OBJECTIVE: The adenosine A2a receptor (A2aAR) is thought to be implicated in the pathogenesis of panic disorder because caffeine, a potent antagonist for A2aAR, can precipitate panic attacks, and because disruption of the A2aAR gene increses anxiety-behaviors in mice. Recent studies demonstrated that the A2aAR 1976C>T genetic polymorphism confers susceptibility to panic disorder in Caucasian, though not in Asian. The present study tested the hypothesis that the A2aAR 1976C>T genetic variant confers susceptibility to panic disorder in Korean. METHODS: 258 patients with panic disorder and 117 healthy controls participated in this study. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction-based method. RESULTS: Genotype (p=0.389) and allele (p=0.655) distribution of adenosine A2a receptor (A2aAR) polymorphism patients with panic disorder was not significantly different from those of the controls. However, panic disorder with major depressive disorder showed significant association with 1976C allele (p=0.008) and A2aAR 1976C>T genotype (p=0.008). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that the adenosine 1976C>T polymorphism may have a potential role for susceptibility to panic disrder with major depressive disorder in the Korean population. This calls for consecutive studies in order to understand the association of A2aAR polymorphism and various psychiatric disorders.
Mice ; Animals

The increased susceptibility in patients of chronic renal failure to infection has been reported to be attributed to defects in granulocyte and lymphocyte function and proliferative activity of hematopoietic cells. The definite cause of the frequent infection in uremic patients, however, is still controversial. The effect of uremic plasma on the aspect of the hematopoietic cells has been scarcely been studied. In the present study, mouse bone marrow was cultured with uremic plasma, to evaluate the effect of uremic plasma on the proliferative activity and morphological features of CFU-GM. The results obtained were as follows. 1) The number of colonies in group co-cultured with uremic plasma was more reduced than that of normal plasma group. 2) There was no difference between the group cultured with predialytic uremic plasma and that of postdialytic plasma in number of colonies, macroclusters and microclusters. 3) The forms of colony were granulocytic and monocytic forms at 5 day of culture. Electron microscopically, granulocytes disclosed electron dense azurophilic granules and electrolucent specific granules in the cytoplasm, and monocyte showed numerous vesicles and vacuoles in the cytoplasm which had finger-like projections. 4) The molecular weight of inhibitory factor in the uremic plasma was supposed to be less than 50,000 daltons.
Mice ; Animals

The hepatic structural and functional unit of the mouse was demonstrated by quantitative distribution of mitochondria in preparations which were cut serially 5 micra thick after embedding in paraffin and stained with Heidenhain's iron hematoxylin. In the hepatic structure of the mouse there were three different geometrical areas: the perivascular area of the portal stem, which continued to the preterminal portal branch, of the preterminal vein and of the terminal portal twig, which were considered to be the real functional unit and extended into the neighbouring hepatic lobules. Mitochondria of the hepatic cells were contained in the perivascular portion adjacent to the portal vessels and were deposited less toward the peripheral portion of the portal vessels. The pericentral area of the central vein in the hepatic lobule or the structural unit, and the perivascular area of the sublobular vein corresponded to the peripheral zone of the actual functional unit described above.
Mice ; Animals

No abstract available.
Animals ; Mice*

Recently there is increasing tendency of the nosocomial infection, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important and common pathogens causing hospital opportunistic infections with rapid emergence of resistant strain especially in immunologically compromised patients. An experimental study for the effects of polyvalent Pseudomonas vaccine was performed in an animal model of Pseudomonas sepsis on a survival rates and histopathological points of view-using ICR inbred mice. The vaccine was prepared with heat killed whole cells of the 10 representative serotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which were isolated from the Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University and Seoul National University, and they were devided into two polyvalent vaccine groups. The animal model of the Pseudomonas sepsis was deveoped by intravenous inoculation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (serotype F, inoculum size 100 microliter, 109 cells/ml), immediately after cutaneous burns. The results were as follows. 1) The survival rate of the immune mice was 100% and that of non-immune mice was 60%. 2) The histologic findings of lung of the non-immune mice were severe congestion (18/18 mice), hemorrhage (18/18 mice), emphysematous change (18/18 mice), thrombosis (9/18 mice), infarction (9/18 mice) and inflammation (6/18 mice) and those of the immune mice were only congestion (6/20 mice) and focal emphysematous change (2/20) from the 3 day experimental group. 3) The histologic findings of the liver in the non-immune mice were severe congestion, Kupffer cell mobilization, focal necrosis, & portal inflammation in most of them, and from 7 day experimental group there were noted infiltrations of lagre histiocytic cells in sinusoids, and those in the immune mice were only reactive change of varying degree. 4) The histologic findings of the spleen in the non-immune mice were severe reactive hyperplasia in all and ischemic necrosis in about half of them, and those in the immune mice were only reactive change. 5) The histologic findings of the heart in the non-immune mice were severe congestion and inflammation in most and in the immune mice were only occasional nonspecific congestion. 6) The histologic findings of the kidney in the non-immune mice were severe congestion in all, interstitial inflammation, acute tubular necrosis and cortical necrosis in about half of them, and those in the immune mice were only mild congestion. With the above results, we can suspect there is a significant protective effects of the polyvalent pseudomonas vaccine on the pseudomonas sepsis in ICR mice.
Mice ; Animals

Studying the effectiveness of irradiation on bone-marrow, the numbers of leukocyte, erythrocyte, hemoglobin of mice (25 normal mice and 35 mice treated by gamma irradiation with the dose of 600 rad/(100rad/day) (60 Co) showed that: Gamma irradiation reduced total of leucocytes, the number of different leucocytic (lymphocyte, granulocyte, mono and natural killer cells), the ratio of reticulocyte, number of mature erythrocyte and hemoglobin: Total of leucocytes (3,14 ± 1,58 in comparison with 13,45 ± 4,6); monocytes (0,05 ± 0,03 in comparison with 0,26 ± 0,13), lymphocytes (1,66 ± 0,36 in comparison with 6,34 ± 2,84). After gamma irradiation, the number of reticulocyte was 55%, mature erythrocyte was 73% and hemoglobin was 82%
Therapeutics ; Mice

An experimental of Vibrio vulnificus infection has been performed with the intravenous, subcutaneous and oral inoculation of Vibrio vulnificus into ICR mice. The results are as follows: 1) The LD50 of the intravenous, subcutaneous and oral inoculation of Vibrio vulnificus were 1.6x10(7) cells/ml, 4.0x10(7) cells/ml, and 2.5x10(9) cells/ml, respectively. 2) In the experimental group without treatment with CC14, the survival rates for intravenous inoculation were 100% (1/2 LD50), 39.1% (LD50), and 8.3% (2 LD50). The survival rates for subcutaneous inoculation groups were 100% (1/2 LD50), 46.9% (LD50), and 18.8% (2 LD50). And the survival rates for oral inoculation groups were 100% (1/2 LD50), 53.1% (LD50), and 43.8% (2 LD50). 3) In those treated with CC14 0.05 ml, the survival rates for intravenous inoculation groups were 43.8% (1/2 LD50), 29.1% (LD50), 0% (2 LD50). The survival rates for subcutaneous inoculation groups were 59.4% (1/2 LD50), 40.6% (LD50), and 9.4% (2 LD50). The survival rates for oral inoculation groups were 68.8% (1/2 LD50), 46.9% (LD50), and 18.8% (2 LD50). In those treated with CC14 0.1 ml, the survival rates for intravenous inoculation groups were 25.0% (1/2 LD50), 10.4% (LD50), and 0% (2 LD50). The survival rates for subcutaneous inoculation groups were 43.8% (1/2 LD50), 21.9% (LD50), 0% (2 LD50). The survival rates for oral inoculation groups were 50.0% (1/2 LD50), 37.5% (LD50), and 0% (2 LD50). 4) Liver, lungs, meninges and brain, kidneys, heart, gastrointestinal tract and spleen showed septic inflammatory findings. Their degree of inflammation were different according to the severity of hepatic damage and the inoculum size.
Mice ; Animals

30 Swiss mice inoculated by the i.p injection of 106 Sarcoma TG. 180 ascitic cells per each one. 10 mice were injected (i.p) only one with 35mg/kg dosage of complex at the 10th day after tumor inoculation. Another 10 mice were got ascites out of them and the injected drugs as above mentioned. Our experiments have got the following results: average life span of control mice is 14 days. Nonoperative treated mice: 22 days (increase 57.1%), one mouse was survived. Postoperative treated mice: 40 days (increase 185.7%), two mice were survived.
neoplasms ; Mice

No abstract available.
Animals ; Mice*

Dendritic cell (DC)s are protessional antigen presenting cells and they have been used for antitumor immunotherapy or cell vaccines. However therapy using DC is restricted because the number of DC available from tissue is very low. Flt3 ligand (FL) has been known as a hematopoietic growth factor that increases proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells, and recently it showed inducibility of dendritic cell (DC)s and signiticant antitumor effects in vivo. Thus FL will be frequently used for DC induction and antitumor immunotherapy in future. Here we constructed FL plasmid and studied its in vivo effect. FL plasmids were made by cloning of partial FL cDNA into pcDNA3 plasmid, and gene expression and protein producibility of FL plasmid were confirmed in Renca cells transfected with FL plasmid. Mice were injected with FL plasmid (100ug/mouse) three times and 20 days later mouse spleens were harvested for staining and RT-PCR. There were lots of blastogenic cells in the spleen of mice treated with FL plasmid. FL plasmid also induced DEC205, IL-12 and GM-CSF gene expression in mouse splenocyte. All these data suggest FL plasmid may be used for induction of DC and antitumor therapy as DNA adjuvant.
Mice ; Animals