PURPOSE: To evaluate protective mechanism of melatonin against radiation damage and its relationship with apoptosis in mouse jejunum. MATERIALS AND METHODS:' 168 mice were divided into 28 groups according to radiation dose and melatonin treatment. To analysis crypt survival, microcolony survival assay was done according to Withers an (l Elkind's method. To analysis apoptosis, TUNEL assay was done according to Labet-Moleur's method. RESULTS: Radiation protection effect of melatonin was demonstrated by crypt survival assay and its effect was stronger in high radiation dose area. Apoptosis index with 8 Gy irradiation was 18.4% in control group and 16.5% in melatonin treated group. After 18 Gy, apoptosis index was 17.2% in control group and 15.4% in melatonin treated group. Apoptosis index did not show statistically significant difference between melatonin treated group and control group. CONCLUSION: Melatonin shows clear protective effect in mouse jejunum against radiation damage but it.', protective effect seems not to be related with apoptosis protection effect.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Survival* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Jejunum ; Melatonin* ; Mice* ; Radiation Protection

No abstract available.
Head* ; Neck*

The hereditary epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma (Vorner"s kerato derma) is characterized by autosomal dominantly inherited, marked, symmetrical thickening of the palms and soles. The presence of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis in skin biopsy differentiates hereditary epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma from Unna-Thost keratoderma. We report a case of hereditary epidermolytic palmoplantar keratoderma with literature reviews focused on the differential points from other palmoplantar keratodermas.
Biopsy ; Hyperkeratosis, Epidermolytic ; Keratoderma, Palmoplantar ; Keratoderma, Palmoplantar, Epidermolytic* ; Skin

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is a benign uncommon disorder of uncertain etiology. It presents as solitary or multiple intradermal or subcutaneous red to brown papules or nodules usually on the head and neck. Overlying epidermis is usually intact. Oral involvement such as lip or oral mucosa is quite rare, and presents as a nodule, macule, plaque, tumor, and ulcer. We report a 68-year-old female patient presenting erythematous ulcerated and crusted patch on the lower lip. Histopathological diagnosis was ALHE and overlying actinic cheilitis.
Actins ; Aged ; Angiolymphoid Hyperplasia with Eosinophilia* ; Cheilitis ; Diagnosis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Lip* ; Mouth Mucosa ; Neck ; Ulcer*

PURPOSE: The present study was designed to analyze the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and p53, and their impact on clinical outcome in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This immunohistochemical study involved 23 patients with available paraffin blocks among 46 patients who were treated during the period from 1994 to 1997 in Eulji University Hospital in Korea. Anti-VEGF mouse monoclonal antibody and DO-7 anti- p53 mouse monoclonal antibody were used as the primary antibodies. Antibody binding was detected with a LSAB kit. Staining was defined as positive for VEGF and p53, when more than 10% and 5% of the tumor cells were stained out of 500 cells counted, respectively. RESULTS: FIGO stage (p=0.05) and tumor size (p=0.04) were significant prognostic factors for survival. p53 expression was present in 17 (77%) cases. There was no significant relationship between p53 staining and the clinicopathologic factors, such as FIGO stage (p=0.98), tumor size (p=0.43), lymph node status (p=0.82), parametrial invasion (p=0.96), and age (p=0.18). The five year survival rates according to the p53 expression status were 80% for the p53 negative group and 66% for the p53 positive group (p=0.58). Positive VEGF expression was observed in 11 (47%) of the total of 23 patients. Statistical evaluation of VEGF expression according to stage (p=0.36), tumor size(p=0.11), lymph node status (p=0.82), parametrial invasion (p=0.49), and age (p=0.55) revealed no significant difference in any of these parameters. The five year survival rates according to the VEGF expression status were 89% for the VEGF negative group and 41% for the VEGF positive group (p=0.07). CONCLUSION: We suggest that VEGF expression may have an effect on the prognosis of cervix cancer patients treated with radiation therapy, and further evaluation with a large sample size is warranted.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice ; Paraffin ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Sample Size ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and prognostic effect of p53 expression in patients with advanced supraglottic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one cases of total 48 advanced supraglottic cancer patients who received postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining employing p53 monoclonal antibody. RESULT: Three out of six stage III patients and four out of fifteen stage IV patients showed p53 expression without statistically significant difference (P=0.608). Five year survival rates are 93% in p53 negative, 86% in p53 positive patients and there was no significant difference (P=0.776). p53 expression does not show statistically significant correlation with primary tumor status (P=0.877), lymph node status (P=0.874) and age (P=0.64). CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant correlation between traditionally known risk factors and p53 expression.
Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Risk Factors ; Survival Rate

