The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of currently used elastomeric impression materials for complete arch impression taking. Five elastomers (Impregum, Permlastic, Express, Extrude, Examix) and one Irreversible hydrocolloid (Aroma-fine) were tested. For each material, 5 impressions were made of stainless steel model to which five tapered posts were attached. Custom trays were used for polyether and polysulfide impression materials, and putty/wash two step technique was used for addition polyvinylsiloxane impression materials. Improved stone models were poured to all impressions. Accuracy of the materials was assessed by measuring ten distances on stone dies poured from impressions of the master model. All measurements for master and improved stone models were with three dimensional measuring machine. The results were as follows 1. The dimensional accuracy of polyether, extrude, and examix were significantly superior to polysulfide, exress, and alginate in reproducing full arch mode (p<0.05). 2. There were no statistical differences in dimensional accuracy for full arch impression between polyether, extrude and examix (p>0.05). 3. there were no statistical differences in dimensional accuracy between polysulfide, express, and alginate (p>0.05). 4. There were no statistical differences between addition polyvinyl siloxane materials (p>0.05). 5. There were no statistical differences between anterior-posterior and lateral dimensional changes of all impression materials (p>0.05).
Colloids ; Elastomers* ; Polyvinyls ; Siloxanes ; Stainless Steel

PURPOSE: Ascorbic acid has been reported to have an adipogenic effect on 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, while evidence also suggests that ascorbic acid reduces body weight in humans. In this study, we tested the effects of ascorbic acid on adipogenesis and the balance of lipid accumulation in ovariectomized rats, in addition to long-term culture of differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Murine 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and ovariectomized rats were treated with ascorbic acid at various time points. In vitro adipogenesis was analyzed by Oil Red O staining, and in vivo body fat was measured by a body composition analyzer using nuclear magnetic resonance. RESULTS: When ascorbic acid was applied during an early time point in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation and after bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) in rats, adipogenesis and fat mass gain significantly increased, respectively. However, lipid accumulation in well-differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes showed a significant reduction when ascorbic acid was applied after differentiation (10 days after induction). Also, oral ascorbic acid administration 4 weeks after OVX in rats significantly reduced both body weight and subcutaneous fat layer. In comparison to the results of ascorbic acid, which is a well-known cofactor for an enzyme of collagen synthesis, and the antioxidant ramalin, a potent antioxidant but not a cofactor, showed only a lipolytic effect in well-differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, not an adipogenic effect. CONCLUSION: Taking these results into account, we concluded that ascorbic acid has both an adipogenic effect as a cofactor of an enzymatic process and a lipolytic effect as an antioxidant.
3T3-L1 Cells ; Adipocytes/drug effects ; Adipocytes/metabolism ; Adipogenesis/drug effects ; Animals ; Antioxidants/pharmacology ; Ascorbic Acid/pharmacology ; Body Composition/drug effects ; Body Weight/drug effects ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects ; Female ; Fibroblasts/drug effects ; Fibroblasts/metabolism ; Lipolysis/drug effects ; Mice ; Ovariectomy ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND: The preparation of conventional smears (CS) from mucoid samples, despite mucolysis, can pose difficulties for cytotechnologists or cytopathologists. In recent years, liquid-based cytology (LBC) devices have been developed in attempts to improve the cytopreparation process. LBC improves both sample collection and sample preparation. Cell block preparations (CB) can be made from residual tissue fluids, and are a useful adjunct to smears. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 3 preparations from 209 patients whose diagnosis was later confirmed via bronchoscopic biopsy, fine needle aspiration, gun biopsy or operation. Each case was categorized into one of three groups: "negative," "atypical or suspicious" and "malignant." RESULTS: When conflating the "atypical" and "malignant" categories into a "positive" category, the sensitivity of each preparation was 74.4% in LBC, 72.9% in CS, and 76.5% in CB preparations. Specificity was 98.7%, 94.7% and 98.7%, respectively. By combining LBC and CB, the sensitivity is 78.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Among three different preparation methods, sensitivity is highest in the CB method. LBC has many advantages in evaluating cell morphology and by combining CB method, the sensitivity can be improved slightly. The application of all three methods may prove helpful when one or another method proves diagnostically inconclusive.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Graves' disease and primary myxedema are thought to be caused by the action of TSH receptor autoantibodies(thyroid stimulating antibody; TSAb & thyroid stimulation blocking antibody; TSBAb). Thus, detection of these antibodies is crucial in diagnosis and in follow up of those patients. Recently, a sensitive method using human TSH receptor transfected Chinese Hamster Ovary(CHO) cells has been developed. However, the complexity of IgG purification procedure is considered as a limitation for its clinical application as a routine test. The aim of this study is to determine whether polyethylene glycol(PEG)-precipitated immunogiobuIin fraction could substitute for purified IgG. METHODS: We developed optimal conditions for TSAb and TSBAb assays using crude, PEG precipitated immunoglobulin fraction; and evaluated the correlation of TSAb and TSBAb activities between thase measured using crude immunoglobulin fraction and purified IgG to clarify the usefulness of PEG-precipitated immunoglobulin fraction. TSH receptor expressing wild type CHO cells were used in TSAb and CHO cells expressing chimeric TSH receptor(Mc2; 90-165 amino acid residues were substituted by those of rat LH/CG receptar) were used in TSBAb assay to minimize the possible disturbing effects of TSAb in serum. RESULTS: The optimal serum amount for TSAb and TSBAb assay using PEG-precipitated immunoglobulin fraction were 250mL serum equivalent/well and 50mL serum equivalent/well, respectively. The optimal incubation time for both assays were 2 homs, and aptimal ccrncentration of bTSH for TSBAb assay was 0.1U/L. TSAb activities measured with PEG-precipitated immunoglobulin were significantly correlated with those measured with purified IgG in 26 patients with Graves diseases(r=0.93, p<0.001). Although TSBAb activities measured using PEG-precipitated imrnunoglobulin were conelated with those measured using purified IgG in 20 patients with primary myxedema(r=0.86, p<0.001), the positive rate in TSBAb assay using PEG-precipitated immunoglobulin was lower than that of usmg purified IgG(20% v.s. 65%) because of negative conversion of TSBAb activities in samples with weakly positive TSBAb activities measured using purified IgG. CONCLUSION: PEG-precipitated immunoglobulin fraction could be used instead of purified IgG in TSAb assay using hTSHR-tranasfected wild type CHO cells with equal sensitivity and specificity. This simple and practical TSAb assay using PEG-precipitated immunoglobulin in hTSHR-transfected CHO cells would be useful in clinica1 practiee.
Animals ; Antibodies* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; CHO Cells ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus* ; Diagnosis ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Humans* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins* ; Myxedema ; Polyethylene Glycols* ; Polyethylene* ; Rats ; Receptors, Thyrotropin* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland

Schinzel-Giedion syndrome is a rare, distinct dysmorphic syndrome characterized by congenital hydronephrosis, skeletal dysplasia, and severe developmental retardation, likely to be inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, but not yet confirmed. This syndrome is characterized by coarse facial features such as midfacial retraction, bulging forehead, short nose with anteverted nostrils, low-set malformed ears, protruding large tongue, and hypertelorism. Skeletal and limb defects, choanal stenosis, simian creases, hypospadias, microphallus, hypertrichosis, and intractable seizures are the frequently associated clinical findings. Urogenital involvement is a major component of the syndrome, and this problem sometimes is associated with nephrocalcinosis and urinary tract infection in the clinical course of the disease. We report a 22 month-old girl with Schinzel-Giedion syndrome complicated by medullary nephrocalcinosis and urinary tract infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. This patient had also been suffering from postnatal growth deficiency, intractable seizure, spastic tetraplegia, delayed development and severe mental retardation.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Ear ; Extremities ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Hypertelorism ; Hypertrichosis ; Hypospadias ; Infant ; Intellectual Disability ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Male ; Nephrocalcinosis ; Nose ; Quadriplegia ; Seizures ; Tongue ; Urinary Tract Infections

PURPOSE: Long-term prognosis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP) is determined by the existence and severity of renal involvement. We evaluated the relationship between various clinical features of HSP and the development of renal involvement using univariate and multivariate analyses for early detection and proper management of HSP nephritis. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 200 children who were diagnosed as HSP and were initially free from renal involvement, from 1998-2003. Clinical features of each patient as risk factors of renal involvement were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Significant risk factors proven by univariate analysis were paired and re-analyzed to see if there are any interactions between them. RESULTS: A univariate analysis showed that sex, previous disease, severe abdominal symptoms, persistent purpura and steroid administration were associated with developing renal involvement. Among them, severe abdominal symptoms, persistent purpura, and male sex were statistically significant when they were re-analyzed after pairing, and they also increased the risk of renal involvement in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Severe abdominal symptoms, persistent purpura, and male sex are independent risk factors of renal involvement in HSP and it is presumed that interaction between them could be another factor of HSP nephritis.
Abdominal Pain ; Child ; Humans ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis* ; Nephritis ; Prognosis ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors*

Intestinal lymphangiectasia, one of the protein-losing gastroenteropathies, is an uncommon disease characterized by dilated intestinal lymphatics, enteric protein loss, edema, hypoalbuminemia, and lympocytopenia. Small bowel biopsy and CT have been used to confirm the diagnosis of intestinal lymphangiectasia. Small bowel biopsy shows collections of abnormal dilated lacteals in submucosa with distortion of villi and CT findings have been described as diffuse nodular thickening of the small bowel and as linear hypodense streaking densities in the small bowel caused by dilated lymphatic channels. Demonstration of increased enteric protein loss using 51Cr-, 131I- or 99mTc-labeled albumin, timed measurement of fecal excretion of radioactivity or by measuring fecal clearance of alpha 1-antitrypsin can also help the diagnosis. We experienced a rare case of intestinal lymphangiectasia in an eight year old boy who presented with facial edema, abdominal distension and intermittent diarrhea. We report a patient with intestinal lymphangiectasia, in whom abdominal CT, 99mTc-labeled albumin scintitigraphy, and stool alpha 1-antitrypsin measurement played key roles in determining the diagnosis. A brief review of literature was made.
alpha 1-Antitrypsin ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Edema ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Male ; Radioactivity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: THP-adriamycin ia a tetrahydropyranyl derivative of adriamycin with compatible anti-lymphoma effect but fewer side effects, especially cardiac, nausea/vomiting and alopecia. So we performed a multicenter study of 4-drug combination chemotherapy, THP-COP regimen for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to evaluate the response rate, survival time and toxicity by Malignant Lymphoma Study Group in Korea. METHODS: Between June 1996 and Feb. 1997, previously untreated stage II/III/IV intermediate and high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients were treated with a THP-COP regimen including THP-adriamycin 40 mg/m2 on day 1, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 on day 1, oncovin 1.4 mg/m2 on day 1, and prednisolone 100 mg PO on day 1-5 with 3 weeks interval. RESULTS: Twenty six patients (89.7%) were evaluable. Patient characteritics include: median age 54.8 years (16-76) and 13 patients were 60 years or old; clinical stage II in 9 patients (34.6%), stage III in 7 patients (26.9%), and stage IV in 10 patients (38.5%). Objective response were 13 CR, 7 PR, 6 PD with 76.9% response rate. Six months and 1 year survival rates and progression-free survival rates were 87.8%, 70.4%, and 85.0%, 60.5% respectively. Grade 3/4 toxicities were anemia in 7.7%, neutropenia in 53.8%, thrombocytopenia in 3.8%, vomiting in 7.7%, alopecia in 7.7% and increased SGOT in 3.8%. Prognostic significance of age and International Prognostic Index were not demonstrated. CONCLUSION: THP-COP combination chemotherapy is active in advanced stage, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with low incidence of vomiting and alopecia.
Alopecia ; Anemia ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Cyclophosphamide ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin* ; Neutropenia ; Prednisolone ; Survival Rate ; Thrombocytopenia ; Vincristine ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Postpartum Period* ; Pregnancy* ; Thyroid Diseases*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Child* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult*