No abstract available.
Ependymoma*

BACKGROUND: Recent clinial observations have suggested that colchicine, which is in frequent use in gout can affect the conneciive tissue metabolism in skin and other ti.ues. OBJECTIVE: This study suggest that further development of colchiine might provide a novel means of modulating collagen gen expression in patients with fibrotic disease. METHOD: We examed the effect of colchicine on the expres, on of collagen, fibronectin and collagenase gene by skin filroblast culture hy Nort.hern and dot-blot iybridization. Result : The rate of transcription of genomic DNA corresponding o type I collagen and libvonectin was reduced in colchicine-treated cultures but collagenase was not. reduced. Canclusion : The microti.ikile disruptive agent, colchicine, reduced the expression of type I collagen and fibronectin in a dose-(lependent manner. This st.udy suppor that colchicine is one of the promising antifibrogenic drugs curvently being tested as a treatment, of hun an fibrotic disease.
Colchicine* ; Collagen Type I ; Collagen* ; Collagenases ; DNA ; Fibroblasts ; Fibronectins ; Gene Expression* ; Gout ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Skin

We herein described a 27 year-old male who has been suffering from pruritic erythematous wheal and flare on sun-exposed areas, especially the midback for the past, ten months. The action spectrum of this patient was between 320 and 400 nm, .Passive and reverse passive transfer tests were negative. According to the classification by Harber et al, the current case seemed to belong to type II.
Adult ; Classification ; Humans ; Intradermal Tests ; Male ; Urticaria*

No abstract available.
Abdominal Cavity* ; Abscess* ; Atrial Natriuretic Factor* ; Drainage*

The objective of this study was to establish a good methodology to isolate single smooth muscle cells that are alive and respond properly to pharmacological agents. Canine urinary bladders were employed as the source of single cells, and acetylcholine, atropine and imipramine were used as indicators of pharmacological responsiveness. Imipramine, an antidepressant drug exhibited the anticholinergic and calcium antagonizing properties on rat detrusor muscle. To establish a control value for a further experiment to elucidate the mechanism of action of imipramine on detrusor muscle, we measured the concentration-response of single cells to acetylcholine in the presesnce of imipramine by length of the cells and compared the result with the response in the presence of atropine. Tiny chops of smooth muscle taken from anesthetized canine urinary bladder were incubated in collagenase solution at 36℃ for 17-20 minutes. The collagenase solution included collagenase 1.2 mg/ml, soybean tryspin inhibitory 0.08 mg/ml, bovine serum albumin 2% in 10 ml Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution aerated with a consistent breeze of 95/5% O2/CO2 to maintain the pH at 7.4. After washing with plain K-H solution on 450 mesh, cells were dissociated from the digested tissue for 12-15 minutes. Cell suspension was transfered in 5 ml test tubes and acetylcholine was added for the final concentration to be 10⁻¹⁴~10⁻⁹M. To find the optimal time to fix the cells to determine the contractile responses, 1% acrolein was added 5, 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120 seconds after the administration of ACh. The length of cells fixed by acrolein were measured by microscaler vis CCTV camers on phaes-contrast microscope. The average length of 50 cells from a slide glass was taken as the value of a sample at the very concentration point. Single cells were isolated from canine detrusor. The length of untreated cells varied from 82 µm to 94 µm. The maximal response to actylcholine 10E-9M was accomplished within 5 seconds of exposure, and the shortening was 19±3%. Atropine reduced the contraction of the cells concentration-dependently. Lmipramine which exerts a cholinergic blocking action on some smooth muscles also reduced the contraction concentration-dependently and by a similar pattern as atropine. These findings document that imipramine may exerts a cholinergic blocking activity in the single smooth muscle cells isolated from canine urinary bladder.
Acetylcholine ; Acrolein ; Animals ; Atropine ; Calcium ; Collagenases ; Glass ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Imipramine* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Rats ; Serum Albumin, Bovine ; Soybeans ; Urinary Bladder

BACKGROUND: Thiopental sodium and midazolam are frequently used to induce anesthesia. It has been known that barbiturates enhance the binding of benzodiazepines to the benzodiazepine receptors and also enhance the anesthetic effect of benzodiazepines. As a results, the combined effect of a barbiturate and a benzodiazepine should be more than the sum of the separate effects of the two drugs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate hypnotic interaction between the two drugs during induction period. METHODS: The effect of midazolam on the induction dose-response curve for thiopental sodium was studied in unpremedicated 240 ASA physical status I and II female patients. As an endpoint of hypnosis, ability to open eyes on command was used. Dose-response curves for thiopental sodium, midazolam, and their combination were determined with a probit procedure and compared with a isobolographic analysis. RESULTS: For hypnosis, significant(P<0.05) synergistic interaction was found between the two drugs. The dose of thiopental sodium required to produce hypnosis was reduced by 64% in the presence of equi-effective dose of midazolam. CONCLUSIONS: The interaction between thiopental sodium and midazolam for hypnosis is synergistic.
Anesthesia* ; Anesthetics ; Barbiturates ; Benzodiazepines ; Female ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Midazolam* ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Thiopental*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Forehead*

No abstract available.
Tuberculosis, Meningeal*

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical outcomes between patients undergoing argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT) and those undergoing selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). METHODS: Sixty-one eyes of 61 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma who were treated with more than 1 kind of antiglaucoma medication eye drop were enrolled in this study. Thirty-five eyes of 35 patients were treated with argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT). Twenty-six eyes of 26 patients were treated with selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). The mean IOP at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and the success rate of treatment at the 12-month follow-up period were evaluated in all patients. RESULTS: At 12 months postoperative, the ALT group had a mean IOP of 16.53+/-2.58 mmHg with a mean IOP reduction of 35.27%, while the SLT group had a mean IOP of 18.40+/-5.61 mmHg with a mean IOP reduction of 17.37%. The success rates of treatment defined as definition 1 were 62.85% in ALT and 62.50% in SLT, and the success rates defined as definition 2 were 51.42% in ALT and 46.15% in SLT. CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in the IOP lowering effect or success rates between the ALT and SLT patients at 12 months postoperatively.
Argon ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Trabeculectomy