Agenesis of permanent tooth in adolescent patients can be treated either by orthodontic treatment for space closure or by main-taining the space until implant restoration can be carried out in adult. However, gradual atrophy of alveolar bone width makes it dif-ficult to restore the prosthesis in the future or may cause unaesthetic results. Therefore, maintaining of not only the missing space but also the alveolar bone width should be considered. This case is a treatment whereby a temporary replacement of missing 2mandibular incisors in adolescent patient was carried out using 2 temporary anchorage devices (TADs). Two TADs were placed hori-zontally 2 - 3 mm below the top of alveolar ridge, and fixed with artificial teeth by stainless steel wires extended. During the 2 year follow-up, neither gingival inflammation nor loss of the TADs have occurred. In the radiographic evaluation, the growth of the adja-cent alveolar bone was not inhibited, and the width of the alveolar bone was maintained.

Cases of combined primary hyperaldosteronism and subclinical Cushing's syndrome are extremely rare. We identified a left adrenocortical tumor in a 41-year-old woman by computed tomography (CT) during an evaluation for hypokalemia and hypertension. Hormonal assessment demonstrated normal aldosterone concentrations, low plasma renin activity, an increased aldosterone/renin ratio, and normal serum cortisol levels. Selective adrenal venous sampling for the determination of aldosterone concentrations showed an overfunctioning left adrenal gland. Dexamethasone (overnight 1mg, 2 mg, 8 mg) suppression tests showed insuppressible cortisol. We diagnosed the patient as having an aldosterone-producing adrenal adenoma associated with subclinical Cushing's syndrome.
Adenoma ; Adrenal Glands ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; Adult ; Aldosterone ; Cushing Syndrome ; Dexamethasone ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia ; Plasma ; Renin

TNF-alpha plays a variety of biological functions such as apoptosis, inflammation and immunity. PTEN also has various cellular function including cell growth, proliferation, migration and differentiation. Thus, possible relationships between the two molecules are suggested. TNF-alpha has been known to downregulate PTEN via NF-kappaB pathway in the human colon cell line, HT-29. However, here we show the opposite finding that TNF-alpha upregulates PTEN via activation of NF-kappaB in human leukemic cells. TNF-alpha increased PTEN expression at HL-60 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, but the response was abolished by disruption of NF-kappaB with p65 anisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotide or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. We found that TNF-alpha activated the NF-kappaB pathways, evidenced by the translocation of p65 to the nucleus in TNF-alpha-treated cells. We conclude that TNF-alpha induces upregulation of PTEN expression through NF-kappaB activation in human leukemic cells.
Up-Regulation/*drug effects ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/*pharmacology ; Signal Transduction/*drug effects ; PTEN Phosphohydrolase/genetics/*metabolism ; NF-kappa B/genetics/*metabolism ; Leukemia/genetics/*metabolism ; Humans ; Gene Expression ; Cell Line, Tumor

PURPOSE: The eyeball has 2 blood-ocular barriers, i.e., the blood-retinal and blood-aqueous barriers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if triolein emulsion could disrupt the barriers, and we wanted to suggest as an experimental model for future blood-ocular barrier studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The triolein emulsion was made of 0.1 ml triolein and 20 ml normal saline, and this was infused into the carotid artery of ten cats (the experimental group). As a control group, only normal saline was infused in another ten cats. Precontrast and postcontrast T1-weighted MR images were obtained at 30 minutes and 3 hours after embolization in both groups. The signal intensities were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively in the anterior and posterior chambers and also in the vitreus fluid. Statistical analysis was performed by employing the Kruskal Wallist test, Dunn's Multiple Comparison test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: In the control group, no contrast enhancement was demonstrated in the anterior or posterior chamber or in the vitreus fluid of the ipsilateral or contralateral eyeball on the 30 minutes MR images. The anterior chambers of the ipsilateral and contralateral eyeballs revealed delayed contrast enhancement on the 3 hour MR images. In the experimental group, the 30 minute-postembolization MR images were not different from those of the control group. The 30 minute-postembolization MR images demonstrated delayed contrast enhancement in the anterior chamber of the ipsilateral and contralateral eyeballs and in the posterior chamber of the ipsilateral eyeball. The delayed contrast enhancement of the posterior chamber of the ipsilateral eyeball was statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated significant contrast enhancement in the posterior chamber with infusion of the triolein emulsion, and this can serve as a model for blood-aqueous barrier studies.
Animals ; Anterior Chamber ; Blood-Aqueous Barrier ; Carotid Arteries ; Cats ; Embolism, Fat ; Models, Theoretical* ; Triolein

PURPOSE: To evaluate the correlation between the expression of TIMP-2 (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-2) and negative lymph node involvement of colon and gastric carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 26 cases (13 each) of gastric and colon carcinoma specimens along with dissected lymph nodes by immunohistochemical staining to investigate the correlation of the expression of TIMP-2. Lymph nodes involvement by CT scan was defined by size criteria and the presence of central low density. RESULTS: Eight cases with positive lymph node involvement by CT scan showed weak expression of TIMP-2. Ten cases with positive lymph node involvement had weak expression of TIMP-2. Among eight cases with strong expression of TIMP-2 7 patients were negative by radiologic exam. Good correlation between strong TIMP-2 expression and negative lymph node involvement by CT scan was found (<0.05). CONCLUSION: As the expression of TIMP-2 had a good correlation with radiologic involvement of lymph nodes, the study of expression of TIMP-2 in patients with stomach and colon carcinoma might be helpful in planning surgery and predicting the prognosis.
Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Prognosis ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The enhanced process of proteolysis of both the basement membrane and the stromal extracelluar matrix (ECM) contributes to the escape of breast cancer cells into the neighboring tissues, eventually leading to the formation of distant metastases. A group of enzymes thought to play a role in tumor cell invasion are the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Much attention has been focused on MMP-2 and MMP-9, which are 2 members of the MMP family active against collagen of the basement membrane. The enzymatic activities of MMP-2 and MMP-9 are inhibited by the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). TIMP-2, one member of TIMPs, inhibits MMP-2 and MMP-9. The imbalance between TIMPs and MMPs permits to tumor invasion and metastasis. Theretore, TIMPs constitute promising targets in the developmemt of anticancer terapies. Immunohistological stainings of MMP-2, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 were performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 31 invasive breast carcinomas. MMP-2 and MMP-9 were associated with neoplastic cell cytoplasms in 65% of the cases and exhibited inter-tumoral variability of the staining intensity. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 stainings did not correlate with presence of metastases at time of diagnosis. TIMP-2 was detected in the peri-tumoral stroma and was present in 81% of the cases. Residual benign breast tissue was negative for TIMP-2 staining. Neoplasms with diffuse TIMP-2 staining (32%) have metastasis significantly more frequently (50% metastasis) than ceses with focal (20% metastasis) or absent (0% metastasis) TIMP-2. We conclude that the clinical outcome such as metastasis is more closely related to the presence of TIMP-2 than the corresponding MMPs. Enhanced TIMP-2 expression, therefore, may denote a stromal response to tumor invasion, indicative of aggressive behavior in the subset breast carcinoma.
Basement Membrane ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Collagen ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Metalloproteases ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Proteolysis ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 ; United Nations

To use recombinant viruses with wider host range as viral insecticides, we investigated the characteristics and pathogenicity of host range expanded recombinant viruses in insect cells. We compared host range expanded recombinant viruses, RecS-B6 and RecB-8, constructed by cotransfection of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) and Bombyx mori NPV (BmNPV), to host range expanded AcNPV, Ac-BH, by substitution of the 0.6 Kb fragment of the BmNPV helicase gene. Restriction endonuclease profiles of RecS-B6 and RecB-8 DNAs were different from those of parent viruses. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the 0.6 Kb region in the putative helicase gene of RecS-B6 and RecB-8 showed that their structures were identical to the counterpart region of BmNPV Comparison of viral replication of these recombinant viruses in Sf-21 and BmN-4 cells showed that Ac-BH, compared to wild type viruses, replicated well in BmN-4 cells but poorly in Sf-21 cells. In contrast, RecS-B6 and RecB-8 replicated relatively well in both cells compared to parent viruses. These results may imply that random genomic recombinant viruses, RecS-B6 and RecB-8, possess better potential as viral pesticides than helicase-mediated recombinant virus, Ac-BH.
Base Sequence ; Bombyx ; DNA ; DNA Restriction Enzymes ; Host Specificity* ; Humans ; Insecticides ; Insects* ; Nucleopolyhedrovirus ; Parents ; Pesticides ; Virulence*

Backgrounds: Diabetes insipidus(DI) is a clinical syndrome characterized by excretion of copious volumes of dilute urine combined with persistent intake of abnormally large quantities of fluid. Central DI, caused by lack of antidiuretic hormone(ADH), most often results from lesions in the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal axis. Magnetic resonance(MR) imaging is particularly useful in documenting the presence of a structural lesion, as opposed to assigning a diagnosis of idiopathic DI for which only symptomatic therapy is prescribed. Recently, several reports have described a specific MR finding in central DI, that is absence of normal posterior pituitary bright spot(PPBS). Methods: We retrospectivesly studied the clinical and MR findings in 25 patients with central DI, diagnosed by warter deprivation test. Results: 1) The subjects included 17 males and 8 females, between the ages of 2 and 58 years. 2) 24-hour urine volumes were 2,340~13,750 mL, and mean urine osmolarity was 147.7±65.8 mOsm/kg. The 23 subjects diagnosed complete central DI by warter deprivation test. 3) We found that the most common cause of cntral DI was infiltrative lesions of hypothalmic-neurohypophyseal axis(60%). Germ cell tumor was the single leading cause in present study, accounting for 36% of cases. The other causes were found, including pituitary apoplexy, meningitis, and trauma. Idiopathic central DI accounted for 20% of all cases. 4) Growth hormone deficiency was the most common accompanying anterior pituitary deficit, and panhypopituitarism was found in 7 cases, Hyperprolactinernia was seen in 6 cases. 5) In all patients, PPBS on Tl weighted MR images were not observed. A thickened pituitary stalk was seen in 15 cases(9 patients with germ cell tumor, 3 patients with histiocytosis X, 1 patient with tuberculosis, 2 patients with unknown origin). Conclusion: In our results, the most common causes of central DI was suprasellar infiltrative lesions. MR is currently the imaging methods of choice in the evaulation of dysfunction of the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal system in patients with central DI. A specific MR finding, that is loss of normal PPBS allows a confirmative diagnosis of central DI.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Growth Hormone ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Male ; Meningitis ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; Osmolar Concentration ; Pituitary Apoplexy ; Pituitary Gland ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Humans ; Patient Satisfaction*

Transient hyperkalemia is well known to occur in man following intravenous administration of succinylcholine chloride. To study on change of the serum level of K+, Na+ & Cl- after injection of succinylcholine in healthy adults, physical status 1 or 2 adopted by the American society of Anesthesiologists, we studied in two groups: pentothal sodium-succinylcholine injection group (group 1) as control, flaxedil-pentothal sodium-succinylcholine injetion group(group 2) as experimental. The following results were obtained: 1. Serum K+ was slightly increased in both groups, 2mEq/L at 3rd minute in control group, 2mEq/L at 1st minute in experimental group after succinylcholine injection, but no statistical significance was noticed in either group. 2. Serum Na+ was decreased 3 mEq/L immediately after pentothal sodium injection and then sliyhtly increased until 10th minute in control group. In experimental group lower level than control was observed until 15th minute, with the maximum decrease of 7mEq/L at 5th minute. But no statistical significance was noticed in either group. 3. Serum Cl was slightly decreased until 10th minute with the maximum decrease of 4mEq/L at 5th minute in control group. In experimental group, it was slightly increased until 5th minute. But no significance was noticed in either group.
Administration, Intravenous ; Adult ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Sodium ; Succinylcholine ; Thiopental