BACKGROUND: Although most dermatologic laser systems were developed to damage target tissue selectively, the epidermal injury has been a major problem in treating skin lesions of colored people. Recently, to minimize the epidermal damage during laser treatment, superficial cooling is being used. Cooling is one of the well known methods to reduce pain sensation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an air cooling in reducing pain associated with Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and pulsed dye laser treatment. METHODS: We measured the temperature of normal skin during air cooling and studied 13 patients treated with a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser or 585 nm pulsed dye laser treatment with and without air cooling system. The degrees of pain reduction rates with and without cooling were assessed by the visual analogue scales. RESULTS: 1. It was shown that cold air flow from 2 cm distance for 10 sec decreased skin temperature about 10.6 degreeC to 17.2 degreeC depending on the body sites. 2. The average of the pain scores was 38.08+/-21.05 on the cooled site as compared to 70.77+/-15.76 on the uncooled site. CONCLUSIONS: The cold air decreased the skin surface temperature like the other epidermal cooling system and it was very effective to reduce the pain on the cooled site associated with dermatologic laser treatment.
Humans ; Lasers, Dye ; Sensation* ; Skin ; Skin Temperature ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: Although most dermatologic laser systems were developed to damage target tissue selectively, the epidermal injury has been a major problem in treating skin lesions of colored people. Recently, to minimize the epidermal damage during laser treatment, superficial cooling is being used. Cooling is one of the well known methods to reduce pain sensation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an air cooling in reducing pain associated with Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and pulsed dye laser treatment. METHODS: We measured the temperature of normal skin during air cooling and studied 13 patients treated with a 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser or 585 nm pulsed dye laser treatment with and without air cooling system. The degrees of pain reduction rates with and without cooling were assessed by the visual analogue scales. RESULTS: 1. It was shown that cold air flow from 2 cm distance for 10 sec decreased skin temperature about 10.6 degreeC to 17.2 degreeC depending on the body sites. 2. The average of the pain scores was 38.08+/-21.05 on the cooled site as compared to 70.77+/-15.76 on the uncooled site. CONCLUSIONS: The cold air decreased the skin surface temperature like the other epidermal cooling system and it was very effective to reduce the pain on the cooled site associated with dermatologic laser treatment.
Humans ; Lasers, Dye ; Sensation* ; Skin ; Skin Temperature ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.

We have expressed GFP in Sf9 and Bm5 cells or Bombyx by larvae by using Ac-Bm hybrid virus capable of replicating in both Bm5 and Sf9 cells. Genomic DNA of Ac-Bm hybrid virus expressing P-galactosidase was cotransfected with baculovirus transfer vector containing GFP gene, pBacPAK-GFP in Sf9 cells. The Ac-Bm hybrid virus harboring GFP was named as Ac-Bm hybrid virus-GFP. The Ac-Bm hybrid virus-GFP-infected insect cells were easily selected by detecting the emission of GFP from each well of cell culture dish on the UV illuminator. GFP produced by Ac-Bm hybrid virus-GFP in Sf9 and Bm5 cells or B. mori larvae was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis using GFP antibody. In addition, B. mori larvae infected with Ac-Bm hybrid virus-GFP was apparently appeared fluorescence from the whole body at 5 days postinoculation. The fluorescence of GFP from the hemolymph and fat body of B. mori larvae infected with Ac-Bm hybrid virus-GFP was also observed by fluorescence microscope. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that in baculovirus expression vector system, use of Ac-Bm hybrid virus have an additional advantage of expanded host range for producing recombinant proteins.
Animals ; Baculoviridae ; Blotting, Western ; Bombyx* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; DNA ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Fat Body ; Fluorescence ; Hemolymph ; Host Specificity ; Insects ; Larva* ; Recombinant Proteins ; Sf9 Cells ; Spodoptera*

BACKGROUND: The claudins are a family of transmembrane proteins associated with tight junctions and they are critical for maintaining cell-to-cell adhesion in sheets of epithelial cells. However, their role in the progression of cancer remains largely unexplored. The aims of this study were to evaluate the expression patterns of claudin-1 and -4 in benign lesions and invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) of the breast, and relationships between the expression of these markers and the clinicopathological characteristics in IDC patients. METHODS: We examined the claudin-1 and -4 protein expressions by performing immunohistochemical stainings in 54 benign lesions and 120 IDCs via the tissue microarray method. We evaluated the correlation between the expression of these markers and the clinicopathological characteristics of IDC. RESULTS: The expressions of claudin-1 (p=0.099) and -4 (p=0.000) were up-regulated in IDCs as compared with benign lesions. The claudin-1 expression correlated with the loss of estrogen receptor (p=0.036) and progesterone receptor (p=0.011). The claudin-4 expression correlated with lymph node metastasis (p=0.043), the nuclear grade (p=0.030), the histologic grade (p=0.007), and the loss of estrogen receptor (p=0.001) and progesterone receptor (p= 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that claudin-1 and -4 may play a significant role in the carcinogenesis of IDC of the breast and these may represent novel markers for this disease.
Breast* ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Ductal* ; Claudin-1* ; Claudin-4 ; Claudins ; Epithelial Cells ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Tight Junctions

Juvenile granulosa cell tumor is rare but one of the common congenital testicular neoplasms. Although histological features are typical of its ovarian counterpart, testicular juvenile granulosa cell tumor has a distinctly different clinical presentation. We report a case of juvenile granulosa cell tumor arising in the cryptochid testis of a 4-day-old newborn. A 6 5 5 cm sized multilocular cyst containing thick, mucinous fluid was found in the peritoneal cavity. The external surface of the cyst was smooth and the septae were relatively thin. The cyst consisted of numerous mucin-filled, cystic follicles lined by cells having vacuolated cytoplasm and round to oval dark nuclei without grooves. Cells resembling granulosa cells of an ovarian follicle were also observed in the intervening stroma forming irregular solid nests.
Cryptorchidism* ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Granulosa Cell Tumor* ; Granulosa Cells* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mucins ; Ovarian Follicle ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Testicular Neoplasms ; Testis

The final degrees of education for the third and fourth authors were mutually misplaced.

Thyroglossal duct cysts develop in the persistent remnants of the thyroglossal tract between the origin of the thyroid at the foramen cecum and the final position of the thyroid gland. Thyroglossal duct cyst can present anywhere from the base of the tongue to the manubrium, but its occurrence within the thyroid gland is very rare. We report here on a 41-year-old woman who presented with a cystic thyroid nodule that was due to an intrathyroid thyroglossal duct cyst. The sonogram, showed a hypoechoic nodule that measured 0.7 x 0.6 cm in the left thyroid lobe. Left lobectomy of the thyroid gland was performed and microscopic examination revealed a cyst lined by non-keratinized squamous epithelium, which was consistent with a thyroglossal duct cyst in the thyroid gland. Intrathyroid thyroglossal duct cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a cystic thyroid nodule. This is the first reported case of a intrathyroid thyroglossal duct cyst in a Korean adult.
Adult ; Cecum ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Manubrium ; Thyroglossal Cyst* ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule ; Tongue

The aim of this study was to examine the therapeutic potential of sulfasalazine and prednisolone in a mouse collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) model. Twenty-five male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups: group 1 (G1): control, group 2 (G2): probe control, group 3 (G3): CAIA, group 4 (G4): CAIA+sulfasalazine (10 mg/kg, oral), and group 5 (G5): CAIA+prednisolone (100 mg/kg, oral). Fluorescence bioimaging was performed in vivo 24 and 48 h after treatment with a fluorescence probe (OsteoSense® 680 EX), and all mice were sacrificed. The hind knee joints were fixed in 10% neutral phosphate-buffered formalin, and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and histopathological analyses were performed. The paw thickness increased in a time-dependent manner in G3 mice, but trended toward a decrease in both G4 and G5 mice. Fluorescence intensity increased in G3 mice at 24 and 48 h after fluorescence probe treatment, but the fluorescence intensity in G4 and G5 mice was lower than that in G3. Micro-CT analyses showed that the joint surfaces of G3 mice had a rough and irregular articular appearance, but the occurrence of these irregularities was lower in G4 and G5. Hematoxylin and eosin and Safranin O-fast green staining confirmed that destruction of the cartilage and bony structures, synovial hyperplasia, and inflammatory cell infiltration all occurred in G3, and that the occurrence of these phenomena was lower in G4 and G5 than in G3. Taken together, these results suggest that sulfasalazine and prednisolone can reduce acute rheumatoid arthritis in mice.
Animals ; Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cartilage ; Collagen* ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Fluorescence ; Formaldehyde ; Hematoxylin ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Male ; Mice* ; Prednisolone ; Sulfasalazine

During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a surgical clip is used to control the cystic duct and cystic artery. In the past, metallic clips were usually used, but over recent years, interest in the use of Hem-o-lok clips has increased. Surgical clip migration into the common bile duct (CBD) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy has rarely been reported and the majority of reported cases involved metallic clips. In this report, we describe the case of a 53-year-old woman who presented with abdominal pain caused by migration of a Hem-o-lok clip into the CBD. The patient had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy 10 months previously. Abdominal CT revealed an indistinct, minute, radiation-impermeable object in the distal CBD. The object was successfully removed by sphincterotomy via ERCP using a stone basket and was identified as a Hem-o-lok clip.
Abdominal Pain* ; Arteries ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Female ; Foreign-Body Migration ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Surgical Instruments ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed