No abstract available.
Scleroderma, Localized

No abstract available.
Femur* ; Hip Fractures*

No abstract available.
Femur* ; Tibia*

BACKGROUND: Antiphospholipid antibodies(APA) including anticardiolipin antibodies(ACA) are significantly associated with ulcerations of the leg. Moreover, resistance to activated protein C(aPC) may be an important risk factor in leg ulcerations. Until now, there has been no clinical investigation about the positivity of APA or resistance to aPC in patients with leg ulcers in Korea. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the positivity to APA and the presence of resistance to aPC in patients with leg ulcers in Korea. METHODS: Venous or arterial ultrasonic Doppler, semiquantitative assay for serum APA and functional analysis for aPC resistance were conducted in 32 patients with leg ulcers. RESULTS: 1. Of the 32 patients with leg ulcers, 34,3% had a positive APA. APA were more frequently associated with venous ulcerations of the leg than in subjects with leg ulcers of arterial or mixed origin. 2. aPC resistance based upon the functional analysis, occurred in 43.7% to 46.8% of leg ulcer patients. 3. Livedo reticularis (38.1%) and superficial thrombophlebitis (19.0%) were the most common cutaneous manifestations accompanied by leg ulcers in 21 APA-positive and/or aPC resistant patients. Deep vein thrombosis of extremities was the most common complication (47.6%) among the systemic thrombotic sequelaes in APA-positive and/or aPC resistant patients. CONCLUSION: APA positivity and aPC resistance may be relatively common anticoagulant defects among patients with leg ulcerations in Korea. APA positivity and aPC resistance should be considered important risk factors for the development of not only leg ulcers but also systemic thrornbotic complications.
Activated Protein C Resistance* ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Korea ; Leg Ulcer* ; Leg* ; Livedo Reticularis ; Risk Factors ; Thrombophlebitis ; Ulcer ; Ultrasonics ; Varicose Ulcer ; Venous Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Anemia, Pernicious* ; Osteoporosis*

OBJECTIVES: Cord blood stem cells have been widely used as donor cells for bone marrow transplantation recently. These cells can give rise to a variety of hematopoietic lineages to repopulate the blood. Recent observations reveal that some bone marrow cells and bone marrow stromal cells(MSCs) can grow to become either neurons or glial cells. It is, however, unclear whether or not there exists stems cells which can differentiate into neurons in the blood during the early stages of postnatal life. METHODS: Human cord blood stem cells were prepared from human placenta after full term delivery. To induce neuronal differentiation of stem cells, beta-mercaptoethanol was treated. To confirm the neuro-glial characteristics of differentiated stem cells, immunocytochemical stain for NeuN, neurofilament, glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP), microtubule associated protein2(MAP2) was performed. RT-PCR was performed for detecting nestin mRNA and MAP2 mRNA. RESULTS: We showed in this experiment that neuro-glial markers(NeuN, neurofilament, MAP2, GFAP) were expressed and axon-like cytoplasmic processes are elaborated in the cultured human cord blood stem cells prepared from new born placenta after full term delivery. Nestin mRNA was also detected in fresh cord blood monocytes. Conclusions: These results suggest that human cord blood derived stem cells may be potential sources of neurons in early postnatal life.
Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cytoplasm ; Fetal Blood* ; Humans* ; Microtubules ; Monocytes ; Nestin ; Neural Stem Cells ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Placenta ; RNA, Messenger ; Stem Cells ; Tissue Donors ; Umbilical Cord*

BACKGROUND: The HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor is the most powerful cholesterol lowering drug and lovastatin, simvastatin and pravastatin are used clinically. We studied the efficacy and side effects of pravastatin monotherapy in patients with hypercholesterolemia(type IIa or IIb). METHODS: Patients who showed 12-hours fasting serum total cholesterol level more than 240mg% were enrolled to diet therapy. After 4weeks of diet therapy, serum lipid profiles were checked and the drug therapy was considered according to NCEP guidelines. The pravastatin 5mg po bid was administrated and the patients had regular follow-up every 2weeks for 8week. RESULTS: The total study population was 20 patients and the mean age of them was 55 years old (55+/-18, M : F=6 : 14). There were a few side effects in 5% of study patients and no patient discontinued pravastatin due to side effects.The side effect was G-I trouble and there were not other side effects. Serum CK was elevated in only one patient but the elevation was mild(less than 3 times) and transient. The LFT, serum uric acid, BUN and creatinine level did not show any significant changes during therapy. Among lipid profiles, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein B level showed significant reduction after therapy and the maximum reduction was achieved after 2week of therapy. The mean reduction was 20%, 33% and 23% respectively. HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 11% and 17% respectively. The triglyceride level did not show any changes during therapy but in one type IIb patient, the triglyceride level decreased significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The pravastatin is effective and safe in patients with hypercholesterolemia.
Apolipoprotein A-I ; Apolipoproteins ; Cholesterol ; Creatinine ; Diet Therapy ; Drug Therapy ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia* ; Lovastatin ; Middle Aged ; Oxidoreductases ; Pravastatin* ; Simvastatin ; Triglycerides ; Uric Acid

BACKGROUND: A pathogenesis of skin-homing lymphoid cells in primary cutaneous T-eell lymphoma(CTCL) has not been elucidated, CLA(cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen) defined by HECA-452 monoclonal anfibody has been proposed as the novel skin-homing receptors of infiltrative lymphocytes in atopic dermatitis and graft-versus-host disease. Accordingly, CLA may be a determinant explaining about the skin-homing properties of lymphoid tumor cells in CTCL. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of CLA in the lesional tissue specimens of cutaneous lymphomas. METHODS: Immunohistochemicslly, we examined the expression of CLA, E-selectin, ICAM-1 and LFA-1 antigens in the tissue specimens taken from the skin lesions and lymph nodes of the 22 patients with cutaneous lymphomas and the 20 control subjects with non-cutaneous lymphomas. Results : 1. The expression rate of CLA was 40.9% in the skin specimens of cutaneous lymphomas. We could not fad any expression of CLA in non-cutaneous lymphomas. 2. CTCL showed a more frequent expression of CLA(80%) than cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCL)(8.3%). We found more frequently CLA+ high endothelial venules in non-cutaneous lymphomas(40%) than in cutaneous lymphomas(9.1%). 3. CLA and E-selectin were more frequently expressed in primary CTCL(100%, 83.3%) than in secondary CTCL(50%, 0%). 4. The positivity to ICAM-1 and LFA-1 antigens was higher in primary cutaneous lymphomas (72.7%, 81.8%) than in secondary forms(9.1%, 9.1%). Conclusion : CLA and E-selectin may represent the pivotal skin-homing receptor of infiltrative tumor cells and vascular counter-receptor in primary CTCL, respectively. Also, ICAM-1 and LFA-1 may have a role in the primary cutaneous infiltration of lymphoma cells as the additional cofactors.
Dermatitis, Atopic ; E-Selectin ; Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Skin ; Venules

Stress urinary incontinence is mainly treated by major surgical procedures. Bolstering the urethra with injectable compound is an attractive, although not new, procedure for stress urinary incontinence. Recently it has been popularized to use the autologous fat for injection. A total of 6 women with stress urinary incontinence underwent periurethral injection of autologous fat. Patients' age ranged from 41 to 69 years( mean 55.8). The fat was harvested from the low abdominal wall by liposuction unit. Follow up was 2 to 10 months( mean 6.8). of the patients, 5(83%) are cured, 1 is improved significantly( from Grade III to I). We conclude that the periurethral autologous fat injection is a reliable, safe, low-cost, and high benefit procedure.
Abdominal Wall ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lipectomy ; Urethra ; Urinary Incontinence*

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has become a significant threat to public health. Although broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy is the primary treatment option for CDI, its use has evident limitations. Probiotics have been proved to be effective in the treatment of CDI and are a promising therapeutic option for CDI. In this study, 4 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), namely, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR5), Lactococ-cuslactis (SL3), Bifidobacterium breve (BR3), and Bifidobacterium lactis (BL3) were evaluated for their anti-C. difficile activity. Co-culture incubation of C. difficile (106 and 1010 CFU/ml) with each strain of LAB indicated that SL3 possessed the highest antimicrobial activity over a 24-hr period. The cell-free supernatants of the 4 LAB strains exhibited MIC50 values between 0.424 mg/ml (SL3) and 1.318 (BR3) mg/ml. These results may provide a basis for alternative therapies for the treatment of C. difficile-associated gut disorders.
Bacteria ; Bifidobacterium ; Clostridium ; Clostridium difficile ; Coculture Techniques ; Complementary Therapies ; Lactic Acid ; Lactobacillus rhamnosus ; Probiotics ; Public Health ; Pyridines ; Sprains and Strains ; Thiazoles