Melanogenesis, or synthesis of melanin has been a focus of intense investigation by pigment cell biologists during the past few decades. Melanogenesis provides pigment in skin, thus serving as a unique, if not only, physiological defense against sun-induced injuries, including photocarcinogenesis. Moreover, skin color plays a major role in visual esthetics of an individual. Therefore, unwanted hyper- or hypo-pigmentation, especially on facial skin, could cause significant psychological stress. Epidermal melanocytes, derived from neural crest cells, are mainly responsible for melanin in skin. In human skin, nearly all normal pigmentation is due to melanin and with the exception of hemoglobin, it is one of the only endogenously synthesized pigments in man. Melanin has numerous functions in mammals, including increasing the optical efficiency of the eye, producing color patterns in various organs, including hair or skin, serving as camouflage, heat exchange, sexual recognition and protection from sunlight. The incidences of malignant melanoma have been increasing dramatically in western countries, at least by a factor of 15 over the past 60 years, and this has caused an intense interest in understanding melanogenesis. More than 40,000 new cases of malignant melanoma have been diagnosed in 1997, and it is one of the most common cancers in young adults. The research in the area of melanogenesis has exploded during the last ten years because model systems to study molecular mechanisms regulating melanogenesis have become available. This review examines currently available in vitro and in vivo model systems to study melanogenesis.
Esthetics ; Hair ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mammals ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma ; Neural Crest ; Pigmentation ; Skin ; Stress, Psychological ; Young Adult

Malignant cells in culture express elevated levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) mRNA and secrete an abundant amount of the TGF-beta1 protein. An attempt was made to define the role of the TGF-beta1 secreted from tumor cells, as a possible humoral factor which functions in a paracrine manner to stimulate the production of collagen and angiogenesis in gastric carcinoma. The expression of the TGF-beta1 by immunohistochemical stain (n=70) in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues was studied. Angiogenesis was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of tumor vessels, using polyclonal antibody to factor VIII related antigen and counting the three most active areas of neovascularization. The extracellular matrix was counted as area density by using an image analyzer following Masson-Trichrome staining. The prominent reactivity for TGF-beta1 was associated with invasion depth (r=0.2, p<0.05), increased number of microvessel (r=0.49, p<0.05) and increased area density of extracellular matrix (r=0.36, p<0.05), respectively. In summary, TGF-beta1 may have a role in tumor invasion and metastasis by increased angiogenesis and deposits of extracellular matrix.
Adenocarcinoma ; Collagen ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; RNA, Messenger ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; von Willebrand Factor

PURPOSE: To evaluate the predictive factors of radiation pneumonitis (RP) and associated changes in pulmonary function after definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 60 patients with NSCLC who received definitive CCRT were retrospectively reviewed. Dose volumetric (DV) parameters, clinical factors, and pulmonary function test (PFT) data were analyzed. RP was graded according to the CTCAE ver. 4.0. Percentage of lung volume that received a dose of threshold (Vdose) and mean lung dose (MLD) were analyzed for potential DV predictors. PFT changes were calculated as the difference between pre-RT and post-RT values at 3, 6, and 12 months after RT. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients (37%) developed grade > or =2 RP. Among clinical factors, tumor location in lower lobe was associated with RP. Among the DV parameters, only MLD >15 Gy was associated with grade > or =2 RP. There were statistically significant decreases in PFT at all points compared with pre-RT values in grade > or =2 RP group. MLD was associated with forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) changes at 6 and 12 months. V10 was associated with FVC changes at 12 months. V20 and V30 were associated with FEV1 changes at 6 months and FVC changes at 12 months. CONCLUSION: After definitive CCRT in patients with NSCLC, MLD >15 Gy and lower lobe tumor location were predictors of grade > or =2 RP. Pulmonary functions were decreased after CCRT and the magnitude of changes was associated with DV parameters.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Lung ; Medical Records ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Vital Capacity

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

The concept of caring as the core value of nursing has been widely explored in many researchers. However, a clear conceptualization of what caring in nursing does not yet exist. The purpose of this study is to examine the attributes of caring by content analysis of journaling and to provide basic information for developing the theory of caring and teaching the humanism centered education. The study design was descriptive survey design. Data was colleged 82 cases of journaling which came from 26 junior and 30 senior nursing students from Oct. 1995 to June 1996. The collected data were analyzed using the content analysis by Ko, and et als.(1989) and Polit & Hngler(1987). To improve the validity two researchers examined the significant statements extracted from original contents. The results are as follows: The emphasized contents clusters of caring were 12 categories- , , , , , , , , , , , . , elements of the caring emerged new attributes of caring and the <> element of the caring was mentioned with high frequency as strongest element. The emphasized contents clusters of non caring were 9 categories - , , , , , , , , .
Education ; Humanism ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Students, Nursing*

There is no doubt that dopamine plays a critical role in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. However, there appeared some limitations in explaining the complex phenomena of schizophrenia. Recent research data suggest that dysfunction in serotonergic system may be involved Before the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia became established, the interest in serotonin(5-ydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) as an etiological substrate of this illness occurred. Recently the importance and extent of 5-HT's involvement in the pathophysiology and mechanism of action of antipsychotic drug is actively investigated. In recent years, therapeutic success of clozapine and risperidones has increased attention on the interaction between the 5-HT and dopamine systems in schizophrenia. This led to the serotonin-dopamine for antipsychotic. The authors review the evidence for the role of 5-HT in schizophrenia and serotonin-dopamine interaction.
Clozapine ; Dopamine ; Schizophrenia* ; Serotonin*

No abstract available.
Dendritic Cells, Follicular*

With increasing tendency of incidence and interest for the late onset schzophrenia, concerns about whether this disorder is etiologically or phenomenogically distinctive entity or not have increased also. To clarify the disease entity of the late onset schzophrenia and the role of structural brain changes in its etiology, authors tried to prove following hypothesis : Are there any evidences of structural brain changes in the late-onset schizophrenia? ; If present, are they not different from those of the early-onset schizophrenia or progressive schizophrenia? ; And are they not different from those of senile dementia? Subjects were 6 patients with the late-onset schizophrenia, 6 patients with the early-onset schizophrenia, 6 patients with progressive schizophrenia, 6 patients with Alzheimer's dementia, and 6 controls. We measured regions of interest of the magnetic resonance images by computer assisted planimetry using the AutoCad and digitizer. Our study results may suggest that the third ventricular enlargement and a reversal of normal difference between left and right temporal lobe and left-right difference in posterior lateral ventricle are common brain pathology for all type of schizophrenia including the late onset schzophrenia. And also suggest that brain structural changes of the late onset schizophrenia are related with neurodevelopmental abnormality rather than degenerative change.
Alzheimer Disease* ; Brain Diseases ; Brain* ; Dementia ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lateral Ventricles ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Schizophrenia* ; Temporal Lobe

Gene expression of nm23 has been investigated in many kinds of tumors, including breast cancers, colon cancers, hepatocellular carcinomas, papillary carcinomas of the thyroid and malignant melanomas since the nm23 was dislovered by Dr. Steeg as a tumor metastatic suppressor gene. Reduced expression of nm23 gene implicated in high metastatic potential in a variety of malignancies. However, there have been only a few reports on genetic alteration and expression of nm23 in human gastric carcinomas even though gastric carcinoma is a leading malignancy in Korea. In this study, we examined the expression of nm23 protein by immunohistochemistry in advanced and early gastric carcinomas, adenomas, matching normal mucosa to elucidate the role of nm23 in the development, progression and metastasis of human gastric carcinomas. The results are as follows; 1) Nm23 was expressed in 39 cases(69.6%) of 56 advanced gastric carcinomas. Among them, strong positive cases(grade 3) were 26(46.4%) and weak positive cases(grade 2) were 13(23.2%). 2) Nm23 expression was significantly different (P<0.05) depending on the site of the neoplasm. Antral carcinomas showed grade3 positivity in the 22/37 cases(60%), but carcinomas of the body showed negative (grade 1) result in about half(42.1%). 3) Nm23 expression was more intense in the neoplasm than normal mucosa.(67.9%) 4) Nm23 expression was not significantly related to the lymph node metastasis, invasion of lymphatics or veins and depth of invasion. 5) In the well differentiated carcinomas, grade3 were more common(64.0%). But in cases of signet ring cell carcinoma, many cases were negative(50.0%). 6) Nm23 expression rate and intensity was significantly increased from the normal mucosa to the gastric adenomas, early gastric carcinomas and advanced gastric carcinomas.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Breast Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Caves*