This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ambroxol on preventing the infantile respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) in preterm birth at the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Taegu Catholic Medical Center during the period from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 1996. Total of 68 cases were evaluated including 16 ambroxol group and 52 control group. The result were as follows : 1. In the comparison of preventing IRDS, there was 0 case of IRDS in ambroxol group and 7 cases of IRDS in control group (13.46 %). There was a significant difference between two groups (p<0.05). 2. The side effects of ambroxol after administration were nausea in 5 cases, headache in 3 cases, and chest discomfort in 4 cases, but these were not serious and self controlled. 3. There was no significant difference in neonatal morbidity between two groups (p > 0.05).
Ambroxol* ; Daegu ; Gynecology ; Headache ; Nausea ; Obstetrics ; Premature Birth ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn* ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Female* ; Humans

Fibronectin (FN) is a major extracellular matrix glycoprotein, highly expressed in developing rat lungs. Several observations suggest that it play an important role in many developmental processes of animals. In vitro, FN can affect the adhesion, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and even apoptosis of various cell types. This study was undertaken to describe the distribution and localizations of fibronectin in the alveolar septum of lungs and liver lobules after CS gas exposure to experimental rats. The experimental rats (Sprague-Dawley strain), weighing 150~200 gm were sacrificed at 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours after CS gas exposure. The specimens of lung and liver were prepared for fibronectin immunoreactions of alveolar septa and liver lobules on experimental group, and for fibronectin reactions on the cytoplasm of type I alveolar cells, type II alveolar cells, fibroblasts, alveolar macrophages and interstitium in alveolar septa of lungs. All of specimens for immune reactions were observed with light and electron microscopes. The results obtained were as follows. 1. The liver lobules showed mild fibronectin reactions at the 6 hours and 12 hours after CS gas exposure. 2. The alveolar macrophages revealed strong fibronectin reactions. But alveolar septa showed weak FN reactions at 6 hours after CS gas exposure. 3. At 12 hours and 24 hours after CS gas exposure, the interstitial pneumonitis were seen in the lung alveoli. The gold particles were increased in the cells of alveolar septa, weak fibronectin reactions were revealed in the alveolar septum. 4. At 48 hours and 72 hours after CS gas exposure, FN reactions of alveolar septa were moderate, and the gold particles in the alveolar cells were markedly decreased. These results suggest that CS gas exposure to rats induces the increase of the fibronectin in lung and liver.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Cytoplasm ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts ; Fibronectins* ; Glycoproteins ; Liver* ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial ; Lung* ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Rats*

Mixed type Evans syndrome is a very rare hematologic disease. Although mixed type Evans syndrome may initially respond well to steroids, this disease usually runs a chronic course with intermittent exacerbations. We describe here a 46-yr-old female with the steroid-refractory, mixed type Evans syndrome, and she had a prompt response to rituximab. She was diagnosed as having the mixed type Evans syndrome with the clinical features of symptomatic anemia, jaundice and thrombocytopenia. Prednisone therapy was commenced and her hemoglobin and platelet level returned to the normal. However, after 15 weeks, she relapsed with hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. We started rituximab at the dose of 375 mg/m2 once weekly for a total of 4 doses, which was well-tolerated and this induced the normalization of hemoglobin, bilirubin and lactic dehydrogenase, and there was also a significant increase of the platelet count.
Treatment Outcome ; Syndrome ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/*drug therapy ; Middle Aged ; Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Female ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*therapeutic use ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune/*drug therapy

No abstract available.
Plasma ; Protein C Deficiency* ; Protein C* ; Purpura Fulminans* ; Purpura* ; Warfarin

PURPOSE: In the present study, the visual discomfort induced by smart mobile devices was assessed in normal and healthy adults. METHODS: Fifty-nine volunteers (age, 38.16 ± 10.23 years; male : female = 19 : 40) were exposed to tablet computer screen stimuli (iPad Air, Apple Inc.) for 1 hour. Participants watched a movie or played a computer game on the tablet computer. Visual fatigue and discomfort were assessed using an asthenopia questionnaire, tear film break-up time, and total ocular wavefront aberration before and after viewing smart mobile devices. RESULTS: Based on the questionnaire, viewing smart mobile devices for 1 hour significantly increased mean total asthenopia score from 19.59 ± 8.58 to 22.68 ± 9.39 (p < 0.001). Specifically, the scores for five items (tired eyes, sore/aching eyes, irritated eyes, watery eyes, and hot/burning eye) were significantly increased by viewing smart mobile devices. Tear film break-up time significantly decreased from 5.09 ± 1.52 seconds to 4.63 ± 1.34 seconds (p = 0.003). However, total ocular wavefront aberration was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Visual fatigue and discomfort were significantly induced by viewing smart mobile devices, even though the devices were equipped with state-of-the-art display technology.
Adult ; Asthenopia* ; Computers, Handheld* ; Dry Eye Syndromes ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Tears ; Video Games ; Volunteers

A 25-year-old woman presented with abdominal discomfort and weight loss. Sonography demonstrated a well-defined, anechoic, cystic mass with posterior acoustic enhancement, internal thin septations, and a peripheral hypoechoic solid portion that had no increased blood flow on Doppler ultrasound. Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a cystic omental mass with internal thin septations and an enhancing solid portion which appeared as the hypoechoic solid portion on ultrasonography. A pathologic specimen demonstrated a pseudocyst containing serous fluid with gelatinous material. The solid component at the peripheral portion of the pseudocyst indicated caseous necrosis with multinucleated giant cells. This histologic finding was consistent with tuberculosis and supported the final diagnosis of omental pseudocyst caused by tuberculous peritonitis. Therefore, intraperitoneal pseudocyst with tuberculosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of an intraperitoneal cystic mass in a young adult.
Abdomen ; Acoustics ; Adult ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gelatin ; Giant Cells ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Omentum* ; Peritonitis, Tuberculous ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis* ; Ultrasonography ; Weight Loss ; Young Adult

No definitive recommendation is available concerning optimal antithrombotic therapy in pregnant women with a mechanical heart valve. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the clinical results of nadroparin treatment with respect to pregnancy outcome and maternal complications. From 1997 to 2005, 31 pregnancies were reviewed in 25 women. Nadroparin (7,500 U, twice daily) was used in 23 pregnancies between 6 and 12 weeks of gestation and close-to-term only, and coumarin derivatives were used with aspirin at other times. Eight pregnant women treated with coumarin derivatives throughout pregnancy were compared to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nadroparin. No maternal death or bleeding complication occurred in either of the two groups, and frequencies of maternal thromboembolism including valve thrombosis (8.7% vs. 12.5%, p>0.05) were similar. However, the frequencies of live born (91.3% vs. 50%, p=0.01) and healthy babies (90.4% vs. 25%, p<0.01) were significantly higher, and the fetal loss rate was significantly lower (8.7% vs. 50%, p=0.01) in the nadroparin-treated group. Regarding the efficacy and safety of antithrombotic treatment in pregnant women with prosthetic heart valves, nadroparin treatment during the first trimester is an acceptable regimen and produces better results than coumarin derivatives.
Treatment Outcome ; Thrombosis/etiology/*prevention & control ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular/*etiology/*prevention & control ; Pregnancy ; Nadroparin/*administration & dosage/*adverse effects ; Hydrocephalus/chemically induced ; Humans ; Heart Valve Prosthesis/*adverse effects ; Heart Valve Diseases/etiology/*prevention & control ; Female ; Coumarins/administration & dosage ; Adult

BACKGROUND: Melanogenesis is one of the characteristic parameters of differentiation in melanocytes and melanoma cells. Specific inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), such as wortmannin and LY294002, stimulate melanin production in mouse and in human melanoma cells, suggesting that PI3K and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) might be involved in the regulation of melanogenesis. OBJECTIVE: The involvement of the mTOR pathway in regulating melanogenesis was examined using human MNT-1 melanoma cells, and the effects of the potent inhibitor of mTOR, rapamycin, in the presence or absence of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) were evaluated. METHODS: In cells treated with rapamycin, cell viability, melanin content, and tyrosinase (TYR) activity were measured and compared with untreated controls. Protein levels of TYR, tyrosinase-related protein (TYRP)-1, TYRP-2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) were also analyzed by Western blot. RESULTS: In rapamycin-treated cells, the melanin content increased concomitantly with an elevation in TYR activity, which plays a major role in melanogenesis. There was also an up-regulation of TYR, TYRP-1, and MITF proteins. Combined treatment with rapamycin or wortmannin and alpha-MSH increased melanogenesis more strongly than alpha-MSH alone. CONCLUSION: Rapamycin-induced melanin formation may be mediated through the up-regulation of TYR protein and activity. Furthermore, rapamycin and wortmannin, inhibitors of mTOR and PI3K, respectively, have co-stimulatory effects with alpha-MSH in enhancing melanogenesis in melanocyte cells.
alpha-MSH ; Androstadienes ; Animals ; Cell Survival ; Chromones ; Humans ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma ; Mice ; Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Morpholines ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase ; Sirolimus ; Up-Regulation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Storage mites, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (TP) and Acarus siro (AS), known as the major causative allergens to people who deal with stored foods and grains, may occur more frequently in house dust than expected. During the recent 6 months, positive reactions to TP and AS were observed as frequently as those to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) in patients with allergic rhinitis in Pusan. The purpose of this study was to identify allergenic components within TP and AS, and evaluate the cross reactivity with DP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using extracts of DP, TP and AS, prepared after dialysis and lyophilization, allergenic components were identified using SDS-PAGE and western blotting. Cross reactivity among them were evaluated by inhibition tests using pharmacia CAP system. RESULTS: The protein components of DP, TP and AS, showed different patterns in SDS-PAGE. Molecular weight of major IgE binding components of TP were 17 kD, 25 kD and 67 kD, and those of AS were 18 kD, 19 kD, 25 kD and 27 kD. TP- or AS-specific IgE was partially inhibited by DP extract; however, DP-specific IgE was not significantly inhibited either by TP or AS extract. Significant inhibition were noted between TP and AS. CONCLUSION: TP and AS may share common allergens with DP. However, sensitization to TP or AS was also suspected in some cases. The percentage of Acaridae family in Pusan was 12% of total mites. Therefore, storage mites should be considered as causative allergens and included in allergy test battery.
Acaridae ; Allergens ; Blotting, Western ; Busan ; Cereals ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dialysis ; Dust ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Freeze Drying ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Mites* ; Molecular Weight ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis*