BACKGROUNDS: An inhibitory effect of magnesium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (VC-PMG, a stable derivative of ascorbic acid) on melanogenesis has been described. Furthermore, glabridin in licorice is known to have inhibitory effects on melanogenesis and widely used for raw materials for depigmenting agents. OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study are to provide objective data by measuring the visual clinical effects of VC-PMG with the colorimeter and to promote the development of de-pigmenting agents. METHODS: 20 volunteers joined the study. With an artificial UVB irradiation, eight tanned areas were made on the inner side of the forearm. During two months, each tanned area was treated with five whitening cosmetics with 3% VC-PMG and increasing concentration of licorice from 0% to 3%. Darkness degree of each area was measured weekly by the colorimeter and the visual assessment. RESULTS: For all cosmetics, whitening effect was measured by colorimeter and visual as-sessment. The cosmetic containing VC-PMG 3% and licorice 1% had more whitening effect than any other cosmetics of different concentrations. Moreover, VC-PMG 3% alone also had whitening effect in some volunteers. CONCLUSION: VC-PMG was clinically found to have whitening effect.
Ascorbic Acid* ; Darkness ; Forearm ; Glycyrrhiza ; Magnesium* ; Triacetoneamine-N-Oxyl ; Vitamins* ; Volunteers

Lipomas are common soft tissue that are usually located in the subcutaneous tissue. And intramuscular lipomas commonly arise in the upper and lower extremities, where they usually involve the large muscles. Intramuscular lipoma, also referred to as an infiltrating lipoma, is an unusual benign slow growing tumor composed of mature fat cell interdigitating with skeletal muscle. However, intramuscular lipomas are exceedingly rare in the face. We have been experienced a case intramuscular lipoma that located in the malar area. Because of the rarity of these tumors and their propensity to recur without adequate surgery, the case report is presented here. Achievement of surgical margin is essential as the recurrent rate may be as high as 15% to 62.5% without complete excision.
Adipocytes ; Lipoma* ; Lower Extremity ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Subcutaneous Tissue

OBJECTIVES: Manganese is cytotoxic to the central nervous system including basal ganglia. Its toxic mechanism is related to oxidative stress, mediated by toxic free radicals but is specultives. In the present study, we have investigated to manifest apoptosis in manganese-induced cytotoxicity in primary neuronal cell culture of rat basal ganglia. METHOD: To detect apoptotic neuronal cells were stained by the terminal deoxynu-cleotide(TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end-labelling(TUNEL) method and apoptotic changes in nuclei of neurons were observed by electron microscopy. RESULTS: We showed that TUNEL immunostain showed brownish signal in the nuclei of apoptotic cells and the proportions of apoptotic cells in Manganese treatment groups were more higher than controls. On transmission electron microscopy, there were chromatine condensation with margination toward nuclear membrane and condensation of cytoplasm in the treated with luM MnC1, for 48 hours in a basal ganglia neurons. Apoptotic bodies were found and consisted of semilunar-like condensed nuclei with relatively intact cytoplasmic organelles. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis appears to be one mechanism in the manganese-induced neuronal cell death. Manganese intoxication is a convenient model for apoptosis study.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Basal Ganglia* ; Cell Culture Techniques* ; Cell Death ; Central Nervous System ; Chromatin ; Cytoplasm ; Free Radicals ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Manganese* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Neurons* ; Nuclear Envelope ; Organelles ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats

OBJECTIVES: Cadmium (Cd), a toxic and non-essential metal, is recognized as a human carcinogen, which has a tendency to accumulate in the human body. The levels of Cd in renal cortex and liver are good indicators as an index of Cd exposure in the general population. In this study, we present an estimation of reference Cd levels in tissue (renal cortex and liver) and total body burden in the general population of Korea. MEDTHODS: Cd and zinc (Zn) were analyzed in renal cortex and liver from 254 autopsies (male : 188 cases, female : 66 cases) aged 0 to 87 years. RESULTS: Geometric mean concentration of Cd was 27.4 and 3.1 ua/g wet weight in renal cortex and liver, respectively. The level of Zn in renal cortex and liver was 35.4 and 42. 6 v/g wet weight, respectively. The result suggests that kidney is the target organ for Cd accumulation. The accumulation of Cd in renal cortex was age-dependent with a biphasic pattern. The level of Cd in renal cortex increased with age up to the fifties, and then leveled off thereafter. Based on the data, the regression model for Cd accumulation in renal cortex by age is predicted by : Log KCd = 0. 2325 + 0. 0553 Age 0. 0005 Age. The highest Cd accumulation in renal cortex of Koreans was estimated at 43. 3 ua/g wet weight at 50. 8 years old. In addition, the total Cd body burden by age was estimated by the following equation: Total Cd Body Burden = -4. 5948 + l. 2278 Age - 0. 0121 Age. The highest body burden of Cd was estimated at 26. 5 mg at age 50. 7 years in the Korean general population. The positive correlation between Zn and Cd was observed in renal cortex and liver. CONCLUSIONS: The level of Cd exposure in Korean was found to be lower than in Japanese, but same as or higher than in American and Europeans.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Autopsy ; Body Burden ; Cadmium* ; Child ; Female ; Human Body ; Humans ; Kidney Cortex ; Kidney* ; Korea ; Liver* ; Reference Values* ; Zinc

Subcutaneous granuloma pyogenicum (SGP) is a rare variant of granuloma pyogenicum. In general, it appears as a single subcutaneous nodule with a slight tenderness. We report herein an unusual case of SGP arising from the left palm of an 11-year-old girl. Two mild-tender bean-sized reddish or flesh colored subcutaneous nodules on the lateral border of the left palm, and medial side of 5th left finger, respectively, were noted on physical examination. Histopathologic examination revealed the findings of lobular capillary hemangioma, characterized by localized proliferation of capillary lined by a single endothelial cell layer. Intralesional injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) were performed for the treatment. However two new erythematous nodules developed at another area of the left palm, which disappeared without any treatment.
Capillaries ; Child ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Fingers ; Granuloma* ; Granuloma, Pyogenic* ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Physical Examination ; Recurrence* ; Triamcinolone Acetonide

The hippocampus plays important roles in the regulation and combination of short and long term memory and spatial navigation with other brain centers. Aging is accompanied by a functional decline of the hippocampus and degenerative disease. Microglia are major immune cells in the central nervous system and response to degenerative changes in the aged brain. In this respect, functional and morphological changes of the hippocampus have been closely related to microglial changes during normal aging with or without disease. Therefore, in this review, we discuss morphological and functional changes of the hippocampus and microglia in the aging brain.
Aged ; Aging ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Memory ; Microglia

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detection of the pathogenic Yersinia pestis from other Yersinia spp. was developed. Five Y. pestis strains, ninety-two other Yersinia species and twenty-four Enterobacteriaceae strains were collected in Korea and from other countries. Oligonucleotide primers were designed from pathogenic gene of antiphagocytic protein capsule gene (fra 1) and plasminogen activator gene (pla). The 428 bp DNA fragment was amplified from five Y. pestis which contained the fra I gene. No product was amplified from other Yersinia species and other strains of the Enterobacteriaceae. The 439 bp DNA fragment was amplified from three K pestis which contained the pla gene. No product was amplified from two Y. pestis, other Yersinia species and other strains of the Enterobacteriaceae. These showed that the designed primers were specific for detection of Y. pestis among other Yersinia species and Enterobacteriaceae strains. Amplification was successful whether the template was derived from purified DNA or from aliquots of boiled bacterial suspension. The detection limits were 100 pg of DNA and 100 colony forming units (CFU) for fra I and 100 pg DNA and 10 CFU for pla, respectively. Our results prove that the PCR method using specific primers for Y. pestis is a rapid and convenient procedure for routine clinical detection and identification of Y. pestis.
DNA ; DNA Primers ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Korea ; Limit of Detection ; Plasminogen Activators ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Stem Cells ; Yersinia pestis* ; Yersinia*

Ulcerative colitis, one of the inflammatory bowel disease, is primarily managed medically with combinations of 5-ASA and steroids. However, this chronic disease requires surgical management if symptoms persist or complications develop despite medical management. The clinical course, the indications and outcome for surgical management of pediatric ulcerative colitis patients were studied from medical records retrospectively. Twenty-one patients under the age of 15 who were endoscopically diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between January, 1988 and January, 2003 were subjected to the study. Mean follow up period was 3 years and 10 months. The mean age was 10.3 years old. All patients received medical management primarily after diagnosis and 8 patients (38%) eventually required surgical management. Of 13 patients who received medical management only, 7 patients (53%) showed remission, 4 patients are still on medical management, and 2 patients expired due to congenital immune deficiency and hepatic failure owing to sclerosing cholangitis respectively. In 8 patients who received surgical management, 1 patient underwent surgery due to sigmoid colon perforation and 7 patients due to intractability of medical management. The perforated case received colon segmental resection and the other 7 patients recieved total protocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. One patient expired postoperatively due to pneumonia and sepsis. One patient is still on medical management because of mild persistent hematochezia after surgery. The other operated patients are showing good prognosis without any management. Pediatric ulcerative colitis patients can be surgically managed if the patient is intractable to medical management or if complications such as perforation is present. Total protocolectomy & ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is thought to be the adequate surgical method.
Child* ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing ; Chronic Disease ; Colitis, Ulcerative* ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Liver Failure ; Medical Records ; Pneumonia ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sepsis ; Steroids ; Ulcer*

Bacterial, fungal, and viral infections of the skin with extended skin involvement can occur during the early phase of human immunodeficiency virus infection. A significant reduction in circulating CD4+ lymphocytes in the late stage of the disease may cause tumors of the skin such as Kaposi's sarcoma. A 40-year male patient, a former sailor who had multiple sexual contact with native African women, presented with multiple tender follicular pustules and fibrotic brown patches on both his legs. these had been present for 6 months. The skin lesions were healed leaving brown pigmentation. Laboratory examinations revealed the presence of leukopenia, thromocytopenia and a reversed T4/T8 ratio. The ELISA and Western blot analysis to human immunodeficiency virus were positive. A skin biopsy from a brown patch showed early stages of scar tissue and perivascular hemosiderin deposition. We herein report a case of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patient with atypical dark brown scarring atrophic patches on the lower legs following purulent bacterial folliculitis. This may have been an early manifestation of Kaposi's sarcoma from a preceding skin lesion.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Biopsy ; Blotting, Western ; Cicatrix* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Folliculitis* ; Hemosiderin ; HIV ; Humans ; Leg ; Leukopenia ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Pigmentation ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; Skin

Intraductal variant of peripheral cholangiocarcinoma is extremely rare. This variant shows intraductal growth and intraluminal extension without any infiltrative growth. The mode of intraductal growth is not known. The prognosis of this variant is better than that of usual cholangiocarcinoma. We report three cases, one of which is associated with Clonorchis sinensis (CS) infection. The tumors were entirely confined within the dilated peripheral tributaries of the intrahepatic bile duct. Microscopically, the tumors were well to moderately well differentiated, with a papillary or a micropapillary growth pattern. Focal clear cytoplasmic change and mucin production were noted. The tumors showed intraductal spreading without any invasion to the liver parenchyme. Mucosal hyperplasia and dysplasia were noted in the adjacent ducts. The authors assume that intraductal cholangiocarcinoma is a distinct subtype, and persistent irritation, such as, CS infection may undergo a malignant transformation through mucosal dysplasia.
Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Cytoplasm ; Hyperplasia ; Liver* ; Mucins ; Prognosis