Biologic resurfacing of the damaged joints is an area of great interest and clinical promise because of the limited potential ofdamaged articular cartilage healing. Several methods such as spongiolization. joint dehridement and ahrasion of suhchondral hone. perichondral grafts, and osteochondral grafts have heen used to repair cartilage defects, but the results were not satisfactory. Rccently autologous chondrocyle transplantation with a pcrioslcal patch was paid an altention for its advantage , the regeneration with hyalin cartilage. But it have many disadvantages such as too expensive cost. second staged operation, and technically difficult to isolatc chondrocytes from a small volume of donor site, so we performed that a definecl cartilaee delect in the ribbit patella was treated with transplanta1ion of in virto expanded allogenic chondrocvtes and then compared with an autologous chondrocytes transplantation. Adult rabbits were used to transplant autogenously and allogenously and allogenically harvested and in vitro cultured chondrocytes into patellar chondral lesions that had been made previously 3x 3mmin size , extending down to the calcified zone. Chondrocytes were isolated in the femoral condyle of the opposite knee or othe rabbit knee. And then enzymatic digestion ( collagenase A and DNase I ) was performed for 5 hours room temperature in a spinner bottle and cells were seeded in a 25cm2 culture flask in Dulheccos modified essential medium (DMEM), supplemented with l0% fetal hovine serum (FBS). The culture medium was changed twice weekly. After 14 days of culture, the cells were isolated hy irypsinization and transplanted into previously made chondral defects with an autogenous periosteal patch taken from the medial aspect of tibia. Healing ol' the defects was assessed by gross examination, immunohistochemical stain, and light microscope with hematoxylin-eosin stain at 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Allogenic and autologous chondrocytes transplantation significantly increased the amount of newly tormed repair tissue compared to that found in control knees in which the Jesion was solely covered hy a periosteal patch. The repair tissue, however, had a tendency of incomplete bonding to adjacent cartilage. This study shows that allogenic and autologous articular chondrocytes that have heen expanded for 2 weeks in vitro can stimulate the healing phase of chondral lesion. There is no signilicant diffcrence hetween allogenic and autologous chondrocytes transplantation.
Adult ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Chondrocytes* ; Collagenases ; Deoxyribonuclease I ; Digestion ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Joints ; Knee ; Patella* ; Rabbits ; Regeneration ; Tibia ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

OBJECTIVE: Reduced tumor cell adhesion is associated with invasive growth and unfavorable prognosis. In endometrial carcinoma, the prognostic impact of adhesion marker such as E-cadherin is partly known. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation of the expression and the mutation of E-cadherin in endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinomas and endometrial hyperplasias and to correlate their results with various clinicopathological factors. METHODS: The expression of E-cadherin by using immunohistochemical staining (IHC) and the mutation of E-cadherin gene by using polymerase chain reaction-single stranded conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing were performed in tissues of 20 endometrial adenocarcinomas and 30 endometrial hyperplasias. The results were compared with previously known prognostic factors such as the stage, tumor grade and lymph node metastasis. RESULTS: Decreased expression of E-cadherin was detected in 13 of 30 (43.3%) endometrial carcinomas and in 1 of 20 (5%) endometrial hyperplasias (P=0.009). There was no statistical significance of the mutation of E-cadherin gene in between the endometrial carcinomas and endometrial hyperplasias (6.7%: 0%) (P=0.06). The incidence of the expression loss of E-cadherin in endometrial carcinomas also showed significantly higher with tumor grade 3, tumor stage above Ic or lymph nodal metastasis (P=0.01, P=0.02, P=0.03). CONCLUSION: Decreased expression of E-cadherin was detected significantly higher in endometrial carcinomas than endometrial hyperplasias. And the incidence of decreased expression of E-cadherin was more frequent in advanced stage, high histopathologic grade, and lymph nodal metasis. The mutation of E-cadherin gene was detected in only 2 cases. These results suggests that the expression of E-cadherin seems to be important in endometrial carcinomas and associated with aggressive subgroups. But the mutation of E-cadherin gene would not be related to endometrial carcinomas.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cadherins ; Cell Adhesion ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the disability identity and life satisfaction according to the severity of disability in the spinal cord injured persons resident in the community. METHOD: The subjects of this national wide study were 397 spinal cord injured persons resident in the community. We investigated their disability identity, life satisfaction, depression, social integration and social support. The questionnaire included the newly developed disability identity scale to evaluate the disability identity, that consisted of five sub-scales (personal worth, self-acceptance with the disabled, individual civil right, common cause and external barriers) and 23 questions. The subjects were divided into four groups according to severity of disability: motor complete tetraplegia, motor incomplete tetraplegia, motor complete paraplegia and motor incomplete paraplegia. RESULTS: The scores of life satisfaction, depression and social support were not different according the four groups. However the disability identity scale of the motor incomplete paraplegia was lower than motor complete tetraplegia or motor complete paraplegia (p<0.05). The sub-scale score of the personal worth and self-acceptance were lower in less severely disabled persons. As the disability identity scale was higher, social integration (r=0.478, p=0.000), and social support (r=0.465, p=0.000) were moderate and the depression was negative (r=-0.252, p=0.000). Conclusion: Less severely disabled persons showed lower disability identity. Disability identity scale was significantly correlated with higher social integration, higher social support and lower depression score. The newly developed disability identity scale will be a useful tool for the evaluation of the psychological status and planning the rehabilitation strategy for spinal cord injured persons.
Civil Rights ; Depression ; Disabled Persons ; Humans ; Paraplegia ; Quadriplegia ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Injuries

OBJECTIVE: To understand the difference of defecation physiology between postpartum and postoperative women. METHODS: Between July 1998 to April 1999, we performed defecogram and pudendal nerve motor latency to 31 women, who were 8 postoperative women, 9 post cesarean-section state women, and 14 normal vaginal delivery-state women. RESULTS: According to the defecogram results, only squeezing angles of the anorectal angle were significantly increased(96.0 vs 72.3, 74.9 degree) in normal vaginal delivery-state women compared to post cesarean-section state and postoperative women, but rest and evacuation angles were not. And to pudendal nerve latency, there were no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the pudendal plexus was damaged during labor, therefore its ability to control puborectalis muscle was damaged. So, the anorectal angles of squeezing of postpartum women were significantly increased, compared to those of post cesarean section women or postoperative women.
Cesarean Section ; Defecation* ; Female ; Humans ; Physiology* ; Postpartum Period* ; Pregnancy ; Pudendal Nerve*

OBJECTIVE: The measurement of liver size can be used for the diagnosis of the fetal growth abnormality (FGR, macrosomia etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a mathematical relationship between the fetal liver size(liver length or volume) and the gestational age in the normal pregnancies. Brief comparisons were also tried on the base of the degree of the correlation between liver length and its volume. METHODS: We collected 54 singleton pregnancies of 20 to 36weeks of gestation for measuring fetal liver length and 57 singleton pregnancies for measuring fetal liver volume. We used Combison 530 utrasonic machine(Kreztechnik AG, Zipf, Austria). RESULTS: There was significant correlation between liver size( length and volume) and gestation age. And the liver volume better correlated with gestational age than liver length(r=0.93 : r=0.78, p<0.0001, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic measurement of fetal liver size is a reliable indicator of fetal growth, especially liver volume. Therefore these data may have a potential value for the prediction of abnormal fetal growth(FGR, macrosomia).
Diagnosis ; Fetal Development ; Gestational Age* ; Liver* ; Pregnancy* ; Ultrasonics

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the distribution of the result of 17,744 cervicovaginal smears and their pathologic results in Inha University Hospital to make a reference data. METHODS: During 28 months, May 1996 to August 1998, we performed 17,774 cervicovaginal smears and arranged them by the Bethesda system and compared them with their pathologic results. RESULTS: Among 17,744 smears, there were 93.2% of benign results, 2.9% of ASCUS, 0.9% of LSIL, 1.4% of HSIL, and 0.8% of SCC. The ASCUS/SIL ratio was 1.28. Among ASCUS, the high grade histologic outcome was composed 4.0%. Among LSIL, there were 15.7%, and HSIL 48.0%, SCC 56.1%, AGUS 9.3%, and Adenocarcinoma, the results was 69.2%. CONCLUSION: Among 17,744 smears, there were 93.2% of benign results, 2.9% of ASCUS, 0.9% of LSIL, 1.4% of HSIL, and 0.8% of SCC. The ASCUS/SIL ratio was 1.28. These results were very similar to other data and we would like to add our data to them as a reference. And the worse the smear results were, the worse the pathologic results were.
Adenocarcinoma

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract. The cancer spreads by direct extension, transtubal dissemination, lymphatic dissemination, and/or by hematogenous spread, usually results in lung metastasis, but may less commonly involve liver, brain, and bone. Here, we describe a patient with stage IA endometrial cancer who developed liver recurrence 17 months after surgery.
Brain ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVES: To understand the importance of the serum level of Ca-125 among pelvic mass, we performed a study. METHOD: From January to December 1998, we performed the study. Before hysterectomy, we performed a blood sampling to know the serum level of Ca-125, After hysterectomy, we weighed the uterus and measured the thickness of endometrium and other histologic characteristics. RESULTS: We performed my research to 80 peoples. The relation between uterine weight and the serum level of Ca-125 is little, if ever(R2=0.0007), and the relation between the thickness of endometrium and the serum level of Ca-125 is also little, if ever(R2=0.0353). The relation between leiomyoma, the cycle of endometrium and the serum level of Ca-125 were also little, but there was a close relationship between adenomyosis and the serum level of Ca-125. CONCLUSION: There was little relationship between uterine weight and the serum level of Ca-125.
Adenomyosis ; Endometrium ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Leiomyoma ; Uterus

OBJECTIVES: Leptin is a 16-kD protein encoded by the ob/ob gene and represent the amount of body fat. In pregnancy, it is thought to act in intrauterine fetal growth and energy metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effect of gestational age, fetal sex, maternal body mass index (BMI), and fetal weight estimated by ultrasound on amniotic fluid and maternal serum leptin levels at mid-trimester, respectively. METHODS: Amniotic fluid and maternal blood sampling were collected from women who was performed for genetic amniocentesis at mid-trimester (n = 26). Leptin concentrations were measured by a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) employing human recombinant leptin. Mean gestational age was 18.19+/-1.77 weeks. Mean maternal BMI was 23.83 +/-5.12kg/m2. Male fetus was 10, and female 16. Mean fetal weight estimated by ultrasound was 254.42+/-83.80gm. RESULTS: Mean maternal leptin level( 12.49+/-4.46 ng/mL) was significantly higher than mean amniotic leptin level(5.06+/-3.20 ng/mL)( p = 0.0001) at mid-trimester. But there was no significant correlationship between maternal and amniotic leptin levels( p = 0.1376). Maternal leptin concentrations at mid-trimester were correlated positively with maternal BMI(y = 2.24 + 0.43 x, R2 = 0.494, p = 0.0103). In contrast, leptin levels in amniotic fluid did not correlate with maternal leptin levels, gestational age, fetal sex, maternal BMI, and fetal weight estimated by ultrasound respectively. CONCLUSION: Maternal leptin level was higher than amniotic leptin level and could represent maternal fat mass. It was suggested that amniotic leptin level was not associated with several factors such as maternal, fetal, and amniotic factors.
Adipose Tissue ; Amniocentesis ; Amniotic Fluid* ; Body Mass Index ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Fetal Weight* ; Fetus ; Gestational Age* ; Humans ; Leptin* ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Radioimmunoassay ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.
Aneurysm ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Hemianopsia