BACKGROUND: Recently, it has been suggested that autoantibodis face of melanocytes are prevent in the sera of vitiligo patients. However, these autoantibodies exist, whether they are specific for vitiligo a vitiligo patients possess them. In addition, the specificity of the iti lecular weight of the antigen are all unsolved areas demanding further. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible role of autoimmune microvitiligo, this study was designed to verify the presence of auto and vitiligo antigen from the surface of melanocytes, the specificity of gene specific antigens on the sunever, it is not known whether ents, and what percentage of goantigen and the exact moier research. anisms in the development of bodies in vitiligo patients, the utoantibodies and vitiligo anti. METHODS: Indirect immuvofluorescent microscopy, flow cytoriiety, and ELISA was done to compare the reactions between melanocytes and sera. SDS-PAC island immunoblotting were used for the identification of vitiligo antigen. RESULTS: Vitiligo sera showed more prominent fluorescence and higher optical density on the surface of melanocytes than normal sera. Forty-four percent of vitiligo sera was directed to melanocytic surface antigen with a molecular weight of 65kDa. The sition assay using rabbit antimelanocytic antibody showed an inhibition of the reaction betw er vitiligo sera and melanocytes in ELISA and immunoblotting. CONCLUSION: A surface antigen of 65kd was identified from melanocytes and 44.4% of the vitiligo sera showed positive reactions to this antigen.
Antigens, Surface ; Autoantibodies* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Melanocytes* ; Microscopy ; Molecular Weight ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Tubal* ; Pregnancy, Twin* ; Salpingectomy* ; Twins*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Tubal* ; Pregnancy, Twin* ; Salpingectomy* ; Twins*

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis is an essential component of tumor growth and proven to be a prognostic factor in breast, cervix, prostate carcinoma and melanoma. This study was designed to define the relationship of microvessel density with overall survival, clinicopathologic data and with other reported prognostic factors in gastric carcinoma. METHODS: We studied resected tumor specimens from thirty-two patients with gastric carcinoma who underwent gastrectomy at Ewha Women's University Hospital from January, 1989 to December, 1991. Specimens were investigated by staining with a monoclonal antibody aganist factor VIII-related antigen, which was localized to vascular endothelium. Correlation between the microvessel count (X200), various clinicopathologic factors, EGFR and p53 were studied. RESULTS: The microvessel count was increased with higher histologic staging. The microvessel count was significantly higher in group with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (60.7 vs 27.4, p=0.02). In patients with high microvessel count (> or =30), overall survival time was shorter than in those with low count (<30), but insignificant statistically (p>0.05). The microvessel count was higher in group with recurrence than in those without recurrence (48.1 vs 33.2, p=0.05). CONCLUSION: Microvessel count may be a prognostic indicator in gastric carcinoma but larger scale study should be followed.
Breast ; Cervix Uteri ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Melanoma ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis* ; Prostate ; Recurrence ; von Willebrand Factor

No abstract available.
Down Syndrome*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is known that a part of laryngeal premalignant lesions progresses to an invasive carcinoma. Despite many previous reports, conventional histology is not sufficient to predict such tumor progression. Herein, the authors investigated the role of CD44v3 as a biomarker in predicting the progression of laryngeal premalignant lesion to an inavasive cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 40 patients were diagnosed accordingly as laryngeal invasive squamous cell carcinoma (n=10), Carcinoma in situ (n=10), dysplasia (n=10), and hyperkeratosis (n=10) between 1993 and 2002. They were immunohistochemically stained for CD44v3 protein. RESULTS: In invasive squamous cell carcinoma, the expression of CD44v3 was diffused and gave a strong positive stain, and in carcinoma in situ, it was diffused and gave 3+-2+ stain. However, in dysplasia and hyperkeratosis, the proportion of CD44v3 expression was decreased by 2+-1+, and 1+-0, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the expression of CD44v3 in laryngeal premalignant and malignant lesions can be associated with tumorigenesis and invasion. Those strong positive expressions of CD44v3 may represent more aggressive pathology of the larynx.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Humans ; Larynx* ; Pathology

Sesquiterpene-quinone is a class of secondary metabolites frequently encountered from marine sponge. The present study was designed to examine the anti-inflammatory action of sponge-derived dactyloquinone B (DQB) and cyclospongiaquinone-1 (CSQ1) mixture using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses. We measured the production of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein. TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6 production, which increased by treatment with LPS, were significantly inhibited by DQB and CSQ1 mixture. It also decreased the production of NO production, and iNOS and COX-2 expression. Furthermore, it reduced 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema of ICR mice. These results demonstrate that sesquiterpene-quinone, DQB and CSQ1 mixture, might serve as a chemical pipeline for the development of anti-inflammatory agent.
Animals ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Ear ; Edema ; Interleukin-1beta ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Porifera ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

The Os odontoideum is a rare congenital disorder which is due to non fusion of axis and odontoid process so that seperation of odontoid process occurs. It causes various neurological syndrome because of atlantoaxial dislocation due to bony defect. To our knowledge, this type of malformation in a narrow sense has been reported only three cases in the world literature, and there are no reports of this malformation in Korea. With reviewing some of literatures, We present a case of the Os odontoideum which was confirmed by operation.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities ; Dislocations ; Korea ; Odontoid Process

No abstract available.
Humans

Recent neuroimaging studies indicate that learning a novel motor skill induces plastic changes in the brain structures of both gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) that are associated with a specific practice. We previously reported an increased volume of vermian lobules VI-VII (declive, folium, and tuber) in elite basketball athletes who require coordination for dribbling and shooting a ball, which awakened the central role of the cerebellum in motor coordination. However, the precise factor contributing to the increased volume was not determined. In the present study, we compared the volumes of the GM and WM in the sub-regions of the cerebellar vermis based on manual voxel analysis with the ImageJ program. We found significantly larger WM volumes of vermian lobules VI-VII (declive, folium, and tuber) in elite basketball athletes in response to long-term intensive motor learning. We suggest that the larger WM volumes of this region in elite basketball athletes represent a motor learning-induced plastic change, and that the WM of this region likely plays a critical role in coordination. This finding will contribute to gaining a deeper understanding of motor learning-evoked WM plasticity.
Athletes* ; Basketball* ; Brain ; Cerebellum* ; Humans ; Learning ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Motor Skills ; Neuroimaging ; Plastics*