No abstract available.
Animals ; Hepatitis A* ; Hepatitis* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR*

PURPOSE: In adriamycin(ADR)-induced cardiomyopathy, several different mechanisms are suggested. However, little information is available regarding the role of apoptosis. In the present study, we examined the induction of apoptosis on ADR treatment and anti-apoptotic effects of probucol, a lipid-lowering drug, and we also studied the changes of bcl-2 expression in order to see the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of probucol. METHODS: Cardiac myocytes were isolated from 3-day-old rats, and cultured in low(1 pM) or high doses(10pM) of ADR for 24 hours. Probucol(50 pM) was added 30 minutes before ADR administration. Apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining, and bcl-2 expression was estimated by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: The number of TUNEL-positive cells significantly increased in both groups treated with ADR. However, anti-apoptotic effect of probucol was evident only in low dose. In addition, the expression of bcl-2 was significantly increased only in the low-dose ADR treatment group and its expression was inhibited by pretreatment of probucol. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that apoptosis might play an important role in ADR-induced cardiotoxicity, and ADR-induced apoptosis was partially prevented by pretreatment of probucol. And ADR-induced apoptosis was not related with depression of bcl-2. Additionally, inhibition of bcl-2 gene expression of low-dose ADR treatment group by probucol suggests that another cell survival mechanism could be implicated in the action of probucol. (J Korean Pediatr Soc 2000;43:746-754)
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Cardiomyopathies ; Cell Survival ; Depression ; Doxorubicin ; Genes, bcl-2 ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Myocytes, Cardiac* ; Probucol* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Succimer* ; Thymoma*

No abstract available.

Interleukin-6(IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, and deregulated IL-6 gene expression has been implicated as being involved in the pathogenesis of a number of diseaaes. So we measured the serum level of IL-6 to find a relationahip between uterine cervical cancer and serum IL-6 level. The serum levels of IL-6 were meesured m 54 patients adrnitted to the Severance hospital, from August, 1992 to February, 1993, of whom 27 patients were diagnosed as invasive cancer of cervix, 17 as CIN, and also utilizing 10 patiente diagnosed as uterine myoma as a control group for matched age and parity. The average serum level of IL-6 in invasive cancer, CIN, and uterine myoma were respectively 30.33pg/ml, 37.27pg/ml, and 12.45pg Jml. In 22% af cervical cancer patients (6 of 27), and 27% of CIN patients (4 of 17) studied blood levels of II-6 were detected whereas only 10% of uterine myoma (1 of 10) shorved the same result. However, the difference does not seem to be statistically significant, There was no statistically significant difference among any of the groups, and age and stage did not show any significant cmrelation, and the results need furt,ber investigations.
Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Leiomyoma ; Parity ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Although postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy is known to reduce cardiovascular mortality, the mechanism is not clear yet. Furthermore, the effect of estrogen on vascular tonus is reportedly variable according to the animal models, vascular beds and agonists used. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Bilateral ovariectomies were performed in 12 week-old, 18 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and 18 normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Rats were divided into three groups according to the dose of 17beta-estradiol (E 2 ) pellets implanted subcutaneously two weeks after ovariectomy: control (no implantation), low-dose (0.5 mg) and high-dose (5 mg) E 2 replacement group. Two weeks after pellet implantation, organ bath experiments were performed using descending thoracic aortae. For endothelium-dependent relaxation, acetylcholine (10(-9) -3x10(-6) M) was cumulatively added into the vessels precontracted with 10(-7) M norepinephrine (NE). For vasoconstrictor responses, cumulative concentration-contraction curves were constructed in quiescent vessels using NE (10(-9) -10(-5) M), U46619 (10(-9) -3x10(-6) M), endothelin-1 (10(-10) -10(-7) M). In addition, contraction to angiotensin II (10(-7) M) was also obtained. Serum 17beta-estradiol levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Blood pressure was measured by tail-cuff method in some SHRs before ovariectomy and after placebo/E 2 replacement. RESULTS: Endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was impaired in WKY treated with 5 mg E 2 (pIC 50 : control vs 5mg E 2 : 7.75+/-0.13 vs 7.27+/-0.16: n=6: p<0.05). No significant effect was noted in SHR. Contraction to angiotensin II was inhibited by low-dose E 2 in WKY and high-dose E 2 in SHR (% of the contraction to 60 mM KCl: WKY: control vs 0.5 mg E 2 : 39+/-5 vs 25+/-2: SHR: control vs 5 mg E 2 : 34+/-4 vs 22+/-2: n=6 and p<0.05 in WKY and SHR). In contrast, NE-induced contraction was enhanced by E 2 replacement (both low- and high-dose) in WKY and SHR (WKY: control vs 0.5 mg E 2 vs 5 mg E 2 : AUC: 280+/-24 vs 387+/-26 vs 374+/-25: maximal contraction: 137+/-8 vs 166+/-8 vs 162+/-3: pD 2 : 7.63+/-0.11 vs 8.17+/-0.13 vs 8.13+/-0.13: SHR: control vs 0.5 mg E 2 vs 5 mg E 2 : AUC: 265+/-17 vs 349+/-16 vs 406+/-19: maximal contraction: 152+/-6 vs 181+/-9 vs 203+/-16: pD 2 : 7.45+/-0.13 vs 7.91+/-0.08 vs 8.04+/-0.04: n=6 and p<0.05 between control and treated groups in WKY and SHR for all parameters). Contraction to U46619 was enhanced by E 2 replacement in SHR (control vs 0.5 mg E 2 : AUC: 478+/-30 vs 574+/-23: maximal contraction: 181+/-9 vs 230+/-10: n=6: p<0.05 for both parameters). Maximal contractile response to endothelin-1 was also enhanced in SHR (control vs 0.5 mg E 2 vs 5 mg E 2 : maximal contraction: 165+/-7 vs 189+/-7 vs 199+/-8: n=6 and p<0.05 between control and treated groups) but not in WKY. Blood pressure was not different between placebo and E 2- treated SHR (171+/-2 vs 174+/-4 mmHg). CONCLUSION: In WKY, chronic high-dose estrogen replacement impairs endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine.: low-dose estrogen replacement does not affect endothelium-dependent relaxation in SHR and WKY. Estrogen replacement enhances the contraction to most of the contractile agonists tested except angiotensin II in both WKY and SHR. These results suggest that estrogen replacement affect the vascular tonus differently according to the vasoactive substances and/or hormones without significant effect on blood pressure.
15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5,13-dienoic Acid ; Acetylcholine ; Angiotensin II ; Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Area Under Curve ; Baths ; Blood Pressure ; Endothelin-1 ; Estrogen Replacement Therapy* ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Models, Animal ; Mortality ; Norepinephrine ; Ovariectomy ; Radioimmunoassay ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR* ; Relaxation

No abstract available.
Adolescent* ; Humans ; Male* ; Psoriasis*

BACKGROUND: A novel technique for the repair of tears of the upper subscapularis tendon—intraarticular knotless fixation—has been introduced recently. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and structural outcomes of arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation for the treatment of upper subscapularis tendon tears. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical and radiological outcomes of 27 patients who underwent arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation for upper subscapularis tendon tears. Finally, a total of 10 patients who could participate in at least a 6 month follow-up of magnetic resonance imaging evaluation and in a least 1-year follow-up on an outpatient basis were enrolled in our study. The mean age at the time of operation was 60.7 years, and the mean duration of follow-up was 14.7 months. Two patients had concomitant tears of the supraspinatus tendon and 8 patients had concomitant tears of the supraspinatus and the infraspinatus tendons. RESULTS: The clinical and radiological outcomes improved after the patients had undertaken arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation. The mean visual analogue scale score for pain during motion improved from 6.7 preoperatively to 1.4 at the final follow-up (p<0.001). The mean Constant score improved from 59.3 preoperatively to 79.6 at the final follow-up, and the mean the University of California at Los Angeles score, from 21.7 to 30.2, respectively (p<0.001 and p<0.001). The upper subscapularis tendon tear was healed in every patient except one (90%), for the patient had suffered from a postoperative trauma that resulted in a retear. CONCLUSIONS: We found that arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation gives good clinical and structural outcomes for the repair of upper subscapularis tendon tears. Arthroscopic intraarticular knotless fixation provided such a reliable and efficient restoration of the subscapularis tendon footprint that we anticipate it will become a widely-used procedure for upper subscapularis tendon tears.
Arthroscopy ; California ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Outpatients ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder ; Tears* ; Tendons* ; Treatment Outcome

Paraffinoma is a well known complication of previous paraffin injection into the subcutaneous layer that presents as various conditions including firm mass formation, edema, induration, ulceration, and skin necrosis. Paraffinoma can mimic neoplasm on physical examination and imaging studies and may complicate ultrasonographic diagnoses due to typical posterior shadowing and high echogenicity. When paraffinomas involve around the thyroid gland, the diagnosis of thyroid tumors is very difficult. We present a case of thyroid cancer, the evaluation of which was complicated by the presence of cervical paraffinoma.
Edema ; Hydrazines ; Necrosis ; Paraffin ; Physical Examination ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Skin ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: We performed this study to evaluate the changes of gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) in diabetic patients with or without autonomic neuropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 37 diabetic patients (25 women, 12 men, mean age 51 years) and 24 normal controls (10 women, 14 men, mean age 38 years). After intravenous injection of 185 MBq of 99mTc-DISIDA, serial anterior abdominal images were acquired before and after fatty meal. Regions of interest were applied on gallbladder and right hepatic lobe on 60 and 90 minute images to calculate GBEF. RESULTS: GBEF was significantly reduced in diabetes with autonomic neuropathy (43+/-12.3%) and without autonomic neuropathy (57.5+/-13.2%) compared with normal controls (68+/-11.6%, p <0.05). And also, GBEF was significantly reduced in diabetes with autonomic neuropathy compared with diabetes without autonomic neuropathy (p <0.05). Fasting blood glucose level, age, sex, hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, serum lipid level were not different in these two diabetic patient groups (p>0.05). When 50.2% of GBEF was used as the criteria for diabetic autonomic neuropathy, the sensitivity and specificity were 80%, 76.5%, respectively. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.846. CONCLUSION: GBEF of diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy was significantly reduced than that of diabetic patients without autonomic neuropathy.
Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Diabetic Neuropathies* ; Fasting ; Female ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Meals ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Technetium Tc 99m Disofenin*