Colonic sarcomatoid carcinomas are known to be extremely rare tumors, with only 22 cases reported either as sarcomatoid carcinomas or carcinosarcomas in the literature. The known characteristics are rapid growth, a high recurrence rate, and an extremely poor prognosis. Herein we report a case of a patient who had a sarcomatoid carcinoma of the sigmoid colon and died only 22 days after surgery due to rapid tumor growth.
Carcinosarcoma ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Recurrence

In view of the potential of replicase protein as a diagnostic reagent for human caliciviruses (HuCVs), we have cloned and over-expressed this gene from the Snow Mountain-like Korean strains in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST, and described the preliminary antigenic characterization of the recombinant products. Each 470bp fragment corresponding to highly conserved region of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was generated by RT-PCR from stools of two diarrheal children, cloned in pMOSBlue T-vector, and subcloned between the EcoRI and SalI restriction sites of pGEX-47-3, a GST gene fusion vector, yielding pGCVpol. This construct expressed a Snow Mountain-like HuCV replicate under the control of the IPTG-inducible pac promoter. An extract prepared by sonication of the E. coli cell inclusion bodies bearing pGCVpol products was purified and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. After Coomassie blue staining, it was shown that the recombinant replicase migrated on the gels with an approximate molecular mass of 46.5 kDa, that was subsequently cleaved into a 26 kDa GST fragment and a 20.5 kDa replicase protein upon digestion with thrombin protease. The replicase was recognized on immunoblotting with the sera from symptomatic children with the HuCV-associated diarrhea but not by asymptomatic sera from adults. The results presented the first biological activity of individually expressed HuCV replicase subunit and provided important reagents for diagnosis of HuCV infection.
Adult ; Child ; Clone Cells ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Digestion ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Escherichia coli ; Gels ; Gene Fusion ; Glutathione Transferase ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Inclusion Bodies ; Indicators and Reagents ; RNA Replicase ; Snow* ; Sonication ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; Thrombin

PURPOSE: Abnormalities in calcium(Ca), vitamin D and bone mineral density (BMD) associated with antiepileptic drug(AED) are reported, but the results are inconsistent. In case of intractable epilepsy, poor growth and altered bone mineral metabolism may be prominent, possibly related to previous long-term use of multiple AED and poor activity. The aim of this study was to assess growth status, concentrations of calcium regulating hormones and BMD in children with intractable epilepsy. METHODS: Sixty-six intractable epilepsy patients aged 0.8 to 14.7 years(mean+/-D:4.6+/-.6 years) were included in the study. Height and weight were measured and then height SDS and weight SDS were calculated. Serum Ca, i-Ca, P, Mg, Zinc, osteocalcin, intact-PTH, 25-OHD, 1,25(OH)2D were measured. BMD of the lumbar spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorption. RESULTS: Most of the patients showed normal height SDS and weight SDS. Percentage of severe short stature(height SDS <-2) was 1.5% and tall stature(height SDS >2) was 4.5%. Percentage of severe thin(weight SDS <-2) was 1.5% and obesity(weight SDS >2) was 6%. Duration of AED was not related to height SDS or weight SDS. Etiology of epilepsy and physical activity were not related to height SDS and weight SDS. Most of them had normal Ca, iCa, P, Mg, Zinc, intact-PTH, osteocalcin, 25-OHD and 1,25(OH)2D concentrations. BMD was not related to the levels of Ca, i-Ca, P, Mg, intact-PTH, osteocalcin, 25-OHD, 1,25(OH)2D. BMD was not related to the duration of AED. BMD positively correlated with age(r=0.75, P>0.01) and body weight(r=0.72, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Most of the children with intractable epilepsy, who regularly visits epilepsy clinic, showed normal growth and normal bone mineral metabolism, but careful monitoring about growth and bone mineral metabolism is needed.
Absorption ; Bone Density* ; Calcium* ; Child* ; Epilepsy* ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Motor Activity ; Osteocalcin ; Spine ; Vitamin D ; Zinc

The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix had shown an increasing tendency, and which is related to the increased use of oral contraceptives or prevalent in human papillomavirus infection. Endocervical glandular dysplasia or adenocarcinoma in situ are occasionally associated with squamous neoplasms of the uterine cervix. This study was aimed to evaluate the histologic features and the incidence of endocervical glandular lesions associated with squamous neoplasms, the presence of human papillomavirus infection-suggesting histologic findings in adjacent squamous neoplasms and the immmunohistochemical findings of endocervical glandular lesions for carcinoembryonic antigen. The materials used were 105 cases of microinvasive and invasive squamous cell carcinoma, and 83 cases of squamous intraepithelial lesions which are consisted of 142 radical or total hystrectomy products and 46 conization or loop excision products. The results are as follows; 1. Among 188 cases, six cases(3.2%) had shown foci of high grade glandular dyaplasia, and 19 cases(10.1%) revealed the areas of low grade glandular dysplasia. There was no adenocarcinoma in situ case. 2. In four of six high grade glandular dysplasia cases, microinvasive or invasive squamous cell carcinomas were associated. In low grade glandular dysplasias, sqaumous intraepithelial lesions were occcupying 68.4%. 3. HPV infection-suggesting histologic findings had accompanied all high grade glandular dysplasia cases and in 17 cases(89.5%) of 19 low grade glandular dysplasias. 4. In 2 of 5 high grade glandular dysplasias and in 1 of 19 low grade glandular dysplasias, the immunohistochemical reaction for carcinoembryonic antigen was similar to that of adenocarcinoma. In conclusion, the clinicopathologic importance of endocervical glandular lesions associated with squamous neoplasms of the uterine cervix should be kept in mind, and further study for the relationship between endocervical glandular lesions and human papillomavirus infection or hormonal influence will be continued.
Humans ; Incidence ; Adenocarcinoma

No abstract available.
Tuberculosis, Lymph Node*

Unstable microsatellite repeat sequences or DNA replication errors(RER) due to defective mismatch repair genes have been reported in a subset of sporadic colorectal tumors and in most tumors of patients of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma(HNPCC). To elucidate the clinicopathological correlation of these RER-positive cancers, we examined 16 cases of colorectal carcinoma of different histologic subtypes(6 cases of carcinoma with no gland formation, 5 cases of mucinous carcinoma and 5 cases of gland forming carcinoma). We detected RER in five cases. The patients with RER-positive cancers had a marked preponderance of carcinoma with no gland formations out of 6 carcinomas with no gland formation were RER-positive cancers) and of cancers proximal to splenic flexure(all of the RER-positive cases were proximal colon carcinomas). We conclude that RER-positive cancers have wiique pathologic features that may be useful for the screening and counselling of patients with hereditary colon cancers.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of an exercise program using isometric and isotonic thera band exercises. METHODS: Data were collected from 30 total knee replacement patients hospitalized in the orthopedics department at 'B' hospital (control=15, experimental=15). The control group performed isometric exercises for one week while the experimental group performed three or more rounds of both isometric and isotonic exercises, including Thera-Band(R) exercises, everyday for four weeks. RESULTS: The experimental group improved significantly in muscular strength (Z=-1.99, P=0.047) and self-efficacy (Z=19.48, P=0.000), and showed lower levels of depression than the control group (Z=8.60, P=0.003). However, no difference was found in pain experience between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise programs using the isometric and Thera-Band(R) resistance training improve muscular strength and self-efficacy and relieve depression in total knee replacement patients.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; Depression ; Exercise ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Resistance Training

No abstract available.
Agammaglobulinemia*

PURPOSE: Sexual differences in the incidence and crystalline composition of urinary stones in humans are well-known, but it is unclear why men have a higher incidence of calcium oxalate stones than women. We investigated the effects of male sex hormones on stone formation using an ethylene glycol (EG) - induced urolithiasis model in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups, each containing 10 rats. One group of rats was left untreated and served as control. The other 3 groups were fed a 1% ethylene glycol (EG) lithogenic diet for 4 weeks. Among these, one group was non-castrated, one group was castrated and one group was non-castrated and given finasteride orally. Serum testosterone, creatinine, electrolytes, 24-hour urine levels of oxalate and citrate, and creatinine clearance were measured. The crystal deposits were examined by light and polarizing microscopes. RESULTS: Testosterone promoted calcium oxalate stone formation in EG - treated rats. Finasteride administration significantly decreased urinary oxalate excretion and calcium oxalate deposition, compared with controls. Urinary citrate was significantly decreased in EG-treated rats, but was not influenced by castration or administration of finasteride. There were no significant differences in serum concentrations of creatinine, sodium, or potassium among the control and experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that testosterone promotes calcium oxalate stone formation, and that dihydrotestosterone may be partially responsible for the exaggerated hyperoxaluria in EG-treated rats. Additionally, male sex hormones have a lesser influence on urinary citrate than oxalate.
Adult ; Animals ; Calcium Oxalate* ; Calcium* ; Castration ; Citric Acid ; Creatinine ; Crystallins ; Diet ; Dihydrotestosterone ; Electrolytes ; Ethylene Glycol ; Female ; Finasteride ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones* ; Humans ; Hyperoxaluria ; Incidence ; Male* ; Nephrolithiasis* ; Potassium ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium ; Testosterone ; Urinary Calculi ; Urolithiasis

p53 gene alterations in the ovarian cancers are regarded as early events in the whole process of carcinogenesis. This study is intended to compare p53 protein expression rate in the ovarian surface epithelial tumors according to histologic types, degree of malignancy and differentiation. 134 cases of ovarian epithelial tumors including 26 cases of serous cystadenoma, 7 cases of serous borderline malignancy, 15 cases of serous cystadenocarcinoma, 40 cases of mucinous cystadenoma, 21 cases of mucinous borderline malignancy, 20 cases of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, 4 cases of endometrioid carcinoma, and 1 case of clear cell carcinoma were studied. Immunohistochemistry using monoclonal p53 antibody(DO-7) was applied to the routine formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue. The results were as follows; 1. No immunohistochemical positivity of p53 protein was found in all 66 cases of benign serous and mucinous tumors studied. 2. There was no significant difference of p53 protein expression between serous and mucinous malignant tumors. 3. The expression rate of p53 protein exhibited a statistically significant difference between borderline(42%) and malignant(74%) ovarian surface epithelial tumors (p<0.05). 4. The expression rate of p53 protein of poorly differentiated carcinomas(100%) was higher than those of moderately (88%) and well differentiated carcinomas(60%), but there was no statistical significance. In summary, p53 protein expression might be a good indicator of malignant transformation of the ovarian surface epithelial tumors.
Ovarian Neoplasms ; Genes, p53