No abstract available.
Gastric Stump*

OBJECTIVE: The conventional methods to determine fetal genetic status, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villi sampling(CVS) have small procedure-related risk of abortion. Recently, several researchers reported that fetal genetic status, such as sex, can be confirmed by fetal nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood and this method might reduce such risk. Therefore, in this study, we attempted to determine the basic fetal genetic status, sex, with fetal nucleated erythrocytes. METHODS: In twelve pregnant women who undertook amniocentesis or CVS, 20 ml of venous blood was drawn immediately before the procedure and the nucleated erythrocytes were recovered by magnetic activated cell sorting(MACS). After MACS, DNA was extracted from 200 microliter of sample and single nucleated erythrocyte was obtained by additional procedure, immunostaining, and microdissection. After recovery of nucleated erythrocytes by microdissection, nested polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and fluorescent PCR of amelogenin gene were performed to identify the fetal gender. RESULTS: The DNA of enriched erythrocytes after MACS could identify the fetal gender in the 58.3% of the samples by nested PCR. After the recovery of single nucleated erythrocyte by MACS, immunostaining and microdissection, the minute DNA in a single cell could be amplified by primer extension preamplification(PEP), nested PCR, and fluorescent PCR. Fetal genders were correctly identified in 8 out of 12 (66.7 %). CONCLUSION: Through this study, we could conclude that fetal nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood might be sufficient sample to determine fetal sex. And single cell isolation by microdissection could get the better results than nested PCR after MACS only. However, in spite of the pregnancy of male fetus, female specific bands were obtained after nested PCR of amelogenin in several cells, which might suggest that part of nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood might be maternal origin. Therefore, to determine fetal genetic condition by nucleated erythrocytes in maternal blood, further improvements of methods to identify the nucleated erythrocytes of fetal origin are needed.
Amelogenin ; Amniocentesis ; Cell Separation ; Chorionic Villi ; Diagnosis* ; DNA ; Erythroblasts* ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Male ; Microdissection ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women

The elbow is the most frequent area of complaint in children and adolescent baseball players. The physical stresses associated with repetitive throwing create extra-ordinary forces, which may affect the normal osteochondral and soft tissue developmental process and are the important factors causing the decrease of competitive power and shortening of life as a baseball player in adolescents. We surveyed the 114 baseball players of middle & high school in Taegu in order to evaluate the prevalance of symptoms and radiologic findings of the elbow and correlation of these findings to career & position of the baseball game. The results were as follows. 1. Of 114 players, 83 were non-pitchers and 31 were pitchers. The mean career was 3.8 years (7 months to 6 years). 2. The 77 players (67.7%) had the pain on their elbow during or after daily exercise. Other clinical symptoms were locking (30.7%), limitation of motion (18.4%), swelling (16.6%) and clicks on motion (10.5%). 3. On the radiogram of the elbow, hypertrophy or separation of medial epicondyle were seen in 34% of players, loose bodies in 17%, hypertrophy of the humerus in 12% and cystic change of the capitellum in 11%. 4. The mean career of symptomatic players was 4.4 years but non-symptomatics was 2.7 years. The mean career of players who had abnormal radiologic findings was 5.1 years but 3.1 years in players who had no abnormal radiologic fingings. 5. Symptoms and pathologic changes were more common in the elbow of pitcher' s group due to throwing frequency & pitching style. 6. Among the 77 players who had any kinds of problem of the elbow, 49 players of them had no experience of visiting hospital. 7. To prevent these injuries of the elbow, the following recommendations were made. First, restrict the number of innings pitched per game. Second, avoid throwing the curve ball in this age group. Third, ensue an adequate warm up period before exercise or rest after games. Fourth, inform parents and coaches of possible harmful nature of excessive throwing.
Adolescent* ; Baseball* ; Child ; Daegu ; Elbow* ; Humans ; Humerus ; Hypertrophy ; Parents

BACKGROUND: It is now thought that the earliest manifestation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is alveolitis, that is, an accumulation of inflammatory and immune effector cells within alveolar walls and spaces. Inflammatory cells including alveolar macrophages and resident normal pulmonary tissue cells participate through the release of many variable mediators such as inflammatory growth factors and cytokines, which contribute to tissue damage and finally cause chronic pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. This study was performed to investigate the source and distribution pattern of transforming growth factor-beta1(TGF-beta1), platelet derived growth factor(PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF), interleukin 1(IL-1), interleukin 6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) and the role of these mediators on bleomycin(BLM)-induced pulmonary injury and fibrosis in rats. METHOD: Wistar rats were divided into three groups(control group, BML treated group, BML and vitamine E treated group). Animals were sacrifices periodically at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28 days after saline or BLM administration. The effects were compared to the results of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis, light microscopic findings, immunohistochemical stains for six defferent mediators(TGF-beta1, PDGF, bFGF, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) and mRNA in situ hybridization for TGF-beta1. RESULTS: IL-1 and IL-6 are maximally expressed at postbleomycin 1~7th day which are mainly produced by neutrophils and bronchiolar epithelium. It is thought that they induce recruitment of inflammatory cells at the injury site. The expression of IL-1 and IL-6 at the bronchiolar epithelium within 7th day is an indirect evidence of contribution of bronchiolar epithelial cells to promote and maintain the inflammatory and immune responses adjacent to the airways. TNF-alpha is mainly produced by neutrophils and bronchiolar epithelial cells during 1~5th day, alveolar macrophages during 7~28th day. At the earlier period, TNF-alpha causes recruitment of inflammatory cells at the injury site and later stimulates pulmonary fibrosis. The main secreting cells of TGF-beta1 are alveolar macrophages and bronchiolar epithelium and the target is pulmonary fibroblasts and extracellular matrix. TGF-beta1 and PDGF stimulate proliferation of pulmonary fibroblasts and TGF-beta1 and bFGF incite the fibroblasts to produce extracellular matrix. The vitamine E and BLM treated group shows few positive cells(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: After endothelial and epithelial injury, the neutrophils and bronchiolar epithelium secrete IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha which induce infiltration of many neutrophils. It is thought that variable enzymes and O2 radicals released by these neutrophils cause destruction of normal lung architecture and progression of pulmonary fibrosis. At the 7~28th day, TGF-beta1, PDGF, bFGF, TNF-alpha secreted by alveolar macrophages sting pulmonary fibroblasts into proliferating with increased production of extracellular matrix and finally, they make progression of pulmonary fibrosis. TNF-alpha compares quite important with TGF-beta1 to cause pulmonary fibrosis. Vitamine E seems to decrease the extent of BLM induced pulmonary fibrosis.
Animals ; Bites and Stings ; Bleomycin* ; Blood Platelets ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Coloring Agents ; Cytokines* ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; In Situ Hybridization ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Lung ; Lung Injury ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Necrosis ; Neutrophils ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Fibrosis* ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; RNA, Messenger ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Kidney* ; Renal Artery*

OBJECTIVE: Closure of a low transverse cesarean incision with one layer and two layer, we compared operative time, hemostasis, blood loss and postoperative sonohysteroperitoneographic findings. Study design: At our hospital 103 women were randomized to closure of a low transverse cesarean incision with either one continuous layer of a locking No. 1 chromic suture or two continuous of No. 1 chromic suture with the first layer locked between Mar. 1, 1998 and Dec. 31, 1998. After three months later, sonhysteroperitoneography was taken and then we evaluated uterus indirectly. RESULTS: A one layer closure required less operative time, 16 versus 20.8 minutes (p<0.01), less hemoglobin change, 0.44 versus 1.3 (p<0.01) and less suture materials (p<0.01). But postoperative follow up sonohysteroperitoneography, a one layer closure shows slightly thinning of isthmic layer of myometrium, two layer closure shows more adhesional band and both are similar other findings. CONCLUSION: A one layer does not significantly affect the clinical course than traditional two layer closure. So we recommended a one layer closure when its use is anatomically feasible.
Animals ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Mice ; Myometrium ; Operative Time ; Sutures ; Uterus

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cattle* ; Yersinia enterocolitica* ; Yersinia*

Strumal carcinoid of the ovary is a rare turkor characterized by an intimate mixture of thyroid follicles and carcinoid. Herein is reported an ovarian strumal carcinoid in a serous cystadenoma from a 27-year-old pregnant woman. The thyroid follicular epithelial cells had immunohistochemically thyroglobulin and carcinoid tumor cells contained neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin and carcinoembryonic antigen. In addition, carcinoid cells showed neuroendocrine granules ultrastructurally. Calcitonin and amyloid were not found. This tumor may be originated from pluripotent endodermal germ cells on the basis of morphologic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans

This experiment was focused on the characterization of anti-Toxoplasma monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and the effect of mAbs on the parasite invasion of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Twenty eight mAbs including M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 were characterized by Ab titer, immunoglobulin isotyping and western blot pattern. Antibody titer (optical density) of 4 mAbs, M110, M556, R7A6 and M621, were 0.53, 0.67, 0.45 and 0.39 (normal mouse serum; 0.19) with the same IgG1 isotypes shown by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blot analysis showed that M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 reacted with the 33 kDa (p30), 31 kDa (p28), 43 kDa and 36 kDa protein. Immunogold labelling of mAbs M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 reacted with the surface membrane, dense granules and parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM), rhoptries and cytoplasm of tachyzoite, respectively. For in vitro assay, preincubation of tachyzoites with four mAbs, M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 resulted in the decrease of the number of infected macrophages (P < 0.05) and the suppression of parasite multiplication at 18 h post-infection. Four monoclonal antibodies including M110 (SAG1) were found to have an important role in the inhibition of macrophage invasion and T. gondii multiplication in vitro, and these mAbs may be suitable for vaccine candidates, diagnostic kit and for chemotherapy.
Animals ; *Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology ; *Antibodies, Protozoan/pharmacology ; Antigens, Protozoan/*analysis/immunology ; Cells, Cultured ; Depression, Chemical ; Macrophages, Peritoneal/parasitology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Toxoplasma/growth & development/*immunology

Virus associated hemophagocytic syndrome, class ll histiocytoses, characterized by high fever, severe constitutional symptoms, abnormal liver function and coagulation, perigheral blood pancytopenia and histiocytic hyperplasis with prominent hemophagocytosis in bone marrow and lymph nodes has been reported and associated with active viral infection. It is non-malignant and reversible. It must be differentiated from histiocytic medullary reticulosis because of the inappopriateness of immunosuppressive of cytotozic therapy which is the therapeutic method for HMR, but is contraindicated in the treatment of VAHS. This paper describes two patients whose clinicopathology was compatible with the diagnosis of virus associated hemophagocytic syndrome.
Bone Marrow ; Diagnosis ; Fever ; Histiocytosis ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic* ; Pancytopenia