PURPOSE:This study was performed to investigate the status of cardiac structure and function and to assess their alterations after growth hormone(GH) treatment in children with growth hormone deficiency(GHD). METHODS:Interventricular septal thickness and left ventriclular posterior wall thickness, ejection fraction(EF), fractional shortening(FS), systolic time interval(STI) of left ventricle were measured by two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiography in sixteen children with GHD and age, sex matched sixteen children with GH normal short stature as control. The measure were done before GH treatment and at 6 and 12 months of GH treatment, respectively. RESULTS: 1)Left ventricular posterior wall thickness in GHD group was significantly thinner than that of control group(P<0.05). 2)Interventricular septal thickness and left ventricular posterior wall thickness were increased with GH treatment from 10.4+/-1.7mm, 8.1+/-1.8mm before GH treatment to 11.0+/-0.9mm, 8.7+/-0.7mm and 11.2+/-1.7mm, 9.7+/-1.8mm at 6 and 12 months of GH treatment, respectively. The increment of left ventricular posterior wall thickness after 12 months GH treatment revealed statistic significance(P<0.05). 3)There was no significant alterations of EF, FS, STI of left ventricle after GH treatment at 6 months and 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Left ventricular posterior wall thickness in GHD group was significantly thin compared to that of control group(P<0.05). GH treatment in GHD children for 12 months, resulted statistically significant increase(P<0.05) in posterior wall thickness. There is no evidence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy after GH treatment. But we could not exclude the possibility of these alterations were induced by an increased overall body size and body surface area after GH treatment. To clarify the exact alterations of cardiac structures and function in children with GHD after GH treatment, long term follow-up studies should be necessary.
Body Size ; Body Surface Area ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Child* ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth Hormone* ; Heart ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans

No abstract available.
Bone Plates ; Mandible ; Odontoma ; Transplants

Post-menopausal osteoporosis is known to be related to estrogen deficiency. The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate whether or not estrogen administration can prevent or retard the process of osteoporosis induced by oophorectomy in rats. Fifty-two Sprague-Dawley rats, aged five months, were separated into three groups. Group 1 (4 rats) was control group that had sham operation without oophorectomy. Goup 2 (32 rats) was another control group that had bilateral oophorectomy alone. Group 3 (16 rats) was experimental group that had estradiol administration from the fourth week through the eighth week after bilateral oophorectomy. In group 1, all the rats were killed at the fourth week after sham operation. In group 2 and group 3, four rats in each group were killed weekly until the eighth week after oophorectomy. All the animals were subjected to radiological, histological studies on the tibia, ilium, skull, and the sixth lumbar vertebra. Also, histomorphometric measurements were 1. Osteoporotic changes were evident from the fifth week after oophorectomy and increased with time on the radiologic examination in group 2. In contrast, osteoporotic changes were evident from the second week after oophorectomy and progressed with time on the histological and histomorphometric studies in group 2. 2. After administration of estradiol, osteoporotic changes which include thinning of the cortex, decrease of the amount of trabeculae were partially restored on the radiological, histological studies in group 3. 3. Histomorphometric study revealed that the trabecular area percent (the proportion of total area of the trabeculae from the whole metaphyseal area), decreased progressively through the eight week after oophorectomy in gorup 2. Whereas the trabecular area percents of group 3 were higher than those of group 2, but still lower than initial value before oophorectomy. Based on the above observations, estradiol administration appeared to delay the progression of the osteoporotic changes induced by oophorectomy in rats.
Animals ; Estradiol ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Ilium ; Osteoporosis ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skull ; Spine ; Tibia

No abstract available.
Funnel Chest*

No abstract available.
Cholesterol* ; Granuloma*

Incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) and expression of osteocalcin and transglutaminase C(TGase C) during fracture healing and distraction osteogenesis were investigated in the rat with immunohistochemical studies. Transverse osteotomy was made at the proximal tibia. Bilateral dynamic mini-fixator was applied to immobilize the fracture and also to lengthen the leg. Distraction was started, at the rate of 0.25 mm twice daily, from the 4th operative day and continued for 7 days. Animals were killed for immunohistochemical studies on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 14th, 28th, 42nd, 56th, and 84th day after osteotomy or distraction. Longitudinal histologic sections of the healing bone were stained with monoclonal antibodies against BrdU, osteocalcin, and TGase C. Radiologically, complete fracture healing was achieved in 6 weeks after osteotomy, while neo-osteogenesis was successfully achieved in the distracted gap in 7 weeks after the completion of distraction, During active healing stage of the fracture and distraction osteogenesis, BrdU was mainly expressed in the perisoteal and endosteal osteoprogenitor cells while osteocalcin was expressed in the proliferating osteoprogenitor cells, osteoblast, osteocyte, osteoid matrix, and chondrocyte. The expression of BrdU and osteocalcin in the mesenchymal cells from the surrounding soft tissues around the osteotomy site was negligible. At the site of enchondral bone formation, TGase C was expressed in the cytomplasm of more centrally located and matured chondrocytes, while oseocalcin was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm of peripherally located chondrocyte. These findings may suggest that osteocalcin participates in early phase of enchondral bone formation, while TGase C in the late phase, suggesting the role of TGase C in matrix stabilization. At the site of intramern-branous bone formation, the expression of TGase C was weakly positive in both osteoprogenitor cell and osteoblast. The reason of the difference in the expression of TGase C between the enchondral bone formation and intrarnembranous bone formation should be further investigated. Fracture healing and distraction osteogenesis was predominantly induced by intramembranous ossification rather than enchondral ossification. Periosteal osteoprogenitor cells appeared to initiate and to lead bone formation after osteotomy and distraction. Active proliferation and differentiation of osteoprogenitor cell ocurred during entire periods of distraction. Also, active osteoid matrix formation and mineralization was started from the 5th day of distraction and continued thereafter for further 4 weeks after completion of the lengthening. These findings indicate that preservation of the periosteum is essential to achieve successful fracture healing and distraction osteogenesis.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Bromodeoxyuridine ; Chondrocytes ; Cytoplasm ; Fracture Healing ; Leg ; Miners ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteocytes ; Osteogenesis ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; Osteotomy ; Periosteum ; Rats ; Tibia

No abstract available.
Fetal Blood* ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I* ; Somatomedins* ; Umbilical Cord*

This study was performed in order to evaluate the sero-epidemiological status of toxoplasmosis in pregnant Korean women. Among 5, 175 sera and 750 amniotic fluid samples obtained from pregnant women, 41 serum samples (0.79%) and 10 (1.33%) amniotic fluid samples tested positive for IgG antibodies by ELISA. Fifty one cases showing a score more than 0.25 on ELISA were tested for PCR reaction against the SAG1 gene. Only one case of the 51 ELISA positive cases exhibited a positive reaction on all tests. This case had a history of acute nephropyelitis during early pregnancy, but fortunately, had delivered a phenotypically healthy baby. In this study, the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in pregnant women was found to be comparatively low, consistent with previous reports from Korea. However our trials, performed with a variety of diagnostic tools, were considered to be useful for the precise diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis.
Adult ; Animals ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications/diet therapy/*epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Toxoplasma/*immunology ; Toxoplasmosis/*epidemiology

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats*

No abstract available.