Nitric oxide (NO) induces apoptotic cell death in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. To elucidate the roles of SEK1/MKK4, a upstream kinase for both c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK) and p38 kinase, on NO-induced apoptosis, we generated clones of RAW 264.7 cells which stably overexpressd kinase inactive SEK1 (RAW/SEK1-Kl) or wild type SEK1 (RAW/SEK1-WT). Treatment of kinase inactive SEK1 transfected RAW 264.7 cells (RAW/SEK1-Kl) with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO generating agent, significantly decreased the cell viability up to 20% of RAW control cells which were treated with the same amount of SNP. However, RAW/SEK1-WT cells were less susceptible to NO induced apoptosis. For a while, caspase-3 like activity in NO treated RAW/SEK1-Kl cells was significantly increased with parallell to apoptotic death rate. However, caspase1 like activity was not affected by NO in any transfectants. The NO induced apoptosis in RAW/SEK1-Kl cells was significantly prevented by the addition of caspase-3 like inhibitor (N-Ac- DEVD-CHO). In addition, the phosphotransferase activity of JNK1 in NO-treated RAW/SEK1-WT is significantly increased, but not in RAW/SEK1-Kl cells. These results suggest that SEK1 may play anti-apoptotic role in RAW cells from NO-induced apoptosis.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Clone Cells ; Macrophages ; Mortality ; Nitric Oxide* ; Nitroprusside ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinases

No abstract available.
Dislocations*

No abstract available.

Joints ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Recurrence ; Skull

BACKGROUND: N-acetylcysteine(ACE) is used both orally and intravenously in a variety of experimental pathologies resembling human disease states which exhibit endothelial toxicity as a result of oxidative stress, including acute pulmonary oxygen toxicity, septicemia and endotoxin shock. Despite these observations in vivo, it is not certain how this thiol drug produces its protective effects. ACE is a cysteine derivative which is able to directly react with oxygen radicals and may also act as a cysteine and glutathione(GSH) precursor following deacetylation. In this paper, we tried to know whether the therapeutic doses of ACE can modify the inflammatory function of the neutrophils and can increase the glutathione level of plasma in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) patients. In addition, the effect of ACE to the purified neutrophil in terms of superoxide release and glutathione synthesis were observed. METHOD: Firstly, we gave 600mg of ACE for seven days and compare the release of superoxide, luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence from the neutrophils, neutrophil chemotaxis, and plasma GSH levels before and after ACE treatment in COPD patients. Secondly, we observed the dose dependent effect of ACE to the purified neutrophil's superoxide release and GSH levels in vitro. RESULTS: 1) Usual oral therapeutic doses(600mg per day) of ACE for seven days did affect neither on the neutrophils superoxide release, chemiluminescence, chemotaxis, nor on the plasma GSH concentration in the COPD patients. 2) ACE decreases the purified neutrophil's superoxide release and increase the GSH production in dose dependent fashion in vitro. CONCLUSION: Despite the fact that oral ACE treatment did not affect on the neutrophil's inflammatory function and plasma GSH concentration in COPD patients in usual therapeutic doses, it decreases the superoxide release and increases the GSH production from the isolated neutrophils in high molar concentrations. These findings suggest that to obtain an antioxidative effects of ACE, it might be needed to increase the daily dosage of ACE or therapeutic duration or change the route of adminisration in COPD patients.
Acetylcysteine* ; Chemotaxis* ; Cysteine ; Glutathione* ; Humans ; Luminescence ; Molar ; Neutrophils* ; Oxidative Stress ; Oxygen ; Pathology ; Plasma* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Superoxides*

No abstract available.
Health Promotion*

Epiblepharon is characterized by horizontal fold of skin adjacent to lid margin. It is a common congenital anomaly, especially in Orientals. In comparison with it, entropion is characterized by an absent lid crease and an inward rolling of the entire eyelid margin. The incidence of the latter was not reported but it was said to be very rare. Not with standing that, congenital entropion has been diagnosed more frequently than epiblepharon in Korea. Supposing that the cases diagnosed as entropion in Korea might fall under the category of epiblepharon on the basis of the authors' clinical experience, the clinical evaluation of the 190 cases operated under the diagnosis of congenital entropion at Seoul National University Hospital from January 1976 to May 1986 was done. The result was that 147 cases(77.4%) were thought to be epiblepharon. So more careful examination might be necessary in diagnosing epiblepharon or entropion in Orientals.
Diagnosis ; Entropion ; Eyelids ; Incidence ; Korea ; Seoul ; Skin

Acquired tufted angioma is a benign, slowly progressive angioma with a typical histological pattern that was first described by Wilson-Jones in 1976. We report a case of acquired tufted angioma in a 19 year old female who had erythematous papules and plaques on the right thigh. Histopathological findings showed multiple capillary lobules in a cannonball arrangement scattered throughout dermis, which was diagnostic of acquired tufted angioma.
Capillaries ; Dermis ; Female ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Thigh ; Young Adult

Nodular fat necrosis is a rare and often overlooked sign of pancreatic disease. It is manifested as painful subcutaneous erythematous nodules, often found on the legs. We report a case of nodular fat necrosis associated with pancreatitis. The patient was a 14-year-old girl who presented with erythema nodosum-like tender subcutaneous nodules on both her lower extremities. The serum amylase and lipase levels were markedly elevated. The change of serum calcium and eosinophils were not so remarkable. Histopathological findings showed diffuse subcutaneous fat necrosis and ghost-like cells with thick shadowy walls and no nuclei. The lesions involuted gradually without any specific treatment and the underlying pancreatitis was followed up in the department of medicine.
Adolescent ; Amylases ; Calcium ; Eosinophils ; Erythema ; Fat Necrosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Leg ; Lipase ; Lower Extremity ; Necrosis ; Pancreatic Diseases ; Pancreatitis* ; Subcutaneous Fat