The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effects of muscle pump by pedaling exercise on blood circulation and define its properties. Lower body pressurization device equipped with bicycle ergometer was used to provide negative pressure on the lower body of subjects in recumbent position. Seven healthy male collage students volunteered for subjects.
Whole experiment for each subjects was divided into control stage (0 mmHg), -20, -40, and -60 mmHg LBNP (lower body negative pressure) stage. Preceeded by resting period, 25, 75, and 125 W exercise in experiment 1, 50 and 100 W exercise in experiment 2 were loaded using bicycle ergometer with revolution of 60 rpm during each stage. Following parameters were determined: HR, SV, Q, and blood pressure.
The results obtained were as follows;
(1) In resting condition, LBNP caused significant decrease in SV and Q in spite of marked compensatory increase in HR.
(2) These effects of LBNP were cancelled in -20 mmHg or mostly cancelled in -40 and -60 mmHg by pedaling exercise of 50 W or more.
(3) Effect of muscle pump by pedaling exercise is apparent in light exercise such as 25 or 50 W arriving to a plateau with more intensive load.
(4) Muscle pump action by the same exercise condition is more effective under more severe LBNP.
(5) Light exercise in LBNP caused decrease in HR, probably because of pressure reflex initiated by restoration of blood pressure.
These results leed us to a conclusion that light pedaling exercise produces a powerful pumping action nearly enough to compensate the circulatory disturbance by strong LBNP.

OBJECTIVES: There have been several evidences that the central nervous system defect is one of the etiologic factors in schizophrenia and high nailfold plexus visibility can reflect indirectly. These are particularly related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. In this study, we examined the relationship between nailfold plexus visibility and various clinical variables in schizophrenia. METHODS: Forty patients(20 males, 20 females) satisfying the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and forty normal controls(20 males, 20 females) were measured for Plexus Visualization Score(PVS) by using capillary microscopic examination. We used Positive and negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS). Uimann-Giovannoni Process-Reactive Questionnaire(PRQ), Phillips Premorbid Adjustment Scale(PAS). Continuous Performance Test, and Backward Masking for psychopathology and clinical variables. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship between schizophrenic subjects and normal controls in PVS. PVS was correlated with PANSS positively except negative symptom subscore. PVS was correlated with PRQ score negatively, and with PAS score positively. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows high PVS are associated with more severe psychotic symptoms and with clinical variables, such as disease process and premorbid adjustment, in some schizophrenics.
Adult* ; Capillaries ; Central Nervous System ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Male ; Masks ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Pneumonia*

No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Headache*

No abstract available.
Body Mass Index* ; Pregnancy* ; Weight Gain*

Some malignant melanoma cells regress spontaneously by terminal differentiation, and understanding the mechanisms of this spontaneous regression can contribute to the development of a new therapy not only for melanoma but also for other cancers. The signal transducing G protein is one component of the signaling pathways for the differentiation-inducing molecules such as alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and cAMP. To investigate the role of G proteins in the differentiation process, we analyzed the expression of various G proteins by quantitative Western blot and cAMP response in human malignant melanoma cell lines. SK-MEL-3 cells expressed the largest amount of stimulatory G protein alpha subunit (G(s) alpha) and the largest amount of inhibitory G protein alpha subunit (G(i) alpha) was expressed in Malme-3M cells among the 4 melanoma cell lines analyzed in this experiment. The SK-MEL-28 cells exhibited largest amount of alpha subunit of G(q) and the beta subunits. The cAMP formation by forskolin stimulation was largest in the Malme-3M. The amount of cAMP formation did not show any correlation with the expression of G(s) alpha nor that of G(i) alpha. The population doubling time was longest in Malme-3M cells. In this experiment, we found that the melanoma cells vary widely both in the expression of various G proteins and in cAMP production depending on the cell lines.
alpha-MSH ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line* ; Colforsin ; GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits ; GTP-Binding Proteins* ; Humans* ; Melanoma*

We experienced one case of extragonadal germ cell tumor of retroperitoneal origin. The patient had orchiopexy of left cryptorchidism twenty years ago. The left testis was atrophied and the right testis was normal on palpation. Retroperitoneal exploratory surgery and complete excision of the mass were performed. The pathologic report identified seminoma. There was no evidence of metastasis computed tomography and bone scan. Then left orchiectomy and right testicular biopsy were performed. The left testis demonstrated hyalinization of seminiferous tubules and right testis demonstrated normal finding, but both specimens showed no malignancy or carcinoma in situ. The patient was treated with BEP(bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin) combination chemotherapy. With a follow-up of 24 months the patient remains disease free.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Cryptorchidism* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Etoposide ; Follow-Up Studies ; Germ Cells* ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal* ; Orchiectomy ; Orchiopexy ; Palpation ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Seminoma ; Testis

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Unlike the normal skin, cholesteatomas characterized by hyperproliferative keratinocytes exhibits up-regulation of connexins (Cxs) and gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). Currently, there are no appropriate clinical methods that can inhibit cholesteatoma progression nor are there available optimal in vitro models of cholesteatomas. The objectives of this study were to identify the regulating materials that control GJIC using human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) and to get preliminary information about how to inhibit cholesteatoma progression with an aim to make in vitro models. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Acetic acid (AA), H2O2, dexamethasone, retinoic acid (RA), or green tea extracts-epicatechin (EC) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) were used for this study. After HaCaT cells were cultured with chemicals for 24 hours, cytotoxicity was quantitatively analyzed by cell counting and Neutral-red uptake test. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunocytochemistry were performed to analyze the change of Cx expression. GJIC was functionally evaluated with scrape-loading dye transfer (SLDT). RESULTS: After the 24-hour culture, H2O2 or EGCG (100 microM) were observed to have interfered with cell growth. In the Western blot, Cx26 and Cx30 showed higher up-regulation by EGCG or dexamethasone, but less down-regulation by AA or H2O2 than the control. In comparison with the control, immunocytochemistry (Cx26, Cx43) showed less expression and abnormal location of Cxs under AA, H2O2, or 50 microM EGCG than the control, and increased up-regulation or equal expression under 5microM EGCG, EC, RA, or dexamethasone was greater than the control. In SLDT, dye transfer was significantly lower in AA-, H2O2-, dexamethasone-, or RA-treated cells than in the control cells. EC showed higher dye transfer than the control cells. CONCLUSION: The expression of Cxs and GJIC on human HaCaT keratinocytes can be up- or down-regulated by chemicals such as AA, H2O2, dexamethasone, or EC. These results may be useful information in understanding the progression or inhibition mechanisms of cholesteatomas.
Acetic Acid ; Blotting, Western ; Catechin ; Cell Count ; Cholesteatoma ; Connexins ; Dexamethasone ; Down-Regulation ; Gap Junctions ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Keratinocytes ; Skin ; Tea ; Tretinoin ; Up-Regulation