The concentrations of fibronectin in aqueous humor, measured by ELISA which was developed to detect fibronectin, ranged from 5 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml. Aqueous humor was aspirated from human eyes with cataracts and glaucomas using a 26 gauge needle through the peripheral cornea before making the limbal incision into the anterior chamber during surgery. The results of the study show that the average concentration and standard deviation of fibronectin was 0.136 +/- 0.192 microgram/ml in cataract eyes, and 0.962 +/- 0.918 microgram/ml in glaucoma eyes respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between both groups (p = 0.000). However, no significant differences according to age and sex were noted. There was no influence due to preoperative intravenous mannitol injection on fibronectin concentration. The source of aqueous fibronectin is still not clearly known and the mechanism of the higher concentration of fibronectin in glaucoma has not been clearly disclosed, however it is thought that normally present fibronectin is accumulated in the anterior chamber because it can not pass the aqueous outflow pathway, or that fibronectin production may be increased in glaucoma.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aqueous Humor/*metabolism ; Cataract/metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fibronectins/*analysis ; Glaucoma/metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

No abstract available.
Salivary Ducts*

PURPOSE: To evaluate endothelial cell changes following LASIK with residual corneal thickness of less than 250 micro meter. METHOD: We performed noncontact specular microscopy preoperatively, and 1 week, 1, 3, 6, 9 months after surgery to examine 82 eyes which had undergone LASIK. Corneal endothelial density (CD), coefficient of variation of the cell area (CV), and the percentage of hexagonal cells(hexagonality, 6A) were obtained according to the corneal endothelial cell analysis program. Analysis was done according to the parameters such as residual stromal bed thickness, number of laser pulse and percentage of ablated stromal thickness and preoperative spherical equivalent. RESULTS: Changes in CD and CV showed no significant difference throughout the follow-up period after surgery. Hexagonality, however, decreased after surgery. In particular, corneas with residual thickness of less than 235 micro meter or the number of laser pulse over than 400, or ablation more than 30% of stromal thickness showed significant decrease in hexagonality. CONCLUSIONS: This results suggest that LASIK with deep ablation might cause corneal endothelial damages, and at least 235 micro meter or more of residual thickness should be preserved to avoid endothelial damages.
Cornea ; Endothelial Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ* ; Microscopy

We studied the regulation of fibronectin (FN) gene expression by cAMP and phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) in HT-1080 human fibrosarcoma cells. Dibutyryl cAMP increased FN synthesis and mRNA levels, while PMA inhibited the cAMP-induced FN synthesis. In transient transfection assays, cAMP increased FN promoter activity, while PMA paradoxically enhanced the cAMP-induced promoter activity. Stable transfection experiments, however, showed that neither cAMP or PMA alone nor together affected FN promoter activity. These results suggest that PMA antagonizes the cAMP-induced FN gene expression and that both the action of cAMP and the inhibition of its action by PMA may occur at the posttranscriptional level in HT-1080 cells.
Blotting, Northern ; Bucladesine/pharmacology* ; Bucladesine/antagonists & inhibitors ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibronectins/metabolism ; Fibronectins/genetics* ; Fibrosarcoma/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation* ; Human ; Luciferase/metabolism ; Precipitin Tests ; Promoter Regions (Genetics) ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/pharmacology* ; Transfection ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; beta-Galactosidase/metabolism

No abstract available.
Leg*

Background : There is a substantial body of evidence that intraocular pressure increase with age among western population. However, Japanese study showed that intraocular pressure was inversely related with age. So we investigated whether intraocular pressure is related with age for Koreans. Methods : Between March, 1996 and February, 1997, 6201 subjects underwent comprehensive health examinationinthe Kyung Hee medical screening center in Seoul, Korea. The intraocular pressure was measured with pneumatonograpyh. At the same time blood pressure, body weight, height, serum osmolarity, fasting blood glucose, T3, T4, TSH(thyroid stimulating hormone), hematocrit measurements were performed. We selected 250 case randomly and investigated whether the distribution of C/D ration(cup/disk ratio), smoking status, alcohol drinking amount are uniform by aged group. So we measured C/D ratio by fundusphotograph and investigated smoking and drinking habits by questionnaires. Results : In the randomly sampled 250 cases, the amounts of smoking and alcohol consumption were lower in the elderly group. But, the C/D ration didn't show any difference between young and elderly group. In a multivariable analysis, both right and left intraocular pressure showed significantly inverse correlations with aged and visual acuity. Male had significantly higher intraocular pressure than female. Both right and left intraocular pressure showed significant positive correlations with body mass index, fasting blood glucose, hematocrit and systolic blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure, serum osmolarity, T3 and T4 were not associated with intraocular pressure. TSH had significant positive correlation with right intraocular pressure, but no correlation with left intraocular pressure. Conclusion : Age was independently and inversely related with intraocular pressure for Koreans.
Aged ; Aging* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Drinking ; Fasting ; Female ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure* ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Osmolar Concentration ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Visual Acuity

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease(PMD) is very rare x-liked recessive leukodystrophy, rather dysmyelinating d due to defect of biosynthesis of proteolipid protein, a component of myelin. Its usual clinical features are stridor, pendular nystagmus, extrapyramidal sign, pyramydal sign, developmental delay and cognition deterioration. Until now PMD has not been published in our country. A 4-year 3 month-old boy developed abnormal eye movement at 3 months of age. His psychomotor development was delayed. On our examination, definite horizontal pendular nystagmus was noted. He showed severe dysarthria, quadriparesis with generalized hyperreflexia, bilateral extensor plantar signs. All laboratory findings including cerebrospinal fluid study were normal. Brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) -revealed diffuse and symmetrical white matter changes in cerebrum and cerebellum. His 23-year-old younger maternal uncle also showed similar clinical history and brain MRI findings. Although the diagnosis of PMD depended on histopathologic investigation, recently MRI can make an important contribution to the diagnosis of PMD with characteristic clinical features. So we could diagnose him and his uncle as PMD.
Brain ; Cerebellum ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Cerebrum ; Cognition ; Diagnosis ; Dysarthria ; Eye Movements ; Humans ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Male ; Myelin Sheath ; Nystagmus, Pathologic ; Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease* ; Quadriplegia ; Reflex, Abnormal ; Respiratory Sounds ; Young Adult

Two intracellular signal pathways mediated by cAMP and protein kinase C (PKC) were involved in the regulation of FN gene expression (Lee et al., Exp. Mol. Med. 30: 240, 1998). In this study, a possible involvement of protein phosphatase-dependent pathways in the regulation of FN gene expression was investigated by using protein phosphatase type 2B (PP2B) inhibitors, cyclosporin A and ascomycin. Both cyclosporin A and ascomycin increased the levels of FN mRNA in WI-38 human lung fibroblasts and the SV40-transformed WI-38 cells but not in MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. The expression of FN appears to increase from six hours up to 48 hours after treatment suggesting that it is not an immediate effect. In addition, this effect required a new protein synthesis. Neither cyclosporin A nor ascomycin affects the phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced stimulation of FN gene expression and the same result occurred in vice versa suggesting the mechanism of PMA and cyclosporin A/ascomycin in the regulation of FN gene expression may share a common downstream pathway. Taken together, this study suggests that PP2B is involved in the regulation of FN gene expression in normal and transformed fibroblasts but not in osteoblasts.
Animal ; Calcineurin/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Cell Line, Transformed ; Cell Transformation, Viral ; Cyclosporine/pharmacology* ; Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Fibroblasts ; Fibronectins/metabolism ; Fibronectins/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation* ; Human ; Lung/cytology ; Mice ; Osteoblasts ; Tacrolimus/pharmacology ; Tacrolimus/analogs & derivatives*

Coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart is no longer new to any cardiac surgeon. What matters nowadays is stablizing the heart without impairing the hemodynamics. We describe a simple and safer technique to move the anterolateral coronary to a center in the operation field. The empty blood bag connected to 50 cc syringe is put underneath the left venricle. Simply inflating the air into the blood bag gradually displaces the heart and rotate the lateral wall of the ventricle to the midline position. Therefore, we suggest "Blood Bag" method as a different way of exposing heart.
Coronary Artery Bypass ; Heart ; Hemodynamics ; Surgical Procedures, Minimally Invasive ; Syringes

The purpose of this project was to study the effect of calcium sulfate on early bony consolidation in distraction osteogenesis. In the control group, a total of 17 patients were treated between December 1997 and December 1999. The age of patients ranged from 2 to 45 years. The follow up period was 6 to 24 months(mean 15.3 months). In experimental group, a total of eight patients with craniofacial microsomia were treated between April 2000 and February 2001. The age of patients ranged from two to 40 years old. All patients were male. The follow up period was 3 to 15 months. The operative procedure in adult was based on the Ortiz Monasterio's simultaneous mandibular and maxillary distraction technique. The authors modified the original Ortiz Monasterio's method by using Le Fort I osteotomy with complete separation of both pterygomaxillary junction and mandibular osteotomy to avoid the resistance during distraction. In child, the osteotomy of the mandible was performed to distract. In the control group, in adults, after 5 days of latent period, distraction was performed at a rate of 1 mm per day. After 6 to 8 weeks of consolidation period, intermaxillary fixation and distraction device were removed. In children, the distraction was started at a rate of 1 mm per day without latent period. The consolidation period was 4 to 6 weeks. In the experimental group, after 5 days of latent period, distraction was performed at a rate of 1 mm per day in 2 adults. However, in children distraction was performed at a rate of 1 mm per day in 2 patients and 2 mm per day in 4 patients without latent period. On the completion of distraction, the calcium sulfate mixed with carboxymethyl cellulose was injected into the distracted zone. Radiographs showed bony consolidation in 4 weeks in 1 child, 5 weeks in 1 child with distraction rate of 1 mm per day, in 5 - 7 weeks in 4 children with distraction rate of 2 mm per day and in 5 weeks in 2 adults with distraction rate of 1 mm per day after injection of the calcium sulfate. The consolidation period in adult was statistically significant compared with that of the control group using Mann-Whitney U test.In conclusion, these findings suggested that injectable calcium sulfate is effective for early bony consolidation in distraction osteogenesis in adult.
Adult ; Calcium Sulfate* ; Calcium* ; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium ; Child ; Facial Bones* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Goldenhar Syndrome ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Mandibular Osteotomy ; Osteogenesis, Distraction* ; Osteotomy ; Surgical Procedures, Operative