So-called sclerosing hemangioma of the lung is a rare benign neoplasm which usually presents with a coin lesion detected through routine chest X-ray. We report two cases showing characteristic cytologic appearances which have been rarely reported. Both cases were young females with coin lesions in the lung. Fine needle aspiration of each case revealed unique but some different cytologic features. Case 1 showed bland-looking polygonal epithelial cells resembling bronchioloalveolar cells having pre- dominantly papillary configurations with loosely arranged solid sheets or isolated cells. Cytoplasms were plump, cyanophilic, and finely granular, with eccentric nuclei, The nuclei were usually monotonous, round-to-ovoid, and vesicular with a small but conspicuous nucleolus. In comparison to case 1, case 2 revealed largely loose pavement-like solid sheets or clusters rather than papillary patterns in the hemorrhagic background. The size of tumor cells were a little smaller than that of case 1. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma and papillary adenocarcinoma of metastatic origin were considered to be one of the important differential diagnoses with these cytologic features. Histologically, both cases exhibited findings compatible with so-called sclerosing hemangioma of the lung.
Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar ; Adenocarcinoma, Papillary ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Lung ; Numismatics ; Pulmonary Sclerosing Hemangioma ; Renal Insufficiency* ; Thorax

A case of invasive cribriform carcinoma of the breast is presented with fine need- le aspiration cytologic features. The aspiration was performed from a papable 2.0cm mass in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast in a 53 year-old woman. The aspirate showed cellular smear composed of larger three dimensional tight clusters, smaller monolayered loose clusters, and many individual cells on the clean background. In the clusters, the tumor cells were bordering central lumina, quite similar to the cribriform in histology. The tumor cells in the clusters and individual tumor cells had uniform, small and round nuclei. The chromatin was finely granular, and nuclear membrane was smooth. No discernible nucleoli were present (nuclear grade 1-2). Unless the abundance of individual cells and the cribriform growth pattern are recognized in the smear, the cytologic diagnosis of invasive cribriform carcinoma is difficult.
Female ; Humans ; Biopsy

Endodermal sinus tumor of the mediastinum is a very rare malignant tumor, usually affecting young adolescents, and its histologic findings are characteristic as that of gonadal germ cell origin. We describe the cytologic finding of fine needle aspiration of mediastinal endodermal sinus tumor in a 19-year-old male patient, comparing with tissue section. The tumor cells in smears were usually in tight clusters with large overlapping cells, which were arranged in a papillary or microacinar pattern, suggesting carcinoma. The tumor cells were large, round or oval with a small amount of cytoplasm which was occasionally vacuolated and had indistinct border. The nuclei were large, pleomorphic, and vesicular with large promi- nent nucleoli. The tissue sections showed typical findings of endodermal sinus tumor. Careful correlation of cytological findings and the serum alpha-fetoprotein level would be helpful to confirm the diagnosis.
Adolescent ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Biopsy, Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Child* ; Clonorchiasis ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis ; Dietary Proteins* ; Endodermal Sinus Tumor ; Female ; Germ Cells ; Giant Cells ; Gonads ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Thyroid Gland ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux* ; Young Adult

Msi1-like (MSIL) proteins, which are eukaryote-specific and contain a series of WD40 repeats, have pleiotropic roles in chromatin assembly, DNA damage repair, and regulation of nutrient/stress-sensing signaling pathways. In the fungal kingdom, the functions of MSIL proteins have been studied most intensively in the budding yeast model Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an ascomycete. Yet their functions are largely unknown in other fungi. Recently, an MSIL protein, Msl1, was discovered and functionally characterized in the pathogenic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, a basidiomycete. Interestingly, MSIL proteins appear to have redundant and unique roles in both fungi, suggesting that MSIL proteins may have evolutionarily divergent roles in different parts of the fungal kingdom. In this review, we will describe the current findings regarding the role of MSIL proteins in fungi and discuss future directions for research on this topic.
Ascomycota ; Basidiomycota ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; Cryptococcus neoformans ; DNA Damage ; Fungi ; Histones ; Proteins ; Retinoblastoma ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; Saccharomycetales ; Yeasts

Hypoglycemia is caused by poor oral intake, excessive exercise, alcohol abuse and inaccurate use of a hypoglycemic agent or insulin in patients that have history of diabetes mellitus (DM), especially in the elderly. Severe hypoglycemia has a variety of different symptoms or signs from focal neurologic deficits to severe coma, or death. It can be difficult to differentiate hypoglycemia-induced symptoms or signs, and stroke or cardiovascular disease in acute setting. Transient hypoglycemic hemiparesis is an infrequent case in the emergency department (ED), which is frequently misdiagnosed for stroke. When patients with decreased mental status or hemiparesis are admitted to the ED, a routine blood sugar test is essential. Hypoglycemic hemiparesis if unrecognized can result in permanent neurological damage. Therefore, it is important to detect hypoglycemia early and treat it appropriately.
Aged ; Alcoholism ; Blood Glucose ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Coma ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paresis ; Stroke

The cyclic AMP (cAMP) pathway plays a major role in growth, sexual differentiation, and virulence factor synthesis of pathogenic fungi. In Cryptococcus neoformans, perturbation of the cAMP pathway, such as a deletion in the gene encoding adenylyl cyclase (CAC1), causes defects in the production of virulence factors, including capsule and melanin production, as well as mating. Previously, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis of the Ras- and cAMP- pathway mutants, which revealed 163 potential cAMP-regulated genes (38 genes at a 2-fold cutoff). The present study characterized the role of one of the cAMP pathway-dependent genes (serotype A identification number CNAG_ 06576.2). The expression patterns were confirmed by Northern blot analysis and the gene was designated cAMP-regulated gene 1 (CAR1). Interestingly, deletion of CAR1 did not affect biosynthesis of any virulence factors and the mating process, unlike the cAMP-signaling deficient cac1Delta mutant. Furthermore, the cac1Delta mutant exhibited wild-type levels of the stress-response phenotype against diverse environmental cues, indicating that Car1, albeit regulated by the cAMP-pathway, is not essential to confer a cAMP-dependent phenotype in C. neoformans.
Adenylyl Cyclases ; Blotting, Northern ; Cryptococcus ; Cryptococcus neoformans ; Cues ; Cyclic AMP ; Fungi ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Melanins ; Phenotype ; Sex Differentiation ; Virulence Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differential expression of junctional proteins in the normal and preeclamptic human placenta and the effect of ginsenoside Rk1 in junctional proteins. METHODS: Placental tissues from 10 women with severe preeclampsia and 5 normal women were collected at the time of their cesarean section. Five of 10 preeclamptic women were complicated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting was employed to localize junctional proteins (zo-1, occludin and plakoglobin) positive cells. The placental explant culture was performed to investigate if Rk1 can attenuate the expression of junctional proteins (zo-1, occluding and plakoglobin) induced by deferoxamine-induced hypoxia. Rk1 was treated at the day 3 and Western blot analysis was performed for protein quantification. RESULTS: There was no different expression of zo-1 and plakoglobin among all the study groups. Occludin showed negative at the endothelial cells of the terminal villi in both normal and preeclampsia groups. At the endothelial cells of the stem villi, occludin was detected in both normal and severe preeclamptic placenta with normal fetal growth. However, severe preeclampsia with IUGR were decreased expression of occludin at the endothelial cells of the stem villi. When we administered Rk1 to the placenta treated with DFO, expression of occludin was not different. CONCLUSION: The placental expression of zo-1 and plakoglobin were not different among the study groups, while that of occludin was significantly decreased at the endothelium of stem villi in severe preeclampsia with IUGR. Rk-1 showed no effect on the placental junctional proteins. These results suggest that occludin may play a role in pathophysiology of fetal growth restriction in utero.
Anoxia ; Blotting, Western ; Cesarean Section ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; gamma Catenin ; Ginsenosides ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Occludin ; Placenta ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Proteins

PURPOSE: Transforming growth factor-β-induced protein (TGFBIp) is highly expressed in the cornea, and mutant TGFBIp induces corneal diseases. However, the function of TGFBIp in cornea epithelium is not fully investigated. Here, we tested the importance of TGFBIp in regulation of gene expression and corneal epithelial cell (CEC) activity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of TGFBIp on CEC activity was analyzed by cell migration, adhesion, proliferation and wound healing assay. Analysis of gene expression was examined by western blot and quantitative reverse transcription PCR. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that TGFBIp increased adhesion, migration, proliferation, and wound healing of CECs. Analysis of gene expression presented that TGFBIp-stimulated CECs exhibited increased expression of mucin family genes, such as MUC1, -4, -5AC, and -16. Furthermore, TGFBIp treatment increased the expression of MUC1, -4, -5AC, -7, and -16 in conjunctival epithelial cells. TGFBIp also increased the activity of intracellular signaling molecules ERK and AKT in CECs. Using pharmacologic inhibitors of ERK and AKT, we showed that the expression of mucin genes by TGFBIp is mediated by the activation of ERK and AKT signaling. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that the locally generated TGFBIp in the cornea may contribute to wound healing of CECs by enhancing the migration, adhesion, and proliferation of CECs. In addition, our results suggest that TGFBIp has a protective effect on ocular surfaces by inducing the expression of mucin genes in corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells. These data suggest that TGFBIp is a useful therapeutic target for patients with corneal wounds.
Blotting, Western ; Cell Movement ; Cornea ; Corneal Diseases ; Epithelial Cells* ; Epithelium ; Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Mucins* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Wound Healing* ; Wounds and Injuries*

Protein phosphatase-1 (PP1) nuclear targeting subunit (PNUTS), also called PP1R10, p99, or CAT 53 was originally isolated as a mammalian nuclear PP1-binding protein. In this study, we performed yeast two-hybrid screens to identify PNUTS-interacting proteins. Here, we report that LCP1 (epidermal Langerhans cell protein 1), a novel member of the HMG-box protein family, binds tightly to PNUTS. Co-immunoprecipitation of deletion constructs revealed that the C-terminus of LCP1 is sufficient for the interaction with an N-terminal region of PNUTS that is distinct from its PP1-binding domain. Furthermore, immunofluorescence studies showed that a subpopulation of LCP1 co-localizes with PNUTS in nuclear speckles. Importantly, we found that the N-terminus of LCP1 has a strong trans-activation activity in a GAL4-based heterologous transcription assay. The transcriptional activity of LCP1 is markedly suppressed by its interaction with PNUTS, in a PP1-independent manner. These findings suggest that the coordinated spatial and temporal regulation of LCP1 and PNUTS may be a novel mechanism to control the expression of genes that are critical for certain physiological and pathological processes.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Cell Line ; Cell Nucleus/*metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins/*metabolism ; HMGB Proteins/*metabolism ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Nuclear Proteins/*metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Protein Interaction Mapping ; RNA-Binding Proteins/*metabolism ; Transcriptional Activation ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

SPECT(single photon emission computed tomography) using 99m-Tc-HMPAO is a current method of identifying the relative condition of cerebral blood perfusion in pathologic conditions of the brain such as TIA, complete cerebral infarction, dementia, and psychologically ill states. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the significance of SPECT in head injuries. According to the other previous reports, there are several drawbacks in SPECT to evaluate the victims of head injury such as uncooperability of the patient, long scanning time. poor patient monitoring during the scanning time. poor availability, ete. The authors analyzed 54 cases of head injury patients, studying SPECT and CT in regard to the comparison of CT and SPECT, the relation of SPECT and the severity of the head injury, the duration of admission and the SPECT findings. The results were as follows: 1) In focal lesion, CT was more available for the quick evaluation of the location, size, and rapid decision making, and SPECT was available for the adjuvant method of postoperative follow-up. 2) In diffuse brain lesion, CT showed only the diffuse brain swelling and SPECT was available for more fine localization of the lesion. 3) In mild head injury, CT could not identify the location of the lesion and SPECT showed focal perfusion defects(55%).
Brain ; Brain Edema ; Cerebral Infarction ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Decision Making ; Dementia ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head* ; Humans ; Monitoring, Physiologic ; Perfusion ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*