No abstract available.
Tetanus*

Each three rabbit corneas were stored in McCarey-Kaufman medium at 4 degrees C for 5, 9 and 14 days and used as donor materials in 6mm partial penetrating corneal allografts. These results were compared to that group of penetrating keratoplasties with corneas stored conventional moist chamber at 4 degrees C for 5 days. All the M-K media stored corneas for 5 and 9 days were in clear graft after keratoplasty during the observation period of 6 months but the corneas stored for 14 days were developed eventvally irreversilde opaque after grafts. At 6 months after keratoplasties allthe rabbits eyes were enucleated and sectioned for histopathologic study of endothelia with the light and electron microscopes. Endothelia of the corneas stored for 5 and 9 days showed rarely endothelial degenerative changes. But the corneas stored up to 14 days showed significant changes including of disappearanee of most endothelial membranes and cytoplasms in light microscopies and swelling of nucleus, dispersed chromatin clump, multiple small and large vacuoles in cytoplasm and occasional autolysis of cytoplasm were observed in electron microscopies.
Allografts* ; Autolysis ; Chromatin ; Cornea* ; Corneal Transplantation ; Cytoplasm ; Humans ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating ; Membranes ; Microscopy ; Rabbits ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants ; Vacuoles

A 40-year-old man attended our hospital with presenting symptoms of an acutely swollen, tender testicle and bulging mass on the inguinal area. Considered it as urgent conditions no demonstrating blood flow to the involved testicle on Color Doppler ultrasonography, we underwent scrotal exploration right away. On operative finding the right testis was so enlarged and engorged secondarily to the irreversible ischemic damage, but torsion of spermatic cord was not found. Another inguinal approach revealed herniated mass protruding from internal inguinal ring and compressing the spermatic cord. For further evaluation abdominal ultrasonography and CT scan was done and huge mass occupying right lower quadrant of abdomen and pelvic cavity was noted. The resected tumor through surgical exploration was proved to be a retroperitoneal liposarcoma pathologically. Herein we report an uncommon case of testicular infarct, mimicking torsion of spermatic cord that is a urological emergency, caused by herniated retroperitoneal mass. So the present report suggest that, when adult men attend with symptoms of acutely swollen painful testicle, we pay a more careful attention to patient,s physical findings and recommend further diagnostic evaluation.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Inguinal Canal* ; Liposarcoma* ; Male ; Spermatic Cord ; Testis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color

Objectives: Endoscopic variceal ligation is well established metbod of treatment for esophageal varices whereas for gastric varices there has not been any systematic report of its use as a method of treatment. To evaluated its possible clinical application, the band ligation(banding) and the method of band ligation in conjuction with submucosal ethanolamine injection(banding with sclero) were tested on canine stomach, and results were assessed.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Ethanolamine ; Ligation* ; Rubber* ; Stomach

Accelerated acute rejection(AAR) is a rare condition and has a poor prognosis in graft survival following renal transplantation. To elucidate its characteristics, we analysed 14 cases(5.0%) of AAR among 279 renal transplantation. AAR is defined as a condition in which immediate postoperative urine output is good followed by decreased urine output and increase of serum creatinine level within 7 days after transplantation. The incidence of AAR was more prevalent in cadaveric donors than living donors. One year graft survival was inferior in AAR, namely 8 out 14 cases(57%), than that of the patients without AAR(95.1%). Among the factors affecting graft survival in AAR, age and sex of both donor and recipient, donor condition such as living or cadaveric donor, and preoperative HLA matching had no relevance to a graft survival. Time of onset of AAR has no effect on graft survival either. Postoperative donor lymphocytotoxic test showed positive result in one out of 3 patient despite of all negative findings in the preoperative crossmatching test. Histologic finding such as vasculitis on renal biopsy was related to graft survival. Response of treatment was 55% in initial solumedrol pulse therapy and 20% in secondary OKT3 treatment, with an overall effect of 57%. Rerejection developed in 4 out of 8 cases of graft survival group while all cases showed a good function at post operative two years. Graft survival following AAR remains low and AAR is one of the main cause of graft loss following renal transplantation. To illustrate its characteristics, more clinical analysis are required.
Allografts* ; Biopsy ; Cadaver ; Creatinine ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Transplantation ; Living Donors ; Methylprednisolone Hemisuccinate ; Muromonab-CD3 ; Prognosis ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants ; Vasculitis

No abstract available.
Antibodies, Anticardiolipin* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy*

Clinical findings, electrocardiographic voltage and left ventricular function were evaluated in 104 patients with percardial effusion. Patients were classified into three groups by the amounts of pericardial effusion measured by two-dimensional echocardiography. 49 patients had small pericardial effusion, 31 moderate effusion and 24 large effusion. In 47 patients the effusions were clinically unsuspected prior to echocardiographic examination. Pericardial friction rub was noted in 14 patients, two-thirds of whom had moderate to large effusions. There was no relationship between the size of effusion and the presence of friction rub. Total QRS amplitudes were lower in patients with moderate to large effusions than those in control group. Maximum diastolic endocardial velocity(DEVM) and E-F slope of the anterior mitral leaflet were decreased significantly in patients with moderate to large effusions as compared with those with small effusions. As a result, authors concluded that reduction in the QRS voltages in serial ECGs may suggest the presence and the amount of pericardial effusion and also DEVM and E-F slope of the anterior mitral leaflet can be sensitive measures of left ventricular relaxation in patients with pericardial effusion.
Echocardiography* ; Electrocardiography* ; Friction ; Humans ; Pericardial Effusion* ; Relaxation ; Ventricular Function, Left*

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and reproductive, life style characteristics in postmenopausal women with and without rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: A total of 360 women, 120 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 240 age matched healthy women were randomly selected from the health care center. Subjects were labeled as rheumatoid arthritis and normal menopausal women. Each group was compared for their HRT status, life style and reproductive characteristics. RESULTS: There were significantly less HRT received subjects in RA group (50.0% vs 76.1%, respectively, OR=0.30, p<0.05). More frequently alcohol consumed in RA group (26.7% vs 11.7%, respectively, p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the history of hysterectomy and smoking as well as body mass index (BMI) between the two groups. Women with serum follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) over 40 IU/L were more frequently observed in RA group (70.0% vs 57.5%, respectively, OR=1.75, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased FSH and history of alcohol drinking were more frequently observed in patients with RA, whereas history of HRT was lower in RA group comparing to that of the control. A prospective study should be designed to confirim the protective effect of HRT and reproductive characteristics on postmenopausal RA patients.
Alcohol Drinking ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Body Mass Index ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Life Style* ; Postmenopause ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: It is known that in animal experiments, a very small transplanted kidney relative to the recipient's size caused renal failure by a hyperfiltration injury on the nephron. Currently, studies of post-transplant renal function related to the allograft size are in process at many centers, checking the weight and the volume of the transplanted kidney. The results, however, need to be analyzed because of the diverse outcomes from different analytic points. The proper discriminating point should provide sound predictable factors for obtaining better recipient and graft survival. METHODS: We analyzed the results of renal function according to the different comparative points of the ratios of the kidney weight to the recipient's body weight (KW/BW) and of the kidney volume to the recipient's body surface area (KV/BSA). Among 243 patients who underwent a renal transplant between December 1995 and July 1997, 71 cases were excluded because of early graft loss, acute rejection and incomplete data. The remaining 172 patients were grouped into two groups above and below the various comparative points of the KW/BW and KV/BSA. Thereafter, serum Cr and 24-hr urine protein at 1-yr and 2-yr post- transplantation were compared between the groups. Also we analyzed the correlation between the renal size index (KW/BW, KV/BSA) and the serum Cr, the 24-hr urine protein, and the creatinine clearance at one and two years. RESULTS: From 2.5 to 2.9 of KW/BW, there were relatively consistent results; the transplanted kidneys which had more larger sizes excreted less protein in the 24-hr urine at one year (p<0.05). However, there was no difference in serum Cr level at 1- and 2-yr post-transplantation or in the 24-hr urine protein at 2 yr. Also there were correlations between the KW/BW and the 24-hrurine protein at 1 yr and between the KV/BSA and serum Cr at 1 yr (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the KW/BW, rather than the KV/BSA, was more predictable for post-transplant renal function such as urinary protein excretion, especially at 1 yr. The comparative point, however, should be deliberately adopted by using different multiple point. Also a method of measuring the functional size of the kidney, other than the simple geometric size, needs to be found.
Allografts ; Animal Experimentation ; Body Surface Area* ; Body Weight* ; Creatinine ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Kidney* ; Nephrons ; Renal Insufficiency ; Transplants

Chios gum mastic (CGM) is produced from Pistiacia lentiscus L var chia, which grows only on Chios Island in Greece. CGM is a kind of resin extracted from the stem and leaves, has been used for many centuries in many Mediterranean countries as a dietary supplement and folk medicine for stomach and duodenal ulcers. CGM is known to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in some cancer cells. This study was undertaken to investigate the alteration of the cell cycle and induction of apoptosis following CGM treatment of HL-60 cells. The viability of the HL-60 cells was assessed using the MTT assay. Hoechst staining and DNA electrophoresis were employed to detect HL-60 cells undergoing apoptosis. Western blotting, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, FACScan flow cytometry, MMP activity and proteasome activity analyses were also employed. CGM treatment of HL-60 cells was found to result in a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability and apoptotic cell death. Tested HL-60 cells showed a variety of apoptotic manifestations and induced the downregulation of G1 cell cycle-related proteins. Taken collectively, our present findings demonstrate that CGM strongly induces G1 cell cycle arrest via the modulation of cell cycle-related proteins, and also apoptosis via proteasome, mitochondrial and caspase cascades in HL-60 cells. Hence, we provide evidence that a natural product, CGM could be considered as a novel therapeutic for human leukemia.
Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Dietary Supplements ; DNA ; Down-Regulation ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Electrophoresis ; Flow Cytometry ; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Gingiva ; Greece ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukemia ; Medicine, Traditional ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex ; Proteins ; Resins, Plant ; Stomach