We investigated the relationship between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and clinical outcome in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix treated with radiotherapy alone. The immunohistochemical study was performed for fortytwo paraffin embedded specimens with anti-VEGF mouse monoclonal antibody. Staining was defined as positive for VEGF when more than 10% of the tumor cells were stained from 500 cells counted. Positive VEGF expression was observed in twenty-one among forty-two patients. VEGF expression according to stage (p=0.101), lymph node status (p=0.621), parametrial invasion (p=0.268), and age (p=0.5) revealed no significant difference. But the VEGF expression was significantly higher in tumors larger than 4 cm (p=0.031). Five year survival rates according to VEGF expression status were 89% for VEGF negative group and 47% for VEGF positive group (p=0.02). FIGO stage (p=0.007), tumor size (p=0.025) and the duration of external beam radiation therapy (p=0.006) were also significant prognostic factors for overall survival. We suggest that VEGF expression may be a prognotic factor of the cervix cancer patients treated with radiation therapy alone.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*metabolism/mortality/*radiotherapy ; Cervix Neoplasms/*metabolism/mortality/*radiotherapy ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Regression Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Markers, Biological/metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/*metabolism

Pityriasis amiantacea is a scaly condition of the scalp. This is usually seen in women or children. It is associated with various underlying primary dermatoses, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, tinea capitis, pyoderma, pediculosis, alopecia areata, lichen simplex chronicus and lichen planus. To our knowledge, there have been no other reports of pityriasis amiantacea in Korea. With scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of the disease, we report a typical case of pityriasis amiantacea.
Alopecia Areata ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lice Infestations ; Lichen Planus ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Neurodermatitis ; Pityriasis* ; Psoriasis ; Pyoderma ; Scalp ; Skin Diseases ; Tinea Capitis

PURPOSE: Maxillary sinus cancers usually are locally advanced and involve the structures around sinus. It is uncommon for this cancer to spread to the regional lymphnodes. For this reason, local control is of paramount important for cure. A policy of combined treatment is generally accepted as the most effective means of enhancing cure rates. This paper reports our experience of a retrospective study of 31 patients treated with radiation therapy alone and combination therapy of surgery and radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July 1974 and January 1992, 47 patients with maxillary sinus cancers underwent either radiation therapy alone or combination therapy of surgery and radiation. Of these, only 31 patients were eligible for analysis. The distribution of clinical stage by the AJCC system was 26%(8/31) for T2 and 74%(23/31) for T3 and T4. Eight patients had palpable lymphadenopathy at diagnosis. Primary site was treated by Cobalt-60 radiation therapy using through a 45degree wedge-pair technique. Elective neck irradiation was not routinely given. Of these 8 patients, the six who had clinically involved nodes were treated with definite radiation therapy. The other two patients had received radical neck dissection. The twenty-two patients were treated with radiation alone and 9 patients were treated with combination radiation therapy. The RT alone patients with RT dose less than 60 Gy were 9 and those above 60 Gy were 13. RESULTS: The overall 5 year survival rate was 23.8%. The 5 year survival rate by T-stage was 60.5% and 7.9% for T2 and T3, 4 respectively. Statistical significance was found by T-stage (p<0.005). The 5 year survival rate by N-stage was 30% for N(-) and 8.3% for N(+), but statistically no significant difference was seen(p30.1). The 5 year survival rate for RT alone and combination RT was 22.5% and 27.4%, respectively. The primary local control rate was 65%(20/31). CONCLUSION: This study did not show significant difference in survival between RT alone and combination RT. There is still much controversy with regard to which treatment is optimum. Improved RT technique and development of multimodality treatment are essential to improve the local control and the survival rate in patients with advanced maxillary sinus cancer.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Maxillary Sinus Neoplasms* ; Maxillary Sinus* ; Neck ; Neck Dissection ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: Repetitive bleeding into the joint space is the cause of debilitative hemophilic arthropathy. To interrupt this process, we treated the hemophilic patients suffering from repetitive joint bleeding with radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From 1997 to 2001, a total of 41 joints from 37 hemophilic arthropathy patients were treated with radiation therapy at Kyung Hee University Hospital. The treated joints were 35 ankles, 3 knees and 3 elbows, respectively. The age of the patients ranged from 4 to 27 years (median age: 11 years). The radiation dose ranged from 900 cGy to 2360 cGy (median dose: 900cGy). The fraction size was 150 cGy, 180 cGy or 200 cGy. The number of bleeding in one year before and after radiotherapy was compared. RESULTS: There was a tendency of frequent bleeding for the patients younger than 11 (p=0.051) but there was also a tendency for more improvement in this group (p=0.057). The number of joint bleedings was related with joint pain (p=0.012) and joint swelling (p=0.033) but not with the Arbold-Hilgartner stage (p=0.739), cartilage destruction (p=0.718) and synovial hypertrophy (p=0.079). The number of bleeding was reduced in thirty-three cases, and eight cases showed no improvement after radiation therapy. The average number of bleeding in a month was 2.52 before radiotherapy, but this was reduced to 1.4 after radiotherapy (p=0.017). CONCLUSION: Radiation therapy was effective for the hemophilia patients with repetitive joint bleeding to decrease the bleeding frequency and to prevent hemophilic arthropathy.
Ankle ; Arthralgia ; Cartilage ; Elbow ; Hemophilia A ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Joints ; Knee ; Radiotherapy