No abstract available.
Animals ; Lung* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Anencephaly* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Epidemiologic Studies* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

BACKGROUND: A large amount of blood is lost during spinal fusion surgery; therefore, a blood transfusion is required. In this study, we analyzed the amount of transfusion and hemodynamic changes in relation to the count of fusion segments in lumbosacral spinal surgeries. METHODS: We analyzed 67 patients who had undergone lumbosacral fusion. They were divided into five groups according to the levels of fusion segments (one level: Group 1, two levels: Group 2, three levels: Group 3, four levels: Group 4 and above three levels: Groups 3+4). Total amounts of transfusion and perioperative hemodynamic changes were compared among each group. RESULTS: Of the total 67 cases, 40 cases were Group 1, 19 cases were Group 2, five cases were Group 3, three cases were Group 4, and eight cases were Groups 3+4. Average volume of Red Blood Cell (RBC) transfusion per operation was 703+/-463 mL (Group 1), 934+/-372 mL (Group 2), 1,677+/-847 mL (Group 3), 1,231+/-412 mL (Group 4), and 1,509+/-669 mL (Group 3+4); and average volume of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) per operation was 55+/-141 mL (Group 1), 108+/-181 mL (Group 2), 306+/-368 mL (Group 3), 567+/-260 mL (Group 4), and 404+/-317 mL (Groups 3+4). Eight patients received transfusion of Platelet Concentrate (PC); each patient received 10 units (400 mL). The preoperative mean level of hemoglobin and platelet was 13.62+/-1.47 g/dL and 245+/-60x10(3)/microliter, postoperatively, 10.26+/-1.14 g/dL and 150+/-46x10(3)/microliter. CONCLUSION: As the fusion segments increase, the need for transfusion of RBC, FFP, and PC increases. Application of the Maximum Surgical Blood Order Schedule (MSBOS) system is required in the planning of spinal fusion, especially in multiple segments.
Appointments and Schedules ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Hemodynamics ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Lumbosacral Region ; Plasma ; Spinal Fusion

BACKGROUND: A large amount of blood is lost during spinal fusion surgery; therefore, a blood transfusion is required. In this study, we analyzed the amount of transfusion and hemodynamic changes in relation to the count of fusion segments in lumbosacral spinal surgeries. METHODS: We analyzed 67 patients who had undergone lumbosacral fusion. They were divided into five groups according to the levels of fusion segments (one level: Group 1, two levels: Group 2, three levels: Group 3, four levels: Group 4 and above three levels: Groups 3+4). Total amounts of transfusion and perioperative hemodynamic changes were compared among each group. RESULTS: Of the total 67 cases, 40 cases were Group 1, 19 cases were Group 2, five cases were Group 3, three cases were Group 4, and eight cases were Groups 3+4. Average volume of Red Blood Cell (RBC) transfusion per operation was 703+/-463 mL (Group 1), 934+/-372 mL (Group 2), 1,677+/-847 mL (Group 3), 1,231+/-412 mL (Group 4), and 1,509+/-669 mL (Group 3+4); and average volume of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) per operation was 55+/-141 mL (Group 1), 108+/-181 mL (Group 2), 306+/-368 mL (Group 3), 567+/-260 mL (Group 4), and 404+/-317 mL (Groups 3+4). Eight patients received transfusion of Platelet Concentrate (PC); each patient received 10 units (400 mL). The preoperative mean level of hemoglobin and platelet was 13.62+/-1.47 g/dL and 245+/-60x10(3)/microliter, postoperatively, 10.26+/-1.14 g/dL and 150+/-46x10(3)/microliter. CONCLUSION: As the fusion segments increase, the need for transfusion of RBC, FFP, and PC increases. Application of the Maximum Surgical Blood Order Schedule (MSBOS) system is required in the planning of spinal fusion, especially in multiple segments.
Appointments and Schedules ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Hemodynamics ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Lumbosacral Region ; Plasma ; Spinal Fusion

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in the pathogenesis of active chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer disease in man. Thus, diagnosis and treatment of H. pylori infection are now of growing importance in ulcer management. A variety of non-invasive and invasive methods have been described for the detection of H. pvlori, but all of these techniques have disadvantages such as time consuming or insensitivity. So we describe the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) assay for the sensitive and specific detection of H. pylori. METHODS: Gastric biopsy specimens were obtained from 247 patients undergoing endoscopic examinations at Hanyang University Hospital. One half of the specimen was processed for routine culture and the other half for PCR. Bacterial genomic DNA from gastric biopsies was extracted by Instagene. Two sets of primer pairs derived from the nucleotide sequence of the urease A gene of H. pylori were used. RESULT: H. pylori was cultured in 100(40%) cases and PCR assay detected 179 (72%) cases (P<0.05, Chi-square test). Culture and PCR-positive cases totaled 100, and there were 68 cases negative by both methods. There were 79 culture-negative and PCR-positive cases, but none was culture-positive and PCR-negative. The assay was sensitive for detecting as little as 0.1 pg of DNA (1 bacterial cell). The specificity of detection was confirmed by ensuring that the primers did not amplify DNA extract from other bacteria. CONCLUSION: The PCR is a rapid, accurate, and sensitive method for the detection of H. pylori.
Bacteria ; Base Sequence ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Gastritis ; Genes, vif ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Peptic Ulcer ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ulcer ; Urease

beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) consisting of 40 to 42 amino acid is the principle constituent of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease. Although, the hypothesis that deposition of AP triggers a cascade of events leading to the pathology of Alzheimer's disease has been widely accepted, direct evidence for triggering accumulation of phosphorylated tau in paired helical filament is rare. In this study, we examined neurotoxicity induced by 3 kinds of beta-amyloid peptides 1 ~28, 25~,35 and 1~40 to elucidate the way of mechanism trading to neuronal cell death caused by Abeta using cultured hippocampal neurons. For this purpose, we measured lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the culture media after treatment with Abeta combined with anti-oxidant drug, trolox, or not. By histochemical and TUNEL method, we studied the change of immunoreaction to anti-MAP-2 (microtubule associated protein -2, the main component of neuritis) and detected apoptotic cells, respectively, in the hippocampal neurons treated with Abeta. To investigate whether tau phosphorylation involve neurotoxicity induced by Abeta, we immunostained the neurons with anti-SMI-31 to recognize phosphorylated Ser 396/404 of tau. From our data, we suggested that Abeta1-40 and Abeta25-35 induced marked neurodegenerative changes, and the mechanism responsible for cell death caused by Abeta -neurotoxicity was associated with the apoptosis. Because Abeta-neurotoxicity was not inhibited by anti-oxidant, trolox, we suggested that anti-oxidant did not protect the neuronal cells against the damage induced by Abeta in ou. expo.imental envi.onment. Finally, we suggested that AP treatment did not potentiate the immunoreactivity to anti-phosphorylated tau antibody and we speculated that Abeta-neurotoxicity led hippocampal cells to apoptosis without tau phosphorylation.
Alzheimer Disease ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Death ; Culture Media ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Neurons* ; Pathology ; Peptides* ; Phosphorylation* ; Plaque, Amyloid

Translocation of synaptic zinc may mediate neuronal death in pathological conditions. In this study, we examined the possible correlation between zinc translocation and heat shock protein (HSP)72 induction in rat brains following kainate seizures. Zinc accumulation, visualized by Timm's method, occurred in degenerating neurons in hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex 6~24 h after kainate injection. Immunohistochemistry with anti-HSP72 antibody revealed HSP induction largely in areas where zinc accumulation occurred. At the cellular level, however, most HSP72 immunoreac-tive neurons were found to be Timm (-) and morphologically intact. Present results suggest that intense zinc translocation may induce neuronal death before possible HSP induction. However, we could not rule out the possibility that sublethal zinc translocation, below the detection limit by Timm's method, may play a role in HSP72 induction.
Amygdala ; Animals ; Brain* ; Heat-Shock Proteins* ; Hippocampus ; Hot Temperature* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kainic Acid* ; Limit of Detection ; Neurons ; Rats* ; Seizures* ; Zinc*

Apodemus agrarius has been used for experimental purpose to identify the route of infection and pathogenesis of Korean hemorrhagic fever. However, despite the increasing amount of information being published at present about the physiologic and ecologic characteristics of Apodemus, few data are available about the morphologic findings in the brain. This study was aimed to clarify the change of NADPH-d and neuropeptide Y (NPY) associated with aging of the Apodemus. The number of NADPH-d positive or negative NPY neurons in the cerebral cortex and striatum were compared between two age groups of Apodemus (4 months and 24 months) after the histochemical and immunohis-tochemical staining. 1. The number of NADPH-d positive NPY neurons in cerebral cortex or striatum were not different between the two age groups. 2. The number of NADPH-d negative NPY neurons in cerebral region or caudatoputamen striatum were not different between the two age groups. 3. Most of NADPH-d or NPY neurons were bipolar or multipolar neurons with complex and long dendrites in the control group. 4. The NADPH-d or NPY neurons in cerebral cortex were more tortous and shorter than control in the aged group. These findings demonstrate that NADPH-d positive NPY neurons and NPY neurons do not seem to be change of age in cerebral cortex or striatum of Apodemus agrarius.
Aging ; Animals ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex* ; Dendrites ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Murinae* ; Neurons* ; Neuropeptide Y* ; Neuropeptides* ; Nitric Oxide