The 150 kDa protein of cyst fluid (CF) of Taenia solium metacestodes was purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and Superose 6 HR gel filtration chromatography. The purified protein consisted of three subunits (15, 10 and 7 kDa proteins), which were analyzed with the use of a 7.5-15% gradient sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Immunofluorescence study was carried out by using immunize specific polyclonal antibody. Positive reactions were noticed at bladder walls, calcareous corpuscles, granules of cyst fluid and some host tissue surrounding the bladder wall of the metacestodes. These results suggest that the 150 kDa protein was secreted into host tissues, inducing immune responses in the host, and it may play important roles in the cellular physiology of the parasites.
Animals ; Chemical Fractionation ; Chromatography, Gel ; Cyst Fluid/*chemistry/metabolism/parasitology ; Cysticercosis/*metabolism/parasitology ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Helminth Proteins/chemistry/*isolation & purification ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Molecular Weight ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/parasitology ; Taenia solium/*metabolism

Fiftyeight patients with cardiac neurosis were studied to evaluate the effects of Carteolol 10mg/day. Systolic blood pressure was declined to 122.7+/-17.2mmHg from 137.1+/-23.2mmHg, diastolic blood pressure was declined to 79.6+/-11.1mmHg from 88.2+/-17.5mmHg. Pulse rate was decreased from 83.0+/-10.2 to 73.9+/-6.8per minute. The most frequent subjective symptom was palpitation (74.1%) and effectiveness of therapy for subjective symptom was 91.4%, for usefulness was 93.1%. There was no significant serious side reaction observed. We concluded that Carteolol therapy for the patients with cardiac neurosis could be useful and safe with a small dosage.
Blood Pressure ; Carteolol* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Neurocirculatory Asthenia*

A highly specific antigenic protein of 31 kDa from plerocercoid of Spirometra mansoni (sparganum) was obtained by gelatin affinity and Mono Q anion-exchange column chromatography. The purified 31 kDa protein was subjected to N-glycan enzymatic digestion for structural analysis. The relative electrophoretic mobility was analyzed by SDS-PAGE, before and after digestion. On SDS-PAGE after enzymatic digestion, the 31 kDa protein showed a molecular shift of approximately 2 kDa, which indicated the possession of complex N-linked oligosaccharides (N-glycosidase F sensitive) but not of high-mannose oligosaccharides (endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H, non-sensitive). Chemically periodated 31 kDa protein showed statistically non-significant changes with human sparganosis sera by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Therefore, the dominant epitopes of the 31 kDa molecule in human sparganosis were found to be mainly polypeptide, while N-glycans of the antigenic molecule in sparganum was minimal in anti-carbohydrate antibody production.
Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/*analysis/chemistry/immunology/metabolism ; Carbohydrates/analysis/immunology ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epitopes/analysis/immunology ; Glucosaminidase/metabolism ; Human ; Peptide-N4- (N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl) Asparagine Amidase/metabolism ; Periodic Acid/chemistry ; Sparganosis/*parasitology ; Sparganum/immunology/metabolism ; Spirometra/immunology/*metabolism ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

No abstract available.
Breast* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mammaplasty*

Augmentation mammoplasty can be done in various manners according to the way of approach. the type of implant or implatation site depending on the status and demand of the patients or the operator's preferrence. In reviewing the many published reports about augmentation mammoplasty, they compare their surgical outcomes with mixed factors, so it is difficult to compare the results of mammoplasty simply with one factor under the same conditions. We think that analyzing the surgical results with one consistent method enables to compare and decide the influencing effect of one factor within it in augmentation mammoplasty. We could find the fact that the Korean women who wanted augmentation mammoplasty had same physical characteristics and demands, so developed the standardized method of augmentation mammoplasty among those debatable data for the purpose of increasing the patients' satisfaction, decreasing the complications, and shortening the operation time. The method we adopted was placing the implant through transaxillary subpectoral approach and using the endoscope auxiliarily in additional dissection and hemostasis. We employed saline-filled implants of round, textured type with the size ranging fro 125cc to 175cc and overinflated them by 10 to 30% beyond its original volume. After irrigation of the dissected pocket, we placed the suction drainage system into the subpectoral pocket. We educated the patients to massage their breasts right after removal of the drain. During the period of follow-up (from 6 months to 24 months), most of the patients were satisfied with their operative results. Though we experienced one case of capsular contracture, one case of malposition of the implant, and three cases of scar contracture on axillar incision site, as a whole, we could minimize the complications associated with augmentation mammoplasty. We present our postoperative results with the conclusion that our standardized method of augmentation mammoplasty can bring results of high satisfaction rate, minimal complication, predictability of postoperative results, shortening of operation time when applied consistently to the Korean patients whose physical characteristics are similar. We also hope that stanadardized method can be used to compare the influencing effect of many factors in the case of changing one factor within the standardized in the future follow up period.
Breast ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Endoscopes ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemostasis ; Hope ; Humans ; Mammaplasty* ; Massage ; Suction

In analyzing the postoperative results or evaluating the velopharyngeal incompetence after palatoplasty, speech evaluation is the inevitable factor. However, a standardized method for evaluating the speech problem in Korean cleft palate patients has not been available until now. So, the authors tried to establish a method of speech evaluation which is simple, economic and applicable to young patients, and to make a scoring method of the speech results in cleft palate patients based on the 'hypernasality diagnosing tool for cleft palate patient (OK Ran Jung)' which is commonly used by domestic speech therapists. The authors adopted the 'hypernasality diagnosing tool for cleft palate patients (OK Ran Jung)' male and female of children and adults, each consisting of 10 patients and make them speak according to the items about hypernasality and misarticulation evaluation, and record the results. We also calcuted the degree of the formants of the vowels (/a/, /o/, /u/)using sound spectrography. We examined the interjudge and intrajudge reliance of speech evaluation among the 10 inverstigators, revised the evaluation tool, devised the scoring method according to the above results, and compared the scoring results with those of sound spectrography to prove the reliance of our speech evaluation tool. With the scoring method, the authors could estimate the degree of hypemasality and misarticulation in cleft palate patients with evidence of reliability based on point-to-point agreement in two items. In comparing the results of our scoring method with the formant of vowels using sound spectrography, staistical significance existed except /u/F2 and that meant that our scoring method was reliable. We suggest that this simple, economic and reliable method of speech evaluation in cleft palate patients can create the basis for speech evaluation in patients of cleft palate and velopharyngeal incompetence under circumstances in which the results of various speech treatments are evaluated in comparison to various methods of speech evaluation.
Adult ; Articulation Disorders ; Child ; Cleft Palate* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Research Design ; Sound Spectrography ; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency

Many methods of correcting secondary cleft lip nose deformity have been introduced, but a single best method that can be uniformly adjusted for all cases does not exist. Since it is difficult to make the nostril of the cleft side symmetric with that of normal side, the authors tried to formulate the basis for correction of unilateral secondary cleft lip nose deformity according to the varying amounts of deformed nostril. We then adopted 4 different methods of correcting the soft tissue and nostril deformity in 63 patients from 1996 to 1998 and surveyed the results. Our principles were as follows: 1) Alar rim incision was done in cases of different-shaped cleft-side nostrils with nearly the same measured area in comparison to the normal side. 2) When deformity of the alar-columellar web was severe, we performed modified Z-plasty. 3) When the nostril of the cleft-side nostril was smaller than the normal side with slight asymmetry, reverse W-plasty was done. 4) We adopted a reverse-U incision when there was a discrepancy in height with moderate asymmetry compared with the normal nostril. After dissection, repositioning of alar cartilage was done by same method in each case. A nasal stent was kept in position for at least 6 months postoperatively in almost all cases. After follow-up of 6 to 24 months, we concluded that our choice was correct in selecting the optimal operative method, considering the characteristics of deformity of the cleft side nostril in an effort to make it symmetric with that of the normal side.
Cartilage ; Cleft Lip* ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Nose* ; Stents

BACKGROUND: The use of prednisone in the treatment of myasthenia gravis (MG) has been required circumspection because of its tendency to produce exacerbations of weakness in the early stages of treatment, often requiring critical management. However, factors influencing the exacerbation has not been defined well. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical factors predicting the exacerbation by prednisone in the early stage of treatment in MG. METHODS: Fifty five patients, first-ever prescribed high dose prednsone (40-80 mg) during hospitalization in Samsung Medical Center were included. Prednisone induced exacerbation was defined as significant exacerbation of objective neurologic signs of MG within 4 weeks after prednisone addition by utilizing Myasthnia gravis Severity Scale (MSS). We investigate the differences between the exacerbated and nonexacerbated groups in the clinical, laboratory and electrophysiological features. RESULTS: Twenty three patients (42%) experienced definite exacerbation after prednisone treatment. Old age, presence of bulbar symptom, and severe neurologic finding reflected by MSS score were significant predictors of prednisone induced exacerbation in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Higher prednisone dosage per body weight (Kg) was neither a significant predictor of exacerbation nor related with the early improvement in bivariate correlation. CONCLUSIONS: Prednisone induced exacerbation in MG is a frequent challenging problem to clinician. Clinicans should keep in mind the possibility of exacerbation of MG when prescribing prednisone especially, to old, bulbar dominant, severe and disable myasthenic patients.
Body Weight ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prednisone

The cysteine proteases of Paragonimus westermani metacercariae are involved in metacercarial excystment, host immune modulation, and possibly in tissue penetration. In order to clarify the origin of the enzymes, 28 and 27 kDa cysteine proteases in metacercarial excretory-secretory products were purified through the FPLC system using Mono Q column chromatography. The polyclonal antibodies to the enzymes were produced in BALB/c mice. Immunolocalization studies revealed that both cysteine proteases were distributed at the linings of excretory bladder and excretory concretions of the metacercariae. It was suggested that the excretory epithelium of P. westermani undertake the secretory function of metacercarial cysteine proteases, in addition to its role as a route for eliminating waste products.
Animals ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Computational Biology ; Cysteine Endopeptidases/analysis/isolation & purification/*physiology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Paragonimus/anatomy & histology/*enzymology ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection caused by the mucorales, which consist of the Rhizophus, Absidia, Mortierella, and Mucor. The diverse clinical forms of mucormycosis can be categorized as rhinocerebral, pulmonary, disseminated, gastrointestinal, cutaneous and miscellaneous. Although it can cause disease in healthy people, it most commonly affects patients who are diabetic or immunosup-pressed. Rarely, mucormycosis develops confined to the subcutaneous tissue. We experienced a case of cutaneous mucormycosis developed in a well-controlled diabetic patient who had previously injected foreign material on her face for an aesthetic purpose at the behest of an unlicensed physician. The patient had tissue necrosis and purulent discharge on her left cheek. Following histologic examination, we diagnosed the condition as cutaneous mucormycosis and treated it by wide excision combined with amphotericin B therapy. The disease was cured without any significant sequelae within 6 months of follow up. Cutaneous mucormycosis is rarely reported but it can cause facial deformity due to tissue necrosis, so that early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are important. Currently, foreign material injection for aesthetic purposes is still performed by unlicensed physicians. We present a case report concluding that one should consider the possibility of fungal infection in skin lesion in diabetic or other immunosup-pressed patients. We also emphasize the seriousness of illegal injection of foreign material.
Absidia ; Amphotericin B ; Cheek ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mortierella ; Mucor ; Mucorales ; Mucormycosis* ; Necrosis ; Paraffin* ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue