Hepatocytes, parenchymal cells of the liver, are specially differentiated cells to perform most of the body metabolisms. Many clinicians are interested in utilizing hepatocytes as cell therapeutics. A great number of investigators have been harvesting hepatocytes using two-step portal vein perfusion method, in which Ca2+-free EDTA-containing buffer and Ca2+-enriched collagenase solution are pumped into liver in sequence. Among various attempts for long-term culture of hepatocytes, collagen gel sandwich configuration is recognized to be the most effective technique. In the biomedical field, hepatocytes have been used in three methods of applications. First is hepatocyte transplantation for the treatment of acute, chronic liver failure and metabolic diseases. Donated livers not suitable for organ transplantation are rare, which is the major human hepatocyte source. This shortage of human hepatocyte source is expected to be resolved by virtue of rapid progressing stem cell technologies. The second application is biological components of bioartificial liver (BAL) system for acute liver failure patients. Due to the lack of functional activity of clinically studied BAL systems and difficulty of establishing a manufacturing system for ready-to-use, additional research activities are stagnated. The third utilization of hepatocytes is in vitro drug screening studies such as drug metabolism, transport, biliary excretion, and toxicity tests. If cell therapeutic treatments using hepatocytes are clinically valuable to some types of liver diseases, the demand for liver transplantation would be significantly diminished.
Collagen ; Collagenases ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; End Stage Liver Disease ; Hepatocytes* ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Liver Transplantation ; Liver, Artificial ; Metabolic Diseases ; Metabolism ; Organ Transplantation ; Perfusion ; Portal Vein ; Research Personnel ; Stem Cells ; Toxicity Tests ; Transplants ; Virtues

Sick sinus syndrome comprises a variety of conditions involving sinus node dysfunction and commonly affects elderly persons. Though sudden cardiac death accounts for as much as 15% of all cause mortality in uremia, requiring permanent cardiac pacing in end-stage renal disease hemodialysed patients are very few. Most cases of sick sinus syndrome are idiopathic, and the cause can be multifac- torial. A-V conducton defects were attributed to extensive metastatic calcifications, involving the cardiac skeleton, conservative to severe hyperparathyroidism and inadvertent use of calcitriol and calcium carbonate as phosphate binders. If optimal hemodialysis is provided, benefits of permanent pacing are equal in uremic or non uremic patients and pacemaker implantation should be instituted. We report a case of sick sinus syndrome derived in elderly patient on hemodialysis.
Aged* ; Calcitriol ; Calcium Carbonate ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Mortality ; Renal Dialysis* ; Sick Sinus Syndrome* ; Skeleton ; Uremia

Despite the progress in the treament of the subretinal neovascular membrane(SRNVM) by the development of laser photocoagulation, it has been reported difficult to manage with laser photocoagu1ation on which developed in high myopic eyes: first, their location in relation to the foveola is usually difficult to discriminate; second, subretinal neovascular m6mbrane developes very close to the foveola; third, the atrophic photocoagulation scar may extend to the foveola. The interferone alpha 2a has been known to suppress angiogenetic activity, and its application to subretinal neovascular membrane in high myopia has been suggested. The effect of interferon alpha 2a on neovascular membrane in high myopia was investigated by the authors. Subjects included 16 eyes with interferon treament and 12 eyes as control who had been followed for 3 months or longer. The median total dose in these patients was 75 X 10(6) units, given over a six- to eight-week period. In the interferon treament group, the activity of neovascular membrane decreased in 9 eyes(56%) and the visual acuity improved in 7 eyes(44%). In contrast, the control group showed a sustained activity of neovascular membrane and the visual acuity was improved in only one eye(6%). Therefore, interferon alpha 2a can be considered as an alternative method in the management of the some subretinal neovascualr membrane in high myopia which is resistant to the other treament.
Cicatrix ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Interferons* ; Light Coagulation ; Membranes* ; Myopia* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Visual Acuity

Despite the progress in the treament of the subretinal neovascular membrane(SRNVM) by the development of laser photocoagulation, it has been reported difficult to manage with laser photocoagu1ation on which developed in high myopic eyes: first, their location in relation to the foveola is usually difficult to discriminate; second, subretinal neovascular m6mbrane developes very close to the foveola; third, the atrophic photocoagulation scar may extend to the foveola. The interferone alpha 2a has been known to suppress angiogenetic activity, and its application to subretinal neovascular membrane in high myopia has been suggested. The effect of interferon alpha 2a on neovascular membrane in high myopia was investigated by the authors. Subjects included 16 eyes with interferon treament and 12 eyes as control who had been followed for 3 months or longer. The median total dose in these patients was 75 X 10(6) units, given over a six- to eight-week period. In the interferon treament group, the activity of neovascular membrane decreased in 9 eyes(56%) and the visual acuity improved in 7 eyes(44%). In contrast, the control group showed a sustained activity of neovascular membrane and the visual acuity was improved in only one eye(6%). Therefore, interferon alpha 2a can be considered as an alternative method in the management of the some subretinal neovascualr membrane in high myopia which is resistant to the other treament.
Cicatrix ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Interferons* ; Light Coagulation ; Membranes* ; Myopia* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Visual Acuity

