No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: The Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with human TSH receptor cDNA (hTSHR-CHO), expressing functional human TSH receptors, are known to be more sensitive in detection of thyroid stimulating antibodies than FRTL-5 cells. There has been no report on the usefulness of these cells to measure thyroid stimulation blocking antibody (TSBAb) activity which is frequently found in patients with primary myxedema, METHODS: We established the optimal assay condition of measurement of TSBAb using hTSHR-CHO cells, and simultaneously measured TSBAb activities with FRTL-5 cells and with hTSHR-CHO cells in 49 patients with primary myxedema, compared them with their thyrotropin binding inhibitor immunoglobulin (TBII) activities. RESULTS: 1) hTSHR-CHO cells specifically bound bTSH and were stimulated by bTSH in terms of cyclic AMP generation in a dose dependent manner. 2) Myxedema IgG suppressed TSH-stimulated cAMP production of hTSHR-CHO cells in a dose dependent manner reaching plateau at the concentration of I g/L. Normal pooled IgG has no suppressive action at the concentration of less than 1 g/L, but caused significant suppression at the concentration of greater than 1g/L. 3) TSBAb activities measured by hTSHR-CHO cells in 49 patients with primary myxedema were as follows: Four of 25 TBII-negative cases (16%) and 22 of 24 TBII-positive cases (92%) had TSBAb activities. Most of TSBAb positive patients (95%), especially in TBII positive cases, showed very high activities of more than 90%. 4) TSBAb activities measured by hTSHR-CHO cells and those by FRTL-5 cells were both positive in 24 patients (49%), both negative in 18 patients (37%), and were discrepant in 7 patients (14%). The TSBAb activities measured with hTSHR-CHO cells and those measured with FRTL-5 cells were significantly correlated (r=0.71, p< 0.01). 5) Forty five percent of patients with primary myxedema had all of 3 kinds of activities (TBII, hTSHR-CHO cell TSBAb, FRTL-5 cell TSBAb), 37% of them had none of 3 activities and 18% of them had 1 or 2 kinds of activities only. CONCLUSION: The usefulness of hTSHR-CHO cells in measurements of TSBAb activities were confirmed. The TSBAb activities of most patients with primary myxedema measured by hTSHR-CHO cells were concordant with those measured by FRTL-5 cells. However, a small subset of patients (18%) had discrepant results in assays of TSH receptor antibodies according to the differences in TSH receptors (rat, human and porcine) used in assay. Such discrepancy may be explained by heterogeneity in epitopes for blocking TSH receptor antibodies.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus* ; Cyclic AMP ; DNA, Complementary ; Epitopes ; Female ; Humans ; Humans* ; Hypothyroidism* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating ; Myxedema ; Ovary* ; Population Characteristics ; Receptors, Thyrotropin* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyrotropin

We are calling the erupting ground water as drug water or mineral water in Korea and thinking those water and food making water. Authors tried to investigate the evidence of contamination by user on the 10 erupting ground water and gained following results: 1. All of the mineral waters on 10 area in Seoul were unfittable to drinking water standard. 2. In the view of the bacteriology 80% were contaminated by coliform group. 3. The highest value of the free carbon dioxide contents were 652.96 ppm at Sam Sun Mineral Water.
Bacteriology ; Carbon Dioxide ; Drinking Water ; Groundwater ; Korea ; Mineral Waters* ; Seoul* ; Solar System ; Thinking ; Water

No abstract available.
Estrogen Replacement Therapy* ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Gonadotropins* ; Humans ; Ovariectomy*

Endometriosis is defined as the presence of endometrial tissue(gland and stroma) outside the uterus. The incidence of scar endometriosis is quite rare, and must differentiate with cellulitis and abscess. We have experienced one case of perineal endometriosis and one case of abdominal wall endometriosis at the site of postoperative wound scar. The possible pathogenesis of endometriosis and treatment were discussed.
Abdominal Wall ; Abscess ; Cellulitis ; Cicatrix* ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Incidence ; Uterus ; Wounds and Injuries

Hughes-Stovin syndrome is an extremely rare entity. We present a case of a 42-year-old man, who developed deep vein and inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis, repeated internal bleeding and pulmonary artery aneurysms (PAAs). The patient presented with massive hemoptysis and with PAAs of a 2.5 cm maximum diameter. We describe the successful percutaneous transhepatic venous embolization of the PAAs due to occluded common vascular pathways to the pulmonary artery.
Adult ; Aneurysm* ; Hemoptysis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Thrombosis ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Inferior

PURPOSE: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are a heterogenous group of mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. This study was performed to determine the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of GIST. METHODS: We studied 24 cases of GIST collected over a 9 year period. This retrospective review analyzed the clinical presentation, pathologic examination, and long-term follow-up of patients with GIST. The clinicopathological features were evaluated to identify the predictors of survival. RESULTS: The most common clinical presentation was pain or discomfort (37.5%). GISTs were found to be typically present in older individuals and be most common in the stomach (41.7%). All patients underwent surgical resection with curative intent. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 110 months. Recurrence occurred in 11 (45.8%) of 24 patients. According to multivariate analysis, survival was inversely correlated with size (P=0.032) and the number of mitoses (P=0.030). Patients younger than 50 had an independent value for prognostic prediction (P=0.058). CONCLUSION: Tumor size, mitotic index and patient's age can be used as prognostic factors for GIST according to the results of our study. But, better pathological and immunohistochemical methods are still required to improve GIST prognosis.
Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Mitosis ; Mitotic Index ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach

No abstract available.
Hair ; Survival Rate ; Transplants

Clinical study was carried out on the 64 hemodialysis patients(HD) with chronic renal failure who had been treated from December 1992 to July 1993 in Yeungnam University Hospital. The following results were obitained. In hematologic parameters, MCH was 28.8±2.0pg, and MCV was 92.4±4.7fl. Result revealed normochromic and normocytic anemia. Mean values of serum ferritin were 657.4±292.0ng/ml in men and 511.5±370g in women. Mean values of serum iron were 145.5±63.7µg/dl. Mean values of transferrin saturation was 61.6±28.4%. Serum frerritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation were higher in HD group than normal reference. In erythropoeitin treatment group, Hb and Hct were significantly higher than non-erythropoietin treatment group. Amount of transfusion was significantly higher in non-erythropoietin treatment group than erythropoeitin treatment group(p<0.05). Values of iron, transferrin saturation were significantly higher in abnormal liver function test(LFT0 hemodialysis group than normal LFT group(p<0.05). Transfusion amounts revealed positive correlation with ferritin(r=0.4675), transferrin satruation (r=0.3823) and iron(r=0.3386) (p<0.05).
Anemia* ; Clinical Study ; Erythropoietin* ; Female ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Iron ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Liver ; Male ; Renal Dialysis ; Transferrin

Five cases of histologically proven polymorphic reticulosis were examined with computed tomography(CT). CT findings were mucosal thickening along the septal and lateral walls of the nasal cavities(n=4), obliteration of the contour of the nasopharynx(n=4), involvement of the paranasal sinuses (n=2), destruction of the nasal septum and/or sinus walls(n=3) and mass in the palate, tonsil or neck (n=1). CT examination was helpful in determining the extent of the disease in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. However, lesions in the palate and tonsils could not be easily evaluated with CT. CT findings of polymorphic reticulosis are nonspecific and granulomatous diseases may show similar CT findings.
Granuloma, Lethal Midline* ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Septum ; Neck ; Palate ; Palatine Tonsil ; Paranasal Sinuses