No abstract available.
Humans ; Male ; Nursing* ; Urinary Incontinence*

PURPOSE: To investigate the caspase-3 expression in the acinar and ductal cells of rat submandibular glands after the irradiation of various doses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing approximately 250 gm were used for this study. The experimental group was irradiated with a single absorbed dose of 2, 5, 10, and 15 Gy on the head and neck region. The rats were sacrificed on the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th day after irradiation. The specimens including the submandibular gland were sectioned and observed using histopathological and immunohistochemical methods. RESULTS: The local destruction of the acinar and ductal cells and the karyopyknotic nuclei of the acinar cells were observed in the 2 Gy and 5 Gy irradiation groups later than in the 10 Gy and 15 Gy irradiation groups. And the expression of caspase-3 was prominent only in the ductal cells in the 2 Gy and 5 Gy irradiation groups. CONCLUSION: This experiment suggests that radiation-induced apoptosis in the ductal cells of rat submandibular glands was induced by a low dose radiation associated with the activation of caspase-3 and radiation-induced necrosis was induced by a high dose radiation.
Acinar Cells ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Caspase 3* ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Neck ; Necrosis ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Submandibular Gland*

OBJECTIVES: The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale designed to measure the subjective experience of stigma with sub-scales measuring Alienation, Stereotype Endorsement, Perceived Discrimination, Stigma Resistance, and Social withdrawal. The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of ISMI. METHODS: The subjects were 194 schizophrenic patients and 205 peoples with depressive disorder. K-ISMI, CES-D (The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) and Self Esteem scale were performed. RESULTS: Results showed that the ISMI had high internal consistence and split-half reliabilities. The internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach alpha) of each subscale ranged from .83 to .93. The validity of the ISMI was investigated by principal axis factoring analysis, yielding 5 factors of alienation, perceived discrimination, negative stereotype, stigma resistance, devaluation and social withdrawal. 5 subscales explained 60.67% of total variance. Concurrent validity was supported by comparisons against scales measuring related constructs. As expected, the ISMI had positive correlations with CES-D, and it had negative correlation with self-esteem scale. Subsidiary analysis showed that schizophrenic patients showed higher internalized stigma than depressed patients. CONCLUSION: Overall, the findings support the utility of ISMI as a tool to evaluate internalized stigma of persons with mental illness. Interventions that can lessen internalized stigma may well hasten the recovery process in individuals with mental illness.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Self Concept ; Weights and Measures

Only a few case studies describe reversible parkinsonism after organophosphate poisoning and their brain imagings are found to be normal. However, we experienced chronic, irreversible parkinsonism by acute organophosphate poisoning with bilateral basal ganglia lesions found on a brain MRI. We suggest that brief, large amounts of organophosphate intoxication can produce irreversible parkinsonism according to individual susceptibility and further studies including the investigation of insecticides as an environmental factor of parkinsonism should be done using neuroimagings.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Insecticides ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurotoxins ; Organophosphate Poisoning ; Organophosphates ; Parkinsonian Disorders*

No abstract available.
Hematoma* ; Liver* ; Snake Bites* ; Snakes*

Objective: To investigate whether the ethanol extract of Chondracanthus tenellus (Harvey) Hommersand, a type of red algae, could exhibit anti-inflammatory potential in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophages. Methods: The ethanol extract of Chondracanthus tenellus was applied to 100 ng/mL LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, and cell viability, phagocytic ability, levels of pro-inflammatory factors, and the production of reactive oxygen species were measured. To identify the underlying mechanism of the ethanol extract of Chondracanthus tenellus, the expression of inflammation-regulated genes was estimated. Results: The ethanol extract of Chondracanthus tenellus had no cytotoxic effect at concentrations below 300 μg/mL, and reduced the LPS-induced production of inflammatory mediators including nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E 2. Furthermore, the extract markedly suppressed the expression of inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, as well as the production of reactive oxygen species. The LPS-induced up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines was attenuated by treatment with the ethanol extract of Chondracanthus tenellus, reducing their extracellular secretion. The Chondracanthus tenellus extract also inhibited LPS-mediated activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In addition, the phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt was markedly increased by LPS, which was significantly abolished by the Chondracanthus tenellus extract. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the ethanol extract of Chondracanthus tenellus exhibited potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects through downregulating the NF-κB, MAPKs, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages.

Objective: To investigate whether ethanol extracts of Chondracanthus tenellus (EECT) could improve immunomodulatory property of murine monocyte/macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. Methods: Cell viability, phagocytic ability, and nitric oxide were measured. The levels of prostaglandin E

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of In-utero fetal shunt operations at Asan Medical Center. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 33 occasions in 28 pregnancies that underwent intrauterine shunt operations between December, 1998 and April, 2004. Fetal shunt operations were considered for cases of hydrothorax (N=10), congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation type I (CCAM Type I)(N=5), lower urinary tract obstruction (N=6), severe hydronephrosis (N=7) and severe fetal ascites (N=5). Selection criteria of fetus for the shunt operation required normal karyotype and negative infection. Basket-shaped catheter was used for the procedure. Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-Square test were used for statistical analysis. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In CCAM Type I, the mean gestational age was 25.6+/-4.0 weeks at diagnosis, 26.0+/-4.4 weeks at shunt operation and 36.6+/-3.9 weeks at delivery. Perinatal survival rate was 66.7% (2/3). In hydrothorax, the mean gestational age was 26.7+/-3.3 weeks at diagnosis, 27.3+/-3.3 weeks at shunt operation and 34.9+/-3.0 weeks at delivery. Perinatal survival rate was 80.0% (4/5). In lower urinary tract obstruction, the mean gestational age was 18.5+/-3.7 weeks at diagnosis, 19.6+/-3.5 weeks at shunt operation and 34.5+/-2.9 weeks at delivery. Perinatal survival rate was 80.0% (2/3). In hydronephrosis, the mean gestational age was 25.3+/-5.3 weeks at diagnosis, 27.4+/-5.3 weeks at shunt operation and 36.9+/-2.2 weeks at delivery. Perinatal survival rate was 83.3% (5/6). In ascites, the mean gestational age was 29.6+/-3.9 weeks at diagnosis, 29.9+/-3.8 weeks at shunt operation and 34.1+/-3.0 weeks at delivery. Perinatal survival rate was 100.0% (5/5). Complications occurred in 48.5% (16/33) of the cases. The most common complication was shunt dislodgement (N=7). CONCLUSION: In-utero fetal shunt operation should be considered as a treatment option for hydrothorax, CCAM type I, lower urinary tract obstruction, severe hydronephrosis and severe ascites with a significant risk for pulmonary hypoplasia.
Ascites ; Catheters* ; Chungcheongnam-do* ; Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation of Lung, Congenital ; Diagnosis ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Hydronephrosis ; Hydrothorax ; Karyotype ; Medical Records ; Patient Selection ; Pregnancy ; Survival Rate ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor is a rare cause of secondary hypertension. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a clinicopathological entity associated with renal insufficiency and proteinuria. The exact diagnosis and proper management are important in both juxtaglomerular cell tumor and FSGS. We experienced a 26-year-old male who complained of a palpable abdomen mass associated with proteinuria and hypertension. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with a juxtaglomerular cell tumor combined with FSGS after nephrectomy. After operation, his hypertension normalized, while his renal function deteriorated.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Juxtaglomerular Apparatus ; Male ; Nephrectomy ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency

With widespread use of imaging techniques, the discovery of adrenal incidentalomas is increasing recently. Benign tumors are more frequent than malignant tumors in adrenal incidentalomas. Among malignant adrenal incidentalomas, metastatic neoplasms are the most common etiology. Traditional techniques to obtain tissue of adrenal gland include percutaneous approach under computed tomography or abdominal ultrasound guidance as well as open or laparoscopic adrenalectomies. They are invasive and associated with considerable complications such as pneumothorax, pancreatitis, adrenal abscesses, bacteremia, needle-tract metastases, and hemorrhage. Currently, endo scopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) is increasingly used to obtain tissue for diagnosis if the lesion is located in close proximity to the gut lumen. Compared with the traditional percutaneous techniques of tissue acquisition, EUS-FNA has many advantages including less invasiveness and lower complication rate. Here, we report a case of metastatic non-small cell carcinoma of left adrenal gland diagnosed by EUS-FNA with a review of literature.
Abscess ; Adrenal Glands ; Adrenalectomy ; Bacteremia ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration ; Endosonography ; Hemorrhage ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreatitis ; Pneumothorax