Animal models for human chronic pain syndromes were developed and widely used for pain research. One of thsese neuropathic pain model by Kim and Chung[1992] has many advantages for operation and pain elicitation. We have examined the c-fos protein, substance P, CGRP immunoreactivity in dorsal root ganglia and dorsal horn in this neuropathic model. About 50 Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. L5 and L6 spinal nerve were ligated tightly to produce neuropathic pain model. After 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 hours and 1 week of surgery, rats were anesthesized and sacrificed by perfusion through the left ventricle with saline followed by 0.1M phosphate buffer[pH 7.4] containing 3% paraformaldehyde, 3% glutaraldehyde, and 0.1% picric acid. After confirmation of the roots transected by the surgery, the L5 and L6 dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord were removed and processed for immunohistochemistry. All tissue sections were immunohistochemically stained for substance P, CGRP and c-fos by using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase[PAP] method. Count the number of immunostained substance P and CGRP dorsal root ganglion cells and c-fos immunoreactive dorsal horn cells and analyzed statistically with Mann-Whitney U test. The results are as follows. 1. The number of c-fos protein immunoreactive neurons in the superficial layer of dorsal horn were increased markedly at 2 hours after operation, gradually decreased to normal level 1 week after operation. 2. The number of c-fos protein immunoreactive neurons in the deep layer of dorsal horn were gradually increased to the peak 24 hours after operation, decreased to normal level 1 week after operation. 3. The number of substance P and CGRP immunoreactive L5 and L6 dorsal root ganglion neurons were decreased markedly at 1 week after pain model operation. In conclusion, after neuropathic pain model operation, c-fos protein were immediately expressed in the superficial layer of spinal dorsal horn, thereafter c-fos protein in the deep layer of spinal dorsal horn were expressed. CGRP and substance P immunoreactive neurons were decreased markedly 1 week after neuropathic pain model operation.
Animals ; Chronic Pain ; Ganglia, Spinal* ; Glutaral ; Heart Ventricles ; Horns* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Models, Animal ; Neuralgia ; Neurons* ; Perfusion ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Posterior Horn Cells ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Nerve Roots* ; Spinal Nerves ; Substance P

False aneurysms (Pseudoaneurysms) and arteriovenous fistulas have only rarely been reported in the facial region. In this region the false aneurysm arises most frequently in the superficial temporal and facial artery, but other branches of the external carotid are sometimes involved, including the maxillary and lingual artery. False aneurysms can be occurred by blunt trauma that either laceration or rupture the full thickness of the arterial wall. The diagnosis of a false arterial aneurysm can be often made solely on the basis of physical examination. Angiography is helpful for conformation, for delineating the lesion and its vascular supply, and for ruling out the presence of associated vascular lesions such as arteriovenous fistulas. Ultrasonography may also be useful in delineating lesions that are not easily accessible for physical examination. Treatment of false aneurysms is excision, ligation, and arterial embolization. This is a case of false aneurysm of the lingual artery after facial trauma caused by traffic accident. The lesion was successfully treated by embolization and ligation of the lingual and facial branches of the external carotid artery.
Accidents, Traffic ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, False* ; Angiography ; Arteries* ; Arteriovenous Fistula ; Carotid Artery, External ; Diagnosis ; Lacerations ; Ligation ; Physical Examination ; Rupture ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Cervix Uteri* ; Embryo Transfer* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Follicular Fluid* ; Humans* ; Spermatozoa* ; Spouses*

OBJECTIVE: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in culture release a biologically active human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This effect is detectable during pregnancy with a maximum between the 16th and 19th week. HCG plays an important role for the corpus luteum rescue during the early gestational age and possibly for the immunotolerance. This study was performed to investigate the relationships between the productivity of cultured PBMC of pregnant women and the ability to maintain early pregnancy, and whether 12-o-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) increases hCG sectetion by cultured PBMCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PBMC were obtained from 20 pregnant women between 16th to 19th week of gestation , and cultured with TPA. Culture cells were harvested and hCG mRNA were extracted and RT-PCR were performed. Culture supernatants were collected and hCG concentration were determined by commercial RIA methods. RESULTS: The mean age was 31.0 years old, 19 of 20 (95%) pregnant women's PBMC secereted hCG and expressed hCG mRNA, but in control group exept male hepatitis B patient, none of them produced hCG. TPA activated expression of hCG in PBMC in linear manner. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women's cultured PBMC secreted hCG, but not in non-pregnant or male. We could confirm the mRNA of hCG in PBMC as well in the placental control. The productivity of hCG in PBMC might be closely related with maintenance of early pregnancy.
Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Corpus Luteum ; Efficiency ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Hepatitis B ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; RNA, Messenger

OBJECTIVES: Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is by far the strongest clinical predictor of neurodegenerative disease available. Several potential early diagnostic markers of neurodegenerative disease including autonomic symptoms have been proposed, but they have generally not been tested in presymptomatic neurodegenerative disease. So the authors investigated autonomic symptoms and their associated factors in idiopathic RBD patients. METHODS: 52 idiopathic RBD patients and 52 controls participated in the study. Autonomic symptoms were evaluated by applying the unified multiple system atrophy rating scale (UMSARS) and measuring orthostatic systolic blood pressure drop. RESULTS: Idiopathic RBD patients showed significantly higher UMSARS subscale scores and sharper drop of orthostatic systolic blood pressure than controls. In multiple linear regression analysis, all autonomic symptoms and measured orthostatic systolic blood pressure drop were associated with RBD. In addition, orthostatic symptoms were associated with medication and age, urinary function was associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and measured orthostatic systolic blood pressure drop was associated with hypertension. CONCLUSION: In this study, idiopathic RBD patients showed more autonomic symptoms than controls. However, other autonomic symptoms-related factors also influenced some autonomic symptoms. Prospective studies should be performed to evaluate autonomic symptoms as a potential predictor of neurodegenerative diseases.
Aged* ; Blood Pressure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Linear Models ; Multiple System Atrophy ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; REM Sleep Behavior Disorder* ; Sleep, REM*

Confusion of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) for the descending thoracic aorta is a fatal error occurring occasionally in infants or neonates. As a result, the left pulmonary artery (LPA) may be misconceived as the PDA, and ligated. This surgical mishap of other hospital leads to serious congestive heart failure and loss of left lung function due to the underdevelopment in the peripheral vascular and alveolar structures in neonates and premature infants. In this report, 3 cases of LPA ligation and subsequent treatment are presented.
Aorta, Thoracic ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Ligation* ; Lung ; Pulmonary Artery

BACKGROUND: Cardiac atrium is an endocrine gland secreting a family of natriuretic peptides. The secretion of atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP) had been shown to be controlled by variable factors. The change in atrial dynamics have been considered as one of the most prominent stimuli for the stimulation of ANP secretion. Hypoxic stress has been shown to increase cardiac ANP secretion. However, the mechanism by which hypoxia increases ANP secretion cardiac ANP secretions. However, the mechanism by which hypoxia increases ANP secretion has not to be defined. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was tow-fold: to develop a protocol to defined the effect of hypoxia on ANP secretion in perfused beating rabbit atria and to clarify the mechanism responsible for the accentuation by hypoxia of ANP secretion. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Experiments have been done in perfused beating rabbit atria. ANP was measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULT: Hypoxic stimulus with nitrogen decreased atrial stroke volume. The decrease in atrial stroke volume recovered basal level during the period of recovery with oxygen. ANP secretion and the concentration of perfusate ANP in terms of extracellular fluid(ECF) translocation which reflects the rate of myocytic release of ANP were increased by hypoxia and returned to basal levels during the recovery. Changes in ECF translocation paralleled by hypoxia and returned to basal levels during the recovery. Changes in ECF translocation paralleled to that of atrial stroke volume. At the start of recovery in atrial storke volume, ECF tranalocation incrased for several minutes. The above responses were stable and reproducible. Glibenclamide treatment prevented the recovery in atrial stroke volume. Increments by hypoxia of ANP secretion and ANP concentration were suppressed by glibenclamide. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that hypoxia incrased atrial myocytic ANP release and that the mechanism responsible for the accentuation is partially related to the change in K+ATP channel activity.
Anoxia ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor* ; Endocrine Glands ; Glyburide ; Heart Atria ; Humans ; Natriuretic Peptides ; Nitrogen ; Oxygen ; Radioimmunoassay ; Stroke Volume

PURPOSE: Conventional contrast dacryocystography(C-DCG) has been used mainly for anatomical assessment of the lacrimal drainage apparatus, due to its limited information on the dynamics of the lacrimal system, and thus correlation role in epiphora. The purpose of study was to improve the diagnostic value in epiphora by utilizing RI dacryocystography(RI-DCG) with quantitative criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient for RI dacryocystography set erect with the head fixed in front of gamma camera fitted with a standard 6 mm pinhole collimater. Both eyes of 85 patients(170 eyes) were scanned with 99rnTc-pertechnetate followed by conventional dacryocystography. The data from gamma camera were recorded simultaneously on a computer system for subsequent quantitative analysis. RESULTS: In 94 of 96 eyes without epiphora, RI-DCG was correlated with normal C-DCG and % of emptying was at least over 50%. In 58 of 74 eyes with epiphora, RI-DCG was correlated with abnormal C-DCG and % of emptying was at most below 50%. In 16 eyes with functional block, quantitative RI-DCG showed abnormal % of emptying. CONCLUSION: Nuclear DCG with quantitation had higher diagnostic yield in functional block and correlated higher with epiphora. Thus nuclear DCG with quantitation would be a valuable functional test after postprocedures such as dacryocystoplasty.
Computer Systems ; Drainage ; Gamma Cameras ; Head ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases* ; Radionuclide Imaging*

Modified biliary Gianturco stents were placed in 27 patients with obstructive jaundice. From July 1990 to October 1992, 46 two-seven connected stents of 8-12mm in diameter (Myungsung Meditech, Seoul, Korea) were placed in 5 patients with benign biliary stricture and 22 patients with malignant biliary stricture in three university hospitals; 12 in Chonbuk National University Hosptial, 12 in Wonkwang University Hospital, and 3 in Chonnam National University Hospital. Nineteen were men and eight were women, ranged in age from 34 to 76 years(average, 55 years). The stents were placed percutaneously through a transhepatic approach using a 8.5Fr. Introducing sheath. All stents were placed successfully without any technical failures or procedural morbidity or morality. All patients complained dull abdominal pain for 1 to 3 days after the stent placement. In a follow-up period of 7-46 weeks, reocclusions were observed in one of the patients with benign stricture (20%) and three of the patients with malignant strictures (16%). Two patients with recurrent jaundice due to the obstruction of the stent were treated with placement of additional stent, one patient was treated with external catheter drainage. Migration of stent occurred in one patient. The application of the expandable biliary metallic stent is suggested as an effective treatment for benign and malignant biliary obstructive jaundice.
Abdominal Pain ; Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Drainage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Jeollabuk-do ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Morals ; Seoul ; Stents*

Modified biliary Gianturco stents were placed in 27 patients with obstructive jaundice. From July 1990 to October 1992, 46 two-seven connected stents of 8-12mm in diameter (Myungsung Meditech, Seoul, Korea) were placed in 5 patients with benign biliary stricture and 22 patients with malignant biliary stricture in three university hospitals; 12 in Chonbuk National University Hosptial, 12 in Wonkwang University Hospital, and 3 in Chonnam National University Hospital. Nineteen were men and eight were women, ranged in age from 34 to 76 years(average, 55 years). The stents were placed percutaneously through a transhepatic approach using a 8.5Fr. Introducing sheath. All stents were placed successfully without any technical failures or procedural morbidity or morality. All patients complained dull abdominal pain for 1 to 3 days after the stent placement. In a follow-up period of 7-46 weeks, reocclusions were observed in one of the patients with benign stricture (20%) and three of the patients with malignant strictures (16%). Two patients with recurrent jaundice due to the obstruction of the stent were treated with placement of additional stent, one patient was treated with external catheter drainage. Migration of stent occurred in one patient. The application of the expandable biliary metallic stent is suggested as an effective treatment for benign and malignant biliary obstructive jaundice.
Abdominal Pain ; Catheters ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Drainage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Jeollabuk-do ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Morals ; Seoul ; Stents*