No abstract available.
Female ; Meigs Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Female ; Meigs Syndrome*

A 66-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital due to her right breast cancer. Preoperative breast MRI shows 1.9 cm malignancy on her right breast (cT1N0M0) and incidentally found osteosclerotic change of left coststernoclavicular region. Bone scintigraphy showed hot uptake and the possibility of bone metastasis was not excluded. However, because the bone metastasis is not common in early stage cancer and the costosternoclavicular region is not common site, other possibility should be considered. SAPHO syndrome can be diagnosed even in the absence of dermatosis when there is an axial or appendicular osteitis and hyperostosis, especially in costosternoclavicular region. Though breast imaging specialists are not accustomed to this disease entity, awareness and diagnosis of the SAPHO syndrome can help differentiate bone metastasis.
Acquired Hyperostosis Syndrome* ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperostosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Osteitis ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Skin Diseases ; Specialization

BACKGROUND: Exercise testing is a standard noninvasive method used in the evaluation and management of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. However, patients with lower limb impairment are unable to undergo a standard bicycle or treadmill test. Alternative methods of exercise testing are needed for patients with vascular, orthopedic or neurologic conditions who cannot perform leg exercise. This study was aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of arm exercise thallium-201 SPECT for evaluating chest pain in patients unable to perform leg exercise. METHOD: Twenty-five anginal patients performed arm ergometry testing in conjunction with thallium-201 SPECT. Thereafter all underwent coronary angiography. RESULT: Significant coronary artery disease (> or =50% stenosis) in at least one vessel was present in 22 (88%) of the 25 patients. The sensitivity of thallium-201 SPECT for detecting coronary artery disease was 91%, which was significantly higher than the 32% sensitivity found with the electrocardiographic response alone (p <0.001). Thallium-201 SPECT yielded a sensitivity of 88, 86 and 100% for one, two, and three vessel diseases, respectively, and an 84% sensitivity and 81% specificity for detecting individual vessel stenosis. CONCLUSION: Arm exercise thallium-201 SPECT is useful for detecting coronary artery disease in patients unable to perform leg exercise. In addition, it provides an information regarding exercise tolerance. Therefore, this test appears to be reliable and useful and should be considered in the detection of coronary artery disease in nonambulatory patients.
Angina Pectoris ; Arm* ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Exercise Tolerance ; Humans ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Orthopedics ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

BACKGROUND: CD44 protein is known as a homing cellular adhesion molecule that is linked to diverse cellular functions such as adhesion, migration and invasion, which are all important in cancer progression and metastasis. The expression of CD44 standard and variant isoforms (CD44 standard isoform [CD44s] and CD44 splice variants containing exon v6 [CD44v6], respectively) is associated with an unfavorable clinical outcome in various neoplasms. METHODS: Forty patients who were diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) through biopsy at Hanyang University Hospital between 1996 and 2003 were included in this study. CD44 proteins expression was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining on a tissue microarray and the correlation of CD44 with the types of DLBCL and clinical parameters, including the factors defined by the International Prognostic Index, was evaluated. RESULTS: A high CD44s and intermediate to strong CD44v6 expression, including cytoplasmic membranous staining patterns, was present in 35% (14/40) and 25% (10/40) of DLBCL patients, respectively. High CD44s expression was correlated significantly with non-germinal center B-cell-like types (non-GCB, p=0.004) and patients with old age (p=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: High CD44s expression may be significantly associated with the non-GCB type compared to the GCB type and may be essential to the prediction of disease outcome in tumor stage III in DLBCL patients.
Antigens, CD44 ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Cytoplasm ; Exons ; Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Protein Isoforms ; Proteins

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to explore whether individual variations in the concentration of growth factors (GFs) influence the biologic effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs). METHODS: The concentrations of 7 representative GFs in activated PRP (aPRP) were measured using ELISA. The effects of PRP on the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of HMSCs were examined using several concentrations of aPRP from 3 donors; the relationships between the GF levels and these biologic effects were then evaluated using 10% aPRP from 5 subgroups derived from 39 total donors. HMSCs were cultured in DMEM with the addition of aPRP for 4 or 12 days; then, DNA content and ALP activity were measured. RESULTS: The quantity of DNA increased significantly at a 10% concentration of aPRP, but the ALP activity was suppressed at this concentration of aPRP. The GF concentrations varied among donors, and 5 subgroups of characteristic GF release patterns were identified via cluster analysis. DNA levels differed significantly between groups and tended to be higher in groups with higher concentrations of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) and platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs). DNA quantity was positively correlated with TGF-beta1 concentration, and was negatively correlated with donor age. ALP activity was negatively correlated with PDGF-BB concentration. CONCLUSIONS: The varying GF concentrations may result in different biologic effects; thus, individual differences in GF levels should be considered for reliable interpretation of the biologic functions and standardized application of PRP.
Alkaline Phosphatase/metabolism ; Blood Donors ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media/chemistry ; DNA/analysis ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/*pharmacology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/*cytology/drug effects ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor/pharmacology ; Platelet-Rich Plasma/*metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/pharmacology

Ghrelin is a newly discovered peptide, which is released from the stomach and neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC), and potently stimulates growth hormone release and food intake. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ghrelin on [Ca2+]i in thyroid FRTL-5 cells. Ghrelin (5 nM) increased [Ca2+]i and TSH (1 unit/l) had an additive effect on [Ca2+]i when extracellular normal solution was 1.1mM Ca2+ containing Coon's modified Ham's F12 medium. When Ca2+-free medium containing 2 mM EGTA replaced the above normal solution, ghrelin also induced a similar rise in [Ca2+]i. In the middle of [Ca2+]i increment by ghrelin, nifedipine (1 micrometer), nickel (100micrometer) and La3+ (100micrometer) had no effect on [Ca2+]i. After endoplasmic reticulum was depleted by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA; 10micrometer), ghrelin caused no visible change on [Ca2+]i in Ca2+-free/2 mM EGTA solution. These results suggest that ghrelin can increase [Ca2+]i through endoplasmic reticulum in thyroid FRTL-5 cells.
Arcuate Nucleus ; Eating ; Egtazic Acid ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Ghrelin* ; Growth Hormone ; Neurons ; Nickel ; Nifedipine ; Stomach ; Thyroid Gland*

The effects of intracellular and extracellular pH on the inwardly rectifying K+ (IRK) channel of the bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were examined using whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The IRK current, efficiently blocked by Ba2+ (200microM), is the most prominent membrane current in BAECs, which mainly determines the resting membrane potential. The expression of Kir2.1 was observed in BAECs using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Intracellular alkalinization, elicited by the extracellular substitution of NaCl with NH4Cl (30 mM), significantly augmented the amplitude of IRK current. On the contrary, the amplitude of IRK current was attenuated by the Na-acetate (30 mM)-induced intracellular acidification. The changes in extracellular pH also closely modulated the amplitude of IRK current, which was decreased to 40.2+/-1.3% of control upon switching the extracellular pH to 4.0 from 7.4. The extracellular pH value for half-maximal inhibition (pK) of IRK current was 5.11. These results demonstrate that the activity of IRK channel in BAECs, probably Kir2.1, was suppressed by proton at both sides of plasma membrane.
Cell Membrane ; Endothelial Cells* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration* ; Membrane Potentials ; Membranes ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Protons

Sustemic arterialization of the lung without sequestration is the rarest from of congenital anomalous systemic arterial supply to the lung, where an anomalous systemic artery arising from aorta supplies a normal unsequestrated segment of the lung. The non-sequestrated lung parenchyma which is supplied by an aberrant artery, has no parenchyma or bronchial abnormalities, and there is a normal connection with the bronchial trees. The symptoms of this disease varies. In most patients, it is often asymptomatic, but symptoms including dyspnea, hemoptysis, and central nervous system complications are possible. Here, we report a case of systemic arterialization of the lung without sequestration, which confirmed by angiography, with a review of the literature.
Angiography ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Central Nervous System ; Dyspnea ; Equipment and Supplies ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung* ; Trees

Primary cardiac sarcomas are an extremely rare disease, which are usually diagnosed late, as they seldom display symptoms until they obstruct the cardiac outflow or spread to distant organs. We report the case of a 57-year-old female presenting symptoms of a brain tumor, such as dizziness and visual disturbance. Further evaluations revealed multiple brain metastatic tumors, and a cardiac tumor as the primary lesion. Histological examination of the resected cardiac tumor showed cells of a poorly differentiated sarcoma. The current literature regarding incidences, diagnosing techniques, treatment strategies and prognosis of primary cardiac sarcomas are briefly reviewed with our case report.
Brain Neoplasms ; Brain* ; Dizziness ; Female ; Heart Neoplasms ; Humans ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Sarcoma*