Undifferentiated sarcoma of the liver is a highly malignant neoplasm that occurs almost exclusively in children. We present a case of adult undifferentiated sarcoma in a 33-year-old man. The neoplasm was typically hypovascular on hepatic angiography and a globular, cystic and mucoid mass separated from the adjacent liver by a psedocapsule was removed from the left lobe of the liver. Necrosis and hemorrhage were found. Microscopically the neoplasm consisted of myxoid and cellular areas and the basic neoplastic cells were stellate cells showing variable degree of anaplasia and pleomorphism. Eosinophilic globules were PAS-positive and immunohistochemically negative for alpha-fetoprotein. Extramedullary hematopoiesis was present and normal-appearing bile ducts and hepatic cell cords were noted.
Child ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) has been implicated in the growth inhibition of a number of cancer cells. In the present study, we investigated the antitumor effect of the PPARgamma agonist rosiglitazone in U87MG human glioma cells. Rosiglitazone treatment in vitro reduced cell proliferation without induction of cell death in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Rosiglitazone decreased cell migration and mRNA level of MMP-9. Rosiglitazone treatment also induced marked changes in glioma cell morphology. Oral administration of rosiglitazone in animals with subcutaneous U87MG glioma cells reduced tumor volume. Subsequent tumor tissue analysis showed that rosiglitazone decreased the number of PCNA-positive staining cells and MMP-9 expression and induced apoptosis of tumor cells. These data suggest that rosiglitazone exerts antineoplastic effect in U87MG cells and may serve as potential therapeutic agent for malignant human gliomas.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cell Death ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Glioma ; Humans ; Peroxisomes ; PPAR gamma ; RNA, Messenger ; Thiazolidinediones ; Tumor Burden

A case of rare subcutaneous sparganosis in thigh treated by surgical excision is reported. In this 49year-old male with a palpable mass on the anteromedial aspect of mid-thigh (5x7x5cm sized) which was misdiagnosed with a soft tissue tumor initially, a sparganosis was suspected by a plain x-rays, bone scan and his past history which he frequently had raw snakes, frogs and raw fishes before but confirmed by MRI and surgical excision. This represents tor warning to some Koreans who have frequently comsumed raw fishes, snakes or frogs etc., and to some doctors because it is easily confused with a soft tissue tumor.
Fishes ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Snakes ; Sparganosis* ; Subcutaneous Tissue* ; Thigh*

PABAP (Palindrome Analysis by BLAST Program) is an analysis system that identifies palindromic sequences from a large genome sequence up to several megabases long. It uses NCBI BLAST as a searching engine, and data processing such as alignment filtration and detection of inverted repeats which satisfy user- defined parameters is performed by manipulating data after populating into a MySQL database. PABAP outperforms publicly available palindrome search program in that it can detect large palindrome with internal spacer at a faster speed from bacterial genomes. It is a standalone application and is freely available for noncommercial users. AVAILABILITY: This application was implemented with free software (Perl, Apache, MySQL, and NCBI BLAST) and is freely available to noncommercial users upon request. Analysis of user data can be carried out directly at http://chimp.kribb.re.kr/~javamint/palindrome.
APACHE ; Filtration ; Genome* ; Genome, Bacterial

BACKGROUND: Both carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and global risk score of cardiovascular disease were independent risk factors of stroke and heart disease. We assessed the correlation between the 10-year risk of Korean Stroke Risk Prediction model (KSRP) and carotid intima-media thickness. Additionally, from a perspective of carotid IMT measurement following KSRP risk stratification, we analyzed the difference of carotid IMT and plaque according to the KSRP risk strata. METHODS: Subjects were 282 persons who visited one hospital for the screening of stroke. The 10-year risk was calculated automatically based on the equation of KSRP model. The maximal carotid IMT and the plaque were adopted as the study variables. The sensitivity and the positive predictive value of the KSRP risk categories were calculated. RESULTS: The correlation coefficient between the KSRP risk and the maximal carotid IMT was 0.29 (p<0.01). The mean (+/-standard deviation) of KSRP risk of the group with carotid plaque was statistically significantly higher, 5.3 (+/-4.1), than that of the group without plaque, 3.3 (+/-3.1) (p< or =0.01). The sensitivity of the risk stratum with more than 6% of KSRP risk for the plaque was 28.2%. The positive predictive value of the above cut-point was 48.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The 6% of KSRP risk may be considered as the beginning point of intermediate risk stratum to recommend the carotid ultrasonography. However, generalization needs further studies for various populations.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Risk Factors ; Stroke

The presence of erythroblasts within Kupffer cell was studied for transmission electron microscopically with 5 human fetal livers from 11 to 23 weeks of gestation during the high activity of hepatic hemopoiesis. By using continuous series of thin sections electron microscopically, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the relevance between a migrated erythroblast and a Kupffer cell, and the migration of erythroblasts within Kupffer cells in the sinusoidal lumen. During the examined period the sinusoidal wall consisted of endothelial cells and Kupffer cells, being deficient in basement membrane. Erythropoietic cell-Kupffer cell interaction was often found as the emperipolesis and adhesion between the cells in human fetal liver under electron microscopy. The cytoplasm of the emperipoletic Kupffer cell contained several mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticuli, clear vesicles, electron dense bodies, cellular debris with shrunken chromatin of enucleated nuclei, intact enucleated nuclei, and erythroblast bearing vacuoles as intact erythroblasts. Intracellular erythroblasts in the Kupffer cell remain unaltered with their normal structure and showed mitosis, enucleation and migration of erythroblast into the sinusoidal lumen. And a clear zone of a vacuole was readily seen around the intracellular erythroblast within Kupffer cell. On occasion, the hypertropic Kupffer cell with interacellular erythroblasts virtually occluded the sinusoidal lining cell. Processing of a migrating emperipoletic erythroblast within a Kupffer cell, the erythroblast migrated via migration pore through the luminal cell membrane of the Kupffer cell into the sinusoidal lumen. An invasion of a proerythroblast into Kupffer cell or a migration of the cell into the sinusoidal lumen had been found in human fetal liver from 11 to 13 weeks of gestation. The results demonstrate that migration of emperipoletic erythroblasts within Kupffer cells occurs in human hepatic hemopoiesis. We suggest that emperipolsis may be one of the mechanisms that support the maturation of erythroblasts in human fetal liver.
Basement Membrane ; Cell Communication ; Cell Membrane ; Chromatin ; Cytoplasm ; Emperipolesis ; Endothelial Cells ; Erythroblasts* ; Humans* ; Kupffer Cells* ; Liver ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mitochondria ; Mitosis ; Phenobarbital ; Pregnancy ; Vacuoles

This study was undertaken to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ATP depletion-induced membrane transport dysfunction and cell death in renal proximal tubular cells. ATP depletion was induced by incubating cells with 2.5 mM potassium cyanide (KCN)/0.1 mM iodoacetic acid (IAA), and membrane transport function and cell viability were evaluated by measuring Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and trypan blue exclusion, respectively. ATP depletion resulted in a decrease in Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and cell viability in a time-dependent manner. ATP depletion inhibited Na+-dependent phosphate uptake in cells, when treated with 2 mM ouabain, a Na+ pump-specific inhibitor, suggesting that ATP depletion impairs membrane transport functional integrity. Alterations in Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and cell viability induced by ATP depletion were prevented by the hydrogen peroxide scavenger such as catalase and the hydroxyl radical scavengers (dimethylthiourea and thiourea), and amino acids (glycine and alanine). ATP depletion caused arachidonic acid release and increased mRNA levels of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2). The ATP depletion-dependent arachidonic acid release was inhibited by cPLA2 specific inhibitor AACOCF3. ATP depletion-induced alterations in Na+-dependent phosphate uptake and cell viability were prevented by AACOCF3. Inhibition of Na+-dependent phosphate uptake by ATP depletion was prevented by antipain and leupetin, serine/cysteine protease inhibitors, whereas ATP depletion-induced cell death was not altered by these agents. These results indicate that ATP depletion-induced alterations in membrane transport function and cell viability are due to reactive oxygen species generation and cPLA2 activation in renal proximal tubular cells. In addition, the present data suggest that serine/cysteine proteases play an important role in membrane transport dysfunction, but not cell death, induced by ATP depletion.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Amino Acids ; Antipain ; Arachidonic Acid ; Arachidonic Acids ; Catalase ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cytosol ; Diminazene ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Hydroxyl Radical ; Iodoacetic Acid ; Membranes ; Ouabain ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Phospholipases A2 ; Potassium Cyanide ; Protease Inhibitors ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger ; Trypan Blue

Cisplatin treatment increases the excretion of inorganic phosphate in vivo. However, the mechanism by which cisplatin reduces phosphate uptake through renal proximal tubular cells has not yet been elucidated. We examined the effect of cisplatin on Na+-dependent phosphate uptake in opossum kidney (OK) cells, an established proximal tubular cell line. Cells were exposed to cisplatin for an appropriate time period and phosphate uptake was measured using [32P]-phosphate. Changes in the number of phosphate transporter in membranes were evaluated by kinetic analysis, [14C]phosphonoformic acid binding, and Western blot analysis. Cisplatin inhibited phosphate uptake in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and also the Na+-dependent uptake without altering Na+-independent uptake. The cisplatin inhibition was not affected by the hydrogen peroxide scavenger catalase, but completely prevented by the hydroxyl radical scavenger dimethylthiourea. Antioxidants were ineffective in preventing the cisplatin-induced inhibition of phosphate uptake. Kinetic analysis indicated that cisplatin decreased Vmax of Na+-dependent phosphate uptake without any change in the Km value. Na+-dependent phosphonoformic acid binding was decreased by cisplatin treatment. Western blot analysis showed that cisplatin caused degradation of Na+-dependent phosphate transporter protein. Taken together, these data suggest that cisplatin inhibits phosphate transport in renal proximal tubular cells through the reduction in the number of functional phosphate transport units. Such effects of cisplatin are mediated by production of hydroxyl radicals.
Antioxidants ; Blotting, Western ; Catalase ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin ; Epithelial Cells* ; Foscarnet ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Hydroxyl Radical ; Kidney ; Kinetics ; Membranes ; Opossums ; Phosphate Transport Proteins

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the accreditation standards items related to the decision of accreditation of medical schools by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE). Methods: The subjects are medical schools in Korea that have received post-2nd cycle accreditation from the KIMEE between 2012 and 2016. Analyses were conducted for differences in accreditation decisions according to the characteristics of medical schools, sufficient ratios of basic standards items, and correlation between standards items related to accreditation decisions. Results: After examining differences in accreditation decisions by the medical school’s characteristics, there were no significant correlations between accreditation standard items and accreditation decisions. Second, according to the number of schools that sufficiently or insufficiently met each standard item, from the total of 97 standard items, 20 (20.6%) were sufficiently fulfilled by all medical schools. Standard item 2-5-2 demonstrated the highest insufficiency ratio. Third, with respect to the standard item that had an effect on accreditation decisions, standard item 1-5-1 showed the highest correlation with the sufficiency rate. Conclusion The validity of accreditation standards items was assured as this study evaluated the post-2nd cycle accreditation standards items regardless of each medical school’s characteristics. The accreditation standards items were found to have a meaningful impact on the development of medical schools and qualitative improvement in medical education. The findings are expected to contribute to guaranteeing the validity and reliability of accreditation decisions and raising the quality of accreditation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a topical spray containing 0.0584% hydrocortisone aceponate (HCA) on canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) and to evaluate the skin barrier function during the treatment of CAD. Twenty-one dogs that fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for CAD were included in this study. The HCA spray was applied once a day to the lesions of all dogs for 7 or 14 days. Clinical assessment was performed before (day 0) and after treatment (day 14), and clinical responses were correlated with changes in skin barrier function. CAD severity significantly decreased after 14 days of HCA treatment based on the lesion scores (p < 0.0001), which were determined using the CAD extent and severity index (CADESI-03) and pruritus scores (p < 0.0001) calculated using a pruritus visual analog scale. Transepidermal water loss, a biomarker of skin barrier function, was significantly reduced compared to baseline (day 0) measurements (p = 0.0011). HCA spray was shown to be effective for significantly improving the condition of dogs suffering from CAD. This treatment also significantly improved cutaneous hydration and skin barrier function in the animals.
Administration, Topical ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy/pathology/*veterinary ; Dog Diseases/*drug therapy/pathology ; Dogs ; Female ; Hydrocortisone/administration & dosage/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Male