Porencephaly is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by a cavitary hole extending from the cerebral mantle to the ventricle of the brain and covered by leptomeningeal membrane. It is now generally believed that the porencephaly represents a fetal or neonatal destructive process of the neural tissue. Authors experienced an autopsy case of bilateral porencephaly in a 35-day-old Korean male infant who died of sepsis. The brain weighed 150 gms and morphologically well formed except for two large symmetric defects at the fronto-parietal region. These defects were characterized by cleft-like shape, covering the entire cerebral mantle with resultant direct communication between ventricular cavity and leptomeninges. Thin leptomeningeal trabeculae were covering the cavity. There was a smooth transition between ependyma and roof of the defects. There are focal, microscopic cerebral infarct and abscess without connection with the cavitary lesion. The remaining central nervous system was unremarkable.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans

In order to elucidate the biological effects of pulsating magnetic field in in vitro culture system we designed a pulsating magnetic apparatus using 120 Hertz, 24 Volt direct current. It can generate 63~225 Gauss in the experimental area of 90 mm petri dish, and has little thermal effect on the culture media in 37.5oC, 5% CO2. Human osteogenic sarcoma (HOS) cells were cultured in the pulsating magnetic field and the nuclear changes of cultured cells were observed routinely by hematoxylin staining, and apoptotic change was detected by ApopTag staining using both peroxidase and fluorescein labelings. Compared to the control group which formed well organized whorling pattern of HOS cell line in 3 days culture, the HOS cells cultured in the pulsating magnetic field for 12 hours or 24 hours grew irregularly and showed increased number of apoptotic cells. When the flow of pulsating magnetic field was interrupted by insertion of strong permanent magnetic bar (1000 Gauss, 5530 mm) beneath the petri dish during in vitro culture, the area of sparse pulsating magnetic field showed active proliferation and aggregation of HOS cells even in 24 hour exposure group. These data suggest that the pulsating magnetic field may play a role in inducing growth retardation and apoptosis of HOS cells. Furthermore, the hazardous effects of pulsating magnetic field can be lessened or nullified by the interruption of pulsating magnetic field with a strong permanent magnetic bar.
Apoptosis ; Cell Line* ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; Fluorescein ; Hematoxylin ; Humans* ; Magnetic Fields* ; Osteosarcoma* ; Peroxidase

152 curative gastrectomy specimens from patients with gastric carcinoma were examined in an attempt to assess the prognostic value of c-erbB-2 and mutant p53 protein expressions. The labeled streptavidin-biotin method was applied to routinely fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections, using the polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the c-erbB-2 protein and the mutant form p53 protein, respectively. In this examination, staining of c-erbB-2 protein was found in 9.2% of these carcinomas. The c-erbB-2 stained tumors were significantly associated with the tumors whose diameters were smaller than 5cm, and were more likely to be associated with serosal invasion and nodal involvement than the unstained ones. However, there was little association between staining of c-erbB-2 protein and clinicopathologic findings such as age, sex, location, histology, gross type, lymph node status, depth of invasion, and stage. The survival analysis of 104 patients with stage III gastric carcinoma revealed no significant association between c-erbB-2 staining status and survival duration. The 5-year survival rates of the c-erbB-2 positive group and its negative group were 21% and 28%, respectively. Positive p53 protein expression was observed in 46% of 152 carcinomas. There was no significant association between p53 expression and parameters such as age, sex, location, histology, gross type, and size. The p53 stained tumors were more likely to be associated with lymph node metastasis, serosal invasion than p53 unstained ones; but this did not reach significance. The 5-year survival rates of the p53 positive group and counter part group were 27% and 31%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Protein p53/*analysis ; Receptor, erbB-2/*analysis ; Stomach Neoplasms/*chemistry/mortality ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of positive psychological characteristics on posttraumatic stress symptoms after traumatic experiences. METHODS: The subjects were 97 firefighters (83 males and 14 females), who completed the Life Events Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were computed to examine the relationships among the variables, and Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the mediation process in the relationships among traumatic experiences, positive psychological characteristics, and posttraumatic stress. RESULTS: The results showed that self-esteem had a mediating effect on the relationship between traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Traumatic experiences affected posttraumatic stress symptoms not only directly, but also through self-esteem to posttraumatic stress symptoms. Therefore the lower firefighters' self-esteem was, the more posttraumatic stress symptoms occurred. Resilience, however, apparently had no function as mediating variable in the relationship between traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Traumatic experiences and resilience each seemed to affect posttraumatic stress symptoms directly. Hence, the lower firefighters' resilience was, the more posttraumatic stress symptoms occurred. CONCLUSION: This study showed that self-esteem had a mediating effect on the relationship between traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress symptoms. We also found that resilience affects posttraumatic stress symptoms directly, regardless of the number of traumatic experiences. Likewise, these results showed that we should be concerned in positive psychological characteristics such as self-esteem and resilience in order to prevent posttraumatic stress symptoms.
Firefighters ; Humans ; Male ; Negotiating

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to assess the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Tobacco Craving Questionnaire (K-TCQ), a multidimensional, self report instrument evaluating tobacco craving in a population of current smokers. METHODS: The Korean version of TCQ was administered to 216 current cigarette smokers. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the K-TCQ was high (0.95) which provided the evidence for the internal consistency. The test-retest reliability of K-TCQ was 0.66 (correlation coefficient, p<0.01). The correlation coefficients between the K-TCQ and each five VAS questionnaires were high (0.50-0.59, p<0.01). Inter-correlations of K-TCQ, VAS, FTQ, BDI, STAI-I and STAI-II were significant (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The Korean version of TCQ is a valid and reliable scale for evaluating tobacco craving.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results ; Self Report ; Smoking ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Products ; Tobacco Use Disorder

BACKGROUND:The present study was performed to further improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the activation of NFkB, a major transcriptional factor involved in the inflammatory response in the inflammatory response in the lung, by particulate matter in lung epithelial cells wit an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micro meter(PM2.5). METHODS: Immediate production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS), with the PM2.5 induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IkB degradatio and NFkB-dependent transcrptional activity, in A 549 cells, were monitored. Addition, we also examined the effect of the iNOS inhibitor, L-N6-(1-iminoethyl) lysine hydrochloride (L-NIL), on the PM 2.5-induced NFkB activation in A 549 cells. RESULTS:The rapid degradation of IkB and the increase of transcriptional activity of the NFkB-dependent promotor were observed in A 549 cells exposed to PM2.5. The immediate production of ROS in response to PM2.5 in A 549 cells was not clearly detected, although immediate responses were observed in RAW 264.7 cells. A549 cells, cultured in the presence of PM2.5, produced an increase in NO, which was noticeably significant after 15 min of exposure with the expression of iNOS mRNA. The addition of L-NIL, an iNOS inhibitor, significantly inhibited the PM2.5-induced IkB degradation and the increase of the NFkB-dependent transcriptional activity. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PM2.5 stimulates the immediate production of RNS, leading to the activation of NFkB in the pulmonary epithelium.
Cells, Cultured ; Epithelial Cells* ; Epithelium ; Lung* ; Lysine ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Nitrogen ; Particulate Matter ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger

BACKGROUND:The present study was performed to further improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the activation of NFkB, a major transcriptional factor involved in the inflammatory response in the inflammatory response in the lung, by particulate matter in lung epithelial cells wit an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micro meter(PM2.5). METHODS: Immediate production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS), with the PM2.5 induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IkB degradatio and NFkB-dependent transcrptional activity, in A 549 cells, were monitored. Addition, we also examined the effect of the iNOS inhibitor, L-N6-(1-iminoethyl) lysine hydrochloride (L-NIL), on the PM 2.5-induced NFkB activation in A 549 cells. RESULTS:The rapid degradation of IkB and the increase of transcriptional activity of the NFkB-dependent promotor were observed in A 549 cells exposed to PM2.5. The immediate production of ROS in response to PM2.5 in A 549 cells was not clearly detected, although immediate responses were observed in RAW 264.7 cells. A549 cells, cultured in the presence of PM2.5, produced an increase in NO, which was noticeably significant after 15 min of exposure with the expression of iNOS mRNA. The addition of L-NIL, an iNOS inhibitor, significantly inhibited the PM2.5-induced IkB degradation and the increase of the NFkB-dependent transcriptional activity. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that PM2.5 stimulates the immediate production of RNS, leading to the activation of NFkB in the pulmonary epithelium.
Cells, Cultured ; Epithelial Cells* ; Epithelium ; Lung* ; Lysine ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Nitrogen ; Particulate Matter ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; RNA, Messenger

Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens is a spiral-shaped, gram-negative anaerobic bacterium. A. succiniciproducens is a rare cause of bacteremia in human, especially immunocompromised patients. This organism may be mistakenly identified when using an automated bacterial identification system, and may be mistaken for Campylobacter spp. when using Gram staining. We report a case of bacteremia caused by A. succiniciproducens, which was negative for catalase, oxidase, and urease and confirmed by 16S rRNA sequencing (analysis revealed a 99% similarity), in a 69-year-old patient who was undergoing chemotherapy for treatment of a malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bacteremia caused by A. succiniciproducens in Korea.
Aged ; Anaerobiospirillum ; Bacteremia ; Campylobacter ; Catalase ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Korea ; Oxidoreductases ; Urease

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed in order to investigate the molecular mechanism regulating nitric oxide synthase(NOS) induced by alpha-quartz in Rat2 fibroblast. METHODS: alpha-quartz-induced nitric oxide(NO) and H2O2 formation and alpha- quartz-induced iNOS protein expression in Rat2 fibroblast were monitored. With iNOS inhibitor(L-N6- (1-iminoethyl)lysine hydrochloride, L-NIL) or antioxidant(catalase), we observed NO and H2O2 formation and iNOS protein expression in Rat2 fibroblast stimulated with alpha-quartz. RESULTS: alpha-quartz stimulated iNOS-induced NO and H2O2 formation in Rat2 fibroblast. L-NIL inhibited H2O2 formation and iNOS protein expression by alpha-quartz in Rat2 fibroblast. Pretreatment with catalase blocked the autoinhibitory pathway of iNOS by iNOSinduced H2O2, therefore H2O2 and NO production and iNOS protein expression were increased in Rat2 fibrobalst stimulated with alpha-quartz CONCLUSIONS: alpha-quartz-induced iNOS stimulated H2O2 formation in Rat2 fibroblast. INOS-induced H2O2 by alpha-quartz plays an important role in the autoinhibition pathway for regulating the iNOS function in Rat2 fibroblast
Catalase ; Fibroblasts* ; Homeostasis* ; Hydrogen Peroxide* ; Hydrogen* ; Nitric Oxide ; Quartz

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed in order to investigate the frequency of the TNF2 allele in patients with coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP). METHODS: We compared the genotype distribution of TNFalpha gene promoter polymorphism between 80 CWP patients and 54 healthy controls. RESULTS: The results were as follows : 1. The rare allele TNF2 was significantly more frequent in CWP patients (20.6 %) than in controls (10.2 %). 2. The spontaneous or LPS-induced release of TNFalpha from the peripheral monocytes was slightly increased in the TNF2 group, but these values were not significantly different between groups. 3. In the CWP TNF2 group, the increase of LPS-induced TNFalpha release was significant in comparison with that of the controls. CONCLUSIONS: From the above results, we suggest that the TNF2 allele is strongly associated with susceptibility to CWP development.
Alleles ; Anthracosis ; Coal* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Monocytes ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*