The producing condition and properties of chitinase secreted by Nomuraea rileyi strain CQ031021 were studied.The optimal conditions for the strain to produce chitinase are 6 days of 28℃ with the initial pH 6.0,and the liquid medium containing 2.0% glucose as its carbon source and 0.6% peptone plus 0.6% beef extract as nitrogen source after inoculating dosage 2mL suspension of conidia(1?107/mL).The optimal temperature and pH for enzyme activity is 50℃ and 6.0,respectively,while the activity can be enhanced by Tween-80 and inhibited by SDS.The enzyme activity is stable under 40℃ and in pH range of 5.5～6.5.

The purpose of this study was to measure the marginal fidelities and the fracture strength of IPS Empress 2. and In-Ceram. ceramic crowns. After constructed of 12 experimental dies for each group, ceramic crowns were fabricated on the metal master dies prepared on the maxillary right premolar. Marginal gaps were measured on the specimen between the margin of each crown and finishing line of the metal master die by using stereo-microscope(SZ-ST. Olympus, Japan) and all specimens were cemented on the metal master die with Bistite II.(Tokuyama soda Co, LTD., Japan) resin cement. Finally, marginal gaps were measured again. To measure of the fracture strength, buccal incline on the functional cusp of specimens were loaded until the catastrophic failure occurred by using the AGS-1000 D.(Shimadzu, Japan). The result of marginal fidelities and fracture strength were statistically analyzed with the SPSS version 8.0 programs. The results of this study were as follows : 1. No significant difference was found in the mean marginal fidelities and fracture strength between the IPS Empress 2. and In-Ceram. 2. In comparison of marginal fidelities between before and after cementation, there was significant difference(P<0.05). The IPS Empress 2 system was shown in this study that had good marginal fidelities and fracture strength compared to In-Ceram ceramics. Although this system was acceptable to clinical applications, the system still has to be considered long-term researches about marginal fidelities and fracture strength due to the lack of data about the clinical researches.
Bicuspid ; Cementation ; Ceramics ; Crowns* ; Resin Cements

Sparganosis is a parasitic infectious disease by sparganum which is a plerocercoid larva of spirometra, a kind of cestode. We experienced a case of intramural sparganosis of cecum presenting as chronic intermittent abdominal pain. A 39 year old man was hospitalized due to intermittent abdominal pain for 6 months and the operation was done under the impreesion of the intestinal tuberculosis or submucosal tumor of cecum after diagnostic work-up. Resected cecum revealed diffuse wall thickening and luminal narrowing. The microscopic findings showed a degenerated larva in the muscle layer with typical tissue reaction which was basically noncaseating cavitary granulomatous inflammation and many calcareous corpuscles which were pathognomonic features of cestode were prominent within the degenerated worm.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Cecum ; Cestoda ; Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Intestinal Obstruction* ; Intestines ; Larva ; Phenobarbital ; Sparganosis* ; Sparganum ; Spirometra ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: To investigate the risk factors related to the location of visual field defects in normal tension glaucoma. METHODS: Eighty-one eyes diagnosed as normal tension glaucoma in patients with early glaucomatous visual field defects were divided into central visual field defects and peripheral visual field defects. The difference between the 2 groups based on the intra-individual comparison were assessed with several ocular risk factors such as sex, age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, laterality, intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness, cup-disc ratio, peripapillary atrophy, mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, best corrected visual acuity, and refractive errors. RESULTS: The incidence of hypertension in the central visual field defects group (60.6%) was higher than in the peripheral visual field defects group (22.9%, p = 0.001). The central corneal thickness in the central group (533.1 +/- 18.2 microm) was thinner than in the peripheral group (545.0 +/- 30.0 microm, p = 0.003). Hypertension was the only risk factors for central visual field defects (p = 0.001). In both the central group and peripheral group, upper visual field defects were more common than lower defects. CONCLUSIONS: Hypertension in patients with normal tension glaucoma was a factor involved in central visual field defects. Additionally, numerous visual field defects were mainly found the superior portion.
Atrophy ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eye ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Intraocular Pressure ; Low Tension Glaucoma ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Fields

Objective To explore the application of hydrogen proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the diagnosis of peripheral tumor cell infiltration of gliomas. Methods Forty patients with glioma were examined by 1H-MRS preoperation, and were divided into low grade glioma group (n=20) and high grade glioma group (n=20) according to postoperative pathological diagnosis. Tumor resection with peripheral tissues marked previously was carried out under the guidance of neuronavigator system. All the pathological sections were divided into positive group and negative group according to the presence or absence of tumor cells, and the differences in pathological findings of peripheral regions (region 1, 2 and 3) and 1H-MRS values were analyzed in these two groups. Results No infiltration was found in the peripheral regions of low grade glioma group except for one case in peripheral region 1, while infiltration was found in all peripheral regions of high grade glioma group. There was no significant difference in 1H-MRS values between positive group (n=24) and negative group (n=36) in patients with high grade glioma (P>0.05). Conclusion 1H-MRS enjoys some advantages over routine radiological examinations in the diagnosis of peripheral tumor cell infiltration of gliomas. Total removal can be expected when combined with neuronavigator system, while there is room for improvement for relevant techniques.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes and complications after fasciotomy in acute compartment syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen cases diagnosed as compartment syndrome and underwent fasciotomy from January 2011 to February 2015 were evaluated retrospectively. We investigated the causes and regions of acute compartment syndrome, the methods of wound management, the necessity of skin graft, and the complications including amputation and infection. RESULTS: According to the causes of acute compartment syndrome, there were 7 fractures, 1 traumatic hematoma, 6 reperfusion injury, and 3 rhabdomyolysis. The regions of acute compartment syndrome were 3 cases of thigh, 10 cases of leg, and 3 cases of foot. One case had acute compartment syndrome involving thigh, leg, and foot. Of 17 cases, 3 cases died due to reperfusion injury and one case with severe necrosis of soft tissues underwent amputation. Among the 13 cases excluding 4 cases with death or amputation, 3 cases underwent split thickness skin graft. Shoelace technique and/or vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) was used for 9 cases, and wound closure without skin graft was achieved in all except one case, while 2 cases required skin graft among 4 cases without shoelace technique or VAC. There were 2 cases of infection. CONCLUSION: Acute compartment syndrome caused by reperfusion injury had poor outcomes. Shoelace technique and/or VAC were useful for management of wound after fasciotomy.
Amputation ; Compartment Syndromes* ; Foot ; Hematoma ; Leg ; Necrosis ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy ; Reperfusion Injury ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Skin ; Thigh ; Transplants ; Wounds and Injuries

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether quantifiable changes in serum levels of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) in response to 24 weeks of pegylated-interferon alfa-2a (Peg-IFN-a 2a) treatment are predictive of therapeutic efficacy at 48 weeks of treatment in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and to investigate the efficacy of using an individualized antiviral treatment strategy.

METHODSNinety-six HBeAg-positive CHB patients with detectable HBeAg at week 24 of Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment were categorized according to the quantitative change in HBeAg (vs. pre-treatment baseline): group A, HBeAg decline more than 2 log; group B, HBeAg decline between 1 - 2 log; group C, HBeAg decline less than 1 log, which was then randomly divided into two sub-groups: C1 and C2. Group A, B, and C1 patients continued the original therapy for an additional 24 weeks, while group C2 patients were supplemented with lamivudine (3TC + Peg-IFN-a 2a) for the additional 24 weeks of treatment. All patients underwent liver biopsy at the end of treatment (week 48), and HBV covalently-closed circular (ccc)DNA was quantified as a measure of therapeutic efficacy. A, B, and C1 between-group multiple comparisons were made by the Nemenyi test; C1 and C2 between-group comparison was made by the Mann-Whitney U test. The significance of between-group differences in decreased HBV cccDNA vs. HBeAg/anti-HBe seroconversion was made by the Chi-squared test.

RESULTSAt week 48, the mean decrease of serum HBV cccDNA in each group was: A, 5.8 log10 copy/ml; B, 3.8 log10 copy/ml; C1, 2.8 log10 copy/ml; C2, 5.7 log10 copy/ml. Statistically significant differences were observed for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01) and C1 vs. C2 (P less than 0.01); however, the difference between group B and C1 did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.19). The mean decrease of HBeAg in each group was: A, 2.7 log10 S/CO; B, 1.9 log10 S/CO; C1, 0.9 log10 S/CO; C2, 1.6 log10 S/CO. Statistically significant differences were observed for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01) and C1 vs. C2 (P less than 0.01). The rate of patients who achieved undetectable HBV DNA in each group was: A, 87.5%; B, 34.5%; C1, 17.4%; C2, 85.0%. Statistically significant differences were observed for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01) and C1 vs. C2 (P less than 0.01). The HBeAg seroconversion rates were: A, 75.0%; B, 24.1%; C1, 13.0%; C2, 25.0%. Statistically significant differences were observed only for group A vs. B and C1 (P less than 0.01). Finally, group A achieved greater reduction in levels of cccDNA in liver tissues than B or C1 (P less than 0.01); however, the differences between B and C1 and between C1 and C2 did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONCHB patients who showed an HBeAg decline of more than 2 log at week 24 of Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment had better treatment outcome at week 48 than those who showed HBeAg decline less than 2 log at week 24. Augmenting the Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment with 3TC can improve the clinical response. A change of quantifiable HBeAg at week 24 of Peg-IFN-a 2a treatment may be a useful predictor of therapeutic efficacy of a 48-week antiviral regimen.

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Lamivudine ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

A recent genetic study of alopecia areata shows that the patients with early onset, severe, familial group could be separated from the patients with later onset, milder severity with good prognosis in their genetic background. We have experienced an intractable clinical course of alopecia areata in dizygotic twin brothers and have come to sympathise with the genetic influence of the disease. The alopecia areata of the two brothers began for both at about 10 years of age and became severe and persistent over the twenties up to the present times. All treatments failed. The patients were thought to be an example showing the importance of genetic influences in the treatment of alopecia areata.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Siblings ; Twins, Dizygotic*

To assess neurobehavioral effects of 48 low level lead-exposed workers in CRT manufacturing factory, simple and choice reaction time test with NTOS (Neurobehavioral Tests for Occupational Screening), digit symbol and digit span with K-WAIS (Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale), and SCL-90-R (Symptom Check List 90 revised) was examined. These screening test battery reflect 3 psychological domain; psychomotor, short term memory, and symptom. Average blood lead level was 17.7 microgram/dl and mean exposure duration was 5.6 years. Nobody exceeded blood lead level over 40 microgram/dl, the guideline. We divided workers to two group, shorts-term exposed group(< or = 5 years) and long-term exposed groups 5 years) for analysis. ANCOVA model of simple reaction time, hostility, phobic anxiety, somatization were statistically significant and coefficient of independent variable of exposure duration was also significant. MANCOVA model of SCL-90-R was significant, too. The results of this study were consistent with previous study; symptoms were early neurobehavioral effects of low level lead exposure. And this study showed that current blood lead level as independent variable was able to mask the early neurobehavioral effects.
Adult ; Anxiety ; Hostility ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Masks ; Mass Screening ; Memory ; Reaction Time

The study was aimed to investigate the genetic background and proliferation characteristics of multiple myeloma (MM). Myeloma cells were isolated from bone marrow of 19 MM patients by direct immunomagnetic cell sorting and the DNA content and cell cycle analysis were carried out by flow cytometry. The results showed that in 4 patients the myeloma cells were found to be hyperdiploid and in 15 patients those were found to be diploid respectively by DNA content analysis; the proportion of plasm cells from normal controls in S + G(2)/M phase was (1.15 +/- 0.60)%, and that of myeloma cells from MM patients was (10.06 +/- 12.60)% which was significantly higher than that in the former (p = 0.001). The incidence of hyperdiploid in newly diagnosed patients was 11.76%, and that of treated patients was 100.00% which was significantly higher than that in the former (p = 0.035); the proportion of myeloma cells from newly diagnosed patients in S + G(2)/M phase was (7.12 +/- 4.98)%, and that of treated patients was (35.10 +/- 32.56)% which was also significantly higher than that in the former (p = 0.001). It is concluded that the variety of myeloma cells in DNA content and cell cycle suggests the complicated genetic background and abnormal proliferation of MM, which relate with the course of disease to some extent.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Marrow Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle ; genetics ; Cell Proliferation ; DNA ; analysis ; genetics ; Diploidy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma ; genetics ; pathology