In view of the potential of replicase protein as a diagnostic reagent for human caliciviruses (HuCVs), we have cloned and over-expressed this gene from the Snow Mountain-like Korean strains in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (GST, and described the preliminary antigenic characterization of the recombinant products. Each 470bp fragment corresponding to highly conserved region of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was generated by RT-PCR from stools of two diarrheal children, cloned in pMOSBlue T-vector, and subcloned between the EcoRI and SalI restriction sites of pGEX-47-3, a GST gene fusion vector, yielding pGCVpol. This construct expressed a Snow Mountain-like HuCV replicate under the control of the IPTG-inducible pac promoter. An extract prepared by sonication of the E. coli cell inclusion bodies bearing pGCVpol products was purified and analyzed by SDS-PAGE. After Coomassie blue staining, it was shown that the recombinant replicase migrated on the gels with an approximate molecular mass of 46.5 kDa, that was subsequently cleaved into a 26 kDa GST fragment and a 20.5 kDa replicase protein upon digestion with thrombin protease. The replicase was recognized on immunoblotting with the sera from symptomatic children with the HuCV-associated diarrhea but not by asymptomatic sera from adults. The results presented the first biological activity of individually expressed HuCV replicase subunit and provided important reagents for diagnosis of HuCV infection.
Adult ; Child ; Clone Cells ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Digestion ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Escherichia coli ; Gels ; Gene Fusion ; Glutathione Transferase ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Inclusion Bodies ; Indicators and Reagents ; RNA Replicase ; Snow* ; Sonication ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; Thrombin

No abstract available.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Brain* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Brain* ; Humans

9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene ; Animals ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cricetinae ; Cytoplasm ; Epigenomics ; Epithelium ; Islands ; Mineral Oil ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Mucous Membrane ; Prognosis ; Transforming Growth Factor alpha ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Transforming Growth Factors

CD44 is a cell-surface glycoprotein postulated to play a role in tumor cell metastasis. Aberrant expression of the cell adhesion molecule CD44 has been detected in human tumors and the expression of specific isoforms(splice variants) has been shown to be associated with metastasis and poor prognosis in human malignancies. We used variant exon sequence-specific monoclonal antibody to epitope encoded by exon v6 of human variant CD44 to study the expression of CD44 splice variant by immunochemistry in fifty nine samples of human cervical cancer. twenty seven tissue samples of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN) and normal cervix were included in this study. CD44v6 was stained positive in the basal and parabasal layer of normal epithelial cells homogenously but was absent in the stromal cells. The intensity of CD44v6 staining was the strongest in invasive squamous cell carcinoma followed by normal cervical epithelium, CIN, adenocarcinoma. In the malignant samples, heterogeneity in staining intensity among different clusters of tumor cells was observed. Furthermore the intensity of staining was stronger in proportion to stage, depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion(p<0.05), and lymph node metastasis(p=NS). This study suggest that the expression of CD44v6 adhesion molecule may be useful value in predict the high stage, depth of invasion, lymphovascular invasion and lymph node metastasis probably.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Adhesion ; Cervix Uteri ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Exons ; Female ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Immunochemistry ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis ; Stromal Cells ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Bronchopulmonary Sequestration*

No abstract available.
Antigen-Antibody Complex* ; Humans ; Interleukin-2* ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

The purposes of this study were to analyze the gap between foodservice personnel and inpatients, to urge foodservice providers to reconsider by identifying the problems in service delivery for customer satisfaction, and to deduce the priority for foodservice quality improvement. The results of this study can be summarized as follows : the average perception score of personnel (4.32 out of 5) was higher than that of customers (3.90). In particular, the customers' perceptions of 17 attributes, which included 'removal service of tray by foodservice personnel', 'nutrition and health-related information service', 'handling inpatient's complaint ASAP', 'delicious meals' and 'salty enough meals' and so on, was significantly lower than personnel's. Both service providers and customers perceived that 'personnel attitude' was the highest and 'meal quality' was the lowest among the 4 factors, but there was significant difference on 'meal quality' (p<.001), 'customer reception' (p<.001) and 'personnel attitude' (p<.05) between the two groups. As a results of quadrant analysis, 'removal service of tray by foodservice personnel', 'handling inpatient's complaints ASAP' and 'meal service according to doctor's orders were categorized into Quadrant A with meaning of high personnel's perceptions and low customers'. Therefore service providers have to perceive the gap between the two viewpoints and grant priority to these attributes in improving foodservice quality.
Financing, Organized ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Quality Improvement

BACKGROUND: Tourniquet pain is probably mediated by C-fiber. The ability of fentanyl to interrupt this nociceptive conduction was studied by administering either fentanyl or saline intrathecally along with hyperbaric bupivacaine for spinal anesthesia. METHOD: The incidence of tourniquet pain was evaluated in 60 patients having orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities during spinal anesthesia by administering either 30 mcg fentanyl (group 2) or saline (group 1) along with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 10 mg. We measured the maximal sensory spread of analgesia to pinprick, the incidence of tourniquet pain, and the sensory anesthesia to pinprick at the onset of tourniquet pain. RESULTS: The average maximal sensory spread of analgesia was the same in both groups (T9). The incidence of tourniquet pain was significantly greater in group 1 (33%) than in group 2 (10%). The sensory levels of anesthesia at the onset of tourniquet pain were not different in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal fentanyl was effective against tourniquet pain for 2 hours of the orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Bupivacaine* ; Fentanyl* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity ; Orthopedics ; Tourniquets*

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the relation of uncertainty, uncertainty appraisal, and self-management in patients undergoing hemodialysis, and to identify factors influencing self-management. METHODS: A convenience sample of 92 patients receiving hemodialysis was selected. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and medical records. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlations and multiple regression analysis with the SPSS/WIN 20.0 program. RESULTS: The participants showed a moderate level of uncertainty with the highest score being for ambiguity among the four uncertainty subdomains. Scores for uncertainty danger or opportunity appraisals were under the mid points. The participants were found to perform a high level of self-management such as diet control, management of arteriovenous fistula, exercise, medication, physical management, measurements of body weight and blood pressure, and social activity. The self-management of participants undergoing hemodialysis showed a significant relationship with uncertainty and uncertainty appraisal. The significant factors influencing self-management were uncertainty, uncertainty opportunity appraisal, hemodialysis duration, and having a spouse. These variables explained 32.8% of the variance in self-management. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that intervention programs to reduce the level of uncertainty and to increase the level of uncertainty opportunity appraisal among patients would improve the self-management of hemodialysis patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/*psychology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Quality of Life ; Regression Analysis ; Renal Dialysis ; *Self Care ; Spouses ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; *Uncertainty