Behcets disease is a chronic systemic disease of unknown etiology, which is characterized by the recurrent orogenital ulcers, eye involvement and skin manifestations. In addition to the major symptoms, it includes arthritis, vasculitis, neurologic manifestations and gastrointestinal lesions. We report a case of Behcets disease associated with intestinal ulcers. The patient, a 45-year-old female, who had been treated under the diagnosis of Behcets disease for 4 years, presented with swallowing difficulty, vaginal discharge and persistent right lower abdominal pain. Colonoscopic examination showed multiple ulcers on the ileocecal region which is reported as the most common site of gastrointestinal Behcets disease. Gastrointestinal evaluation can be useful in diagnosis of Behcets disease, especially in a patient with gastrointestinal symptoms.
Abdominal Pain ; Arthritis ; Deglutition ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Skin Manifestations ; Ulcer* ; Vaginal Discharge ; Vasculitis

BACKGROUND: The patients visiting the primary care complain of the various symptoms. This symptoms may induce the stress or the reverse. In fact the stress can influence the symptoms and signs. So this study was done for the correlation of the symptoms and signs with stress. METHODS: This study was done about the patients visiting the family medicine department of the one university hospital. We collected the all items that can find in the charts for examining the symptoms and signs, and did the requests pater the patients wrote by themselves. The stress test was Psychosocial well being index to be constructed from the General Health Questionnaire. We tested the study by t-test, anova, chi-square, linear logistic regression. RESULTS: The total study numbers were 351. The stress cut-off point was 63 score. The stress group was consisted of 15 males and 43 females. The meaningful symptoms were headache, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, insomnia, anxiety or depression. The meaningful diagnoses were anxiety or depression, tension headache(p<0.05). The meaningful sociodemographic factors were female, housewife or unemployed, menopause, monthly income below 200 ten thousands won. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the some symptoms and signs were statistically correlated with stress.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Dizziness ; Exercise Test ; Fatigue ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Menopause ; Primary Health Care ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVES: The second to fourth digit ratio (2D : 4D) is known to reflect testosterone level during intrauterine period. Testosterone is essential for masculinization of brain. Cloninger's type II alcoholism is characterized by early age at onset and largely limited to males. Compared with type I alcoholism, type II alcoholism is thought to be masculine. There is a possibility that the digit ratio of type II alcoholism is low compared with type I. We examined digit length ratio in Cloninger's type I and II alcoholism to understand the effects of intrauterine testosterone on the development of alcoholism. METHODS: The participants were 87 alcohol dependent patients. We divided two subtypes of patients by Irwin's symptom list, based on Cloninger's concept. We captured the images of both palms by the scanner and measured the lengths of digits by the graphic program. Then we analyzed the digit ratios by independent-sample t-test. RESULTS: The mean 2D : 4D of type I was 0.942 (right), 0.952 (left). The mean 2D : 4D of type II was 0.927 (right), 0.940 (left). In both hands, 2D : 4D of type II was significantly lower than type I. CONCLUSIONS: Type II alcoholism showed masculine type of digit length ratio compared with type I. It suggests the exposure of testosterone during intrauterine period might play an important role in determining the course and feature of alcoholism.
Alcoholism ; Brain ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Testosterone

During the early stage of postherpetic neuralgia, an epidural block on the affected segment is helpful in controlling pain and preventing progression to a chronic state. The main neurologic complication following an epidural block is cord compression symptom due to an epidural hematoma. When neurologic complications arise from an epidural block for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, it is important to determine whether the complications are due to the procedure or due to the herpes zoster itself. We report a case of a patient who was diagnosed with herpes zoster myelitis during treatment for postherpetic neuralgia. The patient complained of motor weakness in the lower extremities after receiving a thoracic epidural block six times. Although initially, we believed that the complications were due to the epidural block, it was ultimately determined to be from the herpes zoster myelitis.
Hematoma ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Myelitis ; Neuralgia ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; Urinary Retention