No abstract available.
Leiomyoma* ; Pregnancy*

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets* ; Parturition* ; Platelet Count* ; Pre-Eclampsia* ; Pregnancy*

No abstract available.
Pregnancy* ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Gland*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether women with unexplained elevations of maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin(hCG) at 14-20weeks gestation are at incresed risk for poor pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: 661 pregnant women undergoing second trimester triple marker screening test for Down syndrome and neural tube defect and delivered at our hospital were reviewed. Of 656 pregnancies that did not have maternal serum alpha feto-protein> or =2.5 multiples of the median(MoM), risk for poor pregnancy outcomes include to preeclampsia, preterm delivery, preterm rupture of membrane(PROM), small for gestational age(SGA) and fetal distress was evaluated in women with elevated hCG(> or =2.0 MoM) compared with women without elevated hCG(<2.0 MoM). RESULTS: Pregnancies with elevated hCG levels were at increased risk for preeclampsia (risk ratio 3.4, 95% confidence interval 1.5-7.6) but elevated hCG levels were not significantly associated with preterm delivery, PROM, and SGA and fetal ditress independent with preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: Pregnancies with elevated second-trimester hCG appear to be at higher risk of subsequent preeclampsia and this finding supports the theory that placental vascular changes that ultimately lead to preeclampsia begin at least by the second trimester. But further studies must be to determine how such information can be used to improve pregnany outcome.
Chorion ; Chorionic Gonadotropin* ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Fetal Distress ; Humans* ; Mass Screening ; Neural Tube Defects ; Pre-Eclampsia* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnant Women ; Rupture

OBJECTIVE: Because endometriosis is difficult to diagnose and has a high recurrence rate after treatment, a reliable serum marker of endometriosis is necessary. Therefore, the aim of this study is to measure the serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9 in patients with endometriosis before and after treatment and during recurrence, and to assess the usefulness of these levels in the diagnosis, clinical follow up and prediction of recurrence in endometriosis. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients who visited the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Ewha Mokdong Hospital from January 1994 to December 1998 and were diagnosed as endometriosis by laparoscopy or explo-laparotomy were enrolled as subjects. A retrospective analysis of serum CA125 and CA19-9 levels at 1 month before and 3 to 6 months after initiation of treatment was done. RESULTS: The serum CA125 and CA19-9 levels of endometriosis group(81.0+/-252.5, 36.6+/-53.4 ; mean+/-2SD, U/ml) before treatment was significantly higher than control group(11.6+/-12.8, 9.4+/-8.6)(p<0.05). Overall sensitivity rate for CA125, CA19-9 levels and both was 53.4%, 42.9% and 64.3% respectively. The sensitivity rate for endometriosis, stage 3 and 4(85.4%, 55.0%) was significantly higher than that, stage 1 and 2(p<0.05). The serum CA125 level in endometriosis group showed a significant increment according to stages(p<0.05) while the serum CA19-9 level showed an increasing trend(p=0.055) and both levels decreased significantly after treatment(p<0.05). The serum CA125 level was also higher at recurrence after treatment(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The serum CA125 and CA19-9 levels are a useful marker for diagnosing severity of disease, monitoring efficacy of treatment and predicting recurrence in endometriosis.
Biomarkers ; Diagnosis ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Obstetrics ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Autopsy* ; Pneumocystis carinii* ; Pneumocystis* ; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis*

No abstract available.
Muscular Dystrophies*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Biomarkers, Tumor*

No abstract available.
Sertoli-Leydig Cell Tumor*

BACKGROUND: Using c-fos expression one of the immediate early gene, as a marker of altered neuronal response, we investigated the effect of superior cervical ganglion block (SCGB) exhibiting the same effect of SGB of human on the activity of several brain regions which are considered as located on autonomic neural pathway and neuroendocrine axis in rat. METHOD: The 48 Sprague-Dawley strain rats were divided into 4 groups, as saline/stress (control) group, SCGB/stress (tested) group, saline group, SCGB group. Superior cervical ganglion block was conducted in the SCGB/stress group and SCGB group while saline/stress and saline group were sham operated. After then restraint stress was imposed on the animals of SCGB/stress group and saline/stress group. And 2 hour after injection (saline, SCGB group) or restraint stress (saline/stress, SCGB/stress group), c-fos protein (Fos) was localized by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Much stronger Fos immunoreactivity was induced in the several brain region of control group rats compared to other three groups and the numbers of Fos positive cell count of tested group were significantly decreased in paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (p<0.01), A5 (p<0.01), raphe pallidus (p<0.05), nucleus tractus solitaius (p<0.01) compared to control group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrate that superior cervical ganglion block attenuates stress induced neuronal activities of paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, A5, raphe pallidus, nucleus tractus solitarius.
Animals ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Brain* ; Cell Count ; Genes, vif ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neural Pathways ; Neurons ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Solitary Nucleus ; Superior Cervical Ganglion*