No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases*

No abstract available.
Commerce*

In order to understand the pathogenesis and progression of some synaptic loss related neuropsychiatric diseases. We attempted to develop a computer model in this study. We made a simple autoassociative memory network remembering numbers, transformed it into a disease model by pruning synapses, and measured its memory performance as a function of synaptic deletion. Decline in performance was measured as amount of synaptic loss increases and its mode of declines is sudden or gradual according to the mode of synaptic pruning. The developed computer model demonstrated how synaptic loss could cause memory impairment through a series of computer simulations, and suggested a new way of research in neuropsychiatry.
Computer Simulation* ; Dementia ; Memory ; Neuropsychiatry ; Schizophrenia ; Synapses

Normal embryonic development of human heart is studied with special emphasis to the formation of atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial connections and their significance in congenital heart disease. Twenty nine human embryos and 8 chick embryos are used in this study. Human embryos are analyzed by reconstruction of serial section slides and chick embryos are microdissected and examined by scanning electron microscopy. In the early cardiac development (Streeter horizon 12), bulbo-ventricular fold divided two ventricles first. The atrioventricular canal is incompletely divided and the canal was in contact neither with septum primum nor with ventricular septal crest. Infundibular and truncal septa were not seen. The division of A-V canal was observed during the stages 14-15. Septation of truncus arteriosus (Streeter horizon 15-17) was followed by septation of bulbus cordis (Streeter horizon 16-17). The shortening of mitral-aortic distance and downward left shift of aortic valve occured after the trunco-infundibular septation and finally the secondary interventricular formen closed at the end of seventh week (Streeter horizon 20-21).
Humans ; Chick Embryo ; Animals

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Neuroblastoma*

The pathogenetic role of intrauterine infection to the neonatal pulmonary injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia was assessed by studying the interleukin-6 (IL-6) level in the umbilical cord blood and the early morphologic changes of the neonatal lung. Patients were grouped into bronchopulmonary dysplasia (4 cases), chorioamnionitis without chronic lung injury (4 cases), and 6 cases without morphologic evidence of chronic lung injury or placental inflammation. IL-6 level of umbilical cord blood was higher in babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (17.7 pg/ml) compared to those with chorioamnionitis (4.7 pg/ml) or those with morphologically normal lung and placenta (6.2 pg/ml). Morphologic parameters of neonatal pulmonary injury were hyaline membrane, terminal bronchiole inflammation, terminal bronchiole regeneration, alveolar collapse and fibroblastic proliferation. Bronchiolar regeneration was the most peculiar feature seen in the lung with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Alveolar collapse and interstitial fibroblastic reaction were commonly seen in bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The postnatal age at death was higher in those with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, although the occurrence of the morphologic changes was related with the chronicity of those lesions. These findings suggest that intrauterine infection is an aggravating factor for the neonatal pulmonary injury and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, although the early stage of the lung injury is not a definitive indicator for the progressive pulmonary damage leading to the bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Bronchioles ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia* ; Chorioamnionitis ; Cytokines ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Hyaline Membrane Disease ; Infant, Newborn ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Lung ; Lung Injury* ; Membranes ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Regeneration

BACKGROUND: The chemiluminescent assay(CLA) is a new in vitro non-radioactive modification of the radioallergosorbent test(RAST). The CLA permits quick, siultaneous detection of total and specific IgE in human serum up to 35 different allergens, as well as their semiquantitative concentrations into classes from 0(negative) to 4(very high). The CLA has shown sensitivity, specificity, and a good correlation with the RAST and also with skin pick testing. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find the causatix llergens and to evaluate the clinical significance of CLA comparing the results of tbe CLA wi! h hose of the prick test in patients with chronic urticaria. METHODS: We performed the CLA with 35 allergens(MAST immunosunosystems, Inc., California, America) and the prick test with 51 allergens(Bencard Ltd., Bricantord, England) in 70 patients with chronic urticaria. The CLA detects the allergen-IgE reactic say the use of an enzyme-labeled anti-IgE and a coupled photoreagent mixture. lhe amount of the luminescent energy is measured by exposing a polarcid film and then semiquantitation is a sessed by using a densitometer. RESULTS: Except for those over the age of 60, all age-groups ealed a similar positive reaction to the CLA and prick test, but the positive reaction rate o the prick test(91.4%) was higher than that of the CLA(38.6%). The positive reaction rate oringle allergen and compound allergens was 10.0% and 28.6% in the CLA, but 10.0% and 81.4% in the prick test, respectively. In the CLA, the rate of positive reaction was 17(24.3%) in Dermatophagoides(D.) farinae, 15(21.4% ) in D. pteronyssinus, 5(7.1% ) in house dust, an 13(4.3%) in shrimp in that order. In the prick test, the rate of positive reaction was 39(55.7%) in house dust, 35(50.0%) in D. farinae, 29(41.4%) in D. pteronyssinus, and 21(30.0%) in haydrst(30.0%) in that order. The results of the CLA to 3 comrnon allergens showed a concordance rare of 67.6%, sensitivity of 34.3%, and specificity of 97.3% compared with those of the prick case. The levels of total IgE and eosinophils were elevated in 59(n=70, 843%) and in 5(n=56, 84.3%), respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that the CLA may be used as an alternative method for the diagnosis of chronic urticaria because it is and coiomic, safe, simple procedure with very high specificity and trelative low sensitivity, and is sirnilt. neously capable of testing to multiple allergens.
Allergens ; California ; Diagnosis ; Dust ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Luminescent Measurements* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin ; Urticaria*

Two dimensional alignment of valves in the cardiac skeleton is studied using 49 fetal hearts. They are standardized with fixed length between the centers of mitral and tricuspid valves. The relations among the parameters and of wall thichness ratio are studied, especially by the change of gestational age, mitral aortic distance and pulmonary-aortic distance, the angles between the two lines and mitral-tricuspid line. Anterior shift of great vessels was seen in heart with gestational age less than 20 weeks. Long mitral-aortic distance showed anterior shift of the great arteries and left ventricle was relatively thicker than right ventricle. Narrow aortomitral-tricuspid angle denoted posterior shift of great vessels and thich right ventricle. Short pulmonary-aortic distance denoted antero-posterior alignment and posterior shift of the vessels and thick left ventricle. Left-right alignment of vessels was not associated with right-ward shift but only with pulmonic displacement to the left. By these observation abnormal alignment of valves in cardiac skeleton would be a basic defect in bulboventricular malformation and we could find basic difference of cardiac skeleton, between normal variation and abnormal heart.
Humans

BACKGROUND: To prevent the platelet refractoriness, repeated plateletpheresis is often required in HLA matched single-donors. Korean Transfusion Standard permits the repeated plateletpheresis of a single donor at 72-hour intervals. To evaluate this standard, hematological responses of donors were assessed after plateletpheresis by Haemonetics V50 (Haemonetics Co., USA). METHODS: The pre- and post-donated hematological indices of 22 healthy donors(17 males and 5 females) were evaluated. Single donated donors were 12 males and 4 females. Multiple donated donors were 5 males and one female. Post-donated platelet counts were measured immediately, 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days and 9 days after plateletpheresis. Platelet aggregation test, serum protein, PT, and aPTT were also examined before and after platelet collection. RESULTS: Only 9 (56.2%) of 16 single-donated donors and 4 (66.7%) of 6 multiple donated donors showed normal restoration up to 97% of platelet counts of pre-donation levels at the day 3. In 9 (75%) of 12 single donated males restoration of platelet count was observed within 3 days, but 3 (75%) of 4 single donated females showed restoration of platelet count within 5 days. Changes of other indices were not significantly different between the pre- and post-donations of platelet. CONCLUSIONS: Although no clinical complication was noted after plateletpheresis, these data suggested that Korean Transfusion Standard on plateletpheresis should be reconsidered.
Blood Platelets ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Platelet Aggregation ; Platelet Count ; Plateletpheresis* ; Tissue Donors*

The provision of adequate soft tissue cover for a complex hand and forearm wound-dirty, infected and exposed bone can be a challenging problem. Conventionally, a distant flap or free flap have been used, but these have been associated with several problems such as joint stiffness, risk of microsurgical procedures, negligible donor site morbidity, prolonged operation time and economic restriction. As well, fasciocutaneous flap has been the limitation of infection control. In these situations, the ipsilateral muscle flap provides the ideal cover with its rich blood supply and single operative field. Previously described by Lendrum(1980), by Lae et al.(1981), and later by McGeorge(1991), the brachioradilis muscle is the most superficial muscle on the radial side of the forearm. Its flap is based on the radial artery and venae comitantes. From August 1996 to October 1997, we performed branchioradialis muscle flap in seven patients. Despite the sacrifice of the major hand artery, brachioradialis muscle flap has many advantages including the reliability of flap survival, easy dissection, early mobilization and absence of functional and aesthetic problems at the donor site. It is a relatively simple and rapid method for resurfacing soft tissue defect in the hand and forearm. We obtained satisfactory and reliable results.
Arteries ; Early Ambulation ; Forearm* ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Hand* ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Joints ; Radial Artery ; Tissue Donors