demonstrated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression frequencies and pattern of phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) in the non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and to evaluate whether p-ERK is a useful prognostic factor. METHODS: One hundred sixty cases of NSCLC tissue specimens were investigated by immunohistochemical staining for p-ERK. Clinicopathologic values (tumor stage, cell type, differentiation and presence of metastasis) and p-ERK expression of normal alveolar pneumocytes around NSCLC were compared with the incidence of tumor p-ERK expression. RESULTS: Fifty-three out of 160 cases (33%) of NSCLC showed expression of p-ERK. There was no statistical correlation between the expression of p-ERK in the NSCLC neoplastic cells and the corresponding tumor stage, cell type and presence of metastasis. There was statistical significance between the expressions of p-ERK in alveolar pneumocytes around NSCLC (odds ratio: 6.130). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, we suggest that p-ERK expression is not useful in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC. In regard to the theory of "field cancerization" and the phenomenon of "allele-specific loss or allele-specific mutations", the statistically significant p-ERK expression in alveolar pneumocytes around NSCLC suggests that constitutive ERK activation is involved in the early stage of NSCLC carcinogenesis rather than in proliferation, differentiation or metastasis of NSCLC.
Carcinogenesis ; Immunohistochemistry ; Incidence ; Lung* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phosphotransferases* ; Pneumocytes ; Prognosis ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with the deficit in executive functions. Playing Go involves many aspect of cognitive function and we hypothesized that it would be effective for children with ADHD. METHODS: Seventeen drug naive children with ADHD and seventeen age and sex matched comparison subjects were participated. Participants played Go under the instructor's education for 2 hours/day, 5 days/week. Before and at the end of Go period, clinical symptoms, cognitive functions, and brain EEG were assessed with Dupaul's ADHD scale (ARS), Child depression inventory (CDI), digit span, the Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT), and 8-channel QEEG system (LXE3208, Laxtha Inc., Daejeon, Korea). RESULTS: There were significant improvements of ARS total score (z=2.93, p<0.01) and inattentive score (z=2.94, p<0.01) in children with ADHD. However, there was no significant change in hyperactivity score (z=1.33, p=0.18). There were improvement of digit total score (z=2.60, p<0.01; z=2.06, p=0.03), digit forward score (z=2.21, p=0.02; z=2.02, p=0.04) in both ADHD and healthy comparisons. In addition, ADHD children showed decreased time of CCTT-2 (z=2.21, p=0.03). The change of theta/beta right of prefrontal cortex during 16 weeks was greater in children with ADHD than in healthy comparisons (F=4.45, p=0.04). The change of right theta/beta in prefrontal cortex has a positive correlation with ARS-inattention score in children with ADHD (r=0.44, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: We suggest that playing Go would be effective for children with ADHD by activating hypoarousal prefrontal function and enhancing executive function.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* ; Brain* ; Child* ; Depression ; Education ; Electroencephalography ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Neurobehavioral Manifestations ; Prefrontal Cortex

In hepatocellular carcinoma distant metastasis after curative surgical resection without intrahepatic metastasis is very rare. A 55-year old man presented with a huge pelvic bone mass. Eight years ago he underwent posterior hepatic segmentectomy following diagnosis of hepatocelluar carcinoma. He has received regular check-ups with abdominal ultrasonography and serum alpha-fetoprotein. On admission an MRI on the pelvic area showed an 18x10 cm sized lobulated mass invading the pelvic bone and acetabulum. Microscopic examination revealed that the tumor was a well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. There was no evidence of intrahepatic recurrence. He was treated with transarterial chemoembolization, external radiotherapy (total 3750 cGy), and systemic chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil.
Acetabulum ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pelvic Bones* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence* ; Ultrasonography