Earlier work suggested that Ginseng saponin had an effect on osteoblast and other cells, but there has been no report on saponin effects on chondrocyte. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of saponin on cultured human chondrocyte. The chondrocyte was isolated from human articular cartilage of knee joint during notchplasty of ACL reconstructive procedure using collagenase, and cultured in standard medium and serum free deficient medium, with addition of saponin(0(control), 10, 20, 50 microgram/ml concentration). DNA, RNA synthesis of chondrocyte was estimated on 36 hours and 5 days of culture by measuring of thymidine and uridine uptake. Human collagen type I and II synthesis was estimated by reverse transcriptation-polymerase chain reaction on 36 hours of culture. Low dose saponin was found to enhance DNA, RNA, and collagen synthesis of chondrocytes which were cultured with a deficient medium in comparison to the controls. It promoted cell proliferation of the osteoblasts cultured with a deficient medium in comparison to the controls. But, high dose saponin was found to diminish the synthesis of DNA, RNA and collagen. In summary, the results showed that the saponin increased proliferation and differentiation of the chondrocyte cultured in deficient medium. Therefore saponin seemed to act as a physiologic stimulant on human chondrocyte. But further study should be done.
Cartilage, Articular ; Cell Proliferation ; Chondrocytes* ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Collagenases ; DNA ; Humans* ; Knee Joint ; Osteoblasts ; Panax* ; RNA ; Saponins* ; Thymidine ; Uridine

No abstract available.
Facial Asymmetry* ; Prognathism*

PURPOSE: To assess how accurately computed tomography (CY) can demonstrate the abnormal findings which are believed to cause the clinical signs and symptoms of hearing loss (HL), vertigo and facial paralysis (FP) in patients with temporal bone trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors studied CT scans of 39 ears in 35 patients with temporal bone trauma. CT scans were performed with 1-115 mm slice thickness and table incrementation. Both axial and coronal scans were obtained in 32 patients and in three patients only axial scans were obtained. We analyzed CT with special reference to the structural abnormalities of the external auditory canal, middle ear cavity, bony labyrinth, and facial nerve canal, and correlated these findings with the actual clinical signs and symptoms. As to hearing loss, we evaluated 32 ears in which pure tone audiometry or brainstem evoked response audiometry had been performed. RESULTS: With respect to the specific types of HL, CT accurately showed the abnormalities in 84% (16/19) in conductive HL, 100% (2/2) in sensorineural HL, and 25% (2/8) for mixed HL. When we categorized HL simply as conductive and sensorineural, assuming that mixed be the result of combined conductive and sensorineural HL, CT demonstrated the abnormalities in 89% (24/27) for conductive HL and 50% (5/10) for sensorineural HL. Concerning vertigo and FP, CT demonstrated abonormalities in 67%(4/6), and 29% (4/14), respectively. CONCLUSION: Except for conductive HL, CT seems to have a variable degree of limitation for the demonstration of the structural abnormalities resulting sensorineural HL, vertigo or facial paralysis. It is imperative to correlate the CT findings with the signs and symptoms in those clinical settings.
Audiometry ; Audiometry, Evoked Response ; Brain Stem ; Ear ; Ear Canal ; Ear, Inner ; Ear, Middle ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Temporal Bone* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vertigo

No abstract available.
Pneumothorax*

PURPOSE: We investigated the possible inhibitory effect of aspirin during the initiation and post initiating stages on N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BBN) induced bladder carcinogenesis in female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-five female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups. Group A received 0.05% BBN in drinking water for 12 weeks. Group B re ceived 0.05% BBN in drinking water with 0.5% aspirin in the diet for 12 weeks. Group C received control diet without added chemicals. The rats were sacrificed after 12 weeks. For identification of chemopreventive effect of aspirin, apoptosis was detected by in situ cell death detection method. The apoptotic index (AI) was calculated from the ratio of typical apoptotic cells relative to the total cells from observation of at least 1000 cells in each preneoplastic lesion among the groups. RESULTS: All cases of group A showed multiple lesions of simple and focal hyperplasia. The incidence of papilloma was 80% in group A. All cases of group B also showed multiple lesions of simple and focal hyperplasia but the incidence of papilloma was decreased to 20%. The total numbers counted of focal hyperplasia and papilloma lesions were significantly reduced in group B than in group A (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The mean AI in group A and B sequentially increased in preneoplastic lesions, as compared to that in the normal epithelium of the rat bladder. Significant differences in AI in the lesions of simple and focal hyperplasia between group A and B were noted (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The result suggests that aspirin significantly decreases the incidence of precancerous lesions and it can act as a chemopreventive agent for precancerous lesions of urinary bladder.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Aspirin* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Death ; Diet ; Drinking Water ; Epithelium ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Incidence ; Papilloma ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder*

Core tissue for histologic study is believed by many pathologists to be more diagnostic than material from needle aspiration. Recently introduced automated biopsy gun simplifies core biopsies with increased quantity and quality of samples. Authors performed 38 percutaneous biopsies from 38 patients with 18G automated biopsy guns under US guide. Diagnostic target tissues were obtained in 33 biopsies(87%), inadequate tissues in 4 (11%), and adequate but not of target tissue in 1(3%). There was no major complication requiring treatment, but pain needing analgesics and pain with nausea/vomiting were experienced in 2 and 1 biopsies respectively. Average number of needle passes was 1.5(1-5) We concluded that US-guided gun biopsy was a easy and safe way to obtained tissue samples of good quantity and quality, especially useful in hospitals without constant availability of specialists in cytopathology.
Analgesics ; Biopsy* ; Firearms ; Humans ; Needles ; Specialization

No abstract available.
Kidney Transplantation*

Abdominal cystic lymphangioma is a rare congenital malformation of lymphatics. Prognosis is excellent with exact diagnosis and complete surgical excision. The aughors analysed 10 US scans and 9 CT scans of surgically proven cystic lymphangiom for the last 5 years. US scan showed it as a septated cystic mass and 2 cases showed fluid-fluid level. CT scan showed a huge unilocular or multilocular density mass with uniformly thickened septae. A huge unilocular or multilocular cystic mass with uniformly thickened septae could suggest cystic lymphangioma would be differentiated from the other cystic masse.
Diagnosis ; Lymphangioma, Cystic* ; Prognosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Tuberculosis*

Intracerebral hemorrhage is the most serious complication of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). To identify angiographic characteristics of AVM which correlate with a history of hemorrhage, we retrospectively analyzed angiographic findings of 25 patients with AVM. Nine characteristics were evaluated; these include nidus size, location, arterial aneurysm, intranidal aneurysm, angiomatous change, venous drainage pattern, venous stenosis, delayed drainage and venous ectasia. These characteristics were correlated with hemorrhage, which was seen in 18 (72%) patients of CT or MR images. Venous stenosis (P<.05) and delaved venous drainage (P<.05) well correlated with a history of hemorrhage. Arterial aneurysm and intranidal aneurysm also had a tendency hemorrhage although they did not prove to be statistically significant. Detailed analysis of angiographic finding of AVM is important for recognition of characteristics which are related to hemorrhage and may contribute to establishing a prognosis and treatment planning.
Aneurysm ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Dilatation, Pathologic ; Drainage ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies