No abstract available.
Fires*

Recently, studies on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have increased rapidly. Conventional parameters, such as diversity index, pairwise comparison, are used to interpret and validate data on autosomal DNA; however, the use of these parameters to validate data from mitochondrial DNA databases (mtDNA DBs) needs to be verified because of the different transmission patterns of mtDNA. This study was done to verify the use of these conventional parameters and to test the "coverage concept" for a new parameter. The mtDNA DB is not very big; however, it is necessary to check how the change in parameters corresponds to the DB size. For this, we artificially rearranged a Korean DB into several small sub-DBs of variable sizes. The results show that the diversity in nucleotide variations and the different haplotype numbers do not vary as the size of DB increases. However, the "coverage" changed a lot. The coverage increased from 0.113 in a DB of 100 people to 0.260 in a DB of 653 people. Additionally, using the "coverage concept", we predicted how the total number of haplotypes changed with variations in the sub-DB size and compared the predicted result with final result. In conclusion, "coverage", in addition to conventional statistical parameters, can be used to check the usability of an mtDNA DB. Finally, we tried to predict the size of the whole mtDNA number in Korea using "saturation concept".
DNA ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Haplotypes ; Korea ; Phylogeny

PURPOSE: A survey was performed to identify the level of mouthguard use, awareness, wearability issues and attitude toward mouthguard among elite Korean Taewondo athletes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Survey questionnaires were given to 152 athletes participating in the Korea National Taekwondo team selection event for the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Questionnaires consisted of three sections, mouthguard awareness, reasons for not wearing mouthguard and the last section to test the level of acceptance on current mouthguard and when the identified problems were resolved. For analyzing difference among response, chi2 test was used and significant level (alpha) was set up as 0.05. RESULTS: Responses in each of items showed significant difference (P<.001). Majority of response regarding each question: Majority of respondents believed that mouthguard were effective in preventing injuries (36.4%) but the result suggested that the provision of information on mouthguard to athletes was inadequate (44.0%) and the result showed that respondents were not greatly interested or concerned in relation to the mandatory mouthguard rule (31.6%). Although the responses on the level of comfort and wearability of mouthguard were negative (34.8%), athletes were positively willing to wear mouthguard if the problems rectified (51.2%). CONCLUSION: Considering the high level of willingness to wear mouthguard if the problems rectified, it is thought that together with efforts in providing more mouthguard information, the work of sports dentistry to research and improve mouthguard will be invaluable in promoting mouthguard to more athletes.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Athletes ; Dentistry ; Humans ; Korea ; Martial Arts ; Mouth Protectors ; Sports ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To evaluate value of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) as a negative oral contrast agent in MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients with suspected biliary tract or pancreatic diseases and six healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. All MR images were obtained using a 1.5 T MR unit. MRCP using fat-suppressed half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) and turbo spin echo (TSE) techniques were performed and reconstructed with maximal intensity projection (MIP). To determine the most optimal concentration of SPIO to obliterate the high signal intensity of water, a phantom experiment was conducted with various concentrations of SPIO-water mixture. Two radiologists evaluated pre- and postcontrast MRCPs. The contrast enhancement was assessed on the basis of loss of signal intensity in the stomach and duodenum. RESULTS: In the phantom experiment, a significant increase of percentage of signal intensity loss (PSIL) occurred in concentration of 22.4 ugFe/ml (Feridex 1 ml diluted with water 500 ml). Postcontrast MRCP showed an improved image quality compared with precontrast images. The rate of improvement in the diagnosis of diseases of the common bile duct and pancreatic duct was 25% (12/48). CONCLUSION: In patients with suspected biliary tract and pancreatic diseases, the SPIO is useful as a negative oral contrast agent for MRCP and provides an improvement of image quality.
Biliary Tract ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Duodenum ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Iron* ; Pancreatic Diseases ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Stomach ; Water

The Met tyrosine kinase receptor is a widely expressed molecule, which mediates pleiotropic cellular responses following activation by its ligand, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF). Previously, one of the authors identified an alternatively spliced form of Met (Met-SM) that lacked a single exon of a 47-amino-acid segment in the juxtamembrane domain. Here we report that Met-SM is a potent transforming gene in NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. Met-SM-transfected NIH3T3 cells show stronger foci-forming activity than wild type-Met-transfected ones. In addition, Met-SM-transfected NIH3T3 cells form colonies in soft agar and are tumorigenic in athymic nu/nu mice. Furthermore, HGF/SF significantly increases the focus-forming activity of Met-SM comparing to wild type Met. The amount of protein and of tyrosine kinase activity of Met-SM accumulates to a high level following HGF/SF treatment. The accumulation of Met-SM correlated well with its delayed ubiquitination and increased stability. These results are consistent with the important role of the juxtamembrane domain in protein stability of Met receptor and suggest that the alternatively-spliced form may contribute to the development and progression of human cancer.
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met/*metabolism/*physiology ; Protein Isoforms/metabolism/physiology ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Mutant Proteins/metabolism/physiology ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Hepatocyte Growth Factor/pharmacology ; Female ; Down-Regulation ; Carcinogens/*metabolism ; Carcinogenicity Tests ; Animals ; *Alternative Splicing

The effects of oral premedication with diazepam and atropine were evaluated. We made three kinds of syrup which were composed of diazepam 0.3mg/0.5cc, diazepam 0.3 mg mixed with atropine 0.001 mg in 0.5cc and diazepam 0.3mg mixed with atropine 0.03mg in 0.5cc, respectively. The 1st was administered to Group l (n=21), the second to group ll (n=21) and the last to group lll (n= 24) one and half to two hours before induction of anesthesia. Each child received 0.5 cc/kg. On arrival at pediatric operating room, anxiety levels, vital signs, antisalivatory effect and side effects were checked. The attitude of children was evaluated just before induction of anesthesia. In group land lll, slight elevation of diastolic blood pressure was noticed. The satisfaotory levels, checked by anxiety level O, were 86% in group l, 90% in group ll and 79% in group lll. The altitudes in the operating rooms just before induction of anesthesia were satisfactory and cooperative in 77 %, 81%, and 87% of patients in group l, ll and lll, respectively. Antisalivatory effect was not good in group l, but satisfactory in 82% and 75% of cases in group ll and lll. But side effect was present in 25% of cases in group ll and lll, in spite of 10% in group l. So we can conclude that preoperative oral diazepam in a dose of 0.3mg/0.5cc/kg is very good for the reduction of anxiety and the additiopn of atropine may increase the incidence of side effects. Threefore we recommend parentreral belladonna alkaloids just before induction instead of preoperative oral medication.
Altitude ; Anesthesia ; Anxiety ; Atropine ; Belladonna Alkaloids ; Blood Pressure ; Child* ; Diazepam ; Humans ; Incidence ; Operating Rooms ; Premedication* ; Vital Signs

Recently studies about bi-allelic markers such as SNP, which is commonly found in about every 1.2 kb, seem to be increasing. Compared to STR marker, much have to be improved if it is to be used for individual identification. Nevertheless many researchers have interests in SNP and it 's scope is unpre-dictable. SNP may be promising as an auxiliary tool in individual identification, especially in Y chromo-somal study, in which the usefulness of conventional STR markers are restricted as the concept of haplo-type is applied. We report allelic distribution pattern in Korean for several previously known bi-allelic markers, that are SY81, M9, SRY1532, SRY2627, YAP. In three loci that are SY81, SRY1532, SRY2627, no polymorphism was noted. In M9, YAP loci, bi-allel-ic polymorphism was noted. In M9, 79.3% was G-type, and C-type was 20.7%. The YAP insertion was positive only in 6%. Remaining 94% was YAP(-). These pattern was compared with that of other popu-lation, and racial difference was evident. Several key points about SNP were discussed.
Y Chromosome*

Heteroplasmy in the hypervariable region 1 of the mtDNA was screened using DGGE. Blood samples from 150 unrelated Koreans were used. Appropriate condition was set up using mixed samples with previously known HV1 sequences. This method is capable of detecting heteroplasmic proportion less than 5 %. Multiple bands pattern meaning heteroplasmy was observed in 41 individuals (27.3%). The majority of heteroplasmic variants could not be detected by direct sequencing of PCR products. For the distribution pattern of heteroplasmy in different tissues within one individual, 14 autopsy cases were screened. Out of these, two were heteroplasmic, but there was no difference between various tissues in the heteroplasmic DGGE band pattern.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Autopsy ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVE: To determine the ability of MR imaging to detect the pathological changes occurring in radiofrequency (RF) thermal lesions and to assess its accuracy in revealing the extent of tissue necrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using an RF electrode, thermal lesions were created in the livers of 18 rabbits. The procedure involved three phases. In the acute phase, six animals were killed the day after performing thermal ablation with RF energy, and two on day 3. In the subacute and chronic phases, eight rabbits underwent percutaneous hepatic RF ablation. After performing MR imaging, two animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, 4, and 7 weeks after the procedure, and MR-pathologic correlation was performed. RESULTS: In the acute phase, the thermal ablation lesions appeared at gross examination as well-circumscribed, necrotic areas, representing early change in the coagulative necrosis seen at microscopic examination. They were hypointense on T2-weighted images, and hyperintense on T1-weighted images. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging showed that a thin hyperemic rim surrounded the central coagulative necrosis. In the subacute phase, ablated lesions also showed extensive coagulative necrosis and marked inflammation at microscopic examination. Beyond two weeks, the lesions showed gradual resorption of the necrotic area, with a peripheral fibrovascular rim. The size of lesions measured by MR imaging correlated well with the findings at gross pathologic examination. CONCLUSION: MR imaging effectively demonstrates the histopathological tissue change occurring after thermal ablation, and accurately determines the extent of the target area.
Animal ; *Catheter Ablation ; Liver/*pathology/*surgery ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Rabbits

BACKGROUND: Prostacyclin administered intravenously has demonstrated intermediate pulmonary specificity and its aerosol form has an even greater pulmonary selectivity. There have been few systematic analyses of the difference in response according to the route of administration and the dose of administration of prostacyclin. So we have compared prostacyclin infusion versus inhalation in various concentrations in an animal model. METHODS: Pulmonary hypertension was induced by continuous intravenous infusion of the vasoconstrictor U46619 and prostacyclin solutions of 10, 50, 100, 200 mcg/ml were inhaled using a jet nebulizer. Prostacyclin infusion was done at a rate of 100, 200, 400 ng/kg/min. RESULTS: With inhalation of 10, 50, 100, 200 mcg/ml prostacyclin, PVR fell to values of 85%, 76%, 64%, 55% of the preinhalation value and SVR fell to values of 94%, 80%, 76%, 64% of the preinhalation value, respectively (p<0.05). PVR/SVR ratios decreased significantly in all inhalation doses (p<0.05). With infusion of prostacyclin at a rate of 100, 200, 400 ng/kg/min, PVR fell to values of 73%, 60%, 50% of the preinfusion value and SVR fell to values of 68%, 54%, 38% of the preinfusion value, respectively (p<0.05). PVR/SVR ratios increased at an infusion rate of 400 ng/kg/min. CONCLUSION: Prostacyclin inhalation did not result in selective pulmonary vasodilation without causing any efects on the systemic vascular bed (absolute pulmonary selectivity). But it did cause more predominant vasodilation on the pulmonary vascular bed (relative pulmonary selectivity). By contrast, prostacyclin infusion caused more predominant vasodilation on the systemic vascular bed, creating the risk of severe systemic hypotension.
15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid ; Epoprostenol* ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Hypotension ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Inhalation ; Models, Animal ; Nebulizers and Vaporizers ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vasodilation