OBJECTIVES: the aim of this study was to evaluate plasmin system in placenta fiom women with normal and preeclamptic pregnancy. METHODS: The levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator(uPA), tissue-type plasrninogen activator(tPA), uPA receptor(uPAR) and plasminogen activatar inhibitor-1(PAI-1) mRNAs were measured by Northern blotting in placenta hom sixteen women with normal (n""8) and preeclamptic (n""8) pregnancy. The levels of tPA protein and PAI-1 protein were also measured by Westerrn blotting. RESULTS: Densitometric measurements revealed no difference in the levels of uPA mRNA, uPAR mRNA, tPA protein and PAI-1 protein in placentas fiom normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. There was, however, a significant decrease in the level of 3.2 kb PAI-I mRNA in placentas from preeclamptic women compared to normal pregnant women. CONCLUSION: To the contrary of our expectation, 3.2 kb PAI-1 mRNA level was significantly lower in placenta from women with preeclampsia compared to normal pregnancy. This seems to reflect differential accumulation of PAI-1 mRNAs due to environmental intluences or decreased differentiation potential of villous trophoblasts to invasive trophoblasts in placenta from preeclamptic women compared to normal pregnant women. The mechanism that regulates plasmin system in human placenta needs further investigations.
Blotting, Northern ; Female ; Fibrinolysin* ; Humans ; Placenta* ; Plasminogen ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; Plasminogen Activators ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; RNA, Messenger ; Trophoblasts

No abstract available.
Syndactyly*

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) has been a well established animal model of postvaccinatal demyelinating diseases occurring in humans. Therefore elucidation of its pathogenesis would be very critical for the understanding of various human demyelinating diseases including multiple sclerosis. This study was performed to characterize the infiltrating cells in inflammatory sites and analyze the nature of the damage of blood brain barrier in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was produced by administering homologous spinal cord homogenate together with complete Freund's adjuvant in guinea pigs. Immunostainings on guinea pig IgG, IgM, IgA and muramidase were performed by peroxidase-antiperoxidase or indirect immunofluorescent methods. The blood-brain barrier change was assessed by administering fluorescent Evans blue. Following results were made. In juvenile animals, both clinical findings and histopathologic changes were first noted by 3 weeks after injection and progressed during the whole experimental period. However, these findings were delayed in onset and low in incidence in adult animals. The clinical and pathologic changes started from the caudal portions and extended rostrally. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) was damaged and progressed starting also from the caudal portion of the spinal cord. The BBB changes were more severe in young animal than adult animals. Those changes preceded th histologic alterations. It is suggested that the BBB susceptibility is responsible for the caudal onset of histologic changes. Although the lesion has been thought to be induced by T-cell mediated hypersensitivity, infiltrating cells consisted mainly of muramidase positive histiocytes. A few immunoglobulin positive B cells or plasma cells could also be demonstrated in the lesion. The former usually infiltrated the parenchyme and the latter remained around the small or medium-sized vessels.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Animals ; Incidence

BACKGROUND: Hydrops fetalis is defined as abnormal accumulation of serous fluid in two or more fetal compartments, and this malady is known to be associated with various pathologic conditions. METHODS: We collected 149 cases of hydrops fetalis out of 2,312 autopsies, and we tried to elaborate the underlying causes of hydrops fetalis. The diagnosis was based on the material from either antenatal termination or intrauterine death. RESULTS: The relative incidence of hydrops fetalis was 6.44% of all the pediatric autopsies we performed. The gestational age was evenly distributed from 18 to 33 weeks, except for 30 to 31 weeks. There was no sex difference in the incidence of hydrops fetalis. The main causes were cardiovascular diseases (30.9%), cystic hygroma (13.4%), chromosomal anomaly (8.05%), thoracic conditions (7.38%), followed by urinary tract malformation (4.03%), infection (4.03%) and anemia (3.36%). The most common chromosomal anomaly was Turner syndrome and the second one was Down syndrome. CONCLUSION: Since various conditions can be the cause of hydrops fetalis, pathologists should pay attention to elaborate the underlying causes in every single autopsy.
Anemia ; Autopsy* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Down Syndrome ; Edema* ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Hydrops Fetalis* ; Incidence ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Sex Characteristics ; Turner Syndrome ; Urinary Tract

BACKGROUND: Fear of dental treatment is a very real problem for many people. Very young patients or children that are mentally or physically handicapped have various problems that preclude routine dental treatment in the office and require general anesthesia for extensive dental restoration. In America, outpatient operations are performed in thousands of dental offices annually, but there is no report about outpatient general anesthesia in Korea. METHOD: A review of forty children treated under outpatient general anesthesia for extensive dental treatment between 1994 and 1996 inclusive was carried out to assess the patient selection, anesthetic method, recovery time and complication. RESULTS: The mean age was 8.4 years, and twenty-five percent of the patients were autism. The length of the postoperative observation period before discharge was 3.2 hours, and postoperative fever was major complication. CONCLUSION: For extensive dental treatment in handicapped children, we suggest that outpatient general anesthesia can provide reasonably safe treatment, while reducing its expense and requiring less hospital bed space.
Americas ; Anesthesia, General* ; Autistic Disorder ; Child* ; Dental Offices ; Disabled Children ; Disabled Persons* ; Fever ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients* ; Patient Selection

No abstract available.
Scimitar Syndrome*

An appreciation of the radiation changes in the brain adjacent to radiated glioma is of considerable importance from both clinical and pathological standpoint because the alteration in the brain parenchyma may result in a picture that mimics recurrence of the neoplasm. A 35 years old woman was admitted because of deterioration of consciousness which has started about 20 days ago. Past history revealed removal of left frontal brain tumor 4 years earlier and the diagnosis was grade II astroma. Postoperative radiation was done at that time. Sine then, she has been doing well. Computerized tomogram showed an ill defined huge low density mass at right frontal and left posterior parietal areas, which was irregularly enhanced in postcontrast study. Unlikely to the usual brain tumors, there was no mass effect on adjacent structures. Histologically acellular necrotic zone was alternating with hypercellular zone and most striking changes were vascular and glial reaction. Most of the vessels showed acellular hyliane thickening of their wall and some vessels were almost completely occluded. There was marked glial proliferation with considerable cellular and nuclear irregularities. Gemistocytic astrocytes were frequently seen and some were multinucleated.
Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Hysteroscopy*

No abstract available.
Hysteroscopy*

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10* ; Molecular Biology*