OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of chronic deprivation of estradiol on the serotonin level in Sprague-Dawley rat's cerebral cortex and hippocampus. METHODS: One hundred of female Sprague-Dawley rats were taken care for seven to eight weeks, then they were randomly assigned into two group; fifty rats underwent bilateral oophorectomy & the remaining rats were the control group. Six months after oophorectomy, brain tissue was extracted from cerebral cortex and hippocampus and then homogenated: this was done in the both groups. The upper layer of the homogenated substance was taken and frozen and finally dried up. The next process was marking with PITC, quantification through HPLC and comparing with authentic serotonin. Protein quantity was measured by using Bradford method. RESULTS: Comparison between the bilateral oophorectomy group and the control group for serotonin content in the cerebral cortex was 134.2+/-14.3 nmol/mg protein(mean+/-SEM) and 122.5+/-11.6 nmol/mg protein in each group. As for the serotonin content in the hippocampus was 148.8+/-13.9 nmol/mg protein and 132.9+/-13.7 nmol/mg protein in each group. It shows that, there was no significant difference in the serotonin level, in the two areas mentioned above. CONCLUSION: The effect of estradiol on the serotonin level may be dependent on the hormonal change duration. Chronic effect of hypoestrogenism might have no effect on tryptophan hydroxylase and monoamine oxidase, thus not changin the serotonin level. These data supported the previous findings that chronic hypoestrogenism had no effect on serotonin level.
Animals ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Estradiol ; Female ; Female* ; Hippocampus* ; Humans ; Monoamine Oxidase ; Ovariectomy* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley* ; Serotonin* ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase

No abstract available.
Twins, Conjoined*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Amnion* ; Endometriosis* ; Endometrium* ; Female

No abstract available.
Thanatophoric Dysplasia*

Pigmented neurofibroma, a variant of neurofibroma, has rarely been observed in patients with or without neurofibromatosis. Pigmented neurofibroma is characterized histologically by the coexistence of scattered melanin-laden cells and benign spindle cells with neural differentiation. We report a case of pigmented neurofibroma in a 22-year-old female patient.
Female ; Humans ; Neurofibroma* ; Neurofibromatoses ; Young Adult

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music therapy and rhythmic exercise on health related quality of life, blood pressure and upper extremity muscle strength in the institution-dwelling elderly women. METHODS: The study was designed using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants consisted of 35 elders (18 in the experimental group and 17 in the control group). The music therapy and rhythmic exercise were developed by the investigators. The experimental group took part in this program twice a week for 8 weeks. The Short Form 36 health survey questionnaire, blood pressure and grasp power scale were used as instruments. The data were analyzed using SPSS 14.0. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that music therapy and rhythmic exercise had positive effects on quality of life, especially on vitality, general health and mental health. Also, there were statistically significant differences in diastolic blood pressure and upper extremity muscle strength between the pretest and posttest in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that this program can be applied for older women in long-term facilities to improve quality of life, blood pressure and upper extremity muscle strength.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Pressure/*physiology ; *Exercise Therapy ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Muscle Strength/*physiology ; *Music Therapy ; Nursing Homes ; Program Evaluation ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Upper Extremity

PURPOSE: We evaluated the ability of endo-rectal coil MRI (ER-MRI) to predict the local pathological stage of prostate cancer prior to radical prostatectomy and compared the results with those of transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: ER-MRI using high field magnets (1.5 Tesla) were performed in 22 patients (mean age 62.8 years, range 51-73) with clinically localized prostate cancer before radical prostatectomy. Of the 22 patients, 17 patients were also assessed by TRUS. The results of the imaging techniques were compared with the post-operative histopathological findings. As one patient with pelvic lymph node metastasis, which was detected on frozen-section examination during surgery, was spared radical prostatectomy, the final evaluation included 21 patients. RESULTS: DSeven of the 21 patients (33%) were found to have extraprostatic extension (EPE), and 5 had seminal vesicle invasion (SVI). The sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing EPE using ER-MRI were 62.5% and 84.6%, respectively, and 16.7% and 100% with TRUS. The sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing SVI were 80.0% and 93.8%, respectively with ER-MRI, and 0% and 92.3% with TRUS. The accuracy of predicting SVI was 90.5% with ER-MRI compared to 70.6% with TRUS. CONCLUSIONS: ER-MRI was significantly better than TRUS for determining the local extent of prostatic cancer and for prediction of SVI in the preoperative staging of clinically localized prostate cancer.
Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prostate* ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Seminal Vesicles ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography

Skin atrophy is one of the most common side effects of topical steroid use and results from decreased skin proalphaI collagen mRNA production due to specific alterations in collagen gene transcription or from reduced collagen mRNA stability. This report describes a case of a 8 year-old-girl who visited our hospital with a complaint of ambiguous genitalia. She was observed to have atrophic labia majora and atrophic striae resembling scrotal rugae. However, her serum levels of FSH, LH, 17-KS, 17-OHCS, 5-DHT, DHT and DHEA-S were all in normal range and her karyotype was 46,XX. Abdominal and pelvic ultrasonogram showed a normal uterus and ovaries. Careful history taking revealed frequent use of steroid ointment due to vulvar pruritus for 2 years and she was finally diagnosed to have atrophy of external genitalia induced by long-term use of topical steroid.
Atrophy* ; Collagen ; Disorders of Sex Development ; Female ; Genitalia* ; Karyotype ; Ovary ; Pruritus ; Reference Values ; RNA Stability ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus