Between August 1993 and Apri1 1994, intrarenal arterial color duplex Doppler sonography was performed on 55 patients(110 kidneys) with acute ureteral obstruction and 12 patients(24 kidneys) with painless ureteral obstruction by unilateral ureteral stones to assess renal hemodynamic changes and its clinical applications. The mean resistive index(RI) of the doppler waveforms obtained on the acutely obstructed 55 kidneys(0.663+/-0.055) was significantly higher than that of the contralateral normal kidneys (0.613+/-0.052) (P<0.05). We found no RI difference between the contralateral normal 55 kidneys(mean: 0.613+/-0.052) in patients with acute ureteral obstruction and the painless obstructed 12 kidneys(mean: 0.595+/-0.029). In the acutely obstructed 55 kidneys, the mean RI of the upper pole(0.674+/-0.054) was significantly higher than that of the mid portion(0.661+/-0.064) or the lower pole(0.654+/-0.065,r<0.05). No difference of the RI was found between the hydronephrotic 31 kidneys(mean: 0.671+/-0.063) and nonhydronephrotic 24 kidneys(mean: 0.65+/-0.041) in the acutely obstructed 55 kidneys(P>0.05). There was no correlation between the levels of ureteral obstruction and intrarenal RI values(P>0.05). The RIs of 3 significantly obstructed kidneys decreased after relief of obstruction. We conclude that the RI is easily obtained and measured, and it would provide important physiological informations on renal vascular impedance in acute ureteral obstruction. Renal doppler findings could be the one of the criteria for assessing the upper urinary tract obstruction.
Electric Impedance ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Kidney ; Ultrasonography, Doppler ; Ureter* ; Ureteral Obstruction* ; Urinary Tract

Bilateral adrenal tuberculosis is a rare disease and often occurs bilaterally. We report a case of bilateral adrenal masses due to tuberculosis with adrenal insufficiency. The patient was a 39- year-old man who had complained of intermittent pain of right upper quadrant and general weakness. The plasma levels of cortisol and catecholamine were normal. The levels of 24-hour urinary catecholamine and VMA were also normal. But the levels of 24-hour urinary 17- hydroxycorticosteroids and 17-ketosteroids were reduced. Abdominal CT showed about 6.5 x4.8 x 5.4cm sized left adrenal mass and 4.0 x 2.8 x 3.6cm sized right adrenal mass with calcification. The result of sono-guided percutaneous needle biopsy was adrenal tuberculosis. The patient was treated with antituberculous chemotherapy and hormonal replacement. But the masses are unchanged during 5-months follow-up.
17-Ketosteroids ; Adrenal Glands ; Adrenal Insufficiency ; Biopsy, Needle ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hydroxycorticosteroids ; Plasma ; Rare Diseases ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis*

The present study was aimed to explore an interaction between endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) systems in normotensive and hypertensive states. Rats were made two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) hypertensive and supplemented with either N-G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 5 mg/100 ml drinking water) or L-arginine hydrochloride (400 mg/100 ml drinking water). One group supplied with normal tap water served as control. Sham-clipped rats were also divided into the L-NAME, L-arginine, and control groups. The plasma levels and atrial contents of ANP were determined at day 28 following clipping the renal artery. In 2K1C rats, the plasma level of ANP was higher and the atrial content was lower than in the sham-clipped control. L-Arginine increased the atrial content of ANP in association with a decreased plasma ANP, whereas L-NAME significantly affected neither parameter. The increase of blood pressure in 2K1C rats was not affected by L-arginine or L-NAME. In sham-clipped rats, the plasma level of ANP was significantly increased by L-NAME along with an increase in blood pressure. On the contrary, L-arginine did not affect the blood pressure or plasma ANP. The atrial content of ANP was significantly altered neither by L-arginine nor by L-NAME. These results suggest that NO plays a tonic inhibitory role on the ANP release with concomitant increases of the atrial tissue content. In addition, hypertension is suggested to modify the release and tissue storage of ANP.
Animals ; Arginine ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor ; Blood Pressure ; Drinking ; Hypertension ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide* ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Renal Artery ; Water

Intermediate-resolution HLA-DQ typing has gained importance in organ transplantation recently. We evaluated the performance of the LIFECODES HLA-DQB1 typing kit (Immucor, USA) using sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) probe and Luminex platform (Luminex Corp., USA) on 100 samples tested by sequence-based typing (SBT) using the AlleleSEQR HLA-DQB1 kit (Abbott Molecular, USA) in Korean individuals. No sample showed ambiguity in the assignment of 4-digit HLA-DQB1 allele with the LIFECODES HLA-DQB1 SSO typing kit, and the results were fully concordant with those of high-resolution typing of AlleleSEQR HLA-DQB1 SBT up to 4-digit level. Three samples required adjustment of false reactions (3/100, 3.0%): two samples with DQB1*03:03/*06:01 showed false-positive result in probe 253, and 1 sample with DQB1*04:02/*05:02 showed false-negative result in probe 217. We tested an additional sample with DQB1*03:03/*06:01, which showed same false-positivity in probe 253 and 2 samples with DQB1*04:02/*05:02, which showed no false reaction. The false reactions did not result in ambiguity or change in the HLA allele assignment. We could assign HLA-DQB1 alleles to 4 digit-level without ambiguity, with 100% concordance with the SBT results. Thus, LIFECODES HLA-DQB1 SSO typing kit showed good performance for intermediate-resolution HLA-DQB1 typing in clinical laboratory for organ transplantation in Koreans.
Alleles ; DNA Primers/metabolism ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; HLA-DQ beta-Chains/*genetics/metabolism ; Histocompatibility Testing/*standards ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic/*standards ; Republic of Korea

Acute renal failure is mainly caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury or nephrotoxic drugs, in which reactive oxygen species (ROS) may play an important role. Therefore, antioxidants are expected to decrease the vulnerability of renal injury associated with oxidative challenges. alpha-Lipoic acid (alpha-LA), potent antioxidant, could act as ROS scavengers, iron chelators and enzyme modulators. In rats with acute renal injury, dysregulation of aquaporin (AQP) water channels and sodium transporters has been noted. I/R injury or cisplatin induced marked down-regulation of AQP1, AQP2 and AQP3 water channels, and type-3 Na-H exchanger, Na,K-ATPase, and Na-K-2Cl cotransporters, in association with impairment of urinary concentration and tubular sodium reabsorption. Treatment with alpha-LA prevented the dysregulation of AQP channels and sodium transporters, along with improved urinary concentrating capability and renal sodium reabsorption.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; Aquaporins ; Chelating Agents ; Cisplatin ; Down-Regulation ; Iron ; Rats* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reperfusion Injury ; Sodium ; Thioctic Acid

PURPOSE: The purpose of this randomized single-blind controlled trial was to elucidate the clinical and antimicrobial effects of daily phototherapy (PT) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in patients with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: The study was conducted from December 2013 to May 2014 at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Forty-one patients with mild to moderate chronic periodontitis were randomly divided into two therapeutic groups in a 1:1 ratio: SRP+PT and SRP (control) groups. All participants underwent full-mouth SRP. PT was performed thrice a day for a month by using electric toothbrushes with embedded light-emitting diodes. Plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and bleeding on probing were assessed before (baseline) and four weeks after (follow-up) the treatment. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Parvimonas micra, Campylobacter rectus, Eikenella corrodens, Streptococcus mutans, and Streptococcus sobrinus levels were detected by a real-time polymerase chain reaction at the same points in time. RESULTS: The clinical parameters improved in both the groups. At the follow-up assessment, PPD was significantly decreased in the SRP+PT group (P=0.00). Further, PPD and CAL showed significantly greater changes in the SRP+PT group than in the SRP group (PPD, P=0.03; CAL, P=0.04). P. gingivalis and T. forsythia levels decreased in this group, but no significant intergroup differences were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive PT seems to have clinical benefits, but evidence of its antimicrobial effects is not sufficient. Long-term studies are necessary to develop the most effective PT protocol and compare the effectiveness of PT with and without exogenous photosensitizers.
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; Campylobacter rectus ; Chronic Periodontitis* ; Dental Scaling ; Eikenella corrodens ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forsythia ; Fusobacterium nucleatum ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontitis ; Photochemotherapy ; Photosensitizing Agents ; Phototherapy* ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; Prevotella intermedia ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Root Planing ; Seoul ; Streptococcus mutans ; Streptococcus sobrinus ; Treponema denticola

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell/*complications/pathology/surgery ; Danazol/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/*complications/pathology/surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Platelet Count ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/blood/drug therapy/*etiology

Renal sodium and water reabsorption occurs through epithelial sodium transporters and aquaporin (AQP) water channels in various segments of tubules. We have demonstrated altered regulation of these transporters and channels in various pathophysiological conditions. In nephrotic syndrome and liver cirrhosis, expression of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) was increased in the late distal convoluted tubule, connecting tubule, and collecting duct. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, the expression of Na,K-ATPase as well as that of ENaC was increased. In contrast, AQP1-3 and sodium transporters was decreased in the kidney from deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension. In two-kidney, one clip hypertension, the expression of Na,K-ATPase, NHE3, NKCC2 and ENaC subunits was decreased in the clipped kidney while remained unchanged in the contralateral kidney. We have also shown an increased activity of renal atrial natriuretic peptide system in postobstructive natriuresis/ diuresis. In acute kidney injury (cisplatin-, gentamicin- and ischemia/reperfusion-induced), the expression of Na,K-ATPase, NHE3, NKCC2 and AQP1-3 was decreased. The altered regulation of sodium transporters and AQP may be causally related with various kidney diseases and hypertension.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Aquaporins ; Desoxycorticosterone ; Diuresis ; Epithelial Sodium Channels ; Hypertension ; Kidney ; Kidney Diseases ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Sodium

Renal sodium and water reabsorption occurs through epithelial sodium transporters and aquaporin (AQP) water channels in various segments of tubules. We have demonstrated altered regulation of these transporters and channels in various pathophysiological conditions. In nephrotic syndrome and liver cirrhosis, expression of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) was increased in the late distal convoluted tubule, connecting tubule, and collecting duct. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, the expression of Na,K-ATPase as well as that of ENaC was increased. In contrast, AQP1-3 and sodium transporters was decreased in the kidney from deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension. In two-kidney, one clip hypertension, the expression of Na,K-ATPase, NHE3, NKCC2 and ENaC subunits was decreased in the clipped kidney while remained unchanged in the contralateral kidney. We have also shown an increased activity of renal atrial natriuretic peptide system in postobstructive natriuresis/ diuresis. In acute kidney injury (cisplatin-, gentamicin- and ischemia/reperfusion-induced), the expression of Na,K-ATPase, NHE3, NKCC2 and AQP1-3 was decreased. The altered regulation of sodium transporters and AQP may be causally related with various kidney diseases and hypertension.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Aquaporins ; Desoxycorticosterone ; Diuresis ; Epithelial Sodium Channels ; Hypertension ; Kidney ; Kidney Diseases ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Sodium

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a disease which developes leg edema, venous claudication and finally ankle ulcer due to venous hypertension. The reconstructive surgery for CVI in the lower limbs has its beginning in the 1950s. In patients with post-thrombotic occlusion of superficial femoral vein (SFV), saphenopopliteal bypass (May-Husni operation) improves venous function by implanting the "non-affected" greater saphenous vein into the lowest segment of the popliteal vein. A 30 year-old male had suffered from easy fatigue and edema on the affected limb for 9 years, varicosities, lipodermatosclerosis and ankle ulcer of left lower leg for 2 years. Herein, we report a case of May-Husni operation in a with venous hypertension due to post-thrombotic occlusion of left SFV. We also present a review of the literature.
Adult ; Ankle ; Edema ; Extremities ; Fatigue ; Femoral Vein* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Popliteal Vein ; Saphenous Vein ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer ; Veins ; Venous Insufficiency ; Venous Thrombosis*