The angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor (Captopril) has recently been studied extensively in various experimental models of radiation injury and has proven its protective effects in various organs, such as the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and kidneys. Twenty-three Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into experimental and control group. The experimental group was divided into two large groups: the first one received a single dose of 18 Gy irradiation from an electron beam on the local field of the kidney region only, and the second group received captopril per oral continuously after the same doses of irradiation. The second experimental group was divided into four subgroups by captopril doses: 62.5 mg/l, 125 mg/l, 250 mg/l, and 500 mg/l, respectively. On light and electron microscopy, the kidneys of the irradiated rats with no captopril treatment showed diffuse glomerular contraction, congestion with occlusion and focal necrosis of the endothelial, and mesangial cells. The tubules showed ballooning degeneration, desquamation, and diffuse coagulation necrosis. Captopril treated rats, especially those given a high dose (more than 250 gm/l), revealed a marked reduction of the tubular and glomerular injuries. There was a statistically significant difference in the degree of renal injury among the experimental groups (p<0.05). The result of this study suggests that an administration of high dose captopril might prevent radiation-induced renal injury, especially in the early post-irradiation period.
Animals ; Captopril* ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Kidney ; Lung ; Mesangial Cells ; Microscopy, Electron ; Models, Theoretical ; Necrosis ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Radiation Injuries ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of preeclampsia, birth weight, fetal sex, maternal body mass index(BMI) on cord blood leptin concentrations. This study is to test whether leptin would be increased in preeclampsia and to test cord leptin concentrations for correlation with maternal leptin concentrations. METHOD: Maternal blood samples were obtained from 56 normal pregnancies and 24 preeclampsia women prior to delivery. Umbilical cord blood were obtained from the all cases studied immediately after delivery. The total leptin levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Mean maternal leptin level was 16.4+/-6.4ng/ml in normal pregnancy and was 19.4+/-7.9 ng/ml in preeclampsia. Mean cord leptin level was 5.4+/- 3.4ng/ml in normal pregnancy and 4.6+/-3.2ng/ml in preecalmpsia. Mean cord blood leptin level in female fetus was 6.6+/-3.7ng/ml and 4.8+/-2.8ng/ml in male fetus. CONCLUSION: This study shows that there are correlation with leptin level and fetal birth weight, body mass index, and fetal gender. Furthermore, physiologic role and mechanism of leptin of maternal serum and umbilical cord would be studied.
Birth Weight ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fetus ; Humans ; Leptin* ; Male ; Plasma* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy* ; Radioimmunoassay ; Umbilical Cord*

Prader-Willi(PW)syndrome is characterized by obesity, hypotonia, mental retardation, hypogonadism, short stature, excessive eating and characteristic facial appearance. Diabetes mellitus has been considered a component of PW syndrome. Recently this syndrome is caused by the absence of paternally derived genes normally located on chromosome segment 15 q11-q13 or may be the result of maternal uniparental disomy with the absence of paternally derived 15 q11-q13 region. The developement of probes containing segments of DNA from chromosome region 15 q11-q13 provides the oppotunity to confirm the diagnosis of PW syndrome by fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH). We experienced a 15-year-old boy of PW syndrome with diabetes mellitus, who revealed mental retardation, hypogonadism, obesity and microdeletion of chromosome 15 q11-q13 comfirmed by FISH.
Adolescent ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Eating ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Intellectual Disability ; Male ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Obesity ; Prader-Willi Syndrome* ; Uniparental Disomy

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the tubal patency in the young-aged women underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with Fitz-High-Curtis Syndrome (FHCS). METHODS: Clinicopathologic results of young-aged women who underwent diagnostic laparoscopy with pelvic inflammatory disease from March 2005 through April 2007 were reviewed. Twenty six patients aged 19-29 years old and preserved their both tubes after diagnostic laparoscopy were included in this study. All were underwent chromopertubation test (CPT) during laparoscopy and postoperative hysterosalpingography (HSG) 3 months later. RESULTS: Of 26 patients, eight patients were diagnosed with FHCS and the others were not. There was no significant difference in mean age, mean hospitalization days, and frequency in past-history of parturition, abortion, chlamydia and gonococci infection between patients with FHCS and with non-FHCS (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in frequency of tubal obstruction in laparoscopic CPT (P>0.05) but not in postoperative outpatient HSG (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The tubal obstruction may be more frequent in FHCS than non-FHCS and the reliability of laparoscopic CPT for diagnosing the tubal obstruction is supposed to be low. Therefore, as for FHCS patients, HSG should be executed to investigate tubal factor which is helpful to forecast the fertility.
Aged ; Chlamydia ; Fallopian Tube Diseases ; Female ; Fertility ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hysterosalpingography ; Laparoscopy ; Outpatients ; Parturition ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Myokymia is a clinical phenomenon characterized by undulating, vermicular, rippling and wavelike movements spreading across the muscle surface. Facial myokymia is an unusual complication of brainstem hemorrhage. It tends to occur in brainstem tumor or multiple sclerosis. We report a 51-year-old man with continuous facial and neck myokymia after brainstem hemorrhage, who revealed focal myokymic discharges in face, neck and pharyngolaryngeal muscles in-nervated by cranial nerve V, VII, X, and XI. After injection of 20-80 units of Botulinum toxin type A (Dysport ) to the left orbicularis oris, mentalis, mylohyoid and posterior belly of digastric muscles, amplitude of continuous myokymic discharges was markedly reduced. We recommend Botulinum toxin injection as a very effective therapeutic method in managing focal movement disorders.
Botulinum Toxins* ; Botulinum Toxins, Type A ; Brain Stem ; Brain Stem Neoplasms ; Facial Nerve Diseases ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Movement Disorders ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Muscles ; Myokymia* ; Neck* ; Trigeminal Nerve

No abstract available.
Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Ifosfamide* ; Paclitaxel*

Two patients with stage three secondary lymphedema of the upper extremities underwent treatment for breast cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. They were examined with computed tomography (CT) before and after extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT). We used a manual tracing method using PiViewSTAR software to calculate the volume of the upper extremities. There was a decrease in the volume of the subcutaneous compartment measured by CT before and after ESWT. CT may be helpful in determining the treatment target area of ESWT and to monitor the effect of treatment by measuring the changes in volume before and after ESWT in patients with lymphedema. Therefore, CT may have good clinical potential for treatment and follow-up in the management of lymphedema.
Breast Neoplasms ; Drug Therapy ; High-Energy Shock Waves ; Humans ; Lymphedema* ; Radiotherapy ; Shock* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Upper Extremity

An inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor in the abdominal cavity. A number of descriptive terms have been used to describe inflammatory tumors with myofibroblastic proliferation. The etiology and the biologic behaviors of IMTs are still unknown. Extensive pathologic examination is important to prevent misdiagnosis, and the need for long- term follow up is emphasized. Recently, we experienced a case of a huge inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the abdominal cavity in a young male. The patient had a painless mass in the entire abdomen. The resected specimen revealed a 15X14X12 cm3 mass involving the posterior rectus sheath, mesentery, ascending, and descending colon; and omentum. We present our experience with that along with a review of literature.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Cavity ; Abdominal Wall* ; Colon, Descending ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Male ; Mesentery ; Myofibroblasts* ; Omentum

Autism spectrum disorder is a rapidly increasing heterogeneous neurodevelopmental syndrome, remarked by persistent deficit in social communication, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior and interest. Lately, maternal immune activation and micgroglial dysfunction in the developing brain have been gaining mounting evidence and leading to studies of various novel agents as potential treatment options. A few immunomodulatory treatment options—luteolin, minocycline, suramin, vitamin D, gut microbiota—are discussed in the current article, regarding the current understanding of their mechanisms and evidence for potential clinical use. More studies are warranted to understand their exact mechanisms of action and to verify efficacy and safety in human subjects.
Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Autistic Disorder* ; Brain ; Humans ; Immunomodulation ; Microglia* ; Minocycline ; Suramin ; Vitamin D

The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in setting times based on the methods for dental root canal sealers and calcium silicate cement used in root-end filling. Five kinds of dental root canal sealers and four kinds of calcium silicate cement for root-end filling were selected for the experiments. All materials were mixed according to the manufacturers’ instructions and stored at 37 ℃ with a relative humidity of 95%. Setting time was measured using a 1/4 pound Gillmore needle and a 1 pound Gillmore needle to determine the time until indentation was no longer visible or the time until 2 mm penetration was no longer possible. The determination of indentation was based on the absence of visible impressions on the material surface when Gillmore needle was placed vertically. When comparing indentation time and penetration time using same type of Gillmore needle, only ProRoot MTA using 1 pound Gillmore needle showed significant difference between measuring methods (P<0.05) while there are no differences in measuring methods in other materials (P>0.05). By this study, we could expect to measure a setting time relatively similar to real clinical conditions through indentation method.