OBJECTIVE: Lectins are cell-agglutinating and sugar specific proteins or glycoproteins of non-immune origin that precipitate glycoconjugates having saccharides of appropriate complementarity. Because of these properties, plant lectins have been used to help characterize the carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins in the zona pellucida (ZP) of several mammalian species including pigs. Treatment of oocytes with various lectins blocks sperm binding to the ZP in various mammalian species. This study was undertaken to examine the distribution of sugar residues in the ZP of pig oocytes matured in vitro and the ability of spermatozoa to bind to ZP and in vitro penetration in oocytes treated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled lectins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The lectins of Banderiaea simplicifolia (BS-II, bind to beta-D-Nacetylglucosamine), Canavalin ensiformis (Con A, bind to alpha-D-Mannose), Lens culinaris (LCA, bind to alpha-D-Mannose), Ricinus communis (RCA-I, bind to beta-D-Galactose) and Ulex europaeus (UEA-I, bind to alpha-L-Fucose) were examined for spermatozoa penetration, binding capacity to ZP and distribution of lectins. RESULTS: The penetration rates were significantry (p<0.05) higher in control oocytes (63%) than those treated with all lectins, but penetration rates (40~49%) were simililar in group treated with lectins. The incidence of monospermy was similar in oocytes untreated and UEA-I, but it was higher in oocytes treated with BS-II, Con A, RCA-I and LCA. The porcine oocytes cultured for 48 h in TC-199 medium were freed from cumulus cells and treated for 30 min with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled lectins. When examined under fluorescein illumination, higher (p<0.001) proportions of oocytes showed fluorescein of zona pellucida after treatment with Con A (93%), LCA (93%) and RCA-I (100%) than BS-II (37%) and UEA-I (50%). All of the oocytes treated with RCA-I exhibited strong fluorescein in the outer region of the zona pellucida while those treated with LCA exhibited strong fluorescein throughout the zona pellucida. BS-II bounded mainly to the outer region and UEA-I bounded mainly to the inner region of the zona pellucida, with either strong or weak fluorescein. At 120 min after insemination in vitro, fewer spermatozoa were bound to the zona pellucida of the oocytes treated with BS-II, Con-A and RCA-I. Of the lectins, Con A most inhibited sperm binding. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that beta-D-Galactose residues in the porcine zona pellucida may act as primary sperm receptors and inducers of the sperm acrosome reaction and these sugar residues may be involved in the block to polyspermy.
Acrosome Reaction ; Cumulus Cells ; Fluorescein ; Glycoconjugates ; Glycoproteins ; Herpes Zoster* ; Incidence ; Insemination ; Lectins* ; Lens Plant ; Lighting ; Oocytes ; Plant Lectins ; Ricinus ; Sperm-Ovum Interactions ; Spermatozoa ; Swine ; Ulex ; Zona Pellucida*

No abstract available.
Meningitis*

In addition to severe deficits in speech production and auditory comprehension, patients with global aphasia general-ly have a dense hemiplegia. However, acute global aphasia without hemiparesis (GAWH) occurs rarely and only a few cases of GAWH have been reported with variable conclusions regarding lesion localization, etiology, and prognosis. We report an unusual case of GAWH in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single photon emission comput-ed tomography (SPECT) revealed only a single lesion of the left superior temporal area. Our case supports the notion that the functional anatomy of aphasia may be complex and that GAWH may have a more benign prognosis than typi-cal global aphasia with hemiparesis.
Aphasia* ; Comprehension ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Paresis* ; Prognosis ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

No abstract available.
Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach* ; Water*

We found an error in our published article. Author name should be corrected.

No abstract available.
Communicable Diseases* ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Humans ; Korea ; Vaccination*

BACKGROUND: There has been a lack of study on the structural changes of serum albumin in patients with minimal change disease (MCD). To determine whether glycation and/or conformational transitions of albumin are involved in the pathogenesis of albuminuria, nine patients with MCD were enrolled in a prospective follow-up study for comparison of these parameters in serum albumin during the remission and relapse of nephrotic syndrome. METHODS: Circular dichroism measurements were made with purified albumin. Ellipticities at each wavelength were transformed to mean residue ellipticity. Monosaccharide composition was analyzed by high-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. RESULTS: There was no difference in the proportions of alpha-helix, beta-conformation, and beta-turn of albumin between the sera of control patients and those with nephrotic syndrome. However, the proportion of the random configuration was slightly higher in the plasma albumin of patients in relapse than in those in remission. The proportion of the random configuration was lower in the albumin of the serum than in the urine of patients with nephrotic syndrome, but there was no difference in the proportions of alpha-helix, beta-conformation, and beta-turn of albumin between their plasma and urine. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that conformational changes in albumin are involved in albuminuria in patients with MCD.
Adult ; Albuminuria/urine ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glycosylation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrosis, Lipoid/*blood/urine ; Nephrotic Syndrome/blood/urine ; Prospective Studies ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Serum Albumin/*chemistry

To evaluate the clinical usefulness of radionuclide(RI) cisternography in patients with hydrocephalus, we retrospectively analyzed RI cisternographic findings of 47 patients by using our classification which was modified from Baum's. and correlated them with CT(n=37) or MRI(n=10) findings and clinical outcome in selected patients with hydrocephalus(n=37). Modified RI cisternographic patterns of 37 patients were type I in three cases(8%), type II in seven(18%), type III-A in six(16%), no case of type III-B, type IV-A in 12(32%), and type IV-B in nine(24%). RI cisternography enabled to differentiate communicating hydrocephalus(27 cases, 73%) from noncommunicating hydrocephalus (10 cases, 27%). There was marked clinical improvement in 17 patients(46%), slight improvement in 11 patients(30%), and no improvement in nine patients(24%). The clinical outcome of patients with RI cisternographic type IV-B was worse than that of other types. CT and MRI could neither predict the clinical outcome nor differentiate type IV-B from Type IV-A(p>.05). Ventricular size index (VSI( was significantly higher in patients with type IV than that with other types(p<.001). RI cisternographic patterns of communicating hydrocephalus were relatively correlated with clinical outcome (r=-0.53, P=.001), VIS(r=0.59, p=.001), and dilatation of fourth ventricle(r=0.41, p<.05). We suggest that our modified classification of RI cisternographic patterns can provide more strict physiological assessment of the CSF dynamics and RI cisternography may be still useful to differentiate communicating hydrocephalus from noncommunicating hydrocephalus and to predict the clinical outcome in conjunction with CT/MR findings and clinical presentation.
Classification ; Dilatation ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Wake-up tests may be necessary during surgery for kypho-scoliosis to ensure that spinal function remains intact. It is difficult to predict the time when patients can respond to a verbal command. We evaluated the effectiveness of the bispectral index (BIS) and its relation to patients' levels of consciousness in wake-up tests during desflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. METHODS: Eighteen patients each were enrolled in the desflurane and sevoflurane groups for spinal correction surgery. We measured BIS values, blood pressure, heart rate, and consciousness state and time, at the points when patients responded during the wake-up test. RESULTS: The BIS values when patients made fists upon a verbal command (T3) were 86.7 +/- 7.5 for desflurane and 90.3 +/- 5.4 for sevoflurane. Patients in the desflurane group had significantly shorter wake up delays than those in the sevoflurane group (6.9 +/- 1.8 min vs. 11.8 +/- 3.6 min). However, there was no difference between the groups in the time between the response to a verbal command and the time when a patient moved their toes in response to verbal commands. No recall of the wake-up tests occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: The values obtained using the BIS index could to some extent predict the time of a patient's and would be informative during desflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. Moreover, desflurane permitted faster responses to verbal commands than sevoflurane, and allowed the wake-up test to be performed sooner.
Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Consciousness ; Dietary Sucrose ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Isoflurane ; Methyl Ethers ; Toes

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent mitochondrial and DNA damage in bovine somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos were examined. Bovine enucleated oocytes were electrofused with donor cells and then activated by a combination of Ca-ionophore and 6-dimethylaminopurine culture. The H2O2 and .OH radical levels, mitochondrial morphology and membrane potential (DeltaPsi), and DNA fragmentation of SCNT and in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos at the zygote stage were analyzed. The H2O2 (35.6 +/- 1.1 pixels/embryo) and .OH radical levels (44.6 +/- 1.2 pixels/embryo) of SCNT embryos were significantly higher than those of IVF embryos (19.2 +/- 1.5 and 23.8 +/- 1.8 pixels/embryo, respectively, p < 0.05). The mitochondria morphology of SCNT embryos was diffused within the cytoplasm. The DeltaPsi of SCNT embryos was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that of IVF embryos (0.95 +/- 0.04 vs. 1.21 +/- 0.06, red/green). Moreover, the comet tail length of SCNT embryos was longer than that of IVF embryos (515.5 +/- 26.4 microm vs. 425.6 +/- 25.0 microm, p < 0.05). These results indicate that mitochondrial and DNA damage increased in bovine SCNT embryos, which may have been induced by increased ROS levels.
Animals ; *Apoptosis ; Caspase 3/metabolism ; Cattle ; Colorimetry/veterinary ; Comet Assay/veterinary ; *DNA Damage ; DNA, Mitochondrial/*genetics/metabolism ; Embryo Transfer/veterinary ; Embryo, Mammalian/*cytology/embryology ; Fertilization in Vitro/veterinary ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling/veterinary ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Microscopy, Confocal/veterinary ; Microscopy, Fluorescence/veterinary ; Mitochondria/*metabolism ; Nuclear Transfer Techniques/*veterinary ; Reactive Oxygen Species/*metabolism