ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Pulmonary function test (PFT) plays a key role in the diagnosis and management of asthma in adolescents. But, it is not clear whether adolescents with asthma have significantly reduced lung function when compared with adolescents without asthma. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of atopy and allergic diseases on pulmonary function and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in Korean adolescents. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 647 middle school students (male, 264; female, 383) from Seoul city to determine the prevalence of symptoms and diagnosed allergic diseases. We also performed the PFT, methacholine challenge test, skin prick tests and serum total immunoglobulin E. Current atopic dermatitis was diagnosed by doctor's medical examination. RESULTS: Female showed higher values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) and higher numbers of BHR (PC20 less than 25 mg/dL) compared to male (P<0.01). BHR was more common in atopy group (P<0.01), but PFT was not significant difference between atopy and nonatopy. Mean values for all spirometric parameters for asthmatic adolescents were in the normal range. Adolescents with asthma symptoms had slightly lower FEV1/FVC and forced expiratory flow 25%-75% than that of adolescents with no history of wheeze ever, asthma diagnosis and current asthma, but there was no statistically significance. CONCLUSION: The majority of adolescents recruited from the general population who reported having asthma symptoms or other allergic diseases had normal lung function. Sex, atopy, and current atopic dermatitis may affect BHR in Korean adolescents.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Female , Humans , Male , Asthma , Dermatitis, Atopic , Diagnosis , Forced Expiratory Volume , Immunoglobulin E , Immunoglobulins , Lung , Methacholine Chloride , Prevalence , Reference Values , Respiratory Function Tests , Seoul , Sinusitis , Skin Tests , Vital Capacity , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Vitamin D levels are known to be associated with development of allergic diseases. However, existing data are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether vitamin D levels are associated with food sensitization (FS) in young children with atopic dermatitis (AD). METHODS: We performed a medical record review of all patients under 2 years presenting to pediatric allergic clinic in Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital for atopic dermatitis between March 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)levels and six specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to common food allergens were measured in 132 young children with AD. We defined vitamin D insufficiency was 25(OH)D or =0.35 IU/mL to any of six common food allergens. Associations between serum 25(OH)D levels and FS were examined by using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for potential risk and confounding factors. RESULTS: The mean age was 10.1 months. Among the 132 children with AD, 65.9% had FS. In this group, there was a negative correlation between 25(OH)D levels and serum eosinophil percentage (correlation coefficient [r]=-0.335, P<0.01), but not correlated with serum total IgE levels. Children with vitamin D insufficiency were more likely to have FS (adjusted odds ratio, 17.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.36 to 215; P=0.028) than those with adequate vitamin D levels. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D insufficiency is associated with FS in young children with AD. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Allergens , Dermatitis , Dermatitis, Atopic , Eosinophils , Heart , Immunoglobulin E , Immunoglobulins , Logistic Models , Medical Records , Odds Ratio , Vitamin D , VitaminsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Naked cuticle Drosophila 1 (NKD1) has been related to non-small cell lung cancer in that decreased NKD1 levels have been associated with both poor prognosis and increased invasive quality. METHODS: Forty cases of lung adenocarcinoma staged as Tis or T1a were selected. Cases were subclassified into adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), and small adenocarcinoma (SAD). Immunohistochemical studies for NKD1 were performed. RESULTS: Forty samples comprised five cases of AIS (12.5%), eight of MIA (20.0%), and 27 of SAD (67.5%). AIS and MIA showed no lymph node metastasis and 100% disease-free survival, whereas among 27 patients with SAD, 2 (7.4%) had lymph node metastasis, and 3 (11.1%) died from the disease. Among the 40 cases, NKD1-reduced expression was detected in 8 (20%) samples, whereas normal expression was found in 15 (37.5%) and overexpression in 17 (42.5%). Loss of NKD1 expression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (p=0.001). All cases with predominant papillary pattern showed overexpression of NKD1 (p=0.026). CONCLUSIONS: Among MIA and SAD, MIA had better outcomes than SAD. Down-regulated NKD1 expression was closely associated with nodal metastasis, and overexpression was associated with papillary predominant adenocarcinoma.
Subject(s)
Humans , Adenocarcinoma , Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung , Disease-Free Survival , Drosophila , Immunohistochemistry , Lung , Lung Neoplasms , Lymph Nodes , Neoplasm Metastasis , PrognosisABSTRACT
Myxoid liposarcoma is a subtype of liposarcoma. This specific subtype can be identified based on its characteristic histological and cytogenetical features. The tumor has a fusion transcript of the CHOP and TLS genes, which is caused by t(12;16)(q13;p11). Most of the fusion transcripts that have been identified fall into three categories, specifically type I (exons 7-2), type II (exons 5-2), and type III (exons 8-2). A total of seven myxoid liposarcomas associated with the rare phenomenon of cartilaginous differentiation have been documented in the literature. Currently, only one of these cases has been cytogenetically analyzed, and the analysis indicated that it was a type II TLS-CHOP fusion transcript in both the typical myxoid liposarcoma and cartilaginous areas. This study presents a second report of myxoid liposarcoma with cartilaginous differentiation, and includes a cytogenetical analysis of both the myxoid and cartilaginous areas.
Subject(s)
Cartilage , Liposarcoma , Liposarcoma, MyxoidABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a surrogate marker for basal-like breast cancer. A recent study suggested that EGFR may be used as a target for breast cancer treatment. METHODS: A total of 706 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) of the breast were immunophenotyped, and 82 cases with EGFR protein expression were studied for EGFR gene amplification. RESULTS: EGFR protein was expressed in 121 of 706 IDCs (17.1%); 5.9% were of luminal type, 25.3% of epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) type, and 79.3% of basal-like tumors. EGFR gene amplification and high polysomy (fluorescent in situ hybridization [FISH]-positive) were found in 18 of 82 cases (22.0%); 41.2% of the HER-2+, EGFR+, cytokeratin 5/6- (CK5/6-) group, 11.2% of the HER-2-, EGFR+, CK5/6- group, and 19.1% of the HER-2-, EGFR+, CK5/6+ group. FISH-positive cases were detected in 8.3% of the EGFR protein 1+ expression cases, 15.9% of 2+ expression cases, and 38.5% of 3+ expression cases. In group 2, the tumors had a high Ki-67 labeling (>60%), but the patients showed better disease-free survival than those with tumors that co-expressed HER-2 or CK5/6. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR-directed therapy can be considered in breast cancer patients with EGFR protein overexpression and gene amplification, and its therapeutic implication should be determined in HER-2 type breast cancer patients.