No abstract available.
Antioxidants* ; Oxidative Stress*

PURPOSE: to test of the reliability and validity of the Disabled's Motivation for Rehabilitation Scale. which was developed in 2002. METHOD: An experimental version of the scale was distributed to a sample of 441 disabled with ages above 18 and below 80 years. The subjects of the test-retest were 60 disabled. RESULTS: revealed a satisfactory level of test-retest and internal consistency. The overall fit of the factor model to the data was good. Correlation among the subscales revealed a simple pattern that, in general. provides support for the self- determination continuum and the construct validity. In testing concurrent, criterion-validity, there was a positive correlation between the motivation scores for rehabilitation and the Health-Related Hardiness scores and a negative correlation between the motivation scores for rehabilitation and the Learned Helplessness scores. CONCLUSION: The Disabled's Motivation for Rehabilitation Scale revealed a useful instrument with a high degree of reliability and validity. In this sense, this instrument can be effectively utilized in rehabilitative nursing for the disabled.
Helplessness, Learned ; Motivation* ; Nursing ; Rehabilitation* ; Reproducibility of Results*

PURPOSE: This study aimed at uncovering the disabled adult's way of thinking and behavior due to their changed life style. METHOD: In depth interviews with 11 participants were held and analysed based on the Grounded Theory Methodology by Strauss and Corbin (1990). RESULT: This study showed us that the disabled are getting independent by selfconfidence through developing coping strategies for their physical, emotional, social, sexual problems. And in the process of creating these strategies, support structures, satisfaction for performance effect, financial burdens, and mobility had an effect on the intervening factors. Adults who become disabled go through many changes. First, they have vague hopes of improving. Second, they become discouraged. Third, they accept their disability. Next, they learn coping strategies and finally, they integrate the changes into their new life style. CONCLUSION: This study can be utilized in rehabilitation nursing so that the disabled can adapt to their changed life style quickly and lead independent and self-confident lives.
Adult* ; Hope ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Rehabilitation Nursing ; Thinking

Fibro-osseous pseudotumor of the digits is a heterotopic ossification closely related to myositis ossificans and occurs in the subcutaneous tissue of the digits. This lesion is considered a reactive fibroblastic proliferation with metaplastic bone formation. We report a case of fibro-osseous pseudotumor of left index finger in a 28-year-old woman. She had had an ovoid smooth subcutaneous mass with tenderness on the left index finger for one month. In gross, the specimen consisted of a relatively circumscribed, rubbery soft mass with grayish white cut surface measuring 2.0 1.7 1.5 cm. Upon microscopic examination the lesion showed irregular multinodular growth with considerably variable cellularity. Because of the focal hypercellularity, cellular atypia, and increased mitotic activity this lesion may be confused with extraskeletal osteosarcoma or parosteal osteosarcoma. This rare lesion is curable by complete local excision.
Adult ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Fingers ; Humans ; Myositis Ossificans ; Ossification, Heterotopic ; Osteogenesis ; Osteosarcoma ; Subcutaneous Tissue

No abstract available.
Intra-Abdominal Fat*

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to examine the effect of vitrification on the survival and in vitro development of mice 1-cell zygotes. METHOD: Effects of exposure to vitrification solution and vitrification, with different concentrations of the cryoprotectant solution, were examined. The 1-cell zygotes were also subjected to a slow freezing- thawing method to compare with vitrification method. Solution composed of ethylene glycol (6.0 M, 5.0 M, 4.0 M) and sucrose (1.0 M) were used as cryopropectant. The experiments employed the method loading the embryos on electron microscope grids. RESULTS: I. The effects of exposure in vitrification solution 1-cell zygotes were non-toxic at all concentrations of the vitrification solution showing the survival rate between 88.1% and 97.5%. Development into 2-cell was more successful in the higher concentrations of the vitrification solution. Therefore, higher concentrations of the vitirification solution do not seem to cause any problems in vitrification procedure. II. The effects of vitrification method 1-cell zygotes showed the survival rate between 78.8% and 92.4%. The lowest and the highest survival rate was observed in the 6.0 M and 4.0 M vitrification solution, respectively. 2-cell development rates varied from 77.6% to 91.3%. Blastocyst development rate was shown highest in 5.0 M and the lowest in 4.0 M solution. Therefore, the highest 2-cell and blastocyst development rate was observed in 5.0 M solution. III. Comparison of vitrification and slow freezing-thawing method on 1-cell zygotes This experiment showed that 1-cell zygotes had the highest survival and development rates in 5.0 M vitrification solution. Vitrified group of 1-cell zygotes, in the 5.0 M vitrification solution, were compared with the group processed in slow freezing-thawing method. The development rate into 2-cell and blastocyst as well as the survival rate were higher in the vitrified group than in the slowly freezed group. CONCLUSION: 1. The results demonstrate that the best cryoprotectant is a 5.0 M vitrification solution for 1-cell zygotes. 2. Vitrification method significantly increases the survival rate of the 1-cell zygote and its development into 2-cell and blastocyst. Equilibration and exposure time during the vitrification was remarkerbly short in this experiment. Total time, from the exposure to vitirification solution to storage in the liquid nitrogen, was taken only 90 seconds. In contrast, the slow freezing-thawing method have taken more than four hours. Taken together, we presume that the overall time used for the procedure contributes to the results as an important parameter. 3. The loading of 1-cell zygotes on the EM grid is technically more simple and takes less time than the straw or cryo vial method.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Embryonic Structures ; Ethylene Glycol ; Group Processes ; Mice ; Nitrogen ; Sucrose ; Survival Rate ; Vitrification* ; Zygote*

Granuloma is a chronic inflammatory process associated with non-infectious agents or infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. It is well known that AFB staining, which has been used to determine the etiology of the granulomatous inflammation, lacks both sensitivity and specificity. Due to the slow growth rate of most pathogenic mycobacteria, culturing of organisms can take up to eight weeks. It is not uncommon for specific therapy to be delayed, or for an inappropriate treatment be given to patients without mycobacterial infections or with infections caused by atypical mycobacteria. Determination of the causative agent in Papanicolaou stained cytology specimens gives pathologists even more difficulties when only necrotic material has been aspirated from the center of the granuloma. In recent years, the use of a polymerase chain reaction for the amplification of DNA has appeared promising in terms of speed, efficiency, sensitivity, and specificity. Since a polymerase chain reaction permits the sensitive genetic analysis of small amounts of tissue, it is ideally suited to the genetic analysis of cytologic specimens. A polymerase chain reaction is easily performed on unfixed and unstained cells, however, an analysis of ethanol fixed and Papanicolaou-stained archival smears has also been described. We have recently established a method to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis organism by a nested polymerase chain reaction with primers in the insertion sequence IS 6110, using cellular digests of ethanol-fixed and Papanicolaou-stained archival specimens aspirated from the lymph nodes, lungs, thyroid, etc. Inhibitors present in Papanicolaou stained material was removed by destaining the slides with 0.5% HCl solution for 10-30 minutes. Eight out of ten cases which have shown the epithelioid granulomas revealed a positive reaction and four out of ten cases which have shown lymphohistiocytic cells in a necrotic background without any evidence of granuloma revealed a positive reaction. This study showed that it was possible to employ a polymerase chain reaction to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Papanicolaou stained archival cytology specimens.
Communicable Diseases ; DNA* ; Ethanol ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriages in children using a multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) assay kit. METHODS: We obtained nasopharyngeal swabs from 33 children without any underlying disease from July 25 to July 28, 2008. The children were free from the signs of respiratory tract infections at the time of sampling. DNA was extracted from the swabs and subjected to multiplex RT-PCR using a primer set for the detection of pneumococci (Seeplex(R) PneumoBacter ACE Detection Seegene, Seoul, Korea). The amplified PCR products were separated on 2% agarose gels and stained with either ethidium bromide or screen tape system (Lab901 Scotland, UK). RESULTS: A total of 33 children (male, 15 female, 18) aged between 3.2 and 16.3 (median, 8.2) years were included in this study. The mRT-PCR detected colonized bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae, Hemophilus influenzae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Bordetella pertussis) in 30 children (90.9%). Of these, 13 children (39.4%) showed more than 2 bacteria: 12 children were positive for 2 bacteria (S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae) and 1 child was positive for 3 bacteria (S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, and C. pneumoniae). CONCLUSION: mRT-PCR was found to be a sensitive tool for the detection of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriages. Clinical significances of the bacteria detected by mRT-PCR will have to be evaluated in the future.
Aged ; Bacteria ; Bordetella ; Child ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae ; Colon ; DNA ; Ethidium ; Female ; Gels ; Haemophilus influenzae ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; Nasopharynx ; Pneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Scotland ; Sepharose ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

BACKGROUND: Etanercept is a recombinant human soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) receptor fusion protein that inhibits TNF-alpha, a major mediator in the pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The purpose of our study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of etanercept therapy in children with steroid-refractory acute GVHD (aGVHD) (n=5) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD) (n=3). METHODS: Five males and 3 females were enrolled and their median age was 14.4 years (range, 2.1~18.8). Etanercept 0.4 mg/kg per dose (maximum dose, 25 mg) was given subcutaneously twice weekly for 4 weeks followed by 0.4 mg/kg per dose (maximum dose, 25 mg) weekly for 4 weeks. At the time of initiation of etanercept, 5 patients had aGVHD grade III to IV (III=4, IV=1) and 3 patients had moderate to severe cGVHD (moderate=1, severe=2). RESULTS: Overall, 6 of 8 patients (75%) responded to the treatment with etanercept, including 5 patients with aGVHD [n=3 complete response (CR), n=2 partial response (PR)] and 1 patient with cGVHD [n=1 PR, n=2 no response (NR)]. Clinical responses were most commonly seen in patients with refractory gut aGVHD. CMV reactivation occurred in 2 patients, bacterial infection in 1 patient, and fungal infection in 1 patient. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data indicate that etanercept is well tolerated and can induce a high response rate in patients with steroid refractory aGVHD, particularly in the setting of intestinal involvement.
Bacterial Infections ; Child ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Male ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Etanercept

Maspin is a recently described gene with tumor suppressor activity. The gene product is a 42 kD protein with homology to the serpin family of protease inhibitors and may play a role as an inhibitor of tumor cell invasion. The prior observation that invasive breast cancers and their metastases showed decreased maspin protein expression by immunostaining supports this speculation. However, the role of maspin in breast cancer progression has not been studied in detail. We, therefore, studied maspin protein expression in a series of hyperplasia, atypical ductal hyperplasia, intraductal carcinoma and invasive carcinomas. Immunohistochemical staining (IHC) for maspin was performed on paraffin sections of 136 breast specimens using a commercially available monoclonal antibody. Among the 106 cases studied were 36 moderate/florid ductal hyperplasia, 11 atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), 29 intraductal carcinoma (IDC) (4 low grade, 13 intermediate grade, 12 high grade) and 30 invasive ductal carcinomas. Thirty cases of normal breast were also studied as control group. IHC stains were scored using a semiquantitative scoring system. The mean IHC scores for maspin for normal, moderate/florid hyperplasia, atypical ductal hyperplasia, intraductal carcinoma, and invasive carcinoma were 5.51 1.30, 7.36 0.72, 3.82 1.60, 4.48 2.69, 3.97 3.30, respectively. These scores for each category were statistically significant (p<0.05), except between ADH and IDC. Maspin protein expression was increased in most cases of moderate/florid hyperplasia, while maspin expression was more heterogeneous in ADH and IDC. In high grade IDC, maspin protein expression was stronger than low and intermediate grade IDC, and this suggests the possibility of a compensatory cellular response against the forces driving further tumor progression. Two thirds of invasive ductal carcinomas expressed maspin protein weakly and focally. All metastatic carcinomas of lymph nodes were negative for maspin. It is possible that high grade IDC with strong maspin expression may represent a subset less likely to progress to invasive cancer. This speculation merits investigation in clinical outcome studies.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal* ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating* ; Coloring Agents ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Paraffin ; Protease Inhibitors