Psoriasis is characterized by disregulation of keratinocyte growth with profound epidermal hyperplasia. Keratinocyte hyperplasia in psoriasis may be expained in part by overproduction of growth factor, and by altered metabolism of the epidemal growth factor receptors (EGFR) in affected skin. The expression of epidermal growth f ictor receptor was investigated by Northern blot and slot-blot analysis of total RNA extrated from biopsies of normal skin and psoriatic lesions. In Northern blot analysis, EGFR-specific mRNA transcripts from psoriatic tissues demonstrated the specificity of hybridizarion with a EGFR mDNA probe. The size of EGFR mRNA transcript was 6.7kb in psoriasis lesions which showed no change of quality. In slot-blot analysis, the levels of EGFR mRNA in poriasis revealed a 1.2 fold to 4.1 fold elevation when compared to normal skin. EGFR were present in all epidermal layers by immunoperoxidase staining, whereas in normal skin they were primarily present in the stratum basalis. These results indicate that the increased expresion of the EGFR gene may be, in part, responsible for the hyperproliferation of the epider nis and that retained EGFR may reflect incomplet; abnormal differentiation in active porasis. This altered process of EGFR metabolism may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.
Biopsy ; Blotting, Northern ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Genes, erbB-1 ; Hyperplasia ; Keratinocytes ; Metabolism ; Psoriasis* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Receptors, Growth Factor ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy in western nations with serious health problem, and it has become the leading cause of cancer death of males, second only to stomach cancer, in Korea. A review of the histopathology of 1363 cases (1231 patients) of lung carcinoma, diagnosed at the Keimyung University Medical center from 1987 to 1996, was performed to reclassify the type of carcinomas and to investigate the change in the distribution of histologic types of lung carcinoma according to age, sex and year. Among the 1363 cases, 132 patients underwent a surgical operation after biopsy. The diagnosis of each case was proven by histopathologic analysis of surgical specimens (13.2%) and biopsy materials (86.8%). The histologic types in our study were basically based on modified WHO classification (1982) and on new WHO classification (1999). The classification of small cell carcinoma was based on International Association for the Small Cell Lung Cancer (IASLC, 1988). Of the 1231 patients with lung carcinoma, 1012 were male and 219 were female (male to female ratio was 3.6:1). According to the analysis of age distribution, the most prevalent age group was 60~69 years in both sex as (n=516, 42.0%). Changing trends in sex distribution of lung carcinoma patients showed that the proportion of men had decreased throughout the years, whereas the proportion of women had significantly increased. Histologically, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (n=624, 50.7%), followed by small cell carcinoma (21.1%), adenocarcinoma (18.1%), large cell undifferentiated carcinoma (2.1%), adenosquamous carcinoma (0.4%), and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (0.4%), in order of frequency. In men, squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequent type (55.1%). In women, adenocarcinoma was the most frequent type (39.7%). In both sexes, adenocarcinoma was the most common type in patients under the age of 40 (n=12, 41.4%), while squamous cell carcinoma proved the most frequent type in patients over the age of 40 (n=617, 51.3%). Changing trends of histologic types of lung cancer showed that the incidences of squamous cell carcinoma had significantly decreased throughout the years, whereas those of adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma had increased. In conclusion, the results showing increases in the percentage of female patients and in the number of cases of adenocarcinoma were noteworthy, and well correlated with other related reports.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adenocarcinoma ; Age Distribution ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Male ; Sex Distribution ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Bronchopulmonary Sequestration* ; Lung* ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal*

No abstract available.
Cytogenetics*

Fibrous dysplasia of bone is a skeletal developmental anomaly of unknown etiology characterized by single ormultiple areas of fibrous tissue replacement of medullary cavity of one or more bones. The disease may belocalized to single bone (monostotic form), of may affect multiple bone(polyostotic form). Eighteen cases offibrous dysplasia diagnosed by roentgenologic or histologic assessments at Chosum University Hospital ChonnamUniversity hospital and kwangju Christian Hospital during recent ten years were analyzed clinically andradiologically. The results were as follows; 1. 16 cases of them had monostotic involvement, and 2 cases showedpolyostotic disease, but none of our series presented Albright's syndrome. 2. The male to female ratio in thisseries was 10:8, but then 2 polyostotic forms of them were femals. In age distribution, peak incidence at the timeof diagnosis was in the age group of second decade (10 cases). 3. Maxilla (6 cases ) and femur (4 cases) werefrequently involved sites in patients with monostotic lesion, whereas polyostotic lesions diffusely affectedskull, pelvis, ribs and limb bones. 4. The clinical symptoms according to the extent and site of disease were veryvariable, which were localized painless or painful swelling, nasal obstruction, deformity of face or extremity andincidentally during routine roentgen study. 5. The chemical abnormality of blood serum was moderate degree ofelevated serum alkaline phosphatase in only one patients with monostotic lesion. 6. The main radiologic findingsof fibrous dysplasia were relatively well circumscribed single or multiloculated cystlike appearance, boneexpansion, cortical thinning and/or erosion, bony deformity and pathologic fracture, but especially in maxilla,dense homogenous area with expanding lesion was observed in our series.
Age Distribution ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Diagnosis ; Extremities ; Female ; Femur ; Fibrous Dysplasia of Bone ; Fibrous Dysplasia, Polyostotic ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Maxilla ; Nasal Obstruction ; Pelvis ; Ribs ; Serum

BACKGROUND: Pertechnetate ( Tc) has been widely employed for thyroid imaging. While pertechnetate and radioiodide have usually similar results in identifying thyroid nodules, occasionally differences have been noted. We intended to observe that the thyroid nodules which appeared to be hot on pertechnetate and to compare them with the images by radioiodide. METHODS: 'I scan was performed to thirty-eight cases (mean age: 48.9 +/- 13.2) presenting as hot nodule on Tc scan. Thyroid function test and pathologic diagnosis were obtained in all patients. RESULTS: Of the 38 patients, 24 had euthyroidism, 13 had hyperthyroidism, and 1 had hypothyroidism. Thirty patients had adenomatous goiter, 4 papillary carcinoma, 3 Hashimotos thyroiditis, and 1 had HQrthle cell tumor. 28 of 38 patients showed similar images, but the remaining 10 patients(26.3%) revealed discordant images on Tc and 131I scan. Among the concordant cases, 23 had adenomatous goiter, 3 had papillary carcinoma, and 2 had Hashimotos thyroiditis. Among the discordant cases, 7 had adenomatous goiter, 1 had papillary carcinoma, 1 had Hashimotos thyroiditis, and 1 had HQrthle cell tumor. The incidence of malignancy was 10.7% of concordant cases, and 20% of discordant cases and was revealed statistically insignificant (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: We observed higher incidence of malignancy in patients presenting hot nodules on 99mTc scan than ever reported. Fine needle aspiration should be performed to all patients with hot nodules and the 'I scan would not be recommended for further diagnostic study.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Goiter ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Hypothyroidism ; Incidence ; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule ; Thyroiditis

PURPOSE: This study was to develop and evaluate the clinical utility of a nursing educational program to reduce the cancer worry of colorectal cancer patients' family members (RCW-FM) in Korea. METHODS: The RCW-FM was developed based on several preliminary studies: an ethnographic and two quantitative studies to understand the educational needs among Korean colorectal cancer patients and their families. A one week clinical genetic educational course for clinical cancer nurses was implemented, and the RCW-FM led by cancer genetic nurses was constructed. A one group pretest-posttest design was implicated to evaluate the change of the family members' knowledge about colorectal cancer (KCR) and the level of the reduction of cancer worry (CWR). RESULTS: The mean score for KCR significantly increased from 11.75+/-1.28 to 13.87+/-1.13 (p<.05). The mean score of CWR was 4.25+/-.89. CONCLUSION: This new RCW-FM is a satisfactory educational program for reducing the cancer worry of the colorectal patients' family members. But it needs to provide more practical, specific information including a long term perspective, tailored specifically for what Korean families want to know. It should also incorporate the preventive guidelines recommended for high risk hereditary or familial colorectal cancer.
Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Education, Nursing ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that affect suicidal ideation in patients with chronic mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder. METHODS: The research participants were 160 patients with mental illnesses residing in B City and G Province. They responded to questionnaires about their suicidal ideation, self-esteem, depression, family support, social support, and internalized stigma of mental illness. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and STEPWISE multiple regression with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: History of self-esteem, Depression, Social support, Psychiatric diagnosis of MDD and suicide attempt showed an explanatory power for 64% of suicidal ideation in patients with chronic mental illnesses. CONCLUSION: Specialized health and medical service personnel providing services to patients with chronic mental illnesses must determine the risk factors and protective factors for suicidal ideation associated with each illness, and establish a more individualized and systemized case management system based on customized approach.
Bipolar Disorder* ; Case Management ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder* ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Risk Factors ; Schizophrenia* ; Suicidal Ideation* ; Suicide

The immunohistochemical expression of transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-beta), epidermal growth factor(EGF) and alpha-1-antitrypsin(AAT) was studied in 47cases of endoscopic biopsy matearials of gastric carcinoma to determine me correlation to the expression of alpha fetoprotein(AFP). And immunoreactivity of the antigens was correlated to me degree of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and histologic differentiation of the tumors. And the results were analyzed to elucidate pathological AFP-producing gastric cancer. The results were summarized as follows. AFP immunoreactivity was demonstrated in 30 cases(63.8%) of the tumors, TGF-beta in 26 cases(55.3%), EGF in l4 cases(29.8%) and AAT in l0 cases(21.3%). The incidence of expression of the antigens was significantly higher in the cases of elevated serum AFP(>2ng/ml) than that of the cases with normal serum AFP(p<0.05). There was no relation between the expression of antigens and histological differentiation of gastric cancer. The expression of AFP and TGF-beta revealed good correlation(k=0.72). The relation between expression of TGF-beta and AAT and the degree of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes disclosed negative correlation(p<0.05). These results suggest that TGF-beta and AAT prodution contribute to the worse prognosis of AFP-producting gastric cancer. Possible immunosuppressive action of TGF-beta and AAT in the cancer tissue is discussed.
Incidence ; Biopsy ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: MRI is known to display the anatomy of the larynx in excellent detail with its remarkable soft tissue delineation and multiplanar imaging capability. We evaluate the accuracy of MRI in diagnosis and staging of laryngeal cancer MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen cases with pathologically proved squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx were reviewed, retrospectively. The examination was performed with a 0.5 T superconductive MR system and C1 surface coil. Axial, sagittal and coronal plane with T1WI(TR/TE 450/20) and T2WI(TR/TE 18OO/80) were done. RESULTS: Eleven cases with glottic cancer(5 Tla, 3 Tlb, 1 T3 and 2 T4) and 5 cases with supraglottic cancer (1 T1, 1 T3 and 1 T4) were included. Cancer tissue showed intermediate signal intensity on TIWI and high signal intensity on T2Wl. Among 16 cases, 13 cases were correctly staged and 3 cases were overstaged due to edema caused by previous biopsy, partial volume averaging effect of abutted lesion, or surrounding inflammation. CONCLUSION: MRI is an useful modality for diagnosis of laryngeal cancer, especially in evaluation of paraglottic extention on coronal image and cartilage invasion.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cartilage ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Inflammation ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; Larynx ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies