No abstract available.
Amnion* ; Hydrocortisone* ; Pregnancy*

Single spore isolates of Plasmodiophora brassicae e4 and e9 obtained from diseased Chinese cabbage were identified as race 4 and race 9, respectively, by the Williams' differential variety set. To confirm the possibility of variation in same generation and progeny of a single spore isolate of P. brassicae, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was conducted using the URP 3, 6 and OPA 7 primers. There was no difference in band type at each part of the gall of Chinese cabbage obtained by inoculation of e4 and e9 and amplification using the URP 3 and 6 primers when the same generation was analyzed. In addition, the progeny analysis, which was expanded to the third generation and conducted using the URP 3 and OPA 7 primers, revealed no differences in the band type of the e4 isolate. Based on these results, the single spore isolate of P. brassicae was genetically stable.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Brassica ; Continental Population Groups ; DNA ; Genetic Variation ; Humans ; Plasmodiophorida ; Spores

PURPOSE: Lymphatic invasion (LI) is regarded as a predictor of the aggressiveness of ovarian cancer (OC). However, LI is not always the major determinant of long-term patient survival. To establish proper diagnosis and treatment for OC, we analyzed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) for patients with serous epithelial OC, with or without LI, who did or did not survive for 5 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Gene expression data from 63 patients with OC and LI, and 35 patients with OC but without LI, were investigated using an Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Array and analyzed using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Among these 98 patients, 16 survived for 5 years or more. DEGs were identified using the Bioconductor R package, and their functions were analyzed using the DAVID web tool. RESULTS: We found 55 significant DEGs (p<0.01) from the patients with LI and 20 highly significant DEGs (p<0.001) from those without it. Pathway analysis showed that DEGs associated with carbohydrate metabolism or with renal cell carcinoma pathways were enriched in the patients with and without LI, respectively. Using the top five prognostic marker genes, we generated survival scores that could be used to predict the 5-year survival of patients with OC without LI. CONCLUSION: The DEGs identified in this study could be used to elucidate the mechanism of tumor progression and to guide the prognosis and treatment of patients with serous OC but without LI.
Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous/*genetics/*mortality/pathology ; Databases, Genetic ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Microarray Analysis ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*genetics/*mortality/pathology ; Prognosis ; Regression Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

We report two cases of tsutsugamushi disease which occurred in the spring of 1998. One patient presented with fever, rash, lymphadenopathy and eschar. He was exposed to bush areas on March 29, 1998 and developed symptoms starting April 6, 1998. The other patient visited our hospital because of fever, headache, and vomiting which developed since May 21, 1998. Physical examination revealed rash, lymphadenopathy, and eschar. Cerebrospinal fluid was positive for Orientia tsutsugamushi by using polymerase chain reaction. Most tsutsugamushi cases occur between October and December in Korea. The seasonal variation in the incidence of tsutsugamushi disease is probably related to the life cycle of the vector mite. The frequency of Leptotrombidium pallidum, a major vector mite in Korea, shows a large peak in autumn and a smaller peak in spring. Our cases confirm that tsutsugamushi disease can occur in the spring in Korea.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Epidemiology ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Life Cycle Stages ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mites ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Physical Examination ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Scrub Typhus* ; Seasons ; Trombiculidae ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cases of intracranial abnormal brain MRI findings even in the negative brain CT scan after mild head injury. METHODS: During a 2-year period (January 2009-December 2010), we prospectively evaluated both brain CT and brain MRI of 180 patients with mild head injury. Patients were classified into two groups according to presence or absence of abnormal brain MRI finding even in the negative brain CT scan after mild head injury. Two neurosurgeons and one neuroradiologist validated the images from both brain CT scan and brain MRI double blindly. RESULTS: Intracranial injury with negative brain CT scan after mild head injury occurred in 18 patients (10.0%). Headache (51.7%) without neurologic signs was the most common symptom. Locations of intracranial lesions showing abnormal brain MRI were as follows; temporal base (n=8), frontal pole (n=5), falx cerebri (n=2), basal ganglia (n=1), tentorium (n=1), and sylvian fissure (n=1). Intracranial injury was common in patients with a loss of consciousness, symptom duration >2 weeks, or in cases of patients with linear skull fracture (p=0.00013), and also more frequent in multiple associated injury than simple one (35.7%>8.6%) (p=0.105). CONCLUSION: Our investigation showed that patients with mild head injury even in the negative brain CT scan had a few cases of intracranial injury. These findings indicate that even though the brain CT does not show abnormal findings, they should be thoroughly watched in further study including brain MRI in cases of multiple injuries and when their complaints are sustained.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Head ; Headache ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Multiple Trauma ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prospective Studies ; Skull Fractures ; Unconsciousness

The first case of intracranial metastases of a cervical intramedullary low-grade astrocytoma without malignant transformation in adult is presented in this report. Seven years ago, a 45 year-old male patient underwent biopsy to confirm pathologic characteristics and received craniocervical radiation and chemotherapy for a grade II astrocytoma in the cervical spinal cord. Two years later, posterior fusion was necessary for progressive kyphosis in the cervical spine. He was well for approximately 7 years after the primary surgery. Two months ago, he presented with partial weakness and incoordination with gait difficulty. MRI Scan demonstrated multiple small lesions in the cerebellar vermis and left hemisphere. After suboccipital craniectomy and posterior cervical exposure, the small masses in the cerebellar vermis and hemispheres were excised to a large extent by guidance of an intraoperative navigation system. The tumor at the cervical and brain lesions was classified as an astrocytoma (WHO grade II). When a patient with low-grade astrocytoma in the spinal cord has new cranial symptoms after surgery, radiaton, and chemotherapy, the possibility of its metastasis should be suspected because it can spread to the intracranial cavity even without malignant transformation as shown in this case.
Adult ; Astrocytoma ; Ataxia ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Gait ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Neoplasms ; Spine

The present study aims to investigate the effect of methanol extract of Korean mistletoe (KM; Viscum album var. coloratum), on amyloid beta protein (Abeta) (25-35), a synthetic 25-35 amyloid peptide, -induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat cerebral cortical neurons and memory impairment in mice. Exposure of cultured neurons to 10 microM Abeta (25-35) for 24 h induced a neuronal cell death, which was measured by a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Hoechst 33342 staining. KM (10, 30 and 50 microg/ml) significantly inhibited the Abeta (25-35)-induced apoptotic neuronal death. KM (50 microg/ml) inhibited 10 microM Abeta (25-35)-induced elevation of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i), which was measured by a fluorescent dye, Fluo-4 AM. Glutamate release into medium and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by 10 microM Abeta (25-35) were also inhibited by KM (10, 30 and 50 microg/ml). These results suggest that KM may mitigate the Abeta (25-35)-induced neurotoxicity by interfering with the increase of [Ca2+]i and then inhibiting glutamate release and generation of ROS in cultured neurons. In addition, orally administered KM (25 and 50 mg/kg, 7 days) significantly prevented memory impairment induced by intracerebroventricular injection of Abeta (25-35) (8 nmol). Taken together, it is suggested that anti-dementia effect of KM is due to its neuroprotective effect against Abeta (25-35)-induced neurotoxicity and that KM may have therapeutic role in prevention of the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Peptides* ; Amyloid* ; Animals ; Calcium ; Cell Death ; Glutamic Acid ; Memory* ; Methanol ; Mice ; Mistletoe* ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Viscum album

BACKGROUND: Expression of CXCR4 chemokine receptor, initially described to be involved in the homing of lymphocytes in inflammatory tissue, on breast cancer cell lines is associated with the development of lung metastases. In the present study, we evaluated CXCR4 expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Tissue microarray blocks were constructed from 408 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded NSCLC samples and analyzed via immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: We observed CXCR4 expression in 214 (66.3%) of the 323 tumors with cytoplasmic or nuclear staining patterns. These tumors were then divided into 109 negative, 166 weak-positive and 48 strong-positive expression groups. Strong expression of CXCR4 correlated with NSCLC recurrence (p=0.047) and distant metastasis (p=0.035). However, lymph node metastasis (p=0.683) and locoregional recurrence (p=0.856) were not associated with CXCR4 expression. Interestingly, the median overall survival times relative to CXCR4 expression were 71 months in the CXCR4-negative group, 43 months in the weakly positive CXCR4 group and 23 months in the strongly positive CXCR4 group. Strongly positive CXCR4 staining was associated with significantly worse outcomes (p=0.005, log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: Expression of CXCR4 was associated with distant NSCLC metastases and shorter survival times.
Neoplasm Metastasis ; Breast Neoplasms ; Lung Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of estrogen on detrusor contraction and the expression of muscarinic receptors in ovariectomized rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 24 Sprague-Dawley female virgin rats(12 weeks old) were separated into three groups of 8 rats each. Group I served as a control group, group II was the ovariectomized only rats(Ovx group) and Group III was given estradiol benzoate(0.8mg/kg/day) subcutaneously for 7 consecutive days, beginning 1 week after ovariectomy(Ovx+E group). At the end of the experimental period, each rat was sacrificed and the urinary bladder was removed for contractile studies. The expressions of M2 and M3 receptors in the bladder epithelium and the muscle layer were investigated by performing immunofluorescent staining. RESULTS: The Ovx group showed a significantly decreased bladder contractile function on the KCl and carbachol-induced contractile tests, whereas the Ovx+E group showed increased contractility(p<0.05). The Ovx+E group showed an increase of smooth muscle compared to the other groups. Ovariectomy induced a significant increase in the M3 receptors density in the bladder body, as compared to the control group(p<0.05) but there was no significant difference between the Ovx group and the Ovx+E group. CONCLUSIONS: Bladder dysfunction of menopausal women is thought not to be related with the changes of muscarinic receptors. Our results suggest that the detrusor contractility of menopausal women might be improved after estrogen replacement therapy.
Animals ; Contracts ; Epithelium ; Estradiol ; Estrogen Replacement Therapy ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscles ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; Urinary Bladder