No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Cytokines* ; Humans* ; Neuroblastoma*

Neurilemmomas of the trachea are extremely rare. The most common site of them is the distal third of the trachea and the age of the patients at presentation varied from 6 to 78 years old. They usually have a freqeuntly very long natural history, causing symptoms only after they have attained a considerable size. We experienced a case of near-total obstruction of the trachea by an intraluminal sessile neurilemmoma. The patient was a 66-year-old man with 2-year history of progressive exertional dyspnea and had several episodes of pneumonitis associated with productive cough. Grossly, the tumor was a well-circumscribed mass. Microscopically, typical cellular Antoni A and myxoid Antoni B areas were revealed.
Aged ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Natural History ; Neurilemmoma* ; Pneumonia ; Trachea

To evaluate the clinical and histopathological significance of the proliferative activity in neoplastic and non-neoplastic thyroid lesions, we analyzed the mitotic count and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling index (PCNA-LI) by immunohistochemistry as the proliferation- related markers. In this study included were surgically removed normal thyroid tissue (27 cases), adenomatous goiter (15 cases), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (5 cases), follicular adenoma (13 cases), follicular carcinoma (7 cases), papillary carcinoma (44 cases), poorly differentiated carcinoma (2 cases) and undifferentiated carcinoma (3 cases). The median PCNA-LI was 0 in normal thyroid tissue, 0.5 in adenomatous goiter, 6.2 in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 1.2 in follicular adenoma, 4.8 in follicular carcinoma, 8.5 in papillary carcinoma, 60.8 in poorly differentiated carcinoma, and 55.2 in undifferentiated carcinoma (p=0.0001). Although PCNA-LI was exceptionally high in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, it was suggested that PCNA-LI could be used as a marker differentiating benign lesions from malignant neoplasm. Also, it could differentiate follicular adenoma from follicular carcinoma. Except clinical stage (p=0.0397), PCNA-LI was not related with sex, size, histologic subtype, and lymph node metastasis in papillary carcinoma. The presence of mitosis differentiated the neoplastic thyroid lesions from the non-neoplastic lesions (p<0.05), however, it could not divide benign and malignant neoplasm. These results suggest that an evaluation of the proliferative activity can help to differentiate the thyroid lesions. In addition, there was no significant correlation between the value of PCNA-LI and the presence of mitosis. It can be recommended to evaluate both the mitotic count and the PCNA-LI for determining the proliferative activity of the thyroid lesions.
Adenoma ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Goiter ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Mitosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroiditis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Although the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS15) is a widely used depression screening questionnaire, the implications of the GDS15 in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are questionable. We designed this study to explore the GDS15 factor structure and the relationships between these factors and cognitive-behavioral aspects. METHODS: The GDS15, cognitive function tests, and the Korean-Neuropsychiatry Inventory were administered to 310 patients with probable AD, who were not medicated before visiting the hospital. Three factors were identified by principal components analysis. A bivariate correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationships between factors and neurocognitive and behavior symptoms. RESULTS: Factor 2 was correlated with the Korean Boston Naming Test, calculating ability, the go-no-go test, the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), the Color Word Stroop Test (CWST; words and color), aggression, depression, and apathy. Factor 3 was correlated with calculating ability, the Seoul Verbal Learning Test, immediate recall, copy, and delayed recall on the Rey-Osterieth Complex Figure Test, contrasting on the COWAT, and words and delusion on the CWST. We identified three factors and revealed that the GDS15 may be comprised of a heterogeneous scale. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the GDS15 may be comprised of a heterogeneous scale and suggest multi-dimensional properties of the GDS15 in patients with AD.
Aggression ; Alzheimer Disease* ; Apathy ; Delusions ; Depression* ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Memory, Short-Term ; Seoul ; Stroop Test ; Verbal Learning ; Word Association Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Demand for emergency medical information is high according to the health information use, utilization and demand survey for on the Internet. In spite of high demand for emergency information service, emergency information service on-line and off-line are very limited. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a website providing emergency medical information and emergency medical resources information by linking emergency medicine where timely information is required with the Internet technology for health promotion of the public. OBJECTIVE: This study is conducted to develop and evaluate a Web site to provide information on emergency medicine and resources for health promotion. METHODS: To identify and specify users' requirements for the emergency medicine related information, online survey was performed for 209 Internet users who visited the Healthguide. Based on this survey results, we developed content for emergency medical information service: cause, risk factors, prevention, treatment, facilities, laws and rules, policy and statistics of emergency medicine. To evaluate the web site developed in this study, twenty health and nursing informatics experts were recruited and asked to rate using an evaluation tool. RESULTS: This content was integrated into the healthy life (http://healthguide.kihasa.re.kr/health_life/emergency/pages/index.html), which is a service component of the Healthguide. This approach was expected to increase accessibility and usability of implemented services. The rating score of the website was fairly high with mean 3.9(SD 0.6) out of 5.0. According to each evaluation criteria, purpose of the site, easiness of use, relevancy, and reliability were scored 4.1-4.2 and authority and accuracy 3.8-3.9 and currency 3.5-3.7. This evaluation results will be fed back to the Healthguide for operation, maintenance, and upgrade in the future.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Medicine ; Health Promotion* ; Information Services* ; Internet ; Jurisprudence ; Nursing Informatics ; Risk Factors

Two distinct hantaviruses have been isolated from Apodemus agrarius in 1976 and Rattus norvegicus in 1980 in Korea. Since our serosurveys conducted in 1994, a genetically distinct hantavirus from Apodemus peninsulae has been investigated. To isolate hantavirus from A. peninsulae captured in Korea, the lung homogenate of seropositive A. peninsulae inoculted Vero E6 cells. Viral antigen was detected in a progressively higher percentage of cells with subsequent passage after 80 days postinoculation. The new isolate from seropositive Apodemus peninsulae was designated Suchong virus after Suchong valley located in northeastern region of South Korea. Comparing with hantaan virus 76-118 strain, Suchong virus-1, 2, 3 and 4 showed the similarity of 71.0~91.8% at nucleotide and 90.9~94.8% at amino acid sequences in 231 nucleotides region of M segment, and the similarity of 75.1~81.0% at nucleotide and 97.5~100% at amino acid sequences in 237 nucleotides of S segment.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus* ; Korea ; Lung ; Murinae* ; Nucleotides ; Population Characteristics* ; Rats

BACKGROUND: 1-8D gene is a member of human 1-8 interferon inducible gene family and was shown to be overexpressed in fresh colon cancer tissues. Three peptides 1-6, 3-5 and 3-7 derived from human 1-8D gene were shown to have immunogenicity against colon cancer. METHODS: To study tumor immunotherapy of three peptides we established an active immunization model using HHD mice. D(b-/-) x beta2 microglobulin (beta2 m) null mice transgenic for a chimeric HLA-A2.1/D(b-)beta2 m single chain (HHD mice) were challenged with B16/HHD/1-8D tumor cells and were immunized with irradiated peptide-loaded RMA- S/HHD/B7.1 transfectants. In therapy model tumor growth was retarded in HHD mice that were injected with 3-5 peptide-loaded RMA-S/HHD/B7.1. In survival test vaccination with 1-8D-derived peptide protects HHD mice from tumor progression after tumor challenge. RESULTS: These studies show that peptide 3-5 derived from 1-8D gene can be the most effective candidate for the vaccine of immunotherapy against colon cancer and highlight 1-8D gene as putative colon carcinoma associated antigens. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that RMA-S/HHD/ B7.1 loaded with 1-8D peptides, especially 3-5, immunization generates potent antitumor immunity against tumor cells in HHD mice and designed active immunization as proper immunotherapeutic protocols.
Animals ; Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Immunization ; Immunotherapy ; Interferons ; Mice* ; Peptides ; Vaccination*

Cyclin D1, a cell cycle regulator essential for G1 phase progression, is a candidate proto-oncogene implicated in pathogenesis of several human carcinomas including breast carcinoma. We studied the cyclin D1 expression in 101 cases of primary breast carcinoma tissues. The overexpression of cyclin D1 was immunohistochemically demonstrated in 34 (37.8%) of 90 cases of invasive breast carcinoma. Positive cyclin D1 staining was seen in 32 of 79 invasive ductal carcinomas, and 2 of 3 mucinous carcinomas. All 5 medullary carcinomas, 2 invasive lobular carcinomas, and 1 metaplastic carcinoma were negative. Cyclin D1 overexpression was observed in 9 of 11 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Normal epithelial components, either ductal or lobular, were not immunoreactive for cyclin D1. No significant correlations were observed between cyclin D1 immunoreactivity and other parameters including tumor size, clinical stage, nuclear or histologic grades, lymphatic or angioinvasion, lymph node metastasis, and immunohistochemical status of progesterone receptor, p53 and c-erbB-2. The overexpression of cyclin D1 was positively correlated with estrogen receptor status (p=0.025). Based on our results, the cyclin D1 protein aberration may play a role in tumorigenesis of breast carcinoma, but does not seem to have prognostic value in invasive breast carcinoma without hormonal treatment.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Cell Cycle ; Cyclin D1* ; Cyclins* ; Estrogens ; G1 Phase ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Proto-Oncogenes ; Receptors, Progesterone

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Embolism*

The aim of this study was to determine if the apoptotic degree could predict the prognosis for breast cancer in mastectomy specimens and to establish if any association existed between the apoptotic degree and clinical variables such as age, size, hormone receptor, lymph node metastasis, stage, result of follow up. The apoptotic degree, defined as the number of morphologically identified apoptotic bodies in the view of a 200X microscope, was calculated for 59 breast cancers. We applied an immunohistochemical procedure for staining the apoptotic cells in parapin sections of 59 breast cancers. The histochemical method used for the analysis of apoptosis was based on the detection of DNA breaks by terminal transferase-mediated in situ end labeling (TUNEL). The results were as follows; 1. An association between apoptotic degree and age was demonstrable (p=0.050). 2. No association between apoptotic degree and tumor size was demonstrable. 3. No association between apoptotic degree and lymph node metastasis was demonstrable. 4. An association between apoptotic degree and stage was demonstrable. 5. No association between apoptotic degree and hormone receptor was demonstrable (p=0.023). 6. No association between apoptotic degree and follow up results was demonstrable, however a low apoptotic degree showed a tendency for a poor clinical outcome, and this result had partiall statistical significance. Thus provisionally its value as an independent prognostic index has yet to be established and demands more study.
Apoptosis* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; DNA Breaks ; Follow-Up Studies ; Lymph Nodes ; Mastectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis