No abstract available.
Hemangioma* ; Liver* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Hemangioma* ; Liver* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to establish optimal imaging acquisition conditions for the GE Advance(TM) PET imaging system by performing the acceptance tests designed by National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) protocol and General Electric Medical Systems (GEMS) test procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Performance tests were carried out with 18FDG radioactivity source and phantoms by using a standard acquisition mode. Transaxial resolution and scatter fraction tests were performed with a line source and axial resolution with a point source, respectively. A cylindrical phantom made of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was used to measure sensitivity, count rate losses and randoms, uniformity correction, and attenuation inserts were added to measure remaining tests. The test results were acquired in a diagnostic acquisition mode and analyzed mainly on high sensitivity mode. RESULTS: Transaxial resolution and axial resolution were measured as average of 4.65 mm and 3.98 mm at 0 cm, and 6.02 mm and 6.71 mm at 20 cm on high sensitivity mode, respectively. Average scatter fraction was 9.87%, and sensitivity was 225.8 kcps/micronCi/cc of trues. Activity at 50% deadtime was 4.6 Ci/cc, and the error of count rate correction at that activity was from 1.49% to 3.83%. Average nonuniformity for total slice was 8.37%. The accuracy of scatter correction was -0.95%. The accuracies of attenuation correction were 5.68% for air, 0.04% for water and -6.51% for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). CONCLUSION: The results satisfied most acceptance criteria, indicating that the GE AdvanceTM PET system can be optimally used for clinical applications.
Electrons* ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Positron-Emission Tomography* ; Radioactivity ; Water

Alopecia areata is a common skin disease with diverse modalities of therapy. The eyebrows are one of the target sites of alopecia areata and may be the only affected site. We report our recent experiences of superficial cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen to promote eyebrow hair growth due to alopecia areata. According to our results, superficial cryotherapy of alopecia areata in eyebrows can be an effective mode of treatment.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Cryotherapy* ; Eyebrows* ; Hair ; Nitrogen ; Skin Diseases

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the methods for analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms of hemophilia B (coagulation factorIX) gene in Korean population. METHODS: Genomic DNAs were extracted from 40 Korean females. In order to amplify genomic DNAs at the region of the polymorphic sites, two sets of primers (Hha I and Dde I) were synthesized. The primers were named as FIX1, FIX2 for Hha I, and Dde I 59, Dde I 39 for Dde I, respectively. Hha I primers annealed 3'-flanking region of the FactorIX gene and amplified 230 bp long fragment. The PCR fragment (230 bp) treated with Hha I endonuclease produced two fragments (150 bp and 80 bp), when the polymorphic site existed. Dde I primers annealed the region of the first intron of Factor IX gene and amplified 319 bp long fragments. People cases with Dde I polymorphic site are supposed to produce 369 bp long fragment. Results: It has been found that seven (14 X chromosomes) out of forty individuals showed Hha I polymorphism. However, none of the experimental People cases showed the Dde I polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: By the analysis of 80 chromosomes, the PICs calculated from allele frequency of Hha I-RFLP (0.175/0.825) and that of Dde I-RFLP (0.0/1.0) were 0.289=[1-(0.1752+0.8252)] and 0=[1-(02+12)], respectively. From these results, it can be postulated that Hha I and Dde I polymorphisms of the Factor IX gene in Korean exhibited different patterns from those of Caucasian.
Blood Coagulation Factors* ; Blood Coagulation* ; Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene ; DNA ; Factor IX* ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genes, vif* ; Hemophilia B ; Humans ; Introns ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical course and pregnancy outcome according to operative management of appendictis in the Department of Surgery. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of pregnant patients who went through a convential appendectomy and a laparoscopic appendectomy at the Department of Surgery, Catholic University of Korea St. Mary's Hospital, from May 1995 to June 2006. RESULTS: The incidence of acute appendicitis during pregnancy was the highest at the 2nd trimester and at ages from 25 to 30 years. The laparoscopic appendectomy was shorter than the open appendectomy in hospital stay and decreased leukocytosis faster in the first postoperative day, except in cases of perforated appendicitis, but the operation times were similar. There was a significant difference in gestational age at delivery between perforated appendicitis and suppurative. We found one fetal anomaly, but it was not related to either the appendicitis or the operation method. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that a laparoscopic appendectomy was better than an open appendectomy for recovery and was safe in pregnant appendicitis patients at any gestational age. However, follow up and investigation in a larger population is needed to get more accurate results.
Appendectomy ; Appendicitis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Leukocytosis ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) of the genus Pestivirus is known as a common contaminant of cell culture-derived vaccines. Hog cholera virus (HCV), which is also of the genus Pestivirus and an important livestock disease in Korea, is recognized as a potential contaminant of vaccines produced in porcine cells. However, it is difficult for the National Biological Assays of korea to adequately detect contamination of these agents in biological products. For these reasons, we established rapid and sensitive methods for the detection of BVDV and HCV contamination in cell cultures and veterinary biologicals by using RT-PCR and nested PCR assays. We designed a Pestivirus primer amplifying 152 bp to detect both BVDV and HCV and a common primer amplifying 237 bp to detect only BVDV. Also, for the differentiation between BVDV type 1 and type 2, nested PCR was conducted using the amplified 237 bp PCR product, to amplify 179 bp in BVDV type 2 genome. The sensitivity of the PCR using common primer for the detection of BVDV was 400 TCID50/ml. All 6 strains of Korean BVDV isolates, 5 vaccines strains and the standard strain NADL could be detected. No reactions were observed when testing 5 types of viruses infecting pigs (HCV, TGEV, PEDV, JEV, PRRSV), 4 types infecting cattle (Akabane virus, BEFV, BCV, BRV) and 4 types infecting cats (FIP, FPL, FCV, FVR). Using this RT-PCR assay, commercial vaccines were tested and, 55 lots from 12 vaccine companies, were negative for BVDV contaminations. Same results were obtained by the immunoflourescence assay. The newly developed PCR or RT-PCR assays can be used as rapid, reliable, sensitive, and simple methods for the detection of BVDV (Pestivirus) in cell cultures, master seeds, and live viral vaccines.
Animals* ; Biological Assay ; Biological Products ; Cats ; Cattle ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Classical swine fever virus ; Diarrhea Virus 1, Bovine Viral ; Diarrhea Virus 2, Bovine Viral ; Diarrhea* ; Genome ; Korea ; Livestock ; Pestivirus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Swine ; Vaccines ; Viral Vaccines*

Intravenous leiomyomatosis is a rare entity of benign smooth muscle invading into the lumen of veins. We describe a case of intracardiac leiomyomatosis originating from the right gonadal vein, growing in the inferior vena cava, and extending into the right atrium. A 54 years old woman presented with chest discomfort and syncope four years after the removal of an uterine leiomyoma. The tumor was successfully removed in a two-staged operation using total circulatory arrest with a cardiopulmonary bypass, which proved to be a histologically benign leiomyoma. Although these tumors are histologically benign, they sometimes extend into the cardiac cavity and can cause sudden death due to their incarceration into the atrioventircular orifice. We report this rare case with a review of the literature.
Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Death, Sudden ; Female ; Gonads ; Heart Atria* ; Humans ; Leiomyoma ; Leiomyomatosis* ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Syncope ; Thorax ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Inferior

Sarcotragin C (1), a new sesterterpene metabolite was isolated from a Sarcotragus sp. sponge collected from Chuja Island, Korea. On the basis of the combined spectroscopic analyses, the structure of this compound was determined to be a linear norsesterterpene containing a leucine-derived gamma-lactam moiety. This compound exhibited moderate cytotoxicity against K562 and A549 cell-lines.
Korea ; Porifera*

With the increased use of cell therapy in the veterinary sector, there is a growing demand for the development of cell-based medicinal products and the determination of their safety. Currently, the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has established a guideline for evaluating the safety of cell-based medicinal products for animal use. The guideline includes items related to definition, classification, management, manufacturing procedure and quality control (standard and test method), stability testing, toxicity testing, pharmacological testing, and performance of clinical trials. In addition, testing protocols related to safety assessment of animal cell-based products such as chromosome karyotyping, tumorigenicity testing, confirmatory testing of biodistribution and kinetics, and target animal safety testing are described in detail. Moreover, because cell-based medicinal products are novel therapies, deviations from traditional designs may be justified in order to obtain relevant safety information on the treatment. Additionally, this guideline can be amended on the basis of new scientific findings.
Animals ; Carcinogenicity Tests ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Classification ; Karyotyping ; Kinetics ; Plants ; Quality Control ; Quarantine ; Toxicity Tests