Primary intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery is a rare disease and there has been no report of any case originating from the pulmonary valve. Recently we experienced a 62 year-old female patient who had a primary intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary valve with distal metastasis. She was brought to medical attention due to exertional dyspnea facial edema productive coughing and general weakness for 1 month. Chest CT and echocardi-ography suggest an acute pulmonary thromboembolism or tumor. Exploration showed a large polypoid mass arising from the pulmonary leaflets and multiple masses on distal pulmonary arteries. We replaced the pulmonary valve and reconstructed the pulmonary artery. She received radiotherapy 1 month postoperatively and now 4 months after surgery she has begun receiving chemotherapy.
Cough ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Edema ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Pulmonary Valve* ; Radiotherapy ; Rare Diseases ; Sarcoma* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: The carcinogenesis of gastric cancer has not been fully elucidated, but several molecular biologic alterations have been found to be related with it. TGF-betaRII mutation, which is one such alteration, has been well documented in gastric cancer, but its expression patterns in cancer and preneoplastic conditions are rarely reported. For that reason, we investigated the roles of TGF-betaI and TGF-betaRII in gastric carcinogenesis by comparing the difference of expression patterns in carcinomas and adenomas of the stomach and intestinal metaplasia by using immunohistochemical staining. METHODS: Twenty-six (26) cases of intestinal metaplasia with chronic atrophic gastritis, 21 cases of the gastric adenoma, and 51 cases of gastric cancers (28 cases of the intestinal type and 23 cases of the diffuse type) were enrolled in this study. All samples were paraffin-embedded and an immunohistochemical staining was performed using the polyclonal antibody to TGF-betaI and TGF-betaRII. Their clinicopathologic features were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: In normal gastric tissue and intestinal metaplasia, only the basal portion of the gastric foveola was strongly reactive to TGF-betaRII. In adenomas and well-differentiated intestinal type cancer, all tumor cells were strongly positive to TGF-betaRII, but the tumor cells of poorly differentiated intestinal-type and signet ring cell (diffuse type) cancer showed unresponsive to TGF-betaRII. The TGF-betaI expressions in normal and carcinomatous lesions were similar andshowed a weak positive reaction. TGF-betaI and TGF-betaRII responsive gastric cancer showed less invasive gastric-wall infiltration. In gastric cancer, a significant correlation was present between tumor depth and response to TGF-betaI & TGF-betaRII. CONCLUSION: It is presumed that TGF-betaRII plays an important role in cell differentiation and aggressiveness in gastric cancer and that it may be useful as a prognostic factor.
Adenoma* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Differentiation ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; Immunohistochemistry ; Metaplasia* ; Precancerous Conditions ; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Stomach* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Transforming Growth Factors*

Pityriasis versicolor is a superficial infection of the stratum corneum, which is caused by the Malassezia species. Tge Malassezia species consist of 12 subspecies, including M. furfur, M. pachydermatis, M. symphodialis and M. globasa. The Malassezia species are classified as a normal flora, particularly in the sebum rich areas of the skin, and they convert from saprophytic yeast to parasitic mycelial morpholgic form to cause clinical disease. But majorities of their distributions are in the upper back, the neck, the thighs, and the forearm, and not in the penis. It is well known that the renal transplant patients, who take immunosuppressive agents, have impairment in the protective cell mediated immunity. Thus, they are more susceptible to infectious diseases, such as a fungal infection. Therefore, clinical manifestations show higher incidence of disease, but they mostly occur in an expected distribution. We here report a case of pityriasis versicolor in a renal transplant recipient on penile shaft, which is an unusual area.
Communicable Diseases ; Forearm ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunocompromised Host ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Incidence ; Malassezia ; Male ; Neck ; Penis ; Pityriasis ; Sebum ; Skin ; Thigh ; Tinea Versicolor ; Transplants ; Yeasts

PURPOSE: Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a dismal prognostic factor and is frequently encountered during initial exploration in gastric-cancer patients, but there are no effective therapeutic modalities. Thus, we investigated the prognostic factors in gastric-cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis and evaluated the usefulness of intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy as a treatment modality in such patients. METHODS: From 1992 to 1997 in Korea University Guro Hospital, 105 patients revealed at initial exploration peritoneal carcinomatosis due to gastric cancer. We excluded two patients who died due to postoperative complications and 10 patients who were lost during follow up. Prognostic factors, including IP che motherapy, were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate methods for the remaining 93 cases. RESULTS: The median survival time of the 93 patients was 7.86 months, and the frequency of peritoneal carcinomatosis at initial exploration was 11.6%. On univariate analysis, sex, tumor depth, degree of peritoneal seeding, presence of hepatic metastasis, operative method, and systemic chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors. However, IP chemotherapy was not a significant prognostic factor. On multivariate analysis, only the degree of peritoneal seeding and the presence of hepatic metastasis were significant prognostic factors (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The most important prognostic factors in peritoneal carcinomatosis in gastric-cancer patients are the degree of peritoneal seeding and the presence of hepatic metastasis. However, operative resection of the primary tumor may prolong survival and improve the quality of life. Thus, a resection is recommended when possible.
Carcinoma* ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Postoperative Complications ; Quality of Life ; Stomach Neoplasms*

Adiaspiromycosis is known as an infection that is due to Chrysosporium species which are filamentous soil saprophytes that cause pulmonary infection in rare cases but are classified mainly as a contaminant rather than a pathogen in dermatological areas. Deep fungal infections, commonly by Aspergillosis and Candida, are associated with patients who have an impaired skin barrier or immunosuppression and it takes a long time to identify the pathogen because it is hard to diagnosis it without clinical suspicion. In our case, a 56-year-old female living in a rural area who took immunosuppressants including cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mefetil, and prednisolone due to pemphigus vulgaris presented at our clinic with an erythematous patch with pustular discharges on the left forearm for 2 months. She had been treated with antibiotics under the impression of cellulitis but was not responsive to it. A Chrysosporium species was identified by tissue culture and treatment was successful with an antifungal agent. We here report a case of deep fungal infection caused by Chrysosporium species without pulmonary infiltration which is a rare manifestation.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aspergillosis ; Candida ; Cellulitis ; Chrysosporium ; Cyclophosphamide ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Middle Aged ; Pemphigus ; Prednisolone ; Skin ; Soil

OBJECTIVE: In the human body the embryo initially gmws in the fallopian tube which is maintained in an 3-8% O2 concentration environment, and various substances such as growth factors and antioxidants present in tbe tubal fluid assists in maintaining a healthy environment for embryo development. But in IVF programs embryo cultures are conducted in incubators with 21.9% O2 and 5% CO2 condition, and such high oxygen concentrations have been reported to increase the production of oxygen free radicals within the embryo and is detrimental to the growth and development of the embryo. The objective of this study, therefore, is to determine the culture conditions which will decrease oxygen free radical production and thereby minimize the injury to the embryo. METHODS: Six to eight week old ICR strain mice embryos were cultured in 5% or 21.9% O2 conditions and in culture media to which inaement concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) had been and the H2O2 concentration within the embryo, embryo developmental rate, and degree of fragmentation of the embryos was investigated. RESULTS: The control gmup embryos which were cultured in 21.9% O2 condition without addition of SOD showed developmental arrest at the 2-cell stage or fragmentation, while those cultured in 21.9% O2 condition with addition of SOD showed development to the blastocyst stage with deaeased fragmentation. In particular, the blastulation and fragmentation rates were the lowest in the group to which 500 IU/ml of SOD was added, but in the 5% O2 enviranment group many embryos reached the blastocyst stage and with no difference in frapnentation with or without addition of SOD. The HO relative intensity (120.5+/-20.2) within the embryos cultured in 21.9% O2 environment without SOD was significantly higher than that (56.8+/-10.8) of group with SOD (p<0.05). As showing that in the 5% O2 environment group without SOD it was 43.8+/-7.8 and in the group with SOD it was 37.3+/-5.4, the H2O2 concentration within embryos cultured in 5% 02 condition was significantly lower those that of 21,9% 02 environment regardless of SOD addition (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The optimal oxygen concentration in incubator for mice embryo cultures is that which is similar to the 5% 0 concentration in vivo. When 20% 02 incubators are routinely used, the addition of SOD to the culture media will decrease the H2O2 concentration within the embryos with subsequent improvement in development. The optimal concentration which should be used is thought to be 500 IU/ml. It is suggested that the use of the above method in human IVF-ET programs will lead to improved embryo quality and enhanced pregnancy rates.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; Blastocyst ; Culture Media ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Free Radicals ; Growth and Development ; Human Body ; Humans ; Incubators ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mice* ; Oxygen* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Superoxide Dismutase* ; Superoxides*

PURPOSE: It is well known that the incidence of cholelithiasis and cholecystitis increases after a gastrectomy and vagotomy for peptic ulcer disease, but operations for ulcers have decreased due to improved medical therapy. However, there are not so many studies about cholelithiasis and cholecystitis after a gastric resection due to gastric cancer. Therefore, we investigated its incidence, the factors affecting it, and its natural course. METHODS: Six hundred eighty-four gastric patients who had received a gastric resection at the Korea University Guro Hospital from January 1992 to October 1999 and who had been followed regularly with abdominal ultrasonography or computed tomography were enrolled in this study. The incidence of gallstones and sludge was investigated according to age group (< OR =60 vs >60), sex, extent of gastric resection (subtotal vs total), anastomotic methods (duodenal bypass vs duodenal passage of food), and degree of lymph node dissection (< OR =D2 vs > or =D2+alpha). The clinical course of cholelithiasis was also followed up. RESULTS: Gallstones were discovered in 38 patients (5.6%) with a mean duration of 26.4+/-20.7 months, and sludge was found in 17 patients (2.5%) with a mean duration of 25.1+/-20.5 months. There were no significant differences of incidence of gallstones and sludge according to sex, age group, and other surgical options (p>0.05). Twenty- eight cases of gallstones (73.7%) were detected within 36 months, and 11 cases of sludge (64.7%) within 24 months. Among the 38 gallstones patient, only 7 patients (18.4%) developed acute cholecystitis; they received cholecystectomy during the follow-up period, and all removed stones were pigment stones. CONCLUSION: The incidences of cholelithiasis and chole-cystitis do not increased very much after a gastric resection with lymph-node dissection due to gastric cancer, and there are no specific factors affecting those incidences. A prophylactic cholecystectomy during the gastric cancer operation should be performed with caution.
Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis ; Cholecystitis, Acute ; Cholelithiasis* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gallstones ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lymph Node Excision ; Peptic Ulcer ; Sewage ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Ulcer ; Ultrasonography ; Vagotomy

CD44 is a cell-surface glycoprotein postulated to play a role in tumor cell metastasis. Aberrant expression of the cell adhesion molecule CD44 has been detected in human tumors and the expression of specific isoforms(splice variants) has been shown to be associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in human malignancies. We used variant exon sequence-specific monoclonal antibody to epitope encoded by exon v6 of human variant CD44 to study the expression of CD44 splice variant by immunochemistry in fifty nine samples of human cervical cancer. twenty seven tissue samples of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN) and normal cervix were included in this study. CD44v6 was stained positive in the basal and parabasal layer of normal epithelial cells homogenously but was absent in the stromal cells. The intensity of CD44v6 staining was the strongest in invasive squamous cell carcinoma followed by normal cervical epithelium, CIN, adenocarcinoma. In the malignant samples, heterogeneity in staining intensity among different clusters of tumor cells was observed. Furthermore the intensity of staining was stronger in proportion to stage, depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion(p<0.05), and lymph node metastasis(p=NS). This study suggest that the expression of CD44v6 adhesion molecule may be useful value in predict the high stage, depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis probably.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Adhesion ; Cervix Uteri ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Exons ; Female ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Immunochemistry ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis ; Stromal Cells ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

Angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy of a vasculo-eptihelial origin. It is divided into three categories. The first category is primary anigosarcoma, which occurs in the face and scalp of elderly patients without any predisposing factors. The second is Stewart-Treves Syndrome, which is a subset of chronic lymphedema. The third is a post irradiation angiosarcoma that occurs at the site of prior irradiation. Generally in Stewart-Treves Syndrome, there is a pre-existing chronic lymphedema on the upper extremities due to the wide excision of breast cancer with or without radiation therapy. We here report on a case of a 60-year-old female with chronic lymphedema on the leg and who had a history of hysterectomy due to cervical cancer. The patient had purple-colored tender nodule and ulcer with exudate on the chronic lymphedematous leg and was diagnosed as angiosarcoma by a skin biopsy.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms ; Exudates and Transudates ; Female ; Hemangiosarcoma ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Leg ; Lymphedema ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; Skin ; Ulcer ; Upper Extremity ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The gastrointestinal tract (GI) is the most common site of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), which is increasing in incidence, but the staging and the histologic classification of GI-NHL are still in debate. Furthermore, there is no established optimal treatment modality. Thus, we investigated the clinicohistologic features, the therapeutic modalities, and the prognosis for GI-NHL, as well as the factors affecting it. We also give a review of the literature. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 67 patients who had been diagnosed as having GI-NHL and had been followed up from 1984 to 1999 at Korea University Medical Center Hospital. They were divided into groups according to the site of origin and to various other features, and the survivals of the various groups were compared. The modified Ann Arbor system and the international working formulation (IWF) were adopted for staging and histopathologic classification, respectively. RESULTS: GI-NHL of the stomach, the small bowel, and the colon and rectum occurred in 35 patients (52.2%), 20 patients (29.9%), and 10 patients (14.9%), respectively. In two patients, the entire gastrointestinal tract was diffusely involved. The mean age of patients was 49.7+/-16.2 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 4.2:1. There was an tendency for young and male to have GI-NHL involving the lower gastrointestinal tract. Twenty-three (34.3%) patients was in stage I, 28 (41.8%) in stage II, 7 (10.4%) in stage III, and 9 (13.4%) in stage IV. Eight (11.9%) patients had a low IWF grade, 47 (70.1%) an intermediate grade, and 12 (17.9%) a high grade. The stage and the histologic classification did not vary with the original site. Surgical resection was performed in 50 (74.6%) patients, and chemotherapy was performed in 53 (79.1%) patients. The overall 5-yearsurvival rate of 67 patients was 49.9%, and there was a significant survival difference between the stages (p=0.0023), but not between sites of origin (p=0.9043). The most important factors influencing the survival was the stage; other factors were not significant. CONCLUSION: The stomach was the most common site of GI-NHL. Most GI-NHLs were localized and of intermediate grade. Stage was the most important prognostic factor. However, prospective randomized studies are needed to approve the therapeutic modality.
Academic Medical Centers ; Classification ; Colon ; Drug Therapy ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lower Gastrointestinal Tract ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Male ; Prognosis ; Rectum ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach