The tumor microenvironment (TME) is formed by several immune cells. Notably, tumorassociated macrophages (TAMs) are existed in the TME that induce angiogenesis, metastasis, and proliferation of cancer cells. Recently, a point-mutated variant of IL-32θ was discovered in breast cancer tissues, which suppressed migration and proliferation through intracellular pathways. Although the relationship between cancer and IL-32 has been previously studied, the effects of IL-32θ on TAMs remain elusive. Recombinant human IL-32θ (rhIL-32θ) was generated using an Escherichia coli expression system. To induce M0 macrophage polarization, THP-1 cells were stimulated with PMA. After PMA treatment, the cells were cultured with IL-4 and IL-13, or rhIL-32θ. The mRNA level of M1 macrophage markers (IL-1β, TNFα, inducible nitric oxide synthase) were increased by rhIL-32θ in M0 macrophages. On the other hand, the M2 macrophage markers (CCL17, CCL22, TGFβ, CD206) were decreased by rhIL-32θ in M2 macrophages. rhIL-32θ induced nuclear translocation of the NF-κB via regulation of the MAPK (p38) pathway. In conclusion, point-mutated rhIL-32θ induced the polarization to M1-like macrophages through the MAPK (p38) and NF-κB (p65/p50) pathways.

No abstract available.
Cadaver

There are rare reports of vascular complications in patients with cardiac myxoma, including both central and peripheral arterial thrombosis. We report on a patient with cerebral infarctions affecting multiple territories, which may have been related to cardiac myxoma. The patient also exhibited cyanosis of the hand. A diagnosis was made of peripheral artery occlusion with myxomatous emboli. A careful physical examination with suspicion of concomitant peripheral embolism is needed in patients with acute embolic stroke induced by cardiac myxoma.
Arteries ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Cyanosis ; Diagnosis ; Embolism* ; Hand ; Humans ; Myxoma* ; Physical Examination ; Stroke ; Thrombosis

Epidural blood patch (EBP) is one of the treatments for spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH), and its complications have rarely been reported. We report a patient with SIH and developed intracranial hypertension after EBP. The mechanism of rebound intracranial hypertension was uncertain. If the patient presented with a different type of headache or newly developed neurological symptoms after treatment of SIH, rebound intracranial hypertension should be considered and the proper treatment needed quickly.
Blood Patch, Epidural* ; Headache ; Humans ; Intracranial Hypertension* ; Intracranial Hypotension*

BACKGROUND: Diffuse panbronchiolitis(DPB) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that presents as coughing, copious sputum, exertional dyspnea, which progresses to bronchiectasis. The pathogenesis of bronchiectasis is controlled by inflammatory mediators, which are closely related to mucus hypersecretion, goblet cell dysplasia. In recent studies, the epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) system was reported to be associated with this process. It was hypothesized that a relationship exists between goblet cell dysplasia, EGFR expression, and inflammatory mediators produced by neutrophil. METHOD: Alcian blue/periodic acid -Schiff(AB/PAS) stain, MUC5AC, EGFR, CD16 immunohistochemical stain were examined to investigate a role for the EGFR system in a mucus hypersecretion in DPB using the lung biopsy specimens from 13 DPB patients and 6 controls. RESULTS: In the DPB group, the AB/PAS- and MUC5AC-stained areas were 8.31+/-3.36%, 11.46+/-4.68%, respectively. In the control group, the AB/PAS- and MUC5AC-stained areas were 50.5+/-5.77%, 53.3%+/-6.67%, which was significantly larger than in the DPB group (each comparison, p<0.05). The percentage of EGFR expression was 9.54+/-4.95% in the DPB group, but zero in of the control group. The extent of neutrophilic infiltration was 71.92+/-3.71/5HPF in the DPB group and 45.0+/-5.73/5HPF in the control group, which was statistically significant(p=0.002). CONCLUSION: The EGFR system is highly related to goblet cell dysplasia, mucus hypersecretion and neutrophilic inflammation in DPB.
Biopsy ; Bronchiectasis ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Goblet Cells* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Mucus ; Neutrophils ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Sputum

A 38-year-old woman presented with facial edema with neck vein engorgement for about 45 days. Chest roentgenography showed bulging soft tissue opacities in the right superoanterior mediastinum and a lobulated intraluminal mass was noted in the superior vena cava on the venacavogram. The superior vena cava was incised and the tumor located from the junction of the superior vena cava and internal jugular vein to the right atrial inlet was excised. Grossly, the tumor was myxoid or gelatinous in appearance. A combination of microscopic and immunohistochemical features showed myxoid leiomyosarcoma arising from the wall of the superior vena cava.
Adult ; Bays ; Edema ; Female ; Gelatin ; Humans ; Jugular Veins ; Leiomyosarcoma* ; Mediastinum ; Neck ; Radiography ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome* ; Thorax ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior*

Fat embolism syndrome is a rare but serious complication occurring most of the time in patients with long bone fractures. And it occasionally occurs when patient had underlying disease. For example, pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, alcoholic liver disease and connective tissue disease can be risk factors. The 44-year old woman visited to the Korea university hospital because of sudden dry cough, blood tinged sputum, and exertional dyspnea. We found petechiae on her anterior chest wall. Chest X-ray and CT showed patchy opacities and multifocal ground-glass opacities in both lung fields. Open lung biopsy demonstrated diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage and intravascular macrovesicular fat bubbles. After conservative management, her symptoms and radiologic findings were significantly improved. We report a case of fat embolism syndrome without any known risk factors.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Cough ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dyspnea ; Embolism ; Embolism, Fat* ; Female ; Fractures, Bone ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; Lung ; Pancreatitis ; Purpura ; Risk Factors ; Sputum ; Thoracic Wall ; Thorax ; Tolnaftate

BACKGROUND: Although abnormalities of p53 gene and their relation to clinicopathologic parameters have been identified in some human malignancies, there is little published data on their prevalence and clinical significance in ampullary adenocarcinoma (AAC). The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of p53 abnormalities in AAC and to evaluate their relation to clinicopathologic features. METHOD:35 formaline-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of AAC were examined for detection of p53 abnormalities by both single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of polymerase chain reaction- amplified DNA fragments corresponding to exons 5-8 and immunohistochemistry (IHC) using monoclonal antibody to p53 protein (Novocastra, DO7), and the association between the p53 abnormalities and clinicopathologic parameters was analyzed. RESULT: In 22.9% of AAC, p53 gene muation was demonstrated by SSCP analysis, mainly at PCR-amplified exon 8 and exon 7. The p53 protein overexpression by IHC was 48.6% of AAC. Six SSCP and IHC-positive (17.2%) cases and 16 normal (45.7%) cases showed concordant results between the methods, although 13 cases (37.1%) showed discordance, including 11 IHC-positive (31.4%) and 2 SSCP-positive (5.7%) cases. Overall, the prevalence of p53 abnormalities was 54.3%. No significant associations between the p53 abnormalities and clinicopathological parameters such as clinical manifestations, histologic differentiation, and tumor stage were observed. CONCLUSION: The p53 abnormalities detected in 55% of AAC are not associated with prognostic factor, suggesting that abnormal p53 gene may play a role in the development of AAC, but not in its invasiveness.
Adenocarcinoma* ; DNA ; Exons ; Genes, p53* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Prevalence*

BACKGROUND: The estrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer specimens has traditionally been assessed using a biochemical ligand binding assay (LBA). Recently, the application of an immunohistochemical method (IHC) for formalin-fixed breast carcinoma tissue has greatly increased. Controversy exists over the accuracy of IHC compared with that of LBA in determining ER. METHODS: Breast-carcinoma tissues were obtained from 247 patients. ER was determined within 1 week or at 4 weeks after surgery by using the traditional LBA and by using IHC with monoclonal antibodies. The ER status was assessed with respect to age, size of tumor, and stage according to the two methods. RESULTS: The concordant rate of ER status was 75% between IHC and LBA. IHC-negative/LBA- positive results occurred in 31 cases (13%) and IHC-positive/LBA-negative were observed in 30 cases (12%). ER-positive cases were more common in older patients. The disconcordant rate was much higher in premenopausal females. There was a significantly lower ER positivity in tumors of larger than 5 cm. ER positivity was significantly lower at 4 weeks compared to within 1 week in both methods, but this did not change the concordance rate between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: The ER-IHC method appears to be a reasonable substitute for a biochemical ligand binding assay. This is based on a 75% concordance of the method as well as on the findings in the disconcordant cases. The appropriate measured time for ER was within 1 week after the cancer tissues were obtained.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Biochemistry ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the causes and pathologic process of chronic non-productive cough as an isolated symptom with a normal spirometry and chest radiograph by investigating clinicopathologic findings. METHOD: We studied 25 adults with chronic non-productive cough over a 3-week period with a normal chest radiograph and pulmonary function tests without any other symptoms. Clinical assessment, cough score, chest and sinus radiograph, pulmonary function tests, methacholine challenge, allergic skin prick test, and bronchoscopy for bronchial biopsies were performed. Subjects were then treated with prednesolone 20 to 30 mg/day for 1 to 2 weeks. RESULTS: The experimental group was divided into two subgroups - those infiltrated with eosinophils, and those infiltrated with lymphocytes depending on eosinophil and lymphocyte counts, both of which were respectively higher than those of the control group. Eosinophils infiltrated group had mean numbers of eosinophil of 89.8 cells/mm(2) while control group's mean was 0.4 cells/mm(2)(P=0.005). Lymphocyte infiltrated group was 4 patients whose mean was 84.3 cells/mm(2) with 28.4 cells/mm(2) of control group(P=0.026). In addition, the mean thickeness of the basement membrane of experimental group was 14.20+/-5.20microM in contrast of control group whose mean was 3.50+/-1.37microM(P=0.001). With the methacholine challenge test, 7 of the 21 eosinophil infiltrated subjects were diagnosed with cough asthma; the other 14 with eosinophilic bronchitis. Three subjects with eosinophilic bronchitis were atopic positive(21.4%) with the skin prick test. In the lymphocyte dominant group, all four subjects were diagnosed with lymphocytic bronchitis. Cough score was improved after steroid treatment in 22 of 25 subjects in the experimental group (88.0%). CONCLUSION: These results suggest chronic non-productive cough as an isolated symptom with a normal spirometry and chest radiograph was associated with airway inflammation by eosinophil and lymphocyte infiltration. The causes for chronic non-productive cough were eosinophilic bronchitis, cough variant asthma, and lymphocytic bronchitis(written in frequency). They further suggest that therapeutic treatment with steroids can provide effective symptomatic relief.
Adult ; Asthma ; Basement Membrane ; Biopsy* ; Bronchitis ; Bronchoscopy ; Cough* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymphocyte Count ; Lymphocytes ; Methacholine Chloride ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Skin ; Spirometry ; Steroids ; Thorax