OBJECTIVE: To assess the association with autoimmune endocrine diseases and detection rate of autoimmune antibodies and its clinical significance in patients with premature ovarian failure. METHODS: Twenty eight patients with primary or secondary amenorrhea manifesting hormonal and clinical features of premature ovarian failure (primary POF: 7, secondary POF: 21) were investigated. We tested them TFT, 75 g OGTT, ACTH and S-cortisol for thyroiditis, IDDM, Addison's disease, and antithyoglobulin antibody, antimicrosomal antibody, antinuclear antibody, rheumatic factor, anti-smooth muscle antibody, anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody for non-organ specific autoimmune disorders. RESULTS: Only one patient was diagnosed as IDDM and no patients had abnormal TFT or adrenal function test. More than one kind of autoantibody was detected in 11 patients of all (39.2%): 5 patients (71.4%) of primary POF group and 6 patients (21.4%) of secondary POF group. Eleven patients (39.3%) had antithyroglobulin antibody, 4 (14.3%) had antimicrosomal antibody, 2 (7.1%) had antinuclear antibody, 2 (7.1%) had rheumatic factor, 1 (3.6%) had anti-smooth muscle antibody, 1 (3.6%) had anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody. CONCLUSIONS: Premature ovarian failure may occur as a component of an autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, so patients should be measured with free thyroxine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, fasting glucose and electrolytes. Measurement of thyroid autoantibodies in POF patients may be important in identifying patients at risk of developing overt hypothyoidism, but other autoantibodies may not be suitable for screening test.
Addison Disease ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Amenorrhea ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Autoantibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Electrolytes ; Endocrine System Diseases ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Primary Ovarian Insufficiency* ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine

No abstract available.
Takayasu Arteritis*

This study was designed to investigate the effect of GABA and related substances on the spontaneous contraction of rat small intestine. The rats (Sprague-Dawley), weighing 200-250g, were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and the small intestine was isolated. Longitudinal muscle strips from duodenum, jejunum and ileum were suspended in Biancani's isolated muscle chambers and myographied isometrically. GABA and muscimol, a GABA A receptor agonist relaxed the duodenum and jejunum significantly, but baclofen-induced relaxation in those muscle strips negligible. The effectiveness of GABA and muscimol in various regions were the greatest on duodenum, and greater on jejunum than on ileum The effect of GABA and muscimol was antagonized by bicuculline, a competitive GABA A receptor antagonist and picrotoxin, a noncompetitive GABA A receptor antagonist. Duodenal relaxation induced by GABA and muscimol was unaffected by hexamethonium, but was prevented by tetrodotoxin. These results suggest that GABA inhibit the contractility of smooth muscle with distinct regional difference of efficacy, and the site of inhibitory action is the GABA A receptor existing at the presynaptic membrane of postganglionic excitatory nerves.
Animals ; Bicuculline ; Dislocations ; Duodenum ; GABA-A Receptor Agonists ; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid* ; Hexamethonium ; Ileum ; Intestine, Small* ; Jejunum ; Membranes ; Muscimol ; Muscle, Smooth ; Picrotoxin ; Rats* ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Relaxation ; Tetrodotoxin

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

The occurrence of atrial fibillation during an electrophysiologic study or catheter ablation in patients with accessory pathways is a common problem and sometimes complicates the localization and ablation procedure of accessory pathways. In patients with sustained atrial fibrillation, it is often time-consuming to terminate atrial fibrillation by drugs or electrical cardioversion. We performed successful radiofrequency catheter ablation in a patient with right-sided accessory pathway during atrial fibrillation requiring repeated electrical cardioversion. The target site was determined by activation mapping and morphology of unipolar electrogram at a site of early ventricular activation.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Catheter Ablation ; Electric Countershock ; Humans

The long QT syndrome is believed to result from abnormalities of cardiac sympathetic innervation and of myocardial repolarization. The therapeutic modalities for patients with ventricular arrhythmias due to the long QT syndrome include beta blocker, cardiac sympathetic denervation, pacemaker and ICD implantation. Recently, we underwent transvenous ICD implantation in a patient with this syndrome who had recurrent syncopal episodes due to rapid polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and strong family history of sudden death.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Death, Sudden ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome* ; Sympathectomy ; Syncope ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

The long QT syndrome is believed to result from abnormalities of cardiac sympathetic innervation and of myocardial repolarization. The therapeutic modalities for patients with ventricular arrhythmias due to the long QT syndrome include beta blocker, cardiac sympathetic denervation, pacemaker and ICD implantation. Recently, we underwent transvenous ICD implantation in a patient with this syndrome who had recurrent syncopal episodes due to rapid polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and strong family history of sudden death.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Death, Sudden ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome* ; Sympathectomy ; Syncope ; Tachycardia, Ventricular

To investigate the effect of diazepam on the contractility of the intestinal smooth muscle, longitudinal muscle strip isolated from rat ileum was prepared for myography in isolated organ bath. 1) Basal tone of ileal muscle was reduced by diazepam concentration-dependently. 2) Higher concentrations (30 and 100 microM) of diazepam inhibited (p<0.05, p<0.001) The carbachol-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner; but lower concentration of diazepam (10 microM) enhanced (p<0.05). 3) Histamine-induced contraction was inhibited by pretreatment with diazepam in a concentration-dependent manner. 4) Ca⁺⁺-induced tension recovery in calcium-free solution was inhibited in the presence of diazepam concentration-dependently. These results suggest diazepam reduces the contractility of the longitudinal muscle isolated from rat ileum via interference with influx of calcium into the muscle cells.
Animals ; Baths ; Calcium ; Carbachol* ; Diazepam* ; Ileum* ; Muscle Cells ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myography ; Rats*

Discoid meniscus in the knee joint is common. From July 1990 through June 1994, the authors performed arthroscopy on 968 symptomatic knee joints. One hundred and six knees of 102 patients had discoid meniscus. Of the 106 knees, 14(13.2%) cases were associated with other intraarticular anatomic variants. There were 7(6.6%) cases with anomalous insertion of the anterior horn of the medial meniscus into the anterior cruciate ligament, and 7(6.6%) cases with anterior transposition of the insertion of the anterior cruciate ligament below the anterior tibial margin like the insertion of the posterior cruciate ligament. Of the 14 patients, the discoid meniscus were reshaped in 11 knees, partially resected in 2 knees, and one patient was treated with repair of a peripheral tear and reshaping. But had no treatment in associated intraarticular anatomic variants. The follow up was done from 24 to 54 months(average 37 months) after surgery. The results were excellent in 8 knees ; good in 4 knees and fair in 2 knees(Ikeuchi scale, 1982) The patients with excellent or good results were satisfied as were the authors, and these anatomical variants other than the discoid meniscus were not related to the patient's symptoms.
Animals ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Arthroscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Horns ; Humans ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Menisci, Tibial ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Tears

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the findings of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) of posterior fossa hemangioblastoma and usefulness of contrast enhancement with Gd-DTPA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven patients with posterior fossa hemangioblastoma were studied with both pre- and post-enhanced MRI. The MR images were reviewed regarding the location, size, signal intensities of cysts and mural nodules, and their contrast enhancement pattern. RESULTS: Five tumors were located in cerebellar hemisphere, one in vermis, and one in posterior part of medulla. One patient with von HippeI-Lindau disease had a medullary hemangioblastoma with multiple pancreatic cysts. In 6 cases, the major portion of the tumor was cysts and had small mulkal nodules. The solid portion was relatiely lange in one case, cemprising half of the tumor Cysts were oval shaped and their sizes were 3--6.7cm in diameter. In five cases(71%), septations were noted within the cysts. Cysts were isointense or slightly hyperintense on Tl-weighted image and hyperintense on T2-weighted image compared with cerebrospinal fluid. Mural nodules were oval or rounded appearance in five cases and flattened appearance in two, and their size was 0.5--2.5cm in diameter. Mural nodules were isointense to gray matter. They were detected in five cases on Tl-weighted images and one case on T2-weighted images. In two cases, vascular signal void area was noted in mural nodules. On contrast-enhanced Tl-weighted images, all mural nodules were intensely enhanced. CONCLUSION: MRI proved to be a good diagnostic method to detect and characterize posterior fossa hemangioblastoma. The most common finding is Cystic posterior fossa lesion with enhancing mural nodule. Contrast enhancement is essential for specific diagnosis.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Diagnosis ; Gadolinium DTPA ; Hemangioblastoma* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pancreatic Cyst