No abstract available.
Genetic Predisposition to Disease*

Coronary atherosclerosis begins with the impairment of endothelial function of anti-thrombosis, vasorelaxation, anti-proliferation, and anti-atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfuction is induced not only by bio-chemical factors such as hypercholesterolemia, smoking, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, but also by bio-mechanical factors, such as disturbance of laminar flow of blood stream. In addition to these conventional risk factors, new ones emerge as important factors for atherosclerosis, which include hyperhomocysteinemia, oxidative stress, and infectious agents. The results of the several ongoing trials of antibiotics, antioxidant, and vitamins for prevention of cardiovascular diseases will elucidate implications of these new risk factors for coronary atherosclerosis. The new insight on the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis will change the preventive measures against cardiovascular events. We have to pay attention not only to the conventional measures such as reducing the cholesterol level, correcting hypertension, and prescribing anti-platelet agents, but also to the new measures such as reducing the homocysteine level by folate and vitamin B, encouraging intake of antioxidant in fresh vegetables and nuts, and eradicating infectious agents by oral care and ulcer treatment.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Atherosclerosis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Folic Acid ; Homocysteine ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Hypertension ; Nuts ; Oxidative Stress ; Risk Factors ; Rivers ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Ulcer ; Vasodilation ; Vegetables ; Vitamins

BACKGROUND: The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a crucial role in pathophysiology of congestive heart failure and ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI). There are two components, systemic and local, in RAS. There has not been a study to analyze differentially the sequential changes of systemic and local RAS after MI. The aim of this study was to analyze the sequential change of the expression of angiotensinogen mRNA, the first component of the renin-angiotensin system, in liver and non-infarcted myocardium in rats after myocardial infarction. METHOD: Female Sprague-Dawley rats (body weight 200-250 g) were subjected either to left coronary artery occlusion or to sham operation. And the rats were sacrificed at 1, 4, 18, 24 hours, 3 days, 2, 3 weeks. Hemodynamic measurement was performed and RNA was extracted from various tissues including liver and ventricle for the analysis of the expression of the angiotensinogen mRNA by northern blot analysis or RT-PCR. RESULTS: Coronary artery ligation resulted in comparable infarct sizes among rats at 3 weeks after MI and was accompanied by significant increases of LVEDP (preMI 11+/-2 vs postMI 21+/-3 mmHg, n=4). Systolic arterial pressure was reduced in animals with infarction (preMI 130+/-15 vs postMI 90+/-10 mmHgn n=4). The liver angiotensinogen mRNA levels increased at 4, 18, 24 hours after myocardial infarction and decreased at 3rd day to control values (Angiotensinogen/GAPDH;preMI 1.35+/-0.20 vs postMI 5.97+/-0.25, max 4-fold, n=3). After sham operation, the liver angiotensinogen mRNA levels increased also at 4, 18, 24 hours, but in a less degree (Angiotensinogen/GAPDH;preop. 2.15+/-1.17 vs postop. 3.41+/-1.76, max 1.5-fold, n=3). In contrast to the liver, small amounts of angiotensinogen mRNA were detectable in normal left ventricle of rat with RT-PCR. The myocardial angiotensinogen mRNA levels decreased transiently in acute phase after MI, and recovered at 3-day after MI and increased further afterwards upto 3rd month after MI. CONCLUSION: The angiotensinogen in liver was activated early during acute phase after MI and decreased toward normal as the stable state was achieved. In contrast to the circulating RAS that was activated in acute phase after MI, the local RAS in heart was activated in chronic phase after MI.
Angiotensinogen* ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure ; Blotting, Northern ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Heart ; Heart Failure ; Heart Ventricles ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Infarction ; Ligation ; Liver* ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardium* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger* ; Ventricular Remodeling

No abstract available.

Mycobacteria cause diseases which occur the world over and which carry a considerable burden in morbidity, mortality and social problems. A battery of monoclonal antibodies specific for mycobacterial antigens would provide a useful tool for rapid diagnosis of mycobacterial diseases. Fourteen monoclonal antibodies to perchloric acid soluble antigen of M. tuberculosis were produced. Immunoglobulin isotypes of monoclonal antibodies were ten of immunoglobulin G2a, two of IgG3, and two of IgM. By means of Western blotting, monoclonal antibody detected the antigen of 54kD in TB-P. In the immunofluorescence assay, the monoclonal antibody showed a positive reaction with intact M. tuberculosis bacilli, M. tuberculosis in the pulmonary tissue of tuberculous patient and M. bovis BCG.
Antibodies, Monoclonal* ; Blotting, Western ; Diagnosis ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin Isotypes ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Mortality ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Social Problems ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Mycobacterium bovis*

For determination of reliability and clinical applicability of spinal mineral content assessed by quantitativeCT, the basic experiment was undertaken to assure the correlation of CT numbers of calibration material withinphantom and human vertebral specimen. And the analytical study of mineral contents assessed by whole body CT in 208 normal persons was performed at Pusan Natinal University Hospital for these last two years. The resultsobtained were summarized as follows: 1. The concentration of solution of dipotassium hydrogen phosphate had a highcorrelation with CT number with correlatin coefficient of 0.99. 2. in experimental study, the method fordetermining the mid-vertebral line in lateral scout view showed the precision of 1.4%(coefficient of variation).3. Short term precision test for mineral content of spine specimens showed 1.9%(coefficient of variation) and longterm precision test showed 2.4%(coefficient of variation). 4. Mean mineral content of lumber spines in normal malewas 139.0±35.70mg K2,HPO4/cm3, and the highest value was 167.3±22.96mg K2 HPO4/cm3 in the age range of 20–29years. With increasing age, there was a gradual loss of mineral. so that by age 70 the mineral content was reducedto 85.2±19.95mg K2 HPO4/cm3. 5. Mean minearal content of lumbar spines in normal female was 128.7±41.87mg k2HPO4/cm3. the highest value was 169.5±20.46mg/ K2 HPO4.cm3 in second decade. There was gradual decrease inmineral content to 62.2±25.45mg K2 HPO4/cm3 by 70 years of age. 6. From 40's of age the average mineal content ofspine was decreased by 70's, the mineral content in normal women was reduced by 62%, and that in normal men by 47%. 7. After 40's in women, the mineral content of spine was markedly reduced, and the level of mineral contentin women was lower than in men.
Busan ; Calibration ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrogen ; Male ; Methods ; Miners ; Spine

No abstract available.
Antibodies, Monoclonal* ; Mycobacterium bovis*

No abstract available.
DNA*

The functional and morphologic cardiac developments are determined by the morphogenesis, growth and remodeling of the heart resulted from the cell proliferation and apoptosis. We studied the distribution of the proliferation and apoptotic activity of myocardial cells according to the developmental stages in embryos of C57bl/6 mice. Serial histologic sections were stained with PCNA and TUNEL method and were analyzed with image analyzer (BMI, Seoul). The ventricular myocardium of an embryonic heart could be divided into trabecular, inner compact and outer compact layers. Proliferation indices at layers of the left ventricular myocardium on embryonal days (ED) 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18 were 19.9%/47.4%/60.4%, 16.1%/45.8%/60.3%, 24.6%/45.6%/38.1%, 23.3%/17.7%/18.3% and 31.2%/28.0%/19.4% (trabecular/ inner compact/ outer compact) and the right ventricle, 11.0%/34.4%/60.5%, 23.0%/44.0%/69.0%, 29.2%/42.9%/35.1%, 30.4%/30.5%/22.3% and 32.4%/28.4%/16.3%. The apoptotic indices of the left ventricle/VIF were 0.23%/3.66% on ED 13-14, 0.42%/1.31% on ED 16 and 0.05%/0.60% on ED 17-18. The results show that the proliferation of the myocytes was maximal at the outer compact layer on ED 13 and 14 but lowest on ED 17 and 18. This decrease was more pronounced at the left ventricle. The innermost trabecular layer showed a constant proliferation activity of 11.0-32.4%. The presence of spatiotemporal differences in the cell proliferation reveals regional regulation in the developmental timing of cardiac development. Functional maturation is considered to be responsible for the change of proliferation activity. The apoptosis was most frequent and intense in the VIF and crux throughout the periods of each embryonal day where as rarely seen in the ventricular myocardium, especially in the trabecular layer of myocardium. These findings suggest that the apoptosis plays the role in the development of atrioventricular, ventriculoarterial septation and valve formation. Our results also reveal that the participation of apoptosis in formation of the trabeculation can be denied.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Proliferation* ; Embryonic Structures ; Heart ; Heart Ventricles ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Mice ; Morphogenesis ; Muscle Cells ; Myocardium ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen