OBJECTIVE: The study of 467 cases of amniocentesis have been done at the department of Genetics, Taegu Cheil Hospital from Oct. 1997 to May 1999 for the purpose of analysis of abnormal karyotype according to the indication and age distribution, METHODS: We collected amniotic fluid using 22G spinal needle and measured amniotic alphafetoprotein and acetylcholine esterase in supematant and performed cytogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Positive Down screeing(positive triple test) was the most common indication of amniocentesis (61.5%) and abnormal karyotypes were 24 cases(5.1%) in 467 cases. Among 24 abnormal cases, 10 cases(2.1%) of 21 trisomy were observed. Abnormal karyotypes were most common in the group of abnormal ultrasonogram finding and the gmup of maternal age between 31 to 35 years old, which consists of 25% and 7.7% respectively. CONCLUSION: More attention for the abnormal karyotype should be paid to the group of abnormal ultrasonogram finding and the group of maternal age between 31 to 35 years old as well as above 35 years old.
Abnormal Karyotype ; Acetylcholine ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Amniocentesis ; Amniotic Fluid ; Cytogenetic Analysis* ; Cytogenetics* ; Daegu ; Female ; Genetics ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Maternal Age ; Needles ; Trisomy ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Apnea* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Cryopreservation* ; Humans* ; Spermatozoa*

Protozoa of the genus Cryptosporidium are small coccidian parasite known to infect the mucosal epithelium of a variety of animals including human, causing fatal course in immunodeficient patients as well as self-limited illness in healthy individuals. Various life cycle stages including trophozoite, meront, merozoite, gametocyte and oocyst in infected mucosa are a diagnostic feature. Electron microscopy (EM) provides sufficient findings for genus and species identification of this parasitic organism. The authors presented scanning and transmission EM findings of Cryptosporidium parvum infection in two children: one with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the other without any evidence of immune compromise.
Animals ; Child ; Cryptosporidium parvum ; Cryptosporidium* ; Epithelium ; Humans* ; Intestines* ; Life Cycle Stages ; Merozoites ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mucous Membrane ; Oocysts ; Parasites ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Trophozoites

Dermoid is a kind of choristoma and rare congenital benign tumor. It is ugly in appearance and especially dermoid appears at corneal limbus. The above 2 cases which we report invade cornea and it is especially giant compared with the report which has been reported untill now.
Choristoma ; Cornea ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Limbus Corneae

PURPOSE: Either gated myocardial perfusion SPECT or attenuation corrected SPECT can be used to improve specificity in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. We investigated in this study whether gating or attenuation correction improved diagnostic performance of rest/stress perfusion SPECT in patients having intermediate pre-test likelihood of coronary artery disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight patients underwent rest attenuation-corrected T1-20l/dipyridamole stress gated attenuation-corrected Tc-99m-MIBI SPECT using an ADAC vertex camera (M:F=29:39, aged 59+/-12 years, coronary artery stenosis> or =70%. one vessel: 13, two vessel: 18, three vessel: 8, normal: 29). Using a five-point scale, three physicians graded the post-test likelihood of coronary artery disease for each arterial territory (1 normal, 2: possibly normal 3:equivocal, 4: possibly abnormal, 5: abnormal). Sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver-operating-characteristic curves were compared for each operator between three METHODS: (A) non-attenuation-corrected SPECT; (B) gated SPECT added to (A); and (C) attenuation-corrected SPECT added to (B). RESULTS: When grade 3 was used as the criteria for coronary artery disease, no differences in sensitivity and specificity were found between the three methods for each operator Areas under receiver- operating-characteristic curves for diagnosis of coronary artery disease revealed no differences between each modality (p>005). CONCLUSION: In patients at intermediate risk of coronary artery disease, gated SPECT and attenuation-corrected SPECT did not improve diagnostic performance.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Perfusion* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

OBJECTIVE: To determine the fetal aneuploidy in fetal blood cells from cordocentesis. METHODS: We analyzed their karyotype and performed fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) for chromosome 18, 21, X, and Y in 14 cases of fetal blood cells from cordocentesis at Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University and Hamchoon Women's Clinic. RESULTS: In all cases we obtained the consistent results in both methods and were able to rapidly detect aneuploidy in uncultured fetal blood cells using FISH before karyotyping with culture for 48 hr. The averages for accuracy of FISH were from 84.6 % to 93.9%. CONCLUSION: In this study we suggest that the rapid detection in uncultured fetal blood using FISH is possible and that this diagnostic method will be clinically useful when rapid result would be demanded.
Aneuploidy* ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 ; Cordocentesis ; Fetal Blood* ; Fluorescence* ; Gynecology ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Karyotype ; Karyotyping ; Obstetrics ; Seoul

FISH is suggested as a possible method to detect the numerical and structural abnormalities of chromosomes in interphase nucleus. We performed this study to discuss the clinical usefulness of FISH in uncultured amniocytes and to set up the cut-off value for further study. We collected amniotic fluid samples from patients whose chromosome studies were recommended due to screen positive for Down and Edword syndrome in triple marker test using maternal serum. The centromeric probe for chromosome 18 and the locus-specific probe for chromosome 21 were used and the results were compared to their karyotypes. We could find 2 cases of trisony 21 and 2 cases of trisony 18 and the other cases represented normal karyotypes. The accuracies were 91% for disomy 18, 89% for trisomy 18, 92% for disomy 21 and 88% for trisomy 21. Therefore FISH technique is a possible method to detect the chromosomal abnormalities in uncultured amniocytes and the use of locus-specific probe for chromosome 21 would be more useful for detecting the aneuploidy of chromosome 21 than 13/21 centromeric probe.
Amniotic Fluid ; Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21 ; Down Syndrome* ; Female ; Fluorescence* ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization* ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Interphase ; Karyotype ; Trisomy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Storage mites, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (TP) and Acarus siro (AS), known as the major causative allergens to people who deal with stored foods and grains, may occur more frequently in house dust than expected. During the recent 6 months, positive reactions to TP and AS were observed as frequently as those to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) in patients with allergic rhinitis in Pusan. The purpose of this study was to identify allergenic components within TP and AS, and evaluate the cross reactivity with DP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using extracts of DP, TP and AS, prepared after dialysis and lyophilization, allergenic components were identified using SDS-PAGE and western blotting. Cross reactivity among them were evaluated by inhibition tests using pharmacia CAP system. RESULTS: The protein components of DP, TP and AS, showed different patterns in SDS-PAGE. Molecular weight of major IgE binding components of TP were 17 kD, 25 kD and 67 kD, and those of AS were 18 kD, 19 kD, 25 kD and 27 kD. TP- or AS-specific IgE was partially inhibited by DP extract; however, DP-specific IgE was not significantly inhibited either by TP or AS extract. Significant inhibition were noted between TP and AS. CONCLUSION: TP and AS may share common allergens with DP. However, sensitization to TP or AS was also suspected in some cases. The percentage of Acaridae family in Pusan was 12% of total mites. Therefore, storage mites should be considered as causative allergens and included in allergy test battery.
Acaridae ; Allergens ; Blotting, Western ; Busan ; Cereals ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Dialysis ; Dust ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Freeze Drying ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Mites* ; Molecular Weight ; Pyroglyphidae ; Rhinitis*