OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this present study was to compare mouse embryo development in 3 commercial media and hatching competence of mouse embryo with or without enzymatic treatment. METHODS: Collected 375 mouse embryos were divided into three groups, and then cultured in IVF-20 (G2), Medicult IVF (M3), P-1 (blastocyst M), respectively. Three day mouse morulae were cultured in G2 media treated with pronase. The results were analyzed using Chi-square test, and considered statistically significant when p<0.01. RESULTS: The developmental rate of 2 cell mouse embryo after 72 hours was highest in IVF-20 (G2) among conventional 3 media. The hatching rate of mouse morulae was low when clultured in G2 media without pronase during 48 hours. However, it was higher when cultured in media treated with l mg/ml, 2.5 mg/ml, 5 mg/ml pronase, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Using good media and digestion of zona pellucida with enzymatic treatment improve development and hatching rate of embryo. Therefore, implantation and pregnancy rate could be improved.
Animals ; Digestion ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Mental Competency ; Mice* ; Morula ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pronase* ; Zona Pellucida

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans(DFSP) is a rare, distinctive cutsneous tumor originating in the dermis that appears as a raised uninodular or multinodular lesion on the trunk or the proximal extremities. In about 10% of the cases, DFSP arises in childhood and it is rarely evident already at birth. Histopathologically, DFSP shows the chsracteristic storiform and cartwheel patterns, with the fibroblasts arranged radially about a small central hub of fibrous tissue. We report herein a case of childhood DFSP in a 7-year-old boy.
Child ; Dermatofibrosarcoma* ; Dermis ; Extremities ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Male ; Parturition

A study on the ultrastructures of the prostate gland of Clonorchis sinensis was conducted. The presence of the prostate gland in this fluke has not been known up to present time. Authors observed the ejaculatory duct epithelium including its surrounding parenchyma and found the prostate gland with the help of the electron microscope. The prostate gland was consisted of numerous unicellular glands grouped around the ejaculatory duct. The individual cell was lobulated, tapering in the direction of the ejaculatory duct. The secreting ducts of the gland penetrated into the ejaculatory duct through the muscular layer and the basement membrane, and finally opened to the lumen of the ejaculatory duct. The secreting duct had single layered microtubules along the inner wall of the duct. The secretory bodies produced by the prostate gland seemed to be moved to the lumen of the ejaculatory duct through the secreting duct. The prostate gland of this fluke was less developed than that of Fasciola hepatica but the basic structures were quite similar. There were well-developed lamellae in the epithelia of all ducts concerning passage of spermatozoa from the testes to the male genital opening.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; electronmicroscopy ; prostatic gland ; rat ; liver

An ultrastructural study on the mature spermatozoa of Clonorchis sinensis was carried out. For this study, the liver flukes were collected from the livers of rabbits and rats artificially infected with the metacercariae obtained from the fresh water fish, Pseudorasbora parva. Six-month old worms were used. The collected liver flukes were washed with 0.85 percent saline solution and then immediately moved to cold 2 percent glutaraldehyde buffered with 0.l M Millonig's phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). The materials were dissected into appropriate pieces in the fixative about 30 minutes after beginning of the fixation. Two hours later the materials containing the seminal receptacle were rinsed several times with the buffer and were secondarily fixed with cold, buffered 1 percent osmium tetroxide for 2 hours. The fully fixed tissue blocks were dehydrated in a series of graded concentrations of acetone and were embedded in Epon 812 mixture. Thin sections obtained from LKB-5 ultramicrotome were stained with uranyl acetate and Reynold's lead citrate. Observations of the sections were carried out with JEM-100CX II electron microscope. In general, the mature sperm was long thread-like form with a sickle-shaped head. According to the longitudinal sectioned view of the sperm tail, the nucleus seemed to be spirally coiled and run a little far along the tail. The acrosome was not observed. The cytoplasm of the tail was biflagellated as usual in trematodes. Unlike other platyhelminth spermatozoa, the sperm tail of Clonorchis sinensis showed the [9+2] pattern in the microtubular arrangement. The mitochondria with poorly developed cristae were observed throughout the middle piece. The middle piece of the tail showed dull ladder or triangular shapes with the two flagella at the bottom. But, the principal piece of the tail was slightly flattened cylindrical shape with two flagella within the cytoplasm. The end piece was uniflagellated. It was not clearly identified whether the end piece was subdivided into two by flagellum or the lengths of the two flagella were different. The glycogen granules were rich in the cytoplasm throughout the length of the spermatozoa. These granules might be the energy source for the movement of the spermatozoa.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; electron microscopy ; morphology

BACKGROUND: Diabetic ketoacidosis(DKA) is serious acute metabolic complication and the most important cause of high morbidity and mortality of diabetes. The object of this study is to examine the clinical characteristics of patients with DKA who had a prior history of diabetes or not. METHOD: Authors reviewed retrospectively the medical records of 49 cases adimitted to Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 1991 to June 1997 with a diagnosis of DKA and classified cases as type I, type II and newly diagnosed diabetics according to prior history of diabetes. RESULTS: 1. Of 49 cases of DKA, 24(49%) were classified as type I, 17(35%) as type II from data available in the medical records, and 8(16%) had DKA as the initial manifestation of the disease. 2. The male to female ratio was 0.5 : 1 in type I, 1.1 : 1 in type II and 1.7 : 1 in newly diagnosed diabetics, and the mean age was 24.4 in type I, 57.9 in type II and 23.9 years old in newly diagnosed diabetics. 3. The mean duration between initial diagnosis of diabetes and the occurrence of DKA was 2.6 in type I and 6.9 years in type II diabetes. The occurrence of DKA within 2 years of initial diagnosis of diabetes was 54% in type I and 18% in type II diabetes, but the occurrence of DKA after 5 years of initial diagnosis of diabetes was 17% in type I and 47% in type II diabetes. 4. The precipitating factors of DKA were identified in 88% in type I, 76% in type II and 38% in newly diagnosed diabetics, and the most common precipitating factor was omission of treatment in both type I and type II(type I: 56%, type II: 35%). 5. The altered mental status was correlated with increased osmolality (p<0.05), but not with other laboratory values such as pH, bicabonate, glucose, anion gap and dehydration status(p>0.05). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to conduct early aggressive evaluation for early diagnosis and proper treatment of DKA, because DKA occurs in patients with prior history of type II diabetes and without prior diabetic history as well as patients with prior history of type I diabetes.
Acid-Base Equilibrium ; Dehydration ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Glucose ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Male ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Osmolar Concentration ; Precipitating Factors ; Retrospective Studies

Skip lesion is not uncommon feature in osteosarcoma and considered to be importantly associated with poor prognosis factor, and thus, should be excised with the main mass. The accurate pre-operative evaluation of the intramedullary extent of osteosarcoma is essential, because it determines the level of bone resection. Among the reliable detection methods, bone scan has a drawback of high rate of false negative results and regional MRI has a difficulty to cover the whole involved lesions without clinical suspicion. The authors report a case of osteosarcoma of the distal femur with a proximal skip lesion that was not detected by either regional MR imaging or by bone scan, but which was visualized by FDG-PET/CT.
Complement System Proteins ; Femur ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: To examine whether nonemergency patients can be identified and be safely triaged out of the emergency department. METHODS: Adult patients(16 years or older) who visited to the emergency department were prospectively studied from July 1 to August 31, 1997. Authors developed a new triage composed of vital signs, mental status, chief complaints, etiology, and a mode of transfer. Chi-square test and a discriminant analysis were applied for statistical analysis. RESULTS: In a discriminant analysis, mode of transfer, chief complaint, age, heart rate, mental status, etiology, and body temperature were significant variables in order. In a canonical discriminant value at group mean, a nonemergent value is 0.450 and a emergent value -0.219. CONCLUSIONS: In simply applicable triage method, mode of transfer and chief complaints are more important than vital sign and mental status. This method is useful in disaster situation and non-medical personnel may use this triage method easily. But some patients are not triaged by this triage method, thus more studies and discussions are necessary.
Adult ; Body Temperature ; Disasters ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Triage* ; Vital Signs

OBJECTIVES: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious and sometimes irreversible adverse effect that may develop during long-term antipsychotics treatment. Previous studies have suggested that brain serotonergic systems are related to TD vulnerability and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the association between TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism (rs4570625) and antipsychotic-induced TD in the Korean schizophrenia patients. METHODS: We investigated whether TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is associated with antipsychotic-induced TD in 280 Korean schizophrenia patients. The subjects with TD (n=105) and without TD (n=175) were matched for antipsychotic drug exposure and other relevant variables. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the distribution of genotypic (chi2=3.00, p=0.223) and allelic (chi2=0.19, p=0.661) frequencies between patients group with TD and without TD. There was no significant difference in total Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score (F=1.95, p=0.362) among the genotype groups, either. CONCLUSIONS: The present study does not support that TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is involved in TD of the Korean schizophrenia subjects.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Brain ; Dyskinesias ; Genotype ; Humans ; Movement Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin ; Tryptophan ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase

OBJECTIVES: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious and sometimes irreversible adverse effect that may develop during long-term antipsychotics treatment. Previous studies have suggested that brain serotonergic systems are related to TD vulnerability and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the association between TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism (rs4570625) and antipsychotic-induced TD in the Korean schizophrenia patients. METHODS: We investigated whether TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is associated with antipsychotic-induced TD in 280 Korean schizophrenia patients. The subjects with TD (n=105) and without TD (n=175) were matched for antipsychotic drug exposure and other relevant variables. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the distribution of genotypic (chi2=3.00, p=0.223) and allelic (chi2=0.19, p=0.661) frequencies between patients group with TD and without TD. There was no significant difference in total Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale score (F=1.95, p=0.362) among the genotype groups, either. CONCLUSIONS: The present study does not support that TPH2 gene -703G/T polymorphism is involved in TD of the Korean schizophrenia subjects.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Brain ; Dyskinesias ; Genotype ; Humans ; Movement Disorders ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin ; Tryptophan ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase